Paul Jones of Overlook Mountain. (A True Story.)
February 27, 2021
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In researching details about the history of Plattekill Clove in the northern Catskills I came across an amazing short story, one of adventure, regret and friendship. I will not share any details here, so as to not give anything away, but needless to say I was captivated. It was written by popular author Laura Winthrop Johnson (1825-1889) and was fi...
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MacHenry Mill, Perseverance and Spirit
February 20, 2021
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The seemingly historic MacHenry Mill building is located along a back-country road in the northern Catskills. In talking to the owner one time while photographing the mill, it seems the building isn’t quite as historic as it may first appear. She confirmed that there was once a mill on the site. However, the owner, who appeared to be in her late 20...
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John Jacob Loeffler – New Catskills Photographs
February 13, 2021
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John Jacob Loeffler is one of the great Catskills photographers of all time. He made hundreds of stereoviews of the Catskills throughout the 1870s and 1880s. The photographs, part of the series titled Catskill Mountain Scenery, demonstrate his skill and vision as well as the timeless beauty of the Catskills, being equally compelling today at they w...
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Merrill & Humphries – Delhi, New York Photography Partnership
February 06, 2021
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The partnership of Merrill and Humphries operated a drug store located at the village of Delhi in Delaware County, New York while also publishing scenic postcards of the western Catskills region from 1911 to 1928. After the partnership dissolved in 1928, Pierre B. Merrill continued to publish postcards under his own name.
Fitch's Bridge and De...
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Gloria Dei at Palenville: A Study
January 30, 2021
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The historic Gloria Dei church at the hamlet of Palenville sits “nestled in a grove of odorous pines in the purple shadows of the beautiful Catskills.” In my estimation Gloria Dei can certainly be considered one of the most beautiful churches in the Catskills.
Architect and Catskill resident William H. Day, “one of the most earnest and valua...
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Catskills, Then and Now: Plattekill Falls
January 23, 2021
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The stunningly beautiful Plattekill Falls are located in the northern Catskills of Greene County, New York. The falls are located along the Plattekill Creek within the Platte Clove Preserve, which is owned by the Catskill Center for Conservation and Development (CCCD), a regional conservation and advocacy group founded in 1969. The 280-acre area wa...
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New Stereoviews from the E. & H. T. Anthony Company
January 16, 2021
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The E. & H. T. Anthony company was the largest 19th-century manufacturer and distributor of cameras and photographic supplies in the United States. The company was founded by Edward Anthony (1818-1888) and his brother Henry T. Anthony (1814-1884). Regionally, the company produced many of the greatest Catskills views of the 19th century. The Catskil...
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The “Cats” in Cats-kills
January 09, 2021
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Given the Cats-kills name it is not surprising that there is a wide array of historical “cat” related postcards and marketing materials for the region. The anthropomorphic cats often depicted tourists as they partook in various vacation activities or were dressed to the nines in high fashion. The cats could be found driving cars, flying planes, goi...
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Conrad Otto Bickelmann – Photography from Brooklyn to Tannersville
January 02, 2021
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Conrad Otto Bickelmann was born in July 1855 at Bickeburg, Prussia in what is today’s Germany. He was the son of Otto C. and Friederike (Kramer) Bickelmann. He immigrated to the United States in 1872 at the age of 17 and settled at Brooklyn, New York.
Although I cannot be certain that it is the same person, there is a record of an Otto Bicke...
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M. H. Bullard – Daguerrean Artist
December 19, 2020
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M. H. Bullard was a traveling Daguerrean Artist from Massachusetts who visited the village of Delhi in the years 1850 and 1851. His first visit appears to have been in January through February in 1850. During this stay he operated his gallery over the store of James Elwood. Bullard placed the following advertisements in the Delaware Gazette, the lo...
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Jacob Miles Churchill – Daguerrean Artist
December 12, 2020
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Jacob Miles Churchill operated a popular Daguerrean and Ambrotype photographic gallery in the 1850s and early 1860s at the village of Delhi in Delaware County, New York.
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Jacob Miles Churchill was born on May 10, 1799 at Stockbridge, Massachusetts. His parents were Jaco...
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A Look Back in Catskills Photography: Not Yet Invented
December 05, 2020
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The following anecdote was published on April 20, 1869 in the Bloomville Mirror. Bloomville is located within the town of Kortright in Delaware County, New York.
“A woman with a child entered a photographic gallery in Newburg, N.Y., the other day, and previous to placing it for a picture the woman subjected the child to a vigorous spanking. The...
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A Look Back in Catskills Photography: Retort Photographic
November 28, 2020
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The following photography joke was published in the May 26, 1916 issue of the Catskill Mountain News.
“Retort Photographic.
The photographer was drying his plates in the warm sunlight.
“What are you doing there?” asked a friend.
“Oh,” was the reply, “just airing my views.”
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Byron R. Johnson – “First-class” Photographer of Delhi, NY
November 21, 2020
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Byron R. Johnson operated a photographic gallery from 1867 to 1869 at the village of Delhi in Delaware County, New York.
Logo for the Byron R. Johnson Art Gallery. Author's Collection.
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Byron R. Johnson arrived at the village of Delhi circa 1867. He purchased the photograp...
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Otto Hillig – New Photographs
November 18, 2020
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Otto Hillig can be considered one of the great photographers in Catskills history. Arriving from Germany in the United States as a poor teenage immigrant he took on a series of odd jobs before developing a prosperous photography business at his adopted hometown in the village of Liberty in Sullivan County, New York. He operated a well-regarded port...
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