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

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TIN HORN:
Observations & Discoveries

History repeats itself

History repeats itself

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...

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Where was this school?

Where was this school?

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...

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It was easy to know you were in Bedell . . .

I lived in Bedell, just “over the hill” to the west of Halcott. There were (and are) several ways to get to Bedell from Halcott. From the old Halcott Store and post office you could go west then north over the mountain into the head of Bedell, and Big Red Kill Road,...

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EVENTS:
2025 Calendar

MAY 4
Kids Kingdom 35th Reunion! – Exhibit, videos, food, fellowship!

JUNE 8
The D&N: Ghost Railroad of the Each Branch –An illustrated talk by railroad historian John Duda

JULY 13
Margaretville at 150 –Celebrate the Sesquicentennial of the incorporation of the Village.

JULY 26
Birthday Block Party and Community Portrait! — Celebrate Margaretville’s 150th birthday on Main Street.

AUGUST 23-24
Armchair Cemetery Tour — Meet eight people from the past in air-conditioned comfort!

SEPTEMBER 20
Annual Cauliflower Festival — Food, music, fun, exhibits in the History Tent.

OCTOBER 19
All Things Pumpkin! — Pie, bread, cookies, soup – bring your specialty! Biggest, ugliest, most unique pumpkin contest. Pumpkin painting and more!

NOVEMBER 2
Annual Meeting — Guest speaker photographer William Abranowitz with an illustrated talk. Annual report, board election.

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FEATURES
 

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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

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