Eight hundred residents, a boat building industry which was one of the largest in the state, plus a booming lumber and agricultural activity are descriptive of New London in the 19th Century. Incorporated as a Village in 1848, the area knew its greatest activity in the subsequent 50 years, according to clippings published in the Rome Sentinel, including a brief historical sketch by William H. Lowie, in 1922. The importance of the place may be gathered from information which states there were 85 canal boats owned or controlled out of New London at one time. A check reveals the boats were valued at $225,000 in 1873. Of the 85, New London residents owned 19 while two were the property of Romans. Others were owned by residents of Buffalo, New York, Canastota, Durhamville, Verona, Rochester and Ithaca. There were five boat building yards, two large lumber yards and two warehouses. Lumber shipments on the Erie Canal totaled about five million feet annually for years. The cutting was off what are now known as the Sand Plains. Outside buyers came each year to purchase potatoes, cheese and hay for the market of the world. New London must have presented a picture of a thriving village with its three general merchandise stores, several grocery stores, three hotels, four blacksmith shops, two wagon shops, one steam saw mill, and four boot and shoe makers in addition to the boat yards and docks. The village residents' physical ills were cared for by two doctors, and one lawyer cared for legal matters. Before joining, there were two school districts, one on either side of the Erie Canal. Years ago men and women of boatmen's families would tell of the glories of New London as they had heard them from there fathers and mothers. There were canal shipments to the northern counties of Jefferson and Oswego where they were unloaded and then "teamed" over plank roads. This was prior to the construction of the Rome and Watertown Railroad. Coming of the railroads curtailed water shipments and with the passing years other nearby communities surpassed the village in activity as industry began to take root and expand. There are still in Rome, descendants of many New London families who came here with decline of the boat building industry at New London, to associate themselves with the commercial or industrial activities of the community. Thus, a thriving community lost its place in the world of commerce as progress or changes came about.
New London, Sept 14, ?? William F. Donahue was elected Chief of the newly organized Fire Company of New London at a meeting at the school house last night. Chosen to serve with him were Charles Pendorf, Assistant Chief, and Elliott Collins, Secretary and Treasure, Robert C. Pritchard will serve as Chief Instructor. The air raid siren which will be used as a fire alarm will be blown at 12 noon daily as a test. It was planned that a fire drill will be held next Sunday afternoon. The Firefighting equipment has been loaned by the US Government through Maj. Oscar Burkhart, a member of the Rome War Council. It consists of one 500 gallon skid type Pumper, a 24 foot roof ladder, 200 feet 11/2 inch hose, 400 feet 21/2 inch hose, nozzles, fire extinguishers of the pump type. A 1931 Chevrolet truck will be housed in the New London garage this winter. The volunteer members are: Kenneth McCormick, Phillip Thron, John Geissler, Earl Drummond, James Drummond, Merrick Drummond, Otto and Matthew Scheible, Rudolf Glur, William McDonald, George Allen, Stanley Pawlikowski, Howard Breckenridge, Harley Eades, Harold Totten, H. Louer, F White, H Peabody and J. Burgy.
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