110 Years Ago - 1910

Callicoon Center, Mar. 25 — “Down on the Farm,” a rural comedy drama, was presented at Steinhauser's Hall a week ago Wednesday by local talent for the benefit of the band, with grand success. The participants have been urged to take the show out of town. We understand they are going to take it to Roscoe and Youngsville.

Mileses, Mar. 24 - George W. Sipple of Mileses has sold his farm in Fremont Center, better known as the B. Wood place, to Carl Schultz, consideration $1,000. Mr. Sipple reserves all hemlock lumber… Mrs. Calla P. Milk, the Long Eddy real estate agent, was in Fremont last week on business and while here called on Lewis Huff. We understand he has placed his large boarding house in her hands for sale.

Hankins, Mar. 25 — Peter Wagner started Thursday morning with four pairs of oxen, which he is to deliver to Birdseye Young at Bullville, Orange Co. He was accompanied by William Graby. Mr. Wagner will look over some of the Orange county methods of farming while he is there… A forest fire is raging at the present time between here and Long Eddy. It kept Messrs. Weisbaum and Litzenbauer busy to keep it away from their buildings.

Charles O. Bohl, a resident of Callicoon Center, died of typhoid pneumonia March 20 in his 67th year. He leaves 9 children.… Mrs. Nancy Wright died at the home of her son, M.H. Wright at Livingston Manor last Monday. She was 81.

100 Years Ago - 1920

The scarlet fever situation has become quite serious at Lookout, Pa., reaching what might be termed an epidemic stage. Charles Lockwood, little son of the blacksmith of that place, has come down with the dreaded disease. The infant son of Mr. and Mrs. John Drumm was buried Thursday. Two children of Mr. and Mrs. Merle Watson are beginning to show symptoms of the fever.

Miss Helen Byrnes of New York City and Gus Knack Jr. of Callicoon were united in marriage March 17, 1920, at the home of the bride. Mr. Knack has employment at Howlands Garage.

On Monday evening, March 15, at nine p.m. at the home of Mr. and Mrs. R. Hartman of Washington, D.C., Miss Katherine Irene Reichmann of Acidalia and Chapell Peake of Long Eddy were united in marriage. Mr. Peake is employed in Washington, D.C., where the couple will make their residence.

Wm. Smith, our veteran lumberman, says this winter beats anything in his remembrance for drifting. He is now hauling sawed stuff to ship by rail… The farm annex to a log house near Milanville has been crushed in by the weight of snow, but the log part stood the strain. This is the only log house we know of in existence today. It was for many years the home of Buckley Bedient and family. In the early ‘80s he and most of the family emigrated to Kansas. They contracted a fever and nearly all of the family who went there died.

Miss Mamie Newman of Fremont and Floyd Allgeier of Niagara Falls were united in marriage at the Callicoon Center parsonage by Rev. Straub, March 24, 1920. Eva Conroy and Howard Allgeier, brother of the groom, were the attendants. After a wedding trip to Niagara Falls they will reside in Fremont.

Mr. and Mrs. Fred Schwab were happily surprised the evening of March 22 when over fifty of their relatives, friends and neighbors gathered at their home in honor of their 50th wedding anniversary. Music for dancing was furnished by Walter Campbell. They were married in Port Jervis in 1870 where they resided before moving to Barry­ville.

Raymond A. Meyers and Miss Gladys A. Hill were married March 27, 1920, at the parsonage of the North Street Congregational Church in Middletown by the pastor, Rev. Samuel Millar. Agnes Ernst and Dorothy Hill attended them. Mr. Myers is a student of forestry at Cornell. They will reside at Woodstock, Ulster County — Eldred Corresp.

Wm. P. Abplanalp of Youngs­ville has suffered the loss of six head of horned stock through the ravages of blackleg. Reports from various quarters of the country indicate that there has been much loss of stock through death, though the cases vary. The loss has been greater than in years past.

