The Sullivan County Historical Society has started an email notification list for upcoming events. If you would like to be included on this list, please send an email to info@scnyhistory.org asking to subscribe or use our Online Form to send your request. You do not need to be a member to be included.
As you know the Sullivan County Historical Society museum building in Hurleyville has been closed to the public since last March because of the pandemic. Our programs have been impacted by the closure – no first Sunday Concerts, no Theme Tree Exhibit, and no Annual Meeting where Sullivan County History Makers and Preservers are honored. The annual election was also held at the annual meeting, which did not happen. While it may not be the best way to conduct the election for officers and board members it was decided to hav3e a mail in vote. All SCHS members of record will be receiving one ballot per household to make their choices for those positions. The ballots are included in the current Observer newsletter along with a return envelope. All ballots must be returned by December 31, 2020. Thank you for your understanding.
CANCELLED - This concert may be rescheduled at a later date.
On Sunday, April 5th at 2:00pm, the Sullivan County Historical Society’s First Sunday Music and History concert will feature the Dirty Stay Out Skifflers. The Skifflers are a Hurleyville, New York based jug band that has been touring for more than twenty years, bringing their unique blend of blues, folk, old timey, Tin Pan Alley pop to folks throughout the Northeast. The band features Grammy winner Rick Nestler on 12 string guitar and vocals, Dan Berger on harmonica, and Donna Nestler on banjolele and vocals.
In 2017 The Skifflers released their first CD, “Late Night, Early Morning”, influenced by such greats as Bessie Smith, Gus Cannon, Jim Kweskin Jug Band, Maria Muldaur, David Bromberg, The Quarrymen and Hot Tuna.
Rick Nestler wrote the Hudson River Anthem, “ The River that Flows Both Ways”, which Pete Seeger liked so much he recorded twice with Rick accompanying him on the Grammy winning CD, “Tomorrow‘s Children”. You can read more about Rick on his website http://www.ricknestler.com.
Donna Nestler is classically trained in flute, bassoon and guitar, but she plays the banjolele. The banjolele is a four-stringed instrument with a small banjo body and a fretted ukulele neck. Donna has traveled the world performing, teaching and convincing people that “banjoleles rule”.
Dan Berger is an outstanding blues harmonica player, who studied with Joe Filisko, Phil Wiggins and countless others.
The Skifflers have been fortunate to play with some very fine musicians, among them Pete Seeger, Tom Chapin, Jay Unger & Molly Mason, Bill Vanaver, Hope Machine, Mike & Ruthy and Abbie Gardner.
The concert is free, but we will be asking for donations to help fund the program. The Sullivan County Museum is located at 265 Main Street, Hurleyville, New York. The event is free. Donations will be gratefully accepted. Call 845 434-8044 for more info, or visit the website at www.scnyhistory.org.
We recently undertook the project of digitizing our collection of the Republican Watchman Newspapers from 1909 and 1910.
These are now available for viewing at the Sullivan County Museum. We also have some from the Sullivan County Record
All of these newspapers are searchable and indexed for ease of finding information and subjects that appear in them.
Read more: Our Digitized Newspaper collection is now available to the public!
$1,000,000 FIRE IN MONTICELLO
BUSINESS SECTION GUTTED
Seventy-Four Places of Business and Residence Go Up in Smoke-—A Sorry Spectacle—But Monticello Will Build Again.
The larger part of the business section of Monticello is In ashes. It's glory has departed. At S:30 o’clock on Tuesday night, the power house of the Murray Electric Light & Power Co., was discovered to be on fire and was in a mass of flames before the fire bell had made the necessary strokes locating the fire section.
With surprising rapidity the flames spread and in an hour the entire village seemed to be doomed, and but for the persistent fighting of the firemen there would have been saved to no one a place to rest his weary head.
As it is, some have lost all they had, and no loss, as far as wo have been able to learn, was covered entirely by insurance.
From the power house the fire Quickly swept buck to the Palatine Casino, and in less time than it takes to chronicle it. that place of masquerade, frolic and fun was in a mass of flames. The Palatine, P. C. Murray’s fine hotel, stands directly in front of the Casino, and that was the next building to go up in smoke and flames, and a sorry sight it was indeed. It swept across the street to Strong's Block, destroying Strong & Co’s, book store, S. L. Strong’s grocery store, T.H. Dougherty’s harness store, and John .D. Lyon’s law office. The telephone central office, standing in the rear of tile Strong Block, caught on fire and with it went W. C. Oddo’s tailoring and furnishing store, Preston’s bar-J her shop, and Frank Ray’s household goods
Court Room Burned. ,
A high wind fanned the flames into a roaring, raging' wall of fire which swept down Broadway consuming everything before it
The following is an exceprt from our new Digitized collection of the Republican Watchman 1909.
To read the rest this story and see even more from of our Newspaper collection, Please visit the Sullivan County Museum.