John N. Brengel was a popular photographer for over 20 years in the city of Kingston, New York. Prior to his arrival at Kingston Brengel operated a photographic gallery in New York City from the late-1860s through the mid-1880s.

Family Portrait, by J. N. Brengel, Rondout, NY

Family portrait, by J. N. Brengel. Author's collection.

Biography

John N. Brengel was born in February 1833 in Manhattan, New York. He was married to Mary J. (Brown) Brengel. There is a conflict as to Mary’s correct year of birth, as the 1900 United States census shows her birthdate as July 1854 whereas her gravestone shows her birth year as 1855. John and Mary were married around the year 1875.

Brengel honorably served during the Civil War. At the age of 29, he enlisted for three years on August 12, 1862 at New York. He mustered in as a private in Company I, 6th New York Cavalry on August 13, 1862. Records show, somewhat amusingly, that he was “wounded in the canteen, October 11, 1863, at Brandy Station. Not disabled, but had to go thirsty until he procured another canteen.” He was promoted to sergeant on December 1, 1864. He was discharged on June 5, 1865 at Cloud’s Mills, Virginia.

The 6th New York Cavalry was involved in intense fighting for much of the Civil War. Notable battles and campaigns include the Battle of Chancellorsville (April 30 – May 6, 1863), Battle of Gettysburg (July 1-3, 1863), Sheridan’s Shenandoah Valley Campaign (August-November 1864) and the Appomattox Campaign (March 29-April 9, 1865). 

By the late 1860s Brengel was listed with the occupation of photographer in the business directories for New York City. His studio was listed as 391 Canal Street. In the mid-1870s his business was located at 291 6th Avenue. Advertisements later place his business at 55 East 13th Street. The year 1885 was the last one in which Brengel was listed as a photographer in New York City.

The logo imprint on the reverse side of a portrait taken by Brengel reads “J. N. Brengel, Ferrotype Gallery, New York. 4 for 25 cents.” The ferrotype, also known more popularly as tintype, was patented by Hamilton Smith in 1856 in the United States. The ferrotype process was used widely used in the 1860s and 1870s.

An 1884 advertisement in The Photographic Times stated: “J. N. Brengel, Solar Printer, Photo, Enlargements by Electric Light. Prints made, Rain or Shine. Address for Price List, 55 East Thirteenth Street, New York.”

In August 1884 tragedy struck when Brengel’s New York City gallery was destroyed by fire. The New York Times provided a summary of the incident.

“J. N. Brengel, a photographer, whose specialty is the enlargement of pictures for artists by electric light, had a gallery on the third floor of No. 55 East Thirteenth Street. Last evening he was developing some negatives in the dark room, and his boy, Albert Whitemore, was in the gallery, when there was a whizzing noise, followed by an outburst of flame. Mr. Brengel found the woodwork of his operating room on fire, and the heat caused bottles of ether and alcohol to burst and add fuel to the flames. The fire was fierce when the engines arrived, but it was subdued in half an hour, when the gallery was a complete wreck. Mr. Brengel used the Brush wires for the light he needed, and he says the fire was due to insulating material being stripped in some manner from the wires so that they set fire to the woodwork through which they passed. Mr. Brengel was insured for $1,300 in the Phenix Company, of Brooklyn, and his loss is more than $2,500. C. Z. Bates, locksmith and bellhanger, on the second floor, loses about $700 by water damage. John Church & Co., of Cincinnati, publishers of music, on the first floor, lose by water damage from $1,200 to $1,500. About $800 damage was done to the building, which is owned by the Roosevelt estate.”[1]

Perhaps due to the tragedy that destroyed his gallery, that same year, 1884, Brengel advertised that he was in the market to purchase a Photographic Gallery, giving his address as Rondout, New York.

The city of Kingston business directories first listed Brengel as operating at 9 Wall Street by around 1884. By 1894 he had moved locations and was then operating at 29 Strand. Following business directories listed Brengel at 31 East Strand, 27-29 East Strand and 29 East Strand.

Portrait, Old Woman, by J. N. Brengel, 9 Wall Street, Kingston, NY

Portrait, Old Woman, by J. N. Brengel. Author's collection.

An 1888 newspaper advertisement had Brengel operating his business at 9 Wall Street in Kingston. He advertised cabinet photographs for sale at a cost of $1.50 per dozen. The advertisement also interestingly stated that “15,000 Negatives by Edward Lewis are in my possession.” Lewis had been a long-time photographer at Kingston through the early 1880s.

Advertisement for J. N. Brengel, Photographer, Kingston, New York

The Kingston Daily Freeman. October 13, 1888.

In October 1890 a fire broke out in the rear of the E. T. Dodge candy store on Wall Street, and quickly spread. As the fire engulfed the building, it did much damage to the rear of the Brengel’s photographic establishment. Damage was estimated at $500, and Brengel was not insured for the loss.

The 1892 book Kingston and Rondout: Their Representative Business Men and Points of Interest featured a profile of Brengel.

“J. N. Brengel, Photographer, No. 9 Wall Street, Kingston, N.Y. – If improved apparatus and reliable chemicals and unbounded self-confidence were all that is necessary to make a first-class photographer, the country would be full of such, for about every tenth man you see nowadays practices photography for fun or for money, and can talk to you by the hour about “negatives,” and “exposures” and developing, and many other things of which you know little or nothing; but when it comes to putting theories into practice the average photographer, amateur or professional, cannot seem to make a very excellent showing. The fact is long experience and considerable natural ability are absolutely essential to the attainment of thoroughly satisfactory results in photography, and an illustration of this may be had by comparing the work turned out by Mr. J. N. Brengel with that produced by other photographers who might be mentioned, for Mr. Brengel has been in the business for many years and is thoroughly familiar with it in every detail. He is a native of New York, and succeeded to the business founded by Mr. Edward Lewis in 1865. His rooms are located at No. 9 Wall Street, on the third and fourth floors, being very thoroughly fitted up in every way. Photography in all its branches is carried on, orders being filled at short notice and at uniformly moderate rates, while the results attained are such that it is perfectly safe to fully guarantee satisfaction to all who may place orders at this popular studio. This gentleman commanded Company I, 6th New York Cavalry, during the war, and for a time served on the staff of General Sheridan.”[2]

In 1896 Brengel achieved a certain amount of fame with the announcement that he, along with Chester B. Melott, had developed a process to produce static x-rays. News of this discovery was featured in newspapers in Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Kansas, Nebraska and other states.

“Static X-rays. A process differing from that of Roentgen. Everything goes now. These people made a wide departure. No vacuum was used. A series of experiments at Kingston which appear to be more startling than any yet performed with the Crookes tubes.

Kingston, N.Y., Feb. 18. – Chester B. Melott, manager of the Rondout Western Telegraph office, and J. N. Brengel, a local photographer, have made several successful experiments with X-rays, the manner of obtaining the pictures being altogether different from ordinary methods.

Not an inch of conducting wire, no battery, Crookes tubes, condensers, coils, or Leyden jars were used. The electric current used was transmitted through the body of the operators, and was conducted by them to the objects that were photographed and transmitted through the sensitized plate to the body of another person place on the opposite side of the sensitized plate, which was enclosed in a dark slide.

The current used was static, of high potential and high frequency, and the time of exposure required was about half a minute for each object. The experiment was conducted upon the principle and the theory that a lightning bolt will photograph objects on any sensitized bodies, when coming between them, as numerous accounts prove.

The pictures were taken through the cardboard cover of the slide, and through one thickness of a pane of glass, making about one-fourth of an inch. The whole operation is simple, and can be performed by anyone. The electricity for this experiment was obtained by holding an ordinary tin dusting pan under the rapidly moving leather driving belt of an engine in the power house of the Kingston City Electric line, with one hand, while the other hand touched the objects lying on top of the case containing the sensitized plate, another person holding the plate through the body of which the electricity passed off.

By other experiments tried with exhausted tubes and incandescent bulbs, lights of all the shades of the rainbow were secured, the light changing according to the condition of the atmosphere. In damp weather a very reddish light is produced, while in dry, clear atmosphere, the light assumes a bluish ting; also phantom rays of great brilliancy were obtained, but owing to the arrangement of the bulb and machinery, when sensitized plates were brought close to the bulbs, it destroyed their electrical effect, and in some cases extinguished the light altogether, the operation taking the current away by induction.

Mr. Melott contemplates making further experiments with the rays, and also with a very penetrating electric light, which consists of passing a current of dynamo electricity through a tube filled with a peculiar metallic gas. The current freely passes and produces and produces a very penetrating light.”[3]

The 1900 United States census listed Brengel as residing in district 107 of the city of Kingston. Also residing in the household was Mary J., his wife, born July 1854; Carrie A., born January 1880; Anna L., born February 1882; Frederick D., born January 1884; George A., born March 1886; and Mable V., born July 1888. The census reported that John and Mary Brengel had seven children, six of which were currently living. The census showed that Brengel’s parents had both been born in Germany. He was listed with an occupation of Photographer. Frederick, even at the young age of 16, was listed with an occupation of Assistant Photographer.

In 1903 Brengel began planning for retirement, putting his gallery up for sale. An industry publication carried the following advertisement. “FOR SALE – Having decided to retire from active business, will sell my studio at a bargain; fitted for 11 by 14; fine Dallmeyer lens; best light; price, $450, cash. J. N. BRENGEL, 27 Strand, Kingston, N.Y.”[4]

Brengel’s actual retirement from the photography business took place two years later in 1905 at 72 years of age. He sold his business in August of that year to Robert G. Sibley, of Port Ewen. After the sale Brengel moved back to New York City.

The address directories for Manhattan and the Bronx begin to list Brengel in 1902 with a home address at 204 West 114th Street. In some years he was listed with an occupation of photographer, however, there was no business address listed.

John N. Brengel passed away at 76 years of age at his home in New York City on September 26, 1909. He was survived by two sons, George and Fred, and four daughters, Mrs. Joseph Stillwell, Carrie, Mabel and Lulu. Mary J. Brengel passed away at her home on January 26, 1927 at her home on Glenwood Road, Brooklyn. John, along with his wife Mary, is buried at Montrepose Cemetery in Kingston, New York.

I have recently acquired around 50 postcards that were published by B. E. Pudney. Although Pudney’s postcards depict scenes from all the counties and regions surrounding the village of Sidney, my collection focuses mostly on the Catskills portion of Delaware County. The postcards include scenes from Masonville, Sidney, East Sidney and Delhi. The postcards depict village scenes, buildings, churches, bridges, roads, waterfalls and landscapes Although not published by Pudney, there is also a postcard showing his store titled “B. E. Pudney’s Piano and Music Store.”

The gallery also includes 40 advertisements published in the local newspapers by Pudney from throughout his business career.

The complete collection of postcards can be found by navigating to Gallery >> Historic Catskills Photographers >> B. E. Pudney.

View N. W. From South Road, Masonville, N.Y.

Masonville, N.Y., View N. W. From South RoadPhotographer: B. E. Pudney, Sidney, New York

The Mill Pond, Masonville, N.Y.

The Mill Pond, Masonville, N.Y.Photographer: B. E. Pudney, Sidney, New York

Birds-eye View, Sidney, N.Y.

Birds-eye View, Sidney, N.Y.Photographer: B. E. Pudney, Sidney, New York

New Iron Bridge, Sidney, N.Y.

New Iron Bridge, Sidney, N.Y.Photographer: B. E. Pudney, Sidney, New York

Main Street, looking North, Sidney, N.Y.

Main Street, looking North, Sidney, N.Y.

Mill Dam and Falls, East Sidney, N.Y.

Mill Dam and Falls, East Sidney, N.Y.Photographer: B. E. Pudney, Sidney, New York

Woolerton Street Bridge, Delhi, N.Y.

Woolerton Street Bridge, Delhi, N.Y.Photographer: B. E. Pudney, Sidney, New York

County House, Delhi, N.Y.

County House, Delhi, N.Y.Photographer: B. E. Pudney, Sidney, New York

Watauga Falls, Delhi, N.Y.

Watauga Falls, Delhi, N.Y.Photographer: B. E. Pudney, Sidney, New York

John G. Stenger was a popular photographer at the hamlet of Callicoon Depot in the 1890s to the early 1900s. He was noted for both his landscape and portrait work. Anthony Stenger, John’s father, also worked as a photographer for many years at Callicoon Depot and at the hamlet of North Branch.

Country Scene, by J. G. Stenger

Country Scene, by J. G. Stenger. Author's collection.

Biography

John G. Stenger was born in March 1865, the son of Anthony Stenger (1839-1915) and Fredericka (Weingartner) Stenger (1840-1919), both natives of Germany. Anthony was born on September 8, 1839 at Darmstadt, Germany and immigrated to the United States in 1852. He resided in New York City for four years and then settled at Mileses in the town of Fremont, Sullivan County, New York.

In May, 1863, Anthony married Fredericka Weingartner. She was a native of Stuttgart, Germany who immigrated to the United States in 1859. Together they had four children, including John; Mary Anna (Stenger) Schonger (1866-1928), wife of Dr. Adolph H. Schonger, the well-known physician at North Branch; Henry J. Stenger (1866-1935), a painter and well-regarded musician, and later a foreman in the paint shops of the Long Island Railroad Company; and Anthony Stenger (1873-1939), an optometrist with the firm of Stenger and Stenger at 398 Broadway in Brooklyn for 30 years. Mary Anna and Henry were twins.

Anthony was a house painter by trade, and combined that occupation with photography and musical work. He was prominent in the musical scene of the area, being a member of several bands and orchestras. “Mr. Stenger was a musician with exceptional talent and has furnished the music for the dances in that section of the county for the last fifty years and was known and beloved by all.”[1]

Anthony first established a photograph gallery at Callicoon Depot sometime in the 1870s. At Stenger’s gallery, you could “get your photograph taken, which will be better looking than you really are.”[2] In 1881 the local newspaper noted that “Mr. S. is a good photographer, and no doubt he will do a good trade in his line.”[3]

After moving from Callicoon Depot to the hamlet of North Branch in the late 1890s, Anthony established another gallery there. The local newspaper noted in 1898 that “Anthony Stenger, the North Branch artist and photographer, is established in his new quarters and I learn is doing a good business. Mr. Stenger has had a long experience of his profession, and gives satisfaction.”[4]

Anthony Stenger continued to operate his photograph gallery until poor health no longer allowed him to work. He was a member of the Free Masons, being one of the first members of the chapter at Callicoon Center. He was also a member of the Knights of Honor.

Anthony was well regarded in the community. Upon his passing it was written that “Mr. Stenger was the kind of man it does you good to meet. His greeting was always happy, hearty and sincere; there was not an artificial streak in him. He was the personification of good nature, a genial companion, a true friend. He has added his full share of happiness to the world with the sunshine and melody which came forth from his soul.”[5]

Upon the death of Mary Anna, John’s sister, in 1928, the local newspaper wrote of her parents Anthony and Fredericka Stenger.

“The Stengers were a musical family, which added to their social atmosphere. The old folks, Pop and Mom Stenger, spent their later years on the Dietrichsen place just below North Barnch, where Pop had a photograph gallery and where many musical gatherings were held. Pleasant memories of the Stengers will long linger in the minds of those who have been so fortunate as to partake of their hospitality and good cheer.”[6]

Anthony passed away on January 30, 1915 at the age of 75 from a cerebral hemorrhage at his home in North Branch. He had been in poor health for some time, having suffered three strokes, two of which were within 48 hours of his death. The funeral services were conducted by Reverend J. E. Straub. Fredericka passed away in 1919 from pneumonia. Anthony and his wife Fredericka are both buried at Grace Lutheran Cemetery in North Branch, New York.

John G. Stenger, our subject, spent his youth growing up in the town of Fremont. The 1875 New York State census listed 10-year-old John as living with his parents Anthony and Fredericka, along with his sister and two brothers. Anthony was listed with an occupation of Painter.

The 1880 United States census listed 14-year-old John as living with his parents Anthony and Fredericka, along with his sister and two brothers. He was listed as being “at school.” Anthony was listed with an occupation of Laborer.

After receiving his education, Stenger lived for four years living in New York City, but afterwards moved to Callicoon Depot, New York in his home county.

Callicoon Depot is beautifully situated along the Delaware River in Sullivan County, New York. The hamlet takes its name from the New York and Erie Railroad train depot which opened there in 1848. In 1906 the “Depot” part of the name was dropped by the U.S. Postal Service, and became simply Callicoon.

Stenger followed the several trades of his father, being a painter, photographer and musician. John was a noted house painter, with numerous mentions in the local newspapers of his work painting the houses of various community residents.

As a photographer, Stenger’s services included both landscape and portrait work. Advertisements noted that outdoor views and groups were a specialty. One 1895 advertisement from Stenger that was published in the Sullivan County Record stated “Don’t neglect the family, Come and Bring the children. All Work executed in good style and at moderate prices. Buildings, groups, scenery, schools and other outdoor work.” His gallery was located on South Street in Callicoon Depot.

Portrait, Young Man, by John G. Stenger

Portrait, Young Man, by J. G. Stenger. Author's collection.

Portrait, Baby, by John G. Stenger, Callicoon Depot, New York

Portrait, Baby, by J. G. Stenger. Author's collection.

The 1900 United States census listed Stenger as residing in the town of Delaware, Sullivan County. He was listed with an occupation of “House painter.”

In March 1900 Stenger erected and opened at Callicoon Depot “a new photograph gallery on his premises adjoining the school building. It will be equipped with the most up-to-date appliances for that line of business.”[7]

Advertisement for J. G. Stenger, Photographer

Advertisement for John G. Stenger, Photographer

In 1895 Stenger was appointed coroner by New York State Governor Levi Morton to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Philip Metzger of Jeffersonville. In November 1895 he won the county election to serve a full term of three years as coroner. The local paper noted that Stenger had won his election despite spending very little. His expenses totaled only $8.25, of which $1.50 was to hire horses and $6.75 was for “treating at various hotels while introducing myself.” Of the four coroners elected, Stenger had received the highest number of votes.

Prior to his marriage John may have had a reputation as a ladies’ man. The Sullivan County Record wrote in 1895 that “I noticed J. G. Stenger, Callicoon Depot’s photographer, riding about town Tuesday on the laps of two dearies of the same place. Most fellows are satisfied with one at a time, but Johnnie don’t ’pear to be one of ’em.”

Portrait of John G. Stenger, Photographer

Stenger eventually settled down and married Mary Mitchell (1872-1938), daughter of Elias Mitchell of Callicoon Depot, on January 21, 1902. The service was held at the St. James Episcopal Church at Callicoon Depot and was officiated by Pastor H. C. Briggs. There were only a few relatives present at the ceremony, including John’s brother, Anthony Stenger Jr. of North Branch, and Mary’s sister, Ollie Mitchell. John and Mary had one son, Albert H. Stenger (1903-1973).

Elias Mitchell (1839-1912), Stenger’s father-in-law, was one of the oldest and most successful rivermen and raft pilots along the Delaware River. Both his father, Stephen Mitchell, and grandfather, Timothy Mitchell, were also well-known lumbermen and rivermen. Elias began his life as a lumberman and raft pilot at the age of 19, and continued with the trade until the spring of 1911. He was reported to have made as many as 21 trips down the river in a single year. He was affectionately referred to as “Deacon.”

Like his father Anthony, John was also an accomplished musician. He served as the musical conductor for the Callicoon dramatic society. In the early 1900s he served as leader of the Callicoon Depot orchestra while playing first violin. The reviews of Stenger’s leadership of the orchestra were very positive.

“A masquerade ball will be held in Harmonie Hall Feb. 22. All who attend will be given an opportunity to hear our new band, which, under the leadership of J. G. Stenger, has surpassed all expectations of its advancement.” – Tri-State Union (Port Jervis, New York). February 15, 1900.

“The new orchestra recently organized here deserves credit for the progress it has made for the short time it has been in existence. The members and instruments are as follows: J. G. Stenger, first violin; Ed Starck, second violin; Ed Robisch, cornet; Edward Gardner, trombone; William Kothe Jr., piano. Mr. Stenger is director. They have played in public a number of times, and the music is much appreciated.” – Sullivan County Record (Jeffersonville, New York). March 29, 1900.

“Wednesday evening last found the upper grade room of the school building packed . . . Special mention should be made of the faithful and untiring work done by our orchestra, led by J. G. Stenger, for the entertainment of those attending the Wednesday night meetings.” – Tri-States Union (Port Jervis, New York). March 29, 1900.

John G. Stenger died suddenly at 43 years of age at his home in Callicoon in 1908. John and his wife Mary, along with their son Albert, are buried at Callicoon Cemetery Old in Callicoon, New York.

Clyde Fisher was a well-known naturalist, scientist and lecturer who served as curator at the American Museum of Natural History and as head of the Hayden Planetarium. He was a close friend of famed author and naturalist John Burroughs. Being an avid photographer Fisher took many photographs of Burroughs, his home and the surrounding Catskills environment.

John Burroughs on Veranda at Woodchuck Lodge, Roxbury, N.Y. John Burroughs on Veranda at Woodchuck Lodge, Roxbury, N.Y.

Background

“The modesty with which he [Fisher] carried his learning was engaging; the width of his study was remarkable. He walked with John Burroughs. He talked with Dr. Albert Einstein. He went to baseball games and track meets and enjoyed them hugely. He was the ideal companion for field trips, always in a merry mood, always carrying more than his share of the burdens. He was an inspiring teacher, an industrious student, a modest scholar, a delightful friend and a great gentleman. It was a wonderful privilege to have known him.”[1]

George Clyde Fisher, more commonly known as Clyde Fisher, was born on May 22, 1878 on the 1,500-acre family farm near Sidney, Ohio. He was the second of eight children born to Harrison Fisher (1851-1909), a farmer, and his wife Amanda (Rhinehart) Fisher (1848-1936). Harrison was a deeply religious man who was well respected in the community.

“He [Harrison] was a model husband, father and neighbor, a man of few words, but active in good deeds, proving his faith by his works. His one aim in life was to aid and comfort his family and educate his children to be useful men and women . . . We have felt the model life he lived from a child was such that parents, and brothers and sisters, and his family, certainly have reason to believe that he was guided by some power that was more than the work of man. I feel free to say this, because I knew him from infancy, he being my cousin; he was also my playmate in youth and faithful friend through life. I have often wished I were possessed with his quiet, peaceful and upright manner. His character all his life was without spot; I never knew any one who possessed a more gentle spirit, always esteeming others better than himself.”[2]

Amanda (Rhinehart) Fisher, Clyde’s mother, was born on December 4, 1848 to Noah Rhinehart (1821-1897) and Rebecca (Huddle) Rhinehart (1824-1907) near Melmore in Seneca County. Amanda moved with her parents to Shelby County in her childhood and resided there for the remainder of her life. She was married to Harrison J. Fisher on February 3, 1876. She was a lifelong member of the First Presbyterian Church and for many years operated a market stand at the Sidney Saturday Market.[3] Amanda passed away on September 9, 1936 and is buried, along with her husband, at Graceland Cemetery in Sidney, Ohio.

From a very young age, having been born on a farm, Clyde Fisher spent much of his childhood outdoors, and expressed much interest in all aspects of nature, including rocks, plants, trees, stars and planets. Upon learning that the family farm was located on the glacial drift, he collected over one hundred varieties of rocks as evidence. Two uncles who had taken up astronomy as a hobby had taught Clyde, who in turn attempted to teach the subject to anyone who would listen.

“Farmers around Sidney, Ohio pitied Harrison Jay Fisher, a fellow farmer, on account of his son Clyde. Instead of following in his father’s footsteps and becoming a good husbandman, the lad took to books and studies, which, from their practical point of view, meant that the boy was going to the dogs.

When his family was busy with the corn crop, Clyde would be preoccupied with the investigation of the life of a daisy or a dandelion. When he was expected to take care of the domestic animals populating the farm, he would likely be found somewhere in the woods ’possum hunting. Poor Harrison Jay!”[4]

Fisher received his early education at “a little red-brick schoolhouse” in the local schools of Orange township in Shelby County. Perhaps in a telling sign of his future, Fisher, at his 9th grade commencement ceremony, gave the valedictorian speech titled “Examples of Great Men.” In 2002 the Sidney school district honored Fisher by inducting him into their Hall of Honor as an accomplished scientist and “the father of astronomy in America.”

Upon graduation, and with a country schoolteacher’s certificate in hand, he began teaching at the young age of 16. During the summer months he attended the Ohio Normal University at Ada.

After teaching for approximately six years, and having saved enough money, Fisher returned to school full-time, ultimately receiving in 1905 his A. B. degree in geology from Miami University in Ohio. While attending the university from 1902 to 1905, he was also a member of the Sigma Chi fraternity, captain of the intercollegiate debate team, and editor-in-chief of the college magazine. In 1903 Fisher was awarded a gold medal during a contest of the newly established Miami Oratorical Association.

In 1905, with his degree in hand, Fisher married Bessie Wiley (1883-1964), his high school sweetheart. She was the daughter of Johnston Crozier Wiley and Anna M. (Wright) Wiley. Together Clyde and Bessie had four children, including Clyde Jr. (b. 1914, died at birth), Ruth (b. 1916), Beth (b. 1918) and Katherine (b. 1920). After a period of separation Clyde and Bessie divorced in 1933. Later that year, on September 28, 1933, Clyde remarried to Te Ata (1895-1995), also known as Mary Frances Thompson Fisher, a Native American storyteller, actress and citizen of the Chickasaw Nation. Clyde and Te Ata would remain together until his passing.

Upon graduation from Miami University in 1905, Fisher taught science in the local high school at Troy, Ohio for two years from 1905 to 1907. Fisher then moved to Florida where he served as the Principal of Palmer College Academy at Defuniak Springs, Florida from 1907 to 1909 and served as acting President from 1909 to 1910. After leaving Palmer College, Fisher taught at Cornell University, and then worked as an instructor at the University of Florida and in 1912 at the University of Tennessee.[5]

Having saved enough money from his work in Florida, Clyde returned to school for his graduate studies, attending the prestigious John Hopkins University in Baltimore. Fisher graduated in 1913, receiving his Ph.D. with a focus on botany, zoology and plant physiology. His dissertation was titled “Seed Development in the Genus Peperomia.”

Upon graduation Fisher joined the American Museum of Natural History in June of 1913, in time becoming the Curator of the Department of Public Education in 1928. In 1924 he was also named Curator for the Astronomy department and in 1935 he became the first Head of the Hayden Planetarium. In 1938 Fisher became the editor of The Sky, a magazine for amateur astronomers that was published from 1935 to 1941. (The Sky merged with The Telescope magazine in 1941, and remains in existence today as the Sky & Telescope publication.) In 1941 Fisher officially retired as Curator of Astronomy and the Hayden Planetarium, but was named Honorary Curator of the same department. Fisher remained connected with the museum, either as a staff member or lecturer, from 1913 until his passing.

Throughout his career Fisher displayed a remarkable interest in all aspects of scientific work. His breadth of knowledge was noted in a 1940 magazine article.

“Dr. Clyde Fisher, Curator-in-Chief of the Hayden Planetarium, may not be another Leonardo but he is surely a man of parts. In his time he has been a member of the Sioux Indian tribe, a college president, an astronomer, photographer, botanist, ornithologist, mammalogist, geologist, and paleontologist, and as a dabbler or specialist has been associated with every classification of scientific work conducted by the American Museum. . . .

As he looks back upon the years, Doctor Fisher does not regret that he took so long in settling upon a single specialization. Internationally famous as a great teacher and a pioneer in the broad field of visual instruction, he feels that his natural talent always has been that of the all-round naturalist. And though his contribution in weighty monographs are small, it can safely be said that he has brought the vast subject of Natural History in all its ramifications to the attention of a greater public than any research specialist could ever hope to do”[6]

As the head of the Department of Education at the American Museum of Natural History, Fisher was considered a “true scientist with a great respect for scientific truth.” Using his background as a teacher, he worked tirelessly to educate the public, with a guiding belief that science should be fun.

“By personal choice, Fisher was a teacher and truly loved people. He especially loved children due to their thirst for knowledge and inquisitive nature. His greatest interest was in presenting the wonder and beauty of science in such a way that others would also share the feeling of fascination that he had. His greatest strength as a teacher was exhibited in his enthusiasm, knowledge, and sincere interest in the individuals he taught.

Seemingly with infinite patience, Fisher would take great care in explaining the intricacies of science and in answering any and all questions that came his way. He never seemed too busy to respond to an inquiry or to chat with members of the public about astronomy, even for many hours at a time.

As an educator, he was very progressive, and quite ahead of his colleagues in the field of education. His main philosophy was that learning about science was fun. He never considered his duties as a teacher and science lecturer a labor, but a joy.”[7]

In the pursuit of science Fisher traveled extensively. He often visited the American Southwest to study the languages and customs of Native Americans. He has inspected meteor craters in Arizona, Kansas and Estonia. In 1922 he conducted an expedition to Arctic Lapland for the museum and visited Norway and Sweden, where he studied the educational systems of those countries and visited the Universities of Uppsala and Lund.[8] In 1924 he conducted a photographic expedition to Bermuda, where he captured many images of angel fish and other rare specimens of fish. Later in 1924 Fisher and Carveth Wells journeyed to the little-known Sweden and Norwegian Lapland, never before crossed by any American or Englishman.

In 1925 Fisher traveled to Europe to tour a variety of astronomical museums and observatories, including the facilities at the University of Upsala, the Zeiss Planetarium at Jena, Germany and the observatory connected with the Vatican. In 1927 Fisher, along with Ernest Thompson Seton, a noted naturalist, toured several Native American reservations from North Dakota to Arizona. In 1930 he traveled to Iceland as a representative of the New York Bird and Tree Club, with the goal of donating 1,000 trees “to inaugurate a reforestation project as a part of the millennial celebration of the founding of the first parliament in the world.”[9] After the Iceland portion of the trip, Fisher also visited Norway, Denmark and Sweden in order to take photographs on behalf of the American Museum for their educational work in the schools of New York City.

In 1936 he journeyed to the Ak-Bulak region of Siberia (modern day Kazakhstan) as a member of the joint Harvard and Massachusetts Institute of Technology expedition to view the total eclipse of the sun. In 1937 Fisher served as the leader of the American Museum’s expedition to Peru to observe the total solar eclipse, the path of the Moon’s shadow and to record their scientific observations. In 1943 and 1944 he visited Mexico twice to study the volcano Paricutin from the ground and from the air.

Fisher was a friend and colleague of Albert Einstein, whom he believed to be one of the greatest astronomers and physicists of the word. Fisher often lectured about Einstein’s theory of relativity, stating in one such lecture that Einstein, who won the Nobel Prize in 1921, could have won the prestigious award for any one of three different accomplishments. Fisher wrote a book review of Einstein’s book The Meaning of Relativity, noting that “the only conception of the universe that can now be framed is a mathematical conception, and that after we have it, only a mathematician can understand it.”[10]

Fisher was a contributor to the popular Information Please radio program, a popular quiz show that aired from 1938 to 1951. During the show a panel of well-known experts would attempt to answer a diverse set of questions submitted by listeners. Fisher would also contribute to the book version of the show titled Information Please Almanac.

