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December 27, 2022 Edition
110 Years Ago - 1912 John E. Baldwin died Sunday in his 68th year. He was one of the old pioneers of the county and years ago lumbered and rafted it along the Delaware. He began steering rafts … more
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Sullivan County International Airport had the longest runway between New York City and Buffalo when it opened in 1969.
A Giant Step Forward
It was December 19 of 1967, and 150 spectators and “innumerable luminaries from all levels of government, the professions, and industry” were gathered on the former site of Camp Israel in … more
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December 20, 2022 Edition
140 Years Ago - 1882 James Meyers of Michigan is visiting his brother, William, at Eldred. The remarkable thing is that he left that section in 1829 and has not seen his brother since. … more
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December 13, 2022 Edition
110 Years Ago - 1912 James Brandi, an Italian aged 16 years, and Julius Brooks, 12, were struck by an O&W coal train at the Strongtown crossing two miles south of Ferndale a week ago … more
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The Flagler Hotel in South Fallsburg as it appeared in 1964 after the expensive additions that eventually led to its demise and subsequent re-purposing as the Crystal Run school.
A new look for old hotels
In December of 1975, the New Hope Community, a facility caring for people with developmental disabilities, opened its doors at the former site of the recently closed Green Acres Hotel in Loch … more
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Our thanks to Bob Theadore who shared this vintage image of the Central Hotel in Fremont Center which was featured last week. The Library of Congress website offers a glimpse of the 1875 Beers Atlas for a closer look at the area (visit tinyurl.com/mu7y28m3). At that time, the Buckleys owned a great number of buildings including the Buckley Tannery in Fremont, some lived in by their employees, it is supposed. It appears that in 1875, the building (later known as the Central Hotel and even later named the Blue Bird Inn) was then occupied by B.P. Buckley, a matter for further research.
December 6, 2022 Edition
110 Years Ago - 1912 Michael McCue passed peacefully away a week ago last Sunday afternoon at his home in Damascus. He was in his eightieth year. While going to the McCue home to pay his respects, … more
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Current Liberty Central School District Liberty Indians logo. 
Liberty Indians
The New York State Education Department—presumably having solved all of the other problems with the public schools in the state— has ordered all districts to stop using Native American … more
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The Central Hotel The record of Fremont Center’s Central Hotel begins circa 1884 when the hotel advertised with M. Gabriel as proprietor, “refitted in first class shape and open for the traveling public.” It was later conducted by Conrad and Anna Maus for over 30 years, and by 1913 was the site of such festivities as the 4th of July “with fireworks and a base ball game in the afternoon.” A common gathering place, the Fremont Grange held meetings in the hotel’s hall, and a Binghamton dentist traveled there to see patients monthly. By 1925, when it was purchased by John Hermann, it had became known as the Blue Bird Inn, which it remained into the 1960s, run by later by family members Richard and then Rudy Hermann. The hotel photo at top is from the New York liquor licensing bureau photos, from the 1930s, now held in the archives at the Sullivan County Museum at Hurleyville.
November 29, 2022 Edition
110 Years Ago - 1912 Chris Hunt Jr. of Narrowsburg area has just purchased a 1,000 egg electric incubator which is one of the most modern machines made. . . M. Schuliar of Cochecton Center is … more
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Greenwald V. Board of Supervisors
The recent passing of longtime Mamakating Supervisor Dennis Greenwald brought forth an outpouring of condolences from county residents who remember him, as well as myriad musings about his … more
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Happy Thanksgiving! We wish the best to you in this season, dear readers, whether you gather with family and friends this holiday or travel to join others who celebrate. May you enjoy peace and thanksgiving.
