130 Years Ago - 1895

Henry Gaebel of Beechwoods organized a wood bee the other week for his neighbor, Levi Layman, who is in poor circumstances.

Fire was discovered at about 9 o’clock Saturday night in the upper story of Fred Wagner’s hotel in North Branch, and had the discovery been made a few minutes later, the building could not have been saved.

The entire train of Erie’s fast Express No. 10, consisting of engine No. 282, three cars of theatrical baggage, one smoker, two day coaches and three Pullman sleepers were derailed at about 4:45 Monday morning two miles east of Cochecton. Four passengers and three trainmen were injured.

Our hotel and saloon keepers are having their next summer’s supply of ice cut on the ponds this week. The ice is now about 10 inches thick and as clear as crystal.

William Kohler and Mary A. Krantz, two popular young people of the Beechwoods, were married at the home of the bride’s parents.

120 Years Ago - 1905

The Board of Supervisors has recommended that a bill be introduced in the legislature providing that the state purchase and maintain jointly with Pennsylvania, the toll bridges along the Delaware River.

At the insistence of Supervisor Freeman of the Town of Highland, the Board of Supervisors has adopted a resolution requesting the state legislature to appropriate $10,000 more for completing the dike on the Delaware River at Barryville, the original appropriation of $10,000 not being sufficient to complete the job.

Chester W. Chapin, the millionaire owner of Chapin Park in this county, was married recently to his cousin of Chicago. Bridegroom is 65, the bride only 25. 

Louis Erdman and Miss Olive Hofer, two young people of this village, were married by Rev. Muery at the latter’s home in Hortonville.

110 Years Ago - 1915

Dr. Charles E. MacDonald, the former Jeffersonville physician, who served as Medical Director of the American Red Cross Corps in Austria last year, is off again – not for the European battlefields, but for Siam, a kingdom of southern Asia, where he is to serve as physician to the king, and also as professor of surgery to the Ministry of Siam.

Frederick W. Knise of North Branch and Miss Johanna W. Berman of Jersey City were united in marriage at the home of the groom’s parents on Sunday evening.

Grippe and pneumonia are becoming so prevalent in many sections that physicians are issuing warnings against unnecessary kissing as a precautionary step to check the spread of these diseases.

At about one o’clock in the morning Friday, December 17th, fire broke out in the boarding house of Casper Girard at Church and Main Streets, Callicoon Center, and in two hours reduced it, with contents, to a heap of ashes.

Storms and snowdrifts have no terror for Fred Duttweiler, the Jeffersonville-Liberty stageman. Last week, when most others were waiting for the storm to subside, or for other people to get out and open the roads, Fred was out with his automobile, ploughing a track through deep snow and doing business.

100 Years Ago - 1925

Theodore W. Bollenbach and Miss Rose M. Erdman of Jeffersonville were married Saturday evening by Rev. C.F. Foerster of the Lutheran Church. 

Capt. John T. Stephenson of Bethel this year enjoyed the merriest Christmas he has had in seventeen years, or since he was dismissed from the New York State Police Force in 1908. For on Christmas Day this year, the Captain, at the age of 70 years, was back in uniform and on duty under reinstatement by Police Commissioner Enright.

The Kenoza Lake Hotel property at Kenoza Lake was sold at partition sale at the court house in Monticello on Monday and the premises were knocked down to Henry G. Gerber of Monticello for $3,150. Mr. Gerber was bidding for Richard Schoafe, proprietor of The Fern at Kenoza Lake just across the street from the property sold.

Thomas Coogan, lessee of the Youngsville Villa at Youngsville the past season, met with an automobile accident Tuesday night while driving from Liberty. He had taken a friend to the train in Liberty and was returning home when in some unexplained way the car ran off the high sluice at the Hotel Leonia in White  Sulphur Springs and toppled down the bank. He was not seriously injured.

