A collection of 42 glass plate negatives donated by Shirley and Gerald Dunn. The photographs were taken in the early 20th Century by Oscar Showers and include photographs taken in and around Tannersville. They include some images of general interest and several family photographs of the Showers family and others as well as local homes and buildings.
View the full collection online for the first time:
You will be stepping back in time to the days when the Kaaterskill and Stony Clove Railroad came up to the Junction from Phoenicia and then split to the west on the Hunter Branch and headed east on theTannersville Branch toward the Hotel Kaaterskill. A track plan of the junction and photographs showing the several sidings that served the sorting of freight and passenger cars to the two branches will be provided, supported by rail ties that still remain 84 years after the abandonment of the line in 1940. To the east
the hike will visit the remains of the Light Dam Bridge over the Schoharie Creek. A side excursion to the new Hunter Branch Rail Trail pedestrian bridge over a tributary of the Schoharie Creek will be added after returning to our start at the Junction site.
Meeting time: 9:00AM 5 October 2024
Difficulty: This is a moderate hike on an old, mostly level railroad bed, about 4
miles long with leader Paul LaPierre exploring the area around Kaaterskill
Junction on State Route214. There is one small shallow stream crossing with
stepping stones—hiking poles or staff are advised.
Directions: Address: 4282 Rte 214
About a mile south from the 23A end of Rte 214 on the left there is a sign
planted in the grass marking the Junction —drive in and park on the U-shaped
driveway.
Gary Slutzky (1952-2024)
We are deeply saddened by the untimely passing of Vice President Gary Slutzky. He was an incredible friend of the MTHS. A mover and shaker, he would see what needed to be done and would just do it. He was an active spokesperson for the Society with our local, county and state officials and representatives. He was key to the MTHS securing the NYS grant for the continuing restoration of our historic 1913 Ulster & Delaware Train Station. He led the effort to install a historic marker on Ski Bowl Road honoring the establishment of Camp Jened at that location and the connection Camp Jened had to the creation of the Americans With Disabilities Act. He worked hard to recruit new Board members. At Board meetings he could be counted on to provide an element of levity. He was a fount of knowledge about Mountain Top history and an inveterate collector of ephemera related to the Mountain Top grand hotels and railroads and road and bridge construction. The depth of his legacy is yet to be calculated, it runs so very deep and wide.
He will be profoundly missed. His untimely passing represents a huge loss for us and the entire Mountain Top community. We extend our deepest sympathies to Barbara and their children and to the entire Slutzky family.
Adrienne S. Larys
President
Below are photos of Gary working on the rehabilitation of the Ulster and Delaware Train Station, an image of the Camp Jened historical marker Gary had installed on Ski Bowl Road, some images of Gary from the MTHS’s Harding Ball in 1991, and an image of Gary and Barbara at the opening of the Visitors Center.
2024 marks the 200th anniversary of the opening of the Catskill Mountain House Hotel.
In the second installment of two presentations, Jim Planck, Vice-President of the Greene County Historical Society, will describe the history leading up to the construction of one of America’s first resort destinations.
Jim Planck is also the current editor of the GCHS quarterly journal and has had a 30+ year career as a reporter covering Greene County news. He has written articles for Kaatskill Life, Columbia County Heritage, and Greene County History. Jim was born in Catskill and served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1965 -1969, including a tour of duty in Viet Nam. We thank him for his service.
Program will be held at the MTHS Ulster & Delaware Train Station. Refreshments will follow. A donation of $5 is suggested.
By Dede Terns Thorpe, Town of Hunter Historian
I felt it was important to again share information on the Ukrainian Church, just outside of Hunter. Most readers feel the same way about what is happening in Ukraine; it’s difficult to watch and impossible to understand.
Part of the following information is from an undated Windham Journal article.
Five miles west of Hunter Village is the home of an exceptional-looking Catholic Church, the St. John’s Ukrainian Catholic Church. Built on the north side of Route 23A, Hunter’s neighbor to the northwest and located in Jewett. You must see it in person to grasp its distinctiveness and beauty and how it fits into the surroundings. (Its location is just past the intersection of route 23A and county route 17, just past the Xenia; a delightful restaurant [make a reservation] with a wonderful Saturday Ukrainian buffet.
A description found on the website, Brama, said St. John’s the Baptist Ukrainian Catholic Church of the Eastern Rite is both a spiritual and a cultural center for Ukrainians in the United States. It was built in 1962 in the traditional (but modified) timber blockwork style.
Brama explained the grounds, the builders, the architects, and the many other people involved in the undertaking.
