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This tour was created thanks to a collaboration among the Cty of Rome, Jervis Public Library, Rome City School District, and Rome Historical Society.  Americana is, for the tour creators, the history of America and a history of things that are quintessentially American.  This includes founding a city, westward expansion, and the New Deal as well as gas stations, free public education, and presidential campaigns.  Enjoy this 30-minute (give or take) 1.5-mile stroll through the Dominick St. Corridor and its surrounding blocks to explore the history of the United States of America in Rome and the history of Rome itself.  After the last stop, return to the starting point and enjoy a picnic on the green.  

<div>The Griffo Green has not always been a large lawn.&nbsp; Called Liberty Plaza during urban renewal, it was brick covered with a fountain.&nbsp; The new Downtown Revitalization Initiative (DRI) will bring more changes to this area outside City Hall and the full Dominick St. corridor.</div><div><br></div><div>The large area and its lawn in a business corridor make it a prime location for outdoor gatherings that will also attract shoppers, movie-goers, and those seeking art and music lessons or a bite to eat.&nbsp; <br></div>

Now known as The Griffo Green for former mayor Joseph A. Griffo, this is the site of various events including a weekly farmers market and free summer concerts.  This is also the center of revitalization efforts, which means the green will have a different look in the near future.

Liberty Plaza was brick-covered and had a fountain.  Image courtesy of Rome Historical Society.

Green Area on Dominick St. Side of City Hall

<div>Wendell Jones painted the oil-on-canvas mural “Barn Raising” in 1942 for the Treasury Section of Fine Arts. Originally painted for the city’s then-new post office, the mural is currently viewable in the lobby of Rome’s City Hall.1 It is not a standard rectangle; instead it was created to adorn the space atop and around a doorway in a building.</div><div><br></div><div><strong>According to WPA Art / Post Office Art In New York,</strong> "most of the Post Office works of art were funded through commissions under the Treasury Department’s Section of Painting and Sculpture (later known as The Section of Fine Arts) and not the WPA."2</div><div><br></div><div>The artist's works were created for other post offices around the country, with the topic of the mural determined after conversation with local residents.&nbsp; His conversations did not always result in beloved artwork.&nbsp; In Illinois, for example, the resulting artwork was not hung because it reminded citizens of the ever present risk of flooding and has been lost.3<br></div><br>

This mural was originally installed in the city's post office, a building that now houses Rome Historical Society and administrative offices for Fort Stanwix.  It is now located in the lobby of City Hall.  Its official address is 198 N. Washinton St. but it is more easily found as 123 W. Liberty St.

This is a photo, courtesy of Rome Historical Society, of the mural in its City Hall surroundings circa the mid-1900s.  The environs have changed over the years.

Mural at Rome, NY's City Hall

Great care was taken when restoring this service station.&nbsp; Features include clock face gas pumps, restored signage, an oil change pit, and air scales.&nbsp; Inside the station's building are various period items that take the visitor back to "the good old days."1 <br>

This is a restored service station that looks as it did in 1929.  Tours are available.  See the website for current times.

The service station as it existed in 1929.  Photo supplied by Rome Historical Society.

H. P Sears Oil Service Station Museum

<div>Finished in August, 2001, this depicts General Peter Gansevoort1, who led the resistance against St. Leger at Fort Stanwix, just a block form the mural.&nbsp; The fort was later known as Fort Schuyler.2</div><div><br></div><div>Although this is often taken to be Paul Revere, and Revere is located in Rome, the artist states that it is, indeed, Peter Gansevoort.1</div><div><br></div><div><br></div>

This is a mural painted by local artist Jane G. Taylor on the exterior of a commercial building facing a busy thoroughfare and a parking area.  It is in need of repair and will likely be painted over in the near future.

Peter Gansevoort Mural

<div>This site is a pivotal one in transportation and then of westward expansion as the canal allowed the movement of goods and people further west than the frontier as it existed here during the colonial period.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>The Canal Survey Map of Rome (1834)1 shows the layout of the area when the Rome Canal, the Mohawk River, James St., and Dominick St. as well as the site of Fort Stanwix, bridges, and buildings.&nbsp; The map (seen below) makes it clear how the intersection ended up looking the way it does today.</div><div><br></div><div>This canal was two miles long and extended from the Mohawk River to Wood Creek.2<br></div><div><br></div><div>A contemporary description of the original Rome Canal site: "At Rome a canal 5,352 feet long was proposed as a substitute for the ancient portage path; “apparently the mean depth of the earth to be removed for forming the Canal would be about twelve feet at the greatest depth, hence about 642,240 cubic feet of earth must be removed. The ground though soft is so much interwoven with the roots of trees, and the work will<a target="_blank" rel="nofollow">[Pg 30]</a> also be so much retarded by the influx of water into the Canal whilst digging, that it is supposed that one man could not remove above fifty cubic feet per day, hence 12,845 days for one man would be required; which at 4s. per day amounts to £2,569. In very dry times, such as the present, the water in the Mohawk is so little that none can be spared to increase the quantity in Wood Creek. A bulkhead must therefore be placed ... precisely of the height with the level of the water in the Mohawk, a boat then in this low state of the river coming up Wood Creek ... must unlade, and be drawn across the bulkhead into the Canal; there reloaded and proceed through the Canal into the Mohawk River; but when the Mohawk River rises so much as that a quantity of water equal to carry an empty boat is added to the water in the river, the water on the bulkhead will rise to nearly that height, and the empty boat will pass. If the rise be equal to the water drawn by a loaded boat, the boat and its cargo will pass the bulkhead into the Canal. It is evident by this arrangement the navigation of Wood<a target="_blank" rel="nofollow">[Pg 31]</a> Creek will be much mended whenever the water in the Mohawk is higher than at present. The whole expence at this place will probably not exceed £3,000.”3</div><br><br>

The Inland Canal was begun in 1792 and completed in 1797; it is also known as the Rome Canal.  The Erie Canal was re-located to this spot in 1844.  The location of the canals created a complicated intersection once roads were built on this location.

