WURTSBORO – Looking for some regional events to learn more about the rich history of Sullivan County and the Hudson Valley? 

The Mamakating Historical Society is offering two informative lectures for the August season that are open to the public. 

The Mamakating Historical Society is located at 136 Summitville Road, Summitville right off Route 209. For any questions, please call 845-423-0153 or email durlanddonna@gmail.com.

Beginning on Friday, August 16 at 7 PM, the historical society will feature noted author and lecturer Anthony Musso on his popular program “Madams, Mobsters, and Murders in the Hudson Valley.” 

This special program touches on a time from the late nineteenth century through 1950, with Madams, Mobsters and Murders being a true reflection of the darker side of life in the Hudson Valley: a region otherwise known for its beauty, peacefulness, and quiet way of life. 

Following this event, Ontario & Western Railway Historical Society President Joseph Senese will be featured the following Friday, August 23, at 7 PM for his then-and-now program on the New York, Ontario & Western Railway’s Port Jervis, Monticello, and Summitville branches. Having been abandoned since 1957, railroading was once an important part of life in this region of Sullivan, Ulster, and Orange County that has origins as early as the 1860s and 1870s. 

With early images compared with contemporary photographs, Senese’s journey allows attendees to imagine how towering steam engines once ruled the local landscape.