140 Years Ago - 1883

W.D. Haley of Mongaup Valley was the successful competitor in the recent contest for the Cornell Scholarship.

Stephen Euker of Callicoon has purchased from Fabian Reel, the Hubbel property at North Branch for a consideration of $325, and has also purchased the premises formerly occupied by the late Elder Little for $180.

An exchange contains the following advertisement — “Taik notis. Runned away — A white calfs. His hind legs beis black. He was a she calf. Anybody what brings him back pays $5. Yacob Liefenbriener, two miles behid der pridge.”

The Thousand Island excursion of the N.Y. O&W R.R. on Monday, August 20, is attracting a great deal of attention.

130 Years Ago - 1893

Wednesday was a fine day for the clambake at Union Park under the auspices of Callicoon Lodge, F.&A.M., when 800 were fed. The food was served by such lovely and charmingly dressed young misses as Jennie Fick, Louise and Kate Lober, Frances and Minnie Grouten, Tillie Sherwood, Hattie Ludwig, Rose Durr, Annie Huff and Anna Wagner.

The Jeffersonville band played while the feasters ate. A baseball game was played on Chelius Flat between the Spaldings of Livingston Manor and the Red Stars of Callicoon Depot, which the Spaldings won by a score of 18 to 8.

A strange and fatal accident befell Louis, a twelve-year-old son of Jacob Backer who, accompanied by two brothers, had been picking blackberries in the woods about four miles from Youngsville. On his way home, he was carrying an open jack-knife in his hand which caught fast in a twig, causing him to fall. As he fell, the blade of the knife was plunged into his chest penetrating his heart. He scarcely moved afterwards and life was found to be extinct. Funeral services were held from the German Church. Burial took place in the new cemetery.

Charles Scheidell has all his teams and his men and several extras at work on the stone abutments for the new iron bridge.

John Ross has left the water out of his dam in order to make repairs on the dam.

A.J. More, attorney of New York, is in town trying to dispose of the Hunter Pond property near Kenoza Lake, owned by a Mr. Bailey of Brooklyn.

Jack Frost was a visitor to this valley Sunday night.

Nail driving contests for women competitors are a leading feature at county fairs just now.

A new and enterprising industry has been established at Glen Spey by J. and E. Bisland. In it patterns for wall paper, window shades and prints are designed. The Bislands are young men. They are now designing and preparing rolls for New York and Boston firms.

120 Years Ago - 1903

Coaching Day at Jeffersonville on Monday brought 3,000 people to town. Thirty decorated rigs were in line. It was the greatest event ever held in Jeffersonville. The Mountain Echo and Callicoon bands were in the parade in decorated floats. A great many deserving rigs did not get a prize simply because there were not enough prizes to go around.

A lamp left burning all night in the bathroom of the Eagle Hotel exploded early this morning, setting fire to the oil cloth and the side wall. A guest smelled the smoke and aroused the others. The fire was quickly put out by the hotel fire hose.

Sidney Royce has been engaged to teach the Lower Beechwoods School. Bertha Glassel will teach the Faubel District. Edward McDermott will be the principal and Ralph Bird will teach the primary room in the village school.

Jacob Leicht died in New York a few weeks ago. He was a brother of George Leicht of Fremont Center and Mrs. Henry Craft of Callicoon.

Winfield Hessinger, eldest son of Val Hessinger, fell from the Callicoon stage last Monday, striking his head on a stone causing insensibility. Dr. Hilkowich, stopping in town, treated the wound. It required six stitches.

A robbery was committed at the Maplewood toll gate on Friday night, August 7. Something over $26 in currency was stolen from  Richard Hall, the keeper.

About $400 worth of personal property, belonging to the Monticello Trolley Company, was sold last week to satisfy a claim of Osborne & Co. of Monticello.

A 236-acre timber tract near Shandelee Lake was sold at mortgage foreclosure August 11. There was due on the mortgage $541.95 principal and interest and costs. M.T. Morris bid in the property for $400.

