Paul Misko On WIOX

Paul Misko sent me this message to pass on to all of you. Here is what Paul had to say:

On Wednesday, July 6th, I will be doing one of my Catskill trivia quizzes on WIOX Radio Roxbury. One of the contestants will be Linda Mc Donald who is known by many in the valley. Folks can listen in via their computer by clicking onto this link, or just google wiox radio, Roxbury, N.Y. and go to the home page. It airs from 6p.m. to 7p.m. You might actually learn something... but no promises are made.

http://www.wioxradio.org/index.html

History Of Fires

WV resident Rolf Reiss sent this to me and I thought it was interesting. This is another reminder why  the burn ban is in place. Thanks for sending this information, Rolf.


Apparently Woodland Valley has a history of forest fires.
This is from the Catskill Mountain News of Oct 23, 1914.

Headline; BAD FOREST FIRE.
200 Men Required to Subdue Flames Near Phoenicia--- U&D Sent 75 Men.

Forest fires have been raging a few miles from here for the past three or four days. One was reported at Hunter, one at Woodstock and one in the Woodland Valley, up from Phoenicia. This one seemed to be the largest and nearly 200 men were fighting it. On Wednesday when it seemed to be impossible to control it, the Ulster and Delaware railroad officials sent 75 men to help subdue it. The fire was then covering an area which would have taken ten miles to circle.

- Rolf

One Last Postcard

Earlier this week, when I put up the list of Woodland Valley postmasters to the blog, I received this message from Rolf Reiss. For those of you who don't know him, Rolf is one of the people in the valley with a lot of knowledge of the valley's history. Here is his message.

"Thank you for posting the list of Woodland Valley Postmasters and thanks to Jay Simpson for doing the leg work. I am including scans of a postcard sent by Phil Miller who was the brother of Paul (the last of the postmasters) 15 days before the closing of the Woodland office. According to Dakin Morehouse there were three Miller brothers who lived here in Woodland Valley and that the final location of the post office was in Paul Miller's home (currently owned by Dakin and Doris at  the base of Roxmor). He also mentioned that Phil was a noted musicologist and orator. Many years ago Laurie Lurrie who was a longtime Woodland resident told me that she liked getting her mail right here in the valley but that doing so always meant having to listen to Paul the postmaster speak for at least half an hour.  Sounds like a mixed blessing."

 - Rolf

List of Postmasters

Today I received an email from Jay Simpson. He had made inquiries to the USPS regarding the post office that existed in Woodland Valley for years (some of our older folks may remember it). He received this response and thought we would be interested. I know I found it interesting. Thanks so much for sending this, Jay!!

Mr. Simpson,

Here is the Postmaster list you requested for Woodland, New York.  Sorry it took a little longer, some of the entries were difficult to verify with National Archives records.

June Brandt

Research Analyst Postal History

475 L’Enfant Plaza SW

Washington, DC 20260-0012

202-268-2532

Postmasters by City

WOODLAND POST OFFICE ULSTER COUNTY, NEW YORK Name Title Date Appointed Henry D. H. Snyder Postmaster 12/08/1853 David Woodworth Postmaster 01/06/1868 N. William Beach Postmaster 08/07/1882 Daisy W. Beach Acting Postmaster 05/18/1889 Daisy W. Beach Postmaster 05/29/1889 Daisy W. Beach's name changed to Daisy W. B. Craig by marriage on June 3, 1896. Daisy W. B. Craig Postmaster 09/26/1896 Ella C. Beach Postmaster 01/06/1898 Edward B. Miller Postmaster 01/21/1899 Paul A. Miller Acting Postmaster 02/01/1940 Paul A. Miller Postmaster 03/05/1940 Discontinued on October 21, 1966; mail to Phoenicia (Postal Bulletin 20557)

Paul Misko At Trout Unlimited Meeting

I got this message in a Trout Unlimited newsletter the other day. I thought I would pass it on for any of you who are interested. 

This is a reminder that the November 18th meeting of the Ashokan-Pepacton Watershed Chapter this is coming Wednesday at the Boiceville Inn on NY 28 in Boiceville. It’s one week earlier than normal, due to Thanksgiving which is the following week.

The business meeting starts at 7 PM followed by our program at 7:45 PM. Once again this month we have another top notch event. Paul Misko, the Woodland Valley Park Association historian, is our guest speaker. Paul’s program will touch upon the history and tanning industry of Woodland Valley, formerly known as Snyder Hollow. The Winter 2013 Kaatskill Life issue ran an article penned by Paul on this very topic, titled: “The Woodland Valley Forest: An Environmental Disaster with a Happy Ending.”