In addition to his scientific endeavors, Fisher was also widely known as an accomplished photographer. His photographs were featured in many magazines, scientific journals and books, including several books about John Burroughs. Subjects included just about anything, including flowers, trees, landscapes, people, wildlife, scientific instruments and natural events. Throughout his career he would use the photographs and motion pictures created during his journeys to illustrate his instructional classes and public lectures.

The annual report of the American Museum of Natural History in 1956 notes that in the early 1920s “Clyde Fisher began making educational motion pictures of local small mammals and birds. His first such venture for the department was a film of the life of a gray squirrel. This and other films Fisher made were added to the Museum’s growing library of films. It is quite possible that Fisher’s film “The Gray Squirrel” was the first educational motion picture produced by any museum.”[11]

Fisher would take many motion pictures as well as still photographs on many of his expeditions. He took 10,000 feet of motion pictures and some 500 still photographs during his 1924 expedition to Lapland.

“They made a valuable and most interesting record of the Lapps, with still and motion picture cameras, and their splendid observations upon the life of the nomadic tribes and the natural history of the beautiful northland were widely acclaimed on their return to civilization.

The expedition crossed the Arctic Circle into northern Scandinavia late in June, 1924, and remained in the Land of the Midnight Sun for a whole month. Dr. Fisher made 10,000 feet of motion pictures and some 500 still photographs, showing the summertime activities of the Lapps, including very unusual pictures of the snowy owl and other Arctic birds, of the midnight sun and of the lemmings in migration.

The explorers slept in the Lapp tents, ate rude fare of reindeer meat, fish and drank goats’ milk. They paid visits to the nomadic schools, and became friends with Turi, the only Lapp who has written a book.”[12]

Fisher’s photograph of the January 24, 1925 solar eclipse was featured on the cover of the July-August 1926 issue of Natural History magazine. The photograph was taken from Jumel Mansion, near 160th Street, in New York City. Viewers above 96th Street witnessed a total solar eclipse, while those below 96th Street witnessed a partial eclipse. The photograph was taken with a Graflex camera with a Cooke lens, f 4.5, focal length 7 inches, stop f. 16, Kodak Cut Film. The exposure time was two seconds.

In the summer of 1927 Fisher took part in a three-month expedition to the American Southwest with Ernest Thompson Seton, famed naturalist, author, founder of the Woodcraft League (1902) and founder of the Boy Scouts of America (1910). During this trip Fisher shot a motion picture titled Camping Among the Indians, which captured a variety of Native American dances, sign language and cultural practices, as well as an intertribal ceremony. The footage from Camping Among the Indians was used by the American Museum of Natural History in its public programs in 1927 and 1928.

In 1932 Fisher shot a motion film titled Pottery Making in the Village of San Ildefonso, New Mexico. The film shows Maria Poveka Martinez (1887-1980) and her husband Julian Martinez (1897-1943), well-known potters that are credited with the rediscovery and revival of the ancient pottery techniques of their Native American ancestors.

In 1932 Fisher took several photographs that had never been accomplished before that time. In a plane piloted by Casey Jones, they “flew up above the clouds and observed the eclipse and photographed the shadow of the moon on the clouds below.” During the flight he “made several successful still-photographs of the partial phases of the eclipse with panchromatic plates, using the special Eastman filter, which was said to admit about one one-thousandth of the visible light . . . The thing we set out most determined to do was to photograph the oncoming shadow of the moon, since this had never been done before . . . We had a perfect opportunity to observe the phenomenon, and to see a total eclipse of the sun from above a continuous blanket of clouds, with no earth visible below, is an unforgettable experience. This most impressive spectacle, seen under these conditions, makes one realize the inadequacy of words.”[13]

Fisher’s photograph of a flower from the Franklinia tree was featured on the cover of the October 1945 issue of Natural History magazine. The Franklinia tree, considered “one of those mysteries of botany in this country,”[14] was discovered in 1765 by botanist John Bartram in Georgia along the Altamaha River. The tree was named Franklinia alatamaha in honor of Benjamin Franklin. (Alatamaha is the old spelling of Altamaha.)

The cover of the May 1949 issue of Natural History, published several months after Fisher’s passing, featured Fisher’s photograph of Chief Hind Bull. The photograph was taken at a place called Belly Buttes in Alberta Canada during the annual Sun Dance. In the photograph Chief Hind Bull wears “a typical war bonnet of the Blood Tribe, made of eagle feathers and tipped with horsehair. This spectacular headdress originated in this area among the division of Indians known as the Plains Indians. Only since the coming of the white man has the feather bonnet become symbolic, in the popular mind, with Indians in general. Chief Hind Bull was dressed for his Medicine Pipe Dance, a part of the greater Sun Dance Ceremonial. It was said that he gave away 22 horses and many other gifts on this occasion.”[15]  

Fisher authored countless essays, articles and books about nature. Some of his published books include Exploring the Heavens (1939), Astronomy (with Marian Lockwood, 1940), The One Volume Nature Encyclopedia (first published under the title Nature’s Secrets, 1940), the well-illustrated The Story of the Moon (1943) and a biography of John James Audubon titled The Life of Audubon (1949). Partnering with Marion Langham, Fisher published a series of six books intended for elementary school age children with titles that included Our Pets (1st grade, 1936), On the Farm (2nd grade, 1936), World of Nature (3rd grade, 1934), Ways of the Wild Folk (4th grade, 1934), Our Wonder World (5th grade, 1934) and In Field and Gardens (6th grade, 1934).

Fisher served as president of the New York Bird and Tree Club and was a fellow the New York Academy of Sciences. He was a member of the Explorers Club, the American Ornithologists Union, the Torrey Botany Club, the American Astronomical Society, the Linnaean Society, The American Society of Mammologists, among many other organizations. He was a member of several honorary fraternities, including Phi Beta Kappa and Tau Kappa Alpha. In 1926 he was awarded an honorary LL.D. degree by his alma mater, Miami University.

Friendship

“I have played with a camera all my life – if any of my friends from western Ohio are here they will know that. When I got my camera I felt that if I could make one picture of John Burroughs I would be satisfied. I have made something like two hundred pictures of John Burroughs.”[16] – Clyde Fisher

John Burroughs Providing for the Chipmunks, Roxbury, N.Y. John Burroughs Providing for the Chipmunks, Roxbury, N.Y.

Born and raised in Roxbury, John Burroughs (1837-1921) would grow from his humble roots to become a famous author and naturalist. He authored 27 books that sold over 1 1/2 million copies as well as numerous magazine essays. Burroughs’ most popular writings became generally known as the nature essay. The nature essay relied on Burroughs’ astute observation of his natural surroundings. He took long walks in the woods, collected plant and animal specimens and read voraciously about nature. He would often write not about faraway places that few readers would ever see but about his immediate surroundings. Subjects would include flowers, trees, birds, country living, open fields, barns and barnyards and farm animals. He would write about long hiking trips and fly-fishing. Readers could individually relate to the subjects and his essays resonated with wide audiences. His literary prominence brought him the audience of John Muir, Walt Whitman, Thomas Edison, Henry Ford and even President Theodore Roosevelt. While his fame has diminished over the past century since his death, his contribution to the literary arts and environmental conservation has ensured that his legacy will not be forgotten.

Upon the passing of John Burroughs in 1921 Fisher wrote a touching tribute to his friend titled “Reminiscences of John Burroughs.” The article was published in the March-April 1921 issue of Natural History. In the beginning of the article Fisher talks of his early impressions of Burroughs through his writing, and the privilege of meeting the famed author for the first time many years later.

“Some twenty years ago there fell into my hands the first volume of Mr. Burroughs’ essays that I had ever seen. It happened to be Signs and Seasons. I am now sure that the result would have been the same, had it been any other volume. The interest and charms that this book held for me prompted me to secure and read the others that he had written up to that time, and to be on the look-out for those that have come from his pen since. One cannot read any book by Mr. Burroughs without a feeling of affection for the author. He has put his lovable self into his essays in a way that few men of letters have succeed in doing.

As my interest and admiration grew, I ventured to hope that I might sometime have the privilege of knowing him personally. On my first visit to New York, eighteen years ago, what I wanted to do more than anything else was to visit the Sage of Slabsides. So I went up to Riverby, his home, which is situated on the west bank of the Hudson about eighty miles north of New York City. It will not be difficult to imagine my disappointment when I was informed by Mrs. Burroughs, who came to the door, that her husband had gone to Slide Mountain, the highest peak in the Catskills, and would not return for several days. I could not wait, so had to leave without seeing him. Like a thoughtless schoolboy, I had neglected to find out beforehand whether he would be at home and whether it would be convenient to have me call. However, I saw Riverby, the stone house, the building of which he described in the essay “Roof-Tree,” which is included in the first book of his that I had read. Here he makes us feel the joy he felt and the enthusiasm he had in building his home by the river.

It was not until after I joined the staff of the American Museum eight years ago, that I actually had the privilege of meeting the poet-naturalist, and later of visiting him at Riverby. This first visit was on a bright November day in 1915, an ideal day for such a pilgrimage. Mrs. Fisher and I were to be the guests of Dr. Clara Barrus, Mr. Burroughs’ physician and friend, while we visited our hero. Mr. and Mrs. Burroughs were then living in the stone house at Riverby, but were taking their meals with Dr. Barrus, who lived in The Nest on adjoining grounds. This cottage, which Dr. Barrus on making her home there had rechristened The Nest, had been built for Mr. Burroughs’ son, Julian. It is one of the most attractive little houses I have ever seen.”[17]

Fisher also wrote of taking his first photograph of Burroughs at his Riverby estate.

“I had brought my camera hoping to get one picture of the great poet-naturalist. Before noon I started out to secure a few photographs about his home. First I undertook to make one of the Summer House on the banks of the Hudson just a few steps from the bark-covered Study between the stone house and the river. In this Summer House, which commands a wonderful view up and down the river, Mr. Burroughs used to sit by the hour during the warmer months of the year, reading or thinking out the essays he has given us. While focusing my camera on the Summer House, I was discovered by Mr. Burroughs, who appeared at the door of his Study, and after cordially greeting me, said, “I thought you might like to have me in the picture.” I was so delighted that I could hardly operate my Graflex camera. However, I made a picture of John of Birds examining a wren box on the big sugar maple by the Summer House, one of him standing in the door of the Study looking out over the Hudson, and one of him sitting by the fireplace in the Study. So, my wish was more than fulfilled on that first visit.”[18]

During this first visit Burroughs and Fisher talked of both having grown up on a farm and of Fisher’s training as a botanist. Burroughs talked of the rare plants that grew in the area. They walked from Riverby to Slabsides, at a distance of 1 3/4 miles, with Burroughs occasionally stopping to “pluck a gorgeous leaf from a young oak tree, and, holding it up between his eye and the sun, and would comment on its beauty.” Burroughs told of John Muir, the naturalist of the Sierras, being one of the first visitors at Slabsides in 1897; and of their journeys together in Alaska, Arizona, Colorado and Yosemite. Burroughs gave a lively account of President Roosevelt visiting Slabsides in July 1903, proclaiming of his active nature, “There is no dead wood in Roosevelt.” Together Burroughs and Fisher were delighted “to find a wild flower in bloom so late in the fall – a little reddish-purple flower, the herb-robert.” As Burroughs bade Fisher farewell at the station at West Park on the evening of their first meeting Burroughs proclaimed “Whenever you want to come to Slabsides the key is yours!”[19]

After this first meeting “Fisher was hooked not only because Burrough’s observations on flora and fauna always brought new knowledge and fresh insights but also because the author put so much of himself in his essays. In fact, Burroughs once told Fisher that literature is observation plus the man. That is why he replied to a friend who was urging him to write his autobiography ‘“My books are my autobiography.’”[20]

In the years between that first meeting in 1915, when Burroughs was 78 years of age, and the passing of Burroughs in 1921, the friendship blossomed. Fisher frequently visited Burroughs at his Riverby home in West Park, at Slabsides, his writing retreat located one mile from Riverby, and at Woodchuck Lodge in Roxbury. Fisher was often accompanied by his wife Bessie during these visits. Fisher once estimated that he visited the rustic Slabsides cabin for two or three days at a time about twice a year since their first meeting.

John Burroughs at his Study, Riverby, West Park, New York

John Burroughs at his Study, Riverby, West Park, New York

During one such visit to Slabsides, in November 1917, Fisher observed an interesting event involving the Dusky Salamander, an event that he afterwards summarized for a scientific magazine.

“After dark , on the night of November 25, 1917, I went to the spring to get a bucket of water, and when I returned to the light, I was surprised to find that I had dipped up two active immature salamanders. A few minutes later one of these was inadvertently poured out into a pan containing a little water, scarcely a half-inch deep, and allowed to remain in that all night. The next morning, the temperature having dropped to about 20 degrees F., the salamander was frozen solid in the ice – that is, the ice was apparently frozen solid all around it. But after we had started a fire in the fireplace and the room had warmed up a bit, the ice thawed out, and the salamander, as soon as it was free from its icy prison, was as lively as it was the evening before, seemingly unharmed by the experience. In fact, after the two specimens were again placed together in water, it was impossible to tell which had been encased in ice, as they were uniformly active and continued so during the several days that I kept them alive.”[21]

In addition to his visits to Riverby and Slabsides, Fisher also affectionately recalled his visits to Woodchuck Lodge, located about 1/2 mile from Burroughs’ birthplace. During these visits Burroughs recalled his amazement at having observed his first warbler, and early fishing trips with his grandfather in Montgomery Hollow. They spoke of making maple sugar, the only farm task which appealed to Burroughs as a youth. On one of his visits Fisher observed the record Hubbard squashes grown by Burroughs on his farm, one of which was given to Thomas Edison. They spoke of the numerous woodchucks shot by Burroughs, from which he made rugs for his home, a coverlet for his bed on the sleeping porch and coats for himself and Dr. Barrus. Fisher, to his surprise, even learned to appreciate eating woodchuck with Burroughs. They listened to the bark of the red fox. Fisher observed the very cradle in which a young Burroughs had been rocked to sleep 80 years prior. Burroughs talked of the large-flowered white wake-robin which, with the help of Walt Whitman, became the title of his first book Wake-Robin in 1871. In summary of these visits Fisher wrote that “the visits that have meant the most to me have been subsequent ones. Perhaps the most inspiring have been those at Woodchuck Lodge . . .”[22]

Fisher last visited with John Burroughs during the weekend of November 6-8, 1920, almost an exact anniversary of his first visit with Burroughs in 1915. During this visit

“We camped in Slabsides, and on the second day (November 7) Mr. Burroughs ate his midday meal and spent several hours with us. He cooked one of his favorite brigand steaks for luncheon – the last he ever cooked at Slabsides. While preparing the steak, we talked about his latest book, Accepting the Universe, which had appeared a little while before. He told me of a number of letters he had received concerning it, and that two or three preachers had thanked him warmly for writing such a book.

On the afternoon of that day, I made what proved to be the last photographs of him at Slabsides. In fact, he visited Slabsides only once after this date. We found the herb-robert in bloom near by, as we found it on my first visit. We also found the climbing fumitory or mountain fringe and the witchhazel in bloom.

When he left Slabsides toward evening, we walked with him to the bend of the road in the hemlocks, and there bade him good-bye. Little did we think that this would be the last time we would see him alive. While we shall not be able to talk with him again, or to shake his hand, or to look into his honest gray-blue eyes, he still lives in our hearts. The spirit of John Burroughs will live on.”[23]

John Burroughs would die less than five months later on March 29, 1921 during his return trip from spending the winter in California. Funeral services, conducted by Reverend Franklin D. Elmer, were held at Riverby on Saturday, April 2, 1921 and were attended by approximately 150 people including Henry Ford, Thomas Edison and Harvey Firestone. In his prayer for Burroughs, Elmer eloquently spoke “There are here to pay tribute those who come from the woodlands and the fields, the shop and office, the church and state and from shore to shore. This man, O Lord, has taught us the beauty of your creation, of the rivers, the valleys, the skies, the birds and the animals.”[24]

Burroughs was buried the following day on what would have been his 84th birthday. His grave is beautifully situated next to his beloved Boyhood Rock of his youth near Woodchuck Lodge at Roxbury, New York.

John Burroughs and "Cuff" at Burroughs Birthplace, Roxbury, N.Y.

John Burroughs and "Cuff" at Burroughs' Birthplace, Roxbury, N.Y.

Over the years Fisher took numerous photographs at Woodchuck Lodge, at Riverby and at Slabsides. The photographs included portraits and candid shots of Burroughs as well as architectural images of the buildings so closely associated with the writer. Some of the images were published as postcards that were sold to the public. One album of 94 gelatin silver prints is in the possession of the Library of Congress. This album includes photos of Burroughs, with some photos also including Fisher and his wife Bessie, at Riverby and at Slabsides.

Woodchuck Lodge was built in the early 1860s by Curtis Burroughs, John’s older brother, and is located on the southern slope of Old Clump Mountain near Roxbury on the property where Burroughs grew up as a child. Woodchuck Lodge was Burroughs summer home from 1910 until his death in 1921. Upon his passing, Burroughs’ close friend, Henry Ford, purchased the property, likely in order to help preserve it. Today, the lodge is owned by a nonprofit community preservation organization and is open to the public on select summer weekends. Located adjacent to the Woodchuck Lodge property is the John Burroughs Memorial Field State Historic Site, the final resting place for John Burroughs. Woodchuck Lodge is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Riverby (pronounced River bee), a 9-acre property located in the community of West Park on the banks of the Hudson River, was purchased by Burroughs in 1873. Burroughs constructed a three-story house here that would remain his permanent residence for the remainder of his life. The property included a small separate building known as “The Study,” where Burroughs wrote extensively between 1881 and 1895. Books written here included Fresh Fields (1884), Signs and Seasons (1886), Indoor Studies (1889) and Riverby (1894). “The Study” at Riverby is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The rustic cabin known as Slabsides was constructed by Burroughs in 1895 about one mile west of his home at Riverby in Ulster County, New York. Burroughs used Slabsides, named for its bark-covered siding, as a summer residence and as a retreat from the obligations that his fame called for. He wrote many books here, including Whitman: A Study (1896), Far and Near (1904) and The Way Nature (1905), as well as other articles and essays. Burroughs entertained many famous visitors at Slabsides, including John Muir and Teddy Roosevelt.

After the passing of Burroughs, Henry Ford, in 1923, purchased the nine acres surrounding Slabsides and donated them to the newly created John Burroughs Memorial Association. Additional lands were added to the property over time. Today Slabsides is located on the 170-acre John Burroughs Sanctuary which, in addition to the cabin, offers miles of quiet, scenic hiking trails. The Sanctuary grounds are open year-round while Slabsides is open twice a year for Slabsides Day. Visit the John Burroughs Association website at www.johnburroughsassociation.org for more information. The historic cabin is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Boyhood Rock, located at the John Burroughs Memorial State Historic Site in Roxbury, is located on the family farm where Burroughs grew up. He would spend hours upon the sandstone rock gazing out over the farm, fields and mountains. It was perhaps his favorite place in the world. As per his last wishes Burroughs is buried in his final resting place only feet away from “the big rock in the pasture”: “Here I climbed at sundown when a boy to rest from work and play, and to listen to the vesper sparrow sing, and here I hope to rest when my work and play are over – when the sun goes down – here by boyhood rock.”[25]

The bronze plaque attached to Boyhood Rock includes a wonderful engraving of Burroughs sitting upon the rock gazing upon the beautiful scenery. The engraving is an interpretation of a nearly life size bronze statue of John Burroughs created in 1918 by well-known sculptor Cartaino di Sciarrino Pietro. The original bronze statue is located at the Toledo Museum of Art in Ohio, having been dedicated on the officially proclaimed “Burroughs Day” in 1918 during a ceremony attended by thousands. The Boyhood Rock plaque also includes a brief excerpt from his famous “Waiting” poem: “I stand amid eternal ways, and what is mine shall know my face.”

Upon the passing of Burroughs, his dear friend Fisher reflected that “My privilege of knowing him has meant more to me than knowing any one else that I can think of. No one could know him without loving him. Like all great men, his outstanding characteristics were his simplicity, genuineness and naturalness. As an interpreter of nature, it is hard to estimate what he has meant to the people of this country.”[26]

In honor of his close friend Fisher frequently lectured about his life and work. Fisher traveled across the country with presentations titled “With John Burroughs at Slabsides,” “John Burroughs and His Birds,” and perhaps the most popular “With John Burroughs in his Favorite Haunts.” He lectured in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Missouri, South Carolina, Oklahoma, North Dakota, Texas, among many other states.

In October 1927, at the meeting of the Ohio State Archaeological and Historical Society, Fisher presented “With John Burroughs in his Favorite Haunts.” The presentation was illustrated with a large number of color lantern slides.

                “Ladies and Gentlemen, Members of the Ohio State Archaeological and Historical Society:

It is a privilege and an honor to be welcomed back to my home State, and to speak before this Society this afternoon.

I do not intent to try to talk about the literature that John Burroughs produced; except casually. It was my privilege to know John Burroughs a great many years. In fact, I began correspondence with him when I was a boy on a farm in western Ohio more than twenty-five years ago. I later knew him personally, and had the privilege of visiting him, during his last years, in his various haunts.

It will be my plan to bring before you, if I can, John Burroughs the man, John Burroughs the very human man. To know John Burroughs was to love him. I have been told by his publishers, who also publish the works of other eminent naturalists, that many more copies of Burroughs’ books have been sold than of the others. I do not wish to make comparisons, and I do not mean to say that John Burroughs knew more about animals, birds, and nature than the others. John Burroughs was not an encyclopedia, a walking dictionary of facts. John Burroughs was, first, a man and, second, a naturalist. Mr. Burroughs said that man can have but one interest in nature – to see himself interpreted there. I think he might have extended that statement to literature and art, as well as nature. He is the great interpretive naturalist for us.

His friends urged him to write his autobiography, and he said “my books are my autobiography,” and I think that is true. Mr. Burroughs was better able to put himself into his books than most of our men of letters. He wrote with a simplicity of style that makes us forget the style. We read John Burroughs; his essays read so smoothly that we do not realize how much hard work has gone into the making of his books. One critic said, “John Burroughs writes with a style that we all feel we can go home and imitate, but we can’t.” I consider myself fortunate in the opportunity to know John Burroughs. His first book was written when Abraham Lincoln was President. He continued writing until 1921, the year of his death . . .”[27]

Fisher wrote of the impact that Burroughs had on conservation, “perhaps not much directly, for he was no preacher or propagandist,”[28] but through his observations and writings. Burroughs, as a “literary naturalist,” opened “the eyes of his readers to the beauty of nature, especially of nature near at hand.” Fisher observed that “the great conservationists of wild life in this and other countries have been naturalists, those who have really been interested in the wildflowers and the trees, the birds and other animals. And this was to be expected. How could it be otherwise?”[29]

Fisher also quoted a letter from Frank Chapman about the impact that Burroughs had on the public. “John Burroughs, as a widely read literary naturalist, did more to arouse an interest in nature than any other writer of his generation. Much of his work was based on original observation; his standards were high and were never sacrificed to popular demands.”[30]

Fisher, along with several associates, also quickly established the John Burroughs Memorial Association upon the death of their friend. The association, with its headquarters located at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City, sought to preserve the places most closely associated with the writings of the poet-naturalist, including Slabsides, Woodchuck Lodge, Memorial Field and Riverby. Fisher served as president of the association, which also included noted dignitaries such as Mrs. Henry Ford; Mrs. Thomas Edison; Judge A. T. Clearwater; Hamlin Garland, noted writer; Carl E. Akeley, noted naturalist and explorer; W. Ormiston Roy; and Kermit Roosevelt, son of President Teddy Roosevelt. The association continues to operate today, the name having been changed in the 1960s to the John Burroughs Association (JBA) as it sought to expand its mission. More information about the society and its mission can be found at: www.johnburroughsassociation.org.

In 1931, ten years after his passing, the American Museum of Natural History held John Burroughs week, which included displays of manuscripts, portraits and other memorabilia. As part of the event Fisher discussed his high opinion of the poet-naturalist.

“Burroughs was no scientist, but he had an extraordinary gift for interpreting natural history, for conveying his own enthusiasm in such terms that it could not only be understood but shared by everybody, no matter how little the reader might know about the subject to begin with. He interested more people in the subject than Thoreau and Muir combined.

He maintained that man sought and saw Nature in terms of himself. And it was in those terms that he interpreted what he saw. He had a genius for the exact word, the word that would make you see with absolute vividness his picture of outdoor life.”[31]

As part of the John Burroughs Memorial Association or the Torrey Botanical Club Fisher would often lead trips to Slabsides and surrounding area. In 1930 a large group of 171 people journeyed to Slabsides. The group made pen holders out of the stalk of the cattail plant which grew along the edges of the Slabsides swamp (as Burroughs had so often done), dined on the celery grown on the property for lunch and heard from Julian Burroughs about how he had found the Slabsides location while hunting as a young boy and how important the location was to his father. Fisher talked about the group of 12 Burroughs’ lovers who had visited Slabsides on April 3, 1921 following the funeral services for Burroughs. Other speakers, including Clara Barrus, biographer of Burroughs, read from his writings and Reverend C. Hazeltine Osborne gave a speech titled “Religion of John Burroughs” which discussed “the permanence of Burroughs’ place in the literature of nature and the analysis of Burroughs’ philosophy of life.”[32]

In 1933 Fisher led a group of 25 people on a field trip to the cabin. The group visited Julian’s Point, walked in the woods and along Black Creek and, with the permission of Julian Burroughs, visited Riverby and the Study. In 1948, at the age of 70, and only a year before his passing, Fisher was still leading annual pilgrimages to the rustic cabin. In May of that year a group of 30 people identified over 150 species of plants in the area, while the October visit also included the reading of parts of John Burrough’s essays that related to Slabsides.

In 1937, 16 years after the death of Burroughs, Clyde Fisher, as president of the John Burroughs Memorial Association, was the guest speaker at a celebration held at Hartwick College to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the birth of John Burroughs. Fisher talked of their time together and about the writings of Burroughs. A few of his anecdotal comments included:

“John Burroughs’ books are his own autobiography and in them he places his character and knowledge . . .

Take your first step in John Burroughs’ books and you will have a ticket to the whole shelf . . .

Burroughs was called John O’Birds because of his intense interest in them and his love for their habits. Read his books and you will have a complete picture of Burroughs the man and the poet.”[33]

As part of the ceremony Burroughs was honored as the first inductee into the Hall of Fame at Hartwick College. Events included a trip to Woodchuck Lodge at Roxbury, followed by an elaborate luncheon. Over 500 people attended the day’s events.

In a Natural History magazine profile of Fisher published in 1940 titled “He Brought the Stars to America” it was noted that Fisher “considers his long friendship with that beloved interpreter of Nature, John Burroughs, to be one of the most important influencers of his entire career.”[34]

Farida A. Wiley: Grand Birder of Central Park

“Miss Wiley taught people to make a connection with the world, to look up, and out, beyond themselves . . . She had led an extraordinary life, and was a woman of uncommon character, a product of the 19th century who seemed to have drawn her identity not from movies and magazines but from a clear sense of purpose, her calling as a teacher.”[35]

The deep admiration of John Burroughs and his writings spread from Clyde Fisher to his extended family. Farida A. Wiley, Clyde’s sister-in-law, compiled a book titled John Burroughs’ America, a book with a carefully curated selection of Burroughs’ most popular and enjoyable passages.

In the foreword of John Burroughs’ America, Julian Fisher, son of John Burroughs, writes: “The purpose of this present volume is to gather into one book selections from a variety of his works. Miss Wiley is well fitted for this task. She is not only an expert ornithologist and botanist herself but also has a wide knowledge of the literature of natural history, and knew Father [Burroughs] and much of the country he roamed. She was one of the few guests invited to attend his burial services and went with the group up to Slabsides afterwards, where the organization of a John Burroughs Association was discussed. This group was formed in 1921. Miss Wiley has been a director for many years and is Secretary-Treasurer at the present time.”[36]

In the introduction of John Burroughs’ America Wiley talks of her visits with Burroughs.

“It was my own good fortune to spend many delightful days at Slabsides, together with my sister [Bessie] and her family. We were with John Burroughs on one of the very last days he ever spent there. On this particular occasion he cooked a “brigand steak” for us over an outdoor fire. Here is how he did it: he would find a green twig of sugar maple or black birch, remove the bark, and sharpen one end so meat and onions could be easily pierced. He would alternate on the stick a piece of steak about one inch square with a piece of bacon and a slice of young onion, repeating the process. Resting the end of the stick on the rocks, back of the bed of coals, he would turn it slowly over the fire till done. Then he would serve it between slices of bread or in a roll. He would usually observe, as he slowly revolved the skewer, “It takes all the conceit out of the onion when you cook it.”

The brigand steak that John Burroughs cooked for us that day was his last at Slabsides. A few days later, in September 1920, he left for California. He passed away during the return journey on March 29, 1921.”[37]

Farida A. Wiley (1887-1986), like her brother-in-law Clyde Fisher, worked at the American Museum of Natural History, getting her start in 1919 as a part-time botany teacher for blind children. She would rise to become a well-respected teacher and director of various educational programs. In addition to teaching at the museum, she also taught at Pennsylvania State College, the Audubon Camp in Main and at a New York University branch on Long Island.

As a self-taught naturalist she would become a recognized expert about birds, plants, trees and wildlife. Wiley, as author or editor, had six books to her credit, including Ferns of the Camp Wigwam Region (1928), Ferns of Northeastern United States (1936), John Burroughs’ America (1951), The Story of Landscape (1952), Ernest Thompson Seton’s America (1954) and Theodore Roosevelt’s America (1962). She was perhaps most well-known for her early morning naturalist tours through Central Park. She worked at the museum as a full-time staff member for over 60 years.

Legacy

“To be learned is an accomplishment; to be lovable is a gift. When both characteristics are so combined in one man that all who even know about him admire and love him, surely greatness is nearly attained. Such a man undoubtedly was Dr. Clyde Fisher . . .”[38]

Before having met Burroughs in person Clyde Fisher stated that he felt that he knew John Burroughs through his writings. And although Fisher only had a personal connection with Burroughs in the twilight of his life for six years from 1915 to 1921, his photographs and reminiscences of his time spent with Burroughs adds much to the history of Catskills. Fisher’s photographs intimately capture the man and the places most associated with his naturalist writings.

