150 Years Ago - 1873

Mrs. Christina Weintz of Beechwoods has by far the finest orchard in the Town of Delaware, containing about 700 fruit trees, all of choice and selected varieties.

John Collins and two companions were attacked by a wildcat of formidable dimensions while passing through the woods of Jeremiah Wood’s farm. They accidentally ap-proached her nest which contained two young ones.

140 Years Ago - 1883

S. Hammond & Sons of DeBruce expect to peel their last bark this year.

The Lyon and St. John dog power churning machines are conceded to be the best and the cheapest in the market. For sale at W. Burr & Co.

The question of a road from Livingston Manor to Youngsville is being agitated by the Times and it could be a good thing toward the development of the sections lying between these places and would place our village within easier reach of the Midland than the eddy, provided the road was made a good one.

Last Monday night, B.S. Ward loaded the last load of leather that the Pike Pond tannery will manufacture. And the last sole leather manufactory of Western Sullivan Co. thus closes up its business. As the bark used by the tannery for some time past has come from a distance of several miles and the immediate vicinity of the village is cultivated farms but little difference beyond the trade of the employees will be felt. Wales Store and grist mill will supply the wants of all going there.

The coming anniversary of our national independence will be duly observed in Callicoon by a trial of skill with a rifle and a dance at Ludwigs. John has engaged Gilbert’s string band for the occasion.

130 Years Ago - 1893

The contract to erect an iron bridge across the Callicoon stream in Jeffersonville has been let to a Horseheads, N.Y., concern for $763. The contract for building the abutments will be sold to the lowest bidder tomorrow afternoon.

Another runaway occurred in town last Saturday in which Patrick McDermott, his 15-year-old son, Ed, and a pair of colts figured most prominently. Act 1. The boy had been harrowing with the colts, and was driving them down the road to the barn with the reins about his body and carrying the whiffletree attached to the traces in his hand. He dropped the whiffletree and it struck the horses’ heels, whereupon they started, taking the boy with them. He was dragged on his back a couple of hundred feet before he became disengaged from the reins. The horses were stopped in front of the Mansion House. They had several cuts on their legs caused by the broken whiffletree.

Act II — Pat came along and took the horses in hand and someone advised him to take them home and doctor them up. He replied that he’d “doctor them” and with that slapped the lines on them. Off they started again but this time with Pat dangling at the other end of the lines. The horses jumped over the tie pole in front of the Cash store and fell into Mr. Laber’s wire fence. They were led home separately and the performance ended. 

The boy, Ed, escaped with one or two slight bruises and no serious damage was done.

120 Years Ago - 1903

One hundred and thirty-eight candidates at the examinations held by Commissioner Knoll at Liberty in April; only four earned certificates to teach and three of these are from Jeffersonville. Sid Royce gets a first grade certificate. Third grade certificates were earned by Miss Rose S. Wilfert and Miss Lydia Duttweiler and Sol Gray of Rockland.

Stoddard Hammond, executor of the D.V. Mandeville estate, has given notice to all creditors that the estate will pay 78 cents on the dollar. At the time of his death, Mr. Mandeville owned the acid factory in Livingston Manor and several hundred acres of timber land.

At a special town election in the Town of Rockland last week it was voted to adopt the money system of highway taxes by 75 majority.

The Town of Mamakating which already has the money system, received from the state this year $671.12.

110 Years Ago - 1913

A pretty home wedding took place Wednesday evening at the residence of Mr. and Mrs. August T. Neuberger of Jeffersonville, when their only daughter, Caroline Elizabeth, was united in marriage with G. Cleveland Segar. . . Christian Herbert Hahn of Callicoon Center and Miss Alice Ely White of Brooklyn were married at the Roscoe Presbyterian Manse June 11 by Rev. L. William Hones.

After fifty years of married life, Mr. and Mrs. Charles Foster of near Hankins marked their golden wedding anniversary, forty-seven of which were spent on the old homestead.

The stork visited at the home of Mr. and Mrs. D. Chandler of Hortonville, leaving a fine bouncing baby boy.

A fire, which started Friday afternoon in a barn in the rear of B.H. Green & Co.’s department store, wiped out the business section of Liberty. Two theatres, a church, ten shop buildings, and a half dozen smaller structures were destroyed. The loss was about $100,000. No one was injured. Special trains were made up in Roscoe, Livingston Manor and Middletown on which firemen and fire fighting apparatus were brought there.