When a broken wheel on a coal car derailed 19 cars at Upper Pond Eddy Wednesday evening, the Erie suffered its sixth wreck on the Delaware Division this winter. Traffic on the division was tied up until Thursday noon. It required 5,000 ties to restore the track.

At a meeting of the Callicoon town board last week a contract was made for a Holland portable combination stone crusher and distributor to be delivered this spring for work on the roads. It is planned to resurface the stone roads on the North Road at Youngsville and from North Branch to the Delaware town line.

90 Years Ago - 1930

John Gary and Edith Newmann have been named enumerators for the census taking in the Town of Delaware, together with Emily Peterson of Jeffersonville. Others to serve will be: Town of Bethel - Wm. G. Kinnie and William Miller; Callicoon - Lawrence Hauschild, Orville Lentz and Andre D. Schoonmaker; Cochecton - Herman Heinle; Fremont - Wm. Stoesser and Charles J. Hoffman; Highland - Irving Quick; Lumberland - Grace m. Knight; Rockland - Albert H. Davis, Preston Terwilliger and Floyd Terwilliger; and Tusten - Otto Finkbohner.

The Little Shanley, well-known casino on the road to White Lake, was totally destroyed by fire Saturday morning. An adjoining garage also went up in flames. It was closed for the winter.

The oratorical contest of the Callicoon High School was held Thursday night. Margaret Halladay, whose subject was “The Supreme Court,” is the winner. Her paper will be sent to Washington, D.C. , for the final contest. Mary Huff won second place and Harriet Graby, third.

A daughter, Rose Marie, was born to Mr. and Mrs. Stephen Wormuth of Lake Huntington on March 23.… Born to Mr. and Mrs. Edward Gorr of Callicoon, Saturday, March 8, a 9 1/2 pound son, Herbert.

Twins, a boy and a girl, were born to Mr. and Mrs. Gerald Hawley of Lookout, Pa., on March 19. The newcomers have been named Everett and Evelyn. Dr. George R. Mills of Callicoon was the physician in charge.

Oscar Ropke, who purchased the old Narrowsburg school building, is removing it to his home at Lava. He states that it will make a large garage when erected. Old papers telling of the happenings in the village 50 years ago were found in the structure.

Dr. George R. Mills of Callicoon has purchased the Adelaide M. Anderson property on Church Street in Callicoon. The price is said to have been in the neighborhood of $10,000. Possession will be taken about May 1.

Principal R.M. Andrews has announced that Harold Ahlquist, with an average of 82.7, will be Valedictorian; Miss Margaret Halladay with an average of 82.3 percent, will be Salutatorian at the Commencement Exercises of the Class of 1930. Harriet Graby, with an average of 79, was given honorable mention. The Senior Class will take a trip to Washington, D.C., during Easter vacation, if sufficient funds can be raised. Other schools have made this a practice for several years past but not until this year was the matter considered at the local seat of learning. The excursion starts at Liberty and is under the auspices of a teacher at Ellen­ville.

80 Years Ago - 1940

Howard Fink, employed for a few years by the Democrat, is the first employee of the Woodcraft Industries, Inc., assuming his duties Tuesday. William Fink is the new printer's devil in the Democrat.

Col. Guernsey T. Cross, attorney in the Veteran's Administration in Washington, D.C., was a business and social caller in town Monday and Tuesday. He is a former resident of Callicoon.

Mr. and Mrs. Peter Gebelein of Mileses are the proud parents of a daughter, Arlene Regina, born March 17 at the Callicoon Hospital. She has a brother, George, aged 6 years.

The home of Mr. and Mrs. William Milk of Rock Valley was the scene on Tuesday, March 5, of the quiet observance of their golden anniversary. There are four living children: two sons, John W. of Rock Valley and Charles C. of Long Eddy, and two daughters, Mrs. Robert Peake of Franklin and Mrs. May Bollman of Binghamton.

The Rev. G. Roy Bragg, pastor of Callicoon Methodist Church, has accepted a call to St. John's Church in Newburgh. He has been on the Callicoon Charge for three years.

