130 Years Ago - 1894

Katie, wife of John Huggler of Kenoza  Lake, and daughter of Melchior Kohler of Beechwoods, died December 14, aged about 23.

J. Segar of New York and Miss Mamie Laidlaw of Roscoe were married at the latter place December 3.

A pleasant wedding was celebrated at the residence of William Krantz of Callicoon on Tuesday last when his daughter, Miss Katie, was united in wedlock to Michael Lober, also of Callicoon.

Personal Notes:

Schwalb’s Obernburg Brewery announces a special brew of beer light and dark, for the holidays. Fill ‘em up again, bartender.

Miss Lizzie Mages, daughter of John Mages of Jeffersonville, who was taken with smallpox in New York, is reported as doing well.

Liberty “do” seem to be a favored spot, anyhow. The folks out there are riding around on runners as nice as you please, while here we haven’t seen a sign of sleighing for a long time.

John Schmidt has built an addition to his butcher shop for the purpose of making bologna, sausage, etc.

A meeting of the water works company was held at the Mansion House last week, at which it was decided to pay for the labor and other expenses incurred so far.

120 Years Ago - 1904

Dr. Davis on Monday operated on Albert, 13-year-old son of John Huth, north of this village, who had been ill of appendicitis.

A drove of 65 cows was taken from Charles Scheidell’s stables in Jeffersonville Tuesday by Birdsey Young of Bullville, who drove the animals to their destination in two days. Arthur Grishaber of this place went with the drove.

The Callicoon Depot Board of Education has decided to discontinue the morning and afternoon intermissions and dismiss school at 3:30, on account of the children who come from a distance.

The real estate and creamery fixtures of the Alpine Creamery Co. of North Branch will be sold at auction on January 19.

The Sullivan County Dairy Co. is having a telephone line built between its creameries and Callicoon Depot of Hankins, a distance of four miles.

Mercury stood from 6 to 12 degrees below zero this morning.

Ed Kohler, the painter, has bought two acres of land of John Holpp in the rear of his lot on which he has moved his barn and also built a paint shop.

A surprise party was given Rudolph Krantz of Beechwoods on Wednesday evening, December 7, in honor of his 47th birthday.

Youngsville — Melvin Gorton has moved from the Rogler homestead to the Schroeder place on “Chicken Hill.”

A daughter was born to John Bruetsch and wife of Youngsville on December 5 and a son was born to John Wahl and wife on November 30.

110 Years Ago - 1914

The Colt acetylene gas machine of hotel keeper George DeLap of Kenoza Lake blew up Saturday while Mr. DeLap was thrown out of the open door of the building.

The school in Beechwoods District No. 7 has been closed till after the holidays, owing to scarlet fever.

On Thursday, the drying house at the barrel factory of W.E. Sipple at Mileses was destroyed by fire.

William Brown of Jeffersonville has been appointed mail carrier on the rural route from Stevensville through Hurd and adjacent territory in place of Hans Reinshagen of Bethel.

Frank Riemenschneider arrived home Monday from Hansfield, South Dakota, to see his parents, George Riemenschneider and wife of East Hill. John Schurer and Henry Reyman are also home from South Dakota for a visit.

A yearling calf left the herd of Henry Mauer of Beechwoods last spring and made its home in the Tamarack Swamp, across the Callicoon Creek south of Hortonville, defying all efforts to capture it until recently. August Faubel of Hortonville succeeded in corralling the critter by erecting a stanchion in the swamp, placing hay for bait.

Alethea Lillian, the little daughter of Mr and Mrs. Frank Hess, was baptized in the M.E. Church Sunday by Pastor Read.

Bernard Morman, a resident of Monticello and a son-in-law of the late Thomas Brown of Youngsville, died suddenly in Monticello Friday. Mr. Morman was married in 1880 to Miss Maria Brown of Youngsville, who survives with four sons and three daughters, Victor, Bernard, Otto and Marjorie, at home; Lizzie of Wilmington, Del., and Gertrude of Philadelphia, Pa.

Stephen D. Sawyer, the well-known proprietor of the Delaware House at Callicoon, died at his home in that village Saturday night after a short illness. He was 64 years of age.

One of the greatest features of Christmas is the home meeting. How many hundreds of thousands who have been separated throughout the year will now be gathered together once more under the old home roof. It is well that it should be so. It warms the heart to read of the trains to the north and the trains to the south, east and west, being filled with people going home for the Christmas holidays.