George Clyde Fisher passed away at New York City on January 7, 1949 after a lengthy illness. Memorial services were held at the Little Church Around the Corner in New York. His body was cremated and is buried at Graceland Cemetery in Sidney, Ohio. He was survived by his wife Te Ata and several brothers and sisters. The engraving on Fisher’s gravestone reads “He has loved the stars too fondly to be fearful of the night,” which was written by Sarah Williams (1837-1868) as part of her popular poem “The Old Astronomer.”

Selected Sources

Barton, D. R. “He Brought the Stars to America.” Natural History. Vol. 46, no. 1. June, 1940. pp. 59-63.

Fisher, Clyde, and Clark Wissler. “Indian Pottery Making in the Village of San Ildefonso,

New Mexico.” New York: American Museum of Natural History, 1932.

Fisher, G. Clyde. “John Burroughs and Conservation.” Bird-Lore. Vol. 39, no. 2. March-April 1937. pp. 115-117.

Fisher, G. Clyde. “Reminiscences of John Burroughs.” Natural History. Vol. 21, no. 2. March-April 1921. pp. 113-125.

Fisher, G. Clyde. “The Optimistic Philosophy of a Naturalist.” Natural History. Vol. 20. New York: The American Museum of Natural History, 1920. pp. 572-573.

Fisher, Clyde. “Visits to John Burroughs at Slabsides.” The Slabsides Book of John Burroughs. Boston and New York: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1931. pp. 103-119.

Fisher, G. Clyde. “With John Burroughs in His Favorite Haunts.” Ohio Archaeological and Historical Society Publications. Vol. 36. Columbus, Ohio: Fred J. Heer, 1927. pp. 676-683.

Green, Richard. Te Ata, Chickasaw Storyteller, American Treasure. Norman, Oklahoma: University of Oklahoma Press, 2002.

Huddle, Rev. W. D. History of the Descendants of John Hottel. Strasburg, Virginia: Shenandoah Publishing House, Inc., 1930.

Wallace, Rich. “Sidney Man Touches the Last Frontier.” Shelby County Historical Society. www.shelbycountyhistory.org. July, 1999. Accessed February 19, 2023.

Zacharoff, Lucien. “Made Astronomy Popular.” The Brooklyn Daily Eagle (Brooklyn, New York). November 4, 1928.

Charles Carman was a popular photographer who operated a gallery at the village of Andes for over 30 years from around 1875 to 1908. He took a countless number of portraits of village residents and is believed to have taken some of the earliest photographs of the village of Andes.

Andes, New York. Main Street, from High Street to Delaware AvenueAndes, New York. Main Street, from High Street to Delaware Avenue. Italiante style buildings built sometime after June 1878 fire which had destroyed entire block. Original buildings were Greek Revival structures. Photo by Andes photographer, Charles Carman. (Circa 1880).

Andes, New York. Main Street, from High Street to Delaware Avenue. Italiante style buildings built sometime after June 1878 fire which had destroyed entire block. Original buildings were Greek Revival structures. Photo by Andes photographer, Charles Carman. (Circa 1880). Author’s collection.

Life Story

Charles Carman was born on September 15, 1832 at Bovina, son of Joshua Carman (1787-1840) and Priscilla (Scutt) Carman (~1791-1876). Both Joshua and Priscilla are buried at Valley View Cemetery. Charles spent his boyhood days at Bovina. After being educated in the district schools, he became a teacher.

The 1855 New York State census lists Carman, age 23, as residing with his mother Priscilla in the town of Bovina and working as a farmer. Also in the household were his brothers John, Orrin and William, all listed with an occupation of farmer. His sister Emily was working as a teacher and his sister Caroline had no profession listed.

In 1858 he moved to the village of Downsville and opened a general store. An 1859 business directory for the village of Downsville printed in the local newspaper listed the firm of Dean & Carman as operating a Dry Goods and Groceries store. Phineas Dean was listed as Carman’s partner.

Map of Downsville in 1856Map of Downsville in 1856, two years before the arrival of Charles Carman.

Source: Gould, Jay. Map of Delaware Co., New York. Philadelphia: Published by Collins G. Keeney, 1856. Map. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/2012593655/>.

Map of Downsville in 1856, two years before the arrival of Charles Carman.

Source: Gould, Jay. Map of Delaware Co., New York. Philadelphia: Published by Collins G. Keeney, 1856. Map. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/2012593655/>.

By December 1859 Carman had entered into a partnership at Downsville with Edward O’Conner. The following advertisement for the partnership was placed in the local newspaper.

“NEW CASH STORE. The subscribers, having located themselves in the Store lately occupies by Messrs. Dean & Carman in Downsville, would respectfully solicit from the citizens and vicinity, a share of their patronage. Their stock of Goods is entirely new, having been lately purchased in New York at the present unprecedented low prices, consisting in part of Broadcloths, Cassimeres, Satinets, Vestings, Cotton, Linen and Silk Warp, Alpaccas, French Tibet and striped Maddena; SHAWLS, and the largest and cheapest assortment of PRINTS ever offered for sale in Downsville. A splendid assortment of the newest patterns of

CROCKERY & GLASS WARE!

And a choice selection of the best Family Groceries. Believing that “a nimble sixpence is better than a slow shilling,” their Goods will be sold for ready pay only.

All kinds of country product taken in exchange for Goods. Bring your produce or money, and you shall have a good bargain.

O’CONNER & CARMAN.

Downsville, Dec. 21, 1859.”[1]

Carman’s partnership with Edward O’Conner did not last long, being dissolved in July 16, 1860. The following notice was placed in the local newspaper.

“DISSOLUTION – The partnership heretofore existing between O’Conner & Carman is this day dissolved by mutual consent. All those indebted to the above firm will please call and settle. The books will be left in the hands of O’Conner. O’CONNER & CARMAN. Downsville, July 16, 1860.

Business will be continued by E. O’Conner at the old stand of O’Conner and Carman. Reduced prices – cash or short credit. We take this opportunity to return our thanks for past patronage. EDWARD O’CONNER. Downsville, July 16, 1860.”[2]

In addition to operating the general store at Downsville, Carman was also offering his photographic services to the public. The local newspaper carried the following advertisement from Carman in 1858; and the 1859 business directory for the village of Downsville printed in the local newspaper listed Carman as selling “Ambrotypes.”

“Great Flood in Downsville. The rain having subsided, the subscriber is ready to furnish the people of Downsville and vicinity with superior SPHEROTYPES, AMBROTYPES, and MELAINOTYPES.

Those wishing true likenesses will do well to call immediately, as I intend to remain but a few days.

         Superior likenesses at reduced prices – satisfaction warranted.

        The public are respectfully invited to call, whether wanting pictures or not.

        Downsville, July 19, 1858.

        CHAS. CARMAN.”

Carman married Helen Johnson, of Downsville, on June 6, 1860. Together they had three children, including two daughters, Lulia (1861-1932) and Evelyn (1867-1934), and one son, Ward (1870-1938). Ward would follow in his father’s footsteps in becoming a photographer and operating his own gallery. Evelyn would marry Harvey Kinch (1868-1959), who with his brother Edgar Kinch (1877-1939), operated a successful photo studio at Walton and Hancock for over 40 years.

The 1860 United States census showed 28-year-old Charles living in the town of Colchester with his 18-year-old wife Helen. He was listed with a profession of “Merchant,” while she was listed as a “Lady of Leisure.”

During the Civil War Carman served as a recruiting officer. The 1865 New York State census lists Carman as residing in the first election district of Colchester with a profession as “Artist.” He may have reached a certain level of success by this point as there was 17-year-old from Germany, named Carrie Minor, who was residing in the household as a servant.

Carman moved to the village of Andes around 1867 where he operated a mercantile business with his brother for about two or three years. In June of 1867 the County Board of Excise approved a store license for the firm of “Carman and Brother.” The 1869 map of Andes published by F. W. Beers shows Carman operating along Main Street as a “Dealer in General Merchandise.” His building was located on the north side of Main Street, next to the Tremper Kill. The 1870 United States census lists Carman as living in the town of Andes with a profession of “Retail Grocer.” In addition to Carman, his wife and three children in the household, there was also Anna Bays, a 17-year-old “domestic servant.”

Map of the village of Andes in 1869Map of the village of Andes in 1869, including the Charles Carman general merchandise business.

Source: "Andes [Village]; Union Grove [Village]; Andes [Township]; Andes Business Directory." The New York Public Library Digital Collections. 1869. https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/510d47e3-67c0-a3d9-e040-e00a18064a99

Map of the village of Andes in 1869, including the Charles Carman general merchandise business.

Source: "Andes [Village]; Union Grove [Village]; Andes [Township]; Andes Business Directory." The New York Public Library Digital Collections. 1869. https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/510d47e3-67c0-a3d9-e040-e00a18064a99

After several years residing at Andes, Carman began a photography business, about 1875, which he operated continuously for the next 33 years. He operated a popular portrait gallery and is believed to have taken some of the earliest stereoviews of the village of Andes. It is also believed that Carman published scarce views of the Catskill Mountains, the Grand Hotel and Pine Hill. The 1875 United States census listed his profession as “Artist.”

The village of Andes of today is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as “an embodiment of nineteenth and early twentieth century architectural styles as interpreted in a rural upstate New York community.” The historic district is comprised of 84 properties and 129 contributing structures. Some of the still standing structures of today can be seen in the photographs taken by Carman over 130 years ago.

In 1879 Carman occupied the upper floor of a new two-story building constructed by David Hyser. The building replaced a prior one that had burned in June, 1878 during a tragic event in which much of the business district of the village of Andes was destroyed, including fifteen buildings on the north side of Main Street between Delaware Avenue and High Street. The 1880 United States census, the 1892 New York State census and the 1900 United States census all listed Carman as residing in the village of Andes with a profession of “Photographer.” Carman’s home and studio were located at 62 Main Street.

Portrait, Well Dressed Young ManPhotographer: Charles Carman, Andes, New York

Portrait, Well Dressed ManPhotographer: Charles Carman, Andes, New York

Portrait, Well Dressed LadyPhotographer: Charles Carman, Andes, New York

Portrait, Young Boy, Sitting in ChairPhotographer: Charles Carman, Andes, New York

Portrait, Young Girl, Sitting in ChairPhotographer: Charles Carman, Andes, New York

Logo, Charles Carman, Photographer, Andes, N.Y.

Carman opened a branch photography office in June 1889 at Margaretville, approximately 16 miles southeast from Andes. Ward, Carman’s son, at first operated the branch on behalf of his father, but eventually took over to manage it by himself. Ward operated the business for 49 years until his passing in 1938, doing business at the same location the entire time. It was noted that “this is an unusual record. There is no other firm in town with half that record of years.”

“The business has seen great changes in that time, as has the village. The taking of pictures in the studio was the important part of the business at its inception. In later years the amateur camera came into vogue and the finishing of the film for the public was more remunerative than the posing of the professional photographs.

Ward Carman has been a popular and successful member of the business community for all the years that mount up to the 49. He was of a genial nature, always a smile for everyone, attended strictly to his own affairs. While his business was not one of large volume in dollars he amassed a competence and his advice in financial matters was sought. He was of the old-fashioned school of honesty and integrity – exemplifying what America needs today – good citizens.”[3]

Ethel H. Bussy in her 1960 book titled History and Stories of Margaretville and Surrounding Area wrote of the Ward Carman gallery.

“The photography shop, or "Gallery" as it was called, was on Main Street in the building now remodeled and occupied by Mr. Shafer as a jewelry store. The Gallery was always run by the late Ward Carman as photographer and Miss Carrie Osborne as photo finisher and helper. A large glass enclosed case was on the front of the Gallery and the pictures of the best looking people displayed there. It was similar to a beauty contest of the present day. Everyone was interested to see if their picture made the glass case.”

Upon Ward’s passing in July 1938, the business continued operating for a brief time under the ownership of Carrie Osborn, Ward’s sister-in-law. Carrie had worked at the business for over 40 years. Upon closing in December 1938 Carrie talked to the local newspaper about the history of the business.

“Talking about the closing yesterday Miss Osborn recited many interesting events that have taken place in the half century. The first activity was the taking of “cabinet” photographs. These cost $3.00 per dozen 50 years ago. The photographic business ran through many cycles. Amateur work came many years after the opening. It brought rich contacts. A quarter of a century or more ago there were a large number of artists scattered through this section of the mountains. Most of them knew the photographer and firm friendships were formed. Mr. Carman photographed various folks of world renown and lesser fame. When the old negatives were carted to the village dump last week there were many instances of four generations of negatives, cataloged one against the other in the boxes of glass. During the war 20 years ago the glass was valuable and some of the useless negatives were sold for a fair price.

In the flush days of amateur work the studio did a rushing business. Mr. Carman and Miss Osborn often developed and printed 100 rolls of films per day during these times.

It was hard work, they who performed it knew how their money was obtained. A competence was saved and will take care of Mrs. Carman and Miss Osborn in the cottage on the hillside for those days of retirement so many look forward to and miss when they seem about to enter the threshold.”[4]

In addition to his business enterprises Charles Carman also faithfully served his community for many years. He served as Justice of the Peace for about 35 years and as the census marshal in 1870. He served as justice of sessions for one year. He also served as Overseer of the Poor for the town of Andes for several years.

Carman retired from the photography business in 1908. The 1910 United States census listed Carman as retired with a profession of “Own Income.”

In 2006 the Andes Society for History and Culture held an exhibit featuring the photographic works of Charles Carman. The Andes Society wrote a brochure for the event that included his biography and the history of the buildings photographed by Carman.

Legacy

Charles Carman was one of the oldest residents of Andes village when he passed away at his home on Main Street on January 3, 1911. The cause of death was a growth on his head that “caused him much suffering and he had been unable to lay down with it all winter. Complications hastened the end.”

His funeral was held at his residence with Reverend E. A. Bookout officiating. Carman was survived by his wife and three children, including Ward Carman, a photographer in Margaretville; Mrs. Harvey J. Kinch, of Walton; and Mrs. William D. Hilton, of Chicago. He is buried at the Andes Cemetery in Andes, New York. 

Helen Carman, wife of Charles Carman, passed away a few years later in 1914. She died at Delhi, New York while residing with her daughter Evelyn. She is also buried at the Andes Cemetery.

Ward W. Carman, son of Charles Carman, passed away at the family home in Margaretville on July 6, 1938. He had been sick for about two weeks with liver trouble. He is buried at the Margaretville Cemetery.

For a more detailed biography about this notable Catskills photographer please see my blog post titled “Bob Wyer: The Delhi Lensman” from February 22, 2020.

I have recently acquired 32 new photographs by Bob Wyer, all from the Catskills region. They have all been added to the Bob Wyer gallery, which now contains over 135 of his Catskills works. The gallery can be reached by navigating: Catskills Photograph Gallery >> Historic Catskills Photographers >> Bob Wyer – Catskills Photographer. Ten of the new photographs are shown here.

Engine #2 pulling the Rip Van Winkle Flier

Engine # 2 pulling the “Rip Van Winkle Flier”The inscription on the back of this Bob Wyer postcard reads: “Engine # 2 pulling the “Rip Van Winkle Flier.” Delaware and Otsego Railroad. Oneonta, New York. Excursions – May thru September – Daily except Monday. The DoLine runs thru the scenic foothills of the Catskill Mountains on tracks of the former Ulster and Delaware Railroad.”

Dry Fly in Fast Water (Greetings from Roscoe, N.Y.)

Dry Fly in Fast Water (Greetings from Roscoe, N.Y.)A traditionally outfitted fisherman uses his dry fly under a flowing waterfall in this vintage postcard by photographer Bob Wyer of Delhi, New York.

Downsville Covered Bridge

Downsville Covered BridgeWell-known photographer Bob Wyer took this photograph of the Downsville Covered Bridge as it spans the East Branch of the Delaware River at the hamlet of Downsville. The postcard was never mailed.

Greetings from Delhi, N.Y., At the Crossroads

Greetings from Delhi, N.Y., At the Crossroads

Glenerie Falls on the famous Esopus Creek

Glenerie Falls on the famous Esopus Creek

Greetings from Walton, N.Y., Hay Harvest

Greetings from Walton, N.Y., Hay Harvest

East Sidney Dam

East Sidney Dam

Greetings from Walton, N.Y., Harvesting Hay

Greetings from Walton, N.Y., Harvesting Hay

Lookout at East Windham, N.Y.

Lookout at East Windham, N.Y.

Greetings from Prattsville, N.Y., Country Store

Greetings from Prattsville, N.Y., Country Store

This revolutionary new process allowed for the conversion of black-and-white photographs into color images and for the mass production of prints, postcards, and albums. At the time color photography as we know it did not exist, therefore the exclusive rights to the “photochrom” process provided the Photochrom Company at Detroit a significant competitive advantage throughout the United States.

Using the black-and-white images of the Detroit Publishing Company held with the Library of Congress and my personal collection of colorized photochrom postcards, it is incredible to see the transformation in comparing the original black-and-white image to the resulting color image. Given my amazement in seeing this transformation brought to life with images from the Catskills I thought it would be interesting to share some of these before-and-after comparisons.

Rip Van Winkle House, Catskill Mountains

Rip Van Winkle House, Sleepy Hollow, Catskill Mountains, N.Y.

6372, version 1_Rip Van Winkle House, Catskill Mountains

Boulder Rock and Hotel Kaaterskill, Catskill Mountains

Boulder Rock and Hotel Kaaterskill, Catskill Mountains, N.Y.

10124_Boulder Rock and Hotel Kaaterskill, Catskill Mountains

A Mountain Toll Gate

A Catskill Mountain toll gate

6374_A Mountain Toll Gate

Old Studio of Artist Hall, Palenville, Catskill Mountains

Old studio of artist Hall, near Palenville, Catskill Mountains, N.Y.

6373, version 1_Old Studio of Artist Hall, Palenville, Catskill Mountains

Alligator Rock, Near South Lake, Catskill Mountains

Alligator Head near South Lake, Catskill Mts., N.Y.

6367_Alligator Rock, Near South Lake, Catskill Mountains

Kaaterskill Falls, Catskill Mountains

Kaaterskill Falls from below, Catskill Mountains, N.Y.

6365_Kaaterskill Falls, Catskill Mountains

Haines Falls, Catskill Mountains

Haines Falls, Catskill Mountains, N.Y.

6368_Haines Falls, Catskill Mountains

Sunset Rock, Kaaterskill Clove, Catskill Mountains

Sunset Rock, Kaaterskill Clove, Catskill Mountains, N.Y.

6370_Sunset Rock, Kaaterskill Clove, Catskill Mountains

As part of my research into the company, I created a new photo gallery dedicated to their images from the Catskills. This gallery currently contains 385 images, which includes the entire collection of black-and-white photos from the Library of Congress, as well as my personal collection of 104 photochrom postcards. The gallery can be found at: Gallery > Historic Catskills Photographers > Detroit Publishing Company.

The Library of Congress collection contained several series of shots, comprised of between two and five photographs, which were to be stitched together later for its intended panoramic effect. In these cases, I have stitched the photos together using today’s technology to create the intended panoramic image, and have added those images to the gallery as well. In some cases, in addition to the publishing of the panoramic photograph, one individual photo from the series would also be published by the Detroit Publishing Company on its own merits.

The 104 photochrom images constitute a significant portion of the postcards issued by the Detroit Publishing Company for the Catskills region. There are 28 postcards from the northern Catskills, 50 from the Lake Mohonk vicinity, 4 from the city of Kingston and 22 from the Lake Minnewaska vicinity. There are a handful more from the catalog that I will need to acquire in order to complete the collection.

From the Library of Congress collection

Mr. H.E. Eder and family at Bowlder [i.e. Boulder] Rock

Old studio of artist Hall, near Palenville, Catskill Mountains, N.Y.

Rip Van Winkle House, Sleepy Hollow, Catskill Mountains, N.Y.

The Otis Elevating Railway and Catskill Mountain House, Catskill Mountains, N.Y.

[Catskill Mountain railway station, Haines Corners, Catskill Mountains, N.Y.] [Kaaterskill Falls and Laurel House, Catskill Mts., N.Y.]

The Gardens, Lake Mohonk House, N.Y.

The Wildmere House, Lake Minnewaska, N.Y.

From my personal collection of photochrom postcards

6362_Catskill Mountain House

10124_Boulder Rock and Hotel Kaaterskill, Catskill Mountains

14960_Lake Mohonk House

80800_Swimming Place, Mohonk Lake, N.Y.

10753_Elmendorf Tavern, Kingston, N.Y. Erected 1723.

80198, version 2_The Wildmere, Lake Minnewaska, N.Y.

80201_Wildmere House From Mid-Cliff, Lake Minnewaska, N.Y.

“The Detroit Publishing Company of Michigan issued such a wide variety of views that one is awed by their prolific coverage of towns and cities and hamlets of the nation, along with the magnificent sights of the west and mid-west. These picture postcards form an important record of American historical and social life. Not only from the view point of their subjects, but also from the style of printing used by the Detroit firm – these issues have contributed to United States culture and to the American way of life.” - Lowe, James L.; Ben Papell. Detroit Publishing Company Collector’s Guide. Newton Square, PA: Deltiologists of America, 1975. p. 7.
 

The Detroit Photographic Company published an incredible collection of images from several regions within the Catskills, including Lake Mohonk, Lake Minnewaska, the city of Kingston and the central and northern Catskills.

From the northern Catskills, scenic locations include Kaaterskill Falls, Sunset Rock, Boulder Rock, Santa Cruz Falls, Buttermilk Falls, Alligator Rock, Moore’s Bridge Falls, Fawn’s Leap, among others.

Architectural photographs include the monumental Hotel Kaaterskill on the summit of South Mountain, the Laurel House located near the top of Kaaterskill Falls, the famed Catskill Mountain House at Pine Orchard overlooking the Hudson Valley, Churchill Hall at Stamford, the Grand Hotel at Highmount and some of the other great boarding houses of the region. Village scenes include Haines Corners and Fleischmanns. There are four photographs depicting the Otis Elevating Railway, an engineering marvel in its time.

Included within the Catskills collection are several series of shots, comprised of between two and five photographs, which were to be stitched together later for its intended panoramic effect. In some cases, in addition to the publishing of the panoramic photograph, one individual photo from the series would also be published on its own merits.

The black-and-white photographs, as with many of the company’s images, were used by the Detroit Photographic Company to produce colorful photochrom postcards. Many of the company stamps, in the shape of an artist’s palette and located on the Catskills black-and-white photographs and photochrom interpretations, show a copyright date of 1902.

Library of Congress Collection – Detroit Publishing Company – The Catskills

Catskill Mountain House and Hudson River Valley, Catskill Mountains, N.Y. (2)

Catskill Mountain House, Catskill Mountains, N.Y. Library of Congress.

Below is an inventory listing of the Detroit Publishing Company’s works of the Catskills now located in the Library of Congress.

• A Catskill Mountain road
• A Catskill Mountain toll gate
• Alligator Head near South Lake, Catskill Mountains, N.Y.
• Alligator Head near South Lake, Catskill Mts., N.Y.
• Boulder Rock and Hotel Kaaterskill, Catskill Mountains, N.Y.
• Buttermilk Falls, Kaaterskill Clove, Catskill Mountains, N.Y.
• [Camping in the woods]
• Catskill Mountain House and Hudson River Valley, Catskill Mountains, N.Y.
• Catskill Mountain House and Summit Station of Otis Elevating Railway, Catskill
• [Catskill Mountain railway station, Haines Corners, Catskill Mountains, N.Y.]
• [Catskill Mts., Catskill Mountain House, New York]
• [Catskill Mts., N.Y., Hotel Kaaterskill]
• [Catskill Mtns., Hudson River valley from Catskill Mountain House, New York]
• [Catskill Mts., N.Y., trout fishing in the Catskills]
• Central facade, Hotel Kaaterskill, Catskill Mountains, N.Y.
• Churchill Hall, Stamford, Catskill Mountains, N.Y.
• Churchill Park and the Rexmere, Stamford, Catskill Mountains, N.Y.
• Cottage and grounds of Mr. Fleischmann, Fleischmann's, Catskill Mountains, N.Y.
• Cottage of Mr. Fleischmann, Fleischmann's, Catskill Mountains, N.Y.
• [Down Kaaterskill Clove from Twilight Park, Catskill Mts., New York]
• Driveway in Twilight Park, Catskill Mountains, N.Y.
• Fawns Leap, Kaaterskill Clove, Catskill Mountains, N.Y.
• Fishing in the Catskill Mts., N.Y.
• Fleischmann's and Hotel Switzerland, Catskill Mountains, N.Y.
• Fleischmann's, Catskill Mountains, N.Y. (1)
• Fleischmann's, Catskill Mountains, N.Y. (2)
• [Garden path at Hotel Kaaterskill, Catskill Mts., N.Y.]
• General view of Fleischmann's, Catskill Mountains, N.Y.
• Gray Court Inn, Stamford, Catskill Mountains, N.Y.
• Haines Corners, Catskill Mountains, N.Y.
• Haines Corners from Sunset Park Inn, Catskill Mountains, N.Y.
• Haines Falls, Catskill Mountains, N.Y.
• [Haine's Falls, Catskill Mts., N.Y.]
• Haines Falls House, Haines Corners, Catskill Mountains, N.Y.
• Hamilton House, Stamford, Catskill Mountains, N.Y.
• Hotel Kaaterskill from Boulder Rock, Catskill Mountains, N.Y.
• Hotel Kaaterskill from golf links, Catskill Mountains, N.Y.
• [Hudson River Valley from Catskill Mountain House, Catskill Mts., N.Y.]
• Kaaterskill Clove from Palenville overlook, Catskill Mountains, N.Y.
• [Kaaterskill Clove from Santa Cruz Falls, Catskill Mts., N.Y.]
• [Kaaterskill Clove from Sunset Rock, Catskill Mts., N.Y.]
• [Kaaterskill Falls and Laurel House, Catskill Mts., N.Y.]
• Kaaterskill Falls, Catskill Mountains, N.Y.
• Kaaterskill Falls from below, Catskill Mountains, N.Y.
• [Kaaterskill Falls from below, Catskill Mts., N.Y.]
• [Kaaterskill Falls from Prospect Rock, Catskill Mts., N.Y.]
• Kaaterskill Falls from Ulster and Delaware Railway, Catskill Mountains, N.Y.
• Kaaterskill lakes and mountain, Catskill Mts., N.Y.
• Kaaterskill Mountain and lakes, Catskill Mountains, N.Y.
• [Kaaterskill Mountain & the lakes, Catskill Mts., New York]
• Kaaterskill Mountain wild flowers, Catskill Mountains, N.Y.
• Kaaterskill Mountain with Otis Elevating Railway, Catskill Mountains, N.Y.
• Laurel House, Catskill Mountains, N.Y.
• Left wing, Hotel Kaaterskill, Catskill Mountains, N.Y.
• Long level and Catskill Mountain House, Catskill Mountains, N.Y.
• Mr. H.E. Eder and family at Bowlder [i.e. Boulder] Rock
• New Grand Hotel and Monka Hill Mountain, Catskill Mountains, N.Y.
• New Grand Hotel, Catskill Mountains, N.Y.
• New Grand Hotel from Belle Ayr, Catskill Mountains, N.Y.
• [New Grand Hotel, front veranda, Catskill Mtns., N.Y.]
• New Grant House, Stamford, Catskill Mountains, N.Y.
• North veranda, Churchill Hall, Stamford, Catskill Mountains, N.Y.
• Old log cabin and the Rexmere, Stamford, Catskill Mountains, N.Y.
• Old studio of artist Hall, near Palenville, Catskill Mountains, N.Y.
• [Old studio of artist Hall, near Palenville, Catskill Mts., N.Y.]
• [Otis Elevating Railway, looking down, Catskill Mts., N.Y.]
• [Otis Elevating Railway, looking up, Catskill Mts.,N.Y.]
• Palenville Hotel, Palenville, Catskill Mountains, N.Y.
• Parlor, Kraterskill [i.e. Kaaterskill] Hotel, Catskill Mountains, N.Y.
• Pine Hill from the Ulster and Delaware Ry., Catskill Mountains, N.Y.
• Pond lillies [i.e. lilies] in South Lake, Catskill Mountains, N.Y.
• Rapids at the bridge, Kaaterskill Clove, Catskill Mountains, N.Y.
• Right wing, Hotel Kaaterskill, Catskill Mountains, N.Y.
• Rip Van Winkle House, Pine Hill, Catskill Mountains, N.Y.
• Rip Van Winkle House, Pine Hill, Catskill Mts., N.Y.
• Rip Van Winkle House, Sleepy Hollow, Catskill Mountains, N.Y.
• Santa Cruz Falls, Kaaterskill Clove, Catskill Mountains, N.Y.
• [Sleepy Hollow, Rip Van Winkle House, Catskill Mts., N.Y.]
• Stamford and Mt. Utsayantha, Catskill Mountains, N.Y.
• Sunset Park from the golf links, Catskill Mountains, N.Y.
• Sunset Rock, Kaaterskill Clove, Catskill Mountains, N.Y.
• The Alphine [i.e. Alpine], Pine Hill, Catskill Mts., N.Y.
• The Annex, Hotel Kaaterskill, Catskill Mountains, N.Y.
• The Antlers, Haines Corners, Catskill Mountains, N.Y.
• The Ball room, Hotel Kaaterskill, Catskill Mountains, N.Y.
• The Barns, Hotel Kaaterskill, Catskill Mountains, N.Y.
• The Dining room, Hotel Kaaterskill, Catskill Mountains, N.Y.
• The Five cascades, Haines Falls, Catskill Mountains, N.Y.
• The Front entrance, Hotel Kaaterskill, Catskill Mountains, N.Y.
• The Lobby, Hotel Kaaterskill, Catskill Mountains, N.Y.
• The Otis Elevating Railway and Catskill Mountain House, Catskill Mountains, N.Y.
• The Otis Elevating Railway, looking down, Catskill Mts., N.Y.
• The Piazza, Hotel Kaaterskill, Catskill Mountains, N.Y.
• [The Rapids in Kaaterskill Clove, Catskill Mts., N.Y.]
• The Rexmere [i.e. Rexmore], Stamford, Catskill Mountains, N.Y.
• The Rexmere, Stamford, Catskill Mountains, N.Y.
• The Upper fall, Kaaterskill Falls, Catskill Mountains, N.Y.
• Twilight Rest Club House, Twilight Park, Catskill Mountains, N.Y.
• Ulster and Delaware Railroad station, Fleischmann's, Catskill Mountains, N.Y.
• View in Sunset Park, Haines Corners, Catskill Mountains, N.Y.
• View on South Lake, Catskill Mountains, N.Y.

Library of Congress Collection – Detroit Publishing Company – Mohonk Mountain House

[Lake Mohonk House, Lake Mohonk, N.Y.]

[Lake Mohonk House, Lake Mohonk, N.Y.] Library of Congress.

The Mohonk Mountain House is an historic hotel located on a cliff overlooking Lake Mohonk high in the Shawangunk Mountains. The famous hotel was constructed in 1870 by Albert and Alfred Smiley and remains in the Smiley family today.