This shows the marker as it was in the 1970s with the now demolished "Living Bridge," an overhead walkway that once provided pedestrians a route over Erie Blvd., in the background, Image courtesy of Rome Historical Society.

Site of the Inland Canal

A plaque commemorating the September 30, 1960 stop is on the building's E. Court St. side.&nbsp; The city's newspaper estimates that 2,000 people attended the rally, at which Senator Kennedy made brief remarks on a busy day that included stops along the Thruway corridor from the Capital District to Syracuse<sup></sup>.&nbsp; The article also emphasized the size of the teenage contingent at the rally.&nbsp; <br>

On September 30, 1960, John F. Kennedy held a rally in Rome, NY on the steps of the Oneida County Court House.

This photo was supplied by Rome Historical Society and Museum.  It shows Senator Kennedy approaching the podium to make brief remarks on his 9/30/1960 stop in Rome.

Oneida County Court House: Site of 1960 stop on JFK's campaign for the presidency

The property on the corner of N. James and Court St. was give by Rome founder Dominick Lynch to house the school with the stipulation that the land always be used for educational purposes.1&nbsp; Note the steeple visible behind the police station.&nbsp; This was also visible behind Rome Free Academy and Rome Junior High.<br>

The site that is now home to the Rome Police Department and City Court was once home to the first high school (Rome Academy; 1848 - approx.1869), the first public high school (Rome Free Academy, 1869-1926), and then the first junior high school (Rome Junior High;1926-1958) in Rome.

This is a view of Rome Free Academy (approx. 1869-1926), which became Rome Junior High in 1926.  The digitized file of the postcard was provided by Rome Historical Society. 

Site of former Rome Academy (razed), Rome Free Academy, and Rome Junior High School (razed)

The marker was moved sometime between 2013 and 2016 to its current location.&nbsp; In 2013, it was a half block south to the right of the sidewalk entrance to the memorial park.&nbsp; The movement of the marker mirrors the fluctuations in the name of the community, originally planned to be Lynchville after initially being called The Expense Lot with Rome winning out officially in 1818.<br>

This commemorates the founding of Rome in 1796, its creation as the village of Rome in 1818, and its establishment as a city in 1870. The marker sits north of the city's former canal center, which is the reason for the odd intersections on the south border of Fort Stanwix.  

Marker looking west at the intersection of N. James and W. Court St.

Historical Marker Commemorates the Founding of Rome, NY

<p><b><u>Tomb of the Unknown Soldiers of the American Revolution in Rome, NY</u></b></p>

<p>In 1972, along the 100 Block of N. James Street, excavation crews uncovered, and the National Park Service identified, the remains of eight Revolutionary War soldiers.</p>

<p>A year later, the city established the American Revolution Bi-Centennial Committee. One project that the commission undertook was construction of a tomb in which the remains found the previous year would be interred to serve as a memorial to all of those unknown soldiers who lost their lives for the birth of this independent nation.</p>

<p>The remains are sealed in a Revere Copper coffin weighing 100 pounds.</p>

<p>On this Vermont Granite Obelisk, standing 17 feet tall and weighing 22,000 pounds, are inscribed the names of these states, the first thirteen colonies:</p>

<p>New York&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Connecticut&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>

<p>Georgia &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Rhode Island &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>

<p>Maryland &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Pennsylvania</p>

<p>Virginia&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; New Hampshire&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>

<p>Delaware &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; North Carolina</p>

<p>New Jersey&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Massachusetts</p>

<p>South Carolina&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>



<p>It is important to mention that a 14th is also named, as they will forever be recognized as our first allies, The Oneida Nation.</p>



<p>This site, designed by Lorimer Rich of Camden, NY, who is famous for designing the <a target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tomb_of_the_Unknowns">Tomb of the Unknown Soldier</a> in Arlington National Cemetery, was dedicated on July 4th 1976 (200th Birthday) with nearly 2000 in attendance.</p>

<p>On August 9, 1976, the following resolution was passed unanimously by the Rome Historical Society Board of Trustees.</p>

<p><i>“Whereas, events of transcendent importance in the establishment of American Liberty at the most critical stage of the American Revolution occurred at Fort Stanwix (then called Fort Schuyler) following the first flag resolution by the Second Continental congress on June 14th 1777 and</i></p>

<p><i>Whereas the Bi-Centennial Commission has designated a prominent flagpole location in the center of the circular walk leading to the Tomb of Unknown Soldiers of the American Revolution at the corner of Liberty and James Streets in close proximity to Fort Stanwix and its honored dead</i></p>

<p><i>Be it resolved that the Rome Historical Society following (the) erection of said flagpole by the Bicentennial Commission, WILL regularly fly and maintain an appropriate 13 star American flag in consonance with the first congressional flag resolution of June 14 1777. The Society will do this in reverent memory of our great heritage as long as its possession of this flag site makes it possible to fly the flag of its choice.”1</i></p>

This is a monument built at the northwest corner of N. James St. and W. Liberty St. to house and honor the memory of unknown Revolutionary War soldiers who were found buried near the site of re-constructed Fort Stanwix.

This photo, courtesy of Rome Historical Society, captures the monument's dedication in 1976.

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Americana in Rome, NY

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