110 Years Ago - 1912

At a meeting of the Delaware town board at Kenoza Lake last Tuesday, it was voted to give the contract for lighting the streets of Callicoon to the Busy Bee Club, whose bid of $375 for six fifteen hundred candle lights was considered a good proposition and a committee composed of Charles F. Starck, James H. Curtis and John H. Baum was appointed to draw up a contract and close the same with the Busy Bee Club, as soon as possible.

Ex-Judge T.F. Bush of Monticello was stricken with paralysis on Sunday and died at his home early Friday morning at the age of 80.

Wednesday afternoon, during the electrical storm, the large tree in front of Martin Brandt’s house in Mileses was struck by lightning, tearing the bark from the tree and throwing it quite some distance. Otherwise, no damage was done.

100 Years Ago - 1922

Long Eddy and most of its 500 people are this morning vainly endeavoring to shake off the terror that seized them Saturday afternoon and accept as a fact that their attractive village has been marred almost beyond recognition by one of the most calamitous events that has ever befallen the vicinity. The Hoolihan and Pea Brook streams rose within 20 minutes from swollen brooks to raging mountain torrents, pounding the little village for two hours. A conservative estimate of the damage to private property is placed at $50,000 in the village itself. Seven dwellings were carried away and losses included: Mrs. James Kenney – story and a half dwelling swept away and all its contents lost; Willis Armstrong – a 2-story dwelling undermined and the first floor carried down in the flood together with ice house, barn, poultry house and sheds swept away. He is rated as the heaviest individual loser. One corner of the M.E. Church was carried away and the basement is filled with mud and most of the furnishings of the basement were lost. The Hose House was overturned and wholly wrecked. All the fire fighting apparatus of the village fire department was lost excepting one length of hose that became entangled in the debris. The two-story dwelling of John Shad and business block burned after the flood and a newly built barn was swept away by the flood. C.G. Armstrong lost a tenant house and shop and had damage to his large residence; Anthony Lanahan lost a 2-story dwelling and contents; William Quick had his house undermined and ruined. M.C. Armstrong lost a coal shed in which was stored coal and a large stock of fertilizer. The Luzerne Chemical Co. had its screening shed undermined, office and blacksmith shop swept away. A vast quantity of acetate, stored in the shed, went down with the flood. Hoolihan Creek gouged out a hole 60 feet in length to a depth of 20 feet in the newly built town and county macadam road. Little damage was done to properties below the tracks other than burying the lawns of Mrs. C.P. Milk and Jacob Werner under two or three feet of mud and other debris, and filling cellars with mud. Twenty were made homeless and one workman helping repair the railroad bridge was killed when he fell through a hopper on a coal car from which he was helping unload ballast, and was run over. The 60-foot bridge at the Long Eddy tower was undermined so the three tracks collapsed. Erie Train No. 1001 was held 50 hours between the slides on the track which buried the railway under four to eight feet of mud and the undermined bridge.

Harry Ray and Miss Amanda Stoesser were married June 1 at St. Mary’s Church in Obernburg.

On May 31, Miss Florence Eells, daughter of Mrs. Hannah Eells of Roscoe, became the bride of Clarence L. Kessler, son of Mr. and Mrs. S.W. Kessler of Mileses.

90 Years Ago - 1932

Having won the girls’ Western Sullivan Track Meet for three years past, the C.H.S. girls decided to obtain the championship for a 4th year and judging by the net results their desire was more than fulfilled. Youngsville finished second and Jeffersonville was third. E. Soule of the Jeffersonville squad obtained over two-thirds of the points for Jeff. With 14 points to her credit, Miss Soule heads the list of high scorers: Callicoon and Youngsville also possess two shining stars – Miss Grace Gaudette of Callicoon and M. Becker of Youngs­ville who gathered 11 points each for their respective schools.

