USA > New York > Delaware County > Delaware County, New York, history of the century, 1797-1897, centennial celebration, June 9 and 10, 1897 > Part 33
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The building of "The Great Catskill Turnpike," as it was called, was a notable event in the early history of the town. It was the great thoroughfare from western New York to Catskill, and thence by boat to New York city, and was in its time to the portion of the state through which it passed, what the Central railroad is to-day. It is said that there was at tunes almost a continuous line of teams passing and repassing, and there was an average of one hotel to every mile, and every one filled each night. A former historian says there were at one time seven hotels within the limits of the town. There were in those early days three distilleries and one brewery, two of the distilleries being owned and operated by prominent members of the Baptist church. Although rum drinking was not in those days attended with as swift and certain destruction as it is to-day, yet we find the good people of the town becoming alarmed at the effects of the drink curse cansed by the presence of so many distilleries and hotels. Lawlessness, idleness, and the thousand ills that in- variably follow the liquor traffic led to the organization of "The Social League," which was established by eighty-four of the best citizens of the town. This was the first temperance so- ciety in Delaware county. So far as the writer can learn. the town of Meredith can boast of never having had a licensed saloon within its borders, and who shall say that the efforts of those pioneers to save their young men from drunkenness has not been the leaven that has permeated the lives and acts of generations following.
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TOWN OF MEREDITH
Lying as much of the town does along the water-shed between the Susquehanna and Delaware rivers, the soil which is mainly red shale and disintegrated sand stone formation, is better adapted to the growth of grass, oats and potatoes, than corn culture, dairy- ing therefore has been the principal industry. And although there are a few practically abandoned farms, I believe I am justified in saying that no town in Delaware county can present a larger proportion of farms free from debt, or a smaller percentage of business failures.
The carly representatives in the legislature were Hon. Benja- min Benedict in 1822, Hon. Sammel A. Law, Jr., in 1858 60, Hon. Milton Bostwick in 1843. Mr. Bostwick is the oldest living ex- assemblyman in the county, and there is only one older in the state. He is still living, at the advanced age of eighty-four years. Hon. D. H. Mackey served in 1896 and was re-elected in 1897.
As the years have sped by the pioneers and their successors one after another have passed over to the great beyond, and in many cases their places have been filled by a sturdy class of Scottish sons and daughters, and their descendants are to-day among our most thrifty and upright citizens.
Fifty years of uuremitting toil and frugality were rewarded by homes of plenty, when over these hills and along these valleys resounded the clarion notes of war, and an experience came to these homes which, God grant, may never be repeated. Long years ago there appeared a cloud, apparently no larger than a man's hand, and a few, at times but one, of our citizens marched each year to the ballot box and deposited their protest against the curse of American slavery. I need not repeat the history of gathering clouds, and the final outburst of the most cruel war this nation has ever seen. Its record is indelibly inscribed on marble slabs in hundreds of cemeteries, in vacant chairs whose ocenpants come not again, and on the tablets of hearts who freely gave their all to maintain the honor of the dear old flag.
No historian will ever tell the story of anguish that wrung
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HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUNTY.
the hearts of fathers and mothers, or wives and sisters, who bravely said adieu to sons, husbands and brothers. Some of them went out from the homes never more to return. In this Heaven- born sacrifice Meredith stands second to none of her sister towns.
The conditions following the great civil war have been much the same in this as in other towns, and years of plenty have been succeeded by shortened crops and leaner harvests, but our people can with abundant reason lift their hearts in thanksgiving and praise to the great Giver of good that so few of the ills and mis- fortunes of life have come to us, and such an abundance of His blessings.
Villa je f Marg iretvil e.
. H
Middletown.
By Hon. John Grant.
I' T is with sincere satisfaction that I witness these exhibitions of respect for the worthy deeds of our forefathers and the evident disposition of our people everywhere to cherish the mem- ory of their ancestors; especially in times like the present when public and private virtue so needs the reinvigoration of noble examples. In field and council the sons of Delaware have done good and honorable service, and the history of Delaware is one of which we can well be proud. In the glory of her past history the original town of Middletown took no small part and it is a pleasure for us, her children, to assist in whatever way we can in celebrating her one hundredth birthday. In this history ] shall briefly recount some of the early history, leaving the later events and growth and prosperity of the town to the longer paper to be submitted later for publication.
