140 Years Ago - 1880

Wm. Keeler of Middletown and Irene Harding of Fremont were married at the bride's home on July 18, 1880, by the Rev. Fuller of Orange County.

On Sunday night, July 25th, Adolph E. Wenzel, aged 43, died at his residence in Callicoon of inflammation of the bowels.

On July 25, Philip Heinle, aged 73, died at Cochecton Center.

Out of the 38 states composing this glorious union, 19 owe $700 million and some of them do not know where their share of money to pay up is coming from.

Callicoon — During the severe storm on Monday night lightning struck William Krantz's barn and Messrs. Peter Weissmann and Benjamin Frey suffered losses of livestock from the storm.

In Adolph Wenzel, we lost an illustrious citizen. Born in 1837 in New York, he came to the town of Callicoon in 1865 having purchased the saw and grist mills of the village of Callicoon. Active in Democratic politics, he served as supervisor in 1872, ‘73 and ‘74, and as a member of Assembly from Sullivan County in 1875 and 1876.

Liberty — Mumps are quite prevalent among children in this section… Over 400 city boarders are stopping in and around this village… Ten Eyck Sarr intends to start his new blacksmith shop either this week or next.

Rockland has not enough accommodations for city boarders who would otherwise go there.

The blackberry crop this year will be very large.

It is predicted frost will occur in this area about the last of August.

130 Years Ago - 1890

The National Encampment of the DAR is being held in Boston August 10-16. The O&W is running special trains at low rates to the encampment.

Many of our farmers are cutting rye… Every column in a newspaper contains from 12 to 20,000 distinct pieces of metal, displacement of which causes a blunder or typographical error, and yet some people lay claim to a phenomenal brilliant mind if they can discover an error in a newspaper.

George Trace of Fremont was seriously injured near Cook's Falls in a wreck some time ago. He brought an action against the O&W and settled it last week for $7,500. He is still lying in a helpless condition.

Little Ida Lena Seibert, infant daughter of Joseph Seibert, died at the home of her grandmother in Callicoon July 16, aged 5 months and 16 days.

A severe case of malignant diphtheria was discovered at W.H. Kays at Youngsville by Health Officer Dr. Brand. The patient is a young lad from Orange, NJ, who had been boarding there a short time and had brought the disease from swampy New Jersey. The house is quarantined.

Joseph Zahorik of Callicoon offers for sale a heavy 2-year-old Holstein bull.

Mr. and Mrs. John Weyrauch of Callicoon were in town on Tuesday.

George Wood lost his best horse last Wednesday. The animal was worth about $175.

120 Years Ago - 1900

Roscoe's new Catholic Church is to cost about $2,000, and Mr. James L. Thompson of Rockland has the contract for the construction. The building will be of the Gothic Romanesque style and will seat 150 people. The stained glass windows will cost $15 each. The altar has been donated by a New York woman.

George Bell, Charles Reeves, Benjamin Corgill and William Pangburn were prostrated by the heat near Livingston Manor last week. The first two were working a hay field.

Dr. Rosetta S. Hall of Liberty, sister of W.F. Sherwood of that place, is a missionary in China and in danger of becoming a victim of the Boxers. The last word heard from her was June 12 when she was at Shanghai.

Joseph C. Snyder and Eva L. Bury were married at Fremont Center July 22 by Rev. L. Long. The ceremony was performed at the home of the bride's mother, Mrs. Eunice Bury. The couple will reside in Sidney.

Mrs. Hannah Stoddard of White Sulphur Springs died on July 12 after an illness of about 2 months.

A handsome new lamp post has been placed in front of W.C. Brand's house.

Prof. J. Joseph Stuehler is having a $600 monument erected in the M.E. Cemetery to the memory of his deceased wife.

Theron Potts of this village started Monday to make a profile survey from here to Kenoza Lake for the Liberty and Jeffersonville Electric Railroad Company for the purpose of getting the elevation.

During the terrific thunderstorm in the Fosterdale area of Friday afternoon, the barn of Adam Bischoff of Cochecton Center was struck by lightning and burned.

110 Years Ago - 1910

Clifford Allington is visiting at Pond Eddy, his former home.

Wm. P. Knack of New York is spending a week at the Fred Bietz's.

