110 Years Ago - 1912

“Gardiner’s store again robbed!” was the intelligence that greeted people of Callicoon Thursday morning. The excitement following so closely upon Tuesday’s election added extra excitement to the entire community. A burglar-proof safe was badly damaged with what is thought to be nitro-glycerine poured into a cup formed out of soap and the fuse ignited, blew the safe, with damage amounting to several hundred dollars. This is the third time in less than four months that the store has been vandalized.

Conrad Graebner Jr., better known as “Cooney” and Miss Nancy McNeally of Cochecton Center were married November 11 in Honesdale, Pa. ... Katie Heinle was married to Henry Georgi of Brooklyn at the home of the bride’s parents, Mr. and Mrs. John G. Heinle in Cochecton Center.

Herman Huggler, who a few years ago conducted a bakery in Jeffersonville, will open a bakery in Liberty shortly in the place formerly occupied by the Washington Bakery.

It is reported that there are twenty smallpox cases in Hancock. The son of Ed Kinney of Long Eddy is ill and it is said that the lad has the dread disease. Other cases have been reported in Narrowsburg and Carbondale, Pa. The schools at Long Eddy, Hankins and Mileses have been closed to prevent the disease from spreading.

Jehial W. Decker, former county treasurer of Sullivan County, died at the residence of B.H. Lefferts, in Monticello, Monday night at the age of 71.

Jim LaBarr of Beaver Brook had the good fortune to bring down the first deer in that section, which, when dressed, weighed 145 pounds.

100 Years Ago - 1922

Alfred Smith has been elected governor of New York State by between 350,000 and 400,000 votes. He carried the entire state ticket into office with him.

Assemblyman Guernsey T. Cross of Callicoon was returned to the Assembly from the Sullivan County district by a majority conceded to him by the Republicans of 1,200 over Nial C. Currey of Liberty... Henry F. Gardner was re-elected for a third term as district attorney of Sullivan with a majority vote of over 1,200.

E.P. Dorrer has announced a new cider mill at Hortonville. He will make cider at $1 a barrel.

Announcements have been received here of the marriage of Miss Antoinette Bergner of Callicoon to Wilbur J. Wagner of Liberty.

Charles Deckelman and Miss Florence Huff of Obernburg were married at St. Mary’s Church, Obernburg, on October 25.

With hunting season in full swing the following were reported: Lloyd Bates shot the largest buck reported so far this year when he bagged a 10-pronged animal weighing 320 pounds, near the Kenney Hotel in Bridgeville... Wm. Price, 12 years of age, of Thompson, took his father’s gun without asking, slipped out the back door and went into the woods nearby. In less than an hour he bagged a 12-prong buck... George Molusky, hunting in the Adirondacks with Herman and Edward Molusky and Charles Bock, returned to Callicoon with a 160 pound buck that he shot in the Adirondacks... Wm. Kabat of Fosterdale, hunting on the new Cherokee Preserve in Bethel, bagged a 175 pound buck... Matin Lillie was the first of the Narrowsburg hunters to bag a buck, weighing 210 pounds. Henry Fischer and Henry Messmer were fortunate enough to shoot a big buck Sunday.  Jacob Heib shot one on Saturday. The latter three are from the Fosterdale area.

90 Years Ago - 1932

Democrats swept the election on Tuesday. Franklin Delano Roosevelt was elected president of the United States. The New York Governor is Col. H.H. Lehman. It appeared that Ben R. Gerow would be the next Member of Assembly from Sullivan County. The only Republican in the county who appeared to be elected was J. Bruce Lindsley, re-elected county clerk.

Paul Killian of Youngsville and Miss Catherine Trunk of Brooklyn were married November 5 in Holy Cross Church... Kenneth D. Zieres, plumber of Roscoe, and Miss Louise Steinhauer of Callicoon Center were married at Grahamsville on October 30.

Last week,  Herman Haase, well-known orchardist of Narrowsburg, RD 1, Pennsylvania side, made ready for export 350 bushels of choice Greenings for shipment to Scotland.

80 Years Ago - 1942

Mr. and Mrs. Fred Dowitsch Jr. of North Branch announce the engagement of their daughter, Elizabeth Margaret, to Air Cadet Warren K. Miller, son of Mr. and Mrs. Ernest V. Miller of Hortonville.