While F.J. Warfield and family of Manchester Township, about a mile and a half from Equinunk, were at church last Sunday, their dwelling took fire and together with contents was burned to the ground. There was $800 insurance in the Farmers’ Mutual on the house and $190 on contents. The loss is about twelve or fourteen hundred dollars.

A.B. Frank, the strong man, was in Honesdale Thursday and Friday evening and gave a demonstration of his strength on Jadwin’s corner. The cast iron trucks taken from a box car were loaded on a platform and they were lifted about a foot from the platform by Frank. The weight of the wheels was 2,020. After the weight-lift, Frank laid down in the street and allowed an automobile to run over him... Shortly after 11 a.m. Monday, flames were discovered on the roof of the Rileyville cheese factory, near the smokestack. Very little of the contents were saved. Sixty new cheeses were burned and about $200 worth of cheese boxes. No insurance was carried on the stock and only about $1,100 was carried on the factory and equipment. The factory employed two men. — Wayne County Corresp.

The election held on Saturday in Monticello to erect a new school building was carried by a vote of 201 to 131.

A daughter, Catherine Margaret, was born June 8 to Mr. and Mrs. Clarence Canfield of Galilee, Pa.

Simon Kessler of Mileses has purchased a new buggy from J.M. Schmidt & Sons in North Branch.

The stork visited at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Baker of Buck Brook on June 10 and left a baby boy.

100 Years Ago - 1923

Elaborate arrangements are being made for the dedication of the new Methodist Episcopal Church at White Sulphur Springs. Not less than a half dozen divine participants in the ceremonies which will take place June 22.

John Burns, chairman of the Sullivan County Democratic committee, has been appointed court and trust fund examiner in the office of the state comptroller.

Miss Helen Leschorn  of Livingston Manor, formerly of North Branch, was united in marriage June 10 to Carmine A. Panaro, a lawyer of Middletown.

Paul G. Killian of Youngsville won  first prize in the Farm Bureau essay contest with his story on “Making Maple Syrup on my Father’s Farm.” Mildred Schoonmaker of Liberty was second with an essay on Gardening; Raymond Rose of Livingston Manor and Hannah Mauthe of Long Eddy won 2nd and 3rd with essays on “From Calf to Cow” and “My Flock of Black Leghorns” respectively.

County Commander Harry D. DeMyer of the American Legion, has announced the third annual Fourth of July celebration of the Legion will be held in Monticello this year at the new amusement park.

At the Delaware & Sullivan Telephone Co. meeting held Monday Charl Bjorklund was elected president and J.W. Snyder was elected vice-president. Lena Nearing was elected secretary and treasurer.

90 Years Ago - 1933

Dr. J.W. Davis, aged 56, dropped dead of heart failure at his camp near Willowemoc, 14 miles from his home at Livingston Manor. His auto had gotten fast on a stump. He got an ax and started chopping when he collapsed. Dr. Davis came to Jeffersonville and started his practice of medicine in the former Edmund Fish place where Dr. Gain now practices.

Dorothy Meyer, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Otto Meyer of Jeffersonville, and Lloyd Brining were married on Sunday. The bride is a graduate of normal school and taught the school in Lower Beechwoods last year.

Edwin Keyser of Jeffersonville and Florence Veydovec of Bayonne, N.J., were married on Saturday.

Miss Veronica Scardefield and George Winkelstern will be married June 26 at the Methodist Church in Kenoza Lake.

80 Years Ago - 1943

Roy Crandall has contracted to furnish sand and gravel for the new mausoleum at Hancock.

The Likel place, a mile north of this village, has been sold to Walter Mall.

Eleanor Allgeier, daughter of Mrs. George Allgeier of North Branch, and Albert Bogert, son of Mr. and Mrs. Lester Bogert of Callicoon Center, were married at St. Joseph’s Seminary, Callicoon June 10. 

Patricia Berry graduated Monday from Albany State Teachers’ College; Doris Frankel will be graduated Sunday from Brooklyn College.

Helen M. Kohl of Callicoon became the bride of Milton G. Mauerer at the Hortonville Church on June 20. Rev. John E. Straub performed the ceremony.

The engagement of Mary Cook of Lookout, Pa., to John Allotta of Liberty was announced on June 14.

At the Callicoon Hospital it was a boy for Mr. and Mrs. Mortimer Rutledge on June 21; a boy to Mr. and Mrs. McKean on June 22.

Eleven were graduated at the 13th annual graduation ceremonies of the Narrowsburg Central Rural School on June 20; at Jeffersonville it was a class of 25 who received their diplomas Monday evening; and in Callicoon, at the Delaware Valley Central School, there were 31 who participated in the 4th commencement exercises of that school.