Paul has visited Woodland Valley since childhood where he caught his first trout at the age of 5. Since then he’s accumulated a serious pile of history about Woodland Valley and the surrounding area, and over the last several years has written articles and given talks on Catskill and American history. In 2009 he founded the Catskill 4000 Club, which often does history related hikes. Most recently he has been doing radio shows, including trivia quizzes on Catskill topics.

Hope to see you there; below is a photo of the Woodland Valley as seen from Giant Ledge. Don’t miss what promises to be an interesting program about Catskill history, its forestry, and old Snyder Hollow.


- Ed Ostapczuk

Some Woodland Valley History From Rolf Reiss

WCA member and valley historian, Rolf Reiss sent me some awesome Woodland Valley photos along with some history to match. Here is Rolf's message to me. 

All the photos are at least 100 years old (excluding the brochure from 1927). Almost all of the them can be attributed to long time summer resident and Woodland Valley Park Association member Charles Newman. 

The first photo of the well dressed young men preparing for an overnight adventure includes three Newman family members, Ben Longyear, Joe McGrath, George Foster and Dave Hilson. They seem to have all of the essentials of the day including blankets, canteens, axes, six shooters and a coronet.

The inscription on the photo of the lady in the wicker rocker (second photo) being carried by two gents reads " Woodland Valley Taxi 1907"

I especially love the third photo of the two daredevils perched on the log over the Woodland Valley stream. 

On the back of the photo showing the two beleaguered hikers, Charles Newman signed his name and wrote " I am so tired of hiking the Whittenberg Mt." Many of us who have visited that peak surely know how he felt.

The post card showing campers somewhere in the valley was postmarked at the Woodland Post Office on Aug 6, 1913 and reads " This is what we are doing. We are crazy about the place. Will Archer is here with us but we didn't see much of him. Will stay three weeks. Best, Love Mary."

The next photo is of a summer outing somewhere in the Woodland Valley Park Association.

The last photo is a post card from the Beech Knoll Club. Included with the swimming hole post card is a brochure from the 1927 season. The drawing on the cover depicts the beautiful home built by the artist Thomas Craig now owned by Ed Twerdak. Evelyn Craig (Thomas's daughter) was still alive in 1978 when I moved here and mentioned to me that John Burroughs had told her that "the most beautiful view in all of the Catskills was from the porch of her home".

- Rolf

PS - Here is an update I just received from Rolf.

"I was recently told that the home where Ed Twerdak lives was NOT built by Thomas Craig although he did live there. I think that it was perhaps one of the Beech family who had it constructed but I have to do more research on that." 

- Rolf

Roxmor Postcards

Tommy Healy has a collection of old postcards and sent me scans of some great examples from Roxmor. I thought they were excellent and that all of you might enjoy them too. I think that the hand coloring on them is especially nice. If anyone in WV (or Roxmor specifically) has any history they want to add I will gladly post it. Thanks for sending them Tom!

Paul Misko History Talk

Last Saturday Paul Misko gave a talk on the founding of Woodland Valley in the 1850's. It was hosted by Hawley and Joyce Botchford and was a huge success. Over 20 folks attended.

Here are some pictures, taken by Joyce Botchford​, black and white pic is of Col​.​ Snyder.

Some in attendance were the Simpsons, Piels, Mac Donalds, Congdons, Rolf Reiss, and the special guest was Barbara Mac Adam from the Hood Museum at Dartmouth, who provided some great info about the Woodland Tannery painting. Hawley gave us a good dose of history on the Woodworth and Beach families, who along with Col. Snyder, founded Woodland.

WV History Talk By Paul Misko

For all those of you who have been clamoring for another one of Paul Misko's great history talks I have exciting news for you. Paul is going to be holding an event on August 16th at the Botchford house. Here is all the info he sent to me. Sign up ASAP if you intend to go because space is limited. If you haven't been to one of Paul's talks before you are in for a fun and informative experience!!