Mr. and Mrs. Oscar Robisch of Hortonville are the parents of a baby girl, Joyce Amelia, born Saturday, March 23. Discharged during the week from the Callicoon Hospital were Mrs. Henry Doyle and infant daughter of Long Eddy, Mrs. Neil Tobin and infant son of Damascus, Pa., and Mrs. Peter Gebelein and infant daughter of Mileses.

William H. Miller was commissioned postmaster at Narrowsburg March 4. He succeeds George W. Seibert who resigned.

Harry C. Schuler was re-elected chief of the Callicoon Center Fire Department at the annual meeting Tuesday night. This is the 17th time that Chief Schuler has been elected to that office.

Monday evening at nine o'clock, C.D.A. Schmidt discovered a fire in the Schmidt hen house in the rear of the store and storage house. The building was housing a flock of 500 baby chicks belonging to John Knise.

The seniors who made the trip to Washington, D.C. by special train last Saturday morning were Frances LeRoy, Dorothy Maus, Martha Bernhardt, Gloria Buddenhagen, Constance Robisch, Madeline Plaskin, Ruth Tiemann, Betty Dowitsch, Lillian Weiss, Clara Theadore, Irma Gamrak, Beulah Leschorn, Patricia Freda, Clinton Long, Warren Miller, Leonard Mauer, Lawrence Mauer, Francis Horvath, Fred Bender, Gerald Robisch, Donald Tate, Henry Hoffmann, William Euker, Paul Hermann and Clarence Brustman. Mrs. Norma Stengel and Mr. Vernon R. Titus were chaperones.

70 Years Ago - 1950

Joseph R. Wagner, 41, was killed instantly last Friday morning when his truck was wrecked on Route 97 just east of the Tusten rock cut. He was an employee of Ohls Hatchery in Callicoon.

At the Callicoon Hospital it was a son Friday to Mr. and Mrs. Robert Becker and to Mr. and Mrs. Harold Hawley of Equinunk, Pa. Mr. and Mrs. Theodore Winter of Narrowsburg are the parents of a daughter, born Tuesday.

Mrs. Clara Knise Ruppert of Long Eddy has been employed as dental hygiene teacher through the Board of Cooperative Educational Services to serve the schools at Youngsville, Jeffersonville and Delaware Valley at Callicoon.

Flight “E” of the 9265th Volunteer Air Reserve Training Unit enjoyed a most interesting meeting at the American Legion Home in Jeffersonville, March 20, under the direction of Commander Warren K. Miller. Any former members of the U.S. Air Force interested and eligible for this program are urged to contact Lt. Miller at Hortonville.

Miss Margaret Moore, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. E.L. Moore of Galilee, received her cap at the capping ceremonies at Binghamton City Hospital on March 10. She is a member of the Class of 1949 of the Damascus High School.

A number of North Branch people accepted the invitation to visit the Loomis property at Liberty which is being considered as a welfare home for Sullivan County. There is much favorable Comment. — North Branch Corresp.

Mr. and Mrs. William Lieb of Jeffersonville celebrated their 57th wedding anniversary on March 30.

Mr. and Mrs. Donald Perkins of Honesdale, Pa., are the parents of a son born Tuesday at the Callicoon Hospital. Mr. and Mrs. Lyle Vannatta of Cochecton are the parents of a daughter born Wednesday; Mr. and Mrs. John Lockhart of Callicoon became parents of a son, born Monday.

Another accident occurred Sunday morning at the intersection of Route 97 and the street on Olympia Hill. Tom Brennan, on his way to church, didn't see anything approaching on Route 97, but when he got to the westbound lane he struck the Oldsmobile sedan of Mr. and Mrs. J. William Gager of Galilee, Pa. Both cars were damaged considerably but fortunately no one was hurt. As stated before, a traffic light at that intersection would eliminate most of the accidents there or shall we wait until there is a fatality? — Excerpt from the Editorial.

