130 Years Ago - 1895

Lafayette Gilbert, proprietor of the iron foundry at Livingston Manor, was killed almost instantly at Roscoe on June 26. He was loading some goods in his wagon at the store of Campbell & Co., when his horses ran away. Mr. Gilbert was thrown under the wagon and died shortly after from injuries received. 

The big German brown trout taken from the Beaverkill at Rockland recently has died at the Beaverkill Hatchery from injuries. The fish will be mounted and placed on exhibition at the hatchery.

There are eight Grand Army posts in Sullivan County.

The O&W conductors’ clam bake will be held at Livingston Manor on August 15th.

The hay crop throughout the county will be very light this year.

The village is fast assuming its summer liveliness again. City people will be numerous here this season.

The family of Dr. H. Schmidt, consisting of his wife and five children, arrived at Jeff from Syracuse on Saturday and will make their home at the residence of the late Dr. Brand.

Isaac Gabriel of Bethel and Minnie Nearing of Fosterdale were married June 26 by Justice A.B. Marsh.

John Schadt of Callicoon and Miss Emma C. Kitz of Obernburg were married by Rev. H. Unglaub of Callicoon on June 25th. They will make their home at Hankins where Mr. Schad has purchased the Hickey Saloon and tinsmith business.

Charles H. Fries of Sand Pond and Miss Mary M. Hubbert of North Branch were married by Rev. H. Unglaub of Callicoon on June 26.

Henry Schaefer of Cadosia, formerly of Jeff, was married June 25 to Miss Maggie Crane of Cadosia.

Louis Faubel of Hortonville was married June 18 to Miss Lillian Hildebrandt at Stamford.

120 Years Ago - 1905

The Fourth was very quiet here. The hell and fire patriotism seems to be dying out, and it’s a good thing. The only events here were the dances at the Eagle Hotel and the Mansion House halls in the evening.

H.I. Goubelman, who closed his school at Pond Eddy last week,  has put a soda fountain and an ice cream parlor in his place here. The Misses Barringer is also serving ice cream at stated periods.

The state engineer’s department is engaged in a commendable effort to have the work on the county highways done properly. In those towns which have adopted the money system of taxation the state engineer oversees the general character of the work, because the state is paying 50 cents on each dollar the town raises. And it is proper that the state should see that the money is properly expended.

110 Years Ago - 1915

The new St. George’s Church in Jeffersonville was dedicated at 10:30 a.m. Monday morning.

C.G. Yager of this place, who bought the timber on the Bodenstein lot on Sixteen, has M.F. Ernst and Hugo Hauschild at work cutting down the trees and peeling the hemlock bark. There will be 125 or more cords of bark, which will be sold to the Middletown tannery at $7 a ton.

Peter Hubert is an extensive producer of strawberries this season. He has picked nearly 300 baskets thus far.

Mr. and Mrs. John McGee held a weekend party at their summer home east of this village in honor of the marriage of their daughter, Marion, to Richard Saenger of West New York, N.J.

Charles Cramer and daughters of New York City drove through town yesterday en route to North Branch, where they will spend a week with his father, Peter, a blacksmith.

The Jeff Braves went to Callicoon to lose a close game to the Callicoon team, 6 to 4.

100 Years Ago - 1925

A party of fishermen from New York City had an unusual experience on Saturday while fishing at Stump Pond near Youngsville. One of the 27 pickerel caught weighted over 2 pounds, which in itself would be nothing of special interest, but Art Luchs, who cut the fish open says that in the stomach of the fish he found a pair of rusty nose glasses.

The Napanoch Betty Bys lost to the Jeff team Sunday by the score of 10 to 3.

Herman Souza, known in the prize ring as Babe Herman, who has a training camp at Shandelee Lake, won by a technical knockout in court at Monticello Thursday night before Justice Silberman, after he had been arrested, charged with threatening to beat up members of the Barneblatt family, with whom he boarded. The justice dismissed the charge and told the Babe to be on his way back to camp.

Frederick Warde, the noted tragedian is spending his usual vacation at White Lake.

90 Years Ago - 1935

Holger Hoiriis, who piloted Otto Hillig’s plane to Denmark a few years ago, has leased Mrs. Irene Kohler’s house in Delaware and with his wife and little daughter and maid, will occupy it this summer, while Holger is piloting his plane around the county, carrying passengers, as he has done the past few seasons.

One of Callicoon’s town tractors used on the TERA road work on the Shandelee road, caught fire through faulty ignition one day last week and damaged it somewhat.

Miss Carrie Grace Neill, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Jarvis L. Neill of Fosterdale, and Percy W. Nearing, son of Mrs. Emma Nearing of Lake Huntington, were married May 12 by Justice Charles Maas at Cochecton Center.

A daughter, June Alice, was born June 26 to Charles and Esther Freidenstine Hubert of Fremont Center; a son was born July 2 at the Hamilton Ave. Hospital to Mr. and Mrs. Edwin Gettel (nee Anna Pless) of Bethel.

William Seeholzer, aged 73, for many years manager of the restaurant at the O&W depot, Middletown, died Monday at his home after a long illness.