Rev. Cassian James Kirk, son of Mr. and Mrs. James H. Kirk of Narrowsburg, will be ordained to the Priesthood at the shrine of the Immaculate Conception at Washington, D.C., on June 14. He will say his first solemn High Mass on June 9 at St. Francis Zavier’s of Narrowsburg on June 19.

Joseph Schmidt of Callicoon Center and Miss Alice Long of Callicoon will be united in marriage at a Nuptial Mass on June 9 at Holy Cross Church.

A son was born to Mr. and Mrs. H. Wingert of North Branch on May 26.

Floyd A. Mootz, son of Mr. and Mrs. Louis P. Mootz of North Branch, and Edna Juliana Bogert, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Lester Bogert of Callicoon Center, were married on June 2 by  Rev. John E. Straub.

The Maple Theatre of Jeffersonville  is equipped with a cooling system for the comfort of its patrons. Showing there June 11 and 12 is “Platinum Blonde” with Loretta Young, Robert Williams and Jean Harlow.

The record of Freddie Frame at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, who covered 500 miles with an average of more than 104 miles an hour, is enough to take anyone’s breath away.

Walter Scardefield Jr. of Kenoza Lake won the recent poster contest sponsored by the American Legion in Sullivan County.

80 Years Ago - 1942

Marie Grimm and John Fox were married at Great Bend, Pa., on May 30. Mrs. Fox is a dietitian at the local hospital and he is a clerk at Bennett’s Drug Store.

In a last-minute spurt before the deadline, War Stamp sales in DVCS zoomed past the $1,000 mark. This is a grand goal for a small school to reach.

Bobby Schmidt, son of Callicoon Center truckman Peter Schmidt, recently found a funny looking stone around the Tumble Inn lake and was tossing it around and breaking off pieces. His brother, Vincent, who takes a keen interest in geology, identified it as a tooth from a mammoth. The “stone” was sent to the New York State Museum in Albany where it has been identified as a tooth from the hairy or Wooly Mammoth (Elephas primigenius) of the Pleistocene or Glacial Period. The museum has offered to keep the find in exchange for a collection of fossils and two publications that deal with mammoths and mastodons.

More than 500 extra cans of milk were brought to the local Dairymen’s League Creamery until temporary bridges were fixed to allow dairymen to again take their milk to Honesdale.

Mr. and Mrs. Reginald Walters of Yulan became parents of a son born Tuesday at the Callicoon Hospital.

On Sunday, May 31, several members of the Callicoon Fire Company took their truck to Long Eddy to help clean the water main which was plugged with mud and gravel from the flood. All went well until the nozzlemen lost control of the hose under 150 pounds of pressure which gave Chief Herbert Persbacker and Lieut. William Bergner a free ride into the middle of the brook. No serious damage was suffered, however, and the cleaning of the main was successfully completed.

70 Years Ago - 1952

Mr. and Mrs. Elmer Hess of Callicoon celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary on May 31 with fifty relatives and friends gathered for the happy occasion.

Miss Maureen Maas, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Harold Maas of Lake Huntington, became the bride of Kenneth H. Treverton at Holy Cross Church on Thursday.

At the Callicoon Hospital, it was a daughter Sunday to Mr. and Mrs. Robert Brook of Narrowsburg; a son, Wednesday to Mr. and Mrs. John Theadore of Buck Brook.

Though more than 75 canoes continued down the Delaware Saturday, many abandoned their trip and returned home by car because of the rain and high water. Traffic was heavy in spite of the weather. No accidents were reported in this area.

Jeffersonville grandparents are rejoicing this week over the birth of a girl born to Mr. and Mrs. Jack Baker of which the Floyd T. Scheidells are the grandparents; Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Beiling became grandparents to a boy born to Mr. and Mrs. Kevin Cunningham; Mr. and Mrs. Mootz became parents of a girl, Bonnie, on Friday at Loomis Hospital.

60 Years Ago - 1962

On June 2, Miss Deanna Esselman of Milanville, Pa., and Robert Tegeler of Damascus, were married at the First Baptist Church in Damascus, Pa.

