110 Years Ago - 1911

Acting under the most secretive operations, surveyors have been stopping at Bridgeville and Monticello making surveys of the Neversink Valley below Bridge­ville in the vicinity of Hackledam. Their operations have renewed rumors to the effect that financial powers in New York City and Newark are planning to induct potable waters from New York State and New Jersey to the relief of the Oranges, Paterson, Passaic and Jersey City. The surveyors and their men with modern machinery are working rapidly on the dam in the Neversink.
Born to Mr. and Mrs. Charles Phillips, a daughter, September 15, in Galilee.
Frederick A. Hust, son of Philip J. Hust, and principal of the Callicoon High School, was united in marriage with Miss Katie Weber, daughter of Paul Weber on October 10.
Cards are out for the marriage of Miss Ethel Boree to Aldon MacCrabie of Bethel.
Theron Olver and his new wife of Tyler Hill have had the pleasure of listening to two genuine skimmeltons since their marriage two weeks ago.
Russell Walker has taken an office position with Martin Hermann. Mr. Hermann’s constantly increasing business has made it necessary to increase his office force.
Miss Mamie Geib of Hankins is the teacher at Obernburg.
We notice large loads of lumber coming by from McKoon’s mill at Trout Pond to Hankins for shipment, all last week.
The Jeffersonville-Liberty trolley track is rapidly being taken up – prospects for the new road look good. Jeffersonville has taken about $9,000; Youngsville about $2,000 and Liberty about $5,000.

100 Years Ago - 1921

Edwin F. Kelley, son of Theodore Kelley of near Callicoon, this week bought Jacob Werlau’s hardware business and has established himself in the Doetsch building, Callicoon. A graduate of the Syracuse College of Embalming, Mr. Kelley was for six years the head embalmer and funeral director for Stephen Merritt of New York City. He left there, enlisted in the Army, serving with the medical corps as an undertaker and operator of an X-ray machine at Camp Wheeler in Georgia. He was employed by Undertaker Valentine at Damascus for six years after his discharge. Mr. Kelley has purchased a Meteor motor hearse which has been shipped from the factory in Ohio. He is remodeling the second floor of the Doetsch building into a display room and funeral parlor. Mr. Kelley will continue the hardware business, increasing the stock and adding new lines.
Henry Heins and Herman Haase of Heins Hill, nearby neighbors, are both starting an apiary. They each have 12 colonies this season. Both use the extracting frames and each man has had nearly 1,400 pounds of extracted honey. — Damascus Corresp.
E.H. Mentor, the Damascus chicken man, is fitting up a double hatchery house for the coming season. He uses a 3,000 egg incubator and White Leghorns are his specialty.
The Ladies Aid of Fremont Center will serve the regular election dinner in the Grange Hall.
Mr. and Mrs. Will Moran are rejoicing over the birth of a new son. The mother was the former Elsie Jensen… The ladies on and around Heins Hill recently started a willing Workers Society. They will make quilts and many other useful and fancy articles. The group donated the sum of $50 to the Wayne Memorial Hospital in Honesdale this week.
The delay in publication of the Democrat this week is due to an epidemic of diphtheria which has included one of the editor’s little daughters. The outbreak occurred on the busiest day for the Democrat and it was impossible to keep the work going in the office and at the same time attend to the details incidental to the care of a deathly sick child. Due to the prompt action of Dr. Mayer, the health officer, the cases have been held down to three in the township.

