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One-Room Schoolhouses of Delaware County
In the 19th century over 400 one-room schools dotted Delaware County’s landscape, the last remaining open until the 1960s. Today they are fondly remembered by former teachers and students alike. Many one-room schools have been converted for use in a multitude of ways.
The most common schoolhouse seen in Delaware County was a small, one-room, wood framed structure, varying in size. A common misconception about one-room schools is that they were painted red. In fact, most schoolhouses were white. The care of the building was the responsibility of the trustee.
More“The school trustee in Delaware County was generally a successful, though not necessarily wealthy, farmer who was considered to be a man of integrity and had some ability to make good decisions.”
Pamela S. Hillebrand, “Treasures of the One-Room Schoolhouse”
Livestock Suited to the Catskills
Most folks say the Scotch, Irish and British were attracted to the Western Catskills because it reminded them of home. Windy hills and rocky pastures wouldn’t intimidate their souls, nor those of their livestock. The roads of Delaware County pay tribute to their ancestors and heritage – Glen Burnie, Irish Hill, Scotch Mountain, Dingle Hill, Thomson Hollow, MacGibbon Hollow, McNaught Hill, and so forth. And while the Catskills were settled by many nationalities, it is the Scotch-Irish influence that holds the most sway over our understanding of our 18th century past in Delaware County.
Tamworths
Stone and Thistle Farm, East Meredith
Here are some breeds of livestock that when seen in our landscape today, give clues to the heritage of our area and give us a way to understand the make up of a farm of yesteryear.
MoreHistoric Barns of Delaware County (slideshow)
Photos from the Driving Tour of Delaware County barns brochure.
MoreJohn Burroughs, Delaware County’s Native Son
Naturalist John Burroughs paid lifelong homage to his Delaware County roots. Scattered throughout his essays are scores of recounted memories from the first 17 years of his life, years that he spent near Roxbury, New York. “My blood,” he said, “has the flavor of the soil in it; it is rural to the last drop.” Biographer Edward Renehan, Jr . writes that Burroughs “had a deep psychic connection not only to the geography of his home region, but also to his kin who lingered there above and below ground.”
Woodchuck Lodge
Woodchuck Lodge Inc.
Ulster and Delaware Railroad History
The Ulster & Delaware Railroad crossed the Catskills from Kingston Point on the Hudson, to Oneonta in the Susquehanna Valley. Chartered in 1866 as the Rondout & Oswego, and reorganized in 1872 as the New York, Kingston & Syracuse, it became the Ulster & Delaware in 1875, and was completed to Oneonta in 1900.
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elaware County Historical Association
Boarding Houses Near Railroads
Here is an old article from a travel guide put out by the Ulster & Delaware along with a JPG of the listings of private homes that took in lodgers during the summer months from the same book. For a better version go to our Facebook Page for the PDF. They follow the path of the Ulster & Delaware from Fleischmanns to West Davenport. The name of some old family farmsteads will be recognizable to some. It's also interesting that the literature showed the elevation of the town - cool mountain air at 1500 feet above sea level was probably a very good reason to vacation here.
MoreHanford Mills Museum Ice Harvest
Ice Harvest Festival the first weekend of February every year at Hanford Mills in East Meredith.
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Roxbury’s Doctor Doolittle
“Mr. Ed,” the 1960’s television comedy featuring a talking horse, actually originated in the Catskills. The series was inspired by the 25 Mr. Ed stories authored by Walter Brooks, who wrote most of them while living in Roxbury, Delaware County, from 1938 to 1958. In addition to over 100 other short stories, he also wrote 26 children’s books starring Freddy the Pig. Freddy and a supporting cast of wild and domestic animals could talk, leading some to call the series the American Winnie-the-Pooh.
MoreThe Catskills Via The Ashokan, The Mohican and the Rip Van Winkle Trails
Excerpts from a travel guide book from 1934 to the Catskills highlighting the old roads used which became part of the rail system. We have focused on the section of trails that runs through Delaware County along the western Ashokan Trail and the end of the Mohican and Rip Van Winkle Trails. The original guide may be found at at the Delaware County Historical Association's office in Delhi. The descriptions of the towns focus on the natural resources and healthful benefits, but keep in mind not all things referenced here are still in existence or may be closed to the public.
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