A new immersive exhibition at the Time and the Valleys Museum, in Grahamsville, Sullivan County, NY, “The Great Fear: Frontier Life in the American Revolution,” tells the story of frontier life during the Revolution in the Ulster-Orange County area of New York. [Read more…] about The Great Fear: Frontier Life in the American Revolution
Time and the Valleys Museum
Taverns in the Early United States
People have gathered in taverns to drink, relax, socialize, and do business for hundreds of years. For just as long, critics have described taverns as sources of individual ruin and public disorder.
In Accommodating the Republic: Taverns in the Early United States (University of North Carolina Press, 2023) Dr. Wood argues that men integrated taverns into the nation’s growing transportation network and used them to raise capital, promote businesses, practice genteel sociability, and rally support for favored causes — often while drinking staggering amounts of alcohol. [Read more…] about Taverns in the Early United States
Reconstruction of the 1930s Catskill Farm
In the 1930s, often referred to as the time of “the takings,” whole villages were removed in Sullivan and Ulster counties by eminent domain to build reservoirs. These reservoirs provided drinking water for the growing population of New York City.
A talk on the reconstruction of the 1930s Catskill Farm by historic restoration carpenter Zeke Boyle of Beechwoods Barns of Callicoon, will be held Sunday, October 27th 2 pm at the 1930s Catskill Farm Pavilion at the Time and the Valleys Museum. [Read more…] about Reconstruction of the 1930s Catskill Farm
Vintage 19th Century Base Ball Games at Grahamsville Fairgrounds
Two vintage 19th century base ball games will be held at the Grahamsville Fairgrounds on State Route 55 in Grahamsville, in the Town of Neversink, in Sullivan County on Sunday, September 8th at noon, sponsored by the Time and the Valleys Museum in Grahamsville.
The Mountain Athletic Club of Fleischmanns will face off with the Connecticut Base Ball Club of Hartford for a double-header of 1864 and 1895 rules baseball. [Read more…] about Vintage 19th Century Base Ball Games at Grahamsville Fairgrounds
Sullivan County Museum Weekend
Sullivan County Museum Weekend will be held on Saturday and Sunday, July 27th and 28th. Nine museums across Sullivan County are joining together on this weekend to offer an open invitation (and free admission) for all Sullivan County residents to go out and explore their county’s long and rich history. [Read more…] about Sullivan County Museum Weekend
Free Virtual Intro to Genealogy Program
A free collaborative program, “Intro to Genealogy,” will be held virtually on Sunday April 14th from 1 pm to 4 pm, EST, and in person in the Community Room of the Daniel Pierce Library, 332 Main Street in Grahamsville, Sullivan County, NY. [Read more…] about Free Virtual Intro to Genealogy Program
Repair of Delaware Aqueduct, World’s Longest Tunnel; First Under Hudson River Since 1957
Construction on the Delaware Aqueduct was begun in 1939 and it was put into service in 1944 when New York City Mayor Fiorello La Guardia opened a set of emergency gates to channel Rondout Creek into the newly constructed 85-mile-long water system.
Since then, the Aqueduct has delivered about half of New York City’s water supply — typically about 600 million gallons a day — using only gravity to carry the water from four reservoirs in the eastern Catskills. [Read more…] about Repair of Delaware Aqueduct, World’s Longest Tunnel; First Under Hudson River Since 1957
Borscht Belt Virtual Talk Set for Sunday
“A Catskill Carnival: My Borscht Belt Life: Lived, Lost and Loved,” is an illustrated talk by author Bart A. Charlow based on his book by the same name, to be held virtually by the Time and the Valleys Museum on Sunday, February 11, at 2 pm EST. [Read more…] about Borscht Belt Virtual Talk Set for Sunday
The Taking of Cannonsville, Delaware County
Cannonsville was a community in Delaware County, NY founded in the late 18th century by Benjamin Cannon. He built the town’s first house and was its first Postmaster. Cannonsville was removed in 1964 by eminent domain along with other communities to create the Cannonsville Reservoir, which is part of the Delaware Water Supply System providing water to New York City. [Read more…] about The Taking of Cannonsville, Delaware County
Neversink and Denning History Afternoon
“Neversink and Denning History Afternoon” will be held on Sunday, November 5th at 1 pm at the Time and the Valleys Museum on State Route 55 in Grahamsville, Sullivan County. Visitors can browse through Town of Neversink and Denning photos, records, stories and artifacts from our archives to learn about the history of both towns. [Read more…] about Neversink and Denning History Afternoon
Claryville Day in Sullivan County Set for Saturday
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
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