Guy Fisk, eldest son of Joel C. Fisk of Liberty, and Miss Minnie W. Whiting were married August 9 in Syracuse.

The list of sheep killed by dogs in the Town of Rockland now shoots up to 100.

A total of 2,700 were fed at the O&W conductors clambake at Liberty last Thursday.

110 Years Ago - 1913

The horse barn on the farm of Mrs. John W. Taylor near Hurd was burned Saturday night together with contents, which included a valuable horse, wagons, farm implements, hay and other crops.

Frank Jagger has sold his 24-acre farm, formerly the John F. Royce farm, northeast of this village, to Dr. H.A. Moss of Jamaica for $2,600. The sale includes the farm crops and farm implements. Dr. Moss will have the place as a summer residence for himself and family and a permanent residence for his parents.

The capital stock of the new bank has been over-subscribed. Benjamin Marcuse of New York was in town a couple of days as an advisability of issuing a charter to the proposed bank. As option has been secured from Knell and Durr of the Mansion House for a lot on the corner of East Main St., and Maple Ave., on which to erect a fireproof bank building of concrete.

Richard J. Harms was arrested last Sunday night and is now in Sullivan County Jail on the charge of attempted arson. He purchased the hotel early in the summer of George W. Murphy for $10,000 and immediately placed $17,000 insurance on it. Suspicion was first aroused when Harms told his clerk that after the clam bake he thought he would burn down the hotel. The clerk dropped the remark after the village authorities heard of it. Fearing a conflagration in the event of such a fire, two Burns Agency detectives were employed who were guests at the hotel and kept a lookout for signs of suspicious work. They heard Harms occupied with some suspicious work on the top floor. Investigation revealed several straw mattresses filled with fuses attached to a clock device for setting off two containers filled with gasoline.  Had the fire resulted there might have been serious loss of life. The Mansion House had a poor season and this possibly in part accounted for the crime. [Note: The Mansion House has since been torn down. It stood in Liberty back where the National Bank of Sullivan County stands. The several stores between the bank (and the bank itself) and the Presbyterian Church are on lands that had been a part of the Mansion House grounds. It was originally built by Clements Brothers and known as the Clements House. It was one of the first to cater to summer boarders that were met at the Liberty Falls (now Ferndale) station on the O&W Railroad. The trestle had not yet been built to bring the trains to the Liberty station.]

100 Years Ago - 1923

Mrs. Katherine Metzger, aged 90, died July 29 at the home of her daughter, Elizabeth, in Callicoon. She was born in Hesse-Darmstadt, Germany, and came to America with her family in 1854.

Bids will be accepted for the erection of a new school building in Lake Huntington, August 23, 1923. Complete set of plans and specifications may be obtained from H. Katz at T.H. Lentz.

Big dance every Tuesday night, Grange Hall, Jeffersonville. Abplanalp’s Orchestra.

The Maple Theatre is open and playing Broadway pictures every night. Visit our ice cream parlor. Eisenberg & sons, Main St., and Maple Ave.

Baseball, Athletic Field, next Saturday, 3 p.m. (standard time). Ellenville Orioles vs Jeffersonville Athletics. General admission 25¢, children 10¢. Free parking for cars.

Members of Jeffersonville Athletics are Fitch, 2b; Myers, cf; Fullshire, lb; Stephenson, 3b; Lieb, lf; Hassis, c; Miller, ss; Tyler, rf; Widgerson, p.

A common grade cow, owned by Christian Maurer of Hortonville, established a record for grade cows in Sullivan County. This cow produced during 1922 10,241 lbs. of milk. In 1917, Mr. Maurer began to realize the necessity for keeping records. During the year, the average production per cow was 4,878 pounds. By careful selection of calves from high producers, he increased the average yearly production  to 7,134 pounds in 1922.

Charles Ruoff is the first one to start out with his thresher around here and Will Stephenson is the first of the season to have his oats threshed.

