OFA Class of 2025 to Offer Prints of Historic Owego Scenes

By Lucas Kaczynski —

Owego Free Academy and the Class of 2025 are excited to present the community with a unique opportunity to own a piece of Owego’s history and commemorate the vibrant and unforgettable heritage of our village on the Susquehanna.

Being a local historian, artist, history teacher at OFA, and an advisor for the Class of 2025, I saw a special opportunity to combine my talent for painting, love for local history, and dedication to support our students and community. Over the course of the last six months, I have painted a series of Owego scenes, six in total, which will form the basis of an ongoing collective of local history paintings that will preserve Owego’s past and foster an appreciation for the stories of our village.

These paintings depict life along the Susquehanna from the days of the Iroquois Confederacy and the region’s earliest settlers to the boom years of the 19th century, showcasing the changing face of commerce, transportation, and culture in the 20th century, and reflecting the way we live our lives today.

These paintings aim to bring history to life and capture the beauty, romance, color, and nostalgic magic of simpler times in Owego. They will showcase schools and churches, stores and factories, county fairs, and sleigh rides.

From the reflection of Longhouses in the river to the growth of IBM, my legacy in Owego will be recreating and sharing our history through detailed and immersive paintings to be displayed at Owego Free Academy, throughout the District, and across the community.

Now is the opportunity to own a part of this story, share it with your family, and start assembling your personal collection of Owego scenes that resonate with your interests and memories. Having partnered with Hawkeye Graphics, an incredible student-run printing and graphic design business at OFA, the Class of 2025 is proud to present the first six paintings in this set. These paintings will be approximately 18×24 inches in size – ideal for collectors who want to display them as the focal point of a room or in a large album.

This format is particularly desirable because they match the originals in size, color, and detail, allowing you to own a true collector’s item that will certainly become a family heirloom. In time, we encourage you to build your set and assemble your own colorful history collection.

The first six paintings will include the following.

Owego Academy in the 1850s- featuring the original Owego Academy on Court Street as it appeared when John D. Rockefeller was a boy and attended classes there. For anyone who is a graduate of OFA or has children or grandchildren who have attended, this painting is a must because it represents the roots of our school district and the OFA spirit that began so long ago.

The Riverfront in the 1880s- featuring the 19th century charm of Riverow on a quiet summer evening, with the Owego paddle steamer returning from a busy day commuting to Hiawatha Island. You’ll notice the original wooden bridge, signs of commerce and shipping along the river banks, and dusty twilight falling on the steep green hills.

The Ah-Wa-Ga Hotel in October, 1910- One of the most memorable scenes in this initial collection features the great Ah-Wa-Ga hotel, which towered over Front Street from the 1850s until 1959. This hotel, one of the largest and most iconic in the Southern Tier, played host to political figures and common folk alike. This scene depicts the tremendous gathering and fanfare surrounding the speech that President Theodore Roosevelt gave there in October, 1910. You’ll see startled horses and motor cars, patriotic bunting, and craning necks as everyone listens to the President speak.

The Ow-We-Go cyclecar in the winter of 1914- This painting showcases one of Owego’s greatest, but also most forgotten, products. In the winter of 1914, the Hatfield family introduced the Owego cyclecar using motors produced by the Ives company of Owego. That winter, the Hatfield’s test drove their new machine throughout the village and stopped beside the new elementary school for a portrait.

The Lehigh Valley Train Depot in the 1920s- In the early 1900s, Owego was a major railroad town and a central stopping point for passengers and freight along the Lehigh Valley’s Auburn Branch route from Lake Ontario on the mainline to Sayre. This painting features a bright, clear autumn day, with the hill ablaze with color, and families coming from near and far to board the train, ship their goods, or welcome someone to the village. The Depot, an iconic monument in the Flats, is brought to life as never before.

Kies Bottling Works in the 1970s- Owego lost a part of its soul when Kies Bottling Works produced its last bottle of soda in the mid 1970s. This painting is based on an extremely rare photo of the final years at Kies, and features both the building and the passing Lehigh Valley diesel train as final sentinels in a period of simpler times.

These paintings will each be signed in ink by the artist, and each will come with a certificate that explains the history behind the image. They serve not only as an art piece but also as a connection with the past, providing excellent opportunities to share our community’s story with younger generations.

These prints are competitively priced at $25 each, and we encourage you to buy the set and expand it as new paintings are released. Every penny will support the OFA Class of 2025. They are an incredible group of caring, compassionate, intellectual, and driven young people, and I am proud to be their advisor and to offer these paintings to support their senior activities. Prints can be purchased by emailing Lucas Kaczynski at kaczynskil@oacsd.org or by calling and texting him directly at (607) 239-8009. They will be available at the Early Owego Antique Center throughout the year and also be available for purchase in person during Lights on the River at both the Owego Pennysaver and the Early Owego Antique Center.

This has been one of the greatest honors and privileges of my life to paint our community’s history and share it with all of you. I hope our history can live on in your homes and in our schools. This project is only just beginning. Many more paintings, and many more stories, have yet to be brought to life!