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
Stranded in Greenland
So you think it’s cold in the Catskills? Consider the case of Louis A. Lane, who was stranded on a 7,800-foot ice cap in Greenland 70 years ago and lived to tell the tale.Louis Arlington Lane was the son of Louis R. and Mary Quick Lane who lived in Arena and ran a...
A young doctor faces diptheria
The year 1879 was a traumatic one for several local families and, we suspect, for one young doctor who tried to keep their children alive during an outbreak of diptheria. Dr. James L. Allaben was one of half a dozen physicians working in Middletown that year, when ten...
MAC — where major leaguers got their start
In a slide talk given June 8 at Skene Memorial Library in Fleischmanns, baseball historian Bob Mayer provided insight into the baseball-loving Fleischmann family and some of the men who played for the Mountain Athletic Club (MAC).The club was started by Julius...
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
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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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