90 Years Ago - 1935

The Sullivan County Cooperative Dairy Association has contracted with Henry C. Pfanmuller to act as their representative in the sales of their products, collections of accounts and management of plant.

Harry Borden, sheriff-elect, and the only Democrat to be elected on the county ticket at the last election, was given a testimonial dinner at the Buckley House, Liberty, with between fifty and a hundred friends in attendance.

Howard Lixfield, son of Mr. and Mrs. William A. Lixfield of Firthcliffe Heights, and Miss Dorothy Darling, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Henry Darling of Ware, Mass.,  were married Friday evening, December 20th.

Mr. and Mrs. Stephen Hoffman announce the engagement of their daughter, Lillian Martha, to Milton W. Emr, son of Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Emr of New Jersey.

Mrs. Marion Scheidell Moran, postmaster of Jeff since May 1934, has resigned the position to devote her time to domestic duties. Fred W. Schadt, retiring supervisor and former postmaster, has been recommended for the job.

80 Years Ago - 1945

Elmer C. Ostrum, who sold his home on the top of West End Avenue to Ralph Campuli, has bought the 12-room Bollenbach home on Mill Street.

Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Brownstein have leased the corner store room in the Ranft building to Milton Lindsley of White Sulphur Springs.

It looks like a white Christmas for us. Six inches of snow fell here last Thursday night and another snow came early Wednesday morning.

Last night a ton and a half truck containing 50 cases of eggs, each case holding 50 dozen, was stolen at Westchester Ave. and South Boulevard, New York. At retail value, the cargo was estimated to be worth well over $1000. The truck was being driven by Wilton Hughes of Callicoon Center.

Henry F. Gardner, lawyer of Callicoon and one of the prominent members of the Sullivan County Bar, died Sunday, December 23, at the Lenox Hill Hospital, New York City, where he had been under treatment since December 18.

70 Years Ago - 1955

Donna Krantz and Joe Caldiero were the grand prize winners in the Rexall Contest at the Jeffersonville Pharmacy.

Miss Charlotte Abplanalp, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Clarence Abplanalp of Briscoe, was married to Bernard Cox, son of Mr. and Mrs. James Cox of Swan Lake at the Presbyterian Church by Rev. Leroy Herzog.

Mr. and Mrs. Louis Erdman celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary on December 24th.

Blake Washington, confidential clerk to Supreme Court Justice William Deckelman, has been appointed trustee of Hamilton Odell Library at the Monticello Court House. He succeeds former County Judge George L. Cooke, Monticello, who had held the post since creation of the law library shortly after the court house was completed in 1910. Judge Cooke recently resigned the post.

James Nobel of Lackawaxen was elected Master of the Delaware Lodge 561, F&AM, Callicoon. Elected to serve with Mr. Noble were Warren K. Miller, Senior Warden; Stephen Stetka, Junior Warden; J. Vance Hunt, secretary; Henry Carlsen, treasurer and Charles P. Kautz, trustee.

Engagements announced at Christmas included Ruth S. Steine of Narrowsburg and Warren E. Doetsch of Jeffersonville; Marguerite A. Hilyard of Ferndale to Robert J. Brown of Kenoza Lake; Beverly Baker of Amsterdam to Robert Knack of Jeffersonville.

60 Years Ago - 1965

Fire of undetermined origin completely destroyed the barroom of the Olympia Hotel in Callicoon early last Friday morning. The call to the Callicoon Volunteer Fire Department was turned in at about 3:45 a.m.

The Callicoon Kiwanis Club is spearheading a drive for improvement of Route 97 between Narrowsburg and Long Eddy.

The first “space” traveler is due to visit Callicoon and its surrounding communities this Friday evening. Having been requested to come here by all local residents, Mr. S. Claus has accepted the invitations and will visit the area.

For the first time this year the Beach Lake Methodist Church will present on the grounds of the Beach Lake fire hall, a living nativity scene.

