140 Years Ago - 1880

Anthony Bossley died in his 76th year on February 23, 1880, at his home near Youngsville.

Andrew vonBergen, formerly of Jeffersonville, died at Herrick Center, Pa., on February 24, 1880 at the age of 45.

The Democrats of the Town of Callicoon are requested to meet at Homer's Hotel in Youngsville on the 28th inst., at 2 p.m., to nominate a ticket for town officers, to be supported in the coming election on March 2.

The house of Frederick Starck, one mile from Narrowsburg, was destroyed by fire on Tuesday afternoon of last week. Mr. Starck is a peddler and had his goods in his house. The fire originated from a rotten stove pipe.

The Democrats of the Town of Delaware met at the hotel of Philip Hembdt on Tuesday evening and nominated a ticket for the coming town election, as follows: Valentine Schmidt, sup­er­visor; Charles F. Starck , town clerk; John Rieber, justice of the peace; Casper Kohler, commissioner of highways; Henry Eller, assessor; Jacob Schwartz, collector; Henry Hembdt, James O. Gedney, overseers of the poor; Jacob Ruppert, Martin Hermann, Adam Hubert, Frederick Bietz, John H. Glassel, constables.

Wm. Woodard, a pioneer settler of the county, died at the residence of his son, Samuel Woodard, in the Town of Rockland, on the 11th inst., in his 93rd year. He was one of the most expert and celebrated of Sullivan's early hunters. How he killed a female panther and carried her four young ones home in his shirt and how, with a rope tied to his right leg, he crawled into a bear's den and killed its occupant and was drawn out bringing the bear with him a la Putnam, with many other of his adventures, has been told in Quinlan's history and by “J.V.M.” and others. For many years he was a devout member and class leader of the Methodist Church.

According to its annual report, the D&H Canal Co., in 1879, had receipts for $6,403,907.13 from coal and $3,152,007 from railroads for a total receipts of $9,972,049.81.

130 Years Ago - 1890

George Neuman of Callicoon called on us Monday. Mr. N. was looking for delinquent taxpayers.

Livingston Manor, Feb. 24 — The next thing of importance in this town is our town meeting. The Republicans held their caucus last Saturday and nominated Webster Sherwood for supervisor.… The Woolsey sash and blind factory is running full blast.… Mr. E. Finch has his new house nearly enclosed.

The name of Pike Pond post office has been changed. It is now Kenoza Lake.

Bluebirds have made their appearance in Orange County.

Melchior Eggler of Swiss Hill has recently purchased the Mike Brog farm on East Hill for $1500.

Last Friday and Saturday the streets were full of sleighs from morning until night. But wagons have again taken their place.

Andrew Beitz has his ice house filled with Pike Pond ice. Charles Homer commenced cutting ice with a large force on Segar's Pond last Monday.

Nicholas Martin purchased the old Morris place a mile or so this side of Youngsville, lately owned by Philip Schaefer, for $450.

What we need badly in Jeffersonville is a good laundry. It would pay. At least twelve dollars per week could be earned from the start, with good prospects of doubling that amount in the summer.

Alfred Dittmann's new boarding house in Fosterdale is fast nearing completion. Painters are already at work.

The Post Telegraph Co. has opened an office at Robertsonville.

It is said that some Orange County people are securing ice from Round Pond, several miles north of Callicoon. What's the matter with Shanley Pond? This sheet of water is not more than 2 miles from Livingston Manor and would furnish enough ice for the whole city of New York, Orange County included.

120 Years Ago - 1900

The records for this date are missing from our files.

110 Years Ago - 1910

Peter Chelius, a former resident of Jeffersonville, died Monday at Sidney Center, where he resided for many years and followed his trade of blacksmith. He was a son of the late Casper Chelius and spent his boyhood in Jeffersonville.

John P. Roosa, County Judge and Surrogate, died at his home in Monticello Tuesday night. He had been ailing from a tubercular infection for some time.

Mrs. John Young died February 16 at the home of her son, John J., near Callicoon Center. She was a former resident of North Branch on the Jeffersonville Road. Mrs. Young was born in Germany 76 years ago.

A seagull strayed inland from the ocean and was shot in the Callicoon Creek in Jeffersonville yesterday by John Hubert. It was the size of a duck.

Pastor Stadelmann has declined an offer to serve at the Martha Memorial German Reformed Church in New York City at double the salary paid him here. He came here three years ago and his work as pastor of the Presbyterian Church has been very successful and satisfying. His many friends, through voluntary subscription are having a telephone placed in the parsonage for his convenience.

