140 Years Ago - 1884

The famous Fillwever-Knack lawsuit that has been pending before Squire Harding for a couple of months is expected to be heard next Friday. The time the trial came on in the previous case, the village experienced a proceeding that is novel in Callicoon; viz, the drawing of a jury and some most comical attempts were made to avoid the constable.

Andrew Yeager has been setting up a number of machines in his wagon shop in Callicoon. The machinery consists of an upright engine of latest improvement, which is a curiosity in its way, and which will run band saws, moulding and planing machines, and a turning lathe. The blast from his steam whistle announced the finish of the work and let people know that noon of Wednesday had come.

We see a most pleasant smile on Fred Scheidell for the past several days. A little girl is the reason.

Some time ago Peter Wagner Jr. of this village was married to Miss Tillie Glasser, who resides about one mile north of Jeffersonville. The couple had succeeded in keeping it quiet until last week, and at short length it was rumored all through town. On Friday evening the sounds of cowbells could be heard from different directions and soon after a large gang of boys had assembled with guns, bells, horns, old tin pans, crosscut saws and all sorts of old noisy articles imaginable, and repaired to the house of Fred Scheidell where the young couple are residing, and for a few moments a grand serenade or frequently called “skimmelton” took place. The gang returned to the Eagle Hotel, and in a short time a keg of lager was consumed.

130 Years Ago - 1894

It is said that Frank Kahl will give up his store in Fremont Center and run a grocery wagon around the county this summer.

Two little fellows arrived in town – Herbert Lobert and Artie Grishaber. Each had an ankle sprained, the former by being shoved off the schoolhouse stoop and the latter somehow in a wagon wheel. Boys, you can push, but don’t shove, and above all, don’t monkey with a wagon wheel.

The Laufersweiler boys are the only ones in this locality who have as yet been able to capture any trout. They came home every day with a basket full. 

The marriage of George Griebel of Hankins and Miss Lizzie Hermann of Jeffersonville was performed at High Mass in St. Mary’s Church, Obernburg, April 10.

It is reported that a number of ladies participated in a white-cap expedition near Livingston Manor with the result that one man who is in the habit of imbibing considerable “tangle foot” was soundly thrashed with beech switches.

Charles Hermann of Beechwoods has one of the best henneries in this section. He has wintered about 250 hens and will raise about 400 chicks this spring.

Daniel Fullerton, it is expected, will become a partner in the management of the Manor Hotel at Livingston Manor.

120 Years Ago - 1904

George Hasenpflue of Jeffersonville and Annie Marie Keppler of New York were married in New York last Sunday. Miss Libbie Baum of Jeffersonville and Philip Fuchs of North Branch were attendants.

A number of young folks from Youngsville spent a pleasant afternoon at the Spielmann home. They were entertained by Miss Elsie Spielmann, it being her 13th birthday.

Hankins — The burning of Senator Joel Hill’s home still continues to claim considerable attention. The bodies of four victims were recovered but were charred so that identification was impossible. The fire was believed to be of incendiary origin, and one suspected person was arrested, but for lack of evidence released.

Miss Annie Brown and her sister, Mrs. W.J. Gaebel, were tendered a joint surprise birthday party in honor of their respective birthdays. The guests, laden with every variety of dainty and healthful food, assembled at an early hour at the home of the former.

Hortonville lost one of its pioneers in the death of John F. Robisch, who passed away at the age of 85. Mr. Robisch was a native of Germany and was a cabinetmaker and undertaker at Hortonville for many years.

The new town bridge over the Callicoon Creek is completed and the commissioners pronounce it one of the finest in the county.

110 Years Ago - 1914

Andrew Kohler and Edward Kohler this week made an exchange of lots in the Delaware suburb, the former getting a 100x225 lot above the home of Philip Hembdt, and the latter getting the 60x154 lot on which he has built a garage.

Dorothea Rosaline, the infant daughter of  Rev. and Mrs. J.K. Stadelmann, was baptized last Sunday morning by Rev. William Meyer.

Harry Baumgardt of Jeffersonville, a staff printer on the warship Wyoming, was transferred to the Arkansas, which will join the Atlantic fleet at Mexico.

Peter Mohn of Lake Huntington has traded his old Winton car in on a Winton Six of later design and there will be some joy rides around when Pete gets this seven passenger car.

The Geib family has moved to Callicoon from Hankins. The Hankins folks are sorry to lose them but hope they will be happy in their new home.

Kenoza Lake — A son was born to Mr. and Mrs. Fred Hust of Kenoza Lake last Sunday.

An examination will be held for the position of carrier on a rural route to start from Stevensville post office and run through Briscoe and Hurd. It is understood that the post offices at the latter places will then be discontinued.

