110 Years Ago - 1910

Dr. Richard McKay of Livingston Manor, one of the best known physicians in Sullivan County, was found dead in his office last Tuesday afternoon. It is believed that he had been dead twenty-four hours when his body was discovered and that the cause of his death was heart trouble.

The Lambie Construction Co. are rushing the sewer plant in Monticello in spite of the inclement weather and the wet digging. The ground is so saturated with water that in some localities it runs into the ditches faster than it can be bailed out, but notwithstanding that disadvantage they have nearly 2,000 feet of pipe laid and several man-holes dug.

Miss Martha Wagner came near having a serious accident Friday as she was going from the village of Hankins to her home. Near the schoolhouse she met an automobile, which frightened the horse so that he turned around very suddenly and threw Miss Wagner from the wagon. She escaped serious injury although badly shaken up.

The Court House in Monticello is now being rushed. Fifty men are employed in the various departments of the work.

It is understood that a worthless fellow is harboring with and imposing upon a poor unfortunate female in this village. It may be necessary to organize the old white-cap society that handled such cases so effectually a few years ago. — Livingston Manor Times.

Mr. and Mrs. James Percival returned Friday from their honeymoon. In the evening a skimmelton was given in their honor at Callicoon.

Sunday's New York World contained an interview with T.A. Cook of Callicoon. Mr. Cook is building sleds for the Canadian Expedition that will start in June in search of the records left by Dr. Cook at Etah.

Charlie and Eddie Homer of the Eagle Hotel, Jeffersonville, are the recipients of the Maxwell runabout “given” away by Grant Palmer of Liberty. They have been offered $600 for their prize.

100 Years Ago - 1920

Private Emmett Turner Post of the American Legion, Jeffersonville, is planning for a large attendance of members and friends at the reunion of the World War veterans at Monticello Friday. President Reilly of the Post will meet the guests of honor, who comprise the next of kin of soldiers killed in action at the Delaware House, Callicoon, and escort them to Monticello and return. At present it appears at least one auto load will go from each town of Long Eddy, Hankins, North Branch, Callicoon Center, Jeffersonville, Cochecton and Narrowsburg and six or eight from Callicoon. The program will be one of the most elaborate ever attempted in this section of the state. Some of the striking features are: Unveiling of the monument tablet; Presentation of the French Memorial Certificates for Sullivan County's sons who made the supreme sacrifice; speeches by Secretary of State Hugo, Judge Cunningham, Judge Smith and other men of prominence; parade of ex-servicemen in uniform, G.A.R. veterans, Red Cross members, Daughters of the Revolution, military cadets and school children. Several bands and drum corps will render martial music. There will be an airplane exhibition, athletic events, band concerts, moving pictures, free dancing and a galaxy of other attractions.

A barn, over 100 years old, belonging to Howard Mitchell, is being torn down and the timbers transported to Lake Huntington where they will be used to construct a shooting gallery on the site of the one destroyed by the recent fire. — Cochecton Wireless Corresp.

Paul T. Griffith, junior member of Thos. Griffith & Son, went to Lake Ariel and brought a Fordson tractor home, making the trip across the county and reached home about 4 o'clock Saturday afternoon. We wouldn't care to work a critter like that as the noise made by it would drown the musical notes of the dinner horn. — Damascus Corresp.

Sparks from the smoke stack of Train #3 recently set fire to the shingles on the roof of Wm. Dermody's store. Prompt action averted a conflagration in Cochecton.

Frank Emrich and Frank Bury received a quantity of trout fingerlings from the state hatchery this week and stocked the Fremont streams with them.

Everyone who has passed along the State Road during the recent months must have noticed the absence of the cross from the steeple of the St. James Church. The old cross was blown down during the night one very windy night last fall and since that time the weather had been such that it was too dangerous for anyone to attempt to replace it. Friday the handsome gold leaf cross, donated by Adam Metzger, was erected by Contractor John Lowe.

Miss M. Annette Graebner, who has been a teacher in the primary grades of the Callicoon High School for the past five years, has resigned for ill health. The services of Principal Fisher, Miss Thomp­son and Miss Akers have been secured for another year. Harold Mitchell will instruct the sixth and seventh grades.

Miss Dorothy Tyler, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Web Tyler, and A. Hance, formerly of Hempstead, but now locally employed by the Erie as a tie inspector, were married in Honesdale, May 1, 1920. Mr. Hance saw two years' service with the engineers of the A.E.F. They are at present at the Tyler home.