Born to Mr. and Mrs. Carl Hanson, a son, March 11, at Rileyville. Mrs. Hanson is the former Elma Thoney. Born to Mr. and Mrs. Wilson Hughson, a son. She is the former Helen Thoney. Mrs. Ruth Thoney became a grandmother twice this month… Snowflakes as large as snowballs fell here during the storm on Tuesday of last week. We have never seen them as large before. — Jeff Corresp.

Mrs. Henrietta Hoops Thorwelle, widow of the late Charles T. Thorwelle, died at her home in Callicoon, March 28, after an extended illness.

Dr. E.T. Rumble of Callicoon was elected commander of the H. Russell Kenyon Post, VFW, on March 23. John Mages of Jeffersonville was elected senior vice commander. Paul Hermann of Callicoon is the junior vice commander.

60 Years Ago - 1960

Miss Gail Tremper became the bride of Carl Fredd on March 20 in the Presbyterian Church in Youngsville.

Twin firetrucks, for Roscoe and White Sulphur Springs, arrived last Wednesday.

On Thursday evening, March 17, the North Branch Volunteer Fire Department celebrated the golden anniversary of the founding of their organization with a steak dinner for the firemen and the auxiliary at the firehouse. Andy Cipriani was master of ceremonies and introduced three charter members — Henry Steffens, Charles Schmidt and Edward Bauernfeind. Fred Schlich­ting gave a history of the department and recalled that the first truck was built in March 1911 at the local blacksmith shop and was usually handdrawn because of the absence of an available horse. The department purchased a firehouse which has been the home of the Junior Order of the United Order of the American Mechanics. In 1944, the firemen's auxiliary was organized and in 1945 the first firemen's field day was held.

Miss Rita Meyer, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Al Meyer, Mileses, reported for work with the FBI in Washington, D.C. on Monday.

It was all boys at the Callicoon Hospital when a son was born to Mr. and Mrs. Jerome Menges of Jeffersonville and to Mr. and Mrs. Raymond Beaulieu of Callicoon on Saturday, and a son arrived Wednesday for Mr. and Mrs. Elwin Davis of Milanville.

Sheriff Louis Ratner moved his offices from the Monticello courthouse to the new jail addition Friday and Saturday of last week.

Albert Wainio, former resident of Fremont Center, recently shared with two other lighting engineers a $9,000 patent award by the Westinghouse Electric Corp., lamp division in Bloomfield in recognition of their invention of an electrostatic bulb coating machine.

Mr. and Mrs. Wm. Baker of Abrahamsville were honored at a Golden Wedding Anniversary dinner at the Hancock House, Hancock, on March 2.

50 years ago - 1970

Paul Adam, son of Mr. and Mrs. Richard Adam, Callicoon, was honored last Tuesday at a meeting of the Cub Scout Pack 113 as Cub Scout of the Month. Paul, a denner for his Den 3, earned his Bear Badge and Gold and Silver Arrows, and was recognized for these achievements.

Mr. and Mrs. Floyd Allgeier held open house in celebration of their 50th wedding anniversary on Saturday, March 21. Their granddaughter, Miss Carol Germer, was hostess.

The chorus, under the direction of Willard Slausenberg, did an outstanding job of presenting the Broadway play, “Oliver,” at the school last weekend.

Miss Jane Ellen Poley, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Earle Poley, North Branch, became the bride of Daniel, son of Mrs. Herbert Buddenhagen of Hortonville, on March 21, at a ceremony performed at the North Branch United Methodist church. Dan is stationed on the USS John F. Kennedy.

Denis P. Chicola, a senior at St. Joseph's Franciscan Seminary, Callicoon, has become the finalist representing the 9-district Hudson Area in the 1970 Knights of Columbus Oratorical Contest.

The hotel technology department at the Sullivan County Community College on Monday honored Paul Grossinger as its “Hotel Man of the Year.” The luncheon was prepared and served by students of the college as a classroom project.

Local children appearing on Channel 12's “Officer Bill,” pre-recorded show to be shown April1, will be Debbie, Brent, Glen and Brian Rosenberger, Dawn Priebe, Jeffrey Highhouse, Penny and Jeffrey Rosenberger, Trina Dimler, Patricia Ziegler, Randy Stewart and Michael Wilcox.