Principal and Mrs. William Jones of Roscoe announce the engagement of their daughter, Emily Ann, to John Fain Lawrence of Los Angeles, Calif.

Alan Howard of Roscoe has been selected to attend Empire Boys State at Colgate University June 24-30.

Mrs. Donald Peters was guest of honor at a surprise stork shower on May 26.

Mr. and Mrs. William Mohn of Narrowsburg became parents of a daughter, May 29, at the Callicoon Hospital.

Hundreds of half-grown pullets wandered aimlessly about the 25x80 foot chicken coop which was blown down on the Malcolm Back farm on Swiss Hill last Thursday afternoon after a freak storm lifted another building from the Thomas Brown farm near the Back place and deposited it near the blown down Back building. No injuries were sustained by residents.

Mr. and Mrs. Cameron Meyer of Lake Huntington will celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary on June 10 with an open house.

50 years ago - 1972

Mr. and Mrs. William Theadore of Buck Brook announce the marriage of their daughter, Nancy, to David Ross Tuller of West Simsbury, Conn., on June 3 in Simsbury.

After 45 years of faithful service on the “Weary Erie,” Francis V. Huff, formerly of Hankins, and now of Matamoras, Pa., retired on June as Trainmaster and Road Foreman of the Erie Lackwanna Railroad.

Mrs. Anne Robisch was one of those receiving a degree from Oneonta College during recent ceremonies held there. Mrs. Robisch returned to finish her college education after raising a family of four children and is to be congratulated on her accomplishment.

Mrs. Helen Intemann, a resident of Hankins and a teacher at St. Joseph’s Seminary in Callicoon, has been selected as a regional judge in the Note Achievement Award program for 1972 by the National Council of Teachers of English.

Mrs. Kevin Zieres was the guest of honor at a baby shower given by Mrs. Norma Hunter and daughter, Joyce, on May 23.

Rose M. Gieger and Ronald C. Bernhardt have been named the two top students at J-Y Class of 1972.

Miss Nancy Hellerer and Edward J. McGowan were married May 27 at St. George’s R.C. Church. Their wedding trip will take them to San Diego, Calif., where the groom is attending a navy school.

40 Years Ago - 1982

A spray plane, owned by Delaware Valley Air Sprayers, Inc., of Callicoon, crashed into the Toronto Reservoir near White Lake Thursday morning just after pilot Frank Kurzenski had finished a gypsy moth spraying program in Pennsylvania. The pilot escaped from the craft shortly after the forced landing in the water and was rescued by a passing boater, Martin Katz of White Lake.

Four generations were present at the baptism of Kristina Ann Siska, 3-month-old daughter of Mr. and Mrs. John Siska of Liberty. Present were great-grandmother Helen Peters, grandmother Loraine Kuebler and mother Arlene Siska.

Mr. and Mrs. Allen Rosin of Fox Mountain Road, Liberty, celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary on May 22 with a reception at the Elks Lodge in Liberty.

Mrs. John (Hilda) Krantz of Narrowsburg celebrated her 95th birthday on May 27. She was guest of honor at a party held on Sunday at the home of Thomas Jay of Cochecton Center.

Mrs. Caroline Thiele of Fremont Center celebrated her 102nd birthday recently. Among her “things to do” is a planned trip to New Jersey in a few days to watch her great-granddaughter, Barbara Cassa­day, graduate from high school.

Rhulen Agency of Monticello sponsored a 100-mile run, from New York to the Concord in Kiamesha Lake, in observance of the 100th anniversary celebration and convention of the Independent Insurance Agents Association of New York. Walter Rhulen of the local insurance agency was among those doing a five-mile stint along old Route 17, joined by Robert Sedlack of Baldwinsville and Ted Sprague of Corning.

30 Years Ago - 1992

The 44th Annual “Old Home Day” has been scheduled for Sunday, June 14, in Equinunk, Pa. Proceeds will be used to benefit the Union Methodist Church.