Starting with a quaint 10 rooms, it now has over 250 rooms and the capacity for nearly 600 guests. Situated on 2,200 acres, the resort offers a wide variety of year-round activities such as hiking, bike riding, horseback riding, swimming, rock climbing, golfing, snowshoeing, cross-country skiing and ice skating.

A visit to the Mohonk Mountain House is like taking a step back in time – there are no TVs in the rooms, jackets are required for formal dinners, century-old carriage roads guide walkers to amazing viewpoints and signs throughout the property remind visitors “Slowly and Quietly Please.”

Nearly 150 years after its opening, the Mohonk Mountain House continues to meet its original mission of encouraging visitors to take a break from the outer world with peace and relaxation. The hotel and its surrounding property are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Below is an inventory listing of the Detroit Publishing Company’s works of Lake Mohonk and the Mohonk House now located in the Library of Congress.

• A Driveway, Lake Mohonk House, N.Y.
• A Driveway, Lake Mohonk, N.Y.
• A Garden driveway, Lake Mohonk House, N.Y.
• A Pretty spot on Lake Mohonk, N.Y.
• A Rustic bridge, Lake Mohonk House, N.Y.
• Boating on Lake Mohonk, N.Y.
• East entrance, Lake Mohonk House, N.Y.
• Flowers along the lake, Lake Mohonk, N.Y.
• [Gazebo and lake, Mohonk Mountain House, Lake Mohonk, N.Y.]
• Glimpse of hotel and lake, Lake Mohonk, N.Y.
• Lake Mohonk from Eagle Cliff Road, N.Y.
• Lake Mohonk from the driveway
• Lake Mohonk House from Garden Drive, N.Y.
• Lake Mohonk House from sky top path
• Lake Mohonk House from the west
• Lake Mohonk House, Lake Mohonk, N.Y. (1)
• Lake Mohonk House, Lake Mohonk, N.Y. (2)
• [Lake Mohonk House, Lake Mohonk, N.Y.]
• Lake Mohonk House [Mohonk Mountain House], N.Y.
• [Lake Mohonk House, N.Y., the lilypond]
• Lake Mohonk [Mountain] House
• Lake Mohonk [Mountain] House from Sky Top path, N.Y.
• [Lake Mohonk [Mountain] House from the west, Lake Mohonk, N.Y.]
• Lake Mohonk [Mountain] House from trail to Eagle Cliff
• Lake Mohonk [Mountain] House, Lake Mohonk, N.Y.
• [Lake Mohonk Mountain House, N.Y., from near Sky Top]
• [Lake Mohonk Mountain House, N.Y., from near trail to Sky Top]
• [Lake Mohonk Mountain House, N.Y., Sky Top from under porte cochere]
• [Lake Mohonk Mountain House, N.Y., rustic bridge]
• [Lake Mohonk, New York]
• [Lake Mohonk, N.Y., Skytop from rear of Lake Mohonk House]
• Lake shore road, Lake Mohonk, N.Y.
• [Mohonk Mountain House, Lake Mohonk, N.Y.]
• [Mohonk Mountain House, Lake Mohonk, N.Y.]
• [Mohonk Mountain House, Lake Mohonk, N.Y.]
• Near view, Lake Mohonk House [i.e. Mohonk Mountain House], N.Y.
• On the piazza, Lake Mohonk House, N.Y.
• Porte cochere and balconies, Lake Mohonk [Mountain] House, N.Y.
• Porte cochere and fountain, Lake Mohonk [Mountain] House, N.Y.
• [Porte cochere, Mohonk Mountain House, Lake Mohonk, N.Y.]
• Rondout Valley and Lake Mohonk from Skytop [i.e. Sky Top], N.Y.
• [Rondout Valley from Sky Top, Mohonk Lake, N.Y.]
• Sky top and Lake Mohonk
• Sky Top and Lake Mohonk, N.Y.
• Sky top and Washington's Profile, Lake Mohonk, N.Y.
• Sky top from Lake Mohonk House, N.Y.
• Sky top from the archway, Lake Mohonk House, N.Y.
• The Bathing place, Lake Mohonk
• The Bathing place, Lake Mohonk, N.Y.
• The Bathing place, Lake Mohonk [Mountain] House, N.Y.
• The Boat landing and main entrance, Lake Mohonk House
• The Boat landing, Lake Mohonk [Mountain] House
• The Driveway, Lake Mohonk [Mountain House], N.Y.
• The Gardens, Lake Mohonk House
• The Gardens, Lake Mohonk House, N.Y.
• The Gardens, Lake Mohonk House, N.Y.
• The Parlor, Lake Mohonk House, N.Y.
• Upper Eagle Cliff Road, Lake Mohonk, N.Y.

Library of Congress Collection – Detroit Publishing Company – Lake Minnewaska

The Cliff House, Lake Minnewaska, N.Y.

The Cliff House, Lake Minnewaska, N.Y. Library of Congress.

Lake Minnewaska, “which is fed by springs and is very deep and clear as crystal, is held in a strikingly picturesque, rocky and well-wooded bowl, rising one hundred and fifty feet above the lake on the eastern side and sixty feet on the western, and from either edge the rocks tumble precipitously down to the Wallkill and Hudson River Valleys on the one side, and to the Rondout Valley on the other.”

Lake Minnewaska is located on the Shawangunk Ridge in Ulster County, New York. It was once home to two grand resorts, the Cliff House and the Wildmere.

The Cliff House, also known as the Minnewaska Mountain House, on the eastern side of Lake Minnewaska was constructed in 1879. In its heyday the Cliff House was a fashionable resort that earned a reputation as one of the best in the region. It operated until 1972 when it was abandoned and ultimately burned down in 1978. The land around the former resort was eventually sold to New York State and incorporated into the Minnewaska State Park Preserve.

In order to accommodate the growing number of visitors at Lake Minnewaska, a second hotel, the Wildmere, was constructed in 1887, only eight years after the Cliff House opened on the opposite side of the lake. After an enlargement in 1911 the resort hotel could accommodate 350 guests. The Wildmere operated until 1979 and ultimately burned down in 1986. The land around the former resort was eventually sold to New York State and incorporated into the Minnewaska State Park Preserve.

Below is an inventory listing of the Detroit Publishing Company’s works of Lake Minnewaska now located in the Library of Congress.

• Along the shore, Lake Minnewaska, N.Y.
• Awosting Falls, Lake Minnewaska, N.Y.
• Battlement Terrace, Lake Minnewaska, N.Y.
• [Cliff House from across the lake, Lake Minnewaska, N.Y.]
• [Cliff House from Sunset Rock, Lake Minnewaska, N.Y.]
• Lake Minnewaska from the Wildmere House
• Lake Minnewaska, N.Y. (1)
• Lake Minnewaska, N.Y. (2)
• Lake Minnewaska, N.Y., from Millbrook Mountain Road (1)
• Lake Minnewaska, N.Y., from Millbrook Mountain Road (2)
• [Looking north from Cliff House, Lake Minnewaska, N.Y.]
• [Midcliff, Lake Minnewaska, N.Y.]
• Morning reflections at the Wildmere House, Lake Minnewaska, N.Y.
• Moss cliff and the Wildmere House, Lake Minnewaska, N.Y.
• On Lake Minnewaska, N.Y.
• Peterskill Falls, Lake Minnewaska, N.Y. (1)
• Peterskill Falls, Lake Minnewaska, N.Y. (2)
• Peterskill road, Lake Minnewaska, N.Y.
• Sky Top from Pine Cliff, Lake Minnewaska, N.Y.
• [Sunset Road, Lake Minnewaska, N.Y.]
• The Cliff House from the Wildmere House, Lake Minnewaska, N.Y.
• The Cliff House, Lake Minnewaska, N.Y.
• [The Wildmere House from the lake, Lake Minnewaska, N.Y.]
• The Wildmere House, Lake Minnewaska, N.Y. (1)
• The Wildmere House, Lake Minnewaska, N.Y. (2)
• Undercliff and Lake Minnewaska, N.Y.
• Undercliff, Lake Minnewaska, N.Y.

Library of Congress Collection – Detroit Publishing Company – Kingston, New York

Broadway, Kingston, N.Y.

Broadway, Kingston, N.Y. Library of Congress.

The historic city of Kingston is located along the west bank of the Hudson River in Ulster County, New York. The city, sitting where the Hudson River and the Rondout Creek meet, has a long and distinguished history. An early trading post was built at the mouth of the Rondout Creek in 1614 and by 1652 the first permanent settlement was established. An official charter was granted in 1661 for the establishing of Wiltwyck, now Kingston. It was one of three Dutch colonies in New Netherland, Albany and New York City being the other two.

The lands of Kingston traded hands several times between the Dutch and the British, ultimately falling under the control of the British in 1674. Over a century later Kingston served as the first capital of New York State, but was burned by the British in 1777 during the American Revolution. With American victory over the British complete General George Washington visited the city in 1782 in recognition of the devotion of the city’s citizens to the patriot cause.

By the time the Detroit Photographic Company arrived at Kingston in the early 1900s the city had grown significantly. The city was a key point for trade along the Hudson River, serving as the terminus for the D&H Canal. Important local industries included bluestone, cement mining and brick manufacturing. In 1872 the village of Rondout and the hamlet of Wilbur merged with the village of Kingston to form what is today’s city.

The number of photographs taken by the Detroit Photographic Company at Kingston is not as numerous as those from the northern and central Catskills, the Mohonk Mountain House or Lake Minnewaska, yet they still offer a beautiful glimpse at the historic city at the turn of the century. Photographs of Kingston include several of the city’s notable and historic buildings and sites, including the Old Senate House, the Hoffman House, the Dutch Reformed Church and Kingston Point Park.

Below is an inventory listing of the Detroit Publishing Company’s works of the city of Kingston in Ulster County, New York now located in the Library of Congress.

• Boat landing, Kingston, N.Y.
• [Boat landing, Kingston Point, N.Y.]
• Broadway, Kingston, N.Y.
• Elmendorf Tavern, Kingston, N.Y.
• Hoffman House, Kingston, N.Y.
• Kingston Point Park, Kingston, N.Y. (1)
• Kingston Point Park, Kingston, N.Y. (2)
• [Kingston Point Park, Kingston, N.Y.] (1)
• [Kingston Point Park, Kingston, N.Y.] (2)
• Old Senate House, Kingston, N.Y.
• Old Tappan house, Kingston, N.Y.
• Protestant Dutch Reformed Church, Kingston, N.Y.
• Wall St., Kingston, N.Y.

Detroit Publishing Company – Catalog Inventory

Over the years there have been several efforts to document the historic postcard catalog of the Detroit Publishing Company. Each of the efforts have built upon the work of the previous authors and collectors. In 1954 Jeff R. Burdick published an initial 84-page summary titled The Handbook of Detroit Publishing Co. Postcards. In 1975 James L. Lowe and Ben Papell published the 288-page Detroit Publishing Company Collectors’ Guide. And in 1994 Nancy Stickels Stechschulte published the 446-page The Detroit Publishing Company Postcards.

6372, version 1_Rip Van Winkle House, Catskill Mountains

Based on the works of these authors, coupled with a few changes and additions that have become known since their publication, below is an inventory listing of the postcards relating to the Catskills that were published by the Detroit Publishing Company.

“One firm, the Detroit Publishing Company, a part of the Detroit Photographic Company, covered the length and breadth of America shortly after the turn of the century and chronicled as no other publisher attempted the diversity of people, activity, and industry found in the United States.”

The Detroit Publishing Company, earlier known as the Detroit Photographic Company and the Photochrom Company, was established in 1895 by William A. Livingstone, a Detroit businessman and publisher, and Edwin H. Husher, a photographer and photo-publisher. The company would grow to become one of the largest American publishers of photographic prints, postcards and lantern slides in the early decades of the 20th century. Part of the company’s extensive inventory included beautiful black-and-white photographs and colorized photochrom postcards from the central and northern Catskills and from the city of Kingston, as well as the Mohonk Mountain House and Lake Minnewaska areas near New Paltz.

Kaaterskill lakes and mountain, Catskill Mts., N.Y.

Kaaterskill lakes and mountain, Catskill Mts., N.Y. Library of Congress.

The Founders – William A. Livingstone

William Allan Livingstone (1867-1924), co-founder of the Detroit Publishing Company, was born on January 13, 1867, the son of William Livingstone (1844-1925), a prominent Detroit businessman in the shipping, banking and publishing industries. William was the eldest of eight children.

William Livingston, the father, moved with his family to Detroit at the age of five. His work career began at the age of 17 as a machinist, but he then entered a partnership with Robert Downie to operate a grocery store. Thereafter he opened his own business, expanding it greatly over time. Operations would eventually include a wholesale and resale grocery, flour and grain merchant, lumber dealer, operating a fleet of tugboats and founding his own steamship company. As he continued to prosper, he helped establish the Detroit Dime Savings Bank, serving as its president for many years, and purchased the Detroit Evening Journal. He helped found the still operating Lake Carriers Association, serving as its president for many years. The Livingstone Channel on the lower Detroit River near Grosse Ile and the Livingstone Memorial Lighthouse on Belle Isle are both named in his honor.

William, the son, was educated to become an engineer, having graduated with a degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Michigan in 1889.

Livingstone served as an agent for the Anchor, Western and Union Steamboat lines for four years. He resigned his position in 1897, citing ill-health and “a desire to engage in a business that promised better returns.”[1] Upon his resignation he bought stock in the Photochrom Company, became the company manager and embarked upon a business trip to Europe.

The 1900 United States census listed Livingstone’s profession as “Manager – Photochrom Co.” The 1910 United States census listed his profession as “Publisher – Own Business.” The 1920 United States census listed his profession as “Manager – Publishing Co.”

As his career progressed, Livingstone was the first president of the Print Publishers’ Association of the United States, a prominent industry group comprised of picture and photographic publishers. He was a member of the public lighting company and, in efforts to support the local community, served as treasurer for the Detroit High School Scholarship Fund. Within the legal area he contributed to the development of copyright law on prints, photographs and music, as well as being instrumental in the development of tariff policies for the United States.

William Livingston, after being ill for several weeks, passed away at St. Mary’s Hospital in Detroit, Michigan on October 26, 1924. Funeral services were held on October 28 at the family residence at 76 Eliot Street. He is buried at Woodmere Cemetery in Detroit.

The Founders – Edwin H. Husher

Edwin Hector Husher (1863-1923), co-founder of the Detroit Publishing Company, was born in 1863 in the state of Indiana. He was the son of photographer Jacob W. Husher and his wife Mary M. Husher. Jacob Husher (1823-1879) operated his own photographic studio at Terre Haute, Indiana during the 1860s and early 1870s and later at Greencastle, Indiana from circa 1873 to 1879. He had attended Asbury University and worked for some time as a teacher. Jacob was active in the community, being a member of the Roberts Chapel, the International Order of Odd Fellows and the National Photographic Association.[2] He died in 1879 by suicide after contracting typhoid fever, which induced him to cut his own throat with a razor.[3] He is buried at Woodlawn Cemetery in Terre Haute, Indiana.

Before establishing the Detroit Publishing Company, Edwin Husher had a varied career across multiple locations. With the passing of his father in 1879, he began to work as a photographer at Greencastle, Indiana. The United States census of 1880, taken when Edwin was only 17 years of age, already listed his profession as “photographer.” He then worked as a reporter and photographer for the Courier-Journal at Louisville, Kentucky.

By the mid-1880s Husher had moved to San Francisco, where he worked as the chief operator at the famous Taber Gallery, operated by Isaiah West Taber, who was “one of the most prominent and ambitious west coast photographers of the last third of the nineteenth century.”[4] Husher went on to become a photographer of some note in his own right, being described in 1887 as “one of the best photographers in the United States.”[5] Husher was a prominent member of the Olympic Club and was also a member of the California Camera Club.[6]

Husher is credited with taking the first aerial pictures in California when he ascended in a hot air balloon over the city of San Francisco on April 15, 1887. The first photo was taken from an altitude of 2,000 feet, with the flight eventually reaching the height of 7,200 feet. Below is a description of that first aerial photo in California.

“The first photograph was taken at a reasonable distance from the earth; in consulting the barometer, that faithful instrument registered an altitude of 2,000 feet. The city was no far away. There was just enough distance to lend enchantment to the view; the white breakers broken on the ocean beach, and the beautiful bay lay spread out before the view. We could hear the sounds of the people below, we could even hear the bell of the Market street cars, which looked toy-like as they crept down the long narrow track. As for the city itself, it looked like a ward and precinct map laid out in regular squares, and showing strange gaps among the crowded blocks. The City Hall was plainly discernible, and looked quite finished; such is the illusion of the skies. The Palace Hotel was strongly reminiscent of a child’s wooden house. Tall square buildings had the advantage over those which were turreted and spired. The churches were flattened out, and nothing of the Nob Hill residences were to be seen. Indeed, so small a hill as Nob Hill has no standing in high altitudes.”[7]

The resulting photos were published to much acclaim in the San Francisco Daily Examiner.

“Although the scheme of photographing San Francisco from the heavens had been conceived by the EXAMINER, the entire success of the experiment was largely owing to the courage and skill of young photographer, Mr. E. H. Husher, who risked his life for the purpose of adding something more to the knowledge of his fellow men; and the readers of the EXAMINER are very much indebted to him for their idea of the appearance of San Francisco a mile away from earth.”[8]  

W. K. Burton wrote in The Photographic News issue of July 8, 1887 about the technical aspects of Husher’s pioneering aerial work at San Francisco.

“The camera used was 10 x 8 size, and it was fixed on a swivel arrangement, over the edge of the car, which enabled it to be directed at any angle with the perpendicular. Twelve plates of American make were taken, a No. 3 euroscope lens was used – precise focus not known to me, but long for a 10 by 8 plate – and the exposures were made by the aid of a rapid double action shutter.

From the twelve plates, six good negatives resulted. Husher noted what has, I believe, been observed by all who have made attempt at balloon photography, that there is great difficulty in getting contrast in the negative. This is due probably to lack of any deep shadows (the under sides of all objects being of course hid from view, and every point seen being illuminated at least by the whole sky), and also to somewhat of land mist.”[9]

Several months later Husher also took the first aerial photos of the city of Los Angeles on June 26, 1887 from a hot-air balloon. The balloon reached heights of 14,400 feet over the city as it floated for nearly several hours. Husher, leaning over the side of the basket, took 13 photographs of scenes that included the city of Los Angeles, the Santa Monica Valley and the San Fernando Valley.

“The most curious one [photograph] was that of Santa Monica, taken through an opening in the clouds. A view of this character is believed to be the only one ever secured in the world. Taken all in all the trip will prove to have been one of the most notable balloon voyages in ballooning annals on this coast.”[10]

Husher also traveled extensively in his pursuit of photographic beauty. In 1886 he traveled to the Mount St. Elias region of Alaska in the summer of 1886 and to Montana in 1887.

In August 1888 through March 1889 Husher worked in the American southwest and in Mexico as a photographer for the Hemenway Southwestern Archaeological Expedition. Husher primarily worked from Camp Cibola near Zuni, New Mexico, one of several base camps for the expedition, but also took a trip to central Mexico and Teotihuacan in December 1888. Husher’s involvement with the Hemenway expedition was funded by Isaiah West Taber, his gallery manager at San Francisco, who agreed to pay all of Husher’s expenses in exchange for the right to photograph the expedition and to publish the pictures. According to Taber’s catalog, Husher produced at least 60 photographs of the expedition.[11] Husher left Camp Cibola in mid-March 1889, returning to San Francisco.

In 1889 Husher was again on the move, journeying to Alaska on behalf of the Taber gallery. The San Francisco Examiner noted in October 1889 that Husher, during his Alaska trip, was credited with “the first pictures ever taken along the Icy Coast from Mount St. Elias to Yakatat, from Dry Bay to the Great Davidson Glacier.”[12]

“Queer sights are to be seen from vicinity of Mount St. Elias at Icy Bay to the Indian village of Yakutat, down to Dry Bay past the Fairweather Range to the Davidson Glacier. When the traveler extends this trip to Disenchantment Bay and the Muir Glacier, and has also visited Sitka, he has made a trip of over 600 miles along a coast and through strange fiords that are new to the explorer.

Such a trip was recently made by E. H. Husher, the artist for Taber & Co., this city, who recently narrowly escaped being wrecked in the schooner Alpha. Much of his voyage was, however, made in an Indian canoe. He has succeeded in getting, for the first time in many instances, views of places destined henceforth to be noted in the history of Alaska.”[13]

Husher faced extremely challenging conditions at many points during his Alaskan adventure. At one point, he was presumed dead by reports in the local newspapers when the ship he was traveling on disappeared. The San Francisco Examiner in its September 28, 1889 issue even published the last letter that had been received from Husher.[14] Fortunately, Husher and the crew and passengers aboard the schooner Alpha were rescued, as described in The Record-Union of Sacramento.

“The steamship Corona arrived here [Port Townsend] this morning from Alaska. Among her passengers was Husher, the artist, who left San Francisco last spring on a trip to Alaska, and who was supposed to have been lost on the schooner Alpha, at Yukutat Bay. Mr. Husher left Sitka on the 4th of August, on the schooner Alpha, as the guest of her owner, Jeff Kuhn, for Yukutat, to procure some views of Mount St. Elias.

Returning, the Alpha sailed from Yukutat August 17^th, when she encountered terrific southeasterly gales, and was driven back to Yukutat in a disabled condition. The wrecked crew and passenger were contemplating the alternative of passing the winter there or making an overland journey of 250 miles on foot and by canoe to Chilkat. To make this journey it would be necessary to wait until the snow fell and use snow shoes, the moss and undergrowth rendering the country otherwise impassable. Their rations were reduced to half a sack of beans.

Upon the arrival of the revenue cutter Rush at Sitka, the officers learning of the fears for the schooner’s safety, proceeded in search at once, and found her after about a thirty-six hour run at Yukutat Bay, and brought the crew and passengers to Sitka, where they were provided and cared for. The prompt action of Captain Shepherd, commander of the Rush, after arriving from a three months’ cruise in Behring Sea, is commended with feelings of gratitude by the rescued parties. The schooner was beached and abandoned at Yukutat Bay. She is a fifteen-ton vessel and was a fur-trader.”[15]

After moving circa 1892 to Detroit, Michigan Husher operated his own gallery, a long-standing enterprise that that was previously owned by photographer Frank N. Tomlinson, and before that by photographer Joseph E. Watson.

“Since taking possession of this studio he has greatly increased its facilities and developed a large additional and permanent trade. The premises comprise the second and third floors of the building. The second floor is devoted to the reception parlors and toilet rooms, and are elegantly furnished and arranged, while on the third floor are the operating rooms, which are also thoroughly provided, printing rooms and dark and finishing rooms. Mr. Husher executes photography in all its branches, and produces in all his work the best and most beautiful effects. It is perhaps needless to add that his patrons are of the refined and cultivated classes, who appreciate art at its true value.”[16]

Husher’s work was published in the 1893 book titled Picturesque Detroit and Environs. The book was published by the Picturesque Publishing Company of Northampton, Massachusetts, the same company that would publish Picturesque Catskills: Greene County in 1894. Husher served as a judge during the 15th Annual Convention of the Photographers’ Association of America that was held in Detroit from August 6 to 9, 1895.[17]

Husher’s collection of negatives was added to the inventory of the Photochrom Company when it was founded. The 1900 United States census listed his profession as “superintendent.” Husher would very effectively work as the company manager, helping lead the company to become one of the largest American publishers of the early 20th century.

Husher resigned from the Photochrom Company in 1903 and retired to California, where he became a farmer after purchasing an orange grove. The 1910 United States census listed Edwin’s profession as farmer, while the 1920 United States census listed his profession as real estate agent. Edwin Husher passed away from an “aneurism of ascending aorta” in 1923.

Rise to Prominence

“Photochroms combine photographic exactitude with the charm of a painting, and unite the color beauty of a picture with the advantages of photography.”[18]

The Photochrom Company was established in 1895 at Detroit, Michigan with the intended “purposes of the corporation are to erect a factory and to manufacture and sell photographs and art goods in colors, by the photochrom process owned by the Photochrom Co., of Switzerland; the operations of the concern to be confined to the United States and Canada.”[19]

The company was established with a common stock of $300,000, of which $100,000 was preferred stock. There were 20,000 shares of common stock, which were originally owned by Rudolphe A. Demme, 7,100 shares; Horace W. Avery, 7,000 shares; Edwin H. Husher, 4,800 shares; and Hans Rutishausen, 1,000 shares.

Rudolph Demme, one of the first shareholders, was quickly removed from the company for embezzlement, after stealing some of the money that had been raised to build the company’s first manufacturing plant.[20] In 1897 the Photochrom Company filed a lawsuit in the Wayne Circuit Court against Demme for $25,000 in damages. It was claimed that Demme owed over $10,000 to the company due to accounting irregularities. Demme was succeeded as manager of the company by William A. Livingstone.[21]

Demme, the son of a prominent physician, had arrived in the United States during the 1890s from Berne, Switzerland. In 1895 he married Flora A. Whitney, daughter of David Whitney, Jr., one of the most prominent citizens of the city of Detroit. In a newspaper description of their wedding, Demme was described as “a young man of brilliant mentality and excellent business qualifications, and a representative of one of the oldest and wealthiest families in Switzerland.”[22] In 1904 Demme and Whitney were divorced upon her claims of his desertion since 1901, during which time Demme had moved to Paris. Whitney then married Edward J. Schmidt, with the marriage only lasting several years and ending in divorce. Whitney, with the encouragement of her young daughter, then remarried Demme in 1910. Whitney passed away in 1915.

Horace W. Avery (1858-1932), another of the first shareholders, was born at Port Huron, son of Newell Avery (1817-1877), a prominent Michigan lumber baron and one of the founders of the Republican party at Jackson, Michigan in 1854. He went to school at Port Huron and at Detroit, graduating from Chester (PA) Military Academy. In addition to his early interests in the Photochrom Company, Avery served as secretary and treasurer of the Detroit, Belle Isle & Windsor Ferry Company. He was a charter member of the Detroit Athletic Club and played pitcher on the club’s first baseball team. Avery left Detroit around 1912, spending several years cruising the Mississippi River on his yacht with his family, eventually moving to New Orleans. With the death of his wife Avery moved in the home of his son at Swarthmore, Pennsylvania. He passed away at Swarthmore in 1932 and is buried at Forest Lawn Cemetery in Detroit.

The photochrom technique, “considered to constitute a significant achievement in printing technology,”[23] was invented in the 1880s by Hans Jakob Schmid (1856-1924). Schmid worked for the Swiss graphic arts publishing firm Orell Füssli, a printing firm whose history began in the 16th century. Schmid, from the Swiss town of Nurensdorf, was the son of a carpenter, but was orphaned at the young age of eleven. Having lost his father, he therefore had to grow up quickly, and therefore began his apprenticeship in 1868 with August Wilhelm Fehrenbach, a lithographer and stencil manufacturer. By 1875 or 1876 he was working as a machinist in Geneva, before joining the Orell Fussli company in November 1876. He first worked as a lithographer and then as a machinist.

After several years of detailed experimentation, the photochrom process was patented in Austria-Hungary on January 4, 1888. It was vaguely described by Orell Fussli as “a process for direct photographic transfer of the original for litho and chromographic printing plates by means of a single negative.”[24] The images were marketed as “nature color photographs.”

With the commercial promise of the invention Heinrich Wild-Wirth (1840-1896), a partner in the Orell Fussli company, established the Photochrom & Co. Zurich company in 1889. With its merger with Schroder & Co. in 1895 the company changed names to Photoglob & Co. Zurich, and since 1974 the company has been known as Photoglob AG. After its founding an extensive sales network was organized, including agencies in many major cities. The photochrom process was also licensed out beyond continental Europe to companies like the Photochrom Company Ltd. in London, England and the Photochrom Company (later the Detroit Publishing Company) in the United States.

The Photochrom Company at Detroit obtained the exclusive American rights to use the “photochrom” process from the Photoglob Company of Zurich, Switzerland. This revolutionary new process allowed for the conversion of black-and-white photographs into color images and for the mass production of prints, postcards, and albums. At the time color photography as we know it did not exist, therefore the exclusive rights to the “photochrom” process provided the Photochrom Company at Detroit a significant competitive advantage throughout the United States. From 1907 the company also used “Phostint” as a trade name for the improved photochrom process.

Once the Photochrom Company at Detroit had acquired the process rights, they recruited Albert Schuler and a small team of workers to move from Zurich to Detroit. Schuler was born in 1874 in Zurich, and “was known by his adopted name Albert Vollenwider during his youth. At the age of 14, he began his apprenticeship with Orell Fussly and, at the age of 19, he was commissioned to travel throughout the Middle East from 1893 to 1897. These travels produced the photographs that now belong to the University of Pennsylvania Museum.”[25]

Schuler immigrated to the United States in 1897, becoming a naturalized citizen in 1905. Having worked for Orell Fussli for many years, Schuler was an expert with the photochrom process, and would become foreman for manufacturing production at the Photochrom Company, a position that he held for the next 25 years.

After the Detroit Publishing Company went bankrupt in 1924 “Schuler set out to innovate the photomechanical and colorization processes, searching ‘for ways to produce color prints at only half the former price.’ Schuler’s innovation was a success – particularly for the advertisement industry. The ‘Schuler process’ spread throughout the United States, increasing the production of color advertisements. Schuler established ‘a plant of his own to exploit his invention profitably,’ but was unable to turn his technical success into financial success. After the venture failed, Schuler, along with his wife and daughters, moved to Royal Oak, a suburb of Detroit, where he lived until he died at the age of 80 years old.”[26]

Technically speaking, the “photochrom” process allowed for the production of colorized images from a single black-and-white photographic negative via the direct photographic transfer of the negative onto lithographic printing plates. The process is a photographic variant of chromolithography (color lithography). Because no color information was preserved in the photographic process, the photographer would make detailed notes on the colors within the scene and use the notes to hand paint the negative before transferring the image through colored gels onto the printing plates.

Mr. Norris C. Baker of the Orell Fussli Arts Graphiques Sa Zurich company described the “photochrom” process in a letter to Jeff R. Burdick, author of the 1954 The Handbook of Detroit Publishing Co. Postcards.

“Photochrom is a lithographic process based on photographic halftone copies on stone. It is characterized by the fact that it works without any screen. The stone is sensitized by Syrian asphalt and the negative has to be copied on as many stones as colors are needed. Then the copies are developed and retouched by specialists who also make the color-separation. The stones can be used either for direct lithographic printing or for offset (flat offset or normal offset by transfers). Although runs of 30,000-40,000 can be made from the same plate, photochrom is especially suitable for smaller runs of several thousand copies, for which it is generally cheaper than a reproduction by screen-photolith.”[27]

From the inception of the Photochrom Company at Detroit reviews of its new color photographs were very positive. The Detroit Free Press wrote in August, 1895 about the company’s display of work at the local art museum.