“It's time we're fighting against,” County Historian Manville Wakefield told the county supervisors Monday night during a discussion of possible county acquisition of the Fort Delaware complex at Narrowsburg, a Revolutionary War replica. Fort Delaware was constructed about 13 years ago by a corporation of Narrowsburg men, some of whom have since died. The Fort has attracted an average of 12,000 visitors annually and with proper county promotion it is felt that that number can easily be increased. Bethel Supervisor Neuhaus backed action on acquiring the fort.

Once again Sullivan County's exhibit at the annual International Camping and Sports Show at the New York Coliseum excited the attention of throngs who visited there on opening weekend. The old grist mill, with a working waterwheel, attracted all who carried cameras, and information seekers kept all four counters busy from opening to closing each day. A pair of wood ducks swim in the millpond at the foot of the exhibit's waterwheel and from time to time the first day they became excited and attempted to fly out of their sanctuary (so says the newspaper account). Animals, supplied by the Conservation Department and housed in alcoves of the exhibit, include a possum, a raccoon, two gray squirrels and a skunk. Eleven of the county's campsite operators supplied brochures and other informational materials for distribution while the Publicity and Development Office had available data pertinent to all of the 27 which are now operating or planning to begin this spring.

40 Years Ago - 1980

The main residence of a former bungalow colony on Dorrer Road in the Town of Callicoon was severely damaged by fire Wednesday evening, March 19. Jeffersonville, Youngsville and Kenoza Lake firefighters were able to save the residence of George Semenetz of New York City, being lived in by his son, Greg, from total destruction.

Robert F. Flacke, state Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner, said last Sunday that his agency has acquired the 1,610 acre Alder Lake Boy Scout Camp near the hamlet of Turnwood by condemnation.

Mrs. Corrine Briggs, incumbent Republican Monticello Village Trustee, last week, thanks to 119 absentee ballots, managed to eke out a four-vote margin of victory over her nearest Democratic challenger, Sheldon Nevins, to retain her seat and thereby provide the only stumbling block to a Democratic sweep in that community. Louis Harmin was elected mayor. In Jeffersonville, newcomer to politics Mrs. Jane Bodenstein unseated 30-year board veteran Joseph Beiling.

Mr. and Mrs. Clyde Muthig have announced the engagement of their daughter, Wendy, to James G. McCarthy of Grahamsville. A May wedding is planned.

Grace and Charles Mills of Callicoon celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary on March 27.

For the second year in a row, Philip Jacobsen, a member of the Monticello High School debate team, has captured the humorous interpretation crown in state competition, earning him a trip to Huntsville, Alabama, where he will compete on a national level. Cele Bisguine reached the semi-finals in both dramatic interpretation and humorous interpretation.

Two officials of the Sullivan County Special Olympics said last Friday that a bid is being drawn to host the 1980 International Special Olympics in Monticello and Liberty. If the bid is accepted, the games would be slated for March 1-4 at the Concord Hotel in Kiamesha Lake, Grossinger's Hotel and Country Club in Liberty and Kutsher's Country Club in Monticello. Participating in the Olympics would be 500 athletes, accompanied by some 250 coaches.

Andrea Ledina, daughter of Burton and Harriet Ledina of Monticello, competed in the Upstate New York Sectional meet Saturday. She qualified for a place in the all-state match scheduled for April 19 in Utica.

Dora Muller celebrated her 100th birthday at the Walnut Mountain Nursing Home in Liberty.

30 Years Ago - 1990

Katrina Mack of Monticello has been named the Democrat's Player of the Year for the second consecutive year. She has averaged over 30 points per game for the Monties. She has never attended a basketball camp to hone her vast skills but rather learned the game by playing with and against her brothers. In three years of varsity basketball, Mack has scored a school record of 1,850 points (710 of them this year alone). The Monties have a 21-2 record this year and have won the SCCC Division I Holiday Tournament, the Orange County League (OCL) Central Division title, the OCL overall championship and the Section IX Class B Championship.