Dorothy Fay Rutledge and Orsamus R. White were married in a ceremony performed in the bay window living room of the home of the bride. The couple will reside at Abrahamsville.

70 Years Ago - 1953

The Sullivan County American Legion for the past several years has promoted a Junior Baseball League. One has been formed this year with six teams at a meeting at Jeffersonville and a league schedule has been drawn up. Peter Saulina of Jeffersonville is County Chairman. The teams are Jeffersonville, Narrowsburg, Livingston Manor, Liberty, Callicoon and Eldred.

Gilbert Weiss and Eleanor Ebeling were married at the First Presbyterian Church of Newton by Dr. H. Northacker on June 13.

Vincent Mullally and son, Douglas, and John Mullally, and son Wayne, went to Union City, N.J., to assist in the celebration of the first mass of a cousin, Rev. Connor Mullally, at St. Michael’s Monastery Church on June 14.

Allen Segar and Lester Gute of Jeffersonville left Sunday for Henderson Bay on the St. Lawrence River. They were joined by Gerald Nearing of Long Eddy. They returned Tuesday night convinced the best part of a fishing trip is in the anticipation.

John F. Tempel and Lorraine (Gormley) Tempel of Jeffersonville are the proud parents of a baby girl, Barbara Ann Tempel,  born at Callicoon Hospital in Callicoon on Father’s Day, Sunday, June 21, 1953. Maternal grandparents are Thomas E. and Lucia (Kimmes) Gormley of Jeffersonville. Paternal grandparents are Anthony and Barbara (Schick) Tempel of Obernburg.

60 Years Ago - 1963

There were 1,068 who attended the Jeffersonian Dinner Thursday night at the Grossinger Hotel according to County Chairman Francis A. Hanofee.

Miss Carolyn Lewis became the bride of Martin Moore of Obernburg at the Callicoon Methodist Church on June 8.

St. Peter’s Church in Liberty was the scene of the June 1 wedding of Miss Mary Lou Wilmott and Raymond Porter.

Dr. Richard K. Greenfield has been appointed President of Sullivan County Community College, to be temporarily located in South Fallsburg and will assume his new duties on July 1.

ZIP has come to the Callicoon area. Our five-digit ZIP Code is 12723 according to Postmaster Wm. L. Bergner. “The ZIP Code is literally the last word in mail addressing,” Mr. Bergner said.

Final plans are being completed for the dedication of the new Medical Building at Narrowsburg with ceremonies scheduled for 2 p.m.

Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth C. Lewis of Callicoon were guests of honor at a silver wedding anniversary party on June 18.

50 Years Ago - 1973

Rockwell “Rocky” Hill, 59, well-known White Sulphur Springs resident and a guard at the Woodbourne Rehabilitation Center, was critically burned last Thursday while trying to clear his property of gypsy moths. Hill was burning the moths off bushes when a gasoline can he was holding exploded. He was admitted to the Burn Treatment Center of the University of Pennsylvania Hospital where he was flown from the Sullivan County International Airport.

Five teachers of the Delaware Valley Central School have retired with a total of 131 years of service between them: Helen Evans, school nurse; Vincent Hoffmann, third grade; Pauline Nearing, second grade; Florence Tobin, first grade; and Bertha Milk, fourth grade.

Amy Marks is valedictorian and Joan Litzenbauer is salutatorian of the graduating class of the Damascus High School. 

Jack and Louise VanGinhoven of Acidalia were honored on the occasion of their 50th wedding anniversary on June 17.

Miss Pamela Gager and Walter Long were married on June 9 at the Damascus United Methodist Church.

At the Liberty-Loomis Hospital it was a girl June 8 to Mr. and Mrs. James Wilkerson of Liberty; a boy, June 9, to Mr. and Mrs. Frederick Reule of Livingston Manor, and to Mr. and Mrs. Charles Moore of Ferndale.

40 Years Ago - 1983

The Antrim Lodge of Roscoe, for 37 years owned and operated by Doug and Anna Mae Bury, was sold Monday to the Papadimatos family. Founded in 1890 by the Keener family, the Antrim is famous for its  food and “Keener’s Pool,” the renowned downstairs bar and dining room where many a Two-Headed Trout  Dinner was hosted.

Verl Ringgenberg, 45, was listed in critical condition in the intensive care unit of the Westchester County Medical Center Monday following a Sunday morning accident on his farm. Traveling down a steep grade, the tractor he was driving tipped over, pinning him under it for several minutes. With the help of a winch, Hortonville Volunteer Firemen responded to the scene and provided emergency help.

