According to a press release issued by DEC, on July 6th at approximately 3 am, NYS Environmental Conservation Officer Osborne responded to a complaint of a rattlesnake in a residence in the town of Hancock, Delaware County, NY. [Read more…] about Rattlesnake Makes Surprise Visit to Delaware County Living Room
Delaware County
A Delaware County Cemeteries 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
John Davenport Clarke: Farmer, Forester, and Congressman
In the latest episode of Kaatscast, a podcast delivering interviews, arts, culture, and history from the Catskills , Delaware County Historian Bill Birns talks about the legacy of “Hobart’s greatest” (albeit largely forgotten) son, John Davenport Clarke.
Clarke was born in Hobart. He graduated Lafayette College in 1898 and Brooklyn Law School in 1911. He was assistant to the secretary of mines of the U. S. Steel from 1901 until 1907. In 1920, he was elected to Congress as a Republican. He was again elected to Congress in 1926 and served until his death in a car crash near Delhi, NY inn 1933. [Read more…] about John Davenport Clarke: Farmer, Forester, and Congressman
Rev. L. M. Hobbs: Teacher, Chaplain, Thief?
Lewis Merwin Hobbs was born in 1824 in the Delaware County town of Bloomville. He became a teacher in New York State before relocating to Lancaster County, Pa., where, in 1854, he became a moving force in the creation of the teachers’ academy which would one day become Millersville University.
During the Civil War, Rev. Hobbs served as the chaplain of the Third Regiment United States Colored Troops, labored for the Freedman’s Bureau, wrote a school bill for freedmen in the south and later became a circuit preacher in the Methodist Episcopal Church, Philadelphia Conference. [Read more…] about Rev. L. M. Hobbs: Teacher, Chaplain, Thief?
Middletown (Delaware Co) 2018 Historical Events
The Historical Society of Middletown (Delaware County) has announced their schedule of talks, tours and special activities planned for 2018.
The season will start with a friendly battle of wits when HSM sponsors its first Trivia Challenge Saturday, May 5 at 7 pm at its hall, 778 Cemetery Rd., in Margaretville. Teams of two and four will compete for awards. Door prizes and libations will be offered. Register your team ($25 per person) at (845) 586-4689. [Read more…] about Middletown (Delaware Co) 2018 Historical Events
Antique Engine Event at Hanford Mills Museum
Antique tractors, Model A Fords, outboard motors, a 1956 Chevy Belair and a variety of gas and steam-powered engines will be featured at the 32nd Annual Dan Rion Memorial Antique Engine Jamboree and Powerfest at Hanford Mills Museum on Saturday, September 12 from 10 am until 5 pm.
The Museum’s wood-fired steam boiler plant will power horizontal and vertical steam engines. The event also will feature Mill tours, renewable energy exhibits, children’s activities, and live music with the Stoddard Hollow String Band. [Read more…] about Antique Engine Event at Hanford Mills Museum
Hanford Mills Museum Kicks Off 42nd Season
Hanford Mills Museum, in Delaware County, NY, will be open Wednesdays-Sundays, plus holiday Mondays, 10 am – 5 pm through October 15th. Guided tours are offered of the Mill complex, where visitors can watch the 1926 Fitz overshot waterwheel start up and provide the power for the sawmill and woodworking shop. Historic water-powered machines are operated each day, just as they were a century ago. [Read more…] about Hanford Mills Museum Kicks Off 42nd Season
Headwaters History Days: 16 Sites, 2 Watersheds
Headwaters History Days, two full weekends of events, exhibits, open houses and activities celebrating the history, culture, folklife and landscape of the Central Catskills, will be held May 30 and 31, and again June 6 and 7.
Visitors are invited to explore 16 historic sites across two counties, through the East Branch Delaware River and Esopus Creek Watersheds from Andes in Delaware County to Olive in Ulster County. [Read more…] about Headwaters History Days: 16 Sites, 2 Watersheds
Ice Harvest Festival at Hanford Mills Museum
The first Saturday in February, people from across New York bundle up and head to Hanford Mills Museum for its annual Ice Harvest Festival. Using historic tools, children and adults can walk out on the frozen mill pond to cut and maneuver blocks of ice. The ice blocks are pushed up a ramp and then loaded onto sleds, which are hauled to a traditional ice house. [Read more…] about Ice Harvest Festival at Hanford Mills Museum
Delaware River Headwaters History Days, June 7-8
Fifteen museums, landmark structures and historic sites will be open for tours, exhibits and special programs June 7 and 8 when Headwaters History Days celebrates the heritage, culture, folklife and landscape of the East Branch Delaware River towns of Middletown, Roxbury and Andes.
These eastern Delaware County sites will be open to the public at no charge for one or both days. Visit www.headwatershistorydays.org for the schedule of activities. You can also pick up a brochure and map at the Central Catskills Chamber of Commerce office on Main Street, Margaretville, or at any of the venues before plotting your own tour route. This collaborative event is part of the statewide Path Through History Weekend. [Read more…] about Delaware River Headwaters History Days, June 7-8