90 Years Ago - 1931

On Saturday, Kenneth Graeb­ner took a 6 3/4 lb. pike from the river. Edwin Hermann, not to be outdone, caught an eleven pounder Sunday evening. The latter is the largest walleyed pike to be taken near Callicoon in several years.
The renovating of Callicoon’s Modern Theatre was completed last week and, according to many patrons of the movies, the change is most appreciable. The improvements made include an inclined floor and the installation of velour covered chairs.
Dr. Frederick A. Cook, Arctic explorer, called at School District No. 7 Tuesday while visiting friends and relatives in Beechwoods, his former home. Tuesday evening he was a dinner guest of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Moser, in Callicoon Center.
E. Neuberger of North Branch grew a squash in his garden that weighed 75 pounds.
Mr. and Mrs. J. Muir of North Branch have returned from their honeymoon and were given a skimmelton at the home of the bride's parents.
On last Friday, the Fowler, Dick and Walker store of Binghamton awarded a number of prizes for the solution of a “21 puzzle.” The Misses Agatha and Susan Simon, Mrs. Walter G. Oestrich and E. Simon, all of Rock Valley, each received an $85 credit memorandum to apply on the purchase price of new pianos.
Four new lawyers, one of them a woman, are now members of the bar in Sullivan County. They are Hyman C. Levine of Hurleyville, W. Schwartz of Liberty, Isidore Orseck of Parksville and Miss Betty J. Morgan of Hurleyville.

80 Years Ago - 1941

The second vote on the Reichmann site for the Delaware Valley Central School building lost yesterday when a record total of 1264 votes were cast in the Callicoon school from 4 to 10 p.m. The vote was 596 “yes”; 675 “no” and 11 blank and void. Lost also was the authorization for the Board of Education to remodel the Long Eddy building to make it suitable for a 6-grade unit.
Born at the Callicoon Hospital, a daughter to Mr. and Mrs. Raymond Gloor of Jeffersonville, on October 2nd; a daughter, 9 1/2 pounds, October 7, to Mr. and Mrs. Herbert Boxberger of Callicoon. Mrs. George Buddenhagen and infant son were discharged Saturday from the hospital.
Another former heavyweight boxing champion has joined the civilian physical training program. James Braddock, who has a summer home in North Branch, has been appointed a deputy director in charge of boxing. He will work with Jack Dempsey in fostering boxing in the schools and industrial plants.
Chief Boatswain’s Mate Carl F. Molusky arrived here Monday afternoon on Train 9 on what he thought was to be a 10-day furlough. However, he found several telegrams waiting for him ordering him to report back to his training station at Norfolk, VA., immediately. He entrained on No. 2 forty-five minutes later and next morning was informed that he had been transferred to San Diego where he will report for duty October 22.
The 4-H Club of North Branch held its first fall meeting at the schoolhouse September 26. Officers were elected for the ensuing year: Elinore Kolbe, president; Elsie Tiemann, vice president; Ethel Hawerkamp, treasurer. Lorraine Beck will be song leader and cheerleader will be Anna Zieres.
James M. Kelly was named Monday evening at the Sullivan County Courthouse as Democratic County Chairman for the next two years. Jim is now serving his 6th term. Paul A.A. Rouis of Burlingham was renamed secretary; William P. Cooney of Liberty, treasurer; Mrs. Clara Prince of Hurleyville, associate chairman; and Miss Mary Mearns of Monticello, assistant secretary.
Howard Beecher of Monticello was named Saturday to succeed himself as chairman of the Republican Committee.

70 Years Ago - 1951

The new Delaware Valley Central School is nearing completion and it is expected that it will be occupied early in 1952.
Mr. and Mrs. John May of Goulds were married 35 years on October 4th. To celebrate they took a little motor trip through the northern part of New York.
The new three-span bridge over the Delaware River at Cochecton will replace an iron bridge built in 1904.
Mr. and Mrs. Matt Wood of Callicoon celebrated their 53rd wedding anniversary October 8th.
At the Callicoon Hospital, Dr. and Mrs. E.T. Rumble are the parents of a son born Wednesday.
Despite chilly weather and a heavy overcast, 8,000 people lined Broadway in Monticello on Saturday to watch the parade at the annual Field Day of the Sullivan County Volunteer Firemen’s Association. Thirty-four companies with apparatus and 13 musical organizations paraded.
Six fire trucks, a wrecker and a gas truck went to Binghamton Saturday to participate in “exercise Binghamton.” They were joined by Hortonville and Callicoon at Hancock. Two of the trucks collided at Hancock on the way home. This was a part of the civil defense practice.
Seven schools participated in the Eastern New York District in National Forensic League Saturday. One hundred pupils attended coming from Liberty, Newburgh, Poughkeepsie, Arlington, Saugerties, Marlboro and Jeffersonville. In the afternoon, three rounds of debates took place with Arlington and Jeffersonville tying for first place. Joseph Strawbridge is the debate teacher for Jeffersonville.
Mr. and Mrs. Leland C. Henry of Callicoon Center celebrated their silver wedding anniversary October 10.
Andrew Stangel, 51, of South Fallsburg, was instantly killed Thursday afternoon when his car was sideswiped by a heavy truck on a curve near Hurleyville. Four passengers were injured, two of them critically.
Margaret Wilsey and PFC Clayton Crum exchanged wedding vows at the Galilee Methodist Church on October 7. She is the daughter of Mrs. Lucille Wilsey of Damascus and he is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Albert Crum of Milanville.

