New York J 1904: Commemorating the 150th Anniversary of the City of Binghamton on April 9, 2017

Bill Text

Senate Resolution No. 1904
Senator AKSHARBY:
the 150th Anniversary of the City ofCOMMEMORATING
Binghamton on April 9, 2017
It is the intent of this Legislative Body to honor andWHEREAS,
commemorate the distinguished histories of the communities which
comprise the noble body of this great Empire State; and
Attendant to such concern, and in full accord with itsWHEREAS,
long-standing traditions, this Legislative Body is justly proud to
commemorate the 150th Anniversary of the City of Binghamton, in Broome
County, New York; and
The City of Binghamton is located in the central SouthernWHEREAS,
Tier at the confluence of the Susquehanna and Chenango Rivers, a few
miles north of the Pennsylvania state line and midpoint between the
Empire State's east-west borders; and
Binghamton's location at the confluence of the SusquehannaWHEREAS,
and Chenango Rivers was a natural site for settlement, first by
Paleo-Indians, later by Iroquois tribes and then by settlers from
eastern New York, New England, and the Middle Atlantic states; and
Following the Revolutionary War defeat of the British andWHEREAS,
their Iroquois allies, people rapidly settled the area; soldiers, who
fought under Generals Clinton and Sullivan in south central New York
numbered among the first large landowners; and
Originally called "Chenango Point", the City was named forWHEREAS,
William Bingham, a wealthy Philadelphia patriot who purchased a
10,000-acre land patent lying on both sides of the Susquehanna River; he
secured a land agent, Joshua Whitney to develop the town and "...give
preference to quiet, industrious farmers who will give reputation to the
neighborhood, as well as from their skill in the management of their
farms as their orderly conduct"; and
In 1834, village government was organized, and three yearsWHEREAS,
later, the first boat arrived over the Chenango Canal, transforming the
region as stores, hotels and industries sprang up to capitalize on
"canal fever"; and
The first train arrived on the Erie Railroad in 1848, andWHEREAS,
the City of Binghamton was incorporated in 1867; and
In the years following the Civil War, BinghamtonWHEREAS,
transformed to a manufacturing boomtown; "Made in Binghamton, NY" came
to mean cigars, sleighs, carriages, scales, book publishing, overalls,
furniture, oil refining, electrical supplies, lumber, washing machines,
pianos, organs, foundries, and machine shops as well as leather tanning;
and

New wealth from Binghamton's industries transformed manyWHEREAS,
residential areas with homes of elegance, that one visitor famously
dubbed it the Parlor City; and
By 1888, the cigar industry was the largest industryWHEREAS,
employing 6,000 hands in 50 firms; Binghamton ranked second in
production of cigars only to New York City; and
Shoe manufacturing was the second largest City employer; inWHEREAS,
1891, the Lester Brothers Boot & Shoe Company outgrew its location on
the south bank of the Susquehanna and moved to land west of the City;
and
The company reorganized and later became Endicott-JohnsonWHEREAS,
Shoes, which grew to over 20,000 employees in the region and created the
villages of Johnson City and Endicott; and
Endicott-Johnson ushered in generations of immigrantWHEREAS,
shoemakers leaving the area a rich legacy of ethnicities and religions -
Italians, Germans, Poles, Czechs, Slovaks, Lithuanians, Russians,
Ukrainians, and Greeks who included Roman Catholics, Eastern Orthodox
Catholics and Jews - to add to the pioneering mix of English, Scots and
Irish; and
In 1889, Harlow Bundy organized the Bundy Time RecordingWHEREAS,
Company in Binghamton; Bundy was successful in attracting investors and
soon, time recorders were distributed throughout the world; and
After merging with other companies by 1905, the Bundy TimeWHEREAS,
Recording and Tabulating Company outgrew its Binghamton roots and moved
to Endicott, New York; under the leadership of Thomas J. Watson, the
firm changed its name to International Business Machines (IBM) and
became a world leader in data processing equipment employing over 15,000
local residents; and
In 1928, Edwin Link, a maker of pianos and organs in hisWHEREAS,
father's firm, developed the idea for a trainer for pilots of airplanes;
a year later, he invented the flight simulator and began a business that
would revolutionize the aerospace industry; Link further developed the
idea of training simulation to include driving simulators, helicopter,
naval and NASA rocket simulators; and
Due to the founding of IBM, and the creation of the LinkWHEREAS,
Flight Simulator, Binghamton became home to a notable concentration of
electronics- and defense-oriented firms; this sustained economic
prosperity earned Binghamton the moniker of the Valley of Opportunity;
and
Remaining fruitful over the ebb and flow of decades ofWHEREAS,
growth and change, the City of Binghamton continues its commitment to
enhancing the quality of life of its citizens, ensuring a positive
business, institutional and educational climate