Woodland Valley History Talk: Sunday, August 16th, 5:00 p.m. Historian Paul Misko will lead a talk on the formation of the community of Woodland, which was centered around the Woodland Tannery in 1850. Col. H.D.H. Snyder, the Woodworth and Beach families, and the Tanning Industry will all be discussed. We will share some food and drink, so please bring a dish to share. Soft Drinks and Dessert will be provided, but bring your own Adult Beverages. This event will be hosted by Hawley Botchford at his Woodland Valley home, and space is limited, so you MUST register with Me at woodvalleybear@gmail.com ...so we don't go over our limit. Confirmation and more details given upon registration. Hope you can join us!

Paul Misko

More About The Naming Of WV

I just received an email from one of Woodland Valley's historians, Paul Misko. He had this to add to the last item I posted.

I just read Carl Tannenbaum's blurb about Longstreth's comments about the naming of Woodland Valley. I really enjoy Longstreth's book on his Catskill hikes, in fact I was just reviewing his Woodland Valley hike on WIOX f.m. a few weeks ago, as his details are invaluable to any Catskill historian. What Longstreth likely did not know, was that both "Snyder Hollow", and "Woodland Valley" pay homage to Col. H.D.H. Snyder, as the name of Snyder's tannery was the "Woodland Tannery".

Excerpt from "The Catskills"

Here is some interesting WV history sent to me by WCA member Carl Tannenbaum. Here is what Carl had to say:

Here is an excerpt from a book entitled The Catskills by T. Morris Longstreth.  It was written in 1915.  I was acquainted with him at Haverford College (our mutual alma mater) a few years before his death in 1975 at the age of 89.  He wrote many books and magazine articles on a wide variety of subjects, but this is a delightful essay on his roaming through the Catskills.  You can see the whole book at    http://catskillarchive.com/tc/

here is his take on Woodland Valley:

Woodland Valley was once and better named Snyder's Hollow. Some lily-livered namester with more sentimentality than sense did ill to deprive the late Snyder of his due. If he first settled in it, he was a discerning man and deserves the credit. If an impersonal name had to be found for the smiling curves and beckoning aisles of the valley, the first ass that brayed might have better taken Hee Haw Hollow to christen it with than the school-girlish and indistinguishable title of Woodland, where every other valley is woodland too.

This valley is a wander-way of sheer delight. You can loaf along it in the sunshine and watch the trout, or you can visit the little colony and talk with its founder, or explore into its stream enlivened recesses. At its head the Wittenberg is its dark guardian, and Cross and Pleasant stand. From the last a ridge runs out a protecting arm along the entire valley, while on its western side great Panther sends out buttress after buttress to shelter it f rom storms. Into it flows the Panther Kill, another cherubic, laughing brook, wilful as an Indian child. The vistas up these valley arms are altogether lovely. I have yet to find a fellow tramp who has not left part of his heart up Woodland Valley.

Camp Woodland Memories

Woodland Valley friend and former Camp Woodland camper Bill Horne sent me this great shot of the campers climbing Romer Mountain (the old Simpson ski slope) You can see the old ski lodge in the background. If you look behind the lodge you can still see the train trestle which was still there in 1954 when this photo was taken.

Bill Horne is working on a book about Camp Woodland. It includes historical information about Woodland Valley and the surrounding Catskill region. Bill has promised to let us know when the book is ready. I think it might be of interest to many people here in the valley. I know I would like to read it.

For those of you who are new to the valley, Camp Woodland was a left leaning, progressive camp for youngsters in operation in Woodland Valley from 1939 to 1962. The collection and preservation of folk songs was a big part of the camp and Pete Seeger was an active part of the camp for many years. Here is a website that has some information for those of you who would like to read more.

http://www.campwoodland.org

This image is from the Norman Studer Papers, M.E. Grenander Department of Special Collections & Archives, University Libraries, University at Albany, SUNY

Hunters From Seasons Past

Since hunting season is upon us WV resident historian Rolf Reiss sent me some great old photos of hunters from the past. Here is what Rolf had to say:

"Since it still the season I thought I would share a few images from the early 1900's of successful local hunts.

The first one shows several gents in front of the Central Hotel in Phoenicia including Al Wispell ( the proprietor and stout fellow leaning on the butt of his shotgun) along with several men who unfortunately I have yet to identify. The Central Hotel eventually became Ricciardella's Restaurant and is now awaiting a new purpose. We can only speculate as to whom exactly fired the fatal shot, participated in the hunt or was simply present in town with a rifle or shotgun when the photo was taken.

The second photo taken at the same location seems to include a different cast of characters ( some apparently in their "Sunday go to meeting clothes" ) and a different victim along with a live pet fox on a chain and two adorable imps in the lower left corner sneaking in to the picture.

