State History

The Otsego County Historical Association (OCHA) and the Otsego County Board of Representatives came together to fund a historical marker in Otsego County.   OCHA worked with the Intergovernmental Affairs Committee and the Budget Committee of the county board to obtain a budget line in the county budget for a historical marker.   While there are resources for obtaining historical markers (e.g. the very generous Pomeroy Foundation), several historical groups in the county have not yet received their 501C3 status which precludes them from applying to the Pomeroy Foundation.   Also, some of the primary resource material used to support the grant request has been destroyed due to floods or fires.  On December 7th, the Otsego County Board of Representatives unanimously voted in support of the 2017 budget that had a $700 line item for a historical marker.   This amount was matched by OCHA and so the process for obtaining another marker in Otsego County will go forward.

The historical marker selection will involve a considerable amount of input from the historical community as well as the general public.   In late December, a request for marker proposals will be sent out to public historians, historical societies, other historical groups and local school districts.   OCHA will then prioritize this list by those requests who come from towns which do not currently have a marker, for topics not already covered by a marker (e.g. women, businesses, the rail road, etc.)   The entire prioritized list will then be shared with the public in five regional county meetings throughout April and May.   Based on objective scoring of the application request and the public input, OCHA will then select the topic for the next historical marker which will be announced at the annual meeting in June.   The historical marker is expected to be unveiled in late September or early October.