110 Years Ago - 1914

ADV. – Reichman Bros. Orchestra will hold a dance at Harmonie Hall, Callicoon, every Thursday night and the public is cordially invited to attend.

Noted under a column headed “Death’s Continual Harvest” were obituaries for Charles May of Rock Valley who passed away in Walton while there to see his doctor, and Casper Fuhrer of Swiss Hill who died at his home last Saturday evening.

George Hartman of North Branch was killed by the Erie way freight at the Callicoon station at 1:35 Tuesday afternoon.

All is quiet in the war zone the past few days as the troops have been resting after their fierce four-day battle. The Battle of the Aisne, by which title is known the vast engagement in progress across the entire northern section of France, continues today with both sides claiming the advantage.

The annual agricultural fair at North Branch on Monday was favored with nice weather and a large attendance. A picnic was held at Stalker Thursday, September 17, which proved a great success. After the pleasures of the day a great many remained and spent an enjoyable evening playing games. There were a number of prominent men from Honesdale who gave addresses.

Callicoon: The pumping station of the water company has been running under the direction of J. Persbacker. He said last week one day 30,000 gallons of water was pumped. The water has not entirely cleared yet but will soon be in condition to use.

A happy family reunion was held last Sunday at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Henry W. Eller. The sons, daughters and grandchildren were all present and spent the day in feasting and merry-making. Those present were Mr. and Mrs. H.W. Eller, Mr. and Mrs. J. Hauser, Misses Florence and Gladys Hauser, Norman Persbacker, Mr. and Mrs. W. Eller and daughter, Kathryn, Mr. and Mrs. J. Fetz, Misses Mildred and Grace Fetz and Masters Henry and Edison Fetz.

100 Years Ago - 1924

Long Eddy: Harvey D. English Jr. has purchased of J.B. Hagadorn, the Empire Theatre and the adjoining Hagadorn building here. Mr. English has for the past two years successfully conducted a moving picture circuit besides being principal of the high school here.

At the frankfurter eating contest at Harry Schuler’s Callicoon Center, on Thursday evening, Teddy Specht of Roscoe ate 17 hot dogs in 15 minutes. Anna Fassig of Hill’s Villa was second and put away 10 in the same time.

Charles G. Curtis, one of the delegates from Sullivan County to the Republican State Convention convening in Rochester today, left by train Tuesday noon. On the train also were Judson Knapp, county chairman and A. Sheen of Barryville, both delegates.

Evangelistic meetings at the Galilee M.E. Church, which Evangelist D. Cataldo of Philadelphia, N.Y., has been holding the past fortnight are rivaling the historical revival held in the same church 40 years ago by Rev. Olver, then its pastor but now residing in Honesdale.

Hankins: Chapell Peake has purchased a new Bluebird car.

A mock marriage ceremony will be held on Grossman’s lawn in Hankins September 27 for the benefit of the Community Club. All are welcome.

Miss Irene Lowe, daughter of Mrs. Elizabeth Lowe of White Sulphur Springs, formerly of North Branch, and Walter Neumann of this place were united in marriage by Rev. John E. Straub September 21 at the home of her sister, Mrs. Charles Schmidt, North Branch.

Following continued complaint of the scales at creameries in the county used for weighing milk, the Board of Supervisors last week passed a resolution, introduced by the Supervisor of Cochecton requesting the scales of weight and measure to make an official test of these devices.

Friday afternoon Fred Long of the Beechwoods shipped a crate of eggs to a party in Fordham in New York City via parcel post. Irving Sparling, carrier on the route, took the crate, and on his trip Monday was able to return Mr. Long his crate and hand him his money order covering the eggs. This is said to be a record service.

A.B. Hunt, E.E. Aldrich, J.L. Roemer and Dick Orth, members of the Delaware Club, went to Tusten this morning to conclude the rental of H.J. Wieden’s 2000 acre tract as a game preserve. It is understood that the club has an option for a three to five year lease of the tract.

90 Years Ago - 1934

The Delaware Valley Post, American Legion, located at Narrowsburg, is sponsoring an air show at the Cochecton Airport on Sunday, September 30. The big air event is featuring Holger Hoiriis, famous trans-Atlantic flyer who gained wide fame as a flyer when he piloted Otto Hillig, the Liberty photographer and his plane, “Liberty,” to Denmark. Mr. Hoiriis will be there with his Waco 220 hp 2-passenger plane.