100 Years Ago - 1924

At the Livingston Manor fire district election recently a proposition pertaining to the rental of hydrants from the Woolsey Old Homestead Water Co., was rejected by voters. This leaves the village without fire protection except from natural sources, such as brooks and rivers.

George Schaefer, native of Beechwoods, died in his 71st year at his home in Woodhaven, L.I. He was the eldest son of the late John Philip Schaefer.

The Methodists of Long Eddy, who lost their church edifice some time ago by fire, have their new church erected, and it took only two days to put it up. The material was received in pieces ready to join together and an old-fashioned “bee” was held to put them in place.

The county board of supervisors have raised the pay of grand and trial jurymen from $3 to $4 a day and has made $2 the standard for excused jurymen.

The Board of Supervisors have announced the following bounties for the killing of destructive wild animals: wildcats, $5; gray foxes, $3; red foxes and weasels, $1.

The O&W railroad will use a gasoline car of a type that has proven successful elsewhere on its Summitville-Monticello line in a short time for the light winter passenger traffic.

The state troopers are kept busy now holding up auto drivers to see if they have operators’ licenses. It is said that only forty percent of the car owners in Sullivan County have licenses.

90 Years Ago - 1934

The A&P in a 1/3 page ad, in the December 20 issue of the Liberty Register, advertises Long Island Duckling at 21¢ a lb.; fresh stewing oysters at 25¢ a pint; tub butter, 3 lbs. for 95¢ and print butter at 2 lbs. for 67¢; sugar, 10 lbs. for 51¢; fillets of fish, 10¢ lb.; and Lucky Strike, Chesterfield, Camel, Old Gold and Piedmont cigarettes at $1.20 (in a Christmas wrapped gift) carton. Organizations or individuals desiring to purchase Christmas orders for needy families will be interested in our cheer orders. Information can be obtained at any of our stores. May we suggest A&P Dollar Food Coupons. They are redeemable for one dollar’s worth of merchandise when presented at any A&P Food Store in the United States.

Raymond Anderson, native of Beechwoods and a former school principal in Jeffersonville, is now grand master of Odd Fellows in the state of Vermont with his office at Essex Junction. He is also a member of Callicoon Lodge of Free Masons in Jeffersonville.

Charles E. Button, principal of the Livingston Manor School, went to a Middletown hospital last Sunday for an appendicitis operation.

White Lake, one of the finest bodies of water in the county, and around which are many boarding houses and other business places, has been purchased from the Gillespie estate, owners since the Revolutionary War, by Thomas Leonard, retired New York policeman.

Abe Strong, Cochecton Center aviator, was removed last week to his home from the Callicoon Hospital where he was under treatment for a fractured pelvis, broken fingers and sprained ankles, sustained on December 2 when his small homemade plane failed to rise out of the Cochecton Airport and fell from a height of about 100 feet into the muddy banks of the Delaware River. Abe, instead of replacing the damaged plane, will build a larger and more powerful one as soon as he is able to go to work again.

Mrs. John Simon Diehl, aged 82, died at her home in Jeffersonville on December 18 after five years’ illness from liver and gall bladder trouble. Mrs. Diehl was born Barbara Schwalb in Hessen Darmstadt, Germany, and at the age of 14 came alone to New York City.

Michael A. Hoffman, aged 83, native of the Town of Fremont, died December 13 at his home in Larchmont.

Mamie Moore, wife of John C. Meyer of Narrowsburg, died December 15 at the home of her sister in Flushing. Mrs. Meyer was born on a farm near Jeffersonville, a daughter of Arnold Moore  and Elizabeth Kehrli, natives of Switzerland.

80 Years Ago - 1944

Mrs. Mary Bernhardt of Kenoza Lake was notified last week by the War Department that her son, Sgt. Floyd A. Bernhardt, had been wounded on November 19th in Germany. This is the third time that Floyd has been wounded in action in the European War. Mrs. Bernhardt has three other sons in the Army: Adam, who was wounded in Germany some time ago; Ralph, who was reported missing and is thought to be a prisoner of the Germans; and Hans, a baker with the overseas forces in Germany.

Pvt. Albert Bogert of Callicoon Center was wounded in the back and leg in France on October 14, according to word received by his wife, the former Eleanor Allgeier of North Branch.

Hugh Stephenson, 80, died at his home in Brooklyn on November 23. He left the request that his body be cremated and the ashes scattered on the farm where he was born, now the home of his brother, John, at Birch Ridge in the town of Bethel.

