...last update 16 March 2001
1768 Old New York frontier fixed by Treaty of Fort Stanwix (now Rome, N. Y.). Site of Binghamton (Ochenang) located just inside Indian territory. Nov. 5, 1768.
1779 Soldiers of Clinton-Sullivan expedition against Indians occupied Chenango Point. Aug. 18.
1787 Capt. Joseph Leonard became first permanent settler. His house still stands near the Broome County Farm.
1790 Bingham Patent of 13,747 acres established by deed of partition. Feb.
1791 Tioga County, containing present Broome, Tioga and Chemung Counties, set off from Montgomery County, Feb. 16. Chenango Point (Binghamton) and New Point (Elmira) became twin county seats.
1791 Chenango Village took form just above promontory point of Mount Prospect. 1791-94.
1800 Joshua Whitney became land agent of William Bingham in agreement dated July 4, 1800.
1800 Joshua Whitney laid out first streets (Court and Water Streets) in Chenango Point.
1800 The first newspaper, "The American Constellation," published at Chenango Village, Nov. 22. This paper was later moved to Owego and became "The Owego Gazette" which is still published.
1802 The first Courthouse, a wooden structure, built at the northwest corner of Court and Chenango Streets. It was soon moved to Courthouse Square where a larger wooden Courthouse was reportedly built in 1806.
1806 Broome County set off from Tioga County. March 28.
1808 First Court Street bridge built - the bridge was rebuilt in 1825, 1865, 1889 and was extensively renovated in 1949.
1823 Broome County Republican, now "The SunBulletin" was founded.
1828 State Legislature granted permission to Joshua Whitney and Col. Hazard Lewis to build the Rockbottom Dam, March 10. Colonel Lewis built dam shortly afterwards.
1828 Third Courthouse built of brick on Court house Square.
1834 Village of Binghamton incorporated, May 3.
1837 First boat arrived over Chenango Canal, May 6.
1840 First History, "The Annals of Binghamton," published by John B. Wilkinson.
1842 E. and H. T. Anthony & Co. formed to conduct a photographic gallery. In 1901, this became the Anthony & Scoville Co., now Ansco (General Aniline & Film Corp.).
1848 Arrival of first train on Erie Railroad, just before midnight, Wednesday, Dec. 27.
1852 Bank of Binghamton, now the First-City National Bank, organized July 29.
1853 Binghamton Gas Light Co. organized, July 23.
1854 Syracuse and Binghamton Railroad opened, Oct. 18.
1854 Lester Brothers Boot & Shoe Co., now the Endicott Johnson Corp., incorporated Sept. 21.
1856 First village directory published by H. Wilson of New York City.
1857 Fourth Courthouse built; enlarged 1890; burned Dec. 28, 1896.
1857 Cornerstone of New York Inebriate Asylum laid, Sept. 24. Taken over by New York State for mental hospital, June 20, 1879. New steel building erected 1949-51.
1861 Union School System and Board of Education created for Binghamton by State Legislature April 19.
1863 First National Bank of Binghamton founded Dec. 19. Another predecessor of the First-City National Bank.
1863 First telegraph office opened at 52 Court Street.
1865 Major flood, March 17.
1867 Binghamton incorporated as a city on Tuesday, April 9, 1867.
1867 Binghamton Savings Bank chartered April 18.
1868 First street railway. The Binghamton and Port Dickinson Railroad Co. chartered by the Legislature May 1.
1868 First city water system. First filtered city water in 1902.
1869 Albany and Susquehanna Railroad opened Jan. 14; now the Delaware and Hudson.
1869 Susquehanna Valley Home incorporated, March 15.
1870 First pavement laid, of pine blocks, on Court Street between Exchange and Carroll Streets.
1870 Valley Railroad built from state line near Conklin bringing the Lackawanna Railroad directly into the city.
1871-72 First Binghamton Central High School built.
