The Oneonta State Normal School, fondly known as “Old Main” in later years, was first built in 1889. The construction began in July of 1888 and was finished by September 4, 1889 when it was dedicated as the Oneonta State Normal School. On February 15, 1894, less than five years later, the building was destroyed by a fire. The fire spread from a storage room adjoining the furnace room and quickly consumed the entire structure. The school was rebuilt in that same year under the leadership of Dr. James M. Milne. The second Old Main was built slightly larger than the original. It was in use until the early 1970s. With the new campus, the building was no longer being used for classes. The college couldn’t maintain the building and it was offered to the city of Oneonta. The city did not have a use for it and it was put up for sale. It was sold twice and both times the owners intended to turn the building into apartments, but the plans were not possible. The building was demolished in 1977.

The St. Lawrence-Lewis School Library System collection consists of high school yearbooks from area high schools. The Devilog is the annual high school yearbook of the Ogdensburg City School District.

The octagon building can be found in use throughout history. One of the earliest known octagonal structures is the Tower of Winds, 100-50 B.C., in Athens, Greece. At 42 feet high by 26 feet in diameter, this marble octagonal building, still standing, was constructed for the purpose of measuring time. The main period of construction of octagon houses in the United States occurred in the 1850s and 1860s. These buildings could be found in more than twenty states and Canada with the largest numbers being in New York State. The Dutch settlers that came to New York were familiar with this type of structure, having seen many octagonal churches in use in Holland. Subsequently, several small octagonal churches were built in New York and New Jersey in the late 17th and early 18th centuries. In 1854, Orson Fowler published "A Home for All," expounding upon the virtues of the octagon house with regard to the ease and expense of construction, as well as the resultant safety in utilization of specific building materials and increased efficiency of usable space and temperature regulation. This, coupled with changing styles of home construction in form and technique, led to a surge of production of eight-sided homes in the United States at that time.

Octagon houses are characterized by an octagonal (eight-sided) plan, and often feature a flat roof and a veranda all round. Their unusual shape and appearance, quite different from the ornate pitched-roof houses typical of the period, can generally be traced to the influence of one man, amateur architect and lifestyle pundit Orson Squire Fowler. Although there are other octagonal houses worldwide, the term octagon house usually refers specifically to octagonal houses built in North America during this period, and up to the early 1900s.

In the summer of 1976, Oceanside celebrated the United States' 200th anniversary alongside the rest of the country. Local festivities included a parade, re-enactments, musical performances, dances, and the creation of a community quilt.

In 1833, Oceanside, then called Christian Hook, became School District #11 in the Town of Hempstead, N.Y. In 1889, it became a Union Free School District. In June 1903, the first High School Commencement was held. Oceanside’s Senior High School class of 1931 was the first class to produce a yearbook.

The land that is now Oceanside was originally inhabited by the Lekawe (Rockaway) and Munsee Lenape Native Americans, followed by the Dutch, and then the English.  Around 1682, the area became known as Christian Hook.  Later, it was renamed Oceanville in 1864, Ocean Side 1890, and finally Oceanside 1918.