As Bethel searches for solutions to the “Woodstock situation,” a group of people  from neighboring Liberty is forming a non-profit organization to build and operate a Woodstock museum.

Their motto is “On the Road Again,” their music is vintage ‘50s and their rearview mirrors feature a pair of fuzzy dice more often than not. These are the Fosterdale Cruisers, an auto enthusiasts group that has just formed in western Sullivan County and that invites all like-minded car lovers to follow suit… The Frog’s Pad Car Show, sponsored as a fund-raiser for the Rock Hill Fire Department, brought out thousands of car and motorcycle enthusiasts Sunday to enjoy the area’s largest automobile collector’s party.

The Miss Sullivan County Beauty Pageant was held at the Villa Roma Country Club in Callicoon on June 7. Tammy Prince was named Miss Sullivan County Teen at the pageant; Miss Jennifer Cetrone of Swan Lake was named Miss Sullivan County Preteen and Miss Young Sullivan County will be represented by Erika Manzaneres, 5, of Monticello.

The main barn and several outbuildings on the Peters’ Dairy Farm in Pleasant Valley were gutted by fire late Wednesday afternoon. Five fire departments responded to the call for help. North Branch Fire Department Chief Kevin Zieres said the buildings were insured. Several young calves were lost but the main herd was out of the barn at the time of the blaze. More than 100 volunteer firemen responded to the call for help.

20 Years Ago - 2002

Another natural amphitheater exists near the Woodstock site in Bethel. It’s called Gabriel’s Bowl and is located due east of the southern portion of the original festival’s 37.5 acres. This is the proposed spot to put the performing arts center, which would likely occupy the space closest to the forest nearby. In a few years, this could be the site of a 17,500-seat performing arts center. Right now, the Gerry Foundation and its subsidiary, GF Entertainment, have the New York Philharmonic headlining the opening season of the center, tentatively scheduled for 2004.

The sixth annual Tractor Parade was held this past Sunday in Callicoon.

Over a 3-day span last week at Sullivan County Community College’s Paul Gerry Fieldhouse, the Sullivan County Real Property Tax Auction brought in a total of $5,298,775, recouping all of the back taxes which totalled $3,154,785.09, for a profit of $2,143,989.91.

On Sunday, June 2, more than 200 of Rita Yewchuck’s family and friends gathered at the Jeff­ersonville firehouse to wish her a happy 80th birthday, including Rita’s children, Marion Ab­planalp and husband, Bill, and Danny Yewchuck and wife, Carol; plus five grandchildren and one great-grandchild, (in no particular order), Brian Yewchuck, Bailey Yewchuck, David Yewchuck, Steve Yewchuck, Darlene Abplanalp and Jeanne Abplanalp.

10 Years Ago - 2012

The 16th annual Callicoon Tractor Parade in Callicoon on Sunday drew the usual big crowds  to watch about 260 tractors on parade to benefit the Delaware Youth Center.

A public meeting will discuss proposed changes to the Neversink River Unique Area Unit Management Plan. Officials are planning to tear down the Eden Brook Fish Hatchery, have the restricted area lifted, add a parking lot and develop some trails. The plan will effect nearly 200 acres of the Neversink River Unique Area off Cold Springs Road near Monticello.

The Town of Forestburgh celebrated its 175th Birthday on Saturday night at The Forestburgh Playhouse in grand style, complete with singers, dancers and a chocolate-covered birthday cake. “Sorry we don’t have enough candles,” joked Norman Duttweiler, who has owned the 66-year-old playhouse for the past 21 years. Nearly 150 state, county and town officials, along with a host of theater patrons and hometown residents got a behind-the- scenes look at the Playhouse as actors sang, danced and acted their way into their hearts. Duttweiler thanked all the Forestburgh Town Supervisors who have served during his 21-tenure at the playhouse. They are former supervisor Jim Galligan, current supervisor Bill Sipos and former supervisor John J. “Mr. Willy” Sipos. Duttweiler also recognized the late Dan Lamberti, who also served.