History, Natural History & the Arts
It was August of 1961, and what was called “the most complex project of its kind ever undertaken by New York Telephone” was just getting underway in Sullivan County, NY.
By March 21, 1965, the project would be complete, and dial telephone service — long taken for granted in most parts of the country — would finally become a reality for the majority of residents. [Read more…] about When Sullivan County Entered The Dial Telephone Age
The latest episode of Empire State Engagements features a conversation with Prof. Melissa Franson, PhD candidate in the History Department at Binghamton University and an instructor in the history department at SUNY New Paltz, about her New York History journal article “’Wide Awakes, Half Asleeps, Little Giants and Bell Ringers’: Political Partisanship in the Catskills of New York During the Elections of 1860 and 1862.” [Read more…] about Wide Awakes, Half Asleeps, Little Giants and Bell Ringers: Catskills’ Civil War Politics
A few people sitting on the front porch of a Barryville home on the Delaware River last weekend learned firsthand what movie makers in the region discovered more than 100 years ago. There is a light that sweeps down the river valley shortly before dusk that is pure magic.
G.W. “Billy” Bitzer, the master cameraman who accompanied influential director D.W. Griffith to Cuddebackville, in western Orange County, NY, in the early part of the last century, dubbed it magic hour, and “the light Mr. Griffith waited for.” It brought Griffith and his crew back to the area year after year before he discovered the advantages of filming in California and became known as “the man who invented Hollywood.” [Read more…] about D.W. Griffith’s Orange County ‘Magic Hour’ Discovery
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 Delaware Company, a non-profit history education group started in 2012, is taking over management of the Fort Delaware Museum of Colonial History in Narrowsburg, Sullivan County, under a public-private partnership with the county legislature.
Their first event, “Patriots and Loyalists: The Declaration of Independence in the Upper Delaware Valley” will take place on Saturday, July 10th, from noon until 3 pm. [Read more…] about Fort Delaware Museum Reopening Under New Management
At one time, New York state had more than 100 active fire towers, the purpose of which was to help lookouts – you guessed it – spot fires. These days, some of the remaining towers have been repurposed for recreational use. At Bramley Mountain, in the Western Catskills, the fire tower was dismantled in the 1970s, but a local family has been keeping it safe in a nearby barn.
Now that Bramley has an official hiking trail, that tower is destined, once again, for the summit. In this episode of Kaatscast, Laurie Rankin tells the story, as she takes listeners on a Bramley Mountain hike. [Read more…] about Plans For A Firetower On Catskills’ Bramley Mountain
The latest episode of the Kaatscast features a tour of the Hanford Mills Museum, which operates an authentic water- and steam-powered historic site that includes a sawmill, gristmill, and woodworking shop. [Read more…] about A Visit To Hanford Mills Museum (Podcast)
This Memorial Day week, Kaatscast visited two cemeteries where historians are taking steps to memorialize former Catskills residents in the towns of Delhi and Roxbury. At the Roxbury Methodist Church cemetery, gravestones obscured by years of algae and lichen growth are being restored with a special cleaning agent and elbow grease. And in Delhi, a poorhouse cemetery lost in time is finally getting the recognition and care that it deserves. [Read more…] about A Delaware County Cemeteries Podcast
Hankering for some baseball circa 1895? Teams like Mountain Athletic Club (M.A.C.) and the Bovina Dairymen are playing vintage “base ball” in the Catskills and spectators and players are welcome.
In this episode of the Kaatscast, M.A.C.’s Collin Miller talks during spring practice on Creamery Field in Bovina, NY. Collin’s team is fashioned after the original team established in Griffin Corners, New York in 1895 by yeast magnates Julius and Max Fleischmann. [Read more…] about Vintage Baseball in the Catskills (Podcast)
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has released updated regulations for visitors to the Peekamoose Blue Hole and nearby Rondout Creek area in the Sundown Wild Forest, town of Denning, Ulster County.
DEC issued the regulations as part of an effort to protect this resource and promote sustainable use. The regulations are expected to help improve public safety and reduce environmental impacts in the area. [Read more…] about Permits Required for Peekamoose Blue Hole and Rondout Creek Areas