130 Years Ago - 1896

The contract for construction of the new Catholic Church in Livingston Manor has been let to Thompson Bros. of Roscoe. It will cost about $3,000.

J.W. Lavis of Livingston Manor accepts the challenge of G.R. Leroy of Liberty to trot three-year olds and asks the latter to name time, place and money.

Miss Susan Grant of Liberty has been engaged to teach in the  Ellenville public school at a salary of $300.

Dances at  Eagle Hall, Jeffersonville, Saturday night, July 11. Dancing free. Good music. Every Saturday night at Union Park, Jeffersonville. Music by the Jeffersonville Orchestra. Refreshments.

John Lotz, a resident of the town for about 44 years, died Friday, July 3, aged 65 years. He was born in Willershausen, Germany, April 15, 1831, and came to New York in 1852 and shortly after moved to Jeffersonville. In 1855 he married Anna Margueretta Eirdanz. About 8 years ago Mr. Lotz left the farm and came to live with his son-in-law, Mr. A.T. Neuberger of this village.

William Yager of Hankins and Miss Etta Quick of North Branch were recently united in marriage and have gone housekeeping in rooms over Mr. Yager’s store in Hankins.

Miles Ward and Eva Bischoff of Hortonville were married by Rev. Meskers of Callicoon Depot one day last week.

120 Years Ago - 1906

The Callicoon Center Schuetzen Verein celebrated the Fourth with a prize shooting. The members met at Steinhauser’s hotel and marched to the range at John Mootz’s under command of Captain George Bohl mounted on a bronco and assisted by Sergeant at Arms Henry S. Kraft, and headed by the famous Callicoon Cornet Band. First prize in target shooting was won by George Eller. Hon. Frank Brey made an address after the distribution of prizes. In the evening a large crowd attended the ball at Steinhauser’s.

Dr. Rice’s orient buckboard is behaving better now as the doctor becomes better acquainted with it. Val Scheidell had some trouble with the transmission mechanism of his Maxwell tour-about while returning from Callicoon in a drenching rain the other night with the result that he and his partner, G. Myers, had to “git a hoss.” But this is one of the pleasures of automobiling.

The Muenchmeyer house and lot was sold at auction by the administrator. The tenant, Peter Hubert, had some lively opposition from Herman Behnken of Brooklyn. The property was knocked down to Hubert for $1400.

A meeting of the businessmen of this place was held Tuesday night to arrange for the annual coaching parade in Jeffersonville. John G. Satib, Jacob Knell and Charles Schmidt were appointed a committee of arrangements, and the date selected for the event is August 13. Capt. Louis Wendel of the 1st Battery, New York, was in town last night. He hopes to bring his entire company here for coaching day.

The new bowling alleys at The Fern at Kenoza Lake are now in full swing. Behrmann and DeLap are also putting in new alleys.

110 Years Ago - 1916

Thieves visited Callicoon and Jeffersonville. On Thursday night they broke into the Oak Cafe of Chris Weiss, formerly owned by J.G. Staib, at the lower end of Jeff. On the same night the office of Martin Hermann’s mill at Callicoon was entered.

Callicoon celebrated the Fourth with a parade of fire companies, a baseball game, outdoor performances by Frank Melville’s acrobats and dancers, and a display of fireworks. Music was supplied by the Liberty Band.

Mrs. Jacob Hess, aged 84, died Monday at the homestead near Hortonville. She was born in Germany in 1831, came to Hortonville in 1854, and was married in the same year.

Mrs. M.A. Meyer entertained a number of her friends  on Thursday afternoon by giving them an auto ride to Callicoon Center and a luncheon at Knise’s Colonial. The trip was made in Duttweiler’s auto stage and the guests were Mrs. A. Zeh, Miss Libby Caille, and Mrs. Katherine Erff of New York, Mrs. William Leib, Mrs. William Bernhardt, Mrs. Mary Scheidell, Mrs. William Knell and Mrs. E.F. Manny. The trip was full of pleasure and the fine lunch served by Mrs. Knise was a prominent item.

J.G. Wragge has rebuilt his dance hall at Lake Huntington which was crushed down by the weight of the snow last winter.

Frederick Dedling and Miss Elizabeth H. Chelius, an esteemed young couple of Jeffersonville, were married on Tuesday night, June 27.

Charles William Fromm of Hortonville and Miss Ruth Katherine Steiner of Roscoe, were married on Sunday by Rev. J.E. Straub.

(Editor’s note: The birth of William “Bill” Sutherland was literally front page news in 1916. The Liberty Register reported that he was one of the heaviest babies ever born in Sullivan County. The son of Mr. and Mrs. Fred Sutherland, he was born July 3, 1916, weighing exactly 16  and one-half pounds.  Dr. C.S. Payne was present to guide his birth.)