Rudolph Gute has sold his Maxwell runabout to Franklin H. Neuberger.

Lawrence Hauschild and Henry Reyman, who went to South Dakota some weeks ago, have returned. They say the country out there is drying up.

The furniture of Dr. Gaines of Jamaica, who is to locate here, is being moved in the Dr. Davis house this week. The doctor and his family are expected next week.

Jacob Knell and family of Fremont Center are spending a week at the Mansion House.

Charles S. Hick of Youngsville, who has been engaged as principal of the Jeffersonville Union School for the coming year, is now teaching zoology in the Cortland summer school, one of the largest schools of its kind in the state.

The large summer hotel at Centreville Station, conducted by M. Lecosky, burned Monday with a loss of $25,000. There were 150 guests who sustained considerable losses in personal belongings.

Fred Ackert of Roscoe was arrested and tried before Justice McGrath at Livingston Manor, July 18, charged with attempting an assault on a 16-year-old Parksville girl, who met him at Sherwood's Island Park July 4 and accepted an invitation to take a drive with him. Ackert was found guilty and sentenced to the county jail for sixty days.

Mr. and Mrs. Jacob Knell of Jeffersonville, who went to Fremont Center to run a hotel for Phil Orth of Callicoon, on Tuesday buried their two younger children, Arthur, aged 11, and Walter, aged 1. The baby died of bronchitis and croup and Arthur died of pneumonia.

100 Years Ago - 1920

The Sullivan County Bar Association had a trout dinner at the Debruce Inn at DeBruce last evening in connection with their annual meeting. Among those present were attorneys William Deckelman of Jeffersonville and Henry Gardner of Callicoon. DeBruce Inn is owned by Congressman Charles B. Ward.

The Democratic County Committee met at Monticello on Monday and elected delegates to the state conference to be held next week. The delegates are James H. Curtis of Callicoon, Mrs. F.H. Holley of Roscoe and Blake Washington of Monticello.

Within the past week, three sales of property have been made from the estate of the late Rudolph Gute, Mrs. Mary Scheidell, who recently sold her house on Terrace Avenue, has bought the Scheidell homestead on Main Street, thereby returning to her old home, where she lived for so many years.

The Scheidell flat in the village, which originally contained four acres before parcels of it were sold, has been bought by Charles Schmidt, whose house on Center Street stands on a part of the original flat.

Next Sunday, August 15th, the new Our Lady of the Lake Catholic Church at Lake Huntington will be dedicated. The consecration ceremonies will be presided over by the Very Rev. Matthias Faust, O.F.M., Superior Provincial of the Eastern Branch of the Franciscan Order. The edifice will be in charge of the Franciscan Fathers of Callicoon. The pastor is Fr. Sylvester Herald, through whose untiring efforts, the new structure was erected.

90 Years Ago - 1930

Robert Mann, this morning, received his commission from President Hoover carrying his appointment as postmaster at Jeffersonville for a second term of four years, beginning May 16, 1930. Mr. Mann, who is 48 years old, came to Jeffersonville from New York 10 years ago and bought the Diehl boarding house on Terrace Avenue, which he was compelled to close because of his wife's illness. He served as the first village clerk and in 1926 succeeded Mrs. Ida M. Kohler as postmaster. He has an able assistant in the office in the person of Miss Elizabeth Hasenpflue.

Mr. and Mrs. Edmund C. Fuhrer and daughter, Dora, of Dysart, Iowa, formerly of New York, are on a trip to Germany where Mrs. Fuhrer has relatives. Ed is a former Jeffersonville boy.

The Presbyterians have completed arrangements for the celebration of the 85th anniversary of the church beginning next Sunday, with appropriate services in the morning and evening. Sermons will be delivered by Rev. J.K. Stadelmann of Newark and Rev. Charles Nietzer of Brooklyn, both former pastors in Jeffersonville.

George Reznicek is home for a vacation after taking a summer course at Troy Polytechnic.

Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Robisch of West Allis, Wisc., are spending a couple of weeks with his relatives in the Beechwoods. They drove here. Arthur went west in 1912 and he thinks there is no place like Wisconsin.

