WURTSBORO — The Borscht Belt Historical Marker Project will close its 2026 season with the dedication of its 20th historic marker on Sunday, October 18, celebrating the histories of Wurtsboro, Spring Glen, and Highview.

The celebration begins at 2PM at the Mamakating Historical Society, 136 Summitville Road in Wurtsboro, where the newest marker will join a growing trail of permanent historical markers stretching across the Catskills.

The afternoon will celebrate the people, places, hotels and communities that shaped tourism in this part of Sullivan County and helped build the Catskills into one of the country’s great resort regions.
The dedication will feature remarks from Judi Kirschenbaum, daughter of legendary Borscht Belt comedian Freddie Roman, and Gary Dan, historian and family descendant connected to the Shawanga Lodge.

At 3PM, historian Alex Prizgintas will present A Look at Sullivan County Before the Borscht Belt, an illustrated look at the area’s early tourism history and the evolution of its resort culture. Following the lecture, selections from Peter Davis’s rare 1986 documentary, The Rise and Fall of the Borscht Belt, will screen, offering a visual window into the people and places that defined the Catskills resort era. Visitors can also explore the Mamakating Historical Society’s exhibits and archival materials, with a hot dog cart, drinks, and light bites available for purchase. A raffle will also be held during the afternoon.

A MILESTONE FOR THE MARKER PROJECT
With twenty markers now installed across the Catskills, the project has created a large-scale public history trail connecting communities, places, and stories that otherwise would have little or no visible presence in the landscape. Each marker focuses on a particular town or place, but the histories extend far beyond a single site, encompassing the people, families, hotels, bungalow colonies, businesses, and institutions that shaped these communities over generations.

The October 18 dedication marks the culmination of a busy 2026 season, during which the project installed five new markers and curated public programs in communities across Sullivan County. Together, the markers have made it possible to encounter this history across the Catskills, town by town and place by place. The work has also brought the project into closer contact with local historians, families, municipalities, cultural organizations, and people with personal connections to these places, many of whom have contributed photographs, documents, and stories.

“Twenty markers is a remarkable thing to look back on,” said Marisa Scheinfeld, co-founder and project director of the Borscht Belt Historical Marker Project. “Each one represents a story that might otherwise disappear. Now, twenty places across the Catskills have something permanent in the landscape, something people can encounter and learn from.”

“Wurtsboro, Spring Glen and Highview felt like the right place for our twentieth marker because the history of tourism here goes back well before the Borscht Belt,” said Isaac Jeffreys, co-founder and Visual Coordinator of the Marker Project. “You can drive through these places today and have no idea how much was here before. The marker gives people a chance to see that history in the landscape, and that felt like the right way to mark twenty and close out the season.”

The project will continue beyond its twentieth marker, with plans for additional markers and new ways for people to encounter the trail, including guided architectural tours, bus tours, public programs, and a forthcoming guidebook.