100 Years Ago - 1926

The engagement of Miss Rose Kovacs of the Bronx and Joseph Ruck, Jeffersonville barber, has been announced.

An eight-pound daughter, Anne Aileen, was born to Editor and Mrs. Fred W. Stabbert of the Callicoon Democrat on July 4th. Mr. Stabbert is a native of the Town of Fremont and Mrs. Stabbert was formerly Miss Nellie Stevens of Mt. Morris and a teacher in the Callicoon High School.

The Ku-Klux-Klan of Sullivan and Orange Counties  held a joint conclave at Livingston Manor on Monday, with a very large turnout of the Klan, as well as many curious spectators. After a parade and speeches, a ball game took place. The Sullivan team won. A number from Jeffersonville are on this team – Allen Segar, pitching, Charlie Joergle, Herb Hassis and Harvey Myers.

90 Years Ago - 1936

Thomas Bennedum of Hortonville has taken into partnership with him in the garage business and Chevrolet and Buick sales services Guy F. Reilly of Cochecton, who formerly conducted a feed and grain store there from 1916 to 1928.

Trooper Robert J. Flynn of Roscoe has been promoted to the rank of corporal.

Dr. L.V. Rosenthal has moved his offices from the Markowsky building back to his old quarters over the drug store, now Ted Rittershausen’s Jeffersonville Pharmacy.

The Ladies Pinochle Club closed for the season with a dinner party and cards at the Lenape in Liberty last week. On  Tuesday this week they drove to the Deckelman camp, 180 miles to the  Adirondacks, for the weekend. In the party are Mrs. William Deckelman, Mrs. Fred W. Schadt, Mrs. C.A. Royce, Mrs. Otto Meyer, Mrs. William L. Huff, Mrs. Charles S.  Hick and Miss Edna Lyons.

80 Years Ago - 1946

Frank Buck, the famous big game hunter, author, motion picture actor and man-about-town, made his annual visit to Kenoza Lake on July 1st to angle for the wily bass, the season for which opened on that day. This is probably the first time in his career that he failed “to bring them back alive.”

At Monticello last Friday, the Democrats nominated James G. Lyons for the Assembly, named Joseph G. Cooke, nephew of County Judge Cooke, nephew of County Judge Cooke, for District Attorney; and John Loucks, war veteran of Livingston Manor, for county treasurer.

On Monday night the  Republicans again named Ronald Albee, former Assemblyman, for that office; Ben Newberg for District Attorney and Arch F. Armstrong for county treasurer.

Erwin L. Baker will return to the principalship duties at JCS after serving in the Navy. Acting Principal K.C. Fuller will resume physical education for boys.

Mrs. Carl Stecker  has sold her new house in Delaware to Jules Flax, the dentist, who will take possession the end of August. Dr. Flax and his wife (Jennie Brownstein) are occupying the bungalow of his father-in-law, Joseph Brownstein.

Mr. and Mrs. Charles Zieres of North  Branch have announced the engagement of their daughter, Anna, to Harry Mathern Jr., son of Mr. and Mrs. Harry Mathern of Jeffersonville.

70 Years Ago - 1956

There was a three-day grand celebration of the Jeff Pharmacy and Restaurant. A half gallon of Sealtest Ice Cream was given away free every hour. The major prizes were won by Ruth Reinshagen of Swan Lake, electric blanket; Bobby Kessel of Jeffersonville, the  Duraflex II camera outfit; and Mrs. Earl Kohler of Jeff, the three-speed record player.

Herbert A. Levitt of the Beechwoods was made manager of the Sears, Roebuck & Co. Store in Liberty.

Samuel J. Laskey of Liberty has been named to three positions by the Board of Supervisors – County Purchasing Agent, Auditor and Budget Officer. He has twenty years of auditing experience.

Lt. and Mrs. Warren Ruppert are visiting in town from Limestone Air Force Base in Massachusetts. Lt. Ruppert has been assigned to a base in  California.

Alfred Polster has added a new Cadillac to his fleet used in his New York Taxi Service.

Col. Benjamin Tusten, hero of the Battle of Minisink 177 years ago, where he was brutally murdered by Mohawk Indians while treating wounded soldiers, will be honored when a bronze plaque given by the Sullivan County Medical Society will be unveiled at Hospital Rock, near Minisink Ford.

One of Jefferson Transfer’s trucks swerved to avoid a car pulling out of a driveway on the Briscoe Road last Saturday, hit the ditch, made a complete somersault and landed right side up, on all four wheels. Driver James Freer and his helper, Donald Nelson, both of Jeff, escaped with minor injuries.