Mr. and Mrs. Berthold Theile of Mileses were honored on Sunday in celebration of their 25th wedding anniversary.

Gracing the desk in the Democrat office are several pansies which were picked on December 15 in the garden of Mrs. Watson Tyler of Damascus, Pa. A welcome reminder that “If winter comes, can spring be far behind?”

Joseph Raffa, chairman of the Publicity and Development committee of the Sullivan County Board of Supervisors, announced today that the committee has accepted with regret the resignation of Homer A. Millard of Roscoe as director.

50 Years Ago - 1975

The chairman of the board of the Sullivan County National Bank of Liberty, Joseph E. Fersch, has announced the appointment of Sheriff Joseph Wasser to that institution’s board of directors.

The eleven newly elected Democratic member of the 1976 Sullivan County Board of Supervisors met in Monticello last Thurday and selected Supervisor David Kaufman as their candidate for the position of chairman of the board, succeeding retiring Town of Neversink Supervisor Joe Raffa.

Debra Lee Curry and Jeffrey Frank Huggler were married December 13 at St. Peter’s Roman Catholic Church in Liberty.

Mrs. Charlotte Wright was given a testimonial dinner at the Triangle Lounge in Liberty in honor of her services to the Cerebral Palsy Rehabilitation Center from which she recently retired. The dinner was held December 14.

Regents scholarships in the Narrowsburg Central School have been awarded to Kathy Schalck, Kathy Hawker, and Christine Barotti.

Mary Cade of Hortonville has been elected president of the Upper Delaware Ambulance Corps.

Mary Ann Alvarez and Malcolm Crawson Jr. were married December 6 at St. Patrick’s Church in Long Eddy.

Gail Coppersmith, the only woman driver at the Mighty M’s 5th annual Winter carnival of Racing, was the first winner of the Provisional Division of the Driver Incentive program instituted at Monticello. She was awarded $250.

40 Years Ago - 1985

The Monticello Village Board awarded a bulletproof vest contract to a firm from the Syracuse suburb of Solvay during Monday’s meeting. The state will completely reimburse the village for the purchase of the vests and protective quilts, which cost $2,058.

The First National Bank of Jeffersonville has opened a branch office in Loch Sheldrake. Sandra Sipple will be the manager and will be assisted by Kim Johnson and Marge Mariner.

Elaine Ritz, treasurer of the Calder Corner Shop in Equinunk, Pa., presented a check for $1850 to Robert Kramer for the Equinunk Historical Society, representing profits made from the shop during the summer.

Adam Kelly of Liberty Central School and Gerard Bonner of the Rutherford Elementary School were named 1st and 2nd place winners in the recent BOCES spelling bee for Gifted and Talented Students.

Wedding bells rang for Joanne Parlow and Kevin Nagoda who were married October 5 at St. Peter’s Church in Monticello. . . Diana Lynn Horton and Steven J. Duffy were united in marriage October 6 at the Wurtsboro Methodist Church.

Christopher Jacobs was inducted as an Eagle Scout at ceremonies conducted at the Liberty Methodist Church. He is a member of Troop 95.

Elsie Reichmann of Callicoon was the unsuspecting recipient of a bullet hole in the window located in her living room. Apparently a stray bullet from a hunter, the bullet traveled out of the home by way of a window located in the dining room of the home. No one was injured.

Cat Manzi will return to Monticello Raceway this week to drive in all twelve races on the matinee card. Manzi, 35, began his driving career at Monticello in the late 1960s and was the leading dash-winner in 1974 and 1975.

Renovations are slated to begin on the Callicoon viaduct in 1986 by the NYS Department of Transportation. Improvements are being made to Viaduct Road and the back street of Callicoon to handle the traffic.

30 Years Ago - 1995

Unionized workers in Sullivan County Government will share a $1.2 million year-end present in the coming year as the result of board of supervisor’s action Thursday, unanimously approving modified contracts with the Teamsters, the Sullivan County Employees Association, and the Sullivan County Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association.