80 Years Ago - 1945

Theodore Weiss, who sold his farm and boarding house, the former Ebersold place at Kenoza Lake, this spring, has bought of Oscar Will the property next to Raum’s store in that village.

Wm. Rosenberger of Hortonville, the new contractor of the Callicoon-Liberty Star Route, took over the job July 2.

Pharmacist Mate Carl E. Zweig, son of Mr. and Mrs. Edward Zweig of Endicott, was wounded while serving in the Marines on Okinawa.

Michael J. Reddy, a German prisoner for 27 months, has returned to his home in Narrowsburg.

Frank Kilcoin, postmaster at Swan Lake for the past 10 years, retired from office on July 1st.

Several Free Masons from Jeff attended the meeting of Mongaup Lodge held last Thursday night at Otto Hillig’s castle above Liberty.

A number of relatives gathered at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Bauernfeind near Hankins June 28 to observe the 84th birthday of Mrs. Eva Weber who lives with her daughter, Mrs. Bauernfeind. Mrs. Weber is a daughter of the late Jacob Likel, an early settler north of Jeffersonville.

Miss Louise Hust of the WAVES at Washington was here last week to attend the graduation of her sister, Doris.

Mr. and Mrs. Harry Layman of Beechwoods, announce the engagement of their daughter, Marion Marie, to Anthony T. Manzolillo, son of Mr. and Mrs. James Manzolillo, also of Beechwoods.

70 Years Ago - 1955

Miss Ann Parkhurst became the bride of Conrad H. Schminke at Holy Cross Church, Callicoon, on Sunday, July 3rd.

A “Dress Up Your Pet Show” will be held at the Lions Field tomorrow, July 8. All boys and girls of the community are invited to compete for the prizes. Following the show a Pee Wee baseball game will be played.

Lightning struck twice in the Youngsville area, damaging a boarding house and killing a dairy cow, during the bad storm Saturday evening.

Starting Tuesday, July 12, the Callicoon Center Band will begin its open air concerts at the bandstand in Tumble Inn Park. Concerts will be given every Tuesday evening thereafter at 9 p.m.

The 1955 Metropolitan Senior Women’s 400 Meter Individual Medley Swimming Championship will be held Saturday, July 23, in the Grossinger Country Club’s Olympic Pool. The event has been sanctioned by the Amateur Athletic Union.

Clinton Segar took first place at the annual 4th of July shooting match at the Callicoon Schuetzen Verein. The shooting took place at the Norman Bury farm.

60 Years Ago - 1965

Over 1,200 diners were on hand last Wednesday evening at the 49th annual Jeffersonian Dinner to hear Franklin D. Roosevelt Jr., who was the main speaker for the affair.

The deHoyos-backed candidate, Jack McBride, was an easy victor for the assembly nomination last Tuesday evening at the annual Sullivan County Republican Convention at the Hotel Lenape.

Edward C. Sykes of Hankins was elected chairman of the Sullivan County Fire Advisory Board.

Monticello Raceway broke the all-time record for combined afternoon and evening handle Saturday with a total of $1,095,832.

Mrs. Gertrude Hughson, 76, died after a long illness. Born November 3, 1888, in Callicoon, she was the daughter of Oscar and Sarah Lawrence Sparling. She was married to the late Irving Hughson and was the last surviving member of the Oscar Sparling family.

New York sales tax will go into effect August 2.

50 Years Ago - 1975

An early Monday morning blaze, caused by an unusual mishap, damaged a house under construction in Hankins, but the owner, Theodore Weber, luckily escaped with only minor burns. Going into the new building to check on the workmen who were due to arrive shortly, he started his car and ran over a line to a 500-gallon fuel tank. The spreading puddle of fuel oil ignited and Mr. Weber had to run for his life through a side door. Damage to the house was extensive.

Over 80 friends and relatives gathered at the Callicoon Center Fire Hall to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Edwin and Madeline Forsblom of Hankins. Their attendants, Mrs. Edward Kwiatkowski and Warren Lauder, were present for the celebration.

Nina and Spencer Ramsey of Kauneonga Lake were feted on the occasion of their 50th anniversary at the new Kauneonga Firehouse with over 400 friends and relatives paying them tribute.

40 Years Ago - 1985

Four persons were seriously injured by a propane gas explosion Monday at a Cold Spring Road bungalow colony. It was reported that they suffered burns over as much as 60 percent of their bodies. The injured included Leo Wintsky and his wife, Esther, and Sam Schafer, all of Brooklyn, and Anna Klinger, a 4-year-old of Hazlet, N.J., who is in critical condition at the Westchester County Medical Center Burn Unit. According to authorities, Mr. Wintsky used a match to light a pilotlight on the stove to investigate a propane odor.

Goldie Lerner of Swan Lake and Caroline Smith of Smallwood, were honored recently when they became the first women to be Bat Mitzvah at the Temple Beth-El in Kauneonga Lake. Until recently the temple was orthodox which does not have Bat Mitzvahs.