90 Years Ago - 1930

Thirty acres of land was burned over between the Lesser and Lawless farms last Monday noon. White Sulphur firemen responded to the call sent in by Mrs. F. Bryan, who lives nearby. The fire burned within 25 feet of the Lawless barn.

Herbert C. Persbacker and Henry Boehmer, both employees of Martin Hermann Lumber Co., Callicoon, escaped with slight injuries last Sunday afternoon when the Ford truck they were driving left the road near Hankins and turned over several times before stopping at the foot of a steep embankment.

Fire, believed to have been started by a spark from an electric pump, destroyed 25,000 gallons of gasoline and kerosene and threatened 75,000 gallons of fuel oil and kerosene nearby at the Unica Service, Inc. storage plant at Monticello Tuesday morning. Monticello firemen were compelled to use a relay hose system to pump water on the fire. Loss was estimated at $10,000.

Mr. and Mrs. Fred Austin (formerly Ruth Ryder of Rock Valley) of Bennington, Vt., are rejoicing over the birth of a girl on April 4... Born to Mr. and Mrs. Fred Fendt, a daughter, Ruth Marie, on May 6 ... Born to Mr. and Mrs. David Keesler, a daughter, Vivian, April 27, 1930. Miss Thelma Minckler is assisting with the work.

A party of prominent Monticello men, consisting of Dr. Ralph Spaulding, A.A. Calkin, Howard Beecher, Fred Carpenter, and Harry Allen left Saturday for Sandy Pond, Lake Ontario, where they will spend a week fishing for lake trout and northern pike.

County Supt. of Highways, A. Toaspern and assistants, are unloading several cars of stone in preparation for patching and tarring the road between Cochecton and Fosterdale corners. This piece of road is now maintained by the county with state and makes a stone turnpike from the Delaware River at Cochecton to the Hudson River at Newburgh... The electric light problem still persists in being a knotty problem for local residents here. We are at a positive disadvantage without lighting current. Summer guests and possible renters or buyers regard as unfavorable where no lighting facilities are to be secured. We can remove the obstacle by taking up the matter and presenting our request for lighting service. — Cochecton Corresp.

The Schultz bus line is making its first run to Callicoon from New York City today, leaving here at 2 p.m. Edwin Schultz is driving the first trip and will return with one of the new buses. The Lake Huntington Transportation Company announces that it will begin operations Saturday. Both lines will make only one trip daily each way for the present.

80 Years Ago - 1940

The dam at Cochecton Center Lake burst several weeks ago revealing tree stumps in a good state of preservation after being submerged for more than 100 years. The bottoms and roots show no sign of decay and bark still remains on portions of the stumps.

Miss Frances Oestrich, daughter of Henry Oestrich of Callicoon, became the bride of Irwin Turner, son of Mrs. Ira Turner, also of Callicoon, on May 2. Rev. Burt Hickox performed the ceremony at the Damascus Methodist Parsonage. Hilda Neumann of Callicoon and Forest Stalker of Equinunk, Pa., were the honor attendants.

At the Callicoon Hospital, it was a girl to Mr. and Mrs. Anthony Schumacher of Callicoon, Sunday night; a girl for Mr. and Mrs. Jesse Fulton of Kenoza Lake on Monday night.

There were 18 city guests at the Tumble Inn, Callicoon Center, over the weekend. Harry Schuler, owner, has recently made numerous improvements at the place, among them having plywood put in the downstairs hall and having the hotel kitchen redecorated. James Mack, well-known here where for several years he was employed at Tumble Inn, was discharged from a hospital in Edinburgh, Scotland, April 13, just a year and a week after he had been admitted seriously ill with pulmonary trouble. — Callicoon Center Corresp.

Nearly a million and a half pike were planted in the Delaware River last evening by Wm. L. Bergner and Ted Botsford.

70 Years Ago - 1950

Callicoon was saluted May 3 on the Jack Sterling Show over Station WCBS, New York City, from 6:30 to 7 a.m. The opening paragraph of Sterling's remarks were: “Our community today goes to Callicoon, New York... a community of some 900 people on the Delaware River in western Sullivan County. I'm sorry we have no information on how Callicoon got its interesting name...but we do know that a grist mill, built on the Callicoon Creek, gave it its start about 1813. The most important of its early industries were logging and rafting... but with the coming of the Erie Railroad in 1848, it became an important marketing center for the surrounding countryside. The building of the railroad attracted a lot of Irish families to the area...and a lot of Germans too. They were all thrifty, industrious folks... and their hard work laid the foundation for the present prosperity of Callicoon.”