100 Years Ago - 1924

After twenty three years of active service with the New York Fire Department, George W. Doetsch, formerly of Callicoon, has retired from the service. Mr. Doetsch left Callicoon 28 years ago. He has sold his property on Staten Island and will come to Callicoon to loaf for the summer.

Kenneth C. Miller of Grahamsville has started a weekly newspaper at that place, called the Grahamsville News.

The wedding of Miss Florence C. Rapp, formerly of Jeffersonville, and Edward Neiger of Kenoza Lake will take place at the home of the bride-elect’s parents in Valley Stream L.I., on April 22nd.

Dr. and Mrs. J. Cameron Gain entertained the Schadts, Royces, Deckelmans, Meyers and Liebs at dinner and billiards Tuesday evening.

Killian Mueller, who recently sold his Fosterdale Heights House and farm near Kenoza Lake, has bought the Lightfoot house adjoining his former farm and across the road from the Mike Neiger farm which he still owns.

The Maple Theatre is now running Saturday afternoon shows which is proving popular with out-of-town people, who do not find it convenient to come themselves or bring their children to the evening shows.

Theodore DeWitt, a native of Callicoon and a member of the law firm of DeWitt, Lockman and DeWitt of Los Angeles, Calif., died in his seventy-first year.

Mrs. Joshua Reed of Roscoe sustained several crushed ribs, a broken wrist and leg; Mrs. Charles Albee of Hancock sustained a dislocated shoulder and several minor injuries; and Louis Smith of Hancock was lodged in jail at midnight Sunday as a result of an auto smash-up on the Cadosia-Hancock road last Saturday afternoon.

90 Years Ago - 1934

Lester Gute, salesman for the Roth Bakery, spent a few days last week in Brooklyn with his relatives. Lester’s brother, Herbert, an artist, had been in Syria the past eight months copying ancient murals for an American research society and has now started home – traveling by camel and other slow means of transportation.

One of the  boldest attempts to manufacture alcohol unlawfully ever seen in this section of the county was killed off last Sunday. In a bar on the Callicoon Center-Roscoe Road, State Police found a distillery estimated to be worth $20,000.

“Green Acres,” a ten-room dwelling in White Lake and a landmark in the Town of Bethel, was burned to the ground Sunday with a loss of about $35,000.

Miss Alethea Hess entertained the high school senior class at her home. Those who attended were Mildred Duttweiler, Evelyn Just, Lillian Moulthrop, Helen Acl, Anita Newkirk, Rita Hick, Frank Knise, Ralph Duttweiler, Hyman Goldsmith, Randolph Peters, August Segar, Vincent Mullally, Ted Weiss, Bernard Wolff and John Parluck.

Herbert Weiss, a native of Callicoon and associated at present with the Public Service Garage in Liberty, is heading up a newly formed concern known as the Weiss Motors Corporation in Monticello.

Mr. and Mrs. Herman Ebert of Callicoon have purchased the Dr. McClellan property on the Pennsylvania side of the river at Callicoon. Dr. McClellan and Mrs. McClellan (nee Lillian Metzger) are now making their home with their daughter in Florida.

80 Years Ago - 1944

The Board of Education has engaged Roy Mall of this village as school janitor in place of Fred Dedling, who resigned to take another job.

Mr. and Mrs. Louis Buddenhagen of Hortonville have announced the engagement of their daughter, Elsie, to Leonard, son of Mr. and Mrs. George Reichmann of North Branch.

PFC Jacob Gross of Fremont Center, who went in to the Army in 1942 and had been through the African Campaign, was killed in action in Italy. Mr. Gross was born in Fremont Center, a son of Jacob and Lena Brandt Gross.

Last Monday evening at Sims Halfway House below this village, 25 school bus drivers of Jeff and the central school districts of Roscoe, Youngsville, Callicoon and Narrowsburg, had dinner to celebrate the completion of fifteen two-hour lessons at the school in Jeff in driving of school buses.

August Knack and family, with Jacob Menges of Youngsville, drove to Sampson Sunday to see Albert Knack, seaman, who is still confined to the hospital there.

Damascus — John DeKorte began business at Milanville on April 1 and the foundation for the building is well underway, which is being erected by L.A. Hocker. Frank Orr is carting the milk from the Milanville (Pa.) dairy to Mr. DeKorte’s creamery at Franklin Lakes, N.J. Mr. Orr resigned as caretaker of the state highways in this vicinity.

70 Years Ago - 1954

A fire of undetermined origin destroyed the top floor of the Orchard Grove Hotel of George Blum near Youngsville early Saturday morning. The 60 guests registered for the holidays were aroused and no injuries or losses were sustained by them.