The birthday anniversary of Mrs. Wm. Pfeifle of Swiss Hill was celebrated Tuesday night by friends, who gathered there as a surprise and made a merry evening of it.

The Kenoza Lake School, under the direction of Mr. Neiger, its teacher, gave an entertainment in the schoolhouse, February 22, in celebration of the anniversary of the illustrious Washington. Invitations to the affair were sent out on paper hatchets.

On Friday the Callicoon Center Lower District and Hahn District schools enjoyed a sleigh ride to Hortonville, leaving Callicoon Center about one o'clock, led by the Callicoon Center band.

100 Years Ago - 1920

Bill VonBerg and Larry Haus­child are again in charge of the farm of Charles Mages while the latter is off to the hospital for another few days.

Mrs. Elroy B. Moulthrop, formerly Hannah Amelia Miller of Kenoza Lake, died at her home in Binghamton Saturday morning, aged 60 years. She spent the greater part of her life at Kenoza Lake where she was married. The family removed to Binghamton about 15 years ago.

Mrs. Cora J. Lixfield of Jeffersonville died at Plainfield, N.J., where she had gone to help nurse her son, William, through influenza and contracted it herself on Monday, January 26. Born Cora Jeanette Heidt, she was a daughter of the late Mrs. Phoebe J. Heidt of Kenoza Lake and was in her 47th year. She was married to Wm. H. Lixfield, who survives.

Charles Wagner of Jeffersonville is officiating as cook for Art Berringer and George Garrison, who are getting our timber at DeBruce.

The Jeff high school team beat the Independent Five of Liberty in the Jeff School auditorium Friday night, 14 to 12. For Jeff the team was Grishaber, Schmidt, Scheidell, Moran and Goodman. The play was rather rough and Keegan of the visitors retired in the first part of the second half.

At the meeting of the directors of the Callicoon Cooperative Dairy Association, held yesterday in Jeffersonville, the following officers were elected: Andrew VonBergen of Jeff, president; Frank E. Knack of Hortonville, vice president; Walter G. Scardefield of Kenoza Lake, secretary-treasurer. The other directors are Millard Lord of Galilee, Pa., and Grant Hawley of Lookout, Pa.

Callicoon Center, Feb. 15 — Mrs. John Willis is visiting in Brooklyn for a few weeks… One of Jacob Dietz' barn roofs caved in one day last week under the heavy snow.

90 Years Ago - 1930

Mr. and Mrs. Fred H. Starck of Monticello have gone to spend a winter vacation in Florida. Their son, Fred, will look after Dad's theatre business at Monticello during his absence.

One of the coolest periods of the winter was over last weekend. And the warmest day was yesterday, a spring day.

Senior and junior literary clubs have been organized among the young generations here, with library and reading rooms in the basement of Dr. J. Gain's residence.

Phil Eisenberg of the Maple Theatre spent the forepart of the week in the high town, booking new talking pictures and fixing other engagements.

Charles W. Wilfert last week leased his furnished boarding house on E. Main St. to Silverstein and Goodbread, two New York men, for the 1930 season. The house has 24 bedrooms.

The Board of Supervisors has voted to purchase an automobile for the sheriff's office at a cost not to exceed $1,000. The car must be used for the transfer of prisoners and other criminal business of the office, and not for civil or private business. Heretofore cars have been hired and bills have mounted up.

80 Years Ago - 1940

Charles S. Hick, district superintendent of the second supervisory district, has reported the apportionment of the first half of the state aid coming to the schools of his district. The total first half amount is $126,649.50. The 1939 legislature cut state aid ten percent.

The Republican Board of Supervisors last week appointed William G. Birmingham, of Liberty, county attorney to succeed John D. Lyons of Monticello, a Democrat, who held the position for over 20 years.

Archie Lobdell of Livingston Manor, at the Farm and Home Week at Ithaca last week, for the third straight year, won the state log chopping contest by hewing through a 10-inch beech log in 31 and 6/10th seconds. His nearest competitor took 45 and 2/10 seconds. Having won three times, Lobdell now gets the championship cup.

The school teachers and their families enjoyed an old-fashioned sleigh ride on a hay covered rigging behind a team of horses last Friday night. They went as far as Youngsville, four miles, and enjoyed the ride very much.