Elsie Sherwood, age 29, and wife of Harry Roser, died of heart disease at her home near Livingston Manor on July 17, three weeks after the birth of a baby. She was the daughter of former Supervisor Joseph U. Sherwood of the Town of Rockland.

80 Years Ago - 1940

The Senate has approved a bill calling for compulsory military training and registration of all men between 18 and 64, estimated at 42 million, and enrolling in the first year 1,500,000 men between 21 and 30 for training by the Army and the National Guard.

Farmers in Western Sullivan who have been taking up the raising of cauliflower are making quite a success of it, as the product raised here is of superior quality and demands higher prices in the city. This week, 1800 crates were shipped from the Long Eddy area. Among the shippers are Leo Wolff of Kenoza Lake and Floyd Mootz of North Branch.

Building contractor Joseph C. Beiling has contracted to erect a modern dairy barn, 30 x 86 feet, on the Robert Beottger estate in the town of Neversink, to replace the barn burned last month. Beiling now has 25 men employed on four jobs.

George A. Yaeger, editor and co-publisher of the Liberty Register, has announced his candidacy for the designation as Member of Assembly by the Republican County Committee. During the 1939 and 1940 sessions, he served on the research staff of Senator Thomas C. Desmond and for 10 years as congressional secretary in Washington. He is an overseas veteran of World War I and a past commander of the American Legion.

Trooper William Elliott, for five years on the state police force, the last three in Sullivan, has resigned to go into the radio business at Roscoe, native home of his wife.

70 Years Ago - 1950

A large crowd of visitors is expected to visit Beech Mt. Boy Scout Camp this Saturday afternoon to witness the dedication of the new camp dining hall. The dedication address will be given by Hon. Charles E. Taylor, Surrogate of Orange County.

The Jeff Bowling Alleys, owned and operated by Sam Bodenstein for the past 10 years, was sold last week to Roy Williams, Proprietor of Roy's Luncheon on Main St., Jeffersonville. Mr. Bodenstein has taken over management of the Extension Bowing Alleys in Middletown. Mr. Williams plans to keep both establishments open until Fall, after which he will concentrate on his newly acquired business.

Miss Winifred R. Hessinger, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Winfield Hessinger and a former English and social studies teacher in the Jeffersonville Central School, has resigned her secretarial post in New York to take a federal position as a recreational director with the U.S. Army in Germany.

County Judge Wm. Deckelman left yesterday for a fishing vacation up above Ottawa in Canada. He was accompanied by his brother-in-law, Herbert Grish­aber, school bus operator. County court matters in his absence will be attended to by Special County Judge Harold Spriggs of Livingston Manor and Mrs. Hazel Darling, court stenographer of Bethel.

A newly organized “Committee” to boost business on the O&W railroad, has been sharply criticized by Henry Temes, a Wurtsboro attorney, who called the group a hand-picked committee under the direction of the O&W directors.

60 Years Ago - 1960

Mr. and Mrs. Frank Gabel of Callicoon have announced the engagement of their daughter, Gladys Louise, to George Slater, son of Mr. and Mrs. David Slater of Kenoza Lake. Miss Gabel is employed by the Jeff Pharmacy. Her future husband is in the dairy business at Kenoza Lake.

Miss Virginia Fay Buddenhagen, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Herbert Buddenhagen of Hortonville, was married Saturday to Tito W. Guglielmone of Long Island. The ceremony was performed in Callicoon by Fr. Flavian Colligan. A reception followed at the Village Inn, Hortonville.

Dr. and Mrs. Isidor Yasgur and their children will move next Monday from Jeffersonville to their new home in Westchester County. Dr. Yasgur's health is not allowing him to continue his strenuous veterinary business here. His practice is being carried on by Dr. George Hahn.

Anna Harth, a resident of the Beechwoods for 43 years, died Saturday, August 6, at the Sickmiller Nursing Home, at the age of 73.

Funeral services for Rose Hick, who died at the Little Sisters Nursing Home in the Bronx, at the age of 75, on August 4, were held Monday at St. Francis R.C. Church in Youngsville. She was the daughter of Henry and Elizabeth Menges Hick and is survived by four brothers and two sisters.

