Middletown History Center is open September 5

Middletown History Center is open September 5

Aug 25, 2026 | 2026 News

The Middletown History Center, 778 Cemetery Road, Margaretville, home of the Historical Society of the Town of Middletown, welcomes visitors Labor Day Weekend, Saturday, Sept. 5 from 10am to 1pm.

Sit by the pond, bring lunch to enjoy at the picnic table, view an exhibit on historic Arkville and check out the genealogical and historical documents in the Nicholas J. Juried Archives. Raffle tickets for a hand-crafted clock can be purchased as well.

The History Center is open the first Saturday of the month through November, or by appointment: historicalsocietyofmiddletown@gmail.com; 845-586-2400. Assistance is available for those researching genealogy or house history, looking for community or business photos or seeking other information in the extensive archives.

The History Center’s hall can be rented for meetings or events. 

Aug. 30: Film on Anti Rent War explores history’s impact on the present

Aug. 30: Film on Anti Rent War explores history’s impact on the present

Aug 25, 2026 | 2026 News

In the lush woods of the Catskills, a mythical memory lives on, of a time when men — armed with rifles and pitchforks, disguised in eerie masks and gowns — descended from bucolic hills to stage the Anti-Rent War, called by some the “Second American Revolution.”

“Calico Rebellion,” a film exploring this often-overlooked period in our history, will be screened at the Middletown History Center Sunday, Aug. 30 at 2 p.m.  It is directed by Victoria Kupchinetski, a native of Russia, whose background gives her a unique perspective on this story of land, belonging and revolt.

“I immediately felt a strong connection to the story, as my own ancestors had been deprived of their land in the Soviet Union in the 1920s,” explains Kupchinetski who has lived in the US for 36 years.

The farmers’ uprising of the 1840s changed the course of American history and ended a feudal system of land ownership by wealthy patent holders who rented parcels to settlers bound by onerous long-term leases. The system was ended by State legislation but not before several violent episodes occurred, including the killing of Delaware County Undersheriff Osman Steele in Andes.

Today, although largely forgotten outside the immediate area, the historic uprising lives on through direct descendants of those rebellious farmers, and through their stories, songs, and surviving costumes preserved since the 1840s. Some of those descendants will discuss the stories of their ancestors following the screening.

Visit calicorebellion.com for more information and to view a trailer of the film.

Middletown History Center is open August 1

Middletown History Center is open August 1

Jul 29, 2026 | 2026 News

The Middletown History Center, 778 Cemetery Road, Margaretville, home of the Historical Society of the Town of Middletown, welcomes visitors Saturday, August 1 from 10 to 1. Sit by the pond, bring lunch to enjoy at the picnic table, view an exhibit on historic Arkville to learn about the B.J. Harrison chair factory (pictured), and check out the genealogical and historical documents in the Nicholas J. Juried Archives. Raffle tickets for a hand-crafted clock can be purchased as well.

The History Center is open the first Saturday of the month through November, or by appointment: historicalsocietyofmiddletown@gmail.com; 845-586-2400. Assistance is available for those researching genealogy or house history, looking for community or business photos or seeking other information in the extensive archives.

The History Center’s hall is available for event rental. Stop by to check it out. You can also find out about volunteer opportunities.

Middletown and the Revolution

Middletown and the Revolution

Jun 10, 2026 | 2026 News

Tickets are now available for “Middletown and the Revolution: Voices from the Frontier,” a living history program to mark the 250th anniversary of the Revolutionary War.

The performance, offered by the Historical Society of the Town of Middletown, will be held at The Open Eye Theater, Margaretville July 11 at 3 and 7 p.m., and July 12 at 2 p.m. Click below to purchase tickets for your preferred show time.

BUY TICKETS

Eight local actors in period costume will describe how their lives were upended by the rupture with Great Britain in 1776. Middletown was part of Ulster County at the time, and the area along the East Branch of the Delaware River was considered the “frontier” between Indian territory to the west and the more heavily populated and strategically important Hudson Valley.

“Voices” will introduce audiences to survivors of battles and prisons, to local Loyalists who sided with Britain, to area settlers kidnapped, murdered and burned out of their homes. There is even a doomed love story in the mix!

Performers include Bill Birns, Burr Hubbell, Michael Fairbairn, Amy Taylor, John Bernhardt, Stephen Hitt, Rebecca Newman and Casey Eminowicz. Narrator is Arnie Schwartz. Directors are Joyce St. George and Frank Canavan.

Crossman Drum photo credit: Museum of the American Revolution 2014.06.0001

“The Nature of the Catskills” slide show, June 6

“The Nature of the Catskills” slide show, June 6

May 13, 2026 | 2026 News

On Saturday, June 6 at 2pm, the Historical Society of the Town of Middletown will welcome photographer John Lehmann, whose jaw-dropping images of Catskill wildlife will entertain and uplift the audience.

“The Nature of the Catskills” will be held at the Middletown History Center, 778 Cemetery Road, Margaretville. Admission is by donation.

The slide show will include more than 200 photographs, most taken in the Redkill, Halcott and Delhi areas. His super telephoto lens and quiet patience have allowed John to capture moments rarely seen by most of us, like a chipmunk drinking dew from a leaf, or a cedar waxwing eating snow. His encounter with an albino woodchuck was his most memorable, he says.

John’s parents, George and Ethel Lehmann, came from Long Island in 1960 and purchased a Redkill farm from Otto Jacobs. The farm was his entrée to a special world that he explored and studied. He got his first camera in 1981. 

John worked at Belleayre Ski Center for several years, and is a retired corrections officer with the Delaware County Sheriff’s Office. He lives in Delhi.

For more information on this and other HSM programs, visit mtownhistory.org. Discover more about the Mountain Athletic Club at macvintagebaseball.org.