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HSM reviews past year, looks ahead to a new move

Nov 1, 2011 | news archive

The Historical Society of the Town of Middletown held its Seventh Annual Meeting October 23, when it recognized several volunteers, reported on its activities over the past year, and elected an Executive Committee to lead it into 2012.

Thirty-five members and guests enjoyed an autumn luncheon prepared by the Halcottsville Fire Department Auxiliary at the Old Wawaka Grange Hall. They also got a preview of an exhibition, “Middletown: Time and Time Again,” digital collages created by photographer Michael Musante. The show is on view at Fairview Public Library through November 30.

The gathering concluded with a drawing for a quilt contributed to HSM by Catskill Mountain Quilters. Barbara Moses of Dunraven was the lucky winner.

Fran Faulkner and Andy VanBenschoten, who were instrumental in shaping the organization through its early years, were lauded as they exited the Executive Committee. Several members of the Committee were re-elected – Diane Galusha, Carolyn Konheim, Lucci Kelly, Marilyn Pitetti, and George Hendricks – and a new Trustee, Roger Davis of Arkville, was elected. Phil O’Beirne is also an HSM Trustee.

Four active members of Friends of Middletown Cemeteries were applauded for their dedication to documenting and restoring local burial grounds. They are Gary and Barbara Atkin, George Hendricks and Brian Wheaton. In 2011, they and other volunteers re-inventoried the old Halcottsville Cemetery and the Margaretville Annex Cemetery, and worked on a major restoration project at the Arkville Cemetery.

President Diane Galusha reported on programs sponsored by HSM over the past year. They included three genealogy gatherings; a slide show of historic Arkville photos by Kathy Roberts and Lynda Stratton, and a history hike led by Laurie and Tom Rankin to Balsam Lake Mountain Fire Tower.

HSM acknowledged the 150th anniversary of the start of the Civil War with Memorial Day readings in Fleischmanns and Margaretville of the names of Middletown men who lost their lives in the war. This was the beginning of an effort to develop a comprehensive database of all Middletown area Civil War veterans.

Sadly, the Cauliflower Festival was cancelled thanks to Irene, so HSM did not get a chance to exhibit photos from the barn survey that has been completed by several volunteers. It is hoped this exhibit can be mounted next year at the festival.

The flood caused by Irene was itself a historic event. Over the next several months, HSM plans to conduct an oral history project, interviewing people about their experiences in the flood.

Over the past year, HSM’s archival collection has added many original documents, photo albums, books, historic newspapers, and other materials donated by local residents and others.

The HSM website (www.mtownhistory.org), launched at the 2010 Annual Meeting, has been expanded with many new items of interest, event notices and photos.

Galusha also announced an exciting move for the Historical Society: The New Kingston Valley Grange has offered to give the Society the clubhouse and seven acres that THEY were given by the Izaac Walton League in the mid-1990s. This property is on Cemetery Road just outside Margaretville. A straw poll of the members present at the meeting found unanimous support for the acquisition, but all members will have a chance to express their opinions by returning a mailing that will be sent in early November.

“This is the logical next step in our organization’s development,” Galusha commented. “We are looking for people to help us plan for the use, maintenance and support of the property. Anyone who is interested in helping with this, or in volunteering in any other way, is invited to call us, at 586-4973, or history@catskill.net.”

7th Annual Meeting a happy success

Oct 23, 2011 | Tin Horn

Mix a sunny autumn day, a beautifully prepared meal served on fine china, an awesome art exhibit and 35 local history lovers and you have the ingredients for a wonderful event. It was indeed a great day October 23 when the Historical Society held its seventh annual meeting at the Halcottsville Grange Hall, hosted by the Halcottsville Fire Department Auxiliary. The women of the Auxiliary outdid themselves with the food, the decorations and the table settings and HSM is so grateful! Thank you, friends!

Everyone loved Michael Musante’s “Middletown: Time and Time Again” exhibit of 15 digital collages, blending historic photos with contemporary views from the same perspective. (See photos on the Events and News pages.) The show will be hung at Fairview Library, Margaretville soon and can be seen there through the end of November.

New HSM board member Roger Davis with artist Michael Musante

In HSM Board elections, Roger Davis of Arkville was elected as a trustee, and George Hendricks was re-elected. Officers who were re-elected include Diane Galusha, Carolyn Konheim and Marilyn Pitetti. Lucci Kelly is the newly elected Secretary.