90 Years Ago - 1933

Charles Schneidman operated a cigar and grocery store on South Main St., Jeffersonville, which has been closed since July 31, when he went into bankruptcy. Augustus W. Bennett, referee in bankruptcy, has called a meeting of all the creditors at Newburgh on August 22, at 2 p.m.

The Democrats of Sullivan County nominated Ben R. Gerow of Liberty for the Assembly for re-election.

Charles F. Kaiser Jr. has been appointed police justice by the Ellenville village board to fill a vacancy. Mr. Kaiser is a Youngsville young man and an attorney employed in the law office of District Attorney Murray in Ellenville.

President Roosevelt visited the Boy Scout camps at Tusten today to inspect them for the Greater New York Boy Scout Foundation.

Andrew Ebert, native of Jeffersonville, died at Middletown on Thursday, August 10, at the age of 69.

80 Years Ago - 1943

The Democrats have again nominated Fred W. Hessinger for supervisor. The Republicans have renominated Walter C. Weiss who defeated Hessinger by only one vote two years ago.

The Cochecton Republicans have named Philip Neff for Supervisor. The Democrats have named Otto W. Myer. Two years ago, Otto was elected as a justice of the peace as a Republican.

Karl Reinshagen was again nominated for Supervisor in Bethel and Thomas C. Brown for Justice. John P. Kenney was nominated in Fremont for Supervisor and Anthony Banuat for Town Superintendent.

Leon Killian has been renominated in Liberty for Supervisor.

Fire destroyed a hen house and 250 chickens about noon on Wednesday on the George Hubbert farm. It was the property of his son, Ferdinand Hubbert.

Mrs. Catherine Buither, the last of the Becker family, aged 84, a native of Callicoon Center, died at her home in Irvington, N.J. She was a daughter of Conrad Becker and Marie Staib. She was the last of the Becker family which included Paul, Howard, Frank, John, Charles and Jackson, Mrs. Mary Weyrauch and Mrs. Elizabeth Neuberger.

Edward Rose, aged 84, died Monday at Shandelee. He was born in  Jeffersonville in the days of the tannery.

Mrs. Abbie Krantz, aged 90 and widow of John Krantz, died Monday.

Miss Winifred Hessinger of Callicoon Center, has resigned her position to become a Marine.

70 Years Ago - 1953

The annual fall shooting match of the Callicoon Schuetzen Verein will be held Sunday, August 23, at the Tumble Inn Field. This match is open to the public. All parties entering the shoot will have the privilege of using their own rifle.

Mr. and Mrs. Edwin Chellis arranged a Sweet Sixteen party for their daughter Joanne, and planned it as a surprise. And a surprise it was. The party was held at the Hotel Jefferson where 35 of her young schoolmates and friends gathered.

The weather favored the Kenoza Lake firemen last Sunday for their field day and turkey dinner at which over 250 were fed. Mike Reddy won the knitted stole that was raffled.

60 Years Ago - 1963

Miss Patricia Kazmark of Long Eddy was married to Lawrence Quackenbush at Holy Cross Church in Callicoon on August 10.

Midshipman Second Class Edmund T. Rumble III was among U.S. Navy Academy midshipmen who completed two weeks of aviation indoctrination training recently at the Naval Air Station, Pensacola, Fla.

Mrs. Judith Highhouse will receive her Bachelor of Arts Degree in Education at the summer commencement exercises of the University of Puget Sound (Washington) on August 16.

Mr. and Mrs. Harry Veiten Jr. of Fosterdale will celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary with open house at the Recreation Farm August 24.

Miss Gladys Patricia Robinson of Wampsville became the bride of Calvin C. Keller of Callicoon Center on August 10. The couple will reside on the bridegroom’s farm in Callicoon Center.

Cecelia Graby and Barbara Theadore of Callicoon celebrated their 16th birthdays at a joint party on Saturday night with about 35 in attendance.

50 Years Ago - 1973

Liberty residents Terri Ezratty and Charles Barbuti III were married at Bernie's Holiday Restaurant in Rock Hill on August 19.

This issue of the Sullivan County Democrat is entirely printed with the new “off set” method. For the last several weeks it has been a “half and half” job – part of the type coming from the hot lead linotype machines and part from the Compugraphic electronic-typesetters.

A sign was erected last week by Peck’s Market which will hopefully produce a pharmacist for Callicoon. Free rent is offered to someone taking up the offer.

Robert E. McCarty has been named as assistant principal of the Liberty High School, according to an announcement by Mrs. Elaine G. Etess, president of the school board.

40 Years Ago - 1983

The Fifth Annual Howard L. Bern Memorial Golf Tournament was held Wednesday at Grossinger’s Hotel and Country Club and was described by many of the 120 participants as the best match of the series, grossing approximately $8,000 for the memorial cancer fund.

Albert “Bert” Jeremiah Erath, a well-known and respected member of the Grahamsville community, died Friday, August 12, at his home. He was 100 years of age. He was born in Grahamsville on July 12, 1883. He almost died at the age of 15 when he contracted typhoid fever but survived the illness, moved to New York City and became a milkman. He returned to Grahamsville and shortly thereafter married Lottie E. Gesner. They were married for 66 years. He is survived by two sons, Donald Erath and Oland Erath, and a daughter, Jeanette Erath, all of Grahamsville, and a number of grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

A public information meeting will be held August 31 at the Delaware Youth Center in order to obtain comments on a 0.6 mile long bridge replacement project over Callicoon Creek on Route 97.

Six couples, who are members of the Holy Cross Church in Callicoon, were honored on the occasion of their 50th wedding anniversaries: Mr. and Mrs. John Leewe, Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Olexsak, Mr. and Mrs. Norman Bauer, Mr. and Mrs. Harry Kelly, Mr. and Mrs. John Wagner and Mr. and Mrs. Walter Wuttke.

The Forestburgh Fire Department celebrated its 20th anniversary with a successful field day and a chicken barbecue.

A feed truck, headed for HHF Farms in North Branch and loaded with corn, drove a little too close to the embankment on River Road, east of Callicoon. The pavement gave way and even though driver, Don Fuller of Hankins, tried to drive it out of the predicament, the truck continued downward with two trees preventing its continued roll in the Delaware River. Mr. Fuller was attempting to allow a car to pass on the narrow road. It took workmen from Roche’s Garage two hours to put the truck back on the road.

Rabbi Lester Polonsky, his wife, Helen, and children, Seth, 5, and Rena, 18 months, are settled in their new home in Monticello. He will be installed as Rabbi for Temple Sholom Friday evening after spending five years as the only rabbi in Alaska. He is a native of Malden, Mass.

30 Years Ago - 1993

About 200 people turned out for a Liberty march from the Village Municipal building to the Congregation Ahavath Israel Wednesday evening to show solidarity against the desecration of the synagogue earlier this week. As the marchers filed past the swastikas spray-painted in orange with the misspelled message “Hitler Wus Here,” in the synagogue’s foyer, several people quietly vowed, “never again.” A minimum of $500 has been offered as a reward for information  leading to the arrest of the person(s) guilty.

The framework of a 40’x60’ stage began to take shape Thursday morning on the property of Charles Maynor, adjacent to the Woodstock Emporium on Route 17B in the Town of Bethel, where a concert to mark the 24th anniversary of the Woodstock Music Festival has been arranged. The owner of the original site, June  Gelish, has refused to allow a gathering this year on her property.

Former Rockland Supervisor Leon Siegel was appointed clerk of the Sullivan County Board of Supervisors Thursday to replace James Gorman of Neversink, who died last month during a trip west to attend his son’s wedding.

The Wayne County Fair recorded record attendance during the week of the 131st annual fair. The Ferris wheel is celebrating its 100th anniversary in 1993.