The last hunt photo was shot in the Woodland Valley Park Association beyond the state campsite.Thanks to our long time resident and avid local historian Linda McDonald who was able to identify the hunter and his son as Fred and Phillip Roberts. Fred was the Association's caretaker for many years. The sign on the tree reads " Automobiles slow down to 8 miles per hour". That was in the days when the old Woodland Valley / Slide Mt. turnpike was still open to cars and connected us to Winnisook Lake, Claryville and beyond."

Best wishes,

Rolf

Painting Snyder Hollow (Woodland Valley)

Recently Ed Ostapczuk sent me a link to his wife Lois' painting blog. They have a nice piece about Woodland Valley there with a photo of a lovely landscape painting that she created of the valley. And besides the artwork, it contains a bit of WV history. Check it out.

http://catskillwatersart.blogspot.com

The Woodland Echo

Many of you know our esteemed resident, Dakin Morehouse to be a great guy. What some of you do not know is that he served as president of the WCA for quite a while. He even created an old school newsletter that served the community in it's pre-blog days. It was called The Woodland Echo (see below). It was a great way to keep the neighbors connected and informed. This is a fun bit of WV history I thought you all would enjoy learning. And kudos to you Dakin, you probably would have created this blog if the technology was available in those days!

WV In Kaatskill Life

The current issue of Kaatskill Life has articles on both Woodland Valley and the Romer Mountain Ski Slope. The WV article was written by resident Paul Misko. The magazine is a little hard to find. I got my copy at the General Store in the the Emerson shops. Check it out for some great local history.

The Bear Hunt

WCA member Boreegard (aka Mike O'Neil) recently transcribed this from Paul Miller's tape recording. it is a very wonderful piece of WV history.

The Bear Hunt 

by Paul Miller

    No doubt about it—Claude Yerry was one of the very best hunters in Ulster County.  He knew the woods like the palm of his hand.  He knew the best spots to hunt.  He knew the habits of the game.  As a matter of fact, John Lord said, “Well Claude Yerry—he’s half man, half a bear.”

     He could travel very fast in the woods.  There were very few people who could keep up with him.  He saw everything that was going on around him.  He could spot game, get a gun up and crack off a couple of shots before you were aware that there was any game around. He was just a great hunter.

     Claude liked kids and seemed to be very happy to take any one of us along when he’d go hunting; and really, rabbit hunting with Claude was a lot of fun.  I’ve known Claude to take down a whole section of stone wall because there was a rabbit in there and he wanted to get him out—and he did get him out.  On one occasion I saw Claude actually dig a rabbit out of a bank.  He was head and shoulders in the ground digging the rabbit out, and he got the rabbit.

     Well, when you went hunting with Claude and you got some game, it didn’t make any difference who shot the game or who got it, Claude always said you had to whack-up what you got.  And as kids, when Claude whacked-up or divided the game, you generally came home with a little more than your share.  He was awful good to kids. 

     I got to go bear hunting with Claude a time or two when I was a kid.  In those days there was no law on bear.  You could hunt ‘em any way you wanted.  And the way the bear hunters did hunt bear was to find a track after the first snow, and track ‘em in snow to the dens, and then shoot them in the dens or as they came out.

     This one time between Christmas and New Year’s, Jim Austin was visiting me.  The snow was about knee deep and it was pretty late for a bear to be out—he should have been in his den hibernating, but he wasn’t.  Claude ran across the bear’s track and he invited Jim and me to go along with him and track the bear in.

     So we did.  We got up in the morning.  God, it was way before daybreak—black dark out and cold.  We went out and walked up the road.  There wasn’t any road—hadn’t been plowed—just knee deep snow.

     We picked Claude up at his house and we went up to the end of the valley, which was about two miles from our house, and then followed the old road that used to lead over the mountain to Winnasook.  Claude knew just about where that bear was going to cross the valley.  And up along that road we struck the bear track.  Well, the bear went right straight up the mountain, and of course we followed.  Where the tracks went, we went.

     The tracks took us straight up the mountain to the foot of Giant’s Ledge.  Then the bear turned, in I’d say pretty well a northerly direction and walked along under the ledge and up the ridge to the top of Panther Mountain.  Up there the snow was even deeper and it was cold.  Holy smoke, it was a cold day.

