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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”
John 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.
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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Vintage Baseball in Bovina, New York
At noon July 18, 2009, an event which hasn't been seen in Bovina since the 1920s took place - a vintage baseball game. The Bovina Dairymen took on the Fleischmann Athletic Mountain Club. In a hard fought game the Fleischmann team came out on top 12-11.
MoreThe Historic Walton Theatre
As was the case in many small towns around the country, a village wasn’t complete until it had it’s own Opera Hall. While it may seem like a funny goal for today’s communities, pleasureable pursuits were a sign of the wealth of a town, and having the time, and clothes, to attend the finer arts like opera was indeed a sign you had arrived.
Walton Theatre Audience
Teaching in Bovina’s One Room Schools
Explore a little of the history of teachers who ruled the roost at the 13 schools in Bovina.
Maynard Schoolhouse, Bovina
Bovina Historical Society
Click here for full article on Ray LaFever's blog. Photo:Jean Hoy at the Maynard School, c. 1920s, picture courtesy of the Bovina Historical Society.
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