Paul Muth, son of Mr. and Mrs. Wm. Nakao of Jeffersonville, has recently been advised by the American Poetry Society that his poem, “Contented,” has been selected for publication in “Songs of Youth.”

Mr. and Mrs. Walter Wood of Youngsville have announced the engagement of their daughter, Elsie, to Lester Parks, son of Mr. and Mrs. Ora Parks of White Sulphur Springs.

60 Years Ago - 1966

Gary E. Weiss has been named vice-president by the  Chase Manhattan Bank in the investment advisory section of the bank’s fiduciary investmet department. He is a former resident of Callicoon, the son of Mr. and Mrs. Ed Weiss.

U.S. Air Force Captain Richard R. Freda, son of Mr. and Mrs. Francis J. Freda, Callicoon, has been awarded the Air Medal in Vietnam for meritorious achievement during military flights. He was cited for personal bravery and airmanship in the fight against Communist aggression.

Miss Helene M. Hartmann, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Robert Hartmann of Cochecton, was united in marriage with Thomas P. Benedum, son of Mr. and Mrs. Thomas J. Bennedum of Hortonville, on June 25, at Our Lady of the Lake Church in Lake Huntington.

Miss Rose Deighton, daughter of Mrs. Harry  Deighton, is participating in an on-the-spot training project for a group of young nurses on the island of St. Lucie in the Windward Islands. The project is sponsored by  Bob Jones University in  Greenville, S.C., where Miss Deighton is enrolled in the medical missions program.

Winners of the Sullivan County Posture Pageant held Thursday, June 16, at the Esther Manor Hotel, were Miss Diane Schaefer of Jeffersonville, Linda Kazansky and Sandra Bertholf, all of whom represented the County in a New York State contest held at Brooklyn College.

50 Years Ago - 1976

Mary Kohler of Jeffersonville died Thursday, June 24, at her home. Born in the Beechwoods February 21, 1877, she was 99 years and four months old.

Bells will toll all over the United States on July 4 to herald the country’s entrance into the third century. Scheduled to begin tolling at 2 p.m., the time selected is exactly 200 years from the precise moment that the Liberty Bell proclaimed the independence of the new nation.

Janet LaBarr, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. James LaBarr of Narrowsburg, became the bride of  Don Bertholf, son of Mr. and Mrs. Marvin Bertholf Sr. of Livingston Manor, on June 19 at St Francis Xavier Church in Narrowsburg.

Gladys Olmsted, Public Health Nurse, was honored by associates, employees and friends to honor her 25 years of faithful and diligent service with Sullivan County Public Health Nursing, at a dinner at the Red Barn in Swan Lake on June 18.

An open house was held to honor Mr. and Mrs. Marvin L. Bunnell of Honesdale on the occasion of their 60th wedding anniversary.

Mrs. Marion Mauer will retire July 1 after serving 43 years of unbroken service at the Delaware Valley Central School where she was secretary to the principal. She also served as clerk to the school board of trustees. She began employment in the office of the Callicoon High School upon  her graduation from high school in 1933.

Mr. and Mrs. Michael Henke are the parents of a daughter, Kristin Lynn, born June 19 at the Wayne Memorial Hospital, Honesdale, Pa.

Mildred and Herbert Meddaugh of White Lake celebrated their 40th anniversary with a surprise lawn party at the home of their daughter, Mrs. Jacqueline Brown, assisted by Mrs. Audrey  Drasher of Eldred, another daughter.

40 Years Ago - 1986

Problems recently encountered by the National Park Service (NPS) in the Skinners Falls area with enforcement of drinking laws has pointed out a need for “container laws” by those New York towns presently without these ordinances. “The NPS can only enforce the laws as dictated by the state. The Pennsylvania drinking laws disallow persons under 21 to be in possession of or consume alcohol whereas New York – except in those towns which have an open container ordinance – possession and/or consumption is not against the law,” John Hutzky, park superintendent said.

The grandfather of John and Robert Bronner came from Switzerland and established a farm on the Winterton-Bloomingburg Road giving the Winterton family the right to celebrate being a Century Farm (100 years in the same family).

Mr. and Mrs. John Smalls of Monticello celebrated their 50th anniversary Saturday night at a party hosted by their children at King’s in Livingston Manor.

Sean McKeon of Woodbourne was a recent winner of a Summer Camp Essay Contest sponsored by  the Catskill Center for conservation and Development. He will spend a week at Camp DeBruce.

Ron Bauer has been named football coach at Delaware Valley Central School where he has been the track and field coach. Mr. Bauer worked as head coach for six years at Jeff-Youngsville for their football team in addition to his position at DVCS.