The town of Middletown was incorporated in 1789, as a part of Ulster county, being formed from the towns of Woodstock and Rochester. It took its name from its central location -- most of the population of the state being in the territory drained by the Hudson, Delaware and Susquehanna rivers, of which the Dela- ware was the middle valley and the town of Middletown contained nearly all that part of Ulster county lying within the valley. Middletown is one of the original and one of the oldest towns in Delaware county, and formerly covered all the territory of the present towns of Roxbury, Bovina, Middletown, Andes, Colchester, Hancock, nearly all of Stamford, a large part of Delhi, Hamden, Walton and Tompkins, and a small portion of Shandaken in Clster county, comprising more than half of the whole county of
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HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUNTY.
Delaware. By division it has been reduced to a territory of 58,000. acres, with a population of about 1,000 inhabitants. The East branch of the Delaware river flows through the central part of the town, with the Bataviakill, Bushkill, Dry Brook, Mill Brook and Plattekill streams as tributaries, draining fertile valleys, and along which are located the thirteen settlements of the town. This extraordinary number of post offices can better be appre- ciated directly after a presidential election or before a town caneus. The history of the permanent settlement of this mother of towns properly begins with the advent of the Dutch in 1763, though the Canadian French were here about the time of the French and Indian war, and still earlier there was a Tuscarora Indian village called Pakatakan just above the present village of Mar- garetville, and the above Indian name Pakatakan is still used to designate a company of Margaretville firemen. Of this original occupancy of the town by the Indians the Indian mounds and burying grounds on the old Dumond farm attest, and the large number of arrow heads and flint axes that have been found in this vicinity is an additional proof. Still further, there are in all probability many who have heard the authentic but hair raising stories told to this day in Middletown of the wonderful exploits ot Tom Quick and Tim Murphy, the Indian slayers whose favorite haunts were the valleys of the Delaware, stories more wonderful than the " good times coming " prophecies of the Republican politicians. I made mention above of the first permanent settlers being Dutch-they were with oue exception, to my knowledge, and this was my maternal great-great-grandfather O'Connor, who, while he could speak nothing but the Dutch language, yet he was a full-blooded Irishman, born in Ireland. These Dutch set- tlers at first consisted of only four families from Ulster county, who bought four farms on Great Lot No. 7, on the Middletown fats, receiving deeds therefor dated April 9. 1763, paying 82.50 per acre. Five more families joined them during the next eight years, and all maintained friendly relations with the Indians until
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TOWN OF MIDDLETOWN.
the time of the Revolution, when the friendly and timely warning of an Indian named Teunis, who afterwards lived in Bovina, alone saved them from being massacred by the Indians. As it was they were forced to return to Ulster county, being followed by the Indians as far as Shandaken. However, the settlers afterward returned and were never afterward disturbed, the Indians being driven westward. A single incident may suthice to show the present. generation what kind of a life was lived by those early adven- turers: One night when the cows were driven to the enclosure to be milked a stray yearling steer was noticed in the drove. The cows did not seem to be contented in his company, and after several vain attempts to milk the uneasy herd, the stray yearling was discovered to be nothing less than a black bear.
Chancellor Livingston, as one of the heirs of Johannes Har- denbergh, was once the owner of all this secton, which was a part of the land granted Johannes Hardenbergh by Queen Anne in 1708, and he, Hardenbergh, was thus the original proprietor of the soil, and the village of Margaretville is named after his great-granddaughter Margaret. Of the many privations and hard- ships endured by our forefathers in the early pioneer life of the town, in the limited time allowed, I can make but brief mention personally, I have always sympathized with our foremothers the most, for the reason that they had to endure the same hardships that our forefathers did and our forefathers beside.
In 1789, by act of the legislature, the town of Middletown was erected, and Benjamin Milk was afterward elected a supervisor of the town to sit at the first meeting of the Board of Supervisors held at Delhi, May 30, 1797 seven supervisors sitting at this meeting. At this town election the ballot box was taken from place to place in the town for the convenience of voters, and it may be interesting to know that the discovery was afterwards made that the successful candidate, Benjamin Milk, was neither a resident of the town of Middletown or the county of Dela- ware.