The VFW Auxiliary of the H. Russell Kenyon Post installed the following officers: President Anne Mages, Sr. Vice President Roberta Lewis, Treasurer Ludmilla T. Raum, Chaplain Lillian Moran, Conductress Henrietta Smallbone, Guard Freda Mages, Patriotic Instructor Gertrude S. Kohler, Secretary Leota Hermann, Trustees Gertrude Graham, Elizabeth Schadt and Vera M. Bernhardt, Color Bearers Helen E. Luckey, Virginia E. Dudley, Dorothy Rumble and Vera M. Bernhardt.

A son was born last Thursday to Mr. and Mrs. Gilbert Weiss of this place at the Callicoon Hospital.

PFC Harrison Townsend Jr. of near Briscoe has completed the Armor Track Vehicle Maintenance Court No. 12 at the Armored School at Fort Knox, Kty.

Orders received in Sullivan County Civil Defense headquarters at Monticello gave Sullivan County the responsibility of caring for over one-half million persons in the event of the metropolitan area being H-bombed.

On Friday afternoon in Kenoza Lake, the cars of Thomas Tegeler of Jeffersonville and Seymour Rosenheck of Sackett Lake, collided head-on at the blind curve in front of the Maple Grove Farm on Route 52. Principals in the accident were not injured. Art Rittershausen was behind the Tegeler car and fortunately applied his brakes in time.

Word has been received from Mr. and Mrs. Wm. Trumpp (the former Dorothea Stadelmann of Jeffersonville) that they are enjoying their stay in Chicago where Mrs. Trumpp is secretary to the Dean of the Theological Institute and a student in the school of business administration.

May price of milk (Class 1-A) produced for the New York Metropolitan milk marketing area will be $4.45 per hundredweight.

60 Years Ago - 1964

Miss Ilse Glassel will present Irish Klapper of Liberty in the audition program for pupils of members of the N.Y.S. Music Teachers Assoc. to be held Sunday, April 19, at Robert Halls, Ferry and State Streets, Schenectady. Winners of the Junior and Senior sections will be eligible to participate in the state auditions in New York City, May 7th, in connection with the State and Eastern District convention.

A son was born to Mr. and Mrs. Lester Long of Callicoon on April 14. He has been named Gene Allen.

Manville B. Wakefield of Grahamsville has been notified by the editors of Who’s Who in America of his selection to appear in the Tenth Bi-Annual Edition of Who’s Who in the East to be published this year. As County Historian he has been instrumental in the establishment of the Sullivan County Museum in Monticello and the final realization of the publishing of the new county history, “Brass Buttons and Leather Boots,” of which he was chairman.

Office Machines & Equipment was recently named local sales and service representatives of Victor Comptometer Corp. Business Machines Division. Karl Sauer, owner, states that his firm will distribute the company’s complete line of high quality adding machines, calculators and registers.

Congratulations to Mr. and Mrs. Charles Mages who celebrated their 55th wedding anniversary on Saturday, April 11.

John O’Brien, Dairymen’s League Director of Middletown, confirmed the report that Jeffersonville will be the site of a  $200,000 milk receiving plant. The league has secured an option of approximately three acres of land of Route 52 on the property owned by Edward Neuberger. M. O’Brien also said that an option had been taken on property of the Briscoe-Swan Lake Road between John Schiavones and Lester Simonsons. The land described is owned by Donald Koering.

50 Years Ago - 1974

Liberty Police Chief Wilbert Bitjeman has returned to his post after spending 12 weeks at the F.B.I. National Police Academy where he graduated in the top 5 percent of his class of 250. He is the youngest Police Chief in the State of New York and was first employed by the Village of Liberty in April 1965 as a patrolman.

Trustees of Community General Hospital were elated last week when bids were opened for construction of the new Harris complex and all came in under the permissible $18,666,000 maximum.

Mr. and Mrs. Ian G. Johnson of Dubbo, Australia, and Mr. and Mrs. Ernest Koberlein of Swan Lake announce the engagement of their daughter, Suzanne Johnson, to Rudy Filipovits, son of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Filipovits of Ferndale. A June wedding is planned.

40 Years Ago - 1984

Reconstruction of the Narrowsburg Feed and Grain Mill, destroyed by fire last September, has begun with the pouring of concrete foundations for the new structure.

In this 175th anniversary year of celebration for the Town of Bethel, the Planning Committee has a need for a logo or theme to represent the town. Entries may be left at the town hall in White Lake.

John and Ethel Poley of nearby Narrowsburg are thankful for their lives following an encounter with a group of bandits who attacked them while driving through central Mexico. The attack happened in broad daylight. Rocks had been placed across the road and the attackers jumped out from the side of the road, ordering the Poleys to stop. John, who was driving, started to roll backwards and noticed one of the men moving some of the rocks. He figured the opening big enough to make an escape and the authorities in Durango told him that if he hadn’t driven through that opening and gotten away, they could easily have become just two more missing American tourists – missing for a long time. Several bullet holes in the trunk of the car and shattered glass on the left side of the speedometer are stark evidence of the narrow escape the Poleys had while driving in the mountainous interior of Mexico.