Mrs. Myrtle Ramsey of Middletown died last Sunday in Buffalo. She was 70 and a sister to Mrs. Edna Week and Harry Monroe of Jeff.

David C. DeCotes, 7-year-old son of Norman and Arleen Hood DeCotes of Roscoe, died suddenly Saturday, passing away in his sleep.

Mrs. Julia K. Misner of Callicoon Center, died Sunday, August 7, at Liberty-Loomis Hospital. She was 61 and was born April 5, 1899, at Derry, Pa., the daughter of Charles and Melvina Norris. She was married to Archie Misner of Callicoon Center.

50 years ago - 1970

The office of the President at Sullivan County Community College received notification this morning of the reappointment by Governor Rockefeller of Luis deHoyos of Monticello to the Board of Trustees of the College.

The second annual Callicoon Center Fire Department Horse Show held on Sunday, August 9, was well attended by spectators and participants alike. Well over 1200 horses were on the field for the only American Horse Show Association sanctioned horse show held in Sullivan County. Many of the classes had from 20 to 25 horses entered.

Roscoe again has a lawyer in the person of Henry R. Herman. Roscoe has had several lawyers but they did not stay. Must be a place where they never litigate and where they never die and leave any estates to settle.

There was a frost in a number of places throughout the county last Sunday night. No serious damage to crops was reported.

At the Liberty-Loomis Hospital, it was a girl, Holly Jo, July 31, to Mr. and Mrs. Norman Hust of North Branch; on August 1, it was a boy, Salvatore, to Mr. and Mrs. Vito Salvia of Youngsville.

40 Years Ago - 1980

Wayne County (Pa.) celebrated its 118th County Fair last week with perfect weather and grandstand-packed crowds. Kathy Muller of Cold Spring won Grand Champion with her Brown Swiss at the fair. She is a granddaughter of Dr. William J. Perkins, fair president for nearly 30 years.

George Leschorn of North Branch celebrated his 90th birthday with an open house. A World War I veteran, he is the oldest member of the local American Legion Post.

Susan Martellotto of Moon Manor, Monticello, became the bride of Joseph S. Januszewski Jr. of Loch Sheldrake on July 26 at Westminster Presbyterian Church… Jan Marie McNutt of Livingston Manor and Robert H. Coleman of Alexandria, Va., were united in marriage at the Presbyterian Church in Livingston Manor on May 24… Carol Blodgett, an employee of “You're Putting Us On” T-shirt store in South Fallsburg, chose to have the wedding party attired in T-shirts, identifying each participant, when she became the bride of Moody Arnout of Beruit, Lebanon. Justice of the Peace Yits Kantrowitz performed the ceremony.

The $64,000 question - or rather the $750,000 poser - in Western Sullivan Thursday afternoon was whether the sprawling 2,300-acre Beech Mountain Boy Scout Camp in DeBruce has been sold to a private developer for the higher figure mentioned above. Nevertheless, the sale, if indeed there has been a sale, may be a harbinger of a solution to one of Sullivan's most persistent problems, that of tax-exempt property. A sale would mean that the land will be returned to the tax rolls after decades of having been on the “freebie” list.

30 Years Ago - 1990

Thirty-five appearance tickets have been issued to campers who refused to leave the Woodstock site where they have set up camp in anticipation of the 21st anniversary of the famous “Peace, Love and Music” happening of 1969. According to Bethel Constable Raymond Neuenhoff, “They are taking them as souvenirs. We had a pretty good rap session, in fact.” Tuesday, Judge Robert C. Williams placed a temporary restraining order against promotion of a festival at the Hurd Road site where more than 400,000 had gathered for three days of peace, love and music on August 18, 19 and 20, 1969.

A 1958 graduate of Jeffersonville-Youngsville Central School, Albert H. Larson, has been named to succeed Dr. Bart O'Connor who is leaving after two years with the J-Y district. Larson has been principal at the Livingston Manor Central School for the past 10 years.

The Roscoe Community Nursing Home will mark its 20th anniversary with an open house on August 26.

Town of Delaware officials received official confirmation of a $685,000 grant, $400,000 loan from the Farmers Home Administration to help finance the long-delayed and much-needed sewer project. Site preparation for the construction of the treatment plant in the hamlet of Callicoon has been completed. The scheduled completion of the project is December 1991.

