History, Natural History & the Arts
This week Kaatscast features Chuck Henry, the Project Lead of New York State Historic Newspapers, a digital archive containing over 1,200 newspaper titles, 1.5 million editions, and more than 15 million searchable pages spanning from 1725 to 2025.
It’s one of the largest newspaper archives in the country and is completely free, with no paywalls or subscriptions needed. [Read more…] about The New York State Historic Newspapers Project
On this episode of the Kaatscast: The Catskills Podcast newly appointed Ulster County, NY, historian Eddie Moran discusses the role of a municipal historian and emphasizes the importance of presenting a complete and accurate history that includes all groups, with one such focus on the indigenous Lenape people. [Read more…] about Inside the Ulster County Archives
In this live episode of the Kaatscast podcast, recorded at the Emerson Resort & Spa on November 8, 2024 and hosted by Brett Barry engages in a detailed discussion with Elinor Levy, Folk Arts Program Manager at Arts Mid-Hudson, about the life and legacy of Clayton “Peg Leg” Bates (1907-1998). [Read more…] about Clayton ‘Peg Leg’ Bates: The One-Legged Dancing Legend
The latest episode of the Kaatscast podcast delves into the fascinating life and career of Morris Katz (1932 – 2010), a Polish-born Holocaust survivor and acclaimed painter known for his lightning-fast painting technique using a palette knife and toilet paper.
Recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records, Katz captivated audiences with his vibrant performance art in the Catskills, creating over 280,000 pieces. Proclaimed the world’s fastest painter and most prolific artist, he called his method “Instant Art” but was widely known as the “King of Schlock Art” and the “King of Toilet Paper Art.” [Read more…] about Morris Katz: King of Toilet Paper Art
The latest episode of Kaatscast delves into the transformative period of the 1830s in the United States, marked by mass enfranchisement and significant demographic changes. The focus narrows to New York’s Anti-Rent War (1839-1845), a period of political violence rooted in immigration anxiety and financial distress. [Read more…] about New York’s Anti-Rent War (1839-1845) & The Catskills
In the early 20th century, cauliflower was king in the Western Catskills, and – especially in the good years – farmers called it “white gold.” On the latest episode of the Kaatscast podcast historian Diane Galusha describes the origins of cauliflower farming in Margaretville, in Delaware County, NY; the rise and fall of the industry from the 1890s to the 1950s (and beyond); and the notable contribution of the Van Benschoten family. [Read more…] about When Catskills Cauliflower Was King
Dubbed the “first lady of radio,” Mary Margaret McBride (1899-1976) was a welcome voice in millions of homes in the 1930s, ’40s, and ’50s, pulling in 6 to 8 million listeners daily.
McBride interviewed 30,000 guests, from Eleanor Roosevelt to the neighborhood plumber, and produced 15,000 shows. She was a radio pioneer, broadcasting some of those shows from her converted Catskills barn. [Read more…] about Radio Pioneer Mary Margaret McBride: “The First Lady of Radio”
In the latest episode of Kaatscast, the podcast about the Catskills, author Christine Wade speaks about her retelling of a classic Catskills ghost story.
In 1819 Washington Irving published his tale of Rip Van Winkle, who wanders off into the woods to escape his nagging wife, and meets up with the ghosts of Henry Hudson and his crew. They bowl, they drink, andRip falls asleep for 20 years. If you don’t know the story, it’s a quick read and an iconic piece of Catskills folklore. [Read more…] about Reimagining A Classic Catskills Story
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)
Bicknell’s Thrush was first identified by American amateur ornithologist Eugene Bicknell on Slide Mountain in the Catskills in the late 19th century.
This rare songbird prefers our State’s higher peaks and will soon be returning from its winter residency in Hispaniola. [Read more…] about Bicknell’s Thrush: A History Podcast
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
This episode of Kaatscast features 85-year-old Nick Lyons, writer and publisher on fly fishing.
This episode was recorded at the Jerry Bartlett Angling Collection in Phoenicia, NY, as part of the “Sporting Legends of The Catskills” series. [Read more…] about Catskills Sporting Legend Nick Lyon (Podcast)
This episode of the Kaatscast podcast features a tour of the “the loop” of Routes 25 and 23c that connects Haines Falls to Tannersville, via the mountaintop.
Cyndi LaPierre and Dede Thorpe talk about area historic homes and the origins of Onteora Park; famed residents like Maude Adams (Peter Pan); visiting the Mountain Top Arboretum; and a church that served as a quarantine during the 1914 influenza epidemic. [Read more…] about Kaatscast: A Greene County Mountain Route (Podcast)
In this episode of Kaatscast, hear from Jon Ham and Bob Gildersleeve about the grand hotels that attracted visitors to the Catskills at the turn of the century, and the trains that got them there. Also… “mutton?!” How one hotel’s refusal to serve chicken led to the construction of a famous competitor. [Read more…] about Catskill’s Grand Hotels and Railroad Travel (Podcast)
In this episode, hear from historian Cyndi LaPierre on the history of the word “Catskills,” and if you’re wondering why Kaatscast starts with a “K,” instead of a “C,” this segment should help clear things up. In the second half of the show, we’ll travel to Kaaterskill falls with geologist Bob Titus, who takes us back even further, to when the Catskills felt more like the Bahamas! [Read more…] about Kaatscast Considers Kaatskills and the Dutch
Kaatscast is a new biweekly podcast delivering interviews, arts, culture, and history, from New York’s Catskill mountains.
In the episode, learn about painter Thomas Cole and the Hudson River School, then delve into the cottage communities of the late 1800s, with a current Twilight Park resident. From there, we hear from a New York State forester on the history of the Catskill Park. Then we’re off to Tannersville, to meet the mayor, followed by a chat with Hunter Mountain’s Gary Slutzky. [Read more…] about Kaatscast Podcast Features Catskills History, Culture
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