Timothy Sweeney, 67, who with his wife occupied one of the Huff apartments on East Main St., died suddenly last Saturday, December 9. Mr. Sweeney was born in New York City and in his younger life he served many years in the U.S. Navy as a shiprigger.

70 Years Ago - 1954

Miss Elfreda Topp became the bride of Andreas Nissen Saturday, December 11, at the First Lutheran Church in Jeff. Miss Topp is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Carl Topp of Jeffersonville and Mr. Nissen is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence Nissen of Germany.

Herbert N. Lambert of Parksville, a driller on construction work, died Saturday, December 11, after a two-month illness. He was 49 years old.

Mrs. Lena Biebel, 82, a half-century resident of Sullivan County, living in Kenoza Lake and Jeffersonville, died December 13 in Forest Hills, L.I., at the home of her niece.

Mrs. Alexander Henderson of Bronxville, died Monday. She was the former Lillie Bosley, daughter of the late Henry and Emma Bosley and sister of Mrs. L.J. Dietrich and John Bosley. The Sackman House at Kenoza Lake was formerly the Bosley homestead.

Frank Bauernfeind, a lifelong resident of Beechwoods, died December 11, at the age of 76.

Mr. and Mrs. George Schaefer of Staten Island were guests of honor at a 50th wedding anniversary dinner at the Antrim Lodge in Roscoe on December 12.

The tunnel to be constructed for Cannonsville Reservoir, from Cannonsville, Delaware County, to Lows Corners in Sullivan County, will have seven shafts, will cost some $90,000,000 and will be started before any other phase of the Cannonsville work because of its immensity as a project.

60 Years Ago - 1964

Mr. and Mrs. Osmer Graby of Callicoon were surprised at a dinner party at the Village Inn, Hortonville, in honor of their 40th wedding anniversary on December 13.

Aennora Isabel Cabrera Herrera of Moron de la Grontera, Spain, announced the engagement of her daughter, Amparin to James F. Buddenhagen of Hortonville.

Mr. and Mrs. George Merkenschlager of Lake Huntington celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary on December 12.

Mrs. Augusta Rutz, 87, resident of Hankins and Roscoe, died December 9.

The U.S. Government means business on the Tock’s Island Dam and action will be taken to enforce pollution regulations along the upper Delaware River.

Airman David Allen, son of Mr. and Mrs. John E. Dumrose of Livingston Manor, has completed Air Force basic training at Lackland AFB, Texas.

A daughter was born to Mr. and Mrs. Russell L. Gries of Mongaup Valley.

Christmas decorations in Callicoon are beautiful again this year. At the Agway bulk tanks, an enormous star has been erected, many homes are decked out for the season: the usual tree is lighted at the Callicoon Firehouse; at Hermann Hall, a Christmas tree, donated by Winkelstern’s Christmas Tree Kingdom, has been lighted. By the way, who keeps shutting off the Christmas lights on lower Main Street?

50 Years Ago - 1974

Timothy P. Kelly of Liberty has been named Parks and Recreation Coordinator by the Liberty Town Board. He will be in charge of the youth activities program and will mesh the township’s recreation efforts with those of the village of Liberty and the Liberty Central School.

The Majestic Hotel, for decades a Sullivan County landmark in South Fallsburg, burned to the ground in a spectacular fire of suspicious origin in a blaze that could be seen for miles on Sunday night.

Mr. and Mrs. Edward Krebs of Narrowsburg announce the engagement of their daughter, Kathy, to Edward Steven Ambrozevitch of Moscow, Pa. No date has been set for the wedding.

40 Years Ago - 1984

The Honorable Lawrence Cooke, Chief Justice of theNew York State Court of Appeals, the highest judicial office in the state, will be guest at a December 23 breakfast at the Concord when more than 600 of his personal friends, who have supported him, taken pride in his achievement and of whom Judge Cooke says, “I will never forget the generosity and support of the people of Sullivan County. My home is here, I was born here and I hope to live all my life here,” gather in honor of his retirement from the position he has held for the past six years, being appointed to the job by New York State Governor Hugh Carey on January 2, 1979. It is expected that many more awards and dinners honoring Judge Cooke will continue into the spring.

Mr. and Mrs. Ernest Ross of Long Eddy announce the birth of a son, Garrett William, born December 1 in St. Joseph’s Hospital, Carbondale, Pa. He has three older sisters, Jessica, Casey and Emmylou.