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HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUNTY.
The oldest house now standing in the town of Middletown is on the Daniel Waterbury farm. It was built in 1791 by Colonel John Grant, who was the first postmaster of the town and held office forty years. The town meetings were held here for many years, the draft for the war of 1812 took place in the same build- ing, and the broad meadow near was used for the general training of the militia. At these general trainings the tubs and pails of whiskey punch were used so freely that the sham fights usually turned out to be real fights before the day was over. Very soon after the return of the refugees at the close of the Revolution, a Dutch Reformed Presbyterian church was erected in the old churchyard above the present village of Arena, and the first sup- ply preaching was by a one legged man by the name of Anderson, who afterwards became a fortune teller and doctor. Probably the oldest burying place in the county is the old cemetery on the Dumond farm, just across the river from Margaretville. It was used by the early Dutch settlers and many years before by half breeds who preceded them. In the war of 1812 three com- panies were drafted from Middletown (as it was then) for the defense of New York harbor. In the Anti-Rent war Middletown took a considerable part, one of the saddest episodes of which was the shooting of Steele at Andes, for which Edward O'Connor of Middletown was convicted and sentenced to be hung, but was afterward pardoned by Governor Young.
The history of the various settlements and villages in the town, the growth in population, schools, societies, business, news- papers, professions, military affairs, fire department, railroads, agriculture and public improvements will have to be left for the published history.
Politically, Middletown has always taken a leading part, and many of her citizens have sacrificed their time and submitted, from purely patriotic motives, to the discomforts of holding office.
Thus reviving briefly the early history of this county we may safely say that none has a history more romantic in its incidents,
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TOWN OF MIDDLETOWN.
more marked for the sturdy independence and honesty of its people, for their energy, persistence, will indomitable to defend their rights, and readiness to accord like rights to others. It is a question which presses upon us whether the county in its subsequent history has proved itself worthy its origin, and whether we of to-day deserve such ancestry. This spirit, mingled largely with the spirit of nationality inspired our people to the heroic devotion displayed in the late civil war. Being largely an agri- cultural people, with no very large towns or cities, and with few millionaires and little chance to grow rich by speculation, we have not been tempted to stray very far from our fathers' ways of industry, economy, simplicity of living and providence for the future. From this little garden and nursery of men how many have gone forth to the broader or more inviting fields of the expanding west and to the great marts of commerce and this seed of Delaware sowing, wherever cast, has burst into har- vests to the enrichment of many counties and states. One hun- dred years hence, when Delaware shall celebrate the second con- tennial year of her life as a county, when we, who to-day commemorate the virtues of our historie fathers shall have passed into silence: when they compare the present with this, may they find a county and people softened by enlture, but true to the indomitable spirit of the past, a people free, independent, intel- ligent, industrious, sober, honest, virtuous and religious, and above all, happy.
By Mrs. J. K. P. Jackson.
Middletown contains cight hamlets of varying size, namely: New Kingston, in the northern part of the town, on the Platte- kill, a tributary of the Delaware River. New Kingston was first settled by the Dutch. The land was given by William Living- ston to one hundred families who were left homeless after the burning of Kingston by the British in 1777. This fact gave the
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HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUNTY.
place its name. Later the Scotch element came in predominating numbers. The land is fertile and well adapted to farming-ex- cellent butter is made in large quantities from dairies of blooded cattle, chiefly Jerseys. The village contains one general store, a post office, a fire insurance association, a blacksmith and a cooper shop, U. P. Church, and a district school. The U. P. pastor is Rev. J. B. Pollock.