Mrs. William Kohler, president, was hostess at a Washington party at the regular meeting of the Presbyterian Ladies Aid Society yesterday. She was assisted in entertaining by her granddaughter, Miss Shirley Kohler, her daughter-in-law, Mrs. Percy Kohler, and Mrs. Olive Erdman.

Miss Erma Monington of Damascus, Pa., and Merrill Marks of Roscoe were married at the Roscoe Congregational parsonage last December 10, according to an announcement recently made.

The reappointment of Mrs. Sylvia F. Kenney as postmaster at Long Eddy has been confirmed by the U.S. Senate. Mrs. Kenney is the wife of Supervisor John P. Kenney of the Town of Fremont, who is also the Erie agent at Long Eddy.

Tuesday evening three new members were admitted to the Youngsville Fire Department: Andrew McFarlane, George Schoon­maker, and Robert Christoff.

70 Years Ago - 1950

On Saturday night, the Jeff Lions upset the All-American Amazons, a nationally known girls basketball team, 44 to 38. Scoring for the Lions were Myers, 8; Tonjes, 6; Crandall, 6; Stephenson, 4; Luckey, 2; and Burlingame, 2. In a foul shooting contest, Roy Crandall took first place, a bottle of milk, for four successful shots.

Gilbert Weiss spent the weekend at his home here.

Jay Strunk and James Kohler attended the sportsmen's show in New York.

Robert Clark and Alfred Wahl Jr. employed by Sattinger Motors, are in New York this week taking a course in the servicing of automobiles.

About 30 ladies attended a surprise stork shower for Mrs. Irving Kratz on February 18 at the home of Mrs. Tuleweit at the St. Regis in Beechwoods.

The Rockland town board adopted a resolution last week which will set the men on home relief to work cleaning up a 100-acre tract in that town. The land is owned by the Livingston Manor water district. Rockland has the highest relief expenditures of the 15 county townships.

The Sullivan County Evening News, a daily newspaper established in 1941 in Monticello by Arthur C. Kyle Jr., suspended publication recently. According to Harry Borwick, who with Seymour Lubin, owns the newspaper and radio station WVOS at Liberty, the newspaper will be published as the Evening News weekly and printed on Friday. The Sunday News-Republican, which had been published by the Evening News as a weekend weekly, will be discontinued.

Six hundred fifty applications have been received for 300 census enumerator jobs in the 29th Congressional District, according to Harry O. Prince, district supervisor of Middletown.

The New York City Board of Water Supply has awarded the contract for the Downsville dam and work was to begin this week. About 500 workmen will be hired.

Miss Ann Skorpen and Karl Sauer exchanged wedding vows February 18 at the Jeffersonville First Presbyterian Church.

James B. Dexter of South Cochecton was graduated from the New York State Ranger School on February 15. Mrs. Ralph Dexter attended the ceremonies.

On Thursday evening, February 16, a stork shower was tendered Mrs. Joseph Zalesky at the home of Mrs. Anna Schuster, River Rd., Callicoon, with 27 friends attending.

John J. Dillon, 93, retired editor and publisher of “The Rural New Yorker,” 100-year-old semi-month­ly farm magazine, published in Manhattan, died March 1 at his home in the Hotel Plaza, New York City. He was born in Mongaup Valley and had taught school in Orange and Sullivan counties.

60 Years Ago - 1960

Mr. and Mrs. Harry Burlingame of Jeffersonville announce the engagement of their granddaughter, Betty Jane Hinkley, to Donald R. Peters, son of Mr. and Mrs. Russell Peters of Callicoon.

Any lingering doubt about Livingston Manor being champion of the Western Sullivan League ended last Friday night when the Wildcats staged a last quarter rally to down determined Jeffersonville-Youngsville, 67 to 57.

Callicoon firemen responded to two fires last week, one of which was the garage owned by Harold Kellam of Fremont. The building and contents were completely destroyed. Kellam estimates his loss at 80 percent of the value of the building and contents. He intends to rebuild. The second fire was the home of Jack Turner in Galilee, Pa.

A 12-inch snowfall on Thursday night plus light snow late Friday, coupled with high winds Saturday gave Sullivan County one of its most rugged weekends since the 40-inch fall of February 16, 1958. Superintendent of Highways Joseph Boyle received a call early Sunday morning to plow out the road leading to the Howard Olson home in the Beechwoods, where Mr. Olson was struggling with a Jeep to get his wife to the Callicoon Hospital for delivery of a baby. Mrs. Olson was admitted to the hospital at 6 a.m., but the baby, a boy, wasn't born until that evening.

