Historical Society of Middletown
Town of Middletown, Delaware County, NY
Welcome to the home of the Historical Society of the Town of Middletown (HSM)
The only website dedicated to the history of our town, located in Delaware County, in the Central Catskill Mountains of New York State
To donate items relevant to the history of Middletown and contiguous towns, contact us at historicalsocietyofmiddletown@gmail.org;
or 845-586-2400.
HSM is dedicated to preserving the heritage of the villages, hamlets and the contiguous area of Middletown:
The Town of Middletown, in eastern Delaware County, includes two incorporated Villages, Margaretville and Fleischmanns; several hamlets — Arkville, Dunraven, Halcottsville, Kelly Corners, and New Kingston; and outlying settlements with their own unique histories — Redkill/Bedell, Millbrook, Dry Brook and the Denver Valley.
Because history doesn’t always follow political boundaries, HSM also collects and preserves stories and historic materials from contiguous towns — Roxbury and Andes in Delaware County, Hardenburgh and Shandaken in Ulster County, and Halcott in Greene County (which can only be reached through Delaware County). And of course we seek to preserve the heritage of a Middletown community that is no more — Arena, lost more than half a century ago to the Pepacton Reservoir.
WELCOME to the MIDDLETOWN HISTORY CENTER
Recent Updates…
NEWS:
Recent Press Releases
No Results Found
The page you requested could not be found. Try refining your search, or use the navigation above to locate the post.
TIN HORN:
Observations & Discoveries
Mystery in stone
The Coffin Man’s calling cardThere once was an itinerant stone carver who traveled the dusty roads of upstate New York in a horse-drawn wagon loaded with quarried pieces of sandstone. He was looking for families who had recently buried loved ones, to sell them a...
Need your feathers renovated?
While doing some research in the 1880 Middletown census I came across an unusual occupation of a man named J. L. Thurber, age 54: “feather renovator.” He and wife Olive had three sons, Adelbert, 20, Eddie, 18 and Herman, 14, all listed as laborers. Hmmm, what the heck...
Who were the Waterburys?
The headstone in the Sanford Cemetery, Dunraven is impressive, a bronze plaque on a granite monument: Robert L. Waterbury, MD, 1823-1881 “He lived so others may live”; Christiana Dowie, 1823-1878 “His faithful wife”; and two children, a five-year-old son, and a...
EVENTS:
2026 Calendar
APRIL 26
“Fleischmanns’ Field of Dreams and a History of the Mountain Athletic Club 1895-2025.”
–Collin Miller
MAY 17
“Happy While United: Daily Life for the Esopus Indians in the Catskills, 1730-1777.”
–Justin Wexler
JUNE 6
“The Nature of the Catskills.”
–Slide show by photographer John Lehmann
JULY 11-12
“Middletown and the Revolution: Voices from the Frontier,”
—A Revolution 250 Commemoration. Eight local characters tell of their Revolutionary War experiences.
AUGUST 20
“Calico Rebellion:
The Second American Revolution.”
—Film and post-film conversation with filmmaker Victoria Kupchinetsky.
SEPTEMBER 19
Annual Cauliflower Festival
—Photo exhibit in the History Tent.
SEPTEMBER 20
“Of Wood and Wild Things”
—Hunters and outdoor enthusiasts welcome to share stories and photos. Two short films will be screened.
OCTOBER 17
“No Stone Left Unturned”
—A field history program on bluestone quarrying with John Biruk.
NOVEMBER 7
HSM Annual Meeting
— Guest speaker Bill Birns, editor of “Peter Pan in the Catskills and Other Historical Essays.” Annual report, board election.
read more
FEATURES
No Results Found
The page you requested could not be found. Try refining your search, or use the navigation above to locate the post.
Start Exploring…
Collections
Publications
Our Town
Civil War Soldiers
History Links
Projects
“Man is a history-making creature who can neither repeat his past nor leave it behind.”
W.H. Auden, The Dyer’s Hand
Follow Us on FACEBOOK:
Follow Us on INSTAGRAM: