For most on a Friday night these days, one likes to forget about the workweek and start enjoying the weekend.

This wasn’t the case on Friday night, May 10, 1907, when many business and civic leaders in Oneonta met to form the Oneonta Chamber of Commerce. We know it today as The Otsego County Chamber.

"At a well attended meeting of the representative business and professional men of Oneonta held at the YMCA hall last evening," reported Saturday’s Oneonta Star, "the Oneonta Chamber of Commerce was organized, its object, as stated in the constitution adopted being, �To promote and foster the welfare and prosperity of the village of Oneonta, especially its industrial, commercial and civic interests.’"

At that time, the D&H Railroad was reaching its peak numbers of employees. The second largest industry was cigar making. The State Normal School enrolled many students. The YMCA was then found on Broad Street, which today is part of the parking lot of the Clarion Hotel.

One of the first orders of business at the meeting was what to call this organization. There was considerable debate on whether to call it the Oneonta Board of Trade, rather than the Chamber of Commerce. By nine votes, the latter was chosen.

Dr. Arthur Cutler was elected first president of the Oneonta Chamber of Commerce. To name only a few of the initial directors, the names are long familiar to many, including Frank H. Bresee, George I. Wilber, DeForest Keyes, Abraham L. Kellogg and Alva Seybolt.

The village of Oneonta was moving toward the organization as a city, so these leaders felt there was a growing need for an organization to serve the needs of the business sector and the citizens in general. Members could join the Chamber for $1 a year.

There were plenty of issues for the new organization to become involved with and items such as establishing telephone communication with the Butternut Valley area centered around Gilbertsville, getting rid of the tollbooth on the Franklin Turnpike, on today’s state Route 28 on Franklin Mountain, as well as matters involving trolley service occupied those early leaders.

Committees functioned around many issues in those years, and involved many areas, not necessarily in Oneonta. They worked with state government in Albany and in Washington at the national level through the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

The 1920s were a particularly busy time for the Oneonta Chamber. It assisted in mediating a bitter strike on the D&H Railroad, took an active role in the development of Hartwick College and helped with the establishment of the Keyes Airport in the West End.

Click to visit their website

The Chamber got involved in the development of minor league baseball in the early 1940s, when Oneonta had a team in the Canadian-American League, and in the mid-1960s, with the NY-Penn League.

The organization’s name was changed in 1966 to the Greater Oneonta Chamber of Commerce. Business growth outside the city limits and their interest in becoming members of the Chamber prompted the change. That year alone saw the dedication of the present Oneonta Municipal Airport and the arrival of Corning Glass, all supported by the Chamber.

In the last half of the 20th century, the Chamber was deeply involved in the downtown urban renewal program, promotion of Interstate 88, saving the Colliers Dam on Goodyear Lake, and locating the Job Corps Center on the old Homer Folks Hospital campus.

In 1978, Ruth Maloney became the first woman president of the Chamber.

The Chamber has faced some tough times through its history. As early as 1920 there was a substantial lag in dues payments. This happened again in 1937 during the Great Depression.

In August 1984, 20 men sat in a conference room at Hartwick College, facing an important decision. Most were past presidents. This round of fiscal problems was severe enough that having the Chamber as a part-time operation or closing it completely was under consideration.

The decision was a resounding no to both options, and a campaign to keep the Chamber full time and active was highly successful.

The organization changed its name in June 1986 to the Otsego County Chamber of Commerce to have more clout in lobbying for state funds, avoid duplication of efforts and provide representation for businesses that did not have local chambers.

The Chamber offered group health insurance for businesses for the first time in October 1988.

The Chamber moved from its location on Market Street to its present site on Carbon Street in April 1990. Current President and CEO Rob Robinson has been with the Chamber since May 1995. Known simply as The Otsego County Chamber these days, it calls itself "Your Business

Voice." Visit its website at

www.otsegocountychamber.com for a description of resources, services and activities.

On Monday: Sidney entered the local radio airwaves.

City Historian Mark Simonson’s column appears twice weekly. On Saturdays, his column focuses on the area during the Depression and before. His Monday columns address local history after the Depression. If you have feedback or ideas about the column, write to him at The Daily Star, or e-mail him at simmark@stny.rr.com. His website is www.oneontahistorian.com.