February 2024: Early maps, Artifacts, and more!
Hi!
How are you doing? I hope all is going well. Did you attend one of our recent virtual programs? They are a great way to spend a cold winter’s afternoon!
Our next virtual program will be on Sunday, March 3 at 2 p.m.. Heidi Haynes, Deputy Director of Outreach, NYC Environmental Protection Bureau of Water Supply will give a presentation on the Delaware Aqueduct Repair Project. The project calls for shutting down a portion of the Delaware Aqueduct in order to attach a bypass tunnel under the Hudson River, a complex repair of decades-old leaks. This is the largest-ever capital repair project in the history of the City’s water supply.
Admission to the VIRTUAL ONLY program is FREE for Museum Members and $5 for non-members. To join the program, please register by email at [email protected] and put NYC DEP talk in the subject line, or call 845 985-7700. A link will be sent to you. Non-members will be asked to please first make a donation on the Museum’s website: www.timeandthevalleys museum.org/support/donate.
Our first in person program:
Super Volunteer Afternoon
Sunday, March 24, 1 to 3 p.m. In person only, FREE FOR ALL
An afternoon for our wonderful volunteers, both past and present, and a welcome to potential new volunteers. Includes refreshments, a fun raffle, thank you gift for our valued volunteers and more. Stop by and meet new friends, get reacquainted with old ones and enjoy yourself! Explore the different new volunteer opportunities, visit the Museum exhibitions, shop, socialize and enjoy refreshments. If you have a little free time and are thinking about helping, PLEASE stop by!
Please consider becoming a Museum member so you can receive our full schedule of events to plan ahead and get FREE ADMISSION! There are so many benefits of membership – take a look, below.
Send in your form today and join or go to www.timeandthevalleysmuseum.org/support/membership.
We are in the process of reprinting the Town of Neversink Bicentennial publication, originally printed in 1998. Here is an interesting section on roads:
With the opening of roads, the people came and the Indian threat totally disappeared. Early maps (circa 1754) show a road going from Wawarsing to the site of the Chestnut Woods (now Grahamsville). The settlers used this road to travel to Wawarsing to get their grain ground (three days round trip). Later on, the road was extended to the flats at present day Neversink and early maps also show a road cut from Chestnut Woods to Pepacton. In 1790, Charles Broadhead blazed a trail and opened a road from Neversink to present day Liberty. In the 1800’s, Hunter Road was the thoroughfare from the Town of Neversink into Willowemoc and on to the Town of Rockland. Then came an era of plank roads.
By the year 1857 the Napanoch-Denning Plank Road was well in use. This was a toll road which was not faring too well and, by 1869, the corporation running it was said to be bankrupt. In 1873 its charter was repealed, the toll gates removed, and the road made public supported by taxes. Another plank road was built going from Neversink to Ellenville.
In 1899, The Fallsburg and Grahamsville Turnpike Company was selling shares of Capitol Stock at $50.00 each. At this writing, however, no other information has been found in reference to a turnpike. Perhaps Route 42 going from Grahamsville through Woodbourne, Fallsburg, Monticello, and on to Port Jervis is the “turnpike” referred to?
Here is an amusing blurb that came from the Catskill Mountain News on January 13, 1905 forwarded to me by member James Ayers:
As the 9:17 train reached Arkville an old man with a long white beard rose feebly from his seat and tottered toward the door. He was, however, stopped by the conductor, who said: “Your fare, please.” “I paid my fare.” “When? I don’t remember it.” “I paid you when I got on the car.” “Where did you get on?” “At Kingston.” “That won’t go. When we left Kingston there was only a little boy on the car.” “Yes” answered the old man. “I know it. I was that little boy.”
Collections Assistant, Ashley Wilson found another interesting artifact she would like to share with you:
This is a circa 1900 military field surgeon’s pocket metal syringe kit donated by Morgan Dewitt. The syringe is in the center with tubes on the sides for needles and for tablets to dissolve and inject with the needle. It is thought that this would have been carried by doctors on the battlefield to administer morphine to the wounded during the First World War.
As we look towards March and the beginning of spring, I hope to see you at our upcoming in person events. Enjoy the end of winter!
Until next time,
Donna