140 Years Ago - 1882

If some businessmen should go as long without eating as they do without advertising, their stomachs would no doubt be in as dormant a condition as their business.
Martin J. Weyrauch and Miss Anna C. Sander of Callicoon were married this week.
W. Burr and W.C. Brand were in the city this past week.
Callicoon Depot people are talking of starting a banking institution. Let our people wake up and secure it for our village (Jeffersonville). Do not let such a prize slip away from us through neglect.
Elisha L. Tyler of Westfield Flats and Nellie C. Green of Livingston Manor were married on May 3rd in the Taylor House, Middletown.
B.G. Wales of Pike Pond is advertising for a young man to go to Dakota free. The only consideration asked is the care of a horse and two or three cows. Trip will take about ten days.The chance is worth $50 to anyone wanting to go west.
A team of horses belonging to W.W. Gillman of Gillman’s were drowned at this place. They had drunk and become unmanageable in the deep water and as a heavy wagon was attached to them they could not be extricated.
Rafts are running lively on the river. The “fresh” will take all the lumber to market.

130 years ago - 1892

H.C. Patterson of Youngs­ville has put a street lamp in front of his residence. That’s a good example for others to follow.
The permanent organization of the Masonic Consistory at Livingston Manor will occur May 7th. At this time the grand officers and a team from New York will work some of the degrees and give the others by exemplification. H.J. Kilbourne is spoken of as an excellent commander and Messrs. Decker, DeKay and Davis are among the officers of the new lodge.
Walter, George and Eddie Clark are the first boarders to arrive at Louis Mall’s.
Charles Homer of Jeffersonville intends building a new and first class stage in his opera house.
The creamery opened Monday in Jeff and received 500 pounds of cream. Butter is selling at 22¢ per pound.

120 Years Ago - 1902

Margaret Frances Baumgardt of Jeff and Ormale Segar of Briscoe were married on May 7.
Invitations are out of the wedding of Rosa Winard of Falls Mills to Joseph J. Paul of New York.
A daughter was born to Mr. and Mrs. Henry Kratz of North Branch on April 30… A son was born recently to Conrad Wegman and wife of the Beechwoods.
George Raum of Jeff is in charge of the new creamery at Kenoza Lake. About 15 cans of milk are received daily. The milk is made into Italian cheese.
The highway in the Faubel district, leading from this village to Callicoon, has just been placed in fine condition under the supervision of Pathmaster Victor Hofer.
Engert Bros. will establish a grocery in Callicoon Depot.

110 Years Ago - 1912

Wednesday night three trains, containing 1200 emigrants, passed through Callicoon bound for the West where they will seek new homes.
The annual school meeting of the Jeffersonville School was largely attended Tuesday night. Dr. J. Cameron Gain was elected a member of the school board. An appropriation of $2,000 was voted for teachers salaries and other necessary expenses for the next school year.
Elias Mitchell died Tuesday morning after a long illness at his home in Callicoon. He was one of the last of the noted lumbermen and steersmen of the Delaware. His specialty was log rafts, and at that business he amassed a fortune.
John W. Brustman and Miss Anna L. Cooney were married in Brooklyn April 29. They will live in Mileses where the groom is foreman of the Manny Stone Co.
Dr. and Mrs. J. Cameron Gain of Jeffersonville were visited by the stork last week and presented with a fine baby boy.
School meeting at Long Eddy was well attended and a lively interest shown. Dr. Male and George Gould were elected for the long term and Mrs. H.W. McKoon for the short term. Of the 80 votes cast nearly as many were by women voting as by men.

