Toby House

The Toby House was a hostelry across the railroad tracks just north of the original location of the Dutch Reformed Church.

It was the site of the New York State Convention of the Liberty League and National Reform Party on September 28, 1848, which involved (among others) abolitionists Gerrit Smith (shown above), James Caleb Jackson, and Beriah Green.

The structure was razed at an unknown date, and is now occupied by a modern one-story office building housing an insurance agency.

Thanks to Joe DiGiorgio for historical research.

Newspaper Article Reports the Convention

Clipping from the Oneida Morning Herald, October 13, 1848. (Oneida is a village located about six miles east of Canastota.) Color patches represent keyword "finds" from search of newspaper image database. Image courtesy of Joe GiGiorgio.

Toby House location

Marked by the red arrow, the Toby House stood immediately across the railroad tracks from the Dutch Reformed Church in central Canastota. Image courtesy of Joe GiGiorgio.