Upstate Uncovered: 100 Unique, Unusual, and Overlooked Destinations in Upstate New York

by Chuck D'Imperio

Overview

In Ultimate Upstate! Chuck D'Imperio mines deep into his travel journal and shares an astonishing array of fun and amazing places in Upstate New York that the casual traveler might otherwise miss. As one of Upstate's most ardent advocates, D'Imperio has traveled the backroads and byways of the region seeking out the stories, tales, and folklore writ upon the landscape. He takes readers to one hundred small towns and cities from the Hudson Valley to the High Peaks of the Adirondacks and out through the rolling hills of the Finger Lakes region. Not only a reflection of "the road less traveled," Ultimate Upstate! includes pertinent information such as websites, photographs, personal interviews, and explicit directions to each of the included entries. While flipping through the pages, readers will be amazed at what turns up around every backroads corner in the region.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781438463711
Publisher:	State University of New York Press
Publication date:	04/27/2017
Series:	Excelsior Editions
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	466
File size:	28 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

Chuck D'Imperio is a well-known radio personality in Upstate New York and the author of several books that celebrate the region, including Monumental New York! A Guide to 30 Iconic Memorials in Upstate New York, Unknown Museums of Upstate New York: A Guide to 50 Treasures, and A Taste of Upstate New York: The People and the Stories Behind 40 Food Favorites. He lives in Oneonta.

Table of Contents

Introduction xiii

Region 1 Western New York

Including pans of Allegany, Chautauqua, Erie, Livingston, Monroe, Niagara, and Steuben Counties

1 Angelica: "Roque Is the Name of the Game" 3

2 Avoca: "A Night on the Rails" 7

3 Belfast: "The Champion's Barns" 11

4 Buffalo: "The Birthplace of the Buffalo Chicken Wing" 16

5 Buffalo: "The Oldest Active Fireboat in the World" 20

6 Canisteo: "The World's Largest Living Sign" 24

7 Chautauqua: "The Queen of the Lake" 28

8 Dansville: "Upstate's Angel of Mercy" 32

9 Dunkirk: "The First Shots of the War of 1812" 36

10 East Aurora: "America's Five-and-Dime Store" 40

11 Irondequoit: "America's Oldest Miniature Golf Course" 44

12 Jamestown: "I Love Lucy" 48

13 Lackawanna: "A Church for Father Baker" 54

14 Lockport: "The Flight of Five" 59

15 Mayville: "Oh If These Walls Could Only Talk" 63

16 Westfield: "The President's Whiskers" 67

Region 2 Finger Lakes

Including parts of Cayuga, Chemung, Onondaga, Ontario, Seneca, Wayne, and Yates Counties

17 Auburn: "The Moses of Her People" 73

18 Canandaigua: "The Chosen Spot" 77

19 Horseheads: "Zim's Bandstand" 81

20 Lyons: "The Oldest Movie and Stage Theater in Upstate" 85

21 Penn Yan: "The World's Largest Pancake Griddle" 89

22 Phelps: "America's Only Two-Story Brick Outhouse" 93

23 Seneca Falls: "It's a Wonderful Life" 98

24 Skaneateles: "A Jolly Olde Tyme" 103

25 Skaneateles: "The Mail Must Go Through" 107

26 Waterloo: "We Will Never Forget" 111

27 Wolcott: "An Eerie Moonscape along Sodus Bay" 115

Region 3 Central New York

Including parts of Chemung, Chenango, Cortland, Delaware, Fulton, Herkimer, Madison, Montgomery, Oneida, Onondaga, Otsego, and Schoharie Counties

28 Amsterdam: "The Ragman's Son" 121

29 Auriesville: "The Church of Seventy-Two Doors" 127

30 Bainbridge: "Stick with Us" 132

31 Binghamton; "Walking Distance" 136

32 Canajoharie: "The Last of the Dummy Lights" 141

33 Cardiff: "America's Greatest Hoax" 145

34 Cherry Valley: "Drums along the Mohawk" 150

35 Chittenango: "Follow the Yellow Brick Road" 154

36 Cooperstown: "America's Oldest Covered Bridge" 159

37 Cooperstown: "A Mighty Fine Guy" 164

38 Cortland: "Upstate's 'Nashville of the North'" 168

39 Danube: "The Oldest Missionary Church in New York" 172

40 Elmira: "The Battle at Sullivan's Mountain" 177

41 Elmira: "The Birthplace of Huckleberry Finn" 181

42 Georgetown: "Built by Spiritual Hands" 186

43 Gilboa: "The Oldest Trees on Earth" 189

44 Hamilton: "A Sweet Commemoration" 193

45 Homer: "New York's Biggest Pair of Pants" 197

46 Howe's Cave: "New York's Favorite Hole in the Ground" 201

47 Johnstown: "The Oldest Active Courthouse in New York State" 205

48 Middleburgh: "The Land of Tim Murphy" 209

49 Oneida: "The World's Smallest Church" 213

50 Oneonta: "The Largest Indoor Barbecue Pit in the East" 216

51 Oneonta: "A Railroad Icon" 220

52 Pindars Corners: "The Senator's Schoolhouse" 224

53 Rome: "Fill 'er Up!" 229

54 Sharon Springs: "Springs Village of Schoharie County" 233

55 Sherrill: "Free Love" 238

56 South Otselic: "An American Tragedy" 243

57 Syracuse: "The Shot (Clock) Heard Around the World" 248

58 Syracuse: "Green over Red" 252

59 Unadilla: "The Pride of the Village Beautiful" 257

60 Van Hornesville: "A Truly Remarkable Rural School" 261

Region 4 Catskills, Hudson Valley, Capital District

Including parts of Albany, Delaware, Dutchess, Orange, Rensselaer. Saratoga, Schenectady, Sullivan, Ulster, Washington, Westchester, and Rockland Counties