Winter officially began just five days ago for this calendar year but judging by the amount of snow on the ground, it has been with us for a long time – over one month, to be exact.

Sandra Panchyshyn, interim chairman of the Sullivan County Habitat for Humanity (HFH), spoke to the Liberty First Presbyterian Church congregation about the need for a chapter in Sullivan County and requirements to be met before an affiliate can be approved. A total of $3000 must be raised within 18 months.

In a warm and moving ceremony,  the Dr. Albert Kim Memorial Reading Room and the Dr. Frederick Shulman Memorial CD-ROM Access Station were dedicated on Nov. 2 in the Health Sciences Library at Community General Hospital.

Julibeth Corwin and Peter Szwed were united in marriage September 9 at St. Peter’s Roman Catholic Church in Rosendale, with Father Joseph Blenke officiating.

Pat Lanza, author of “Create Wonderful Gardens With No Digging, No Tilling, No Kidding,” joined fellow members of Garden Writers’ of America Association in San Antonio, Tex. for its national symposium.  Lanza was a member of the first group of Sullivan County Master Gardeners, completing the course in 1991.

20 Years Ago - 2005

Jack and Kay Danchak announce the wedding of their son, John, to Lisa Calamito, daughter of Patricia Calamito-Simmons of Sayreville, N.J. and Vincent Calamito of Jersey City, N.J. They were married in Sea Bright, N.J. on October 15.

John Manzi, the publicity czar at Monticello Raceway and a person who also donates his time to several other worthwhile harness racing causes, has been selected as the Proximity Award winner by the members of the U.S. Harness Writers’ Association.

The tension shot to record heights between Town of Mamakating Zoning Board of Appeals Chairman Jim Barnett and opponents of the proposed mushroom factory Thursday as the board gave its final approval of the factory’s variance requests and sent the applicant back to the planning board for site plan approval.

The Crossroads Restaurant in Yulan hosted a “Meet the Artist” exhibit featuring local artist Todd Anderson, a graduate of Eldred Central School, who has been painting for 20 years.

Mighty M Gaming at Monticello Raceway announced that its upcoming New Year’s Eve show will feature Micky Dolenz, one of the cast of the classic 1960s television show “The Monkees.”

10 Years Ago - 2015

Members of SADD (Students Against Destructive Decisions) participated in the Sticker Shock Campaign at Peck’s Market in Jeffersonville Saturday. According to Lynn Baron, Community Educator for the Catholic Charities-Recovery Center in Monticello and member of the Sullivan County Care Corps Coalition, the goal of Sticker Shock is threefold: to educate adults who are considering furnishing minors with alcohol, to raise public awareness around underage drinking, and to re-emphasize the deterrent effect of the Social Host Law when it comes to providing alcohol to minors.

In Neversink, Cannie D’s Corner opened its doors in May of 2004, giving the hamlet its first gas station since 1988. According to founder Meigan Dean, the 5,428-square-foot retail and professional plaza was a concept she and her husband Arden “Ardy” Dean had started contemplating in the early ‘80s to live, work and raise their children close to home. For Mark McLewin and his wife, Cristina Aby-Azar, the decision to purchase Cannie D’s Corner was both easy and difficult. McLewin, who owns Pennywise Properties, had been looking to branch out. Aby-Azar, who currently works in New York City, said that watching what is happening around Neversink in neighboring communities inspired her. While the change in ownership has been a bit stressful, McLewin has settled into the day-to-day running of the store. 

For the second year in a row, the non-profit organization, A Dose of Kindness, held a holiday dinner at the Ted Stroebele Center in Monticello. Over 400 people enjoyed food, entertainment and camaraderie on Sunday, December 20. The event was organized by Carlos Torres, who was assisted by numerous volunteers and generous donations from community-
minded businesses and individuals.