     Jim and I had some lunch with us but Claude wouldn’t stop to eat.  He wouldn’t stop for lunch so we had to eat on the go.  By the time we’d gotten to eating our lunch the sandwiches were frozen, but we ate them anyway.

     And the bear tracks were continuing in a northerly direction.  While we were on the top of Panther mountain, Claude looked down in sort of a westerly direction, down into Big Indian Valley, and he said that the bear was going to hole up on “such and such” a ridge, which he pointed out to us.  And he says,”He’s going to be either on this side of the ridge or that side of the ridge.  There’s no use in us following all the way around this big circle to get there.  We’ll just go right down there and pick his track up down below.”

     Well you know, I didn’t know about that, but Claude said so, so it had to be so.  So we broke on down into the Big Indian Valley and, yes, sure enough, we picked up the bear track down there again.

     This was a big bear, no question about it.  And he had no business being out that late.  He should have been holed up, but that’s where he was.  And the we struck what they call “back tracks.”  A bear will make a side trip and then he’ll turn around and come back right in his own tracks, then start off in another direction.  And he’ll keep doing that ‘til he gets quite an area tracked up that way.  That indicates that he’s going to hole up pretty soon.  I’ve been told by some old bear hunters that bears will walk around and make a lot of tracks—go around here this way and that way—kind of to throw anything that’s following him off the track.  I’m not sure I believe that, but anyway, that’s what they said.

     We followed these back tracks around quite a bit.  But Claude was pretty smart.  He would dip the snow out of a bear track and he would point off in one direction.  And then he’d come back and point in another direction, and we’d take that track.  So we avoided a lot of these side trips that the bear ad taken, and pretty soon we came up to the bear.

     I suppose it was two or three in the afternoon.  Anyway, there was still plenty of daylight.  We shot the bear.  And the bear was just about where Claude said it would be—on the side of that ridge in the Big Indian Valley.

     Well, now we had to take the bear out.  Jim and I were pretty tired by that time.  But Claude seemed to be still fresh.  We used my belt to drag the bear, and we got him going downhill.  I remember one time Jim and I were carrying the guns and Claude was dragging the bear, which of course was rollin’ down the mountain with him.  The bear started to slide and took Claude from behind.  And there was Claude—ridin’ down the mountain astraddle of the bear!

     So we got him down on the flat land, and as I said, Jim and I were pretty tired; but Claude, he was still fresh.  We struck a wood road down there and Claude took off to get help and left us with the bear.

     He found a native there, a resident of that area, who had a team and sleigh and he brought him back.  Jim and I were pretty near froze by that time, but we put the bear in the sleigh and went down to the Big Indian railroad station with a whole bunch of people.  There were trains back then—the U and D (Ulster and Delaware) was still runnin’ and there was a train due later that afternoon.

     We put the bear on the train and took him into Phoenicia.  And there in Phoenicia at the station we waited again, and Claude got another sleigh, and we put the bear on that sleigh and we hauled it into Woodland Valley to Claude’s house.  And there we left it for the night.

     Well—that was a really long day.  It was pitch dark and late at night by the time we got home.  We were tired but happy.  We had a bear!

     Claude liked to take pictures.  So the next day Jim and I went up there to Claude’s house, and my brother Tryon took his camera and went with us.

     We got some pictures of Claude and Jim and myself with the bear.  He was a big bear.

     And that’s the story of that hunt.

(Transcribed from Paul Miller’s tape recording HUNTERS AND SOME OTHER CRITTERS).     

Paul Misko Talks About WV on WIOX

This message just in from the Catskill Forest Association. If you are not in the area you can stream it on the web.

CFA-On-The-Air: From the Forest
Wednesday's 6PM - 7PM
WIOX ROXBURY 91.3FM or www.wioxradio.org

Tonight's Show: Woodland Valley History with Paul Misko

On tonight's show we'll be talking to Woodland Valley Park Association Historian - Paul Misko.  Paul has been visiting Woodland Valley since he was born and has made plenty of time to explore this unique valley where he has unraveled much of its history.  Paul will discuss some of the changes that have occurred in Woodland Valley - tanning industry, sawmills, quarries, state forest preserve, etc.  We'll also see if we can get Paul to talk about some of his favorite places and the interesting characters he's met along the way.  Tune in at 91.3 FM or stream online at www.wioxradio.org to hear more.

Nick's Response

Here is the letter Nick Alba wrote back to Richard to complete the story below.