Eight young people from Grahamsville were among the 180,000 youth (1,300 from New York State) who gathered in Denver for the visit of Pope John Paul II.  They were Jared VanVleet, David Garver, Heather Rexford, Miguel Alvarez, Christi Conti, Jennifer Schatzberg, Lee Jones, Isabella Sidorowicz and Chris Buckman who flew, with two woman chaperones of the parish, from Newark Airport. The local folks held numerous fund raisers to cover the cost of the trip.

John Deck of Long Eddy portrayed Abraham Lincoln during a Civil War re-enactment held last weekend at Walnut Mountain in Liberty. Mr. Deck is well-known for his appearances in this characterization.

20 years ago - 2003

Just after 4 p.m. last Thursday, all of New York, Ohio, Michigan, and southern Canada were enveloped in the largest blackout in North American history. Parts of Smallwood, Monticello and Liberty had power. Reportedly they are on a different power grid than New York and get their power from Pennsylvania, which was not affected by the blackout. Most of Sullivan County was back online by 10 p.m. Thursday, but Central Hudson electrical customers in the Grahamsville area did not get power back until just before midnight. New York City was still dealing with outages on Friday morning. The states of Maine, New Hampshire and Massachusetts were only partially affected by the blackout. 

In an abrupt announcement Friday, Ben & Jerry’s officials canceled the planned “One World One Heart” Festival and the company’s 25th anniversary bash scheduled for this weekend at the Woodstock site in Bethel.

The movie “Camp” premiered  in Liberty Friday, with the actors and director right here in Sullivan County. The location was apropos – Todd Graff, who wrote the story and directed the film, went to theater camp for three years right up the road at Stagedoor Manor in Loch Sheldrake. Graff went on to college and became an actor – he had a major role in “The Abyss” and a part in “Sweet Lorraine,” a movie filmed in Sullivan County. When it came time to write his first screenplay, Graff called up old friend Carl Samuelson, longtime owner of Stagedoor. The theatre camp, which produced Graff, Robert Downey Jr. and Natalie Portman, as well as yet unknown up and coming stars, was the ideal setting for the movie. 

The descendants of Clarence “C.L.” and Mary Vail Tegeler gathered for their fourth family reunion on July 26 at the Delaware Community Center in Callicoon.

The DVCS Class of 1973 held a 30th reunion at the French Woods Golf and Country Club in Hancock on July 26. Harry M. Knight took the honors for traveling the farthest internationally, arriving from his duties in Bosnia.

10 Years Ago - 2013

Earlier this month, the Jeffersonville Fire Department celebrated the 125th anniversary of service to the community. Held in place of the annual Jeff Jamboree, the festivities in Jeffersonville centered on celebrating the department’s origins in 1888, beginning with a parade that focused on icons of the past.

The Murran family reunion was held on August 3 at the Rock Hill Firehouse. The last reunion was held back in 1983 at John and Jeanette Murran’s home.

An American Corkwood Tree, believed to be one of the only such trees in Sullivan County, is located in Callicoon on the grounds of a former nursery. This tree was once endangered because of its use in the wine industry as well as the building trades. Native to Southeastern United States, the tree usually does not get as large as the one here, which is believed to be at least 50 years old.

U.S. Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe recently recognized Rural Letter Carrier Sherri Kav-leski for saving the life of a resident on her Liberty delivery route. 

A panoply of musical and film stars paid tribute this weekend to the late singer/songwriter Richie Havens, who died this past April. Speakers included acclaimed actors Danny Glover and Louis Gossett Jr. (who penned a song with Havens in the ’60s) and Woodstock organizers Michael Lang and Joel Rosenman, while singers included John Sebastian, John Hammond and Jose Feliciano. Afterwards, a crowd of about 1,000 (including Havens’ family) gathered on the open field to watch a small plane scatter Havens’ ashes, per his wishes.