Ethel Arlene Werlau of the Beechwoods became the bride of Jack H. Bennett of Callicoon on November 1 at the Hortonville Church.

At the Callicoon Hospital, it was a boy to Mr. and Mrs. James Crellin of Callicoon on November 3; and a son, November 4, to Mr. and Mrs. Louis Mitterwager of Callicoon.

A Republican landslide, the likes of which had not been seen in many a day, engulfed nearly all of the Democratic candidates in and about the state and national elections throughout the United States Tuesday. Thomas E. Dewey was elected Governor of New York State, the first of his party to achieve that distinction in 22 years. Ronald H. Albee of Roscoe, a newcomer to county politics, defeated Assemblyman James T. Lyons.

Mr. and Mrs. John Bossert of Cochecton were surprised with a 25th wedding anniversary party on November 3.

The Youngsville Board of Education on Monday night accepted the resignation of Mrs. Apollonia Callahan as principal of the Central School there and appointed Leonard Martin of Youngsville to succeed her. Mrs. Callahan had been principal two years and taught in Youngsville for 11 years.

70 Years Ago - 1952

County Judge William Deckelman’s plurality as justice of the Supreme Court in the Third Judicial District increased to 48,625 due to the fact that he carried every county in the district except Albany. He had been expected to lose Albany County by 20,000 votes and actually only lost by 10,648. In the same election Dwight D. Eisenhower was elected president of the United States.

The steel work for the four-lane Bridgeville viaduct on Route 17 over the Neversink River at Bridgeville was begun yesterday morning.

A patent was issued on October 21 to Donald McLaughlin of Monticello and A.P. Rogers of Harris for a retractable sling for guns.

At the Callicoon Hospital it was a daughter on Friday to Mr. and Mrs. Douglas Mansman of Hortonville; a daughter, Wednesday, to Mr. and Mrs. Charles Carmen of North Branch; and a son, Thursday to Mr. and Mrs. Albert Bogert of North Branch.

Born to Mr. and Mrs. Edw. Wilfert of Jeffersonville, a baby boy at the Liberty-Loomis Hospital on Wednesday.

The Livingston Manor American Legion, with more than 225 members, has paid its last mortgage according to Allen O’Keefe, commander.

The retail milk business of William Dirie was sold last week to the Jeff Dairy which is owned by Gilbert E. Weiss of Jeffersonville. Mr. Dirie has been delivering raw milk about 24 years.

60 Years Ago - 1962

Mr. and Mrs. Robert Heyn of Jeffersonville are the parents of a son, Dana Robert, born October 23, at the Liberty-Loomis Hospital.

Did you know that if you punch a hole in the end of a gourd the inside will dry out faster and your chances for rot are less. A carpet needle or icepick will do the job nicely. After the gourd dries out sufficiently, it can be waxed or treated with shellac for the effect you want.

Miss Judith Schrumpf of St. Clare’s Hospital, NYC, spent the weekend at her parental home. She is recovering from surgery on the eye which was performed to remove a small piece of steel from the eyeball.

An article in the October issue of The Methodist Story, a magazine published by the Methodist Church, reference is made to those serving at the southernmost islands of Hawaii, Pahaia and Naalehu. One of the two ministers who serve is Rev. Paul D. Billings. He served the Kenoza Lake Church over 20 years ago when the church had its 90th anniversary.

A surprise skimmelton and party was tendered Mr. and Mrs. Ferdinand Hubbert Sunday evening in honor of their 25th wedding anniversary. About 40 guests attended.

Resolutions from the County American Legion, the Disabled American War Veterans and the Town of Thompson Town Board, asking for establishment of a county veterans’ cemetery, were referred to committee Friday at the special meeting of the Board of Supervisors at Monticello.

Mark Kross of Woodbourne, Susan Ruth of Liberty and Peter Diehl of Kenoza Lake have been chosen winners of a  Christmas trip to New York City, sponsored by the 4-H Extension Service.

Peter Rutz, 93, of Hankins, cast his ballot for the 72nd time on November 6 in the Town of Fremont. It would seem like it might be some kind of a record.

