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Retrospect
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Over the years, many visitors to the Minisink Battleground have noted that when young people visit the Park, the scene of the July 22, 1779 Revolutionary War battle, their attention is typically … more
On the afternoon of July 14, 1842, Sheriff Felix Kelly fastened a noose around the neck of Cornelius Hardenbergh, and a few seconds later Hardenbergh, a member of what had once been the … more
The first time the Declaration of Independence was read aloud for the public was in Philadelphia on July 8, 1776, making the residents of that city the first outside of the government to learn of … more
It is easy to think of Ten Mile River Scout Camp as something of little interest to anyone outside of scouting. But since David Malatzky has spearheaded the reorganization of the Museum there, that … more
On or about June 20 in 1872, the D&H Canal Company received some good news. The NYS Court of Appeals had upheld a lower court ruling that had granted the canal company a rate increase in its … more
It was sometime after 4 o’clock on the afternoon of Friday, June 13, 1913 that the fire alarm sounded in the village of Liberty, and by the time firemen responded, a number of buildings were … more
Jack Kelly, the author of the highly acclaimed 2023 book, “God Save Benedict Arnold: The True Story of America’s Most Hated Man” said recently that he was “very … more
It was late in May of 1909, and D.W. Griffith was putting the finishing touches on his plan for a trip that would forever change the business of making movies. Those changes would begin right here in … more
At approximately 11:30pm on May 9, 1775, a force of colonial militia under the joint command of Colonels Ethan Allen and Benedict Arnold began crossing Lake Champlain in an operation that would … more
It may seem difficult to believe today, but there was a time when Sullivan County apple producers shipped apples to every state in the country except for Washington and Oregon. Local apple orchards … more
  It was early May in 1933, and one of America’s most notorious gangsters was lying low in Sullivan County, passing the time with a couple of bodyguards in a secluded hunting lodge in … more
On April 23, 1823, the D&H Canal Company was incorporated in New York State, and a little more than two years later ground was broken for one of the most transformative projects in American … more
It was on a dreary Monday afternoon in April of 1940 that the last of the bodies linked to Murder, Inc. turned up in Sullivan County.   That day, law enforcement officials, piecing together … more
It may be difficult to believe based on life along the Delaware River today, but the area wasn’t always a tourist destination. In fact, in its earliest days, it wasn’t particularly … more
There was quite a commotion in Sullivan County government circles in the spring of 1930, as officials came to grips with a surprising revelation: the village of Monticello had supplanted the village … more
Abe “Kid Twist” Reles, the notorious Brooklyn mobster who helped run the enforcement arm of organized crime fashionably dubbed Murder, Inc., sat in the Manhattan jail called the Tombs and … more
The grisly enforcement arm of the organized crime syndicate fashionably dubbed by the media of the day as Murder, Inc., was responsible for no less than eight murders in Sullivan County during the … more
As spring approached in March of 1961, a brand new organization was gearing up to increase tourism in the Sullivan County Catskills. And it did not involve a single hotel. The Catskill … more
There are many colorful clergymen who have passed through the pages of Sullivan County’s history over the years, but none more noteworthy than Reverend Benjamin Montanye, who presided over the … more
On March 2, 1785, a group of Baptists in New Vernon in the town of Mamakating organized what is believed to be the first church in the area that would later become Sullivan County. Reverend Eleazer … more
On February 22, 1767, Benedict Arnold, a young, up and coming businessman, married Margaret Mansfield, whose father was the Sheriff of New Haven, Connecticut. Arnold, of course, would go on to become … more
To many historians, Noble Sissle, composer, lyricist, bandleader, singer and playwright, is the man most responsible for ushering in the Harlem Renaissance. For those whose main focus is … more
In February of 2020, just before the COVID pandemic became national news, this columnist, your Sullivan County Historian, released a new book, “In Further Retrospect.” The book was a … more
Irving Jaffee was among the greatest speed skaters of his generation. He turned in the fastest time in the 10,000 meters at the 1928 Olympics in St. Moritz, only to have the event canceled without an … more
As the Revolutionary War approached in the 1770s, American colonists were a divided lot, and at least as many of them were inclined to remain part of the British empire as favored breaking away. … more
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