Eldred voters rejected building plans for the second time in five months by a vote of 814-539, cast on Wednesday.

Herman Bressler, known as “Mr. Bluebird” for his untiring efforts in distributing bluebird houses, has earned the Cavity Nesting Bird Conservationist of the Year award from the Audubon Society of New York.

Members of the Liberty High School Science Olympiad Team recently won the right to compete on a state level in competitions to be held at West Point on March 31. Liberty was the only Sullivan County school to compete in the mid-Hudson regional competition which they won by 11 points over the next highest team.

Sister Kevin John Shields was given the 1990 Humanitarian Award by B'nai B'rith/B'nai B'rith Women of Sullivan County on Sunday. She is primarily known for her work with young people against drug abuse during the 12 years she has been in the county.

The United Way campaign netted over $128,548 in their annual fundraising campaign, realizing over $30,000 more than the goal set.

The annual Sullivan County Dairy Day drew 150 farmers and 32 business exhibits to the event held in the Youngsville Firehouse. Dairy Princess Wendy Russell and her court, Alternate Princess Jeanne Peters, and Dairy Maids Jennifer Armbrust, Amy Kays and Jenny Hillriegel, served refreshments during the day.

20 Years Ago - 2000

Sullivan County Manager Jonathan Drapkin's office was a hubbub of activity last Friday following the announcement that he would be leaving county service after four years at the helm. He will be taking the position of Executive Director at the Gerry Foundation in Liberty.

A dozen students from Monticello's schools symbolically broke ground to begin construction of the Robert J. Kaiser Middle School Sunday at ceremonies in Monticello. The new school building is the first in more than 30 years in the county's largest school district. The project includes adding classrooms to the Cooke and Rutherford Schools in Monticello as well as increasing the size of the Duggan School in White Lake and Chase School in Wurtsboro.

This year's edition of the Ron Francisco Memorial Table Tennis Tournament at Liberty High School pitted 32 students against each other in single elimination play. Justin Melchick emerged as the winner, and runnerup was John McDonough. Both are 17-year-old seniors at LCS. The tournament is named after the late Ron Francisco, a physical education teacher and coach at the high school, who passed away in 1995.

Twenty-four-year-old Paul Minton started bowling as an 11-year-old in the Saturday Morning Teen-age Youth league at Liberty Lanes. Thirteen years later, on March 9 at Liberty Lanes, Minton smashed the maples for 12 strikes in a row and a perfect 300 game. A 1994 graduate of Liberty High School, Paul is currently employed as a Cellular One sales representative and plans to go to the Professional Bowlers School in the near future, with the hope of progressing on to the Major Professional Bowlers Tour in the next several years.

10 Years Ago - 2010

Angelique Ramos of Girl Scout Troop 454 in Liberty and Liberty HS is trying to complete her Girl Scout Gold Award by building a library of at least 1,000 books for Sullivan County Early Start in Woodbourne. So far she has collected six boxes of books, $200 in donations as well as 200 books from a book drive at Liberty HS.

Monticello High School's baseball team returned from a week of baseball in the Sunshine State. The Panthers traveled to the Cocoa Expo near Orlando, Fla. for three days of scrimmages against teams from the Northeast area and practiced everyday. The facility near Cocoa Beach, Fla. has been used as a spring training base by both the Houston Astros and Florida Marlins.

An official ribbon cutting for the Boys & Girls Club at the Liberty Middle School was held. The newest location marks the third B&G Club in the county, joining Monticello and Fallsburg.

Callicoon resident and 2009 Sullivan West CSD graduate Melanie Kleiner is wrapping up her freshman season as a member of the University of Miami women's golf team. Melanie Kleiner is the daughter of Villa Roma Golf Pro Matt Kleiner and his wife, Jill, who reside in Callicoon. Kleiner and her Miami teammates finished eight in the 2010 Atlantic Coast Conference Championships, which were held at the Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro, N.C.