In the Callicoon Hospital, it was a son to Mr. and Mrs. Melvin Appel of Girdland on Friday; a son to Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Boyle of Callicoon on Monday; a daughter to Mr. and Mrs. Irving Kratz of Callicoon on Tuesday.

Mrs. Joie Keesler of Lake Huntington was installed president of the Ladies Auxiliary to the Wm. T Rohrmann Post 9082, VFW, by Mrs. Gertrude Graham of Jeffersonville. To serve with Mrs. Keesler are Kathryn Bischoff, Junior Vice President; Genevieve Butzgy, Conductress; Chaplain Loretta Keesler; Treasurer Lorraine Sleeper; Guard Vera Keesler; Secretary Gladys Theiss; Color Bearers Mildred Meyer, Evelyn Nober, Rosie Scott and Selma Nober; Patriotic Instructor Jeanette Jirinec; Historian Henrietta Gasko; Trustee Sophia Theis and Musician Evelyn Milligan.

Congratulations to Mr. and Mrs. Ronald Darder on the birth of a son Monday morning. The little man has an older sister. — Goulds Corresp.

Otto Koch of the Catskill Ranger 4-H Club, and William Groth of the Roscoe Pioneer 4-H Club, have each received 100 chicks as an award for the fine way in which each kept records on their last year's flock. Otto's are New Hampshire Red chicks from the Christie Brothers Hatchery; William has white Leghorn chicks from the Buckley Hatchery. — Roscoe School Notes.

A son was born to Mr. and Mrs. Russell Duttweiler of Jeffersonville at the Callicoon Hospital last Wednesday. Mrs. Eliot Valenti and twins of Narrowsburg were discharged from the hospital this past week.

Herman Robisch, for several years a clerk in the Victory Store, Callicoon, is now manager of the Hankins Victory store. He assumed his new duties Monday morning.

60 Years Ago - 1960

Announcement of the engagement of Virginia Buddenhagen to Tito W. Guglielmone, has been made by her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Herbert Buddenhagen. A late summer wedding is planned.

A business certificate for the Callicoon Body Shop was filed at the county clerk's office at Monticello on May 9 by Richard J. Adam of Callicoon.

Rosemary McGuire, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Allen McGuire, Callicoon, has been named to serve as chairman of the Alleghany County High School oratorical contest, currently being sponsored by the Young Democratic Clubs of America. Rosemary is president of the Young Democrats Club at Alfred University.

Mr. and Mrs. Walter G. Scardefield announce the engagement of their daughter, Shirley, to William H. Seyler of Coxsackie.

James Elardi, 61, of Tennanah Lake, died May 6th in the Roscoe Community Hospital.

Villagers of Callicoon will soon be able to enjoy one of their favorite summertime treats when Mr. and Mrs. J. Thomas McCoach of Fosterdale open their frozen custard stand. The business occupies a small building between the railroad tracks and the Martin Hermann Lumber Co.

At the Callicoon Hospital it was a daughter Friday to Mr. and Mrs. Donald Hess of Hortonville; a daughter Friday to Mr. and Mrs. Frank Eldred of Equinunk; and a son, born Tuesday to Mr. and Mrs. Buell Bortree of Equinunk.

The Livingston Manor school budget jumped from $4,721 to $471,000 in the past 44 years, an old issue of the Livingston Manor Times disclosed. The paper, sent to a friend at the Manor by Attorney Sylvester Smith of Washington, D.C., is dated April 13, 1916. It shows that the new school budget to be voted on at the annual school meeting was for $4,721.80. Lawrence McGrath, the surveyor, was school clerk. Also in the paper Fred E. Jorgensen (now of Middletown), a druggist, advertised Nyal's Spring Sarsparilla Compound, “a powerful blood purifier,” for 50¢ and $1 a bottle.

Clarence A. Royce and Jane Taylor Royce closed the doors of their independent grocery store in the Hessinger building, Jeff, and have retired.

Mr. and Mrs. August Lott were honored on the occasion of their 29th wedding anniversary May 6 with a family gathering.