Arkville, in the central part of the town, derived its name from an incident in the history of one of its oldest houses: In the time of a heavy freshet this house was the only one that was not disturbed by the water that came through the valley. Its location on a high knoll, coupled with being the home of one Noah Dimmick, gave it the name of the ark, from which the name of the hamlet is borrowed. Arkville contains four stores, the Commercial House and Cole's hotel, a graded school with two departments, a Methodist church, a saw and a planing mill. Situated on the Ulster & Delaware R. R. it is the principal depot for farm produce for the western portion of the town of Middle- town, and the eastern terminus of one of the few remaining old time stage routes, connecting the Ulster & Delaware with the Ontario & Western at Delhi, twenty-five miles distant. Several large boarding houses for the accommodation of summer guests are here, and their best advertisement is that they are well filled through the summer and fall months. The Hoffman house, sur- rounded on three sides by forest trees, is the summer home of many artists and lovers of nature. The Locust Grove honse is another delightful resort of historical record. This was the property of Edward Livingston who was once Minister to France. While in Paris his style of living plunged him into debt and he mortgaged his estate to a French importer named Laussat, and Joseph Bouchand. They foreclosed the mortgage and built this house about 1812. It was purchased from Laussat by the late Hiram B. Kelly, whose widow, Katie, and son, Eldridge, are now the proprietors.
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TOWN OF MIDDLETOWN.
Dunraven is a post station on the Plattekill. In the days when the country was new, and lumbering and tanning were prominent industries, it contained a grist mill and tannery. Early in the century the first of many tanneries in the town was built here. A primitive feature of this tannery was that the vats for tanning the skins were made by digging holes in the earth and pounding in a lining of blue clay. The destruction of the hem- lock forests was followed by the decay of the tanning and milling industries, and to-day the mill and lumber yard of Olney Smith is all that recalls the past.
On the Delaware river in the western part of the town lies the village of Arena, formerly known as Lumberville, a name sig- nificant of the carly industry of the place. Arena has an M. E. church, a large district school, a Grand Army Post, three gen- eral and one hardware store, a Lodge of I. O. O. F., a fire company, and two hotels. At Grants Mills, four miles southwest of Arena, on the Millbrook stream, is the large boarding house of 1. W. and J. M. DeSilva. This region is much sought after by anglers both from city and country.
In the eastern part of the town is Halcottville, named in honor of its first merchant, Matthew Haleott, who was one of the promi- nent business men of Middletown carly in the century. The Ulster & Delaware R. R. passes through the place. It contains one hotel, two general stores, a grange store, a large mill, with Hour and feed store. A Methodist church was recently built and Rev. R. S. Beckett is in charge. At the Baptist church Elders Ahner Morse and John Clark preside. A new school building has been erected in a sightly part of the village. Lake Wawaka, a fine sheet of water over a mile long, is formed by a dam across the river. On the lake are row boats and a steam launch for pleasure parties.
Kelly's Corners, another station on the Ulster & Delaware R. R. half way between Halcottville and Arkville, contains a store, a post- office, a large creamery and cheese factory. Limburger cheese is manufactured here.
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HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUNTY.
In the eastern end of the town is Griffin Corners, a village that has made rapid growth in the last ten years. It is situated on the Bushkill stream and the Fister & Delaware R. R. The especial cause of its growth is the summer boarding business. The beauty of the mountain scenery, the pure air and fine water have won the city guest. The village has a fine public library, the gift of a woman who spent several seasons here. It is called the Skene library in honor of Dr. Skene, her husband. Other features of the village are four churches, viz .: Methodist, Old School Baptist, Baptist, and Episcopal. There are numerous fine sumner boarding houses. The societies are Knights of Pythias, with seventy mem- bers, and Good Templars. A bridge over a small stream on Main street divides Griffin Coruers from Fleischmanns, named after the senator who built a cottage and laid out beautiful grounds on the hill above the depot. About teu years ago city people began building cottages here, and now thirty-five ornament the hillside. The cost of these with their grounds is from three thousand to forty thousand dollars each. Among the prominent people who make their summer homes here are Mrs. Charles Fleischmann, Mrs. 1. Blair a sister of the Senator, Lonie Fleischmann and the young widow of Max Fleischmann, and Mrs. Seidl, the widow of the late innsician and leader. There are three stores, mill and other enter- prises in this place. The people of Fleischmanns have fitted up tine grounds for bicycling and other athletic games, called the Mountain Athletic grounds; here also is a riding school building that cost $10,000.