100 Years Ago - 1922

Avery Pelton, a native of Monticello, has retired as a mail clerk after “31 years of continued service” which time he has travelled over 2,000,000 miles. He was appointed a railroad clerk April 17, 1891. He has been on the main line of the Erie traveling between Jersey City and Salamanca for the past 26 years.
Mr. and Mrs. Henry Gabel Sr. of Beechwoods celebrated their 58th wedding anniversary on April 30. Nine of the 13 children born to them are still living.
A fire in the stock room of Wm. Miller’s drug store in Monticello Thursday evening did $15,000 damage, mostly to the stock.
Born to Mr. and Mrs. Hones of Roscoe, a son, Edward, on April 9. She was formerly Miss Cornelia Avery.
Braman — Born May 7, to Mr. and Mrs. Ernest Newport, a daughter.
On Saturday, April 29, in the presence of their children and relatives and friends, Mr. and Mrs. Henry Keim, after fifty years, renewed their marriage vows in a simple ceremony performed by Rev. Neitzer. Mrs. Mary Hasen­pflue, a bridesmaid of 50 years ago, accompanied the Jeffersonville couple.
Monday morning, Highway Supt. Chas. V. Newman of Fremont started work on putting in a stone road on the Obernburg hill. This link will complete a stone road across the town of Fremont from the Callicoon line at North Branch to Hankins. This piece is half a mile in length. Road work has been somewhat retarded. It is said the hourly wage of 25¢ an hour did not attract workers. This has been increased to 30¢ and more hands have been secured. Other towns of the county are paying 30¢ and 40¢.
Mrs. C.C. Hoffman of Hankins attended the graduation exercises of St. Catherine’s Hospital, Brooklyn, May 3. Virginia Hoffman is one of the Class of ‘14 that took the Florence Nightingale oath.
A surprise party was given at the home of Miss Helen Mcguire Thursday evening in honor of her 14th birthday. — Hankins Corresp.
Webster Orth, dealer, offers an Overland touring car at $550; roadsters at $550; and chassis at $450 fob. Toledo. Call 60F2 or see him in Callicoon. —ADV.
W.J. LaRue of Milanville is kept busy overhauling cars. He is probably the finest mechanic in the county. Besides taking a course in a New York auto school, he had nine years with the Franklin auto factory at Syracuse. From there he went to Camp Dix as YMCA instructor and was there nearly three years. Last winter was spent at the Michigan State Auto School at Detroit.

90 Years Ago - 1932

Second Class Scout badges were awarded to William Davidson, Jack Bennett, Joseph Freda, Wallace Gilbert, John Hoffmann, Carl Molusky and Richard VanIderstine at a meeting of the Board of Review and Court of Honor held last evening. The boys are members of the Callicoon troop. Robert Dering and John Wizemann, both assistant Scout Masters, were awarded first class Scout badges. John was also awarded a five-year veteran’s pin.
A son, Robert Charles, was born at the Callicoon Hospital May 7 to Mr. and Mrs. Valleau Curtis; a son was born to Mr. and Mrs. J. Zopf of Obernburg on May 4. The hospital grounds are being landscaped by the Chas. G. Curtis Co.
A memorial grove of 3,000 Norway spruce trees will be planted this week by the Lester White Post of the American Legion on Route 17 at a point just south of Livingston Manor. The trees were obtained by County Treasurer Roy C. Johnson.
At a meeting of the members of the Anderson Hook and Ladder and Terwilliger Hose Co. No. 1, held at the Hook’s rooms last Monday evening, in Callicoon, the company expressed itself favorably toward consolidation. Edwin C. Hermann, Floyd Schultz, and Kenneth Bernhardt were appointed to confer with the members of No. 2 company to see if a feasible plan of consolidation can be worked out.
Following a special sale of several weeks to dispose of certain lines and brands of goods, Meyers and Royce have transformed their large store in the Masonic Hall building to what will be known as the Royal Scarlet Store in Jeffersonville. . . Victory Chain, Inc., operating 160 stores in central New York state, will open a store in the Schneidmann building in Jeff on May 13. Otto C. Ropke of Liberty will be manager.

80 Years Ago - 1942

Miss Lillian Russell of Brooklyn was united in marriage with Robert Rheinbeck, son of the late William and Maud Rheinbeck, on May 3 in Brooklyn. They will reside for the present with his mother, Mrs. Eunice Geer at Lakeside Cottage. — Long Eddy Corresp.
Wreckers are dismantling the Standard Oil plant in Callicoon. Some of the tanks have been removed and the work is well under way. Howard F. Allgeier, formerly stationed here as driver of the gas truck, is now employed by the same concern at their Monticello distribution plant.
A daughter was born to Mr. and Mrs. Frank Schick of Obernburg at the Callicoon Hospital on Sunday. . . Mr. and Mrs. John Lewee of Callicoon are the parents of a baby girl born May 13th. . . Mr. and Mrs. Robert Fox of North Branch are the parents of a baby boy born May 13, all at the Callicoon Hospital.

