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Former U.S. Congressman Dr. Chris Gibson will be at Fort Delaware on Saturday, July 5 for a 4pm program about his new book, “The Spirit of Philadelphia.” The program is free and books will be available for purchase.
The rift over Independence
The first time the Declaration of Independence was read aloud for the public was in Philadelphia on July 8, 1776, making the residents of that city the first outside of the government to learn of … more
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A color postcard of the popular Half Moon Lake Hotel in Narrowsburg, one of the hundreds of cards on display at the Ten Mile River Scout Museum this season.
Random Thoughts
It is easy to think of Ten Mile River Scout Camp as something of little interest to anyone outside of scouting. But since David Malatzky has spearheaded the reorganization of the Museum there, that … more
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The economic impact of the D&H Canal on Sullivan County is the subject of the presentation, “A Mere Bagatelle” at the D&H Canal Linear Park on Sunday, June 22.
A Mere Bagatelle
On or about June 20 in 1872, the D&H Canal Company received some good news. The NYS Court of Appeals had upheld a lower court ruling that had granted the canal company a rate increase in its … more
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Onlookers watch the great Liberty fire of Friday, June 13, 1913.
The Great Liberty Fire
It was sometime after 4 o’clock on the afternoon of Friday, June 13, 1913 that the fire alarm sounded in the village of Liberty, and by the time firemen responded, a number of buildings were … more
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God save Benedict Arnold
Jack Kelly, the author of the highly acclaimed 2023 book, “God Save Benedict Arnold: The True Story of America’s Most Hated Man” said recently that he was “very … more
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A scene from the 1909 silent movie, “The Mended Lute” shot along the banks of the Neversink River in Sullivan County.
On location in Sullivan County
It was late in May of 1909, and D.W. Griffith was putting the finishing touches on his plan for a trip that would forever change the business of making movies. Those changes would begin right here in … more
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Benedict Arnold
Benedict Arnold at Fort Delaware
At approximately 11:30pm on May 9, 1775, a force of colonial militia under the joint command of Colonels Ethan Allen and Benedict Arnold began crossing Lake Champlain in an operation that would … more
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A view from Seminary Hill Cidery with the Delaware River in the distance.
How do you like them apples?
It may seem difficult to believe today, but there was a time when Sullivan County apple producers shipped apples to every state in the country except for Washington and Oregon. Local apple orchards … more
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Irving Wexler A/K/A Waxey Gordon
The war of the Jews ends in White Lake
  It was early May in 1933, and one of America’s most notorious gangsters was lying low in Sullivan County, passing the time with a couple of bodyguards in a secluded hunting lodge in … more
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The E.L. Henry painting of the D&H Canal, “On the Towpath,” was one of the inspirations for The Delaware Company’s Kate Project, where the Celebrate Trails History Hike will take place on Sunday, April 27.
Celebrate trails with a history hike
On April 23, 1823, the D&H Canal Company was incorporated in New York State, and a little more than two years later ground was broken for one of the most transformative projects in American … more
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Authorities stand over the unearthed remains of Hyman Yuran in Loch Sheldrake in April, 1940.
The body in the swimming pool drain
It was on a dreary Monday afternoon in April of 1940 that the last of the bodies linked to Murder, Inc. turned up in Sullivan County.   That day, law enforcement officials, piecing together … more
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As late as the 1980s, the Tallwood Lodge in Barryville advertised itself as a “Shangri La in Sullivan County”.
Retrospect
It may be difficult to believe based on life along the Delaware River today, but the area wasn’t always a tourist destination. In fact, in its earliest days, it wasn’t particularly … more
A section of Broadway in Monticello in the 1930s, when it had surpassed Liberty as the largest village in Sullivan County.
Shifts, flips, and blips in Sullivan County’s population
There was quite a commotion in Sullivan County government circles in the spring of 1930, as officials came to grips with a surprising revelation: the village of Monticello had supplanted the village … more
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Abe “Kid Twist” Reles
The Canary Who Could Sing, But Couldn’t Fly
Abe “Kid Twist” Reles, the notorious Brooklyn mobster who helped run the enforcement arm of organized crime fashionably dubbed Murder, Inc., sat in the Manhattan jail called the Tombs and … more
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Mugshots of Anthony “Dukey” Maffetore (left) and Abraham “Pretty” Levine.
The beginning and the end for Murder, Inc.
The grisly enforcement arm of the organized crime syndicate fashionably dubbed by the media of the day as Murder, Inc., was responsible for no less than eight murders in Sullivan County during the … more
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The western themed park, Cimarron City in Monticello was one of the charter members of the Catskills Attractions Association.
The Catskills Attractions Associaiton
As spring approached in March of 1961, a brand new organization was gearing up to increase tourism in the Sullivan County Catskills. And it did not involve a single hotel. The Catskill … more
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The infamous Sugar House prison, where Benjamin Montanye was held following his capture by the British in 1781.
George Washington’s Courier
There are many colorful clergymen who have passed through the pages of Sullivan County’s history over the years, but none more noteworthy than Reverend Benjamin Montanye, who presided over the … more
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The Dutch Reformed Church in Bloomingburg still stands.
Early Sullivan County Churches
On March 2, 1785, a group of Baptists in New Vernon in the town of Mamakating organized what is believed to be the first church in the area that would later become Sullivan County. Reverend Eleazer … more
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The Benedict Arnold Connection
On February 22, 1767, Benedict Arnold, a young, up and coming businessman, married Margaret Mansfield, whose father was the Sheriff of New Haven, Connecticut. Arnold, of course, would go on to become … more
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Noble Sissle in 1951.
Noble Sissle comes to Sullivan County
To many historians, Noble Sissle, composer, lyricist, bandleader, singer and playwright, is the man most responsible for ushering in the Harlem Renaissance. For those whose main focus is … more
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The working cover for “The Borscht Belt in Retrospect” due out this spring.
The Borscht Belt in Retrospect
In February of 2020, just before the COVID pandemic became national news, this columnist, your Sullivan County Historian, released a new book, “In Further Retrospect.” The book was a … more
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Irving Jaffee
Now We Have Drama
Irving Jaffee was among the greatest speed skaters of his generation. He turned in the fastest time in the 10,000 meters at the 1928 Olympics in St. Moritz, only to have the event canceled without an … more
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The conflict that led to the demise of the first permanent European settlement in the Upper Delaware Valley following the Revolutionary War will be the subject of a virtual program by the Sullivan County Historian for Time and the Valleys Museum on Sunday, February 2.
“A Settlement Divided” at Time and the Valley Museum
As the Revolutionary War approached in the 1770s, American colonists were a divided lot, and at least as many of them were inclined to remain part of the British empire as favored breaking away. … more
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Judith Kalaora as Rachel Revere (Claudia Gustafson Photography)
The British Are Coming
It was on April 18, 1775 that Boston silversmith Paul Revere-- along with Samuel Prescott and William Dawes-- embarked on a ride to alert the Minutemen in his area about the sudden advance of British … more
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Lily Barrish Levner’s debut novel, “Banquets & Bootleg Bounty.”
Our Annual Look at Local History Books
With another holiday season upon us, it is time for this column’s annual reminder that books about Sullivan County’s rich and colorful history always make great gifts, but especially this … more
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