A son was born Saturday to Mr. and Mrs. Robert White of Cochecton at the Callicoon Hospital.

50 Years Ago - 1972

Funds derived from the 5th Annual Upper Delaware Canoe Regatta of last summer were distributed at a brief public ceremony held at the United National Bank last Friday. A total of $2,750 was contributed to the Upper Dela-ware Ambulance Corps, the Delaware Free Library, Delaware Youth Center and the Grover Hermann Hospital.

WELV AM & FM radio last Thursday opened studios and offices at the Monticello Inn, Monticello. The station has operated in Ellenville for eight years and this is a further expansion of its facilities.

A crowd that kept growing and growing until it was finally estimated at about 1,000 persons attended the dedication of the Sullivan County Historical Museum, Art and Cultural Center at the former Hurleyville Public School in ceremonies held on Sunday afternoon. The structure which had been abandoned for almost a quarter of a century, has been handsomely refurbished after many months of work by the County Department of Public Works and is now the permanent home for the sullivan County Historical Society, the Catskill Art Society and the Sullivan County Dramatic Workshop. The structure also contains the offices of the county historian and, of course, the county museum.

An award of appreciation has been given to Allen C. Hankins, Deputy Assistant Director for Agricultural Development in the Philippines Mission by Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos. He is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Neil Tobin of Callicoon who recently spent two months in the Philippines visiting Allen and his family.

Mrs. Robert Fink was guest of honor at a stork shower on November 1. She is employed at the Answering Service in Liberty. — White Sulphur Springs Corresp.

Roebling Bridge will be dedicated as a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark Sunday afternoon and will be only the 30th such work of man to be so honored by the American Society of Civil Engineers. The bridge, also known as Roebling’s Delaware Aqueduct, is the oldest metal strand cable suspension bridge now standing in the United States, and quite probably the world. It was constructed in 1848 to carry the D&H Canal across the Delaware River. Three years before he designed the Delaware Aqueduct, Roebling developed and patented his method for spinning suspension cables. He used this method in building the aqueduct and also developed a method of anchoring the cables later employed in his monumental work, the Brooklyn Bridge, completed in 1878.

Mr. and Mrs. William Keller of Liberty were honored on the occasion of their 35th wedding anniversary with a surprise party at their home on October 22.

40 Years Ago - 1982

An 18th century log cabin turned up recently when the owners of a Route 42 farmhouse in Forestburgh decided to demolish a wing. The structure is “definitely the oldest” in the town according to Town Historian Elsie Winterberger.

The Rhulen Agency in Monticello opened auxiliary offices Monday morning of this week in the building which formerly housed the Victory Markets, adjacent to the Patio Hotel on Broadway. The building is one block from the main office and will house Frontier Insurance, a subsidiary of Rhulen.

About 175 friends and relatives gathered at the Youngs-ville Firehouse on October 9 to honor Esther and Charlie Hubert on the occasion of their 50th wedding anniversary.

Marty Salovin, owner of Marty’s Service Center in Monticello, plans to have the 32-pound Chinook salmon he caught while fishing on Lake Ontario recently, mounted and on display at his service station.

Delbert VanEtten, Town of Liberty historian, was recently elected president of the Hudson Valley Historians Association at the October meeting held in Newburgh. He will serve two years.

30 Years Ago - 1992

Following 12 years of Republican occupancy, Arkansas Governor Bill Clinton swept into the presidency of the United States in last Tuesday’s election. Al Gore of Tennessee is the vice-president elect. Those on a local level who won re-election/ election were Congressman Ben Gilman, Congressman-elect Maurice Hin-chey, State Senator Charlie Cook and Assemblyman-elect Jake Gunther III, Coroner Elwin Wood, Coroner-elect James Green and Coroner-elect Tom Warren. In the same election, Town of Delaware voters rejected the idea of a sole assessor. In a contest that still remains largely up in the air, Sullivan County Family Court Hearing Examiner Mark Meddaugh holds onto a slim lead (106 votes — less than one-half of one percent) over Democrat candidate Susan Keiser in the race for Sullivan County Family Court Judge. According to Sullivan County Election Commissioner Jerome Bullock, there are 249 absentee ballots to be considered. They would be accepted until November 10, providing they were properly postmarked by November 2. A statewide impoundment of the election records was ordered by Judge Lawrence Kahn of Albany when incumbent Republican Senator Alfonse D’Amato complained that his vote count was coming up short after the 9 p.m. voting deadline.

