Cuba Central School - Gargoyle Yearbook (Cuba, NY)

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ORTO HE friendliness, the pro gressiveness, the oppor- tunities Our Town has given us in community spirit, in the educational field are all a portrayal of its advancement. To you, Cuba, our humble thanks.

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C E, the class of 1950 sm- cerely dedicate the A Gargoyle to Our Town - Cuba which is celebrating its centennial year. Its past, its present and its future are all a part of our lives. DEDICATIO

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H1 Toni 0F C BA UBA is a Roman word meaning Goddess of the Young, but it is unknown how this town acquired that name. Cuba, before 1822, was a part of Friendship, but the people of this area soon began to feel their importance and protested against going so far to attend town meet- ings and perform official duties. Accordingly a movement was started which resulted in the division of the town of Friendship and the organization of the town of Cuba in 1822. In conformity with the provisions of the act creating the new town, the first town meeting was held on Tuesday March 5, 1822, in the Griffin Log Tavern. Four justices of the peace, Calvin T. Chamberlain, Samuel H. Morgan, Iohn Griffin, and Stephen Cady, were appointed by the Governor to preside over the meeting. C. T. Chamberlain was elected Town Supervisor and Ira Tracy, another important personage of that time, was elected Town Clerk. In 1824 a post office was established and john Griffin was appointed first postmaster. Many pioneers, possibly headed farther west, settled in Cuba because of the natural resources and geographical layout of the country. The streams, valleys, hills, and the abundance of timber pointed unmistakably to one industry, lumbering. Calvin T. Chamberlain had for five years been running a sawmill, and Stephen Cady and Jacob Baldwin had erected a sawmill and gristmill. The area surrounding the mill was called Cadytown but is now known as North Cuba. With the water for power and transportation and the timber, the lumber industry seemed to be a very promising one. The turnpike ran through Main Street, and Cuba was on a large tributary of the Allegheny River. There were twenty-two sawmills erected in Cuba at different times. The lumber was shipped out and used in the building of boats. There were many minor industries here, many being owned by Stephen Smith, the leading industrialist of Cuba. He operated a sawmill, a grist mill, a general store, a carding machine, a blacksmith shop, a tannery, an ashery, and a lime kiln and brick yard. The first actual shops were owned by Vincent Clemt and Israel Housel. The women contributed to industry with the spinning of flax and wool. In 1834 about 9,000 yards of cloth were manufactured. With the clearing of the land it was found that the raising of cattle was profitable. The hides could be used in the tanneries and the milk could be made into butter and cheese. This brought about the erection of cheese factories, the first form of cooperatives in this country. Cheese factories made cold storage plants necessary. The first one was built by Ackerly and Sill. Tavern keeping was another early and important business in Cuba. There were at one time five inns in the village. More recent industries were the Cutter and Barnes wagon and sleigh factory and the galvanized ware factory. The newest and largest industry is the Acme Electrical Plant which was erected about the year 1937. This plant has retained Cuba's reputation as an industrial town. By the census of 1835 the Town of Cuba had a population of 1476. In 1910 it was 2430. The village population itself was 1566. The population of the village at the present time is about 2600. On October 29, 1838, Isaac. Sheldon began the publication of the Cuba Advocate, the first paper published in town. During this period great emphasis was placed upon the building of new roads. The first paved road was opened for general traffic in November, 1910. It covered part of Genesee Street and ran from the Pennsylvania Railroad to the village line. The year 1840 was one of great political excitement for the campaign of Tippecanoe and Tyler too was on. The occasion brought the greatest gathering Cuba had ever seen to an open air meeting in what is now Spring Street. The speaking was done from a large pine stump. Martin Grover, then known as the Ragged Lawyervand later Judge of the Supreme Court and Court of Appeals, is said to have been one of the speakers. 6