1871 First sewer built in Court Street from the Chenango River to Water Street.
1875 Chenango Canal closed permanently. Its route became that of State Street.
1875 Ross Park deeded to city by Erastus and Cornelia F. Ross, July 28.
1878 St. Mary's Home incorporated, March 6.
1880 First telephone exchange installed at 84 Court St. First list of 49 subscribers dated Sept. 1, 1880.
1881 Bennett Hotel, later the Hotel Bingham, founded by Abel Bennett. Building scheduled for demolition in 1967.
1883 First electric light with a portable generator, shown by several merchants during the Christmas season.
1886 Security Mutual Life Association of Binghamton incorporated Nov. e.
1887 First electric street cars in Binghamton (and New York State); conversion to electricity completed in 1896.
1887 Binghamton City Hospital, now General Hospital, incorporated Jan. 24.
1888 Arlington Hotel opened April 24.
1889 Bundy Manufacturing Co. established at 40 Commercial Ave.; later occupied 183 Water Street, became the International Time Recorder Co., and is now the International Business Machines Corp.
1890 First United States Weather Bureau readings began at State Hospital station, July.
1891 Endicott Johnson Corp., outgrowth of Lester Brothers, Boot & Shoe Co., moves into buildings in what is now Johnson City.
1897 Cornerstone of City Hall laid, July 5.
1897 Cornerstone of fifth Courthouse laid, July 31.
1899 First automobile brought to Binghamton by Joseph Pond Noyes.
1900 Chenango Street viaduct built.
1903 Binghamton Public Library cornerstone laid, Oct. 15.
1904 Binghamton Press, now The Evening Press, founded; first edition, April 11.
1904 Press Building and Security Mutual Building built; occupied 1905.
1905 Tornado on South Side of Binghamton, June 5.
1907 Ely Park deeded to city by S. Mills and Mary H. Ely, Dec. 11.
1909 Broome County Trust Co. chartered; renamed Peoples Trust Co. in 1914; became part of Marine Midland System in 1929 and changed name to Marine Midland Trust Co. in 1931.
1910 First Boy Scout Troop in Binghamton.
1911 Broome County Farm Bureau, first such agency in the United States, began activities on March 20.
1913-1915 Second, and present, Binghamton Central High School built.
1913 Binghamton Clothing Co. fire, 18 Wall Street. 31 lives lost - July 22.
1916 South Side Park established.
1917 Binghamton receives Supplemental Charter as Second Class City, May 28.
1921 Recreation Park deeded to city by George F. and Mary A. Johnson, May 28.
1925 Soldiers Memorial Bridge dedicated. Sept. 5-8.
1925 First local radio programs over portable station WKBG.
1929 Edwin A. Link invented the Link Trainer. Link Aviation incorporated in 1935, now the Link Group of General Precision, Inc., world leader in the production of aviation training devices.
1932 Buses replaced street cars. Conversion completed Aug. 1, 1932.
1933 New York State Armory erected in West End Avenue.
1934 Post Office, built in Henry Street to replace Wall Street Post Office of 1891.
1935 Chenango River flash flood, July 8.
1936 Major Susquehanna River flood, March 18.
1936 Tri-Cities Airport established by Binghamton and Endicott, Oct. 5.
1937 North High School opened.
1939 Broome County Office Building built in Hawley Street.
1944 First natural gas by pipeline from Texas; conversion to natural gas completed in 1947.
1945 First regularly scheduled flights to New York City started July 1.
1946 Triple Cities College started in Endicott; name changed to Harpur College in 1950; construction of Vestal campus started in 1954.
1946 New York State Institute of Applied Arts & Sciences established in Binghamton; became Broome County Technical Institute in 1953, Broome Technical Community College in 1956. Moved to new campus in Upper Front Street in 1957.
1949 First local television program, Dec. 1, by WNBF- TV.
1951 Vestal Avenue arterial highway by-pass opened in March.
1951 Broome County Airport dedicated, May 27-30.
1951 Old State Armory in Washington Street destroyed by fire. Sept. 3.
1956 Collier Street bridge dedicated, Nov. 19.
1958 Sewage plant construction started, September.
1959 11th Ward (Stow-Chenango) Redevelopment work started. Completed 1965.
1959 Sheraton Inn opened.
1960 New water filtration plant opened, April 9.
1960 Tiered parking building opened in Collier Street, Nov. 1.
1962 Ground broken for Catholic Central High School on site of Old St. Mary's Home, May 24.
1962 City Council approves sale of Stow Flats land for major shopping center, June 21. 1964 Schrafft's Motor Inn opened. 1964 Downtown Urban Renewal Project 1 started. 1965 Bevier Street bridge opened.
1966 Work started on Urban Renewal Project 2.
1966 Former Sisson's building renovated, Industrial Bank of Binghamton moves into it.
1967 Binghamton observes Centennial Year as a city.