Due to the efforts of a small group of volunteers, Liberty residents are once again able to enjoy the 24-foot Christmas star shining out over the village from Thompson Hill. First erected in 1965, the star has been struggling for its existence ever since the untimely death of its original creator Dick VanAlstyne. Donations from the Masons, the American Legion, the VFW, the Clickin’ Chicken 4-H group, Liberty Police PBA, St. Paul’s and St. Peter’s churches and the Elks have kept the star burning over the years.

Dave Irvin of Honesdale, Pa., shot an 11-point buck which measured 71 1/2 inches in the Democrat’s Big Buck Contest.

30 Years Ago - 1994

Firemen from Callicoon and Hortonville quickly extinguished a garage fire at the home of Willard and Barbara Turk just after 4 p.m. on Monday. The building had no electric service and fire officials suspected that children playing with matches may have set the fire.

In another fire on Monday, in Obernburg, Ida Baunuat was evacuated from her burning home, suffering critical burns. She is in the Lehigh Valley Hospital Burn Center.

Richard Wall and Arnold Baum have been appointed to fill vacant seats on the Town of Delaware Town Board. They are expected to take the oath of office within the next week and will serve as councilmen through December 30, 1995.

V. Edward Curtis of Callicon has retired as the Town of Delaware Planning Chairman after 30 years in that position. He encourages younger people to serve and to help carry on the town business. Edmund Raum has been appointed to serve as chairman. In the same meeting, the former residence of the late George Widmann was turned over to the town as part of a will agreement. It was decided to keep the house, adjacent to the town sewer plant intact, as a possible place to store town historical archives and records management.

The Monticello High School Centennial Committee presented checks for $1,000 to the school’s debate team, $700 to the music department to buy new instruments, and $3,587.69 to the school for a new sound equipment as proceeds from its summer reunion. A flag was also presented which had flown over the national capital June 24 in honor of the centennial.

20 Years Ago - 2004

Bill Reynolds wants his listeners to know one thing: he’s not retiring. In three months’ time, he plans to sell radio station WSUL-FM to some of the principals in Empire Resorts – Robert Berman and Scott Keniewski – pending approval by the FCC. 

Winners of the Voice of Democracy contest honored at the Clarence Hoyt VFW Post #9217 on Monday night were Jessica Cherry, a senior at Eldred Central School, who placed first; a Liberty Central School tenth grader, Nicole Cuttita, placing second; and in third place, Danielle J. Bastone,  a senior at Monticello Central School.

Mamakating Historical Society president John Masten says the organization has obtained a crown jewel of military history – what is thought to be a rare Badge of Military Merit, the precursor to the Purple Heart. The badge was just one of the historical treasures found in 58 boxes donated to the organization by Radford Curdy, a longtime historian from Dutchess County, upon his death. 

Kyle William Rose, the first grandchild for Lisa and George Rose, and the first great-grandchild for Alice and Bill Froelich, recently came to Kenoza Lake, with his parents, Jinny and Darren Rose, to meet his extended family for the first time.

Melissa Cullen of Woodridge, daughter of Billy and Nancy Cullen of Natick, Mass., and Mark Hess of Woodridge, son of Jim Hess of Jeffersonville and Diane Hess of North Branch, were married September 25, 2004 at Fibber’s in Kiamesha Lake.

Eillen and Emil Motl of Monticello announce the engagement of their daughter, Karen Motl, to Kevin A. Bigelman. He is the son of Kathleen and Paul Bigelman of Clifton, Va.

10 Years Ago - 2014

A Phillipsport man recently purchased at county auction the Homowack, which in its heyday was a thriving resort, but has fallen into disrepair and has been an eyesore for local residents for many years. Mamakating Town Supervisor Bill Herrmann has been in constant communication with the new owner, Lex Heslin. Heslin is still mulling ideas with how the resort will function. The restoration and operation of the resort would create much-needed employment opportunities.

Soon to be confirmed Eagle Scout Alex Bisland, with Boy Scout Troop 101 out of Rock Hill, unveiled part of his Eagle Scout project at the Farmers’ Market area on Rock Hill Drive. A Boy Scout since he was in the 1st-grade, the 12-year-old Bisland’s project was a “Little Free Library,” Bisland’s second. The first of his libraries sits next to the Forestburgh  Town Hall.

The Eldred Lady Yellowjackets remained unbeaten Friday with an easy 46-23 over host Livingston Manor. With the victory, Eldred improved to 4-0 overall and 2-0 league. Eldred center Kelsey Collins led all scorers with 12 points while Jordan Lepes chipped in with 10. Junior Devon Dutcher led Manor with 10 points while 8th grader Lindsey Rau added 9.