In the Catskills, Claryville was originally named Claraville for the wife of one of the original landowners. It was part of a tract of land given to Johannes Hardenberg by Queen Anne of England in 1708. [Read more…] about Claryville Day in Sullivan County Set for Saturday
Time and the Valleys Museum
Tour of Pergamena Parchments and Leathers Tannery in Orange County
What is believed to be the first large-scale tannery was built in New Amsterdam in 1638, and by the 18th century, the tanning industry was well-established in what is now New York State.
The tanning industry thrived here because there was a plentiful supply of raw materials, including hides from livestock and hemlock bark. The waterways state also provided water for the tanning process and for transportation. [Read more…] about Tour of Pergamena Parchments and Leathers Tannery in Orange County
Sullivan County Museum Weekend Set for July 29-30
A Sullivan County Museum Weekend will be held on Saturday and Sunday, July 29th and 30th. Nine museums across Sullivan County, NY are joining together on this weekend to offer an open invitation (and free admission) for all Sullivan County residents to explore their county’s long and rich history. [Read more…] about Sullivan County Museum Weekend Set for July 29-30
Herbal Plants at the 1930s Lost Catskill Farm
During the Great Depression many Americans relied on their home gardens to grow herbs for use as home health remedies. [Read more…] about Herbal Plants at the 1930s Lost Catskill Farm
Lost Towns of the Catskill Watersheds
The Time and the Valleys Museum in Grahamsville, Sullivan County, NY, is presenting “Bittersweet Memories: Lost Towns of the Catskills Watersheds,” a new augmented reality exhibition which explores the heartache and loss of homes taken in the Catskills for New York City’s water systems, will open to the public the weekend of June 10th and 11th. [Read more…] about Lost Towns of the Catskill Watersheds
Frederick Cook, Arctic Explorer
Frederick Cook (1865-1940) is a fascinating and controversial figure in the history of polar exploration. He was an explorer, skilled photographer, physician and ethnographer, creating breathtaking images of the polar region and the native Inuit. He is remembered today for his disputed claim of having been the first person to reach the North Pole. [Read more…] about Frederick Cook, Arctic Explorer
The Catskill Park: After 118 Years, Still Evolving
Established in 1904, landscape diversity is the hallmark of the Catskill Park, changing in relative proportions over time, but always with the mix being more valuable than any one component. Public and private, wilderness areas, intensive use areas, wildlife habitat, working lands, nature and people, all point to the Catskill Park’s role as a living laboratory. The park is a grand experiment in how human communities can coexist with wilderness, geographically intermingled and historically entwined. [Read more…] about The Catskill Park: After 118 Years, Still Evolving
Neversink Chronicles Virtual Author Talk
The Neversink Chronicles by John Dwaine McKenna links together seventeen fictional stories (set from 1937 to 2003) tied together by real life events of residents in the Rondout and Neversink Valleys who were displaced by New York City for the building of the Delaware water system, needed to bring fresh drinking water from the Catskills to the city of New York.
Building on the Rondout and Neversink Reservoirs, the tunnels that connect them and the Catskill Aqueduct (which transports the water to NYC) began in the 1930s and finished in the 1950s. The five communities of Montela, Eureka, Lackawack, Neversink and Bittersweet were removed to create the reservoirs, permanently altering the lives of over 1,500 people. [Read more…] about Neversink Chronicles Virtual Author Talk
Forestry Past and Present: A Catskills Perspective
The Time and the Valleys Museum will host “Forestry Past and Present: A Catskill Mountain Perspective,” on Sunday, November 13th.
Catskill Forest Association’s Ryan Trapani will discuss the overall state of the Catskill Forest, as well as some of its history that has led to the forest’s present condition. He will also cover some things that individuals might easily do on the small scale to improve the forest’s condition. [Read more…] about Forestry Past and Present: A Catskills Perspective
$100K Awarded To Museum Educators
The Pomeroy Fund for NYS History has awarded 20 history-related organizations across New York State $5,000 each during its fifth grant round to bring back or hire museum educators. [Read more…] about $100K Awarded To Museum Educators