In April of 1931, eight slot machines were seized by Troopers in raids on a number of hotels in the Catskills town of Fallsburg, including the Elm Shade, the Ambassador, and the Flagler. The machines were destroyed “in the public square” before more than 150 onlookers and the $130 found inside them was turned over to the Town’s poor fund. [Read more…] about The Catskills Slot Machine Racket
The Upper Delaware’s First Suspension Bridge
John A. Roebling was born in Prussia on June 12th, 1806. Educated as an engineer, but finding the political unrest in his home country stifling, he emigrated to the U.S. in 1831 with a small group intent on establishing a community where technology could freely advance. They settled in Western Pennsylvania, establishing the community of Saxonburg. [Read more…] about The Upper Delaware’s First Suspension Bridge
Apple Orchards Are Returning Again to Sullivan County
There are still a few people who remember that Sullivan County apple producers at one time shipped apples to every state in the country except for Washington and Oregon.
Perhaps the largest apple producer in Sullivan County at the height of the industry here was Martin A. Smith of Fremont Center. [Read more…] about Apple Orchards Are Returning Again to Sullivan County
The Borscht Belt in Winter: Catskills Winter Resorts
Although the number of Sullivan County hotels open during the winter months increased significantly beginning in the 1940s, there were attempts to market the county as a winter resort long before that. [Read more…] about The Borscht Belt in Winter: Catskills Winter Resorts
One Not-So-Benign Influence Of The D&H Canal
The positive impacts of the Delaware & Hudson Canal on Sullivan County were indisputable. With its opening in 1828, the 108-mile-long waterway made it possible for the first time to easily transport goods in and out of the area, and directly led to the growth of the tanning and bluestone industries. Entire communities, such as Barryville, Wurtsboro and Phillipsport, owe their very existence to the D & H, and while the canal was in operation, each was among the largest communities in the county in terms of commerce and population. [Read more…] about One Not-So-Benign Influence Of The D&H Canal
Sullivan County D&H Canal History Highlighted With ‘Kate Project’
During the month of December in 1824, brothers William and Maurice Wurts were diligently planning a presentation to potential investors in their ambitious project to build a canal connecting their coal fields in northeastern Pennsylvania to the Hudson River. [Read more…] about Sullivan County D&H Canal History Highlighted With ‘Kate Project’
1868: Lynch Law Averted; Due Process Death Prevails
On September 8th, 1868, upon returning from work to his North Branch home in the Catskills for his noontime meal, Alanson Seager discovered that his ten-year old daughter was missing. [Read more…] about 1868: Lynch Law Averted; Due Process Death Prevails
Teddy Roosevelt In The Catskills
On October 23rd, 1914, several thousand people heard former president Teddy Roosevelt address separate gatherings in Liberty and Monticello, in Sullivan County, in the Catskills.
Just two years removed from his near assassination while campaigning for president in Milwaukee, and a scant few months after his ill-fated trip down the River of Doubt which had left him severely weakened, Roosevelt was touring on behalf of the Progressive Party candidate for governor of New York, Frederick M. Davenport. [Read more…] about Teddy Roosevelt In The Catskills
Martin Luther King In The Catskills
In October of 1960, Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered a speech entitled “The Future of Integration” at the annual convention of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union in the Catskills at the Laurels Country Club in Sackett Lake, Sullivan County, NY.
Less than two weeks after that October 8th appearance, he was sitting in jail for attempting to integrate the lunch counter at Rich’s Department Store in Atlanta, Georgia. [Read more…] about Martin Luther King In The Catskills
Nathaniel Sackett: Godfather of American Intelligence
On May 23, 1789, Nathaniel Sackett sent a long, rambling letter to newly inaugurated president George Washington. The letter informed Washington that Congress had denied Sackett’s proposal that he be granted federal lands in order to create a new state bounded by the Ohio, Scioto, and Muskingum Rivers and Lake Erie. [Read more…] about Nathaniel Sackett: Godfather of American Intelligence