“At the entrance to the east and west wings of the addition, the Photochrom Co. has an excellent exhibit of photochroms, or views in color photography. For many years science has occupied itself with the solution of the color photography problem, and there are perhaps 500 craftsmen in the world engaged on the problem at the present time. A partial success has been achieved in producing natural colors by photographic process, but the difficulty has been to hold the colors. The Photochrom Co. claims that it has succeeded in effecting a faithful photographic reproduction of the colors a few subjects on a mat surface that run to a brown tone. The subjects are happily chosen and faultlessly executed, displaying the sympathy of the artist. The old man saying grace over a frugal meal is perhaps the most pathetic, and one of the most striking pictures in the collection. The expression of the old weather-beaten, time-worn features, the surroundings are all true to nature. An harmonious effect is produced by the mounting of those pictures on natural finished oak.[28]

10124_Boulder Rock and Hotel Kaaterskill, Catskill Mountains

10124_Boulder Rock and Hotel Kaaterskill, Catskill Mountains. Author's collection.

 

The company, in 1896, first established its operations at Wyandotte, Michigan, located just south of Detroit. The cost of constructing the plant was $50,000. It was estimated that the plant would first be staffed by 12 operators, although there was room to grow to 50 operators.

“As soon as the weather permits ground will be broken for the buildings, the plans for which will be a modification of those used in the erection of the plant of the Photoglobe Co., at Zurich, Switzerland. These plans call for a three-story brick building, 160x120, including wings. Besides this main building there will be several other smaller structures for various purposes. The building will be erected in the center of a three-acre lot, so as to obtain an unobstructed north and south exposure. Other buildings that may go up on adjoining property can therefore not obstruct the light. The second and third floor will be devoted exclusively to the photochrom process proper. There will be a very large skylight to the north on the third floor for the purpose of reproducing oil paintings, etc. The printing of photochroms will be done on the roof.”[29]

The company plant would later move to several other locations in Detroit, including 8 Witherall Street, the corner of 13th Street and Linden Street, a retail store at 281 Woodward Avenue, the corner of Vermont Avenue and Alexdrine Avenue, a retail store at 235 Woodward Avenue and 2373 17th Street.

In 1897 the Photochrom Company held an exhibition of its pictures at Leonard’s Furniture Store at 230 Woodward Avenue. The exhibition of photochrom pictures received very high praise.

The exhibition “is well worth the visit of all lovers of art and the curious. In the collection are 1,000 pictures, the first output of the Photochrom Co., of this city. This company bought from the Swiss company, which originated the process, the exclusive right to North and South America and Canada. Since July the Detroit concern has built at Thirteenth and Linden streets a large plant, which is now in full operation. The views on exhibition are reproductions from nature, in colors as nearly representing the natural hues as man can do it, of landscapes, scenic views, etc., the most striking of which is a reproduction of Niagara Falls in winter, as seen from Goat Island. The green water, the piles of ice and snow, rainbow effects in the spray and fall of water, are vividly brought out.

The company has 11,000 negatives from which to draw, representing scenes and types of people caught in Europe, from the north to the south, and from Liverpool to the east. By January 1 the company will have ready for exhibition a series of views of Belle Isle park, and, later, a series representing Yellowstone Park in all its beauty will be shown. The company will in time send expert photographers to all parts of the United States. City, country, mountain, river, hill, meadow, lake, coast – nothing likely to arouse human interest will be passed over in the search for subjects. And when this country is exhausted there are Canada and Central and South America to furnish an almost inexhaustible supply of material.

The pictures are made on plates, specially prepared for that purpose, and the highest type of photographic skill must be employed in order that reflection, refraction, the handling of the camera and the selection of the most fitting subjects, from the most advantageous positions, may be achieved.”[30]

As the company grew the Detroit Photographic Company, as it now called itself, increased its collection of photographs through the employment of its own photographers and by purchasing the collections of other photographers. Noteworthy photographers for the company included Lycurgus S. Glover (1858-1935), Henry Greenwood Peabody (1855-1951), John S. Johnston (c.1839-1899), Herbert R. Fitch (1868-1968), Clarence S. Jackson (1876-1961), Almon J. Tripp (c.1882-1962) and Edward H. Hart.

However, perhaps the most notable photographer to join the Detroit Photographic Company was William Henry Jackson (1843-1942). Jackson, a Civil War veteran, painter, and explorer, made a name for himself through his photography of the American West, including his work for the U.S. Geological and Geographic Survey of the Territories. He was the first person to photograph the scenes of what would become Yellowstone National Park, with his photographs playing an instrumental role in persuading Congress to establish Yellowstone as the country’s first national park.

In 1897 Jackson, facing mounting financial challenges, joined the Detroit firm as a partner, bringing with him his entire stock of glass plate negatives that then formed the core of the company’s visual offerings.

“During my few hours in New York I had run into an old acquaintance of mine, E. H. Husher, a well-known photographer of California scenes, who had recently returned from Switzerland, where he had been sent by a group of Detroit men to study a new photo-lithographic process for reproducing pictures in color. He told me that American rights to the process had been bought by his associates and that the Photochrom Company had been organized to exploit it. Most important (at least from my point of view), Husher, as superintendent, had recommended to his superior, William A. Livingstone, that the new company absorb the W. H. Jackson Company in order to acquire a stock of negatives. Furthermore, Husher had urged Mr. Livingstone to offer me a suitable position with the company.”[31]

For joining the company Jackson was offered $30,000, which included $5,000 in cash and $25,000 in company stock. Upon joining the company Jackson at first continued as a photographer, but eventually he and his family moved to Detroit, where he became the plant manager and company president. By 1903, at the age of 60, and with Husher’s retirement, Jackson had ended his work in the field to primarily focus on the plant operations, where he played an increasingly important role. He left the company when it went into receivership in 1924.

In 1905 the Detroit Photographic Company changed its name to the Detroit Publishing Company as it expanded its business beyond the publication of photographs, to include publishing catalogs, sales and promotional materials.

Throughout its history the Detroit Publishing Company sought opportunity to expand its business, often in reaction to public sentiment. In 1898, with the beginning of the Spanish-American War, there was huge public interest in the company’s photographs of Cuba and war-related scenes. There was also great interest in photographs of warships.

In the early 1900s the company signed a lucrative contract with the “Harvey House” chain of souvenir shops, restaurants and hotels to produce postcards to be sold at all their locations. The Harvey House chain of businesses operated alongside several busy railroads in the western United States. The postcards were used to promote the southwest as a travel destination, and to promote the Harvey businesses themselves.

In 1910 the Detroit Publishing Company expanded its line of images to include photographic replicas of artwork. This proved to be very popular, with the images being marketed as an educational tool, and being utilized as moderately priced home décor. Exhibits of the reproductions, with most of the public likely not ever being able to view the originals, were held throughout the country.

“Thistle Publications are the very beautiful reproductions of old and modern masters which are made by the Detroit Publishing Company of Detroit, Mich. These pictures are not only beautiful, they are almost perfect reproductions of their originals. Such critical artists as Winslow Homer, Henry W. Ranger and Gari Melchers have expressed their satisfaction in what this company has done with their pictures.”[32]

Starting in 1912 the company issued edited sets of 40 picture postcards titled Little “Phostint” Journeys, each set representing a specific region or subject. The 1912 Phostint catalog stated of the sets: “Tours through the Wonder Places of America illustrated in high grade Phostint post cards executed in nature’s coloring.” Advertisements stated that the sets were appropriate “for tourists, educators, fireside travelers, and users of projection lanterns.” There were 41 known volumes of Little “Phostint” Journeys, with some of the popular series including Historic Boston and Vicinity, New York City, The Quaker City (Philadelphia), Old Charleston, The Great Lakes, The Land of Sunshine, Yosemite and the Big Trees, Down the Mississippi, Missions of the Southwest and many more. Each journey was sold either in the form of a book with leather backs and titles in gold, advertised as “suitable for best library shelves,” or in cartons.

On the breadth of subjects published by the Detroit Publishing Company noted postcard historian Dorothy Ryan, in Picture Postcards in the United States: 1893-1918, wrote:

“One firm, the Detroit Publishing Company, a part of the Detroit Photographic Company, covered the length and breadth of America shortly after the turn of the century and chronicled as no other publisher attempted the diversity of people, activity, and industry found in the United States.

The hustle of large cities, the languor of small towns, farming and light industry, steel and other heavy manufacturing, harbors and shipping, the mansions of the wealthy and the tenements and ghettos of the poor, the varied social minorities; taken as a whole, a Detroit collection forms a rich and varied tapestry of what might be termed the “The American Scene.”[33]

At its height the Detroit Publishing Company had approximately 40,000 negatives in its inventory, from which it produced approximately seven million prints annually, and employed 40 artists and 12 traveling salesmen. The company maintained retail outlets in Detroit, New York, Boston, Los Angeles, London and Zurich, and controlled a worldwide distribution system that included mail-order and sales at prominent resorts and tourist attractions.

See my blog post titled “Merrill & Humphries – Delhi, New York Photography Partnership” published on February 6, 2021 for an interesting biography of this famed photographic partnership.

I have recently acquired over 40 postcards that were published either by the partnership of Merrill & Humphries or by P. B. Merrill. All the postcards can be viewed on the Gallery page at: Gallery > Historic Catskills Photographers > Merrill & Humphries – Delhi, NY Photographers.

Below Sherwood’s Bridge, Delhi, N.Y.

Below Sherwood’s Bridge, Delhi, N.Y.Sherwood’s Bridge crosses the West Branch of the Delaware River on Sherwood Road in the town of Delhi, New York. According to the history of the county “The first church in the town of Delhi stood just below Sherwood’s bridge on the opposite side of the river, and was built in 1811.”

The postcard was published by Merrill & Humphries of Delhi, New York. The postmark on the reverse side shows that it was mailed in 1919.

Delaware River and Boomhour Mountain, Delhi, N.Y.

Delaware River and Boomhour Mountain, Delhi, N.Y.

River Valley from Federal Hill, Delhi, N.Y.

River Valley from Federal Hill, Delhi, N.Y.

Scene on Delhi-Bloomville New York State Highway

Scene on Delhi-Bloomville New York State HighwayThis vintage postcard titled “Scene on Delhi-Bloomville New York State Highway” was published by photographer P. B. Merrill. The postcard was never mailed.

Fitch's Bridge and Delaware River, Delhi, N.Y.
Fitch's Bridge and Delaware River, Delhi, N.Y.

I have recently acquired seven new stereoviews and three new portraits that were taken by Cornell. They have all been added to his gallery page.

Delaware Street, looking north

24_Delaware Street, looking north

Delaware Street, Residence of Judge I. H. Maynard

25_Delaware Street, Residence of Judge I. H. Maynard

Devasego Falls from North Bank

40_Devasego Falls from North Bank

View of Roadway to Mount Jefferson

45_View of Roadway to Mount Jefferson

View North from Mount Jefferson

46_View North from Mount Jefferson

Mountain View

Mountain View

Landscape View

Landscape View

Portrait, Grandma Barlur

Portrait, Grandma BarlurPhotographer: S. S. Cornell

Schuyler S. Cornell was a popular photographer who operated out of the village of Stamford in Delaware County, New York for nearly 50 years. He operated a portrait studio on Main Street in the village and was also well known for his landscapes of the surrounding western Catskills.

Portrait, Uncle Jeb Barlur

Portrait, Uncle Jeb BarlurPhotographer: S. S. Cornell

Schuyler S. Cornell was a popular photographer who operated out of the village of Stamford in Delaware County, New York for nearly 50 years. He operated a portrait studio on Main Street in the village and was also well known for his landscapes of the surrounding western Catskills.

Portrait, R. L. Barlur and wife

Portrait, R. L. Barlur and wifePhotographer: S. S. Cornell

Schuyler S. Cornell was a popular photographer who operated out of the village of Stamford in Delaware County, New York for nearly 50 years. He operated a portrait studio on Main Street in the village and was also well known for his landscapes of the surrounding western Catskills.

I have recently acquired six new stereoviews of the Catskills that were published by the E. & H. T. Anthony & Company. Each of the stereoviews have all been added to the Anthony gallery, which now contains 134 of the company’s Catskills works.

Glen Cottage near Kauterskill Falls (# 8547)

8547_Glen Cottage near Kauterskill FallsPublisher: E. & H. T. Anthony & Co.
Series name: Glens of the Catskills
Stereoview #: 8547
Title: Glen Cottage near Kauterskill Falls.

Bears Den, North Mountain (# 8550, version 2)

8550, version 2_Bears Den, North MountainPublisher: E. & H. T. Anthony & Co.
Series name: The Glens of the Catskills
Stereoview #: 8550, version 2
Title: Bears Den, North Mountain.

Looking Down Kauterskill Notch (# 8553)

8553_Looking Down Kauterskill NotchPublisher: E. & H. T. Anthony & Co.
Series name: Glens of the Catskills
Stereoview #: 8553
Title: Looking Down Kauterskill Notch.

Kauterskill Clove and Hain's Fall from Sunset Rock, Hunter Mountain in the distance (# 9066)

9066_Kauterskill Clove and Hain's Fall from Sunset Rock, Hunter Mountain in the distancePublisher: E. & H. T. Anthony & Co.
Series name: The Glens of the Catskills
Stereoview #: 9066
Title: Kauterskill Clove and Hain’s Fall from Sunset Rock, Hunter Mountain in the distance.

The Valley of the Lake from North Mountain – High Peak and Round Top in the distance – High Peak 3800 ft. from level of the Hudson River (# 9075)

9075_The Valley of the Lake from North Mountain – High Peak and Round Top in the distance – High Peak 3800 ft. from level of the Hudson RiverPublisher: E. & H. T. Anthony & Co.
Series name: The Glens of the Catskills
Stereoview #: 9075
Title: The Valley of the Lake from North Mountain – High Peak and Round Top in the distance – High Peak 3800 ft. from level of the Hudson River.

Icy Bridge (# 809)

809_Icy Bridge.Publisher: E. & H. T. Anthony & Co.
Series name: Winter in the Catskills
Stereoview #: 809
Title: None listed; Description: Icy Bridge

Reverse side: “These are some of the most remarkable Ice and Snow scenes in existence, and every assortment of stereoscopic views should contain a selection from them.”

Every once in a while though I will come across a postcard or photograph that does not fit a particularly category, but will nonetheless capture my attention. That was certainly the case with this vintage postcard titled “The Foot Race, Loch Sheldrake, N.Y.”

In this vintage postcard five young men speedily take off at the beginning of an apparently very serious foot race at the hamlet of Loch Sheldrake in Sullivan County, New York. All the young men are well dressed, each wearing nice pants and dress shirts, and three of them wearing ties. Given the stylish clothes and the large cross that looms above them in the background, perhaps the race was taking place after a Sunday church service. Also in the background, just behind the young men, an older man gleefully jumps in the air, perhaps signaling the start of the race.

Each of the young men take off with sheer determination, as seen in their facial expressions, speeding their way down the dirt road to an unseen finish line. One can only imagine what the challenge was or what was at stake for these five young men to inspire such determination.

The postcard was published by L. G. Laidlaw as part of his Artino Series. The postcard was never mailed.

The Foot Race, Loch Sheldrake, N.Y.In this vintage postcard five young men speedily take off at the beginning of an apparently very serious foot race at the hamlet of Loch Sheldrake in Sullivan County, New York. All the young men are well dressed, each wearing nice pants and dress shirts, and three of them wearing ties. Given the stylish clothes and the large cross that looms above them in the background, perhaps the race was taking place after a Sunday church service. Also in the background, just behind the young men, an older man gleefully jumps in the air, perhaps signaling the start of the race.

Each of the young men take off with sheer determination, as seen in their facial expressions, speeding their way down the dirt road to an unseen finish line. One can only imagine what the challenge was or what was at stake for these five young men to inspire such determination.

The postcard was published by L. G. Laidlaw as part of his Artino Series. The postcard was never mailed.

Ashokan-Turnwood Covered BridgeThe historic Ashokan-Turnwood Covered Bridge is located at the Ashokan Center in Olivebridge, New York.

The town lattice truss bridge, spanning 72 feet over the famed Esopus Creek, was originally built in 1885 by Nelson Tompkins to span the Beaver Kill in the small western Catskills hamlet of Turnwood. After being replaced by a modern steel bridge, the covered bridge was sold, and all bridge parts were numbered, dismantled, moved, and reconstructed at its current location, then a private estate, in 1939. The Ashokan-Turnwood Covered Bridge is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It is one of 24 covered bridges in New York State that has been identified as historic.

Across the CreekThe historic Ashokan-Turnwood Covered Bridge is located at the Ashokan Center in Olivebridge, New York.

The town lattice truss bridge, spanning 72 feet over the famed Esopus Creek, was originally built in 1885 by Nelson Tompkins to span the Beaver Kill in the small western Catskills hamlet of Turnwood. After being replaced by a modern steel bridge, the covered bridge was sold, and all bridge parts were numbered, dismantled, moved, and reconstructed at its current location, then a private estate, in 1939. The Ashokan-Turnwood Covered Bridge is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It is one of 24 covered bridges in New York State that has been identified as historic.

Morning at the Ashokan-Turnwood Covered BridgeThe historic Ashokan-Turnwood Covered Bridge is located at the Ashokan Center in Olivebridge, New York.

The town lattice truss bridge, spanning 72 feet over the famed Esopus Creek, was originally built in 1885 by Nelson Tompkins to span the Beaver Kill in the small western Catskills hamlet of Turnwood. After being replaced by a modern steel bridge, the covered bridge was sold, and all bridge parts were numbered, dismantled, moved, and reconstructed at its current location, then a private estate, in 1939. The Ashokan-Turnwood Covered Bridge is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It is one of 24 covered bridges in New York State that has been identified as historic.

The Ashokan-Turnwood Covered Bridge was originally built in 1885 by Nelson Tompkins to span the Beaver Kill in the small western Catskills hamlet of Turnwood, town of Hardenbergh, Ulster County. The hamlet of Turnwood, and thus the bridge, took its name from the small hand turning mill owned by Hooper Tripp that was located there.

As the covered bridge approached 50 years of age it was becoming increasingly dangerous due to growing automobile and truck traffic, as well as limited sight lines and the sharp turns required at both portals. In 1934 the bridge was declared unsafe by the local government. In 1938 severe local flooding damaged the stone abutments. The following year, in 1939, after being replaced by a modern steel bridge, the Ashokan-Turnwood Covered Bridge was sold at auction for one dollar to prominent businessman Lester A. Moehring. All the bridge parts were numbered, dismantled, moved, and reconstructed at its current location, then Moehring’s private estate.

In 1955 the Moehring property was sold to Frank V. Banks, who renamed the property Barrington Lodge. Banks only owned the property for two years, selling it in 1957 to the State University Teacher’s College at New Paltz, now SUNY New Paltz, for use as recreational camp for students and faculty. It was later used for the outdoor education of schoolchildren and for teacher training. In 2008 the property was sold to the Open Space Conservancy, who in turn sold a portion of the land to the New York City Department of Environmental Protection to facilitate water supply operations and the rest of the land to the non-profit Ashokan Foundation.

At its current location the single span Ashokan-Turnwood Covered Bridge crosses over the famed Esopus Creek, immediately east of Winchell Falls. The bridge portals are oriented north and south. The bridge measures 72 feet long and 16 feet wide. It is constructed using the town lattice truss design and is set upon on abutments of dry laid fieldstone capped with concrete.

All's Quiet at the Ashokan-Turnwood Covered BridgeThe historic Ashokan-Turnwood Covered Bridge is located at the Ashokan Center in Olivebridge, New York.

The town lattice truss bridge, spanning 72 feet over the famed Esopus Creek, was originally built in 1885 by Nelson Tompkins to span the Beaver Kill in the small western Catskills hamlet of Turnwood. After being replaced by a modern steel bridge, the covered bridge was sold, and all bridge parts were numbered, dismantled, moved, and reconstructed at its current location, then a private estate, in 1939. The Ashokan-Turnwood Covered Bridge is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It is one of 24 covered bridges in New York State that has been identified as historic.

Ten Dollars FineThe historic Ashokan-Turnwood Covered Bridge is located at the Ashokan Center in Olivebridge, New York.

The town lattice truss bridge, spanning 72 feet over the famed Esopus Creek, was originally built in 1885 by Nelson Tompkins to span the Beaver Kill in the small western Catskills hamlet of Turnwood. After being replaced by a modern steel bridge, the covered bridge was sold, and all bridge parts were numbered, dismantled, moved, and reconstructed at its current location, then a private estate, in 1939. The Ashokan-Turnwood Covered Bridge is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It is one of 24 covered bridges in New York State that has been identified as historic.

Town Lattice, Ashokan-Turnwood Covered BridgeThe historic Ashokan-Turnwood Covered Bridge is located at the Ashokan Center in Olivebridge, New York.

The town lattice truss bridge, spanning 72 feet over the famed Esopus Creek, was originally built in 1885 by Nelson Tompkins to span the Beaver Kill in the small western Catskills hamlet of Turnwood. After being replaced by a modern steel bridge, the covered bridge was sold, and all bridge parts were numbered, dismantled, moved, and reconstructed at its current location, then a private estate, in 1939. The Ashokan-Turnwood Covered Bridge is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It is one of 24 covered bridges in New York State that has been identified as historic.

The Ashokan-Turnwood Covered Bridge is currently located on the property of the Ashokan Center, a non-profit organization dedicated to outdoor and environmental education. Located on over 370 acres, the Ashokan Center hosts school and hobby groups as well as community events such as blacksmithing, square dancing, guitar camp and a fall festival. The beautiful property is like taking a step back in time being home. In addition to the Ashokan-Turnwood Covered Bridge, beautiful sites at the Ashokan Center include Winchell Falls, Cathedral Gorge, an 1817 schoolhouse, a large lake, a barnyard and a horse pasture. The Ashokan Center, historically known as The Ashokan Field Campus Historic District, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Visit the Ashokan Center website at www.ashokancenter.org for more information.

The historic Beaverkill Covered Bridge is located north of the Catskills hamlet of Livingston Manor in Sullivan County, New York. The historic bridge provides a scenic background as part of the Beaverkill State Campground, one of the oldest campgrounds in the Catskills.

Beaverkill Covered Bridge

Crossing the Beaverkill

Beautiful Morning at the Beaverkill Covered Bridge

The bridge was originally built in 1865 by John Davidson, a Scottish immigrant, farmer, lumberman and famous Catskills covered bridge builder. The town lattice truss bridge is 14.5 feet wide and spans 98 feet over the famed Beaverkill River. It is open to vehicular traffic and continues to this day as a key river crossing point for local communities. The Beaverkill Covered Bridge is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

RIP John, Amanda and Clara DavidsonLew Beach, Sullivan County

John Davidson (1815-1875) was a Scottish immigrant, farmer, lumberman, sawmill owner and famous Catskills covered bridge builder. He constructed the Bendo Covered Bridge (1860), the Livingston Manor Covered Bridge (1860) and the Beaverkill Covered Bridge (1865).

John was born in 1815 in the Highlands of Scotland to shepherd William Davidson (1786-1876) and Rebecca Black (1786-1870). Along with his family, John Davidson immigrated to the United States in 1819. The family first moved to Andes where they spent 1 ½ years, before settling down at Campbell Mountain near Downsville in Delaware County, New York. The family owned 140 acres of forest that was improved in to a working family farm.

At some time in the 1840s John Davidson moved to a farm near the hamlet of Shin Creek (now known as Lew Beach) in the Beaverkill Valley in the Town of Rockland, Sullivan County. On February 27, 1845, John Davidson married Amanda Joscelyn (~1823-1902), daughter of Hon. G. S. Joscelyn. John and Amanda had 14 children together. John died in 1875 during an accident involving “falling logs” at the Voorhees mill. Both John and Amanda are buried at the Davidson Cemetery near Lew Beach.

The aging Beaverkill Covered Bridge was restored between 2015 and 2017. New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo announced the project’s completion in June 2017 with a press release that included a description of the work completed. “Extensive repairs were made to the one-lane bridge, including a full replacement of the timber decking, roofing and siding, and replacement of selected floor beams, roof rafters and support members as necessary. The abutment on the eastern side of the bridge was reconstructed to replicate the original stone approach ramp. The western abutment was resurfaced with stone from the eastern approach ramp in order to replicate the original stone wall appearance. As part of the project, a walkway underneath the bridge – located between the eastern pier and abutment – was widened. One of the bridge piers was repaired.” (www.governor.ny.gov. “Governor Cuomo Announces Completion of Historic Covered Bridge Rehabilitation Project.” Albany, NY. June 21, 2017.)

UncoveredLivingston Manor, Sullivan County

The historic Beaverkill Covered Bridge, also known as Conklin Bridge, was originally built in 1865 by John Davidson, a Scottish immigrant, farmer, lumberman and famous Catskills covered bridge builder. The town lattice truss bridge, located north of Livingston Manor, is 14.5 feet wide and spans 98 feet over the famed Beaverkill River. The historic bridge provides a scenic background as part of the Beaverkill State Campground, one of the oldest campgrounds in the Catskills. It is open to vehicular traffic and continues to this day as a key river crossing point for local communities. The Covered Bridge Pool, a scenic and popular fly-fishing location, is located adjacent and underneath the bridge. The Beaverkill Covered Bridge is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The aging Beaverkill Covered Bridge was restored between 2015 and 2017. New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo announced the project’s completion in June 2017 with a press release that included a description of the work completed. “Extensive repairs were made to the one-lane bridge, including a full replacement of the timber decking, roofing and siding, and replacement of selected floor beams, roof rafters and support members as necessary. The abutment on the eastern side of the bridge was reconstructed to replicate the original stone approach ramp. The western abutment was resurfaced with stone from the eastern approach ramp in order to replicate the original stone wall appearance. As part of the project, a walkway underneath the bridge – located between the eastern pier and abutment – was widened. One of the bridge piers was repaired.” (www.governor.ny.gov. “Governor Cuomo Announces Completion of Historic Covered Bridge Rehabilitation Project.” Albany, NY. June 21, 2017.)

UncoveredLivingston Manor, Sullivan County

The historic Beaverkill Covered Bridge, also known as Conklin Bridge, was originally built in 1865 by John Davidson, a Scottish immigrant, farmer, lumberman and famous Catskills covered bridge builder. The town lattice truss bridge, located north of Livingston Manor, is 14.5 feet wide and spans 98 feet over the famed Beaverkill River. The historic bridge provides a scenic background as part of the Beaverkill State Campground, one of the oldest campgrounds in the Catskills. It is open to vehicular traffic and continues to this day as a key river crossing point for local communities. The Covered Bridge Pool, a scenic and popular fly-fishing location, is located adjacent and underneath the bridge. The Beaverkill Covered Bridge is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The aging Beaverkill Covered Bridge was restored between 2015 and 2017. New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo announced the project’s completion in June 2017 with a press release that included a description of the work completed. “Extensive repairs were made to the one-lane bridge, including a full replacement of the timber decking, roofing and siding, and replacement of selected floor beams, roof rafters and support members as necessary. The abutment on the eastern side of the bridge was reconstructed to replicate the original stone approach ramp. The western abutment was resurfaced with stone from the eastern approach ramp in order to replicate the original stone wall appearance. As part of the project, a walkway underneath the bridge – located between the eastern pier and abutment – was widened. One of the bridge piers was repaired.” (www.governor.ny.gov. “Governor Cuomo Announces Completion of Historic Covered Bridge Rehabilitation Project.” Albany, NY. June 21, 2017.)

The Covered Bridge Pool, a scenic and popular fly-fishing location, is located adjacent and underneath the bridge. The historic plaque at the site reads: “Covered Bridge Pool. This stretch of the Beaverkill was a favorite of Theodore Gordon (1854-1915). Fly fisher, fly-tier and creator of the Quill Gordon, one of the first purely American dry flies. Erected by Theodore Gordon Flyfishers.”

Covered Bridge PoolThe Covered Bridge Pool, a scenic and popular fly-fishing location, is located adjacent and underneath the historic Beaverkill Covered Bridge. The bridge is located north of the Catskills hamlet of Livingston Manor in Sullivan County, New York.

The historic plaque at the site reads: “Covered Bridge Pool. This stretch of the Beaverkill was a favorite of Theodore Gordon (1854-1915). Fly fisher, fly-tier and creator of the Quill Gordon, one of the first purely American dry flies. Erected by Theodore Gordon Flyfishers.”

The historic Beaverkill Covered Bridge provides a scenic background as part of the Beaverkill State Campground, one of the oldest campgrounds in the Catskills. The bridge was originally built in 1865 by John Davidson, a Scottish immigrant, farmer, lumberman and famous Catskills covered bridge builder. The town lattice truss bridge is 14.5 feet wide and spans 98 feet over the famed Beaverkill River. It is open to vehicular traffic and continues to this day as a key river crossing point for local communities. The Beaverkill Covered Bridge is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Morning on the BeaverkillThe Beaverkill, or Beaver Kill, is a 44-mile tributary of the East Branch Delaware River. The reputation of the Beaverkill as an unparalleled trout fly-fishing destination is known far and wide. Seen here are the autumn colors of the Catskills at the Covered Bridge Pool, aptly named for the adjacent Beaverkill Covered Bridge.

The historic Beaverkill Covered Bridge is located north of the Catskills hamlet of Livingston Manor in Sullivan County, New York. The historic bridge provides a scenic background as part of the Beaverkill State Campground, one of the oldest campgrounds in the Catskills.

The Beaverkill, or Beaver Kill, is a 44-mile tributary of the East Branch Delaware River. It has its source near the col between Graham Mountain and Doubletop Mountain. The reputation of the Beaverkill as an unparalleled trout fly-fishing destination is known far and wide.

The woods and mountains surrounding Phoenicia were once home to two prominent industries, including the quarrying of local bluestone and the tanning of leather utilizing the abundant hemlock trees in the area. The Tanbark Trail follows some of the old roads that were constructed for these industries.

Grand View Ledge, AutumnGrand View Ledge, and the nearby Phoenicia Overlook, provides a wonderful mountain view overlooking the hamlet of Phoenicia, surrounded by the idyllic Esopus Valley landscape of Mount Pleasant (2,900 feet), Romer Mountain (2,160 feet), and Panther Mountain (3,730 feet, the 17th highest mountain in the Catskills). Route 28, Route 214 and the south ridge of Sheridan Mountain are all visible. This is one of the best places I know of where you can see and feel the symbiotic relationship between man and nature that so epitomizes the Catskills.

Grand View LedgeGrand View Ledge, and the nearby Phoenicia Overlook, provides a wonderful mountain view overlooking the hamlet of Phoenicia, surrounded by the idyllic Esopus Valley landscape of Mount Pleasant (2,900 feet), Romer Mountain (2,160 feet), and Panther Mountain (3,730 feet, the 17th highest mountain in the Catskills). Route 28, Route 214 and the south ridge of Sheridan Mountain are all visible. This is one of the best places I know of where you can see and feel the symbiotic relationship between man and nature that so epitomizes the Catskills.