Narrowsburg is all geared up for its annual picnic and 4th of July parade. A chicken barbecue and display of fireworks will be held in the evening.

30 Years Ago - 1996

Six positions are gone but five have been created in recent reorganization measures taken by the Jeffersonville-Youngsville Central School board.

In an effort to promote and expose its vision of Sullivan County, Habitat for Humanity held a public information meeting at the Liberty Presbyterian Church. Although only a handful of non-members showed up, Executive Committee Chairperson Sandi Panchyshyn pitched her ideas for Sullivan County with unrestrained enthusiasm.

Buoyed by financial success and economic stability, the First National Bank of Jeffersonville will open three “supermarket branches” by the end of this year at the Peck’s markets in Narrowsburg, Livingston Manor, and Callicoon.

More than 300 people turned out for the WJFF/Radio Catskill Little Folk Festival and were treated to a parade down Main St. followed by down-home entertainment, environmental-oriented booths and several arts and crafts vendors at the Delaware Community Center in Callicoon.

Master ballad singer and television actor Kenny Rogers will perform at The Concord Hotel July 6.

John Conway, Sullivan County historian, has published a new book titled “Retrospect: An Anecdotal History of Sullivan County, New York” (Purple Mountain Press, $15). Conway, who was born and raised in Sullivan County, speaks about a host of interesting and intriguing people, events and places that made Sullivan County special.

Frontier Insurance Company of Rock Hill is preparing to buy a corporate plane to hangar at the Sullivan County Airport in Bethel, much like Cablevision Industries does with its $27 million jet. Frontier’s will be a much smaller, six-passenger Beech Jet.

The Jeffersonville Village Board has drafted three proposed laws that would place a curfew, loitering and noise restrictions on residents of the village.

The county is preparing to host its fourth aerial extravanganza July 13-15 at the airport in the Town of Bethel.

Mrs. Brenda Monahan of Jeffersonville announces the engagement of her daughter, Cindy, to Mark Leonard Herbert, son of Mr. and Mrs. Raymond Herbert of Callicoon. Miss Monahan is also the daughter of the late Paul Monahan. A September 1997 wedding is planned.

Anthony and Judy Durking are proud to announce the birth of their daughter, Marianne Rose, on June 19, 1996. She joins a brother, Michael, at home.

20 Years Ago - 2006

In one of the most spectacular evenings in Sullivan County history, more than 16,000 people were wowed Saturday by the performances of the New York Philharmonic, singer Audra McDonald, pianist Alexander Kobrin, a top-class fireworks display and the impressive architecture of the buildings at the naturally beautiful site of the original Woodstock concert in Bethel. The Bethel Woods Center for the Arts is a culmination of many years of work and vision by Liberty entrepreneur Alan Gerry and the Gerry Foundation. When he took the stage before the concert began, the beaming Gerry was met with a 5-minute-long, standing ovation, and he returned his appreciation to the crowd by waving repeatedly. The philharmonic – led by the highly enthusiastic, comedic, charming and crowd-pleasing conductor Bramwell Tovey – brought a half-dozen standing ovations with performances of the “1812 Overture” by Tchaikovsky, complete with 16 cannon shots and loud bells; Borodin’s “Polovtsian Dances” from “Prince Igor”; George Gershwin’s “Strike Up the Band,” and a salute to Woodstock with Jimi Hendrix’s “Purple Haze,” among other musical pieces. 

Locks of Love recently received 23 inches of hair, donated from two local girls. Rebecca Wood and Kristen McEneaney donated 13 and 10 inches of hair respectively to the organization that uses donated hair to make wigs for children with cancer.

Hurleyville’s Sullivan First group dedicated the new benches in the Hurleyville  Firemens Park on Saturday, July 1 in honor of the Hurleyville Fire Department and in memory of life members Perk Jacobson and Lee Turner.

10 Years Ago - 2016

The same firm which mapped the redistricting of the Sullivan County Legislature will parcel the Town of Mamakating into six equally populated wards. A wards map is estimated to be ready for the November 2017 general elections. Each of the six wards will be represented by one town board member, with the seventh member – the supervisor – elected by the entire township.

The Catholic Daughters of the Americas, Court Mary Anthony #883 of Liberty installed their newly elected officers for the term 2016 - 18. Chaplain Deacon John Riley conducted the installation on June 14.  The new officers are Julia Wasikiewicz, Regent; Edie Houghtaling, Vice Regent; Mary Nosek, Recording Secretary; Charlene Ryan, Treasurer; and Barbara Watson, Financial Secretary. The Court has been in existence for 92 years and continues to fulfill its mission of promoting spirituality and the advancement of human dignity through its charitable work and community service.