60 Years Ago - 1961

Marcia Ann Burr of Newburgh became the bride of Robert C. Huter, son of Mr. and Mrs. Clinton Huter of Bethel on October 8 at the Lutheran Church in Jeffersonville.
A2C James Buddenhagen recently completed a special course in the Air Training Command at San Pablo Air Base, Spain. He is the son of Mr. and Mrs. G.L. Buddenhagen of Hortonville.
Miss Rita Schick of Obernburg and Eugene Kolbe of North Branch were married October 7 at St. Mary’s Church in Obernburg.
Winnie Mae Schaefer became the bride of John J. Grishaber, both of Jeffersonville, on October 7 at the First Lutheran Church, Jeffersonville.
Concrete was poured on the third span of the deck of the Delaware River bridge at Callicoon yesterday. Four spans are to be poured and an effort is being made to have these completed before cold weather sets in.
Joan Valerie Henn became the bride of James G. Graham at Holy Cross Church in Callicoon. The couple are natives of Jeffersonville.
Mr. and Mrs. John Eldred of Damascus celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary on September 27.
Carl J. Brucher of Milanville suffered head injuries Friday afternoon when he fell from a house roof at Cochecton and struck an electric saw which was running. The saw had been shut off but the blade was still revolving to a stop when Brucher struck it.
A baby, girl, Nancy Ann, was born to Mr. and Mrs. Libby Manzolillo at Liberty-Loomis Hospital October 3. She has an older sister and brother.
The Teenage Square Dancers won second place in their division at the square dance contest and festival at the New York State Fair in Syracuse. The local dancers are Judy Reinshagen, Dennis Dubois, Ruth Reinshagen, Henry Butzgy, Karen Bossley, Jack Komancheck, Kathy Komancheck and Darryl Jirinec.
A son, William Lawrence, was born October 2 at Maimonides Hospital in Liberty to Mr. and Mrs. Donald Hauschild of Jeffersonville.
Mr. and Mrs. Ralph Adams of Stalker, PA., became parents of a daughter Friday; Mr. and Mrs. Louis Edwards of Lake Huntington had a son, Saturday; it was a boy Tuesday to Mr. and Mrs. William Boyle of Callicoon Center; and on Tuesday, it was a boy to Mr. and Mrs. James Shaffer of Pleasant Mount, PA., all at the Callicoon Hospital.
Wilmer E. Bresee, Grand Historian of the Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons, will speak at the Delaware Lodge, Callicoon, on October 20.

50 years ago - 1971

At the organizational meeting of the Ladies Auxiliary to the Grover M. Hermann Hospital, Mrs. Helen Intemann of Hankins was elected recording secretary; Mrs. Mary White, president; Mrs. Carol Roos, 2nd vice president; Mrs. Helen Rieger, 1st vice president; and Mrs. Helene Crossman, corresponding secretary.
Arthur N. Meyers of Narrowsburg, considered to be one of modern history’s greatest men in Sullivan County, died October 3. His civic, religious and community work alone would fill volumes.
Shirley Winters of Monticello became the bride of Edward C. Townsend of Liberty Saturday, September 25, at the Liberty United Methodist Church.
Maria L. Pope exchanged marriage vows with Staff Sgt. Walter I. Neer Jr. on August 28, in Tucson, Ariz.
Congratulations to Mr. and Mrs. Francis Karkkainen who were married Saturday. — Hankins Corresp.
Mr. and Mrs. Darryl F. Jirinec of Lake Huntington became the proud parents of their first child, a son, September 26, at Wayne County Memorial Hospital.
The fourth annual Rosenberger family reunion of the descendants of Charles and Wilhelmina Rosenberger was held September 18 at the Hortonville firehouse. Barbara Ryan, Olive Rosenberger, Annabell Holblinger, Mae Kratz, George Rosenberger, William Rosenberger, Leo Rosenberger and their families, which included the third generation, were in attendance.