Grand view Overlook, Phoenicia, NYGrand View Ledge, and the nearby Phoenicia Overlook, provides a wonderful mountain view overlooking the hamlet of Phoenicia, surrounded by the idyllic Esopus Valley landscape of Mount Pleasant (2,900 feet), Romer Mountain (2,160 feet), and Panther Mountain (3,730 feet, the 17th highest mountain in the Catskills). Route 28, Route 214 and the south ridge of Sheridan Mountain are all visible. This is one of the best places I know of where you can see and feel the symbiotic relationship between man and nature that so epitomizes the Catskills.

Phoenicia OverlookThe Phoenicia Overlook, at an elevation of 1,145 feet, provides a wonderful mountain view overlooking the hamlet of Phoenicia, surrounded by the idyllic Esopus Valley landscape of Mount Pleasant (2,900 feet), Romer Mountain (2,160 feet), and Panther Mountain (3,730 feet, the 17th highest mountain in the Catskills). Route 28, Route 214 and the south ridge of Sheridan Mountain are all visible. This is one of the best places I know of where you can see and feel the symbiotic relationship between man and nature that so epitomizes the Catskills.

Phoenicia, From AboveThe Phoenicia Overlook, at an elevation of 1,145 feet, provides a wonderful mountain view overlooking the hamlet of Phoenicia, surrounded by the idyllic Esopus Valley landscape of Mount Pleasant (2,900 feet), Romer Mountain (2,160 feet), and Panther Mountain (3,730 feet, the 17th highest mountain in the Catskills). Route 28, Route 214 and the south ridge of Sheridan Mountain are all visible. This is one of the best places I know of where you can see and feel the symbiotic relationship between man and nature that so epitomizes the Catskills.

Shrine to the Bluestone GodsThe Tanbark Trail in the Catskills hamlet of Phoenicia offers a moderately challenging 2.1-mile route, with views from both Phoenicia Overlook and Grand View Ledge. Both wonderful viewpoints overlook the hamlet of Phoenicia, surrounded by the idyllic Esopus Valley landscape of Mount Pleasant (2,900 feet), Romer Mountain (2,160 feet), and Panther Mountain (3,730 feet, the 17th highest mountain in the Catskills). Route 28, Route 214 and the south ridge of Sheridan Mountain are all visible.

The woods and mountains surrounding Phoenicia were once home to two prominent industries, including the quarrying of local bluestone and the tanning of leather utilizing the abundant hemlock trees in the area. The Tanbark Trail follows some of the old roads that were constructed for these industries. This quirky Shrine to the Bluestone Gods can be found along the Tanbark Trail.

The following year, in 2012, the diner was bought by Mike Cioffi, a Brooklyn native who owned a cabin in the area. With no restaurant experience, he reinvigorated the establishment with a mix of diner favorites and trendy modern fare. Now operating for nearly a decade, the Phoenicia Diner remains a very popular establishment with visitors, weekenders and locals alike. Check out their website for more information including hours and menu: www.phoeniciadiner.com.

Phoenicia DinerThe legendary Phoenicia Diner is located along Route 28 outside the hamlet of Phoenicia. The diner structure was constructed in 1962 by the DeRaffele Manufacturing Company and was originally located on Long Island. The diner was then moved to its current location in the Catskills in the early 1980s. The first iteration of the diner, operated by owner Chris Raptis, served the public for nearly 30 years, closing its doors in 2011.

The following year, in 2012, the diner was bought by Mike Cioffi, a Brooklyn native who owned a cabin in the area. With no restaurant experience, he reinvigorated the establishment with a mix of diner favorites and trendy modern fare. Now operating for nearly a decade, the Phoenicia Diner remains a very popular establishment with visitors, weekenders and locals alike. Check out their website for more information including hours and menu: www.phoeniciadiner.com.

DinerThe legendary Phoenicia Diner is located along Route 28 outside the hamlet of Phoenicia. The diner structure was constructed in 1962 by the DeRaffele Manufacturing Company and was originally located on Long Island. The diner was then moved to its current location in the Catskills in the early 1980s. The first iteration of the diner, operated by owner Chris Raptis, served the public for nearly 30 years, closing its doors in 2011.

The following year, in 2012, the diner was bought by Mike Cioffi, a Brooklyn native who owned a cabin in the area. With no restaurant experience, he reinvigorated the establishment with a mix of diner favorites and trendy modern fare. Now operating for nearly a decade, the Phoenicia Diner remains a very popular establishment with visitors, weekenders and locals alike. Check out their website for more information including hours and menu: www.phoeniciadiner.com.

Davy CrockettThe imposing ten-foot-tall fiberglass statue of old Davy Crockett, standing proudly with a rifle over his shoulder and a coonskin cap on his head, can be found in front of the Sportsman’s Alamo Cantina in the Catskills hamlet of Phoenicia. The statue has been a prominent part of the Phoenicia’s Main Street since at least the 1970s. It has become the unofficial mascot of Phoenicia, even being prominently displayed on the town sign, which is located at the hamlet entrance along Route 28. For several years, Davy Crockett Day was celebrated in the town of Shandaken (which includes Phoenicia), with events including a dedication ceremony, a look-alike contest and a ukulele concert featuring “The Ballad of Davy Crockett.”

Davy Crockett (1786-1836) was a frontiersman, soldier, politician and American folk hero. As a frontiersman, Crockett gained a widespread reputation as a fearless scout, sharpshooter and bear hunter. As a solider, Crockett was a veteran of both the Creek War and the War of 1812. As a politician, he served as a congressman representing Tennessee in the US House of Representatives. As an all-around American folk hero, Crockett’s life was popularized in “The Lion of the West,” a play that first appeared in 1831. In popular culture he is often referred to as the “King of the Wild Frontier.” Further burnishing his legendary reputation, Davy Crockett famously died at the historic Battle of the Alamo in Texas in 1836.

Davy Crockett, Phoenicia, New YorkThe imposing ten-foot-tall fiberglass statue of old Davy Crockett, standing proudly with a rifle over his shoulder and a coonskin cap on his head, can be found in front of the Sportsman’s Alamo Cantina in the Catskills hamlet of Phoenicia. The statue has been a prominent part of the Phoenicia’s Main Street since at least the 1970s. It has become the unofficial mascot of Phoenicia, even being prominently displayed on the town sign, which is located at the hamlet entrance along Route 28. For several years, Davy Crockett Day was celebrated in the town of Shandaken (which includes Phoenicia), with events including a dedication ceremony, a look-alike contest and a ukulele concert featuring “The Ballad of Davy Crockett.”

Davy Crockett (1786-1836) was a frontiersman, soldier, politician and American folk hero. As a frontiersman, Crockett gained a widespread reputation as a fearless scout, sharpshooter and bear hunter. As a solider, Crockett was a veteran of both the Creek War and the War of 1812. As a politician, he served as a congressman representing Tennessee in the US House of Representatives. As an all-around American folk hero, Crockett’s life was popularized in “The Lion of the West,” a play that first appeared in 1831. In popular culture he is often referred to as the “King of the Wild Frontier.” Further burnishing his legendary reputation, Davy Crockett famously died at the historic Battle of the Alamo in Texas in 1836.

Davy Crockett (1786-1836) was a frontiersman, soldier, politician and American folk hero. As a frontiersman, Crockett gained a widespread reputation as a fearless scout, sharpshooter and bear hunter. As a solider, Crockett was a veteran of both the Creek War and the War of 1812. As a politician, he served as a congressman representing Tennessee in the US House of Representatives. As an all-around American folk hero, Crockett’s life was popularized in “The Lion of the West,” a play that first appeared in 1831. In popular culture he is often referred to as the “King of the Wild Frontier.” Further burnishing his legendary reputation, Davy Crockett famously died at the historic Battle of the Alamo in Texas in 1836.

King of the Wild FrontierThe imposing ten-foot-tall fiberglass statue of old Davy Crockett, standing proudly with a rifle over his shoulder and a coonskin cap on his head, can be found in front of the Sportsman’s Alamo Cantina in the Catskills hamlet of Phoenicia. The statue has been a prominent part of the Phoenicia’s Main Street since at least the 1970s. It has become the unofficial mascot of Phoenicia, even being prominently displayed on the town sign, which is located at the hamlet entrance along Route 28. For several years, Davy Crockett Day was celebrated in the town of Shandaken (which includes Phoenicia), with events including a dedication ceremony, a look-alike contest and a ukulele concert featuring “The Ballad of Davy Crockett.”

Davy Crockett (1786-1836) was a frontiersman, soldier, politician and American folk hero. As a frontiersman, Crockett gained a widespread reputation as a fearless scout, sharpshooter and bear hunter. As a solider, Crockett was a veteran of both the Creek War and the War of 1812. As a politician, he served as a congressman representing Tennessee in the US House of Representatives. As an all-around American folk hero, Crockett’s life was popularized in “The Lion of the West,” a play that first appeared in 1831. In popular culture he is often referred to as the “King of the Wild Frontier.” Further burnishing his legendary reputation, Davy Crockett famously died at the historic Battle of the Alamo in Texas in 1836.

Phoenicia Railroad StationThe Phoenicia Railroad Station is located at the hamlet of Phoenicia in the town of Shandaken, Ulster County, New York. The station served the former Ulster and Delaware Railroad (UDRR).

The Rondout and Oswego Railroad was chartered in 1866 by Thomas Cornell. By 1872 the Rondout and Oswego was bankrupt, but was reorganized as the New York, Kington and Syracuse Railroad. This railroad, in 1875, also went bankrupt. It was then reorganized yet again as the Ulster and Delaware Railroad.

The Ulster and Railroad proved to be very successful, opening up the central Catskills region for expanded tourism and providing easy access to the numerous boarding houses and hotels along the line. At its greatest extent, the railroad originated at Kingston Point, on the Hudson River, and followed much of what is today’s Route 28, passing through four counties (Ulster, Delaware, Schoharie and Otsego), ultimately connecting to its western terminus at Oneonta. The Ulster and Delaware was advertised as “The Only All-Rail Route to the Catskill Mountains.” At its peak, in 1913, the railroad carried 675,000 passengers.

Eventually the rise of the automobile and changing vacation patterns led to a slow decline in business, and by 1932 the Ulster and Railroad was acquired by New York Central. The line was then operated by New York Central until 1954, when it ceased operations.

The Phoenicia Railroad Station was constructed in 1899 to replace an earlier station following conversion of the narrow-gauge line to Hunter to standard gauge. The new station handled baggage, mail, express and passenger traffic to and from Phoenicia. The building remained in service until the cessation of passenger traffic in 1954. The station was acquired by the Empire State Railway Museum, which was founded in 1960 and moved to Phoenicia in 1983. Visit the museum website at www.esrm.com for more information.

Kingston Point to OneontaThe Phoenicia Railroad Station is located at the hamlet of Phoenicia in the town of Shandaken, Ulster County, New York. The station served the former Ulster and Delaware Railroad (UDRR).

The Rondout and Oswego Railroad was chartered in 1866 by Thomas Cornell. By 1872 the Rondout and Oswego was bankrupt, but was reorganized as the New York, Kington and Syracuse Railroad. This railroad, in 1875, also went bankrupt. It was then reorganized yet again as the Ulster and Delaware Railroad.

The Ulster and Railroad proved to be very successful, opening up the central Catskills region for expanded tourism and providing easy access to the numerous boarding houses and hotels along the line. At its greatest extent, the railroad originated at Kingston Point, on the Hudson River, and followed much of what is today’s Route 28, passing through four counties (Ulster, Delaware, Schoharie and Otsego), ultimately connecting to its western terminus at Oneonta. The Ulster and Delaware was advertised as “The Only All-Rail Route to the Catskill Mountains.” At its peak, in 1913, the railroad carried 675,000 passengers.

Eventually the rise of the automobile and changing vacation patterns led to a slow decline in business, and by 1932 the Ulster and Railroad was acquired by New York Central. The line was then operated by New York Central until 1954, when it ceased operations.

The Phoenicia Railroad Station was constructed in 1899 to replace an earlier station following conversion of the narrow-gauge line to Hunter to standard gauge. The new station handled baggage, mail, express and passenger traffic to and from Phoenicia. The building remained in service until the cessation of passenger traffic in 1954. The station was acquired by the Empire State Railway Museum, which was founded in 1960 and moved to Phoenicia in 1983. Visit the museum website at www.esrm.com for more information.

Waiting RoomThe Phoenicia Railroad Station is located at the hamlet of Phoenicia in the town of Shandaken, Ulster County, New York. The station served the former Ulster and Delaware Railroad (UDRR).

The Rondout and Oswego Railroad was chartered in 1866 by Thomas Cornell. By 1872 the Rondout and Oswego was bankrupt, but was reorganized as the New York, Kington and Syracuse Railroad. This railroad, in 1875, also went bankrupt. It was then reorganized yet again as the Ulster and Delaware Railroad.

The Ulster and Railroad proved to be very successful, opening up the central Catskills region for expanded tourism and providing easy access to the numerous boarding houses and hotels along the line. At its greatest extent, the railroad originated at Kingston Point, on the Hudson River, and followed much of what is today’s Route 28, passing through four counties (Ulster, Delaware, Schoharie and Otsego), ultimately connecting to its western terminus at Oneonta. The Ulster and Delaware was advertised as “The Only All-Rail Route to the Catskill Mountains.” At its peak, in 1913, the railroad carried 675,000 passengers.

Eventually the rise of the automobile and changing vacation patterns led to a slow decline in business, and by 1932 the Ulster and Railroad was acquired by New York Central. The line was then operated by New York Central until 1954, when it ceased operations.

The Phoenicia Railroad Station was constructed in 1899 to replace an earlier station following conversion of the narrow-gauge line to Hunter to standard gauge. The new station handled baggage, mail, express and passenger traffic to and from Phoenicia. The building remained in service until the cessation of passenger traffic in 1954. The station was acquired by the Empire State Railway Museum, which was founded in 1960 and moved to Phoenicia in 1983. Visit the museum website at www.esrm.com for more information.

BaggageThe Phoenicia Railroad Station is located at the hamlet of Phoenicia in the town of Shandaken, Ulster County, New York. The station served the former Ulster and Delaware Railroad (UDRR).

The Rondout and Oswego Railroad was chartered in 1866 by Thomas Cornell. By 1872 the Rondout and Oswego was bankrupt, but was reorganized as the New York, Kington and Syracuse Railroad. This railroad, in 1875, also went bankrupt. It was then reorganized yet again as the Ulster and Delaware Railroad.

The Ulster and Railroad proved to be very successful, opening up the central Catskills region for expanded tourism and providing easy access to the numerous boarding houses and hotels along the line. At its greatest extent, the railroad originated at Kingston Point, on the Hudson River, and followed much of what is today’s Route 28, passing through four counties (Ulster, Delaware, Schoharie and Otsego), ultimately connecting to its western terminus at Oneonta. The Ulster and Delaware was advertised as “The Only All-Rail Route to the Catskill Mountains.” At its peak, in 1913, the railroad carried 675,000 passengers.

Eventually the rise of the automobile and changing vacation patterns led to a slow decline in business, and by 1932 the Ulster and Railroad was acquired by New York Central. The line was then operated by New York Central until 1954, when it ceased operations.

The Phoenicia Railroad Station was constructed in 1899 to replace an earlier station following conversion of the narrow-gauge line to Hunter to standard gauge. The new station handled baggage, mail, express and passenger traffic to and from Phoenicia. The building remained in service until the cessation of passenger traffic in 1954. The station was acquired by the Empire State Railway Museum, which was founded in 1960 and moved to Phoenicia in 1983. Visit the museum website at www.esrm.com for more information.

The Ulster and Delaware Railroad had its founding roots with the Rondout and Oswego Railroad, chartered in 1866 by Thomas Cornell “in order to provide a route for goods from mid-state beyond the Catskills to the Hudson River.” By 1872 the Rondout and Oswego was bankrupt, but was reorganized as the New York, Kington and Syracuse Railroad. This railroad, in 1875, also went bankrupt. It was then reorganized yet again as the Ulster and Delaware Railroad.

The Ulster and Delaware Railroad proved to be very successful, opening up the central Catskills region for expanded tourism and providing easy access to the numerous boarding houses and hotels along the line. It also operated as a freight line, supporting the local agricultural, timber and bluestone industries in getting their products to market.

At its greatest extent, the railroad originated at Kingston Point, on the Hudson River, and followed much of what is today’s Route 28, passing through four counties (Ulster, Delaware, Schoharie and Otsego), ultimately connecting to its western terminus at Oneonta. The Ulster and Delaware Railroad was advertised as “The Only All-Rail Route to the Catskill Mountains.” At its peak, in 1913, the railroad carried 676,000 passengers.

In 1904 the railroad published the following description of the Phoenicia station and its scenic locale.

“PHOENICIA. This is one of the most important stations on the line. You are now twenty-eight miles from the river and 794 feet above it, with lofty mountain peaks on every hand. It is the entrance of the famous Stony Clove Canyon, and the southern terminus of the Stony Clove and Kaaterskill Branch of the Ulster & Delaware system. You are now well into the mountains and the scenery is wild and picturesque. It is late in the day when the sun peers over the eastern skyline on Mount Tremper, and comparatively early in the afternoon when the western shadows begin to envelop the little hamlet. Meanwhile your engine, having taken afresh drink of mountain water, gets the signal and skips off up the valley with a business-like snort, winding now closely along the left bank of the Esopus, which lessens in volume as the region of its source is approached. But the little valley grows in wildness and beauty with every mile, and the Mountains become higher and grander.”

Eventually the rise of the automobile and changing vacation patterns led to a slow, steady decline in the Catskills railroad business, and by 1932 the Ulster and Delaware Railroad was acquired by New York Central. The line was then operated by New York Central until 1954, when passenger service ended. The branch line from Phoenicia to Kaaterskill was abandoned in 1940.

The Phoenicia Railroad Station was constructed in 1899 to replace an earlier station following conversion of the narrow-gauge line to Hunter to standard gauge. The new station handled baggage, mail, express and passenger traffic to and from Phoenicia. The below describes the physical attributes of the station in detail.

“The station is a long, low, one-story building, rectangular in shape. The building is surmounted by a broad, deeply overhanging hipped roof, with decorative exposed rafters and oversized decorative wooden brackets. The roof, originally featuring slate shingles, is now sheathed in asphalt shingles. The building rests on a slightly raised, ashlar and bluestone foundation and is of wood-frame construction with shingle cladding. The walls are slightly flared just above the foundation. Continuous wooden moldings create horizontal divisions. Fenestrations is asymmetrical and corresponds to the station’s functional program. There are various passenger and baggage openings, a bay window on the track side for views up and down the track and other windows lighting interior spaces. Windows consist of double-hung wooden sash with six-over-one or eight-over-one lights. Doors are wooden with six panels. There is a deep wooden platform at the track side, sheltered by the deep overhang of the roof. The non-historic platform replaced the original and was constructed at an elevated height to permit direct access to the station without the use of dangerous boarding stools.

The interior of the station is divided into a waiting room with a vaulted ceiling extending to the roof, a station agent’s office, a baggage/express room, a closet and men’s and women’s bathrooms. Stairs provide access to the basement. Interior walls and ceilings are entirely finished in narrow beaded board siding of yellow pine. Siding is laid both vertically and horizontally, creating a patterned effect. Floors throughout have three-inch tongue and groove flooring. Interior surfaces have been recently refurbished.

Both the waiting room and the baggage room have the original ticket agent’s windows with brass window bars and milk glass windows. The main waiting area retains the original wooden benches, which line the three walls of the waiting room. Also present is the original water fountain and porcelain sink. The floor retains an original figured cast-metal heating grate and a central cast-iron air distribution pedestal. The pedestal has been moved to the side to permit installation of an electrical outlet. The furnace is extant but no currently operational. A single change to the floor place has been made to provide a closet for an electrical control panel. The closet is finished to match the rest of the interior.” (LaFrank, Kathleen, “Phoenicia Railroad Station,” National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, 2005.)

In 1906 the Phoenicia Station and the nearby railroad line were featured in the 1906 drama film titled The Holdup of the Rocky Mountain Express. Although supposedly set in the Rocky Mountains, the film was actually made in the Catskills hamlet of Phoenicia. The film was produced by Frank Marion and the American Mutoscope and Biograph Company. It was a one-reel film intended for the store shows and nickelodeons of the day. The film depicts a group of bandits as they block the train tracks, and then board the train to rob the well-dressed passengers. While attempting to make their escape using a four-wheeled pump car, the bandits are chased by the train and ultimately captured at a railroad crossing.

The Phoenicia Railroad Station building remained in service until the cessation of passenger traffic in 1954. The station was acquired by the Empire State Railway Museum, which was founded in 1960 and moved to Phoenicia in 1983.

At the StationThe Phoenicia Railroad Station is located at the hamlet of Phoenicia in the town of Shandaken, Ulster County, New York. The station served the former Ulster and Delaware Railroad (UDRR).

The Rondout and Oswego Railroad was chartered in 1866 by Thomas Cornell. By 1872 the Rondout and Oswego was bankrupt, but was reorganized as the New York, Kington and Syracuse Railroad. This railroad, in 1875, also went bankrupt. It was then reorganized yet again as the Ulster and Delaware Railroad.

The Ulster and Railroad proved to be very successful, opening up the central Catskills region for expanded tourism and providing easy access to the numerous boarding houses and hotels along the line. At its greatest extent, the railroad originated at Kingston Point, on the Hudson River, and followed much of what is today’s Route 28, passing through four counties (Ulster, Delaware, Schoharie and Otsego), ultimately connecting to its western terminus at Oneonta. The Ulster and Delaware was advertised as “The Only All-Rail Route to the Catskill Mountains.” At its peak, in 1913, the railroad carried 675,000 passengers.

Eventually the rise of the automobile and changing vacation patterns led to a slow decline in business, and by 1932 the Ulster and Railroad was acquired by New York Central. The line was then operated by New York Central until 1954, when it ceased operations.

The Phoenicia Railroad Station was constructed in 1899 to replace an earlier station following conversion of the narrow-gauge line to Hunter to standard gauge. The new station handled baggage, mail, express and passenger traffic to and from Phoenicia. The building remained in service until the cessation of passenger traffic in 1954. The station was acquired by the Empire State Railway Museum, which was founded in 1960 and moved to Phoenicia in 1983. Visit the museum website at www.esrm.com for more information.

Phoenicia Station CentennialThe Phoenicia Railroad Station is located at the hamlet of Phoenicia in the town of Shandaken, Ulster County, New York. The station served the former Ulster and Delaware Railroad (UDRR).

The Rondout and Oswego Railroad was chartered in 1866 by Thomas Cornell. By 1872 the Rondout and Oswego was bankrupt, but was reorganized as the New York, Kington and Syracuse Railroad. This railroad, in 1875, also went bankrupt. It was then reorganized yet again as the Ulster and Delaware Railroad.

The Ulster and Railroad proved to be very successful, opening up the central Catskills region for expanded tourism and providing easy access to the numerous boarding houses and hotels along the line. At its greatest extent, the railroad originated at Kingston Point, on the Hudson River, and followed much of what is today’s Route 28, passing through four counties (Ulster, Delaware, Schoharie and Otsego), ultimately connecting to its western terminus at Oneonta. The Ulster and Delaware was advertised as “The Only All-Rail Route to the Catskill Mountains.” At its peak, in 1913, the railroad carried 675,000 passengers.

Eventually the rise of the automobile and changing vacation patterns led to a slow decline in business, and by 1932 the Ulster and Railroad was acquired by New York Central. The line was then operated by New York Central until 1954, when it ceased operations.

The Phoenicia Railroad Station was constructed in 1899 to replace an earlier station following conversion of the narrow-gauge line to Hunter to standard gauge. The new station handled baggage, mail, express and passenger traffic to and from Phoenicia. The building remained in service until the cessation of passenger traffic in 1954. The station was acquired by the Empire State Railway Museum, which was founded in 1960 and moved to Phoenicia in 1983. Visit the museum website at www.esrm.com for more information.

Catskill Mountain RailroadIn the early-to-mid 19th century visitors typically travelled to the Catskills area via ship on the Hudson River and then on to their ultimate destination, most likely one of the area mountain or boarding houses, via horseback or stage coach. The trips were long and physically tiring. The arrival of railroads changed all that, allowing quicker and easier access to the region while also opening it to the “mass market”.

In 1866, construction began on what was to become known as the Ulster and Delaware (U&D). The U&D followed much of what is today’s Route 28, ultimately connecting Kingston to Oneonta. In 1882, the Stony Clove and Catskill Mountain Railroad was completed, connecting Phoenicia to Hunter, much of it along today’s Route 214. Also in 1882, the Catskill Mountain Railway was completed, connecting the town of Catskill to Palenville.

All three companies are now defunct. However, the spirit of the region’s great railroad era lived on for many years with the Catskill Mountain Railroad (CMRR), based out of Phoenicia. Chartered in 1983, and operating along a section of what was the Ulster and Delaware line, the tourist-oriented CMRR was a wonderfully scenic photographic opportunity with trains, rails, and depot station all evoking memories of yester-year. Unfortunately, in 2016, the Catskill Mountain Railroad ended more than 30 years of service between Phoenicia and Mt. Tremper when their lease ended for that section of track.

The CMRR continues to offer scenic train rides out of Kingston, New York. Visit their website at www.catskillmountainrailroad.com for more information.

Now operating out of the former Phoenicia Railroad Station, the Empire State Railway Museum offers a step back in time to the railroad era of the Catskills. Self-guided tours of the building are available, and the gift shop offers items for all ages, including books, toys, t-shirts, hats and much more. The museum can be visited at 70 Lower High Street in Phoenicia. They are currently open weekends from 10am to 4pm. Visit the museum website at www.esrm.com for more information.

The Phoenicia Railroad Station is listed on the National Register of Historic Places “as a distinctive and exceptionally intact example of a late nineteenth century passenger station in rural Ulster County.” The station “exemplifies the type of intermediate size railroad buildings built in small rural communities in this period.”

Phoenicia Railroad Station, National Register of Historic PlacesThe Phoenicia Railroad Station is located at the hamlet of Phoenicia in the town of Shandaken, Ulster County, New York. The station served the former Ulster and Delaware Railroad (UDRR).

The Rondout and Oswego Railroad was chartered in 1866 by Thomas Cornell. By 1872 the Rondout and Oswego was bankrupt, but was reorganized as the New York, Kington and Syracuse Railroad. This railroad, in 1875, also went bankrupt. It was then reorganized yet again as the Ulster and Delaware Railroad.

The Ulster and Railroad proved to be very successful, opening up the central Catskills region for expanded tourism and providing easy access to the numerous boarding houses and hotels along the line. At its greatest extent, the railroad originated at Kingston Point, on the Hudson River, and followed much of what is today’s Route 28, passing through four counties (Ulster, Delaware, Schoharie and Otsego), ultimately connecting to its western terminus at Oneonta. The Ulster and Delaware was advertised as “The Only All-Rail Route to the Catskill Mountains.” At its peak, in 1913, the railroad carried 675,000 passengers.

Eventually the rise of the automobile and changing vacation patterns led to a slow decline in business, and by 1932 the Ulster and Railroad was acquired by New York Central. The line was then operated by New York Central until 1954, when it ceased operations.

The Phoenicia Railroad Station was constructed in 1899 to replace an earlier station following conversion of the narrow-gauge line to Hunter to standard gauge. The new station handled baggage, mail, express and passenger traffic to and from Phoenicia. The building remained in service until the cessation of passenger traffic in 1954. The station was acquired by the Empire State Railway Museum, which was founded in 1960 and moved to Phoenicia in 1983. Visit the museum website at www.esrm.com for more information.

St. Francis de SalesThe Roman Catholic parish of Saint Francis de Sales in the Catskills hamlet of Phoenicia was founded in 1902. Upon its founding, Archbishop Michael A. Corrigan entrusted care of the church to the Missionary Fathers of La Salette, a religious order that was founded in honor of the apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary at La Salette, France that took place in 1846.

At a cost of $9,000 the beautiful stone church building was thereafter constructed to serve the community, and was dedicated on August 21, 1904. The first pastor of the congregation, Reverend M. Julien Ginet, was also the architect and builder of the church.

The church namesake, Francis de Sales (1567-1622), was a prolific writer whose most famous work, Introduction to the Devout Life, has been a Christian classic for over 4 centuries. Saint Francis de Sales is honored within the Roman Catholic Church as the patron saint of journalists and writers. The Feast of St. Francis de Sales is celebrated on January 24 of each year.

Rising to GodThe Roman Catholic parish of Saint Francis de Sales in the Catskills hamlet of Phoenicia was founded in 1902. Upon its founding, Archbishop Michael A. Corrigan entrusted care of the church to the Missionary Fathers of La Salette, a religious order that was founded in honor of the apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary at La Salette, France that took place in 1846.

At a cost of $9,000 the beautiful stone church building was thereafter constructed to serve the community, and was dedicated on August 21, 1904. The first pastor of the congregation, Reverend M. Julien Ginet, was also the architect and builder of the church.

The church namesake, Francis de Sales (1567-1622), was a prolific writer whose most famous work, Introduction to the Devout Life, has been a Christian classic for over 4 centuries. Saint Francis de Sales is honored within the Roman Catholic Church as the patron saint of journalists and writers. The Feast of St. Francis de Sales is celebrated on January 24 of each year.

St. Francis de Sales, Phoenicia, New YorkThe Roman Catholic parish of Saint Francis de Sales in the Catskills hamlet of Phoenicia was founded in 1902. Upon its founding, Archbishop Michael A. Corrigan entrusted care of the church to the Missionary Fathers of La Salette, a religious order that was founded in honor of the apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary at La Salette, France that took place in 1846.

At a cost of $9,000 the beautiful stone church building was thereafter constructed to serve the community, and was dedicated on August 21, 1904. The first pastor of the congregation, Reverend M. Julien Ginet, was also the architect and builder of the church.

The church namesake, Francis de Sales (1567-1622), was a prolific writer whose most famous work, Introduction to the Devout Life, has been a Christian classic for over 4 centuries. Saint Francis de Sales is honored within the Roman Catholic Church as the patron saint of journalists and writers. The Feast of St. Francis de Sales is celebrated on January 24 of each year.

St. Francis de Sales, Gem of the CatskillsThe Roman Catholic parish of Saint Francis de Sales in the Catskills hamlet of Phoenicia was founded in 1902. Upon its founding, Archbishop Michael A. Corrigan entrusted care of the church to the Missionary Fathers of La Salette, a religious order that was founded in honor of the apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary at La Salette, France that took place in 1846.

