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
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TIN HORN:
Observations & Discoveries
Cemetery Drive Tour Offers Escape
Looking for a reason to get out of the house without worrying about catching or spreading COVID 19? Our self driving tour of 9 cemeteries in and around Middletown is just the ticket. Scenery, history and freedom on four wheels! This poignant memorial to a child can be...
Win This Painting!
This lovely winter view from atop Palmer Hill, Andes looking east towards the central Catskills was painted by the late John Hopkins and is this year’s prize in HSM’s annual raffle. Donated by Meg Hopkins, the acrylic on canvas in white frame measures 9″x12″. Tickets...
Leslie the Lamplighter
Among HSM programs and events canceled by the COVID 19 pandemic was the Living History Tour of Margaretville Cemetery. Among the characters who had planned to greet visitors on June 20 was Arthur Leslie Dumond, stone carver, lamplighter and school janitor. Leslie (he...
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.
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FEATURES
The Deaf Poet
The following is excerpted fromWorks by James O’Connor, The Deaf Poet, with a Sketch of His Life by A. B. Douglas, Jan. 4, 1879James O’Connor, the subject of this sketch, was born in Andes, New York, January 26, 1835. He was always an apt scholar, full of study and...
Bark Peeling Contract
MEMORANDUM OF CONTRACT between Jesse Tompkins and A. Clark and Son in which said Tompkins agrees to peel from four to six hundred cords of hemlock tan bark on such places on Mill Brook as A. Clark and Son may direct. The Bark is to be peeled, piled and saved in a good...
Brothers in Arms: Thomas Elliot and James Elliot
New Kingston Sons of William and Eleanor and grandsons of a Scottish émigré.Thomas: B. Jan. 22, 1840, joined the 90th NY Volunteers in 1864. Mortally wounded at the Battle of Cedar Creek , Va. which occurred Oct. 18 and 19, 1864. Died Nov. 6, 1864. One of 60 from this...
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Our Town
Civil War Soldiers
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“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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