The first round of play in the Delaware Athletic Association Tennis Tournament has been completed. Sixteen players competed with the following results: Dr. Mills won from John Lutz; Bob Dering won from Vail Dexter; Charles Engert won from Melvern Lovell; Charles Lewis won from William Dexter; Herman Buddenhagen won from Herbert Persbacker; William Berner won from William Schenkar; Vance Hunt won from Fred Stabbert; Bill Davidson won from Howard Bullis.

Edwin C. Hermann has been appointed chairman of the Better Housing Campaign for Callicoon by Jack Schulman of Monticello.

Mr. and Mrs. Phillip Bietz of Jeffersonville celebrated their 50th anniversary on Saturday, September 8. Mrs. Bietz, before her marriage, was Charlotte Diehl of the Beechwoods. They were married at Hortonville by Rev. Samuel Muery.

Leonard Reichman is in New York again where he takes vocal lessons. Leonard has an operatic voice and his friends wish him a successful career.

The Farm Bureau Board of Directors accepted the resignation of Joseph Bauernfeind of Callicoon as president at a meeting on September 10. Harry Stalker of Swan Lake is the new president.

80 Years Ago - 1944

From the “Soldier, Sailor and Marine” column: Pvt. Harry Luiz spent a short time with his family here over the weekend.

Lieut. J.G. Harold Bjorklund, son of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Bjorklund, and Pvt. Gerald Nearing spent the weekend with their families in Long Eddy.

Pvt. Arnold Poley has notified his family that he is somewhere in Belgium and going strong.

Pvt. Adam Bernhardt returned to the States and is now getting along well in Halloran General Hospital, Staten Island.

Carl Oestrich purchased the large lot between the Ohls building and the Democrat office last week and will construct a modern one-story garage on the lot as soon as conditions permit.

The Merkenschlager home of Gilbert and Harold Merkenschlager in Damascus township at the junction of Damascus and Conklin Hill Road burned to the ground Tuesday about noon.

Town girls, Raye Joan and Faye Jane, were born Thursday to Tech. Sgt. and Mrs. Ray Dexter of Narrowsburg.

Mr. and Mrs. Henry Doyle of Long Eddy are the parents of a daughter, Mary Elizabeth, born Friday.

Anne Miriam Makela, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Herman Makela of Hankins, became the bride of Lawrence Hubbell, A.O.M. 2/c of the U.S. Navy September 26 at the First Presbyterian Church in Hancock.

Pvt. Donald “Doc” Rose, former Callicoon native, is now at Halloran General Hospital, S.I., having arrived in New York on the Grisholm. “Doc” saw action in Africa during the invasion. On St. Valentine’s Day, 1943, he was taken prisoner by the Germans and since that time had been in German prison camps and hospitals. His illness made it possible for him to come home. Mrs. Mildred Brey of Jeffersonville is his sister, and he hopes to be able to visit her soon.

A/S Paul Long writes from Sampson Training Center that he is on what is called “a work detail” in the kitchen. He says it’s nearly as bad as working at Carl’s Recapping Plant.

Mileses: The electric storm we had Thursday evening killed Mark Anderson’s cow.

Lincoln Chapter, OES, Jeffersonville, had a homecoming last Thursday for their district deputy grand matron, Miss Bernice E. Fuhrer of Kenoza Lake, who thus closed up her official visits in the Delaware-Sullivan District before attending the Grand Chapter meeting at the Hotel Astor in New York on October 10. Mrs. Freda Beiling, matron, was the welcoming officer of Lincoln Chapter.

70 Years Ago - 1954

Miss Betty Jane Metzger, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. William Metzger, Callicoon, and Miss Claire Schmidt, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Howard Schmidt, North Branch, were members of the September 17 graduating class of Binghamton City Hospital School of Nursing.

One hundred and eighty persons attended the teacher reception at the DVCS Parent and Teachers Association meeting Tuesday evening. Mrs. Dorothy Rumble, president, presided at the meeting.

The storm Sunday night gave some Hortonville folks a thrill. Several bolts of lightning found their way to earth near that hamlet. One struck Carl’s television tower and burned out the fuse box near the ground. Another struck the Bob Doetsch home, burned out every light bulb and fuse in the house, destroyed the chimney and several rafters.

At the Callicoon Hospital: a son was born to Mr. and Mrs. Donald Hess of Hortonville on Saturday, and on Sunday, a daughter, Debra Rae, was born to Mr. and Mrs. Paul Hermann of Callicoon.

Mrs. William Brown of Hankins has announced the engagement of her daughter, Freda, to Christopher Farrell of Binghamton.