Joel Kritzer of Livingston Manor shot a moose near Sheep Mountain in British Columbia. His prize weighs an estimated 1,600 pounds. He is having a shoulder mount done at Rod’s Taxidermy in Callicoon. The trip involved a plane trip to St. John, B.C., 130-mile drive to the ranch of guide Lynn Ross and another 2-day 50-mile horseback (and saddle sores) ride to the camp on Sheep Mountain. They had traveled six miles from camp when they spotted the moose, stalked him, and with a shot from his 7mm Magnum, hit the beast in the shoulder. The moose reared up and a second fatal shot caught him in the lung.

20 years ago - 2002

Daniel Lamberti of Forestburgh, 79, a 43-year area resident and a former six-year Town of Forestburgh Supervisor and the retired principal of the Rutherford Elementary School in Monticello, where he served for 22 years, died Saturday, November 9, 2002 at Wilson Memorial Hospital in Binghamton. 

The First Grace Evangelical Lutheran Parish of Jeffersonville and North Branch will celebrate 150 years of bringing the community together to honor God, on November 17, one day after a group of Jeff residents voted to create their own church in 1852.

Two stone benches donated by the Masons in memory of local veterans were unveiled Saturday in the Veterans’ Cemetery in Liberty. The Masonic symbol is engraved upon each bench.

Descendants of William and Margaret Schaefer held a family reunion on October 22 at Ted’s Restaurant in Jeffersonville. The Schaefers were parents to seven sons and seven daughters, many of whom remained in the area and produced a large family tree. The youngest daughter, Alice Schaefer Ruppert and her husband, Warren, daughter Roslyn and son-in-law, Gordon Claus, all of Colorado, were vacationing in the area, prompting the somewhat spontaneous reunion.

The Hendrickson family recently held its 7th annual family reunion.

A boy, Christopher Richard, was born October 21, 2002 to Cindy and Robert Garlinghouse of Loch Sheldrake… A girl, Carly Morgan, was born October 21, 2002 to Allison and Todd Simpson of Rock Hill …A boy, Samual Charles Waterman, was born October 22, 2002, to Penelope Carroll and Andrew Waterman of Bloomingburg.

10 years ago - 2012

Carlie and Adam Bassney pledged their love for each other in a beautiful ceremony at Kuhl’s Highland House in Middletown, NY, on September 22, 2012. Carlie was led to the altar by a parade of beautiful children: Maddoc Stabile, Riley Minckler, Brok Stabile, and Brittney Fahnestock, followed by the ring bearer, the groom’s son, Gavin Bassney. Carlie was attended at the altar by Amy Bojo, and Adam was attended by Stacey Fahnestock. James Fahnestock escorted the beautiful bride to the altar.

Sullivan West senior Reed Scott is the only Sullivan County runner who will be competing at the New York State Federation Championship Saturday at Bowdoin Park in Wappingers Falls. Scott qualified for the meet by virtue of his 10th place in the New York State Public High School Athletic Association’s (NYSPHSAA) Class C championships last weekend. The Federation meet brings together the top runners from public, parochial, private and military schools throughout the state and is run without classifications. Eldred’s Alex Campanella, who finished third in the NYSPHSAA Class D championship and also qualified for the Federation meet, has chosen not to run, instead preparing for next weekend’s Nike’s Nation NY-NE Regional meet.

All Sullivan West seniors have to do a senior project for John Ogozalek’s Economics class. Richard Lander and Drew Billard chose to raise money and collect food for the Narrowsburg Food Pantry. Their goal was $500. They started in September and put baskets around town in 11 locations, ran the SW concession stand at the night soccer games, sent out press releases for donations and they planned an adult dance at the Tusten Town Hall with Dancin’ Dan donating his DJ talents. Between all four endeavors, they raised $1,256 along with $700 in food donations to a total of $1,956.