61 Albany: "Upstate's Most Beautiful Firehouse" 267

62 Albany: "His Master's Voice" 272

63 Andes: "Lead Can't Penetrate Steele" 276

64 Grafton: "Na-Mu-Myo-Ho-Ren-Ge-Kyo" 280

65 Hancock: "Eddie Murphy: The Last Honest Man" 284

66 Hoosick Falls: "Anyone Can Paint" 288

67 Mechanicville: "First Union Casualty of the Civil War" 293

68 Monticello: "The Bagel Capital of New York" 298

69 Mt. Tremper: "Jewels in a Catskill Silo" 303

70 New Paltz: "The Oldest Authentic Street in New York State" 308

71 New Windsor: "The First Purple Heart" 312

72 Ossining: "Up the River to the Big House" 316

73 Phoenicia: "On the Wings of Eagles" 320

74 Pomona: "America's Oldest Family Fruit Farm" 325

75 Highland and Poughkeepsie: "A Walk in the Clouds" 328

76 Prattsville: "America's First Civil War Monument" 332

77 Rensselaer: "The Birthplace of Yankee Doodle Dandy" 336

78 Salem: "The Old Burying Ground" 340

79 Saratoga Springs: "The Oldest Sporting Venue in America" 344

80 Schenectady: "The Oldest Barber Shop in New York State" 348

81 Schenectady: "Lawrence the Indian" 352

82 Schenectady: "The City (and Sign) that Lights the World" 356

83 Sleepy Hollow: "Tales of Sleepy Hollow" 360

84 Stamford: "A Watcher in the Woods" 366

85 Tappan: "Oldest Tavern in America" 370

86 Troy: "The Idea for the Ferris Wheel?" 374

87 Washingtonville: "America's Oldest Winery" 378

88 Wilton: "Grant's Last View" 383

Region 5 North Country and Adirondacks

Including parts of Essex, Franklin, Jefferson, Oswego, St. Lawrence, Warren, and Washington Counties

89 Cape Vincent: "America's Oldest Family-Run Ferry" 391

90 Gouverneur: "The World's Largest Roll of Life Savers" 396

91 Lake Placid: "God Bless America" 400

92 Malone: "Little House in the North Country" 405

93 North Creek: "Welcome Aboard, Mr. President" 409

94 Oswego: "The Last Active U.S. Army D-Day Invasion Ship" 413

95 Potsdam: "Upstate History Written in Stone" 417

96 Sackets Harbor: "Defender of the North" 421

97 Saranac Lake: "Little Red" 426

98 Watertown: "Oldest Indoor Shopping Mall in the United States" 431

99 Whitehall: "Birthplace of the American Navy" 436

100 Wilmington: "America's First Theme Park" 440

Index 445

Editorial Reviews

"This is the kind of insider-tourism knowledge that can only come from someone who loves a particular area and has spent a good portion of their life enjoying and exploring it. This is homegrown tourism done right, with enthusiasm, humor, and heart … immensely charming." — Manhattan Book Review

"…invites readers to explore a delightful array of sights in Upstate New York." — Syracuse Post-Standard

"This book is a delight. It's raw meat for people (like me) who love to find and enjoy obscure historical treasures, but it is much more. Anyone who lives or travels in Upstate New York will be surprised and delighted at how much there is to discover and enjoy there. The nation's smallest church? The grave of 'The Moses of her people?' New York's biggest pair of pants? The town where 'Oz' began? A two-story outhouse? (You read it right.) The birthplace of The Twilight Zone? They're all here, and more, in witty, warm, and lucid prose. Enjoy. You will." — Mac Nelson, author of Twenty West: The Great Road Across America

"Upstate New York—the area north of New York City—is full of interesting and historically significant places to visit, explore, and enjoy. Much of its history has been slighted or overlooked. Chuck D'Imperio seems to have visited just about every community in New York in the course of his research for Ultimate Upstate! and previous excellent books on the region. D'Imperio has a flair for descriptive and evocative writing, bringing history to life through his on-site interviews and shrewd historical observations. This is exciting history, well told, and engaging. Even readers who know New York history will find lots of surprises and new insights. Ultimate Upstate! conveys a deep sense of the variety, vitality, and drama of Upstate New York's history." — Bruce W. Dearstyne, author of The Spirit of New York: Defining Events in the Empire State's History

From the Publisher