70 Years Ago - 1952

Seventy-five associates and former pupils of Coach Kenneth C. Fuller of Jeffersonville met at Hotel Arlington, Livingston Manor, to honor him at a testimonial dinner on April 30, in honor of his 25 years of continuous service to education.
At the Callicoon Hospital it was a son to Mr. and Mrs. Chas. Hoenninger of Bethel on May 3; a son to Mr. and Mrs. Clifford Sweitzer of Lookout, Pa. on May 6; to Mr. and Mrs. Chas. Skinner of Narrowsburg on May 7; a daughter to Mr. and Mrs. Robert Bosch of Eldred on May 7; and to Mr. and Mrs Fred Mewes of Eldred, also on May 7.
Charles E. Button, superintendent of the Second Supervisory District in the Northern and Western section of Sullivan County, has written a letter of resignation because of “continued ill health.”
About 400 cases of eggs and hundreds of empty cases with office furnishings and equipment burned with the building of Wagner Farm Eggs on Monday morning. Although the Wagner home and North Branch Garage were located on either side, North Branch firemen contained the blaze to the one building.
John D. “Dave” Freda, son of Mr. and Mrs. F.J. Freda of Callicoon and Paterson, N.J., graduated from the Officer Candidate School at Ft. Benning, Ga., on May 5th. He is now commissioned a 2nd Lieutenant in the U.S. Army.
The Cochecton Bulldogs, consisting of Jimmy and Bobby White, Paul Bennett, Billy Hennig and the Fuller boys, defeated the Minisink Pee Wees by a score of 27-9 in Pee-Wee baseball.
Mr. and Mrs. Lewis Wolfe of Cochecton, the former Arvilla Sutliff, became parents of their first, a son, Monday at the Callicoon Hospital. Daddy is in the Army in Korea.
A new refreshments stand of large proportions has been completed at Mike Kusang’s Gas Station on Route 97, Callicoon.

60 Years Ago - 1962

Michael J. Krongel, son of Mr. and Mrs. Richard Krongel, Jeffersonville, participated in Bar Mitzvah services held April 28 at Congregation Ahavath Sholom. A collation was served in the Temple’s vestry and Michael was honored at a dinner at Memory Lane, Cochecton, in the evening.
Charles Horton, district duty grand master of the Sullivan District, is making plans for the visitation of Grand Master Harry Ostrov on May 19. A dinner will be held at the Laurels which is expected to be attended by 1,000 members and friends of the Masonic Order.
At the Callicoon Hospital, it was a daughter, Thursday, to Mr. and Mrs. Cecil Rutledge, Tyler Hill, Pa.; a son, Monday, to Mr. and Mrs. William Berger of Narrowsburg; a daughter, Monday, to Mr. and Mrs. Ronald Gorr of Hortonville.
Miss Nancy Meyer of Pea Brook, honored as this year’s May Queen of Holy Cross School, crowned the statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary during ceremonies Sunday afternoon, May 9, at St. Joseph’s Seminary, Callicoon.
Miss Charlotte Ostrander, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Francis Ostrander of Lookout, Pa., and Richard Schellberg, son of Mr. and Mrs. Hans Schellberg of North Branch, were married May 13 at Grace Lutheran Church in North Branch.
Mrs. Gus Oestrich, a longtime correspondent of the Sullivan County Democrat, died May 4. A writer since 1908 for the publication, she has contributed each week with no interruption. In the words of the editor, “Nothing stopped her through illness, deaths and two wars, she steadfastly clung to her task to serve the small community in which she lived. She was a truly grand person. Words fail us in describing this wonderful lady.”

50 Years Ago - 1972

Benton Bros. Gas Service of South Main Street, Liberty, suffered considerable damage when flames enveloped gas tanks stored on the back of delivery trucks parked in the firm’s garage. Despite the holocaust and the ever present danger of serious explosion, volunteers of the Liberty Fire Department kept the situation under Control and extinguished the flames in two hours.
All seven school budgets submitted to the voters in Sullivan County last week were approved by varying margins with the closest race taking place in Jeff-Youngsville where the measure passed by a scant 27 votes. In Monticello, a near record turnout of voters was attracted not so much by the budget but by the fact that twelve candidates were seeking three seats to the school board. Gerald Briggs bested seven candidates for a five-year term. Paul Monti look a five-year term seat and Mrs. Gloria Winarick outpolled two other candidates.
The next six-juror law for civil cases in Supreme and County Court, going into effect May 28, will bring about many changes. It will cut the number of jurors necessary for Supreme Court.