Thomas F. Puerschner and Warren W. Schaefer of Jeff have graduated from recruit training at Great Lakes, Ill.

Mrs. Harvey Myers was honored at a testimonial dinner in recognition of her 35 years of teaching, on May 4, at the Jeff school cafeteria.

50 years ago - 1970

Donna Elaine Clark, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Earl L. Clark of Roscoe, will be among the 36 members of the graduating class of St. Luke's Hospital School of Nursing on May 4.

Mr. and Mrs. Arnold J. Euker of Pensacola, Fla., are the proud parents of a girl born May 3. This is the first grandchild for Mr. and Mrs. Arnold Euker of Callicoon… Mr. and Mrs. George Burda (the former Joan Lutz) of Los Angeles, Calif., announce the arrival of a girl, Ann Marie, on April 30. She has an older brother and sister… A daughter was born to Mr. and Mrs. Robert Peters of North Branch on Sunday at the Callicoon Hospital.

At the Liberty-Loomis Hospital, it was a boy, Jeffrey Alan, to Mr. and Mrs. Jose Marrero of Liberty, April 25; a girl to Mr. and Mrs. Carl Hellerer of Jeffersonville, April 30.

Mr. and Mrs. Larry Scullion of Callicoon Center were joyously surprised Thursday when their son, Arthur, just returned from Vietnam, walked in unannounced to say he was home to stay.— Callicoon Center Corresp.

The Rev. and Mrs. Newton B. Ford were presented with a beautiful oil painting mural at a farewell dinner May 6 at the Callicoon Methodist Church. Painted by James Lincoln, the picture represents the local rolling hills and locates the four churches, Callicoon, Hankins, Fremont and North Branch which Mr. Ford has served since July 1962. The Fords will be assigned to Grahamsville.

The Delaware Free Library will have a larger and better home, thanks to a gift from Mrs. Pauline M. Kautz, who has contributed the purchase price of the former United National Bank building in Callicoon.

Mary Hecker and Randy Noetzel were crowned Queen and King of the Jeff Junior Prom May 9th.

40 Years Ago - 1980

Just prior to Monday afternoon's regular May meeting of the Sullivan County Board of Supervisors held at the County Government Center in Monticello, Town of Liberty Supervisor Abraham Kleinman, in an informal press conference, an­nounced that he had been approached by the proprietors of the Walnut Mountain Nursing Home in Liberty to rent that facility to the county for $66,000 per year.

At the Jeffersonville Junior Prom held Saturday night, John Hauschild was elected King and Marie Gilson was elected Queen.

Nancie Seaman, a resident of the Sullivan County Infirmary, was feted on her 109th birthday at the Neversink Firehouse on Sunday to greet their longtime friend. Nancie's secret for long life seems to be hard work. She worked until she was past a hundred “pumping gas” and selling groceries. She was a cook for years.

Justine Berry, a 20-year-old from Liberty, was crowned Miss Sullivan County-New York-World in ceremonies held at the Monticello Raceway Sunday afternoon, May 11.

Melodye Lee Smith and Craig Randall Travis, both of Oneonta, were married April 19 at the Lake Huntington Presbyterian Church. She is the daughter of Rena Mae and Charles Smith of Lake Huntington.

Monticello mayor Louis Harmin has proclaimed Sunday, May 18, as “Joe Garlick Day.” Dedication of “Joe's Park” will be followed by the opening of the Joseph N. Garlick Memorial Room at the Monticello Jewish Community Center on Park Avenue. Mr. Garlick served as mayor of the village of Monticello from April 1, 1967 to March 31, 1971.

Mr. and Mrs. William (Rose) Krum of Swan Lake celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary on March 2.

The First Mass at the new church of Holy Cross R.C. Church, Route 97, Callicoon, will be celebrated Saturday, May 17. The Rev. Anthony Moore is the parish priest.

30 Years Ago - 1990

The White Sulphur Springs Firemen marked their 64th anniversary in March. Their present firehouse, located on Route 52 in the center of town, was acquired in 1949.

Mounds of debris were taken from the Basha Kill wetlands in eastern Sullivan County this past Sunday when 30 members of the Basha Kill Association conducted its 9th annual cleanup of the area. It was picked up by the Town of Mamakating Highway Department.

