Delaware County

John Davenport Clarke: Farmer, Forester, and Congressman

December 11, 2020 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

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?

March 9, 2020 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

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

April 30, 2018 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

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

September 3, 2015 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

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

May 27, 2015 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

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

May 20, 2015 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

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

January 20, 2015 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

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

June 2, 2014 by Editorial Staff 1 Comment

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

New History of Hobart NY Published

March 30, 2014 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

The Hobart Historical Society in the Village of Hobart, Delaware County, New York has recently published a new book about the history of the Village. It is the most useful local history book published in New York State that has ever come across the desk of The New York History Blog, and It should serve as a model for historic preservationists and other historians of smaller communities and neighborhoods.

A Look Back at Hobart, NY – On the 125th Anniversary of the Village Incorporation – 1888-2013 was compiled during the past two years by James G. Meagley, who grew up in the Village. The book has 372 pages, with 650 photos, including a photo of every building currently in the Village and is a significant update and expansion of A Century of Hobart 1888-1988, published twenty-five years ago. Gerald Stoner and his wife, Ellen, of Stamford, NY, assisted with the layout and publishing of the new book.

Harvest Fest, Folkways Fair at Hanford Mills Museum

October 2, 2013 by Editorial Staff 2 Comments

Artisans, water power, local farms, grist milling, lumberjack skills, and horse-drawn wagon rides will all be featured at the Miller’s Harvest Festival and Folkways Fair at Hanford Mills Museum (Delaware County) on Sunday, October 13, 2013.

The Museum will be operating machinery in its 1869 Gristmill, which area farmers relied on for generations. The Munson Brothers Millstone, which the Museum connected to its horizontal water turbine in August, will be featured. Guided tours of the gristmill, sawmill and woodworking shop will be offered throughout the day. [Read more…] about Harvest Fest, Folkways Fair at Hanford Mills Museum