At a cost of $9,000 the beautiful stone church building was thereafter constructed to serve the community, and was dedicated on August 21, 1904. The first pastor of the congregation, Reverend M. Julien Ginet, was also the architect and builder of the church.

The church namesake, Francis de Sales (1567-1622), was a prolific writer whose most famous work, Introduction to the Devout Life, has been a Christian classic for over 4 centuries. Saint Francis de Sales is honored within the Roman Catholic Church as the patron saint of journalists and writers. The Feast of St. Francis de Sales is celebrated on January 24 of each year.

Three WindowsThe Roman Catholic parish of Saint Francis de Sales in the Catskills hamlet of Phoenicia was founded in 1902. Upon its founding, Archbishop Michael A. Corrigan entrusted care of the church to the Missionary Fathers of La Salette, a religious order that was founded in honor of the apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary at La Salette, France that took place in 1846.

At a cost of $9,000 the beautiful stone church building was thereafter constructed to serve the community, and was dedicated on August 21, 1904. The first pastor of the congregation, Reverend M. Julien Ginet, was also the architect and builder of the church.

The church namesake, Francis de Sales (1567-1622), was a prolific writer whose most famous work, Introduction to the Devout Life, has been a Christian classic for over 4 centuries. Saint Francis de Sales is honored within the Roman Catholic Church as the patron saint of journalists and writers. The Feast of St. Francis de Sales is celebrated on January 24 of each year.

The beautiful stone church building at Phoenicia was thereafter constructed, at a cost of $9,000, to serve the community. The church was dedicated on the summer day of Sunday, August 21, 1904. The stone church is Gothic in style and seats approximately 180 people. The first pastor of the congregation, Reverend Julien M. Ginet, was also the architect and builder of the church. Reverend Ginet was succeeded by Reverend John M. Pilloix, who was ordained in 1902 in Hartford, Connecticut.

The below section of an article attributed to Maira Longyear, which can be found on the church website, details some of the church’s early history.

“Now it was time to establish Phoenicia as the center of his widely spread parish, to build his parish church and residence. Several attempts had been made in the past to construct a mission chapel but without success. Father Ginet with a zeal that thrived upon difficulties, set out on his task.

He took up residence in the Globe Hotel; it was known for its fine food; the men of the area after spending a day at the quarry or lumber camp were hungry enough and not at all reluctant to take a thirsty drink or two or three. Many a night as Father Ginet recited his vespers by gas light, was distracted by the gaiety down in the bar below. If his rectory was strange, his church was too. Of all odd places to use as a church was the Odd Fellows Hall. But Sunday after Sunday he would leave the bright lights of the Globe fore the shadowy halls of the Lodge. From the first, numbers who came were consoling. Many non-Catholics, eager for any approach to God came to greet Father Ginet. He entered the Lodge Hall and for a moment it was the gate of heaven; for he carried in his hand, his chaplain’s kit, in his heart, the word of God and in his anointed fingers the power to offer Holy Mass.

Father’s zeal was contagious; within a short time, his people were of one mind; they would have their parish church. One of the graces of his many talented personality was a hobby long cherished by Fr. Ginet. It was architecture; it had its impulse in the beautiful churches of his native France. So Pastor became architect and contractor too. He sent in plans for the church to his superiors, who found them too grandiose for the limited pocketbooks of the people. Undaunted he planned again. This time a smaller church evolved upon the blue print; it was to be made of quarried stone and the price of its building would astonish any builder.

After a laborious day at the quarry, the men lay down their hammers . . . but not for so long; after a few moments rest, they would take up their sledges and now the harsh crushing strokes became a symphony in the prayerful hearts of these men. Now they were quarrying stones for their own church. Other volunteers joined them and very soon indeed, the stone were piled near the site of the new St. Francis de Sales Parish Church. Hammers were laid aside for pick and shovel and the excavations soon deepened. On September 8, the digging began. On September 17, the foundations were laid and the wall structure began. Winter stopped the building for a while. Here we must honor the memory of Father John Hickey of Kingston, who personally and thru his friends contributed sufficient funds to purchase, bricks and cement for the inner walls of the church.

In the spring of 1904, the church was completed. And on July 12, 1904 the cornerstone was laid. Very Rev. Dr. Burtsell D. D., Auxiliary Bishop of New York performed the solemn ceremony of dedication. On this same occasion the first class was confirmed, consisting of 23 persons. The honor of the first baptism belongs to an infant, named Augustus Jay Simpson. Today that infant named Augustus is an august person of some two hundred pounds, and strong in the faith as he is in girth. This “Gem of the Catskills,” as the church is called, cost only nine thousand dollars. Its insured value today is one hundred and fifty thousand.”

The Saint Francis de Sales church at Phoenicia continues to serve the community faithful today, over 120 years after its founding. For more information about the church, including mass times and community outreach efforts, visit their website at www.stjohnstfrancis.org.

St. Francis de Sales, PhoeniciaThe Roman Catholic parish of Saint Francis de Sales in the Catskills hamlet of Phoenicia was founded in 1902. Upon its founding, Archbishop Michael A. Corrigan entrusted care of the church to the Missionary Fathers of La Salette, a religious order that was founded in honor of the apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary at La Salette, France that took place in 1846.

At a cost of $9,000 the beautiful stone church building was thereafter constructed to serve the community, and was dedicated on August 21, 1904. The first pastor of the congregation, Reverend M. Julien Ginet, was also the architect and builder of the church.

The church namesake, Francis de Sales (1567-1622), was a prolific writer whose most famous work, Introduction to the Devout Life, has been a Christian classic for over 4 centuries. Saint Francis de Sales is honored within the Roman Catholic Church as the patron saint of journalists and writers. The Feast of St. Francis de Sales is celebrated on January 24 of each year.

Father Ginet

Reverend Julien Marie Ginet (1872-1949), the first pastor at St. Francis de Sales, was born at Aillon-le-Jeune in southeast France in 1872. He was the son of Paul Marie and Josephine Garnier Ginet. Father Ginet was educated at Allevard-les-Baines and took his classical instruction at the School of the Missionaries of La Salette at Grenoble, France. In 1885 he was received by the Apostolique School of La Salette at St. Joseph at Isere, France. He entered the novitiate in 1888 at the Holy Mountain and made his profession there on August 2, 1889.

In 1892, at 20 years of age, he joined the Missionaries of Our Lady of La Salette. He left his family and his home country to study theology in the United States at the Hartford Seminary of the La Salette Fathers. Ginet was ordained at St. Michael’s Cathedral in Springfield on March 25, 1897.

After his ordination Ginet worked on the faculty of St. Charles College in Maryland and then served two years as a professor at La Salette College. Father Ginet was then assigned to St. Francis de Sales in Phoenicia, New York, serving there from 1902 to 1910, before returning to La Salette College as the school treasurer. He remained at the college for 2 years, and then served from 1912 to 1921 as the pastor at St. James Church in Danielson, Connecticut.

Father Ginet left St. James Church in 1921 to become the assistant pastor at St. Joseph’s Church at Fitchburg, Massachusetts. He only remained a short time, then being named in 1922 as assistant pastor at the Immaculate Conception Church at Holyoke, Massachusetts. In 1923, with the passing of Father Jean Guinet, Father Ginet was elevated to pastor, and remained there for 26 years until his passing in 1949.

Father Ginet faithfully served as a Roman Catholic priest for 52 years. He passed away at 77 years of age on October 15, 1949 at the La Salette Novitiate in Bloomfield, Connecticut after several years of failing health. He is buried at Mount Saint Benedict Cemetery in Bloomfield, Connecticut. Father Ginet was survived by one brother, Alcine Ginet of Savoie, France.

St. Francis de Sales

The church namesake, Francis de Sales (1567-1622), was a prolific writer whose most famous work, Introduction to the Devout Life, has been a Christian classic for over 4 centuries. Saint Francis de Sales is honored within the Roman Catholic Church as the patron saint of journalists and writers. The Feast of St. Francis de Sales is celebrated on January 24 of each year.

Quotes by St. Francis de Sales

“Do not fear what may happen tomorrow. The same loving Father who cares for you today will care for you tomorrow and every day. Either he will shield you from suffering or He will give you unfailing strength to bear it. Be at peace then and put aside all anxious thoughts and imaginings.”

“It is a fact that people are always well aware of what is due them. Unfortunately, they remain oblivious of what they owe to others.”

“Have patience with all things, but chiefly have patience with yourself. Do not lose courage in considering your own imperfections, but instantly set about remedying them—every day begin the task anew.”

“Do not wish to be anything but what you are, and try to be that perfectly.”

"Mere silence is not wisdom, for wisdom consists of knowing when and how to speak, and when and where to keep silent."

"If we say less than we should it is easy to add, but having said too much it is hard to take it back."

"When we aim at perfection, we must aim at the center, but we must not be troubled if we do not always hit it."

"If we really knew ourselves, instead of being astonished at finding ourselves on the ground, we should marvel how we sometimes manage to remain upright."

"God never permits anything to come upon us as a trial or test of our virtue without desiring that we should profit by it."

Our Lady of La Salette

Located across the street from the church is a beautiful shrine and grotto that serves in honor of the apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary at La Salette, France in 1846.

Apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary at La Salette, FranceLocated across the street from the St. Francis de Sales church in the Catskills hamlet of Phoenicia is a beautiful shrine and grotto that serves to honor the apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary at La Salette, France that took place in 1846.

Our Lady of La Salette, PhoeniciaLocated across the street from the St. Francis de Sales church in the Catskills hamlet of Phoenicia is a beautiful shrine and grotto that serves to honor the apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary at La Salette, France that took place in 1846.

Our Lady of La Salette, Phoenicia, NYLocated across the street from the St. Francis de Sales church in the Catskills hamlet of Phoenicia is a beautiful shrine and grotto that serves to honor the apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary at La Salette, France that took place in 1846.

On September 19 of that year the Blessed Mother appeared to two poor children, Maximin Giraud, 11 years old, and Melanie Calvat, 14 years old, in the small village of La Salette in the French Alps. The children, while tending a few cows, were drawn to a globe of light a short distance away. While under their gaze, the globe opened up and they saw a woman seated on some stones which surrounded the bed of a dried stream.

The two children called her “the Beautiful Lady” and listened intently as she spoke with them about conversion, a world reconciled to her Son and a deepening of their faith in their everyday lives. She mentioned the need to renounce the sins of blasphemy and not honoring Sundays as the day to rest and attend Holy Mass. Her prophetic last words to the two children were ‘Well, my children, you will make this well known to all my people.’” Soon thereafter there was a natural spring present where Mary had stood.

The Missionaries of La Salette was founded in 1852, six years after the apparition. This Missionaries of La Salette would become important in the history of St. Francis de Sales when the church was entrusted to the group’s care in 1902 with the assignment of Reverend M. Julien Ginet.

The National Shrine of Our Lady of La Salette is located at Attleboro, Massachusetts, however there are also a number of parishes, shrines and communities throughout the Americas that dedicate themselves to the apparition. Roman Catholics celebrate the Feast Day of Our Lady of La Salette on September 19 of each year.

Memorare to Our Lady of La Salette

“Remember, Our Lady of La Salette, true mother of Sorrows, the tears you shed for us on Calvary. Remember also the care you have taken to keep us faithful to Christ, your Son. Having done so much for your children, you will not now abandon us. Comforted by this consoling thought, we come to you pleading, despite our infidelities and ingratitude. Virgin of Reconciliation, do not reject our prayers, but intercede for us, obtain for us the grace to love Jesus above all else. May we console you by living a holy life and so come to share the eternal life Christ gained by His cross. Amen.”

Shandaken EagleThe beautiful Shandaken Eagle statue sits on a grassy knoll near the Esopus Creek, marking the entrance to the Catskills hamlet of Phoenicia, New York. It is located at the junction of Route 28 and Route 214.

The two-ton sculpture, with a wingspan of 13 feet, once stood atop one of the towers of Grand Central Depot at the intersection of Park Avenue and 42nd Street in New York City. The eagle was installed in 1871 at Grand Central, along with 10 others like it. With the remodeling of Grand Central in 1898 the statue was taken down and would spend the next eight decades in storage.

In 1975 the town of Shandaken adopted the eagle as its official town symbol. In 1980, David McLane, a photographer for the New York Daily News and then owner of the eagle, moved to Shandaken and agreed to donate the eagle to the town. Various fundraising efforts were undertaken to raise the funds to move, repair and erect the bird at Phoenicia. Dakin Morehouse, a metal sculptor in Woodland Valley, restored the sculpture at his Phoenicia Forge, replacing its original white cement coating with a protective bronze surface.

With much fanfare, the sculpture was dedicated at its current Phoenicia location on August 23, 1986. There is a time capsule buried near the eagle that will be opened in 2076, the tri-centennial of the nation’s founding.

On AlertThe beautiful Shandaken Eagle statue sits on a grassy knoll near the Esopus Creek, marking the entrance to the Catskills hamlet of Phoenicia, New York. It is located at the junction of Route 28 and Route 214.

The two-ton sculpture, with a wingspan of 13 feet, once stood atop one of the towers of Grand Central Depot at the intersection of Park Avenue and 42nd Street in New York City. The eagle was installed in 1871 at Grand Central, along with 10 others like it. With the remodeling of Grand Central in 1898 the statue was taken down and would spend the next eight decades in storage.

In 1975 the town of Shandaken adopted the eagle as its official town symbol. In 1980, David McLane, a photographer for the New York Daily News and then owner of the eagle, moved to Shandaken and agreed to donate the eagle to the town. Various fundraising efforts were undertaken to raise the funds to move, repair and erect the bird at Phoenicia. Dakin Morehouse, a metal sculptor in Woodland Valley, restored the sculpture at his Phoenicia Forge, replacing its original white cement coating with a protective bronze surface.

With much fanfare, the sculpture was dedicated at its current Phoenicia location on August 23, 1986. There is a time capsule buried near the eagle that will be opened in 2076, the tri-centennial of the nation’s founding.

Ready to FlyThe beautiful Shandaken Eagle statue sits on a grassy knoll near the Esopus Creek, marking the entrance to the Catskills hamlet of Phoenicia, New York. It is located at the junction of Route 28 and Route 214.

The two-ton sculpture, with a wingspan of 13 feet, once stood atop one of the towers of Grand Central Depot at the intersection of Park Avenue and 42nd Street in New York City. The eagle was installed in 1871 at Grand Central, along with 10 others like it. With the remodeling of Grand Central in 1898 the statue was taken down and would spend the next eight decades in storage.

In 1975 the town of Shandaken adopted the eagle as its official town symbol. In 1980, David McLane, a photographer for the New York Daily News and then owner of the eagle, moved to Shandaken and agreed to donate the eagle to the town. Various fundraising efforts were undertaken to raise the funds to move, repair and erect the bird at Phoenicia. Dakin Morehouse, a metal sculptor in Woodland Valley, restored the sculpture at his Phoenicia Forge, replacing its original white cement coating with a protective bronze surface.

With much fanfare, the sculpture was dedicated at its current Phoenicia location on August 23, 1986. There is a time capsule buried near the eagle that will be opened in 2076, the tri-centennial of the nation’s founding. Fly Eagle, FlyThe beautiful Shandaken Eagle statue sits on a grassy knoll near the Esopus Creek, marking the entrance to the Catskills hamlet of Phoenicia, New York. It is located at the junction of Route 28 and Route 214.

The two-ton sculpture, with a wingspan of 13 feet, once stood atop one of the towers of Grand Central Depot at the intersection of Park Avenue and 42nd Street in New York City. The eagle was installed in 1871 at Grand Central, along with 10 others like it. With the remodeling of Grand Central in 1898 the statue was taken down and would spend the next eight decades in storage.

In 1975 the town of Shandaken adopted the eagle as its official town symbol. In 1980, David McLane, a photographer for the New York Daily News and then owner of the eagle, moved to Shandaken and agreed to donate the eagle to the town. Various fundraising efforts were undertaken to raise the funds to move, repair and erect the bird at Phoenicia. Dakin Morehouse, a metal sculptor in Woodland Valley, restored the sculpture at his Phoenicia Forge, replacing its original white cement coating with a protective bronze surface.

With much fanfare, the sculpture was dedicated at its current Phoenicia location on August 23, 1986. There is a time capsule buried near the eagle that will be opened in 2076, the tri-centennial of the nation’s founding.

The two-ton sculpture, with a wingspan of 13 feet, once stood atop one of the towers of Grand Central Depot at the intersection of Park Avenue and 42nd Street in New York City. The eagle was installed in 1871 at Grand Central, along with 10 others like it. With the remodeling of Grand Central in 1898 the statue was taken down and would spend the next eight decades in storage.

In 1975 the town of Shandaken adopted the eagle as its official town symbol. In 1980, David McLane, a photographer for the New York Daily News and then owner of the eagle, moved to Shandaken and agreed to donate the eagle to the town. Various fundraising efforts were undertaken to raise the funds to move, repair and erect the bird at Phoenicia. Dakin Morehouse, a metal sculptor in Woodland Valley, restored the sculpture at his Phoenicia Forge, replacing its original white cement coating with a protective bronze surface.

With much fanfare, the sculpture was dedicated at its current Phoenicia location on August 23, 1986. There is a time capsule buried near the eagle that will be opened in 2076, the tri-centennial of the nation’s founding.

On Alert, B&WThe beautiful Shandaken Eagle statue marks the entrance to the hamlet of Phoenicia, New York. According to the plaque on the statue, the eagle “originally stood atop one of the towers of Grand Central Station in N.Y.C. (New York City) at the turn of the century. Initially coated with which cement, the cast iron eagle was restored with a protective bronze surface at the Phoenicia forge.” The sculpture was dedicated at its current location on August 23, 1986.

Big IndianThe uniquely named hamlet of Big Indian is located within the town of Shandaken in Ulster County, New York. The hamlet is located along scenic Route 28 as the road makes its way through the Catskill Park. The hamlet of Big Indian takes its name from the legends surrounding an 18th century Native American named Winnisook who lived in the area.

Winnisook, Big IndianThe uniquely named hamlet of Big Indian is located within the town of Shandaken in Ulster County, New York. The hamlet is located along scenic Route 28 as the road makes its way through the Catskill Park. The hamlet of Big Indian takes its name from the legends surrounding an 18th century Native American named Winnisook who lived in the area.

The historical marker at Big Indian Park provides the context behind the legendary naming of the hamlet.
 

“The hamlet of Big Indian takes its name from an 18th century Native American named "Winnisook," who was said to be over seven feet in height, strong, well-built, and fearless. Much of the legend surrounding Winnisook's activities in Ulster County were undoubtedly embellished over the years by local guides and lodging owners seeking to attract visitors to the area with an enticing, romantic tale. However, one fact is certain: the first reference to "Big Indian" as a location was recorded in surveys dating from 1786.

Winnisook, a member of the local tribe called the Munsees of the Lenape Nation, lived in the Marbletown area of Ulster County. There Winnisook fell in love with one Gertrude Molyneaux, the daughter of an early Huguenot settler in the area. However, Gertrude had been betrothed to a Dutch settler by the name of Joseph Bundy, a man said to be of questionable character.

After a brief, unhappy marriage to Bundy, Winnisook succeeded in getting Gertrude to elope with him back to his village and thereafter fathered several children with her.

Several years after this very public humiliation of Bundy, Winnisook led a livestock raiding party against the Dutch farmers in the area, which resulted in a number of their cattle and sheep being driven away by the Indians.

In response a posse was formed, including Bundy, to track down the raiding party. Allegedly, Bundy and company caught up with Winnisook in the area now named Big Indian. It was here that Bundy succeeded in finally getting his revenge by firing the bullet that killed Winnisook.

There are many versions of Winnisook's death, one more romantic than the next, including stories of a huge oak tree that stood at the crossroads with Winnisook's enormous outline carved into the bark. One version of the legend is likely true; that upon Winnisook's death Gertrude moved her family to the area we now call "Big Indian" to be near Winnisook's grave. Evidence of this can be found in old land title records that carry Gertrude Molyneaux's family name on land in the Lost Clove valley of Big Indian.”

Big Indian, At the ValleyThe uniquely named hamlet of Big Indian is located within the town of Shandaken in Ulster County, New York. The hamlet is located along scenic Route 28 as the road makes its way through the Catskill Park. The hamlet of Big Indian takes its name from the legends surrounding an 18th century Native American named Winnisook who lived in the area.

All's Quiet at Pine Hill LakePine Hill Lake, located at the base of Belleayre Mountain, offers plenty of summer time fun, with a white sand beach, lifeguard-supervised swimming, rowboat and kayak rentals, large picnic pavilions and much more. The lake is used in the winter months for snowmaking purposes at the ski resort at Belleayre Mountain.

Pine Hill Lake in SeptemberPine Hill Lake, located at the base of Belleayre Mountain, offers plenty of summer time fun, with a white sand beach, lifeguard-supervised swimming, rowboat and kayak rentals, large picnic pavilions and much more. The lake is used in the winter months for snowmaking purposes at the ski resort at Belleayre Mountain.

The lake has a surface area of approximately 5.62 acres, with a storage capacity of approximately 29.4 million gallons of water. The lake is located on an impounded National Wetland Inventory (NWI) freshwater wetland.

Pine Hill Lake is used in the winter months for snowmaking purposes at the ski resort at Belleayre Mountain. The historical sign at the Belleayre Mountain Ski Center offers additional information about its history.

“Belleayre Mountain is located off of State Route 28 in Highmount, NY, just hours from New York City. From Rt. 28 in Highmount, turn west on Rt. 49A (Galli Curci Rd.). Go about 1/2 mile, look for the signs.

Belleayre was declared “Forever Wild” by the New York State Forest Preserve in 1885. Early on, skiers would side-step or hike their way more than 3,000 feet to be the first to make tracks down unnamed and woody trails. Since the very beginning of the American skiing experience, skiers gazed at the steep, rugged inclines of Belleayre Mountain and dreamed of refining them. In the 1940s skiing enthusiasts pressured politicians to develop Belleayre as a safe and fun mountain for families and extreme skiers alike.

In 1947 bills were introduced allowing New York State to create Belleayre Mountain. Construction began in 1949, and Belleayre began its premier winter season with five trails, an electrically powered rope tow, New York's first chairlift, a summit lodge, a temporary base lodge with a cafeteria and dirt floors, and parking to accommodate 300 people. It would become the center for winter sports in the region and an economic catalyst for surrounding communities.”

Today the Belleayre Mountain Ski Center is home to 64 trails, parks and glades, eight chair lifts including a high-speed gondola and quad and several lodges. The longest run on the mountain measures 12,024 feet. It is estimated that over 175,000 skiers and snowboarders visit Belleayre Mountain every year.

As for the origins of the Pine Hill name, different sources provide various details and contexts.

• “This is a pleasant rural village situated upon the eastern slope of the hill from which it derives its name.” – Sylvester, History of Ulster County, p. 308.

• “Pine Hill received its name from the Indian word "Kauren sinck" meaning place of the pine trees.” –Bussy, “History and Stories of Margaretville and Surrounding Area.”

• “Later Cockburn was more careful in recording so-called Indian names, and on his map of 1771 of the Hardenbergh Patent, which contains many Indian names, including “Kawiensinck,” (Kuwesing, place of pine trees) at Pine Hill, he says: “The Indian names I have put down from the information of John Cantin and Sapon, two Esopus Indians, to Thomas Nottingham their interpreter to me.” – Monroe, Chapters in the History of Delaware County New York, p. 30.

• An article in a 1902 issue of Harper’s Weekly about prominent village resident Henry Morton gives a small bit of doubt about Pine Hill being “a place of pine trees.” “It is the jest of the place that Pine Hill is so called because there are no pines anywhere near it. Dr. Morton did not like that, so he planted a whole hill-side with pines, and they are prospering.” – “Personal Notes.” Harper’s Weekly. Vol. 46. Harper’s Magazine Company, 1902. p. 575.

There has been some debate as to the name of this section of the creek, other possible names being Lake Creek or the east branch of the Kaaterskill Creek. For an interesting article that details the debate as to the origins and history of the name, check out the article titled “South Lake Creek” on the Mountain Top Historical Society blog (https://www.mths.org/blog/58-south-lake-creek.html).

Spruce Creek

Flowing

Through the Clove

The Rocks of Spruce Creek

After the Fall

The Rocks of Spruce Creek

Streaming

The Rock, Spruce Creek

In last week’s post, I wrote a short biography of this notable citizen of Sullivan County. I have now added a new gallery of his photographic works. I have only recently started to collect his works, but there are still over 300 photographs in the gallery, each of which will allow the viewer to appreciate Branning’s technical skill as well as his eye for beauty.

Branning’s extensive focus on the sites of Sullivan County is remarkable. His collection of works, as a whole, offer a virtual time capsule of the county during the early years of the 20th century. And given his business acumen and attention to detail, each photograph is individually numbered, making it easy for deltiologists to track their collections. I hope to add additional photographs to the Branning gallery over the coming months and years.

792_Mill Falls, Roscoe, Rockland, N.Y.

792_Mill Falls, Roscoe, Rockland, N.Y.

980_Stone Arch Bridge and Falls of the Neversink River, Sullivan Co., N.Y.

980_Stone Arch Bridge and Falls of the Neversink River, Sullivan Co., N.Y.

1635_The Falls, Thompsonville, N.Y.

1635_The Falls, Thompsonville, N.Y.

1915_The Smallest Post Office in the State, Cooley, Sullivan Co., N.Y.

1915_The Smallest Post Office in the State, Cooley, Sullivan Co., N.Y.

Edwin Forrest Branning was a well-known merchant and citizen of the hamlet of Narrowsburg in Sullivan County, New York. He later moved to New York City. He was highly regarded as a businessman, eventually attaining great wealth through his general store, creamery, cigar manufacturing, wholesale, catalog, automobile, lumber and real estate dealings. As perhaps his most lasting legacy, Branning published a wide range of scenic postcards from throughout the southern Catskills of Sullivan County.

1602_Lake Ophelia, Liberty, N.Y.

936_Loch Sheldrake, N.Y.

Biography

Edwin Forrest Branning was born on September 11, 1861 at Branningville, Wayne County, Pennsylvania, which is located on the opposite side of the Delaware River from the hamlet of Narrowsburg, New York. Edwin was the son of John Dexter Branning (1822-1876), a prominent lumberman “whose father furnished the sail mast for the gunboat Old Ironsides.”[1]

“His grandfather made the family famous by furnishing the tree from which the mast of the Old Ironsides was made. A tree was found at “Last Hope,” or Peggy Runway, as it was called in those days. It was cut and floated down the river to its destination on a raft and was pronounced the finest specimen of the forest. As a result of that history making occurrence, the place was rechristened Mast Hope, and Grandfather Branning became known the country over as the mast man of Old Ironsides.”[2]

The USS Constitution, affectionately known as Old Ironsides, was one of the first frigates built for the US Navy. The USS Constitution was launched in 1797, making it the world’s oldest commissioned warship still afloat. Never defeated in battle, she faithfully defended the United States through many decades of service, including against French privateers and during the Barbary Wars and the War of 1812. The ship earned its name during the War of 1812 when during a battle with British frigate Guerriere, enemy cannonballs were seen bouncing off the ship’s wooden hull. In response to seeing this, an American sailor reportedly exclaimed "Huzzah! her sides are made of iron!" Through its history the USS Constitution destroyed or captured 33 enemy ships. Today the USS Constitution is berthed at Boston, Massachusetts and is open to the public for tours.

The hamlet of Branningville, Pennsylvania took its name from Edwin’s father.[3] In the 1880 history of Wayne County, Branningville was described as having a “good school, with a thickly settled neighborhood about it. It is a very pleasant place.”[4] John D. Branning built a mill there in 1860. John, with William Holbert, also constructed what is now known as the Joel Hill Saw Mill. Located at Duck Harbor, the mill was constructed in 1873 during the height of the lumber industry in Wayne County. It is the only water-powered mill remaining in northeastern Pennsylvania. The saw mill is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The hamlet of Branningville was later renamed Atco, for a town in New Jersey. Edwin’s parents moved to Narrowsburg in 1874 when Edwin was approximately 13 years old.

Edwin’s new home, the hamlet of Narrowsburg, is beautifully situated on the Delaware River in Sullivan County, New York. The hamlet was originally known as Homans’ Eddy, named for Benjamin Homans, an early settler. After he died, the place was called Big Eddy, “as it was located at the section of the Delaware River believed to be the widest spot upstream from the tidewater. The area was renamed Narrowsburg in 1810, again for its river location, that spot above the Big Eddy which was the narrowest and deepest section above the tidewater.”[5]

During Edwin’s youth in the 19th century Narrowsburg was a thriving village, with a large lumber industry and a prosperous main street with many stores and hotels.

“During the early history of the settlement, the river was the focus of economic activity. Grain was transported to grist mills and lumber was transported to market via the river. For nearly a century, lumber rafting was a major enterprise on the Upper Delaware, and Narrowsburg became a popular resting place for raftsmen. The demand for overnight accommodations encouraged the development of the hotel trade in Narrowsburg, an industry that contributed to the general prosperity of the village until the early twentieth century. The construction of the Mount Hope and Lumberland Turnpike during the second quarter of the nineteenth century also contributed to the success of the village’s hotel and boardinghouse industry. The turnpike ended at the river in Narrowsburg and was connected by bridge to a road to Honesdale, Pennsylvania, bringing additional travelers through the village.

The event which most greatly benefited Narrowsburg was the completion of the New York & Erie Railroad. The railroad was America’s first long line railroad, providing the first major link between the northwest railroad routes and the western frontier. Narrowsburg, located at the heart of the line’s Delaware Division, experienced a period of unprecedented commercial expansion and population growth. The village soon had three hotels, five stores, three blacksmith shops, a shoe shop, a funeral home, a harness shop and hop house and a half-mile trotting course. The business of the village, particularly the hotels and boardinghouses, were patronized by commercial travelers and holiday visitors from the city and continued to thrive into the early twentieth century.”[6]

Edwin Forrest Branning was one of nine children of John Dexter Branning and Christina (Staats) Branning (1827-1883). His siblings included John Wellington Branning (1847-1901); Matilda C. Branning (1849-1934); Martha D. Branning (1851-1927); Cecilia Branning (1853-1922); Winton W. Branning (1855-1861); Clarence E. Branning (1858-1901); Caroline Branning (1858-1940); and Franklyn Devine Branning (1865-1923).

Portrait, Edwin Forrest BranningPortrait of Edwin Forrest Branning, noted publisher of photographic postcards of Sullivan County, New York.

On February 20, 1884 Branning married Mary Etta Rockwell (1861-1950) at the residence of her father. The ceremony was officiated by Reverend C. W. Spencer. Together Edwin and Mary Etta would have eight children, including three sons and five daughters. Two of the children predeceased him. They were Anita, the youngest daughter, who died in October, 1918, and Edwin Forrest, the eldest son, who died in April 1928. Edwin and Mary’s children included:

• Edwin Forrest Branning, Jr. (1884-1928). Edwin, Jr. worked with his father in the wholesale notions business and for many years traveled Sullivan County and the surrounding counties as the firm’s representative. He passed away in 1928 from an operation for the removal of an internal goiter. He is buried at Woodlawn Cemetery.