Hi Richard,

I really enjoyed reading your narrative about your early days here in the valley.  We're very close in age, but I never experienced anything quite so rustic in my urban upbringing.  Do you have any idea of what year the photos were taken?  When I bought this place in 1981 the upper side porch was screened in, and that porch beneath it was framed out, screened in, and had an entry door.  The front porch, interestingly enough, had a dry stone foundation which was collapsing, and I removed it and put in piers, similar to the old house.  I don't believe that there was the picture window in the living room in these photos.  My house came with a picture window. The rear addition was also quite different. There was a door on the side, quite unnecessary, flanked by windows, which I removed and replaced with at picture window. Another large double hung window faced the woods.  I replaced that with a patio door, and a patio, so I can enjoy the delightful view.   My house was white when I bought it, but layers of old paint revealed a yellow color, closer to what I painted it before I even knew.

I heard about the old house on the road from the previous owner, Julius Weissman. I had no idea what it looked like, and its a lot more of a house than I envisioned.  Julius claimed that it was the oldest house in Ulster County, which I find hard to believe,  Maybe he meant Shandaken, or maybe he meant Woodland Valley. He told me that it collapsed from a snow storm, and he had it removed from the tax rolls.  There was scraps of old lumber in my yard which might have been remnants of the old house, or the out house. The Weissman's had a tenant at one time, Bob and Debbie Lepp, who still reside in the area, and Julius told me that the used the wood from the outhouse as firewood to heat the house.  The owners prior to the Weissmans were named Schwartz.  My house had an aluminum screen door in the front with a big "S" on it.

Thanks for this interesting information.

Nick Alba

Yesteryear in Woodland Valley

The fall and early winter were crazy busy times for me work wise and I have gotten very behind in my postings. But I am trying to catch up now. So here is some cool Woodland Valley history that was sent to me back in late November. Sorry it took me so long to post it but I think you will agree that it is worth the wait.

PS - Nick also wrote back to Richard and I will post his response tomorrow. Thanks Richard for sending us this cool info and photos.

Yesteryear in Woodland Valley 

My father, Fred (Fritz) Graefe, was born in a house on 140^th St. in New York City, “among the slaughterhouses” and with the toilet “out back.”  He was the youngest of 7 children of 44 year old German immigrant parents.  The family also owned the Woodland Valley house now owned by Nick Alba.

I composed the following reminiscences by my father from a conversation I had with him when he was 93 years old.  He died in 2001 at age 94 and is buried in the Shandaken Rural Cemetery, along with his parents and 4 of his siblings.

“When I was a teenager, the family went to Woodland Valley in the Catskills each year. We would take the Hudson Dayliner (boat), then a train to Phoenecia, then stop at Simmon’s store to buy supplies for the season (e.g., a barrel of flour).  Then then we’d rent a wagon to take us up the valley. 

We’d go to the Catskills in May. I would always leave school early each year to do so.  That’s why it took me a long time to get through high school.  My brother, Al, worked many different jobs before becoming a New York City cop.  Each year, he would quit one of these early jobs to go to Woodland with the family.

Clara (my eldest sister) owned an Essex car.  You had to crank it.  In Woodland, you had to be sure to get a running start to get up the hill at Craig’s”

I too, have many recollections of Woodland Valley as a child, when the family home was owned by my Aunt Clara and her sister Margaret (Miggie).  It was really “roughing it.”  There was no electricity or plumbing – just an old icebox and an outhouse.  Cooking was done on a wood stove, and wood was stored in an old woodshed on the property.  We hauled drinking water from a nearby spring. We used only the kitchen and the upstairs bedrooms. As we walked through the living room to get to the stairway, two mounted squirrels and a pheasant peered at us from among the host of items stored there. 

There was the “old house,” too – a dilapidated locked-up structure with a lean-to garage attached, down by the road.  As kids, we would peek through the smudged windows at the hoard of “treasures” that filled the old house – mostly items given to my grandfather by the wealthy families he worked for as a butler and valet.

We loved the woods and streams and especially the swinging bridge, down where the campsite now stands.

From his humble beginnings, my father got a job at age 18 as a messenger at the bank in New York City that would eventually become Chase Manhattan Bank.  He retired at 65 as an officer at one of the bank’s branches.

My brother (age 76) and I (age 72) stopped and chatted with Nick Alba in September when we were in the area to do some maintenance at the family cemetery plot at Shandaken.  It was great to see what he has done to the house and to share memories with him.  Following are some pictures from the past

Richard Graefe