Peter Diehl of Kenoza Lake and Marcia Hoffmann of Fremont Center will represent Sullivan County at Capital Day in Albany for the 4-H.

Edwin T. Ockelmann, a resident of North Branch for the last 22 years, died at the age of 83 at his residence there on Tuesday, after an illness of 4 years. He was a printer and a pressman by trade, and upon his retirement, with his wife, came to North Branch and bought a home there from Mrs. Elizabeth Volkhausen.

Funeral services were held at Roscoe last Sunday for Frederick C. Dauch, formerly of Roscoe. He died February 18 at Knickerbocker Hospital in New York City at the age of 63.

Mr. and Mrs. Boris B. Horizny of Bethel recently celebrated their first wedding anniversary with Mr. and Mrs. Eugene Travis at the Hillside Inn in Narrowsburg.

Jane, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Anthony Banuat of Obernburg, became the bride of Arthur Keesler, son of Mr. and Mrs. Everett Keesler, Callicoon, on February 20 in a ceremony performed at St. Mary's Church, Obernburg.

50 years ago - 1970

Mildred Brigham, 63, Damascus correspondent for the Sullivan County Democrat, died at Wilson Memorial Hospital, Johnson City, where she had been admitted on Wednesday.

Fire of unknown origin completely gutted the old store building on the Leo Rosenberger property in Hortonville early Wednesday morning, February 18. The building was being remodeled into a residence for Mr. and Mrs. Jan Martin.

An albino-type deer was killed on the highway near Curtis Nurseries on the Pennsylvania side Thursday evening.

The State Democratic Convention has been set for April 1 and 2 and is to be held at Grossinger's according to County Democratic Chairman Francis “Stretch” Hanofee.

John Busing, a 13-year-old Jeffersonville boy, won the First Annual Sullivan County Ice Fishing Championship last Saturday on White Lake.

Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Hubert became parents of a boy, February 19, at the Liberty-Loomis Hospital. They live in Jeffersonville. Also at the same hospital, it was a boy, February 14, to Mr. and Mrs. Max Jara of Livingston Manor, and a girl to Mr. and Mrs. William Behrens of Woodbourne; February 15, it was a boy to Mr. and Mrs. Karl Yonkers of Ferndale; the 19th, a girl to Mr. and Mrs. Dennis Zimmerman of Grahamsville, and a girl to Mr. and Mrs. Raymond Bull of Liberty and Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Ackerley of Roscoe.

The Villa Roma Country Club in Beechwoods has been sold to Mr. and Mrs. Martin Passante and Mr. and Mrs. Daniel Vaccaro. The former owners, Mr. and Mrs. Ernest Vindigni, and son, George, have left for a month in sunny Florida.

Vincent Schmidt, grandson of Mrs. Elsie Schmidt of Callicoon Center, recently won the 175-lb. division wrestling contest in the Veraldi High School, Middletown.

Dr. Luther Grant of Liberty passed away in a New York hospital on Friday.

40 Years Ago - 1980

The Dairy Barn on North Main St., Liberty, blew up Wednesday when its door was opened so that the owner could start to ready it for the oncoming season. Owner John LaPolt and his 6-year-old daughter narrowly escaped injury when a vast explosion took place when LaPolt was about to reach for the door. LaPolt had been in the building the previous day to light a heater and Liberty firemen believe that the Wednesday blast originated with the heater.

Lisa Meckle of RD2, Narrowsburg, has been accepted for membership in the United States Collegiate Wind Band, a highly selective musical organization which will make a concert tour of England and seven European countries next July and August. Her parents are Mr. and Mrs. Lewis Meckle Jr.

Mrs. John Baden of Callicoon recently captured a 6 and 3/4 pound pickerel that measured 28 inches long at an undisclosed lake.

Joe and Charlene Meola recently opened a deli on Roscoe's Main St.

Mr. and Mrs. Stanley Streisfeld, owners of the Elegante Shoppe, Monticello, were honored guests at a surprise 35th wedding anni­versary celebration at the County Seat Restaurant on February 17.

Mr. and Mrs. Edward Gabriel are the proud parents of a baby girl, Karen Marie, who was born February 19 at Community General Hospital... Mr. and Mrs. Colan Keator of Briscoe became parents of a daughter, Anne Elisabeth, on February 11, at the same hospital.