James Barbehenn and Kathryn Beseth were married April 27 at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Liberty. . . Jill Marie Hastings and Andrew J. Davison exchanged wedding vows on May 18 at St. Peter’s Church in Monticello . . . Scott Makela, son of Mr. and Mrs. Vilho Makela of Hankins, and Georgia Everett were married June 21 at the Territorial Court of Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands. They will make their home in Tampa, Fla.

The Walnut Mountain Health Care Center celebrated its tenth year anniversary Friday night in Liberty.

After completing a successful year at C.W. Post, Morgan Mitterwager has returned to Sullivan County to play for the Hankins House in the Men’s Western Sullivan League. Mitterwager attends college on a baseball scholarship  and was on the first American college team to play in China during a recent trip there. . . Eldred’s Tammi Reiss has been named a recipient of an award presented by the National Women’s Sports Foundation. She is the only Sullivan County athlete to receive this award. A top cross-country, basketball and track and field competitor, the 15-year-old will receive her award on July 20 at half-time of the Knight’s Basketball Tournament to be played in Hopewell Junction.

30 Years Ago - 1995

A huge crane installed four-foot high letters to the Community General Hospital in Harris, built in 1977. Floodlights will illuminate the sign to make it visible from Route 17.

New York State Supreme Court Judge Robert C. Williams will retire next month after serving 37 years in public service. Originally intending to be a high school teacher, it was his wife, Dorothy, who convinced him to attend law school. The Williamses will winter in Naples and spend the summer in their native Sullivan County.

A large crowd gathered in Liberty for the Fourth of July celebration of freedom and liberty the beginning of a two-week event. The 93rd annual Firemen’s Parade was celebrated in Narrowsburg. In a departure from the past, the afternoon of celebration followed the “no beer” rule and was geared toward family-oriented events.

With a 150-year schoolhouse as its centerpiece, the town of Cochecton Center is planning its second Founder’s Day celebration on July 15. The former United Methodist Church has been made into a community center and has become the center of community activities. Co. G of the 143rd New York Volunteers will have a camp set up so visitors can get an idea of what it was like to live as a soldier at about the time the village of Cochecton Center was founded in the middle of the early 19th Century.  In its heyday, Cochecton Center was a thriving town with one of the largest hemlock bark tanneries in Sullivan County as well as  leather tanning, bluestone quarrying and tourism.

Eleven lucky Sullivan County Youth will attend Camp Iroquois in Penn Yan, sponsored by the Sheriff’s Department. and founded in 1977. A total of about 700 kids from throughout New York State will attend the camp during the summer.

Twin brothers, Mark T. Murphy and Matthew J. Murphy have announced the purchase of the former Stewart Funeral Homes in Callicoon and Jeffersonville, formerly owned by Lloyd Heller.

20 Years Ago - 2005

World War II hero Francis Currey of Hurleyville, who earned a Congressional Medal of Honor, was honored at Shea Stadium on Sunday during Stars and Stripes Day, receiving a standing ovation from the nearly 38,000 spectators when they heard of his courageous actions during the Battle of the Bulge. Currey is credited with saving the lives of five of his fellow soldiers as well as forcing back a German advance.

Thousands turned out for the 15th annual Founders Day Street Fair Saturday in Wurtsboro.

The small community of Barryville opened its brand new information center on July 9. The renovated former gas station is located at the corner of routes 55 and 97. 

A proposed downtown historic district will be detailed Thursday at the Liberty Museum on Main Street in the village, including slides of Liberty’s architectural and business history. Many of the village’s structures date back to the early 1900s.

A son, Dillan Michael, was born to Edward and Jeanne Peters Hanslmaier of Callicoon on May  26, 2005. He has an older brother, Derrick, at home. His grandparents are Charles and Helen Hanslmaier of Jeffersonville and Betty Peters of Callicoon and the late Donald Peters.

A son, Dominick Joseph, was born June 4, 2005 to Joseph and Kristen Gagliardo of Jeffersonville. Maternal grandparents are Donald and Donna Knack of Jeffersonville. Paternal grandparents are Joseph and Carolyn Verderber of Damascus, Pa.

10 Years Ago - 2015

The Catskills Greek Fest returned to Callicoon Center for year number two, and with it came huge crowds. Between fireworks, rides, and food, the fundraiser for the Holy Monastery of St. Nektarios, located just a few miles up the road, offered a festival feel with Greek flavor. 

At 11:12 p.m. on Friday, July 10, Monticello firefighters were dispatched to a brush fire at the intersection of Concord Road and Route 42 in Kiamesha Lake. The structure, which was once known as Knobby’s Bar and Restaurant, had been abandoned for many years. Once a common watering hole for Concord Hotel employees, the grounds are now overgrown. The building was completely destroyed. Monticello was assisted by the Fallsburg, Rock Hill and Forestburgh Fire Departments, with Smallwood FD on standby and MobileMedic EMS on the scene.

Lake Huntington resident and physician Paul Salzberg took his seat on the Cochecton Town Board at its regular meeting Wednesday without fanfare. He’d already taken his oath the week before, and Supervisor Gary Maas said he doesn’t typically stand on ceremony when new councilpeople are seated. Salzberg, however, won his spot on the board after Maas lost his residency challenge of more than a dozen people who had voted for Salzberg in 2013 (their ballots were just opened).