Before Route 5 was a double lane highway heading east out of Vernon, it was a much simpler, tree-lined road and turnpike. Until the mid-twentieth century, the sidewalk and Seneca Street crossed the Sconondoa Creek independently, with the sidewalk was very much independent of the road. Even today, you can still see that slight separation, the sidewalk having its own abutments. This is the location where the Sconondoa flowed into Bartholomew’s Vernon Mills.
The house on the left was the Cushman House, now Dibble’s Inn. Today, you can see distinctive double dormer windows, which formerly was the spot for a three sash window, with a triangular window above, the outline of which is still recognizable.
Here is a side-by-side comparison of the road to Utica, 1931 versus 2021.
1931 
2021 