A Friday morning blaze at the Ferndale station of radio WVOS was the worst of three fires which have plagued the business in as many days. New York State Police arrested Terri A. Sakell, 19, of Liberty, in connection with the fire, as well as a Wednesday night fire at the Ferndale site and one Thursday at the Hurleyville transmitting station. In the latest fire, the offices were completely destroyed but the station hopes to continue broadcasting this week.

30 Years Ago - 1994

For the groundbreaking ceremony on Friday to officially introduce plans for a new, three-story ambulatory services building, to be adjoined to the west end of the Seelig Division in Harris, Irving Shapiro used the same shovel from the 1974 groundbreaking ceremony when the 300-bed Community General Hospital was built 20 years ago. Shapiro headed up the Community General Hospital Board of Trustees in 1974.

A kick-off was held March 16 at the Copiague High School to inform high school students about the Prom Promise and to encourage their participation. Nationwide Insurance agent, Edward Pankonin is taking steps to help eliminate teenage alcohol and drug use by supporting the efforts of Tri-Valley High School in the ‘94 Nationwide Insurance Prom Promise program. Students are asked to sign a pledge not to use alcohol and drugs. In 1993, more than two million students were reached and it is hoped that Prom Promise will affect more than three million students in 3,000 schools this year. April has been declared as Drug Awareness Month in Sullivan County.

The Callicoon Center Fire Department is celebrating its 80th anniversary this year. The kickoff for events during the year to note the milestone will be their annual roast beef dinner on April 9.

“Good Morning, America,” the popular morning news show, featured a live remote from Roscoe’s famed Junction Pool during yesterday’s broadcast. A gourmet trout breakfast was enjoyed by Rick Moonen, executive chef of The Water Club, a critically-acclaimed seafood restaurant near the East River in New York City. The trout was cooked along the banks of the Beaverkill.

The White Lake Fire Department has just recently completed construction of a firehouse on Route 17B in White Lake. The structure will also serve as a community meeting place for special events and even town board meetings, when necessary, as well as housing the fire fighting equipment.

20 Years Ago - 2004

Fremont Center Postmistress Ida Rosenberger was looking forward to her retirement after 31 years of serving the public in her small town. But two days after she left office, Rosenberger received a letter that stated that the postal service has decided to terminate its lease for the current post office, located in Rosenberger’s home. According to a Postal Service spokesperson, no decision has been made [to close the post office] but the main concern is the restroom for the post office – the bathroom is actually located in Rosenberger’s home, not in the office.

Both Rasmussen’s Furniture and Rasmussen Sons Funeral Home on Main Street in Narrowsburg have been sold, taking the two businesses out of the Rasmussen family’s hands for the first time since the furniture store opened 95 years ago. New furniture store owners are Patrick and Peggy Harrison of Matamoras, PA and Narrowsburg. The funeral home has been sold to Patrick Harrison, who is also a licensed funeral director.

Dozens of youth soccer players, coaches, parents and other family members gathered recently to reflect upon the Liberty United Soccer Club’s 2003-2004 indoor soccer season. The club began three years ago with approximately a dozen players. But Don Viele, who coached the Under 10 team and is one of the club’s organizers, proudly noted that a total of 110 boys and girls participated in the club this past winter. 

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Erin M. Crotty recently announced that two days are being set aside for a new youth hunt before this spring’s turkey season. Spring turkey hunting has become a popular outdoor activity for many New Yorkers, and this year looks like it will be another good one.

10 Years Ago - 2014

Virginia “Ginger” Rasulo of Long Eddy was presumably headed home Friday afternoon when her 2010 Hyundai Elantra veered across Route 97, struck a utility pole and slid down a small embankment around 4:30 p.m., according to the State Police, who are awaiting autopsy results to determine what may have caused the crash. She was the town of Fremont’s “Senior of the Year” in 2009.  A Dec. 19, 1984 article in the New York Times was titled, “In the Delaware Valley, Christmas is at ‘Ginger’s’”. It detailed Rasulo’s transforming “an annex of her restaurant into a vision of Santa’s workshop that would rival any window on Fifth Avenue. Then, through newspaper notices, she invited children from along the river to visit the workshop and receive a free toy.”

One of the highlights of the Annual Bagel Festival press conference was the unveiling of Hurleyville native Louis Wichinsky’s original bagel making machine. Perfected in our county after two decades of tinkering, it was patented in the 1960s by Wichinsky. Festival organizer Jeff Siegel had no idea that it was still around until he learned about it from Steve Lerner of Quickway Metal Fabricators in Monticello. Lerner related that it had been sitting in the shop for decades.