HSM recognized two outgoing Board members – Fran Faulkner and Andy VanBenschoten – for their service and support over many years. It also presented certificates of appreciation to some outstanding Friends of Middletown Cemeteries – Barb and Gary Atkin, Brian Wheaton and George Hendricks.

The big announcement of the day was the news that the New Kingston Valley Grange has offered its property on Cemetery Road to HSM. The Society’s Board has accepted, feeling that this former Izaack Walton League clubhouse and seven acres will be an ideal home of our own. A straw poll at the Annual Meeting found unanimous agreement among members in attendance. A letter will be sent to the entire membership for a formal vote. Details will follow here when the results of that vote are tabulated.

Time and Time Again

Oct 10, 2011 | news archive

Lake Switzerland, Fleischmanns, then and now

An exhibit of 12 digital photo collages – blended images of historic and contemporary photographs – will be on view at the Historical Society of the Town of Middletown’s (HSM) Annual Meeting Sunday, Oct. 23 at the Old Halcottsville Grange Hall, Main Street, Halcottsville (just off Route 30, between Margaretville and Roxbury).

“Middletown: Time and Time Again,” by photographer and artist Michael Musante, will be previewed at this event before going on longer display at a local venue to be announced. The project, a visual investigation into the effects and consequences of the passing of time, was made possible in part by the New York State Council on the Arts Decentralization Program, administered in Delaware County by the Roxbury Arts Group.

The Halcottsville Fire Department Auxiliary will prepare a locally sourced autumn meal of cider-glazed chicken cutlets, green beans, baked potato, corn chowder, red cabbage salad and apple crisp. Luncheon begins at noon. Reservations are required as space is limited. Call HSM Treasurer Marilyn Pitetti at 845-586-2860 to reserve your seat before Oct. 15.

A business meeting will follow lunch and will include election of HSM Executive Committee members, a report on the group’s activities over the past year, and an exciting announcement about future plans. Memberships will be taken or renewed, and those attending will have an opportunity to suggest programs and activities for the coming year.

Michael Musante will be present to discuss the “Time and Time Again” project. The Deposit artist is a native of New Jersey and a graduate of the Pratt Institute where he majored in photography and minored in graphic design and architecture. He served as staff photographer for a number of studios in New Jersey and New York and has exhibited at galleries and art shows throughout the region, from Rockland County to Cooperstown. He is a member of the Catskill Artisans Guild in Margaretville.

Each photo digital collage in this exhibit is assembled from two images, an old and a new photograph of the same scene. The process is the result of three principle steps. First, a historic photograph or photo postcard of a known location is found and scanned into the computer. Next, the exact point of view of the first photo must be found within inches and a new image is taken using a digital camera. Finally, the old and new photos are perfectly sized and aligned in the computer, as if on tracing paper. One image can then be revealed through the other, thereby creating a juxtaposition of old and new.

HSM President Diane Galusha said the organization is proud to have sponsored this remarkable project.

“This is an ideal way to make history relevant in a very visual way — to actually ‘see’ the buildings that we pass without a second glance, to understand that others, now gone, have lived in, worked in, passed by these same buildings in their own time,” she said. “The community can only benefit when its residents recognize that they are part of the continuum of this place, and that it is in all our best interests to protect and preserve the physical spaces that connect us to the past.”

For more information on the Historical Society of the Town of Middletown, and to view dozens of historic images, visit www.mtownhistory.org

History repeats itself

Sep 19, 2011 | Tin Horn

1933 flood, Margaretville, Bridge Street

It has been painful to watch the tragedy of Irene unfold – lives lost, people uprooted, businesses stopped in their tracks, buildings rearranged. Our hearts are with all of those whose lives have been profoundly changed. This is what it means to live in this stream-crossed region – once in awhile, you pay.

It’s strangely reassuring to know that flooding – and mucking the East Branch out of one’s home or business — is a common experience among those who have called the Catskills home. Consider the Flood of October 9, 1903, as recounted in the Catskill Mountain News the following week:

“About midnight the rain begun to descend in torrents and by daylight the river had spread out over the flat above the village and Bull Run was in an ugly mood. Soon the water began to flow across the street between the river and Olympic Hall (Ed: what we know as the Granary building on Bridge Street – today housing Timberland Real Estate and the Flour Patch). Bull Bun rose rapidly and as the channel along the property of Charles Gorsch filled up with stones and gravel the water was diverted from its course and flowed across Mr. Gorsch’s dooryard and garden and onto the land of Erastus Clute, S. F. Scott and others. It crossed the street and deluged the livery of M. Anderson, driving the horses to higher ground; it swamped the buildings adjoining and filled the basement of Miss Muir’s residence. Owing to the improved condition of the walls on either side the water kept its course to the lower end of the Boyes property and ran with lightning rapidity. Amid the roar of the flood huge stones could be heard pounding along the bed of the stream as the mighty current drove them before it. From the river back to Mr. Gorsch’s rear line the channel was piled high with stones, gravel and the debris that always comes with a flood—the amount being estimated by a practical man at 500 tons.