Mrs. Lester Keesler of Lake Huntington announces the engagement of her daughter, Rena Mae, to a Charles A. Smith, son of Mr. and Mrs. Albert Smith of Cochecton Center. The wedding will take place September 26 at the Holy Cross Church in Callicoon.

Miss Gladys Mickle of the Hortonville Grange took second prize in the county sewing contest held at Fosterdale, September 18. She made a one-piece cotton dress.

Jeffersonville: Paul Allen is back from Saigon, Indo-China, for two months. He was in town Saturday.

The Bar Mitzvah of Barry Bodenstein, son of Mr. and Mrs. Nathan Bodenstein, was held at the Synagogue in Jeffersonville Saturday morning.

Rev. and Mrs. Charles W. McClure and daughter, Lela, have just returned from an extensive trip to Ohio. On Sunday, September 12, Rev. McClure was guest preacher in Grace Methodist Church in Troy, Ohio, where he received his first license to preach in 1904.

60 Years Ago - 1964

Miss Ethel Long, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. John Long, Callicoon, has received her license from the State of New York to engage in the practice of hairdressing and cosmetology.

More than 300 students were enrolled to open the second academic year of Sullivan County Community College, which is nearly 100 more than were expected.

Callicoon: Mr. and Mrs. Karl Kelting returned home on Saturday after spending several weeks in Germany visiting friends and relatives. While they enjoyed every minute of their trip, they were glad to be back home in America.

Edson J. Tegeler and Willis C. Smith of the Beck & Levy-Tegeler Insurance Agency have been honored by the Aetna Life Insurance Co. for having written more than $1 million in life insurance protection with the company last year.

Richard T. Sewing, son of Mr. and Mrs. Harry Sewing of Cochecton Center, has graduated from the Police Academy. He was the winner of the Mashack Trophy for attaining the highest degree of proficiency with the regulation service revolver during the training period. He was a member of the Class of 1953 of the Narrowsburg Central School.

50 years ago - 1974

A throng of mourners, unable to be accommodated in the White Sulphur Springs Meth-odist Church, stood outside with bowed heads on Wednesday afternoon during the funeral services for County Clerk and Sullivan County Democratic Chairman Francis A. “Stretch” Hanofee, who died Sunday evening at the age of 59 at Robert Packer Hospital, Sayre, Pa., following a brief illness.

In spite of the terrible downpour on Saturday, the 21st, the Jeff firemen marched in the parade in Hurleyville and found themselves to be winners of some trophies: 1st place in water accuracy; 1st place in men’s tug-of-war; and 1st place in men’s bucket brigade. The best overall field day trophy was also won by Jeff.

A little girl, Kelly Lynne, was born to Mr. and Mrs. Robert Hanson of Cochecton Saturday night at the Wayne Memorial Hospital in Honesdale, Pa.

Kathleen Ann Bose of Youngs-ville, and Allan D. Werlau, also of Youngsville, were united in marriage Saturday, September 21, at St. George’s R.C. Church, Jeffersonville.

Mrs. John Tempel of Jeffersonville announce the engagement of their daughter, Barbara Ann, to Thomas Michael Knack, son of Mrs. Fred Knack of North Branch. No date has been set for the wedding.

40 Years Ago - 1984

Mr. and Mrs. Myron “Mickey” LaBarr  of Monticello celebrated their 45th wedding anniversary September 2 with a gathering at the Liberty United Methodist Church.

The Second Presbyterian Church of Roscoe will celebrate the 100th anniversary of the present church building with a rededication service on September 23. Mrs. John Adams will perform on the bagpipes and the original dedication hymn, written for the 1884 dedication by Rev. Henry A. Harlow, will be sung by the congregation during the service.

Inmates from the Woodbourne Correctional Facility gave the exterior of Temple Sholom in Monticello a fresh paint job to spruce it up for the 30th anniversary of the structure.

Former President Jimmy Carter and Rosalynn spent some time this past week fishing in the waters of the Beaverkill in Roscoe and the Delaware River in the Callicoon area, as well as touring the county and stopping at various local restaurants, including The Oak Table in Livingston Manor, The Autumn Inn in Callicoon, and The Antrim Lodge in Roscoe. They also visited the Catskill Fly Fishing Center.

Mr. and Mrs. Fred Schuler of Hankins and St. Petersburg, Fla., observed their 50th wedding anniversary at the home of Tillson and Mary Cade in Hortonville on September 8. Among those attending were their honor attendants of 50 years ago, Mr. and Mrs. John Leewe of Callicoon. They will again celebrate on January 20, their actual anniversary date, at their home in Florida.

