Otsego 2000 to present Walking Tour of Fly Creek
Otsego 2000 will offer a walking tour “Fly Creek: Rural Entrepreneurism” on Sunday, July 7 at 3 pm. The tour will be led by Dr. Cindy Falk, Assistant Dean of Graduate Studies at SUNY Oneonta and Professor of Material Culture at the University’s Cooperstown Graduate Program.
The tour will focus on the role crossroad communities like Fly Creek played as gathering points for rural people. The tour will also highlight Fly Creek’s infrastructure for processing rural products. “From grange halls to trolley stations to creameries to agricultural implement factories, entrepreneurism was a big part of small-town life,” said Dr. Falk. This walking tour was researched and developed by students Shelby Walton and Taylor Klauk in Dr. Falk’s Historic Preservation class at the Cooperstown Graduate Program.
Ellen Pope, executive director of Otsego 2000, will have information on the Historic Home and Barn Tax Credits available to homeowners living in communities like Fly Creek that are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Otsego 2000 offers free technical assistance in applying for these tax credits. The Otsego 2000 Historic Preservation Series will continue with walking tours in Gilbertsville on August 4, Hartwick on September 8, and Worcester on October 6.
Dr. Falk was co-editor of Buildings & Landscapes: The Journal of the Vernacular Architecture Forum for five years and is the author of Barns of New York: Rural Architecture of the Empire State.
The starting point for the walking tour is the Fly Creek Grange, 208 Cemetery Road, Fly Creek. The Grange is home to the Fly Creek Area Historical Society and Museum, which will be open from 2 pm to 3 pm on July 7 for walking tour participants to enjoy prior to the walk. The walking tour will last two hours and include walking on steep inclines and uneven surfaces.
The cost for the walking tour is $10 ($8 for members of the Fly Creek Area Historical Society). Register in advance at otsego2000.org or by calling 607/547-8881.