Hometown Tuesday Spotlight on Rome New York

Every Tuesday we put the spotlight on a local area.  Today we’re headed to Rome in Oneida County, the ‘City of American History.

Town Name
The Town of Rome was created during the construction of the Rome Canal in 1796. For a time, the small community was informally known as Lynchville, after the original owner of the property.

Fort Stanwix
The region was the scene of bloody fighting during the French and Indian War. In 1758, Fort Stanwix was built and was abandoned at the conclusion of the war.  Fort Stanwix National Monument, a reconstructed fort built by the National Park Service, now occupies the site.

Revere Copper Products, Inc.
Revere Copper Products, Inc is one of the oldest manufacturing companies in the United States. It was formed in Rome, between 1928 and 1929.  At one time, 10 percent of all copper products used in the United States were manufactured in Rome.

Griffiss Air Force Base
Griffiss Air Force Base is a former United States Air Force installation. Missions included fighter interceptors, electronic research, installation, aerial refueling, and bombers. Opened in 1942, the base closed in 1995 and its airfield is now Griffiss International Airport while the rest of the grounds are home to the Griffiss Business and Technology Park and the Rome Research Site of the Air Force Research Laboratory.

Woodstock
Woodstock was held in Rome in 1999, on the former Griffiss Air Force Base site. The 3-day festival was held the weekend of July 23–25, and drew a crowd of about 200,000 people.  MTV covered the concert, and live coverage was available on pay-per-view. Woodstock ’99 was marred by violence, rape, fires and an abrupt ending to the festival.

Capitol Theatre
The Rome Capitol Theater opened December 10, 1928 as part of the Kallet chain of movie houses, until it closed in 1974. The theatre re-opened in 1985.  It’s also the home of our acoustic show with Gloriana, Dustin Lynch and James Wesley.

West Rome Drive-In
The West Rome Drive-in was opened as a single screen drive-in back in June of 1951.  A second screen was added in 1985.  It was open when the number of drive-in screens in the United States hit a peak of 4,063 in 1958. Today, there are 635 screens at 401 sites across the country still open with the Rome drive-in the last one in Upstate New York.  It just underwent a number of improvements including a new concession stand and ticket booth.

Notable People
A number of famous people are from Rome.
-Francis Bellamy, author of the Pledge of Allegiance
-Archi Cianfrocco, Major League Baseball player
-Jerry Cook, NASCAR driver, six-time NASCAR Modified Champion
-Richie Evans, NASCAR driver, nine-time NASCAR Modified Champion
-Alex Haley, author of Roots: The Saga of an American Family
-Sheila McInerney, WTA tennis tour player
-Tom Myslinski, NFL player
-Pat Riley, former NBA head coach; President, Miami Heat
-Tim Russ, actor, Star Trek: Voyager
-Anthony Washington three-time Discus Olympian: 1992, 1996, 2000
-Benjamin Wright, Chief Engineer of the Erie Canal

Source: Wikipedia.com

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