Helen and George Bernas celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary on August 4 with a party at the home of Etta and Melvin Pearce in Lake Huntington.… Helen and William Luckey and Richard and Barbara Brown were honored on the occasion of their 50th wedding anniversaries with an early party, hosted by their children.

An open house to honor Leona Buddenhagen on the occasion of her 80th birthday was held August 12 at the Hortonville Firehouse.

20 Years Ago - 2000

A memorial to honor soldiers who fought in World War II is being refurbished in Parksville. The original wooden honor roll, with the name of every local veteran carefully written on a separate piece of wood, was started in 1942 by Jack Fiddle. In 1976, the honor roll was redone and set in a large bluestone base. Then in 1988, a stone noting Fiddle's dedication to the monument was placed in front of it. Donations and volunteers are being sought by Bill and Betty Higgins to help clean up the monument and the surrounding area, and Tom Warren plans to help clean up the stone.

Julie and Steve Swendsen of Narrowsburg welcomed their fourth daughter, Marissa Irene, on August 4, 2000 at Community General Hospital.

Thelma Englese and Jeff Zuill, both of White Sulphur Springs, exchanged wedding vows on May 20, 2000, at Bogey's Golf and Country Club in Liberty.

DEATHS — Helen E. Walters, 92, a retired school teacher of Port Jervis, died Tuesday, August 1, 2000 in Port Jervis. She was the daughter of Edward and Amanda Engert McGuire of Hankins.… Christine Sohl Segar, 97, of Jeffersonville, a retired teacher, died Wednesday, August 2, 2000 at Community General Hospital in Harris. She was the daughter of John and Katherine Schaefer Sohl, and the widow of Allen O. Segar.… Goldie Davis of Long Eddy, 89, a retired processor at Manor Poultry, died Tuesday, August 1, 2000. She was the daughter of the late William and Sarah Davis, and the widow of Henry Zeininger and Ralph Van Pelt.

10 Years Ago - 2010

To be a part of a “Museum Village” volunteers of Grahamsville gathered to move a historic house, the Robinson House in Grahamsville. Dating back to the 1800s, the house was donated to be used as part of the upcoming “Museum Village” adjacent to the Daniel Pierce Library and affiliated with the Time and Valleys Museum. The museum village will include a blacksmith shop, well house, milk house, smokehouse, a possible sap house, barn and of course, an outhouse.

The Callicoon Railroad Station got the Job Corps ‘makeover.' The Delaware Valley Job Corps Center (DVJCC) has officially completed the “Callicoon Railroad Station Beautification Project.” After receiving approval from the New York Susquehanna and Western Railway Corporation and its subsidiary, Central NY Railroad - which owns the station and the adjoining railroad - a team of about 10 students ranging in age from 16-24 started their hard work to restore the station, which is more than a century old. The project was done in conjunction with the Callicoon Business Association. The DVJCC team power washed, repainted and made light repairs on the railroad station.

The 2010 World Cup of Amateur Racing will be held in France and once again the North American Amateur Drivers Association (NAADA) will be represented in the prestigious international driving competition. According to NAADA President Joe Faraldo, Alan Schwartz of Hurleyville will be wearing the red, white and blue colors representing the United States as he has done twice before. Schwartz was selected because he is the only active amateur driver with more than 300 career wins. Schwartz's total of 377 wins is second only to Austria's Christian Mayr, who currently has more than 400 victories.

While the county may not be building a new jail anytime soon, legislators finally agreed on a location. Forty acres adjacent to Route 17's Exit 104 in Monticello, known as the Mapes Farm site, were officially chosen as the future home of the jail, thanks to a 7-1 vote.

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Andrew Cuomo spoke to a crowd of Democratic Party faithful at the Ted Strobele Recreation Center in Monticello. The Sullivan County Democratic Committee hosted Cuomo's Citizens Campaign in support of his ‘New' New York Agenda!

Amanda Lubniewski, a 20-year-old Middletown resident, was chosen as Ms. Monticello Raceway-2010 during the annual Ms. Monticello Raceway Beauty Pageant at the raceway. Seventeen lovely ladies from Sullivan County and beyond competed for the title.