40 Years Ago - 1982

Miss Audrey Ingber, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Jack S. Ingber of South Fallsburg, was married on April 4 to Steven Alan Bender, son of Mr. and Mrs. Louis Bender of Harrison, at the Concord Hotel in Kiamesha Lake.
Oscar C. Rasmussen of Narrowsburg, 76, died Saturday, May 8, at the Wayne Memorial Hospital in Honesdale, Pa. He was associated for many years with his brother, Fred, who survives, in the family business originally founded by their father, Niels Peter Rasmussen, who came to this country from Denmark when he was 16 and settled just across the river from Narrowsburg in Atco, Pa. Affectionately known as N.P., the elder Mr. Rasmussen went from wagon making to the furniture business. In 1905 he bought out a local funeral service which has been in the family since that time. He is survived by two sons, Ronald Rasmussen and Robert Rasmussen, both associated with the business.
Preliminary work of roadside clearing and ditching continues along the stretch of Route 42 from the Forestburgh Store, south to the Orange County line. When completed, the road will be considerably improved.
Services were held May 11 for Francis “Frank” Tobin of Callicoon, one of three brothers who had worked for the Eric Railroad for a total of 154 years as station agents. His older brothers, Neil and Donald, both of whom survive, were also noted in the region for their extraordinary careers. All three of the boys went to work for the Erie at the age of 14, brother Neil Tobin of Callicoon recalled, and began their service by learning the Morse Code. Frank was a station agent for 46 years. Brother Donald Tobin of Honesdale, Pa., served the railway as an agent for 54 years and Neil can account for 52.
About 25 people attended the official groundbreaking ceremonies on Thursday which will result in the Minisink Ford Battleground Park. The $80,000 project will provide an interpretive center, restrooms and storage.

30 Years Ago - 1992

Forestburgh Democrat Jacob Gunther III announced Wednesday that he, the third person to do so, is declaring his candidacy for the newly created 98th Assembly District. Former State Senator E. Arthur Gray of Port Jervis and Middletown Mayor Gertrude Mokotoff are all vying for the Democratic nod and Republican Anthony Ingrassia of Middletown declared his candidacy Wednesday as well.
Bethel Town Board members passed a resolution giving the go ahead to a feasibility study that will explore the possibility of holding some sort of entertainment event at the famed Woodstock Festival site on Hurd Road.

20 years ago - 2002

When the Student Council at Tri-Valley Intermediate School decided to hold a Diabetes Walk this month, their classmates soon signed on to the project. Their goal was $3,000 but by the end of the day, the students had raised a whopping $13,257. “We called the American Diabetes Association, and they were thrilled,” said fourth grade teacher Jason Semo. “It was one of the biggest totals in the Northeast they’ve ever had.”
According to the State Police, 17-year-old James Stephens of Liberty was driving his 1984 Ford Mustang on Route 52 East near its Route 17 overpass Thursday in Liberty when he lost control and slammed into a utility pole. Tyrone Jackson, due to graduate from Liberty High School this June, died from massive internal injuries.
Narrowsburg Fire Department celebrated its 100th anniversary at Woodloch Pines in Hawley, Pa. on May 5.
The new Glory to God Christian High School in Liberty has elected corporate officers, named an interim principal and selected chairman of its six committees. The official opening, if all goes well, is slated for September 2003.

10 years ago - 2012

Saturday the streets of Monticello became the scene for something positive as the fledgling My Angel Foundation along with Tishanna McCullough and Rashonda Williams organized an anti-violence march that saw about 120 people of all ages and backgrounds wind their way through the streets of this largest of Sullivan County’s towns.
Jeffersonville held its annual Chalk Walk and Sidewalk Sales on Saturday, co-chaired by Sharon Cron of the Red Door Consignment Shoppe and Jane Lawski. Edgar Munch’s “The Scream” was drawn by Sonya Gattus of Jeffersonville, a junior at Sullivan West and freshman Colleen McCabe of Callicoon Center, under the direction of Julia’s aunt, SW art teacher Bobbie Sue Allees.
The seventh annual Bethel Community Pride Day was held Saturday at the Duggan Community Center in White Lake, sponsored by the Bethel Local Development Corporation and organized by the town’s Parks & Rec Department.
The Sullivan West Elementary School Trout in the Classroom program had a full day of activities this past Friday. About 100 students in four fifth grade classrooms were involved in raising the trout from eggs, nurturing them and, on Friday, releasing them into the East Branch of Callicoon Creek in Jeffersonville. Ira McIntosh of Delaware County entertained the students after the release with a program called “Twist and Trout.”