Roblee: The history of an Auburn home and the professor it was built for auburnpub.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from auburnpub.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Andrew Roblee
Special to The Citizen
When Col. John Hardenbergh arrived in the forest north of Owasco Lake in the summer of 1793 to build his new home, he was not alone. He was accompanied by âHarryâ and âKate,â two enslaved Africans brought to North America against their will and given European names. When Harry and Kate arrived, their roles were clear. Kate would cook, and Harry would perform the manual labor. The earliest history of Auburn, written in 1860 by Henry Hall, tells the story of Col. Hardenbergh, Harry, and Kate traveling into the wilderness, sleeping on the ground, and Harry engaged in the erection of Hardenberghâs log cabin. According to Hall, Hardenbergh did little of the handiwork; it was Harry that felled the first tree and cleared the land.
Devon Roblee
Special to The Citizen
It s an exciting time for Auburn. The trees are greening and, similarly, downtown businesses are blossoming with the help of the Auburn Downtown Revitalization Initiative. Projects originally awarded DRI funding in 2019 are underway as evidenced by construction materials that are popping up along its streets, and five projects awarded recently as part of the first round of the DRI Small Project Grant Fund are working through contracting to start construction soon. Representatives from the city of Auburn recently gave a presentation about some of the DRI projects during a Wednesday Morning Roundtable. The momentum of this regrowth continues with the opening of a second round of the grant fund and the launch of a new brand for the Auburn Industrial Development Authority.