Dolly and Francis Davis presented Mr. Davis’ “Good Old Days” painting of the Kenoza Lake Stone Arch Bridge to Murray Leshner, administrator of the Grover M. Hermann Division of Community General Hospital, to be hung in the lobby of the Callicoon Hospital.

30 Years Ago - 1994

During the first week of October, reinforcement rods and mesh will be applied to properly maintain the Lake Jefferson spillway.

The straw vote taken in Roscoe last week to determine the interest in merging the Roscoe Central School and Livingston Manor School was defeated for the second time in five months – this time by a larger margin than the first, Livingston Manor recording 353 to 171 against and Roscoe, reversing itself from the March election, voted 283 to 254 for the merger. In March the votes tallied 296 against to 252 for in Livingston Manor and in Roscoe voters cast 300 votes against as opposed to 223 for the merger.

Tony Molino of Callicoon Center was among those who attended the 50th reunion of the 95th Bomber crew, held in Pittsburgh, Pa., He served as a radio operator with the group during World War II and flew 35 missions.

Town of Highland Supervisor Andrew Boyar portrayed Baron Frederick Wilhelm von Steuben on the first place winning float, “Prepare for Battle,” of the Town of Highland Democratic Committee in the Germanfest activities in Yulan on Saturday.

The Frederick A. Cook Society will re-dedicate the historical marker in Hortonville marking the place of the birth of Dr. Frederick A. Cook on Sunday, October 2. The original marker, dedicated in 1965, was vandalized two years ago from its location near the Town Barn on Route 17B in Hortonville. On October 1, at a meeting of the Frederick A. Cook Society at the Sullivan County Museum in Hurleyville, the leader of the Ruth Glazier Expedition last July, Ted Heckathorn of Seattle, Wash., will retrace the route of the explorer on Alaska’s Mt. McKinley. The lecture will be accompanied by slides.

20 Years Ago - 2004

Flood water on the Upper Delaware River recently resulted in vessels, vehicles, RV campers and other items being swept downstream. As the water level goes down, locating items lost in the weekend’s flood will become easier. You are requested to contact the National Park Service before you attempt to recover any items from the river. The National Park Service will assist in reuniting found property with its rightful owner. There are no salvage rights on the Delaware River, and keeping property found in the Delaware River is against the law. In order to recover your property, be prepared to provide your name, address, phone number and proof of ownership such as a bill of sale, registration or distinctive markings.

The guest of honor couldn’t even rest on his day of tribute. In true volunteer fireman fashion, Charlie Mills even cut his own cake last Sunday when he was honored for his 50-year active duty service to the Callicoon Fire Department.

On August 14, Kristen Green was given in marriage by her father, Donald Knack, to Joseph Gagliardo at an outdoor lakeside wedding. The Rev. Kristen Anderson officiated. The bride is the daughter of Donald and Donna Knack of Jeffersonville and the groom is the son of Joseph and Carolyn Verderber of Damascus, Pa.

The cruise ship Caribbean Princess was the magnificent maritime setting for the wedding of David Rosa and Danielle Mc-Kinney, who were united in marriage under the laws of Bermuda by Captain Giuseppe Romano on July 18, 2004. David is the son of Deborah Manley of Liberty and Albert Rosa of Monticello. Danielle is the daughter of Gail and Timothy McKinney of Breezy Point. Following a honeymoon in Switzerland, they will reside in their new home in Tuckahoe.

10 Years Ago - 2014

The Cornell Cooperative Extension Sullivan County (CCESC) has announced the appointment of Colleen Monaghan of Walker Valley as Executive Director effective October 6. She brings expertise in youth development, family and consumer science, and a personal interest in agriculture and homesteading. Monaghan raises chickens and pigs and often spends time at a family farm and camp in Livingston Manor.

Sullivan County Long Beards held their ninth annual Jakes event at Roscoe’s Fireman’s Park. This year, the Long Beards invited Ann Jardin, a hopeful for the 2016 Olympic International Trap competition to give a demonstration. Jardin, 23, has already outshot four Olympians, including gold medal winners, in various events. In her demonstration for the Jakes, she didn’t miss one of the rapidly firing clays.

John Gempler of Kenoza Lake served as Grand Marshal of the Tractor Parade at last weekend’s Jeff Jamboree. John learned dairy farming on his father’s (also John) dairy farm, and later had a large one of his own in Bethel – across from what is now the Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, and therefore had a “front row seat” to the famous 1969 Woodstock Music Festival. John gave up farming to manage the Callicoon Co-Op Insurance Agency in Jeffersonville.