November 22, 2022 Edition
110 Years Ago - 1912 Kenoza Lake is being re-dammed and rewalled by Mr. Hust and the lake section will soon boast of an electric light plant. Constable William Klein of Narrowsburg has about 40 … more
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Tick Tock
It was on November 22, 1939 that the son of a Sullivan County hotel family took part in an historic murder far from the Borscht Belt.  Tall and wiry Albert Tannenbaum was likely unaware of … more
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Name that class: Our thanks to Patricia Peters of North Branch for sharing this photo. The children gathered here appear to be an early grade school class in front of the Callicoon Union School, founded in 1902 (the building was not built until years later). The prevailing hairstyle of these girls seems to be the bob, which wasn’t widely popular until after the 1920s. The pair of girls in the center of the group wearing identical lace collars might be siblings, perhaps even twins. Can any of our readers shed a light on the year that this photo might be from, or tell us who any of the students are? If you know, please call Ruth at our Callicoon office at (845) 887-5200.
November 15, 2022 Edition
110 Years Ago - 1912 “Gardiner’s store again robbed!” was the intelligence that greeted people of Callicoon Thursday morning. The excitement following so closely upon … more
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Veterans and Veterans Day
It was in 1926 that the U.S. Congress passed a resolution recognizing November 11 as Armistice Day, commemorating the signing of the cease fire with Germany at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the … more
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Under construction: This 1920s or 1930s photo has the look of a busy construction site, (on a warmer day than today!). If any one of our readers recognizes the location of this job, or any of the faces in the photo, please call our office in Callicoon at (845) 887-5200.
November 8, 2022 Edition
110 Years Ago - 1912 William Rau, the artist, returned Sunday from Omaha where he and his partner, Mr. Philipson of New York, have just completed a $5,000 job of mural paintings in the new million … more
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The history hike at the Minisink Battleground Park will leave from the Tusten Pavilion in the Park at 1 p.m. on Saturday, November 12.
Revolution to Revolution™
On October 25, 2022, the Barryville-based non-profit history education group, The Delaware Company received official notification from the U.S. Patent and Trademark office that Revolution to … more
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Going ‘home’ again: At left is Charlie Meyer at age 70 with his grandson, Bob Meyer, in the driveway to what was then home in 1952, 70 years ago. In the mid-‘70s, Dick Hofer purchased the property with his wife and they raised their family there. Serving Cochecton as Town Justice for 28 years as the Honorable Robert C. Meyer, Bob presided over Dick Hofer’s wedding, as well as the Hofers’ son Zach’s marriage to Danielle. Now retired, the former judge recently enjoyed reenacting the 1952 photo with his grandson, Sullivan West 6th grader Jack Meyer of Cochecton, in the same driveway. Many thanks to Bob Meyer for sharing his generational memories with our readers!
November 1, 2022 Edition
110 Years Ago - 1912 It was announced at the service Sunday at the Episcopal Church in Callicoon that a stained glass window will be donated by George Wolf of New York. The Western Sullivan … more
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Part of the wreckage of the O&W passenger train that exploded near Hurleyville on February 13, 1907. 
A Halloween History Hike in Hurleyville
Late in the afternoon on February 13, 1907, the boiler exploded on an O&W passenger train just before it reached Luzon Station in Hurleyville. Two railroad men were killed instantly in the … more
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Ghostly reflections: In the spirit of Halloween, this image of the Globe Hotel in Callicoon is superimposed by a reflection of the photographer, indicating that the camera was inside the depot when the image was exposed. Note the reflection of a hand with a ring (and handkerchief or rag) at left. The earliest operator of the Globe Hotel that we could find was William E. Batsford, who kept the hotel in 1874. In 1898, Cris Jardin sold the hotel to a man named Kothe.
October 25, 2022 Edition
110 Years Ago - 1912 One of the largest fires which have occurred in Sullivan County in many years happened in Mountaindale early Saturday morning. Fire was first discovered in Kettler and … more
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Mortimer Michaels, 1966
Much Ado About Nothing
As the November elections approached in 1967, Sullivan County’s political scene was all abuzz about a surprise announcement from a group of local labor unions that prompted an immediate … more
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Hay ride! The sight of this burgeoning hay ride on the left might slow traffic today, but what were the rules of the road in the horse-and-buggy era? Which is the passing vehicle here? What did a driver do to signal their intent to pass, especially an over-wide vehicle such as this hay mound? This photo from Sullivan County has been circulating for some time with no known photographer attached, and no description giving exact location. All that aside, we’re glad this photo was saved for us to ponder how differently we get around today – and whether drivers back in the day complained about the cost of horse and hay.
