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
Folk artists spotlighted in HSM exhibit
The Historical Society of the Town of Middletown (HSM) will shine a light on two folk artists whose work will be exhibited at the Middletown History Center this year. Basket maker Karl Amor (1906-1992) and metal sculptor Joseph Schoell (1907-1993) practiced their...
HSM will clean headstones during May
Memorial Day is right around the corner and the Historical Society of the Town of Middletown wants to help you pay tribute to your loved ones by offering a unique headstone cleaning service.
Margaretville celebrates 150th birthday in 2025
The Village Board will observe the milestone when it meets May 8, the day a public vote in 1875 approved the formation of a system of governance for what had been an unincorporated hamlet. An illustrated program, to be held Sunday, July 13 at 2 p.m. at the Middletown History Center
The celebration will begin with a 2 p.m. ribbon cutting on the doorstep of the expanded facility which includes an archives and reading room named for HSM benefactor Nicholas J. Juried.
TIN HORN:
Observations & Discoveries
Return of the Victory Garden
The battle against COVID-19 has prompted the return of an initiative that helped the US get through two previous wars of the shooting kind: The victory garden. Whether fearful of shopping amid crowds at grocery stores, wary of coming food shortages, or desirous of...
La Grippe of 1890
“’La Grippe,’ or the Russian Influenza, is heard from all parts of the world and creates the greatest public interest,” reported the Delaware Gazette January 1, 1890. “The fatal cases are very few, but the number of cases is very great and many of them very...
A priest with a flair for design
In early 1937, the Catskill Mountain News gave us a glimpse of one man’s efforts to brighten up two local churches and a cemetery. “The interior of the church of the Sacred Heart at Fleischmanns (now a private home) is being repainted and made ready for the summer....
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
Histories and Photos of 16 sites listed on the State and National Registers of Historic Places
Village of Fleischmanns Skene Memorial LibrarySee the Skene Memorial Library application for historic registration here Congregation Bnai IsraelSee the Congregation Bnai Israel application for historic registration here MaxBilt TheaterSee the MaxBilt Theater...
144th Civil War Regiment 1899 Reunion Roster
The Grand Hotel: An Architectural and Economic History
An illustrated lecture by Annon Adams.Sunday, July 25, 2010, 2:00 p.m.at the Skene Memorial Library,Main St., Fleischmanns.Greater Fleischmanns Museum of Memories (adjacent to library) open from 1 to 2 p.m. and following the program. Program admission free for HSM...
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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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