“The water has since flowed across Mr. Gorsch’s back lot and emptied itself into the lower end of Swart Street. The rising water in the river drove Mr. and Mr. George H. Hewitt from their home near the river bridge and carried off a lot of their vegetables and other belongings. In exchange, however, tt left them a lot of good stovewood “in the log” right in their dooryard. . .

“Dickson’s livery was flooded and the horses and carriages were taken over to the Ackerly barn. The water rose high enough to run out of the dining-room window at the Hotel Bouton and soaked everythlng on the first floor of the house. It got Into Hubbell’s grocery store. The basement of Searle’s hardware store was awash and there was good boating in “Andy ” Easman’s cellar. Sperling’s bakery, adjoining, came in for a soaking and the supply of fresh broad and hot rolls was temporarily shut off.

“The water overflowed upper Main street and there was a good-sized lake in front of the residences of E. Laidlaw and E. L. O’Connor (Ed: today’s Legion hall). Houses in that part of the village lying above the bridge over the Binneklll near the foundry were flooded and the occupants were held prisoners. . . .

“Morgan Olmstead and Dr. Chamberlain, while on their way from Highrnount to Griffin C rners were obliged to ford the Emory Brook this side of that place, the rains of the past few clays having raised the stream until it was a perfect torrent. The wagon was overturned and the occupants tossed into the flood, Morgan succeeded in climbing onto the horse’s back, but the wagon was pitched by the angry waters on top of horse and rider, knocking him into the stream again, which was last seen of him. Dr. Chamberlin grasped the reins and was dragged by the horse to the shore in an unconscious condition and quite badly injured. The remains of the unfortunate young man were found by Albert Hitt early Saturday morning lodged In the willows near the grand stand on the Fleichmanns ball ground. The funeral occurred on Monday.”

Where was this school?

Aug 19, 2011 | Tin Horn

Unknown school and children

This wonderful undated photo postcard of a one-room schoolhouse, with the teacher in the center of 17 students, was loaned for scanning by Bob Vredenburgh. His mother was a Shultis, and they had a farm on the Denver Road a mile or so up from Kelly Corners. Bob has several photos of the Pink Street school where the Shultis kids went, but this photo is of a different school. Can anyone identify the location, the teacher, or any of the pupils?

The postcard is addressed to Mr. Judson Haynes, Seager, NY: “Dear Juddie, This is a picture of my school and school house. It was taken one day this fall.” Signed E. E. P.

It looks to be prior to 1910. And are those corn shocks in the field behind the school?!

4 responses to “Where was this school?”

Abby Farber
Monday, September 5th, 2011

Could this perhaps be the old one-room school house on the Denver-Vega Road (now Route 36)? We owned a vacation home in the 1960-70’s across the road (and down the hill) from an abandoned one-room schoolhouse.

Here’s a location in Bing

Tom Hurley
Wednesday, June 6th, 2012

This most likely was the one room schoolhouse bought by a couple from Bklyn/ Queens/ or Long Island. Ironically, I believe they were school teachers. I can remember being in that building, very late 50s into the sixties…. (having spent so much of my youth and teens in Denver) it stood on the north east side of the Denver-Vega Rd… (past Ballards home/farm) …only help I can provide….TGH

jean giuliante
Monday, June 11th, 2012

This actually is owned by my in-laws — We are currently looking for pictures and any info that anyone might have.

I take that back — this is not the school house they own — the one they own in on the corner of sally’s alley and vega mountain road.

Fred Rueck
Friday, September 27th, 2013

Hi Jean, I was up there a few weeks ago and saw an old building on Vega Mtn. Rd. at intersection with Sally’s Ally. The building had lettering on it “Vega Hall 1844”.

I was curious about it and it’s history and had one heck of a time researching it!

I assume that the building that I saw was the one you described. Do you know any more about it?