The walk for the benefit of the Sullivan County ARC being made throughout Sullivan County by Dr. Thomas Goodman is nearing its 70th mile with well over $5,000 raised for the worthy cause.

The 19th-century Arlington Hotel in Narrowsburg was recently placed on the National Register of Historic Places. The building was built in 1894 and has housed several businesses over the years. It is owned by the Delaware Valley Arts Alliance and is presently undergoing renovations to accommodate a gallery, classrooms, studios and a small theatre.

30 years ago - 1993

The Continental Sauces of Michele’s Restaurant in Callicoon are now available at various local supermarkets, the three Peck’s Markets at Narrowsburg, Callicoon and Livingston Manor; Eddie’s Famous Foods in Jeffersonville; and Dave’s Supermarket in Honesdale, Pa.

Donna Denman, captain of the Grahamsville Ambulance Squad, recently received a plaque for her 32 years of service in the ambulance squad. Town of Neversink Supervisor Georgianna Lepke made the presentation.

Lieut. Shawn Edwards of the Loch Sheldrake Fire Department was named 1992 Sullivan County Foreman of the Year. He received his award from Harold Kronenberg, Sullivan County fire coordinator for his life-saving effort to aid a badly injured accident victim last spring.

Ron Swoboda, a former New York Mets baseball star, signed autographs at the June 20 baseball card show at the Monticello Raceway.

Professional boxing returns to the Catskills next Thursday in the form of a United States Boxing Association title bout at the Villa Roma in Callicoon. Welterweight champion Kevin Pompey of Troy will defend his title against Nick Rupa of Trinidad.

Ken Keller, a dairy farmer of Callicoon Center, is the only dairy farmer in Sullivan County to use Ayrshire cows in his herd. He is helping another farmer in the Beechwoods start a herd. The Keller farm is owned by a fourth-generation family member. It was started in 1869 by Jacob Keller when he immigrated from Germany.

The South Fallsburg Senior Citizens celebrated their 15th anniversary with a celebration and installation of officers at the Concord Resort Hotel. Paul Stern of Mountaindale is the president.

20 years ago - 2003

New York State Assemblyman Jake Gunther has been in Albany fighting for Sullivan County for the past 11 years. Now the Democratic lawmaker from Forestburgh (the 98th Assembly District) is fighting for his life. Last week, after being hospitalized for more than a week, he was diagnosed with cancer, after doctors in Albany found a malignant germ cell tumor in a lymph node. Gunther is still undergoing tests to determine the severity of the cancer and what treatment options are available.

Liberty is the first school district in New York state to be chosen for a new program, through the efforts of its Student Council and members Michael Wagner, Corianna Sichel and Jessica Scheibling-Kelly. The school received a grant of $4,000 and technical assistance from the Hudson Valley Center for Coordinated School Health to form a tobacco-free environment by revising the school’s no smoking policy. 

The Forestburgh Playhouse is gearing up for its 57th season of  professional live theatre, during which it will present four musicals “Evita,” “The Music Man,” “Titanic,” and “La Cage Aux Folles,” as well as “The Tale of the Allergist’s Wife,” and Agatha Christie’s classic mystery, “The Mousetrap.”

This Wednesday is the season’s first performance of the Callicoon Center Band, under the direction of James Newton, at 8 p.m. in the Callicoon Center Bandstand.

10 Years Ago - 2013

On Friday the State Legislature passed legislation authorizing four upstate casinos. The plan – which would allow one to three casinos in the Catskills – still has to gain public approval in a statewide referendum this November 5, Election Day.

Work has commenced to replace the deck of the Callicoon Creek bridge that itself replaced the historic Stone Arch Bridge near Kenoza Lake decades ago. As a result, NY Route 52 is closed at this location, and travelers must use Route 52A and 17B (or a combination of town roads) as a detour. 

Town of Fremont Councilman and Basket Historical Society President John “Jack” B. Niflot of Mileses, NY, died on Saturday, June 22, 2013, at home. He was 78. Jack was the founder, president, and editor of “The Echo” newsletter of the Basket Historical Society of the Upper Delaware Valley since 1980. The Society which operates a museum in Long Eddy received an Award of Recognition from the Upper Delaware Council in 1996 for its historic preservation work in the river valley. The Sullivan County Historical Society had recently announced that Jack would be the 2013 recipient of the “Sullivan County History Preserver Award” to be bestowed at their annual dinner at The Rockland House in Roscoe.