40 Years Ago - 1981

Rick Stanley, step-brother of the famed rock and roll singer Elvis Presley, an ordained Baptist minister, was guest speaker at the Liberty Presbyterian Church on Sunday. He lived with Elvis for almost 18 years, the last seven serving as his bodyguard.
George A. Yaeger, 86, of Liberty, the retired editor of the now defunct Liberty Register, a position he held for thirty years, died October 14 at the Albany Veterans Hospital in Albany.
The “Woodstock Festival” site in Bethel has been sold to Louis Nicky of Brooklyn. Mr. Nicky plans to develop a horse farm on the property.
The Long Eddy Hotel, owned by Mary Kazmark and her late husband, Dick, for 33 years, has been sold to Tom and Sharon Burns. The hotel, one of the oldest buildings in Long Eddy, dates back to the late 1800s.
Debbie Wapnick, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Isidore Wapnick of Monticello, and Robert C. Ulrich of Vienna, VA., were married September 27 at the Concord Hotel in Kiamesha Lake... Lisa Makela, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Vilho Makela of Hankins, became the bride of Tim Hoffmann, son of Mr. and Mrs. Richard Hoffmann of Syracuse on September 12... Janice M. Hoyt, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Ronald Hoyt of Monticello was married on September 26 to Martin A. Donnelly Jr. of Babylon.
Mr. and Mrs. G. Allison Worden, formerly of White Sulphur Springs, now of Florida, were guests of honor at a 50th anniversary party held at the home of their son, George, in White Sulphur Springs, on September 27. About 250 guests enjoyed the festivities... Robert and Bertha (Bauernfeind) Muhlig were feted on the occasion of their 45th wedding anniversary with a party hosted by their sons and family at the Paul Muhlig home on Ahrens Road, Liberty.

30 Years Ago - 1991

After Gene Raponi of Forestburgh was injured last spring in a serious car accident, doctors at first doubted that he would have any use of his arms or legs again. Now, less than six months since the May accident, he has regained considerable use of both arms and legs in what doctors term “remarkable” if not a miraculous recovery and the 55-year-old councilman is looking forward to coming home.
With wrecked boxcars and rusted undercarriages still lingering at the site of the June 18 derailment, Town of Tusten officials have decided they may have to sue the New York Susquehanna and Western Railway for costs involved in the cleanup and road repair that followed the accident.
Kiamesha Lake, the water resource for the village of Monticello, is at an all-time low due to the drought throughout Sullivan County. The Neversink Reservoir and the Rondout Reservoir, which supplies millions of gallons of water to New York City residents, are both suffering the same water shortage.
Richard Vogler of North Branch won the King Pumpkin Contest at the Grahamsville Giant Pumpkin Party with a 477 pounder. Rachel Lyon of Clintondale entered a 230 pounder for the Queen Pumpkin. Prince Pumpkin of 126 pounds was entered by John Towne of Grahamsville; Ryan and Kyle Essex of Neversink had the 124 pound Princess Pumpkin and George Nichols of Liberty took the Page Pumpkin title with a 75 pounder.
Cindi Edwards-Tiejen, director of Quality Assurance at the Wayne Memorial Hospital in Honesdale, PA., has been named to Who’s Who in Nursing.
Kim Schlichting, daughter of Alice and Bob Schlichting of Callicoon, and Dr. James Mandelik, both of Cleveland, Ohio, were married May 25 in Cleveland.
Sheryl Jean Hartung and 1st Lt. Brian Roeder, son of Mr. and Mrs. Harold Roeder Jr. of Callicoon, are planning a May 23, 1992 wedding... Jean Susan, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Wm. Engle of Callicoon Center, and Troy Schaefer, son of Mr. and Mrs. William Schaefer of Jeffersonville, are planning a November wedding... Theresa Lynn Valenti of Chatham and Craig Sturdevant, son of Mr. and Mrs. Richard Sturdevant of Livingston Manor, are planning a November wedding in West Nyack.
Sullivan County Public Health Nursing celebrated its 50th anniversary on October 1. A single nurse was originally assigned to treat “consumptive” (tuberculosis patients) in the Narrowsburg area. In those days, the county was a haven for tuberculous patients from New York City, trying to recover from the respiratory disease in the clean mountain air and wholesome environment. At the present time, the county agency has 40 nurses, 25 home health aides, a pair of health care educators and their administrators minister to thousands of Sullivan County residents at their homes and from the agency’s modern building in Liberty.

