History
ENDICOTT – The MAGIC CITY
Eons of Native Americans populated the lands of New York, including the fertile Susquehanna River Valley. Remnants of this vast culture can still be found when traversing what were once trails and settlements of these earliest caretakers of the earth. By the mid 1700’s trappers, traders and eventually settlers began to carve pathways to the future, populating the region. In 1791 there were approximately 600 pioneer residents in the now Endicott area…and the native people began moving to more remote locations.
-Stone artifacts found in the Susquehanna River Valley
At the dawn of the 1900’s in this part of the Susquehanna valley, nestled between gentle green foothills of the Catskill Mountains, the Magic City of Endicott swiftly rose. Claiming farmland and wetlands in an area far west from the big city of Binghamton, and far from big city taxes, a planned village was created as a workers utopia. Guided by policies of “Live and help Live”, benevolent socialism, industrial paternalism, and square deal values, Endicott Johnson Shoe Co. began its journey to become the largest shoe company in the world. Buildings and factories were erected as if by the magic of George F. Johnson. The village was named Endicott in honor of Henry B. Endicott the senior partner in EJ
George F. & Henry B. are shown as young men in this photo.
New Houses were constructed within walking distance of factories and were available for the workers to purchase at cost. The plan of G.F. Johnson was that if everyone worked hard they would reap benefits not available in other venues. His “shoe town” was visionary in providing “cradle to grave” care for all. He implemented revolutionary labor and management relations, reduced the work week, instituted free medical coverage for employees and families, along with playgrounds and carousels, markets, restaurants, libraries, schools, and sports facilities. EJ also gave generous gifts to churches of many denominations.
-Washington Avenue under construction
Endicott Streets being constructed by men with teams of horsepower
It is upon the values of thousands of legal immigrants and generations of descendants of early pioneers that a strong community was formed. Legend claims many who reached the US shores knew to ask immediately “which way EJ”. They arrived in Endicott believing in the United States of America and had an amazing work ethic that made possible for the village of Endicott to progress and survived through many decades of war and peace.
-EJ workers stores brought food to the people without a middleman, providing much lower prices.
1901 – A unique village was envisioned and became reality
1906 - The Village of Endicott officially incorporated.
1921 – Villages of Endicott and Union Merged
Another early influence on the development of the Magic City occurred in 1907. The Bundy Company & International Time Recording Company opened factories in Endicott. These eventually became IBM, one of the greatest corporations of global significance.
-This photo is of the Bundy building on the left and ITR building on the right
IBM has provided the world with modern, methods for keeping time and recording information with innovative data processing machines. The company brought the world into the age of computers and became a dominant presence in the Village of Endicott.
The head of IBM, T.J. Watson, encouraged total loyalty from its employees. Therefore the company pioneered in offering major benefits; group insurance, paid vacations, a country club, and educational opportunities, thus all motivated employees were almost guaranteed a job for life.
The IBM community blossomed with engineers, programmers, mathematicians, scientists and support staff, eventual numbering more than twenty thousand people.
These two major corporations were the foundation for encouraging numerous other businesses and manufacturing concerns to become part of the booming economy in the “Valley of Opportunity”.
1926 Endicott Businessmen
1926 –The Endicott Board of Trade sent businessmen on a trip along the east coast promoting the benefits of living and working in the Magic City of Endicott. The men traveled in motor coaches, stopping at cities along the way to encourage a move to “the biggest little town on the globe”, and the most progressive village in New York State. Signs in the bus windows proclaimed the village had “Ideal Industrial Conditions.
Although the large manufacturing plants have disappeared the fair play attitude of village residents is still evident. Many of the edifices and monuments located in Endicott are worthy of the New York State and National Historic Register. The village has numerous museums and historical societies where our history is being preserved. Today, dynamic leadership is rebuilding the business and industrial footprint in the Magic City. Upon the historically significant past, Endicott is creating a successful and progressive future.