30 Years Ago - 1990

Fifty-year service pins were presented to George Watson, William Sutherland, and Edward “Mike” Kelly; a 25-year pin to Charles Gibson; and 20-year pins to Carlton Fritz Jr., Richard Martinkovic, William Meredith and Irving Sazoff at the annual dinner of Liberty Hose and Truck Co. #2, held at the Liberty Ambulance building Saturday night. Former Chief Thomas Hasbrouck also presented Mr. Watson with a special firemen's lamp for his long active service in several capacities.

Caroline Kroeger of Bridgeville is about to embark on a new adventure. She has already been to Hudson Bay in Canada to save the polar bears and harp seals from extinction. She's been to Galapagos Islands off the coast of Ecuador in South America to save its rare turtles and to study and photograph its unique wildlife. She's been to Alaska and returned with a wolf she and her late husband, John, raised in their Bridgeville home. On March 19 she will begin a two-year stint in the Peace Corps in Botswana, Africa, to serve as a vocational training and business advisor to a work bridge.

A Monticello man was arrested for burglarizing the home of Sullivan County Sheriff Joseph Wasser. He was also charged with burglaries in two other homes on the same street.

In an OCL American Conference title game, Monticello fell to Middletown in double overtime, 64-63, in a game played at the Orange County Community College... The Eldred Yellowjackets finished a perfect 12-0 season to defeat Livingston Manor by a score of 84-62 on Manor's home court Friday evening. The win was Eldred's 17th victory in a row.

20 Years Ago - 2000

County officials have decided to avoid a conflict with the Town of Thompson over supplying sewer service for the Emerald Corporate Park and will simply build their own sewer plant to handle waste water from the site.

A short-lived fire on Main Street in Parksville destroyed the two-story Little Beaverkill Inn on Saturday afternoon. According to owner Wayne Cargill, though firefighters suspect a woodstove was to blame, the only woodstove was downstairs, and a preliminary investigation has concluded that the fire most likely began upstairs. Although customers were in the downstairs bar at the time of the fire, everyone escaped unharmed. A family of five living upstairs were not home at the time, but they now have to seek shelter elsewhere, as the entire building was gutted.

Scores of people visited Holiday Mountain ski area in Bridgeville this past weekend to enjoy its 27th annual Winter Carnival. The event included a fabulous fireworks display on Saturday evening.

Michelle Girard, daughter of Gale Myers and Gene Girard of Jeffersonville, was united in marriage with Joshua Hallenbeck, son of Paul and Sally Hallenbeck of Red Hook, in Kingston on November 14, 1998.

Jeff-Youngsville School Lady Trojan basketball scoring ace Beth Fanning scored her 1,000th career point on Saturday in a game against the Lady Indians of Liberty. Fanning racked up 13 points in the first half and 14 in the third frame. As her total reached 27, Fanning's teammates started a quiet countdown on the bench: 29, 31 and then, as if by magic, 33 equaled 1,000, as Fanning, whose jersey number is 33, scored her milestone point.

10 Years Ago - 2010

Mike Rodriguez, a 30 year-old Monticello resident made quite an impression at the New York Daily News Golden Gloves Boxing Tournament. Rodriguez knocked out Paul Getley 1:08 into the third round of their 152-pound bout at Archimedes Academy in the Bronx. Rodriguez used his powerful right hook to KO Getley. Rodriguez has been training at the International Boxing Academy of Monticello, Inc. since August 2008 and was pleasantly surprised by his victory. This was his first time competing in the Golden Gloves Tournament.

A decision two years in discussion finally came to a head. The Board of Education for the Monticello Central School District held their budget meeting to decide the fate of the Duggan Elementary School in White Lake. The magnitude of the decisions to be made during public session silenced the previously chatty crowd. After much discussion, presentations, public comment and comments from students upset over the loss this means for their education, voices from all over the Monticello area were heard. The Board voted 5-4 in favor of adopting a budget with a 6 percent levy increase and the closure of the Duggan School. The decision was not met with applause, relief, excitement or fury; instead, the room was quiet from the weight of the proposal and the depth of a cut of 61 full-time employees (three administrators, 46 teachers and 12 support staff).

SUNY Sullivan announced that Joan Farrow, longtime college supporter and member of its Board of Trustees, was recognized with the Marvin A. Rapp Award for Distinguished Trustee Service from the New York Community College Trustees (NYCCT) of the State University of New York, Inc. In addition, Harris-based Catskill Regional Medical Center received the NYCCT Business/Industry Partnership Award on behalf of the organization's collaboration with the college.