• Harry Rockwell Branning (1885-1971). Harry worked as president of the Branning Realty Corporation.[7] The 1910 US census listed Harry’s occupation as “bookkeeper, mercantile office”; the 1930 US census listed his occupation as “salesman, real estate”; and the 1940 US census listed his occupation as “manager, real estate.”

• Carrie Marie Branning (b. March 1888). Carrie married William J. O’Connor (1884-1947) in 1910. The 1910 US census listed William’s occupation as “special mechanic clothing”; the 1920 US census listed his occupation as “mechanic.”; the 1930 US census listed his occupation as “machinist, US govt.”; and the 1940 US census listed his occupation as “plumber.”

• Bernice A. Branning (b. October 1889). Bernice married George H. Seybold (1884-1955), a lieutenant of the constabulary service of the Philippine Islands.

• Cora Abigail Branning (1891-1949). Cora married Charles Clinton Harding (1890-1982) in 1917. The 1930 US census listed Charles’ occupation as “buyer, hardware store”; and the 1940 US census similarly listed his profession as “purchasing agent, retail and wholesale, hardware store.” Cora is buried at Ashland Cemetery in Boyd County, Kentucky.

• Winton Wellington Branning, Sr. (1893-1958). Winton began his career working at his father’s garage, later becoming president of the company, the W. and H. B. Garage in the Bronx. He was also engaged in the real estate business, serving as the vice president of the Branning Realty Corporation until his retirement in 1956.[8] In 1914 he married Elsie Hyden in the Bronx.

• Lucille Rockwell Branning (1895-1953). Lucille married Cornelius W. Daniel, Sr. (1894-1975), a builder and contractor. She was a member of the First Presbyterian Church of Belmar, the Daughters of the American Revolution and was an honorary member of the Apollo Club of Asbury Park.

• Anita Delphine Branning (1901-1918). Anita died of the Spanish influenza.

Gone West

In his early manhood, around 1879, Branning went west to seek out his fortune. He first went to Kansas, intending to become a farmer and to purchase cattle to enter the stock business. The 1880 United States census showed Branning, age 19, residing in Ottawa County, Kansas, with an occupation of farmer.

This line of work did not last long, and by 1880 he had sold his interests in cattle to his brother and headed further west. Branning then moved to Colorado where he operated several mines with his brother Clarence and was “making money rapidly.” However, when Edwin found out that his mother was in very poor health, he left Colorado and returned to his home in Narrowsburg, New York.

Narrowsburg

After returning home Branning began work in 1882 as a clerk in the general store of George W. Rockwell, Sr., his future father-in-law. Working with him as clerks at the store were George W. Rockwell, Jr. and Edward A. H. Rockwell, both of whom became successful hotel businessmen, operating the Hotel Rockwell at Monticello until the 1909 fire that destroyed their property.

After less than two years Edwin bought the store in February 1883, taking full possession on May 1, 1883. Edwin greatly improved upon the operation, as noted in the local newspapers.

1886: “E. F. Branning has painted up his store and out-buildings a quiet quaker color, and looks very neat.”[9]

~1887: “A vast deal of repairing and repainting is going on, and among the latter the store of E. F. Branning, has been made to look in fine shape, and, if not the finest painted building in town, it is among them if we be the judge.”[10]

1888: “The enterprising merchant and obliging postmaster at Narrowsburg, Mr. E. F. Branning, still continues spreading his domain. He has connected the first and second floor of his store with a handsome staircase. On the second floor he has put in a large stock of clothing.”[11]

1891: “Mr. E. F. Branning is having his store enlarged in such a manner as will present a fine appearance when completed.”[12]

1891: “The extensive improvements now being made upon the store building of Mr. E. F. Branning will make it both attractive and commodious. When completed it will be the largest store in the village.”[13]

1891: “Ed. Branning has completed his new store at Narrowsburgh, which is quite an addition to the looks of the place.”[14]

The character and humorous side of Edwin Branning in running his store at Narrowsburg was noted in the newspaper.

“Ed Branning was resourceful and humorous. He enjoyed a joke whether it was on himself or the other fellow. An order came to his wholesale establishment for a dozen belts for men. The clerk reported to Ed that the stock of belts was exhausted. What shall we do, asked the clerk. Why, send them a dozen sets of suspenders, said Ed: they will hold up the pants just as well as the belts.

At the Narrowsburg store a woman came in for a half dozen lemons. I have no lemons, madam, said Branning, but I have some very fine sour oranges which I can recommend to you as excellent substitutes.”[15]

In 1893 a local newspaper provided this amusing anecdote about Branning and the lucky gift that he had received from his father.

“The Callicoon Echo tells the following story of Mr. Ed. Branning one of the most successfully merchants of Narrowsburg and the upper Delaware Valley: Our enterprising merchant, Ed. Branning, told the writer a few days ago that in 1880 he was reduced to a three-cent piece (with a hole in) given him years before by his father. Today his snug bank account, his fine brick block, and his elegant and enormous stock of goods are grand testimonials of what pluck, energy, perseverance and honesty, as exemplified in our “dealer in everything,” can accomplish. Mr. Branning still has and treasures that three-cent piece.”[16]

In 1894 the local newspaper noted Branning’s interest in collecting coins, indirectly demonstrating his relative prosperity by his ability to purchase such an expensive collection of coins.

“A short time ago E. F. Branning of Narrowsburg purchased of B. G. Wales of Kenoza Lake the second best collection of American and foreign coins in Sullivan County. It is valued at $2,000 and contains in silver one or more dollars, halves and smaller coin from nearly each and every year of coinage in this country, copper and other one cent pieces. The collection also contains some gold coins. – Honesdale Independent.”[17]

Edwin operated the store at Narrowsburg until 1895, when he would sell out to ex-Sherriff Frank Kinne and Louis C. W. Schneider. The new owners took possession of the store on June 1, 1895.

Branning diversified his Narrowsburg business operations by operating, under the name of Branning Brothers, a cigar manufacturing operation. At its peak the operation employed eight men. It was one of four cigar manufacturing businesses operating in Narrowsburg in the 1880s. These operations produced approximately 4,000 to 5,000 cigars on a daily basis. In 1886 Branning’s cigar business faced difficulty after he cut the workmen’s pay by $1 per thousand cigars, resulting with the workforce striking immediately. By 1888 Branning had shut down his cigar business.

Branning would also successfully enter the creamery business, acquiring the creamery at Narrowsburg in May 1889. “Our enterprising merchant and creamery man, E. F. Branning, is no less at home in his new business of dealing in the lacteal fluid and its concomitants than in general merchandise. He has been in possession of the creamery but two months but has built up a large business in that time. Tact and push have made his name and success synonymous in every venture. Butter making is his specialty, large quantities of which are used in Port Jervis and Erie stations east.”[18]

While residing at Narrowsburg Branning would serve the community in a number of different functions, including as school trustee, postmaster and as supervisor of the town of Tusten. Branning served as postmaster from April 14, 1886 to April 20, 1889, being succeeded by Edward O. Green.

In 1889 Branning was elected as trustee for the local school district, replacing Mr. Fred Botens, who had served as trustee for three consecutive years. Branning won the position in a landslide, receiving 48 of the 50 legal votes cast in the election.

In 1894 Branning (democrat) won the Tusten town supervisor position over Edward O. Green (republican) by 135 votes to 94 votes, a margin of 41 votes. He served two terms as Tusten supervisor.

Branning was a member of the Masons, originally being a member of the Monticello F. & A. M. He transferred his membership to New York City in later years.

In 1895 Branning was unanimously elected as the Democratic nominee for the New York State Assembly. The Sullivan County Record of Jeffersonville, New York heartily endorsed Branning for election.

“Edwin F. Branning. The Record is able this week to give its readers a good likeness of the plain, honest, alert and intelligent features of the Democratic nominee for Member of Assembly. Whatever may be said in favor of his popular opponent, we do not believe that a more upright, conscientious and intelligent man could be brought forward to represent Sullivan County in the state legislature than Edwin F. Branning of Tusten.

Mr. Branning is a man the first acquaintance of whom one cannot fail to become impressed with his frankness and unconcealed manner, his friendly and unhaughty ways, the shrewd business abilities he displays and his wisdom about things in general. He has not a word to say against his political enemies, but conducts his canvas in a clean, honorable way, and upon the theory that “may the best man win.”

The possessor of such instincts and characteristics as these is certainly worthy of being trusted with the interests of any community. Indeed, in his speech of acceptance, Mr. Branning says: “The interests of Sullivan County are my interests, and I promise, if elected, to serve the people of Sullivan County.”

And we believe him.”[19]

The Sullivan County Record again wrote of Branning’s character on October 18, 1895.

“E. F. Branning of Narrowsburg, the Democratic nominee for Member of Assembly, was in town Monday. Mr. Branning is one of the most pleasant, plain-spoken, every day fellows that I have ever had the pleasure of meeting, and he cannot but make friends wherever he goes. He says he is no politician and doesn’t know the first thing about politics. He is making a hustling canvas just the same, and if there is a man in Sullivan County who is capable of carrying the Democratic banner to victory this fall, that man would seem to be Ed Branning.”[20]

As the election approached the Sullivan County Record wrote of the dirty tricks that were being used in the campaign and the efforts to impinge upon Edwin Branning’s character.

“The Brannings Are Coming. Edwin F. Branning of Narrowsburg is making the most active canvas for member of assembly Sullivan County has had in a long time. Even his political enemies say he would make the best member the county has had in years. – Honesdale Independent.

No, Brother Independent; his political enemies may have conscience enough to think that, but they will not say it. On the contrary, some of them are resorting to the vilest means in their futile efforts to stay his steady march to victory. But Mr. Branning’s spotless character and noble spirit will withstand it all, and the good people of Sullivan County will condemn the libels that are being transmitted through the mails and from mouth to mouth, by electing him to the assembly with a substantial plurality.”[21]

The Republican Watchman also wrote of an “atrocious scheme” that was being put forth by Branning’s opponent in the election.

“Mr. Messiter Discloses His Cloven Foot and Shows a Willingness to Do Anything to Elect Himself to a Third Term.

Mr. Messiter has issued a card which he is circulating in a stealthy and surreptitious manner around the county among those whom he thinks are gullible enough to be deceived by it. He is endeavoring to inject the Monticello monument fight into the canvass to the disgust of many who have been engaged in the controversy on both sides.

This work of Messiter’s we happen to know is disavowed by many of the leading and clear headed men of his own party . . .

In sending out the card Mr. Messiter shows some of the meanest characteristics that can possibly belong to a depraved and dishonest politician. His mendacity is equaled only be his heartless disregard of the interests of his comrades who are running on the same ticket with him, and whom he is in honor bound not to injure in making his own canvass . . .

The unscrupulous methods resorted to by Messiter in conducting his campaign justify the criticism made by many of his former friends that he has deteriorated into a selfish politician, which has been further shown by the questionable manner in which he “sidetracked” poor Krenrich in his desperate attempt to obtain a third term in the State Legislature.”[22]

Despite his best efforts Branning lost the close election to Uriah S. Messiter of the village of Liberty. There were 6,826 votes cast, with Messiter receiving 3,588 votes, and Branning receiving 2,985 votes.

New York City and Other Business Ventures

In 1895, even prior to the state election, it seems Branning was contemplating a move away from Narrowsburg. He considered a variety of locations, including the city of Scranton, Pennsylvania, writing to city officials there seeking additional information.

“Dealer in Everything. He is Desirous to Locate in This City. Yesterday a letter was received at the board of trade rooms from “E. F. Branning, dealer in everything, Narrowsburg, N. Y.,” stating “I have heard a great deal about your city nowadays and as I am looking for a place to move to, kindly send me such printed matter you may have bearing on your city.” Secretary Atherton remarked that a “dealer in everything” would have a valuable acquisition to the business community, and forwarded the desired information to Mr. Branning.”[23]

Edwin eventually settled on New York City and in February 1896 he moved there, where he began operations in the wholesale jobbing trade and the catalog wholesale business, advertising himself as a “dealer in everything.” The business started slowly: “His ambition was to conduct a catalogue wholesaling business. His ideas were all right, but the business did not go with a rush and he found it necessary to go out as a traveling salesman for the firm that he established. His itinerary covered the States of New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania within a radius of two hundred miles or more and he made a splendid success as a man of the road.”[24]

In addition to his retail business, Branning would become very interested in real estate in the Bronx section of New York City. At the time of his death, he owned two apartment houses, a 60-car garage and a sub-station of the United States post office. His ownership of an automobile garage led to the following amusing anecdote.

“A good story is related of Mr. Branning. After he had attained to his position of money, which made no difference in his mode of living or his attitude to his friends, he was wont to go down to his big garage, in the Bronx, which was then being conducted by his son and a partner, don his overalls and enjoy himself around the place. His lawyer kept his cars there. One day his lawyer’s wife came in to take out the car. She was not an expert at manipulating a car and neither did she know Mr. Branning. When she was having some difficulty with the car Mr. Branning went to her assistance and gave her some pointers and helped her out of the garage. When she reached home that night, she told her husband that the garage had just employed one of the nicest and most polite old gentlemen she had ever seen and as he had been so nice to her, she wanted her husband to see that he got a tip. Good Lord, wifey, said the lawyer, that was Mr. Branning, who owns the garage.”[25]

Expanding his business enterprise Branning also extensively engaged in the lumber business. Likely partnering in some form with several of his brothers, he joined in operating several mills in the south. As a result of his endeavors, he “is now rated among the millionaire class.”[26]

As for Edwin’s association with the lumber industry, John Wellington Branning (1847-1901), better known as J. W., and Clarence Branning (1858-1901), Edwin’s brothers, established the Branning Manufacturing Company at Edenton, North Carolina in 1888. The company was established with the purpose of “buying and selling timber lands, standing timber and lumber and wood of all kinds, and cutting, sawing and manufacturing the said timber and wood into lumber of all kinds, dressed and undressed, and manufacturing shingles, staves, lathes, and other articles, selling such manufactured material, and such other business and operations as may be necessary and incidental to the accomplishment of the above mentioned objects.”

Portrait, John Wellington Branning

The Branning Manufacturing Company would grow to become the largest timber operation in North Carolina, and possibly in all of the south. At its peak the Branning mills employed approximately 600-700 people. Upon the passing of John Wellington Branning in 1901, one newspaper referred to him as the “King of Lumbermen.”[27]

In support of their lumber operations, the Branning family also operated the Wellington and Powellsville Railroad, which ran approximately 22 miles, originally from Windsor, North Carolina to Powellsville, North Carolina, and later to Ahoskie, North Carolina. In an amusing anecdote, “there was a hill on the train’s route it often had trouble climbing. Passengers sometimes had to literally jump out and help push the cars to the top. That led people to jokingly refer to the W&P as the “Walk and Push.”” The railroad was acquired by the Carolina Southern Railway in 1926, and operated until 1961 when the line was abandoned.

The 1900 United States census listed Edwin Branning’s profession as “notions merchant.” In 1910 his profession was listed as “merchant souvenirs”; in 1920 as “none”; and in 1930 as “real estate proprietor.”

Postcard and Photography Business

While operating in New York City, Branning developed the idea of the souvenir picture postcard, an idea from which he became very wealthy. He is sometimes credited as being the first to “invent” the commercial picture postcard.

               “Made First Souvenir Card in U. S. A.

Mr. Branning has been in the mercantile business for many years. His company was the first to manufacture souvenir post cards in the United States.

“One of my friends showed me a card he had received from Germany. At once I saw the possibilities the bit of cardboard furnished and soon began turning them out. During the second year of our new business, we printed and sold 11,000,000 post cards, which increased in volume each year for 15 years.””[28]

1553_Mountain Rest House, Lake Huntington, N.Y.

1575_Ye Olde Days, Livingston Manor, N.Y.

The Republican Watchman newspaper of Monticello, New York wrote of Branning’s thriving post card business and the unfortunate history of his extensive archives.

“Eventually he saw the possibility of the post card business and engaged in the manufacture and sale of that product and soon every store and shop had Branning’s cards on their counters and the output became tremendous. At first the cards were printed from halftone cuts of fine quality. In 1909 he discarded the cuts and used the gelatin process. The halftones of Sullivan County discarded by Mr. Branning were bought by the Watchman owner. They filled two large boxes and were a fine collection, but were destroyed when the Watchman office was burned in 1909. He was one of the pioneers in the post card business.”[29]

During the 1905 season Branning reported “brisk business in the card line,” selling over 90,000 souvenir cards to dealers throughout Sullivan County. The Tri-States Union newspaper reported that one Port Jervis store sold over 48,000 cards in only eight months. It was also noted that “among the summer guests this season there seems to be an increasing demand for these clever souvenirs.”[30]

In 1903 Branning published a book of illustrations titled “Picturesque Sullivan County.” The book contained nearly 100 half-tone views of villages, lakes, landscapes and scenery from throughout Sullivan County. The book was well received.

“To all lovers of the beautiful, the author has respectfully dedicated this book which will be appreciated and enjoyed by summer tourists and friends of Mr. Branning.

The book is not hampered with glaring advertisements of any kind, but is strictly gotten up to please and to interest all who love to become familiar with the magnificent and healthful summer resorts, where so many from the metropolis have visited each season for many years.

Mr. Edwin Forrest Branning is well and favorably known throughout Sullivan and adjoining counties. For a number of years, he was a prosperous merchant at Narrowsburg. His place of business at the present time is 448 Broome St., New York City. It is a pleasure also to note that Mr. Branning is a stanch friend and admirer of the UNION and always finds time even in pursuit of his arduous duties to stop and peruse its pages.”[31]

The Republican Watchman newspaper of Monticello, New York also published a brief review of Branning’s “Picturesque Sullivan County.”

“One of the finest booklets coming into our hands this season is “Picturesque Sullivan County, N. Y.,” issued by Edward Forest Branning, of New York City, formerly of Narrowsburg, and at one time a candidate for Member of Assembly. The book is 6x9 inches and contains one hundred views. Among them are some of the most picturesque and historical scenes in Sullivan County. It is a work of art and must have cost Mr. Branning a pretty penny; the cuts alone are probably worth $300. The only improvement that we could suggest in the composition of Mr. Branning’s art gallery would be the author’s picture.”[32]

In 1907 the following advertisement for the production of postcards, using one’s own photographs, appeared in an industry publication.

“CHEAP SOUVENIR POST CARDS we do not make. But from your Photo we do make the very best black and white and 7 color work at a very Cheap price, prices and samples to dealers. Edwin Forrest Branning, Cedar Ave. & 177 st., N. Y. City.”[33]

Advertisement from E. F. BranningAdvertisement for Edwin Forrest Branning, noted publisher of photographic postcards of Sullivan County, New York.

Historic postcards published by Branning can readily be found for sale on various internet websites. As noted above, the majority of his postcards focused on the sites of Sullivan County, New York. However, postcards with sites from other nearby locations, such as Pennsylvania, Port Jervis, New York and Goshen, New York, can also be found. Average prices for an E. F. Branning postcard tend to be in $6 to $10 range.

1599_The Beaverkill at Rockland, N.Y.

1606_Episcopal Church, Liberty, N.Y.

Transcontinental Trip

In 1920 Branning and his wife completed a four-month, 7,500-mile trip from New York City to Long Beach, California. The trip was reported in a number of newspapers. The Brannings left their home on June 22 and reached Long Beach on October 14. The cross-country trip included stops in 18 states and three national parks, including Yellowstone, Yosemite and Mount Rainier. They stopped at Manhattan, Kansas in visit their nephew, K. W. Hofer. They camped out most nights until they reached San Francisco.

The car was a Chandler, Despatch model, which was “fitted for trip and camping purposes, being designed on the lines that facilitate arrangement for camping. The back of the forward seat tips to a horizontal position, the robe rail forming its support. The cushions reverse and the footrest is inverted and placed to fill the space between the end of the tilted front seat and the cushion of the rear seat. The footrest also contains room as a tool box.”[34]

After wintering in California, the Brannings motored back as far as Galveston, Texas, taking the boat there for New York.

Legacy

Edwin Forrest Branning passed away from heart failure in 1930 while walking on the boardwalk at Ocean Grove, New Jersey. According to newspaper reports he had “left New York at 10 o’clock in the morning with his daughter, Mrs. Harding and her family. He and his son-in-law were walking along the boardwalk about 6 o’clock when he cried out: “Oh, Charlie,” to his son-in-law and fell into the latter’s arms dead.”

His funeral was held at his residence in New York, with services organized by the Masonic order, of which he was an active member. Branning was survived by his wife, four daughters and two sons. He was buried at Woodlawn Cemetery in New York, where “under the canopy of the sky, and surrounded by banks of roses and lilies, and baptized by the tears of his friends his body was given back to mother earth. Thus, friends and associates said good-bye.”[35]

Kaaterskill Clove, Springtime (1)Kaaterskill Clove is a deep gorge that cuts through the northern Catskills Mountains, with the village of Palenville located at the base of the Clove and the village of Haines Falls located at its head. The clove is formed by Kaaterskill and Lake Creeks, with the gorge cutting as deep as 2,500 feet in places.

South Mountain forms the north wall of the clove. Prospect Mountain, located west of Lake Creek, looms over the upper part of the Clove near Bastion Falls. Kaaterskill High Peak and Round Top Mountain form the south wall of the clove, with the Long Path traversing much of its length. The south wall is also home to the Wildcat Ravine, Buttermilk Ravine and Santa Cruz Ravine. The south wall, at its head, culminates at Twilight Park, a private residential community that offers magnificent views of the entire clove. The entire length of the Clove is traversed by Route 23A.

South Mountain forms the north wall of the clove. Prospect Mountain, located west of Lake Creek, looms over the upper part of the Clove near Bastion Falls. Kaaterskill High Peak and Round Top Mountain form the south wall of the clove, with the Long Path traversing much of its length. The south wall is home to the Wildcat Ravine, Buttermilk Ravine and Santa Cruz Ravine. The south wall, at its head, culminates at Twilight Park, a private residential community that offers magnificent views of the entire clove. The entire length of the Clove is traversed by Route 23A.

Numerous hiking trails in Kaaterskill Clove offer access to overlooks with outstanding views. Notable examples include the Escarpment trail that takes the hiker along the north wall to viewpoints such as Inspiration Point and Sunset Rock, the viewpoints at Palenville Overlook and Indian Head near the entrance of the clove, as well as Poet’s Ledge on the south wall. The clove is also home to countless other scenic wonders such as Moore’s Bridge Falls, Fawn’s Leap, Bastion Falls, the Five Cascades and Kaaterskill Falls.

Kaaterskill Clove, Springtime (2)Kaaterskill Clove is a deep gorge that cuts through the northern Catskills Mountains, with the village of Palenville located at the base of the Clove and the village of Haines Falls located at its head. The clove is formed by Kaaterskill and Lake Creeks, with the gorge cutting as deep as 2,500 feet in places.

South Mountain forms the north wall of the clove. Prospect Mountain, located west of Lake Creek, looms over the upper part of the Clove near Bastion Falls. Kaaterskill High Peak and Round Top Mountain form the south wall of the clove, with the Long Path traversing much of its length. The south wall is also home to the Wildcat Ravine, Buttermilk Ravine and Santa Cruz Ravine. The south wall, at its head, culminates at Twilight Park, a private residential community that offers magnificent views of the entire clove. The entire length of the Clove is traversed by Route 23A.

Although I would estimate that Kaaterskill Clove is most popular with visitors in the summer and fall, springtime is also a great time to visit. Spring is a season of change, often equated with the ideas of rebirth and renewal. It brings warmer temperatures and melting snow that creates high volume runoff in the rivers and waterfalls. Visitors are few, as skiers have finished for the season but the hikers have yet to arrive in large numbers. The hiking trails begin to thaw and it marks the beginning of fishing season. There is a cleansing scent of newness in the air. The days grow daily in length. Flowers begin to bloom. As the old adage goes “April showers bring May flowers.” Although trees are often still bare in the early spring, flourishing vegetation and lush greens begin to mark the landscape by the late spring.

TransientThis scenic photograph depicts one of the more transient waterfalls of the Peekamoose Valley as it comes off the side of 2,350-foot Bangle Hill, before entering the Rondout Creek.

Famous author and photographer Richard Lionel De Lisser wrote of the Peekamoose Gorge and the Rondout Creek in his 1896 book titled Picturesque Ulster.

“The Gorge, or Canon as it is sometimes called, is the crowning jewel of the Peekamoose and is beyond description; a royal cradle fit for the queen of waters, the royal Rondout. The Rondout Creek, springing from life from the mountain streams that flow from the steep slopes of the Peekamoose Mountain, passes through a most beautiful and picturesque region, not altogether quietly, for far up at the source and for several miles below its clear fountain springs, it forms a succession of rocky basins, sometimes with only a little ripple of a plunge to a lower level, and again a fall of many feet over rocks to the clear sparkling reservoir below . . .

Further down the stream the Rondout enters Peekamoose Gorge, and flows through it for nearly a mile. On each side rise the perpendicular or overhanging rocks to the height of over a hundred feet, the top clad with stately trees, the shadow of whose far-reaching branches add to the gloom and mystery of the depths below. Through this canon rushes the Rondout Creek, leaping over high bowlders and rocks that in the course of time have fallen from the ledge above; in places forming miniature lakes, through which the stream moves gently; in others darting over the worn moss-covered ledges forming rapids or falls of many feet, and dashing itself into foam as it plunges into a long, deep pool that sends up clouds of mist.

In winter the accumulation of ice formed by the mist and the moisture dropping from the rocks piles up to a great height and in most grotesque forms against the sides of the canon. It is late in the spring before this ice disappears, for the Gorge is a cool place even on the hottest summer day.

After the creek passes form the Gorge it becomes a more quiet stream, moving gently though still pools, and over the moss-covered stones in its bed, with no sound louder than its murmurings of complaint to the bowlders which now and then obstruct its pathway to the majestic Hudson.” (De Lisser, Richard Lionel. Picturesque Ulster. The Styles & Bruyn Publishing Company, 1896. Pp. 148-149.)

The Sundown Wild Forest and Vernooy Kill State Forest Unit Management Plan contains some geological details about the Peekamoose Valley.

“The Peekamoose Valley was most certainly within the ancient river delta, as is evidenced by the high elevation of the surrounding mountains (Peekamoose Mountain at 3,843 feet, Table Mountain at 3,847 feet, and Van Wyck Mountain at 3,206 feet) and preponderance of conglomerate rock. The valley itself was formed during the last ice age. J. L. Rich, in his book "Glacial Geology of the Catskills" writes, "A powerful stream working for a long time must have been required to cut a rock gorge so large and deep as Peekamoose gorge[sic]."

Rich theorizes that the Esopus Creek was once dammed by a glacier to form a large lake. This lake grew as ice lay banked up against Ashokan High Point, above the level of Wagon Wheel Gap, until the waters found a place to drain through Watson Hollow and Peekamoose. This resulted in the formation of a powerful stream which cut deeply into the erosion resistant conglomerate rock of the mountains.

Today, small tributary streams cascade over the sides of the Peekamoose Gorge forming numerous waterfalls as they join the Rondout Creek. Some of the larger tributaries, such as Stone Cabin Brook (1.1 miles), have cut narrow gorges of their own. Today's Rondout Creek descends about 300 feet over about 4 miles before making its way to Sundown.” (Sundown Wild Forest and Vernooy Kill State Forest Unit Management Plan. October, 2019. pp. 35-36.)

As the above quote hints, one of the great scenic features of the Peekamoose Road is the number of waterfalls that can be seen here, although some are on private property and others are heavily dependent on the season or on recent rains. Given their occasionally fleeting nature, the waterfalls here can be particularly rewarding to photograph if you happen to be there at a time when the waters are flowing.

Peekamoose Valley WaterfallThis scenic photograph depicts one of the more transient waterfalls of the Peekamoose Valley as it comes off the side of 2,350-foot Bangle Hill, before entering the Rondout Creek.

Bangle Hill FallsThis scenic photograph depicts one of the more transient waterfalls of the Peekamoose Valley as it comes off the side of 2,350-foot Bangle Hill, before entering the Rondout Creek.

The photographs seen here depict one of the more transient waterfalls of the Peekamoose Valley as it comes off the side of 2,350-foot Bangle Hill, before entering the Rondout Creek.

Throughout his career Rusk had a wide variety of jobs including surveyor, professor, principal, inventor, hotel owner, author, car dealership owner and postmaster, but it is perhaps his lengthy career as a photographer around Newport News, Virginia and in the northern Catskills that is his most lasting legacy.

In the 1870s Rusk assisted Princeton geology professor Arnold Henry Guyot as he surveyed the Catskills, a survey that determined that Slide Mountain was the tallest mountain in the Catskills (previously recognized as Kaaterskill High Peak), set “down in print a system of names for all summits of any importance in the Catskills”* and expanded the region commonly known as the Catskills.

In 1879 Rusk published the popular tourist guide titled An Illustrated Guide to the Catskill Mountains.

In 1884 he built the fashionable Lox-Hurst boarding house in Haines Falls, which accommodated 40 people and was well known for its pure spring water. Lox-Hurst was located at the site of today’s Mountain Top Historical Society but unfortunately burned down in the mid-1990s. In 1905 Rusk built the opulent Claremont boarding house, which accommodated 75 people.

In 1907 Rusk constructed the Haines Falls post office and served as its postmaster for many years.

Samuel, along with his brother John Rusk, was a prominent landscape photographer and operated Rusk’s FotoFactory, a well-known portrait studio in Haines Falls. He published a popular series of postcards from his photographs.

Samuel Rusk was a prominent citizen who contributed in many ways to the Catskills community. The 3,680-foot Rusk Mountain, the 20th highest mountain in the Catskills, is named in his honor. 

I have recently added a new gallery to display the photographic work of Samuel E. Rusk. It can be found on the gallery page and is titled “Samuel E. Rusk – Haines Falls Photographer.” The gallery currently displays 26 photographic postcards of this noted artist, and hopefully more will periodically be added as they are acquired. Below is just a small selection of Rusk’s beautiful works.

Kaaterskill Clove and Haines Falls from Sunset Rock, Catskill Mts.

Kaaterskill Clove and Haines Falls from Sunset Rock, Catskill Mts.

A Vanishing Type, Catskill Mts.

A Vanishing Type, Catskill Mts.

The Oldest Frame House standing in the Catskill Mts. (A. D. 1787.) Haines Falls.

The Oldest Frame House standing in the Catskill Mts. (A. D. 1787.) Haines Falls

The Old Sawmill, Haines Falls, Catskill Mts.

The Old Sawmill, Haines Falls, Catskill Mts.