20 Years Ago - 2001

Edwin M. Field is the recipient of the SYDA Foundation’s 2001 Community Service Award. According to the directors of the SYDA Foundation, Field received this honor “for his varied, meaningful and inspiring contributions to the Sullivan County community.” Selma Field, the recipient of the 1997 SYDA Community Service Award, joined her husband of 55 years at the head table.
Lillian Stabbert, a recent resident at the Roscoe Community Nursing Home and a retired assistant designer for the garment industry in New York City, and a former resident of Obernburg, died Tuesday, October 16, 2001 at the nursing home. She was 97 years of age. She is survived by a niece, Anne Foland; two nephews, Robert Stabbert and Fred Stabbert Jr.; 11 grandnieces and grandnephews; and 18 great-grandnieces and great-grandnephews. She was predeceased by two brothers, Fred Stabbert Sr. and Herman Stabbert; a sister, Margaret Roche; a nephew, Edwin Stabbert; and a niece, Joy Larkin.
Vassmer’s General Store in Bethel is celebrating its 100th birthday.
Miss Jeanne Peters, daughter of Elizabeth Hinkley Peters of Callicoon and the late Donald R. Peters, and Edward Hanslmaier, son of Charles and Helen Hanslmaier of Jeffersonville, were married October 6, 2001 at the First Presbyterian Church of Jeffersonville.

10 Years Ago - 2011

Monticello’s first National Night Out was a great success for a village very much desirous of a unifying sense of community. Hundreds of people packed Broadway all afternoon in one big block party co-organized by the Recovery Center and the Monticello Police Department. Groups like the YMCA brought entertaining Zumba demonstrations to the temporarily closed thoroughfare, led by fitness instructor Ginny Tolli. Bands like the brand-new Dreamcatcher – featuring Jaquan Lawrence on vocals, Alexander Manacello on congas, Vincent Creque on drums, Andrew Garrison on the sax and Lah-juan Drayton on bass guitar – performed for appreciative audiences on two stages, one on Broadway, the other in front of the County Courthouse.
The NYS Dept. of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has ordered an illegal Delaware River fish hatchery to shut down. National Park Service Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River Supt. Sean McGuinness said his personnel discovered the hatchery on Big Island – between Callicoon and Cochecton – in July and reported it to the DEC. According to DEC spokesperson Wendy Rosenbach, the DEC sent officials to investigate on July 29 and discovered a “fish farm without the proper permits.” Both the operator of the farm, Lewis Wu, and the landowner, whom Rosenbach could not identify, were cooperative, she said. Wu is leasing the land. Wu was handed violation notices related to water quality, mined land reclamation, inland fisheries, and water resources disturbance, said Rosenbach. So long as Wu has a written plan of remediation to the DEC, he’ll be given through the end of August – and possibly longer – to return the land to its pre-hatchery condition.
The Callicoon Business Association emerged Monday night as Sullivan Renaissance’s top project, landing the $25,000 Golden Feather Award. Monday’s awards ceremony at Monticello High School drew hundreds of Renaissance volunteers and supporters, with cheers ringing throughout the auditorium every time another group stood up to be honored.