Many people are familiar with Bouckville, NY, as the site of the annual Madison-Bouckville Antiques Week festivities. However, many people do not know that Bouckville was where the Mott’s company began. Jim Ford will give a talk on the origin and growth of this remarkable business at the Oneida County History Center on Saturday, March 22, at 2:00 p.m.
Samuel R. Mott and other businessmen purchased land along the Chenango Canal in 1868 and soon began producing apple cider and vinegar. The next year he bought out his partners and started the Mott Cider Co. Business thrived and it soon claimed to be “The largest producer of cider and vinegar in wood and glass in the U.S.” Mott products were exhibited at Philadelphia’s Centennial Exposition in 1876 and Chicago’s World’s Columbian Exposition in 1893.
There were periodic fires that ravaged the cider mill, the first in 1891 and again in 1921. When the third cider mill burned to the ground in 1931, the company moved all operations to its plant near Buffalo.
Jim Ford is a native of Madison, NY and received his master’s degree from Colgate University. He taught junior high history at Madison Central and developed a local history teaching course for 7th grade students. Since retirement, he has written eleven books dealing with the history of the Town of Madison and surrounding communities.
Oneida County History Center is a private 501(c) (3) not-for-profit educational institution dedicated to preserving the history, heritage, and culture of the Greater Mohawk Valley for present and future generations. Free for History Center members, $5.00 suggested admission for non-members. Please contact the History Center at 315-735-3642 or visit oneidacountyhistory.org for additional information.
