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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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Tri-Valley School Superintendent Edward T. Condon chaired the County’s Charter Review Commission, which submitted its recommendations to the Board of Supervisors in March of 1969.
The Ongoing Debate Over A County Executive
The Sullivan County Board of Supervisors had many issues to deal with in December of 1969, and the hotly debated topic of reforming the County Charter to transfer power to a County Executive and a … more
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A map of Gilman’s Station, circa 1872.
A Devastating Fire
Brush fires have been much in the news of late, and those familiar with Sullivan County history have been moved to recall massively destructive wildfires from years gone by, including the May, 1884 … more
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The Sackett Boardinghouse in Bittersweet, where Charles Wise was living as a “Fresh Air Boy.”
Bittersweet Murder Remains Unsolved
Nina Vilona was a 50-year old unmarried piano teacher from Mount Vernon, NY who was vacationing at William Gorman’s boardinghouse in Bittersweet when she disappeared on Friday morning, July 9, … more
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The First Veterans Day
On November 11, 1919, one year after fighting had officially ended in what at the time was known as the Great War, President Woodrow Wilson initiated the first Armistice Day by proclaiming that, … more
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James A. Farley was NYS Democratic chairman in 1931, and hatched a plan for his party to hold on to the majority in the Assembly that targeted the race in Sullivan County.
Tammany Hall Targets Sullivan County
In late October of 1931, Republican leaders from throughout New York State gathered in Albany to discuss ways to counteract a new strategy the Democrats in the state were employing that year. … more
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Robert Land’s burial vault in Hamilton, Ontario.
Magistrate and spy
In October of 1805, Robert Land, who was then 66 years old, penned his last will and testament, dividing up his considerable holdings in Ontario, Canada among a number of his children and providing a … more
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An artist’s rendering of Abel “Sailor Jack” Allen
Sailor Jack
On October 8, 1887, Abel Allen, a laborer who worked clearing land around Jeffersonville for Solomon Royce, borrowed a shotgun from a co-worker, claiming he was going to hunt birds. Instead, … more
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Alfred B. Street
The Ig Nobel Prize
Tourism in Sullivan County dates back to at least 1840, and has consistently ranked at or near the top of the list of the county’s top industries since 1890, but the concept of fall foliage as … more
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Ian Pammer of Bethel, known throughout the Fort as Master Ian.
Master Ian, Drummer
During the Revolutionary War, it was common for each company of men to include two boys between the ages of 10 and 18 who wore colors in the reverse of the soldiers, and whose duties were to play the … more
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