Monticello Little Leaguers raised the American Flag on the flag pole dedicated to longtime Little League volunteer and supporter Charles “Bucky” Wells at the league's season opener on Saturday. Mr. Wells passed away last year. The flag was one that had flown over the U.S. Capitol and was presented to the Little League by Congressman Ben Gilman. State Supreme Court Judge Robert C. Williams, a native of Sullivan County, threw out the first ball to start the season.

Helen Peters of Jeffersonville was named Sullivan County Senior Citizen of the Year during the annual RSVP luncheon held at the Villa Roma in Callicoon.

A total of 63 students were on hand Sunday morning for the second annual all-night drug and alcohol-free post prom party held at the Jeffersonville-Youngsville School, and sponsored by the J-YCS Take Charge Club. Held from 1 to 6 a.m., those taking part watched television, played games and socialized with their friends and dates without the use of controlled substances. A buffet breakfast was served before they departed.

Voters in the Swan Lake Fire District narrowly approved a proposal to build a three-bay addition to the firehouse in balloting Wednesday night - 47 to 42. It is hoped that construction will begin soon and be completed before winter.

20 Years Ago - 2000

Kite Day at Sullivan County Community College exceeded expectations Saturday with over 2,000 in attendance.

County legislators decided two pieces of property the county owns should be offered to Concord developer Louis Cappelli at fair market value. The compromise solution to the problem that has occupied the legislature for the last several weeks was still not unanimous among the group. Legislators Chris Cunningham, Kathy LaBuda and Steve Kurlander voted against the sale.

State Senator John J. Bonacic (R-Mt. Hope) announced that the newly adopted state budget will contain $140,000 in special state assistance for the Grover Hermann Division of Community General Hospital in Callicoon.

The Sarah Wells Girl Scout Council has announced that Amanda Perry of Youngsville has recently been accepted to attend EKO 2000 in Sweden. A senior Girl Scout from Troop 237 and a sophomore at the Jeffersonville-Youngsville School, Amanda has also been accepted to attend Outward Bound Sailing in Penobscot Bay, Me.

Karen Gabriel of Cochecton, a 1998 graduate of Jeff-Youngsville Central School, has been chosen Region XV Player of the Year after leading the Orange County CC Colts to the top seed in the upcoming Region XV softball tournament. Until last Friday's loss to host Suffolk County Community College, Gabriel had won 17 straight games in the region (and OCCC had its 40-game regional winning streak broken).

10 Years Ago - 2010

After a decade of debate a mushroom factory is finally being built in Wurtsboro. Current and past leaders of the Sullivan County Partnership for Economic Development and other former area officals met with Yukiguni Maitake Manufacturing Corporation of America CEO Kaz Kameyama in Wurtsboro for what amounted to a quiet groundbreaking of sorts. The gathering celebrated the commencement of construction, site grading to be exact, of Yukiguni's Maitake mushroom growing and processing facility off McDonald Road, not far from Kohl's Distribution Center. A larger ceremony may be held once the building is up but a building permit was still needed to erect the structure which Kameyama hopes to commence later on in the year.

Sullivan County Treasurer Ira Cohen was recently appointed by Governor David A. Paterson as the county government representative to a state Task Force on Public Retiree Health Benefits. The Task Force addresses health care benefits for retirees of the State and local governments in New York, and the ways to make health care more affordable for governments and taxpayers.

The Yulan Fire Department recently removed a part of its history, a 100 year old oak tree that has stood along the firehouse since it was built at its Airport Road location in 1948. When the fire department was built the tree was no taller than 50 feet. The fire department noticed that the tree had a lot of dry rot on the bottom and feared it would fall and take out the power lines so it was approved to have it removed.

Sullivan West senior Ashley Mahoney will be continuing her soccer career in college. During a ceremony in the SW HS library, Mahoney, who was a starter for the SW Lady Bulldogs varsity soccer team the last two seasons, signed a letter of intent to accept an athletic scholarship to Barton College in Wilson, N.C. Barton College is a NCAA Division II school which plays in Conference Carolinas. Ashley Mahoney's older sister, Dara, played soccer at St. Andrew's College in Laurinburg, N.C., which is also a member of the Conference Carolinas. Her father Mike Mahoney made mention that Ashley was recruited by two Division I schools and a Division III school as well as thanked all those involved in helping her reach this goal. Ashley noted she was thrilled for this opportunity and excited to still be a Bulldog. Like Sullivan West, Barton's athletics teams are also knowns as the Bulldogs. Mahoney plans to major in English literature and minor in pre-law.