Margaretville, the metropolis of Middletown, is located on the East branch of the Delaware, at the foot of Mount Pakatakan, a lofty verdure crowned peak of the Catskills, and near the central part of the town. It was named in honor of the daughter of Governor Morgan Lewis, who at one time owned this traet of land by inheritance from her mother. Her mother was a daughter of Chancellor Livingston. At the time of the Revolution Livingston was the owner of all this section of country. The first settler on
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Village of Griffin Corner. and Fleischinanns
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TOWN OF MIDDLETOWN.
the site of the village was Ignos Dumond, in 1781. Ile sold the land for $100 to a Mr. Tompkins, who built the first saw mill. Tompkins sold to Jephtha Seager and Solomon Scott.
In 1843 the late Dr. Orson M. AHaben succeeded Mr. Scott as owner of the west half of the farm, and David Sliter the Seager part. At this time Margaretville contained three buildings, - a saw mill, mill house, and the house of Solomon Seott. the father of the venerable Methodist minister Russell S. Scott and grandfather of S. I. Scott. The mill house was a frame building, enclosed with plank. It is still in good repair, and occupied as a dwelling. The first hotel was built in 1844 by David Ackerly. It was enlarged by his son J. B. Ackerly in 1871, and again in 1883 and fitted for the accommodation of city boarders.
The first store was kept in the office of Dr. O. M Allaben. The Doctor and Rev. Ananias Ackerley, his partner, conducted business near the present home of Mr. E. Clute. In 1817 a larger store was built on the corner opposite the Ackerley hotel and occupied in 1849 by Burhans & Decker. Mr. Decker continued business here until 1855, when he built a more commodious store near his house. In 1876 he soll his business to his son-in-law Orson A. Swart.
Dr. Allaben, believing the old adage "the pen is mightier than the sword," on July 7th. 1863, issued the first number of a weekly paper, called the Utilitarian. At this time the county had but tive papers. He continued to fill the editorial chair for five years when he sold the paper to A. R. Henderson and H. T. Becker. In 1879 it was purchased by J. K. P. Jackson, a staunch Democrat. In 1884 a second paper was started by Frank Barclay. It was published about five months, then closed its career. In 1891 the Messenger was established, owned by a stock company, with John Grant as editor and Dr. J. W. Telford as assistant.
The village of Margaretville was incorporated in 1875. At the first charter election Dr. Smith W. Reed was elected president, E. 1. Olmstead. G. G. Decker and A. P. Carpenter trustees. The present corporation officers are: Andrew J. Kaufman president,
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HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUNTY.
Charles Gorsch and Rufus Gavett trustees, Noah D. Ohinstead treasurer, Hermon Rotermond street commissioner.
Margaretville has three churches. In 1850 the first Methodist Episcopal church was built, and Rev. R. S. Scott was the preacher and Rev. Richard Decker his assistant. In 1880 the society erected a larger building on Church street. The present pastor is Rev. Orville Van Keuren. This church has a large membership and a Hourishing Sunday school. Hon. G. G. Decker has been its super- intendent for nearly fifty years. This sebool was the first in Middletown to establish a class in normal Sabbath school and home department work. So interested was Mr. Decker in having the teachers in his school thoroughly familiar with Bible history, that in 1893 be built a pleasant room connected with the church for the use of those in the normal class.
Through the instrumentality of Rev. W. N. Allaben a Baptist society was organized in 1874. Services were held in the old academy building until the society in 1881 bought and refitted the old Methodist church on Main street.
In 1891 a Presbyterian society was formed with Rev. R. M. Blackburn as preacher, who only remained a few months; he was followed by Rev. Charles Ellis, Mr. Osborn, and Frank B. Seeley. A church was built, and dedicated in August, 1896. The society has made rapid growth. Rev. D. G. Lawson is the present pastor.
A Catholic society holds services once a month, conducted by priests from Stamford or Kingston. At present they have no church, but have been discussing the question of building one.
In 1889 the Catskill Mountain Agricultural Society was formed, with O. M. Allaben, president, J. K. P. Jackson, secretary, O. A. Swart, treasurer, and William R. Swart, general manager. They purchased twenty-six acres of river fat, below the village, from Win. R. Swart, paying $2,500; improvements costing $2,500 were added and the first fair was held in the last week of August, 1889.
Margaretville has four lawyers: A. P. Carpenter, Calvin Hull, J. K. P. Jackson, and S. P. Ives; five physicians: Smith W. Reed,
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