October 18, 2022 Edition
110 Years Ago - 1912 A recent discovery of gas on the flat below Monticello has set the people talking. A newly formed company, Monticello Developing Company, has leased the Lemuel Banting farm … more
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Liberty District Principal  David E. Panebaker 
County spared in flu epidemic of 1957
While it may be difficult to believe considering the consistently low health rankings attributed to Sullivan County in recent years, this used to be considered among the healthiest regions in the … more
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‘Brothers’ in beards: The advent of facial recognition software might have changed the Monticello Sesquicentennial’s Brothers of the Brush challenge. Looking at issues of the 1954 Monticello Bulletin-Sentinel (the Monticello newspaper merged with the Hurleyville Sentinel) we learned that the contest was determined by subscribers voting on photos of just the facial hair of the contestants. From the Sept. 17, 1954 Republican Watchman: “The winners in each of the eight classes were the following: longest – Henry Stratton; most unique – Norman Bleach; bushiest – Nelson Snyder; grayest – I. Samuel Levine; reddest – Donald Norris; mutton chops – Leon Lashinsky; and longest mustache – Carl Anderson.” Winners were given a Remington electric shaver (courtesy of the Remington company and Crain’s Pharmacy), and two “best beards” were given tickets to the Rocky Marciano - Ezzard Charles fight held Sept. 17, 1954 (Marciano won). Thank you to the Sullivan County Historical Society for access to its archives, and for researching these photos. If anyone can identify the gentleman above, please call our Callicoon office at (845) 887-5200.
October 11, 2022 Edition
110 Years Ago - 1912 The Damascus School Board was called out last week to deliberate upon the advisability of building a new school house to accommodate the children in what is known as the … more
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What happened in Sullivan County after the big hotels (like the Concord, pictured here) closed down? The program “After the Fall” attempts to answer the question.
After the fall
When the weekly newspaper column known as Retrospect made its debut in July of 1987, it was a much different column than it is today. Although there was an occasional foray into formal local history, … more
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Mystery (partially) solved! Gary Schmidt of Monticello called the Democrat about the ‘mystery men’ photos we printed last Tuesday. He pointed out the pins on the men’s shirts that designated them as Brothers of the Brush, which was a contest sponsored by the Monticello Bulletin-Sentinel beginning in April 1954, for men to grow beards for the Sesquicentennial Celebration to be held that September in Monticello. Our thanks to Edward N. Snyder of the state of Florida, who stopped by our Callicoon office later. He was up north for a family member’s funeral, and his wife spotted the photo in the Democrat, saying to him, “That’s your father!” A conversation with Snyder’s sister (who lives locally) confirmed that the man with the cap is Nelson E. Snyder who worked as a meter reader for NYSEG and lived in Briscoe at one time. A little research in our archives revealed that the first prize winner of the beard contest was Harold (Tate) Frey, 40, a Monticello carpenter. Thanks also to Fred Fries of the Sullivan County Historical Society and the Town of Thompson historian Judy Wolkoff for bringing these photos to our attention. We still don’t know the identity of the other man, but we like how seredipidity works to help us learn about people and places from our county’s past.
October 4, 2022 Edition
110 Years Ago - 1912 Walter Bury, assistant cashier of the First National Bank of Roscoe, was united in marriage Tuesday to Miss Margaret Muesgeier, only daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Godrey Muesgeier, … more
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The Haunted History Tour will be held this year at Fort Delaware on Saturday, October 8 from 6-9 p.m.
The Haunted History Lantern Tour
It is a legend in this region that during the 17th century, the valleys framed by the Delaware, Mongaup and Neversink Rivers were rich and verdant, and unthreatened by development. Much of this lush … more
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