On August 14, 1960, John Kobziar organized a meeting of local Ukrainian American residents and property owners in the neighboring area. Kobziar owned the “Xenia Tourist Home” near routes 17 (the road leading to Jewett center) and 23A. The group formed the “Temporary Committee for the construction of the Ukrainian Catholic Chapel in the Vicinity of Hunter, N.Y.” The name was soon shortened to the “Temporary Committee” and chaired by Mr. Kobziar. It was May 21, 1961, when they accepted the submitted sketch design of the wooden chapel of a three-dimensional structure. (Much of this information is from the Saint John the Baptist Ukrainian Catholic Church website). (Oshanna Kobziar, a striking-looking, bright daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Kobziar, graduated from HTC not long after the church was completed in 1962. Oksana, with their home next door, watched the daily progress of the church.)
Ukrainian Church at Hunter Serves Over 100 Families
“Saint John’s was consecrated on Saturday at 11 a.m. by the Right Reverend Joseph Shmondiuk, Bishop of a diocese that includes New York State and New England. After the consecration ceremonies, the bishop celebrated Mass according to the colorful Byzantine rite. A total of twenty-four priests took part in the first Mass held in the church.
Over 2,000 persons were present to witness the rites, some coming from Detroit, Chicago, Cleveland, and Toronto, Canada.
The church, built as a memorial to the more than 2,000 Ukrainian archbishops, bishops, and priests martyred by the Communists in Ukraine, is the only one of its kind in the United States. Constructed of hand-hewn red cypress put together with dowels throughout, it is an exact copy of the Ukrainian Catholic Churches of the Carpathian Mountains, now all destroyed.
The completed structure cost just $40,000 (about $347,712.00 in 2021). Many Ukrainians contributed their labor and materials.
The church will serve over 100 families mainly settled in the Schoharie valley between Hunter and Lexington.
Following the religious ceremonies, a dinner for 270 persons was held at John Kobziar’s Xenia Motel. St. George’s choir sang the Lord’s Prayer in Ukrainian at the beginning of the dinner and presented a selection of Ukrainian folk songs afterward. A troupe of 14 girls and boys from Hempstead, L. I., under the direction of Mr. Petrina, entertained the guests with a series of Ukrainian folk dancers.
Father Barnych, the toastmaster at the dinner, introduced the keynote speaker, former Assemblyman Stephen Jarema, representative of the Ukrainian Congress committee; Bishop Shmondink commented on the many recreational facilities built into new homes as contrasted to the complete absence of a place in the home for prayer. ‘We have televisions rooms, game rooms, playrooms, even bars,” remarked the bishop; “why not a prayer room?’
Mr. Lesawer, president of the Ukrainian National Association, extended greetings; Dr. Pushkar, of the Providence Association of Ukrainian Catholics in Philadelphia; and Fr. John Tracy, of the Church of the Immaculate Conception, Haines Falls, extended the hospitality of his church’s facilities. Dr. Ivan Makarewycz welcomed the clergy and people in the name of the new church, and its new pastor-administrator, Fr. Osidiach, extended thanks to all.”
The new church was built under the supervision of Jurij Kosliw of South Jewett.”
By Dede Terns Thorpe, Town of Hunter Historian
Today’s mountain top tidbit history is about the Lox-Hurst property that houses the Mountain Top Historical Society.
It’s had a long, interesting history before it was purchased when Justine Hommel was at the Helm of the MTHS. No, this hotel was in that location but went by a new name, The La Cascade, meaning “A Waterfall.” Its new owners were Paul and Lucienne Dumas. They were known for their distinctive cooking style and had previously operated a restaurant in Paris, France.
The going rate then, including your meals, was about $60 per person per week (about $590 today). Their daughter, Fran Dumas Hoose, lives in Haines Falls, while her son, Randy, and daughter, Cindy, remain in the area. (Its fun phone number, 456, was upgraded to 589-6430 in about 1963).
Very little Information seemed to be published when owned by the Dumas family, although they owned it for over ten years. Numerous articles were found after the Jamet brothers purchased it from the Dumas family. They went back into the early 1960s.
In 1966, a New York Times writer, Craig Claiborne, wrote: “There is a twisting, turning, rock-rimmed road that leads to the La Cascade, a hotel and restaurant that has for a slogan, “A Touch of France in the Catskills.”
Claiborne said the restaurant was worth a detour to the mountains. He said the kitchen produced its cuisine, served family-style. Claiborne described it as hors d’oeuvre, chicken crepes, or hot quiche Lorraine, soup, salad, an exquisite dinner, and ended with coffee and dessert. Walk-ins paid the cost of $4.50 for dinner and an extra $4.50 for a good bottle of wine. ($4.50 is equal today to $40.25).
Claiborne said the interior was cordial. The main room had an upright piano in the corner and a deer-skin rug on the wall. The bar walls had two mounted deer heads overhead.
The cost was $10 to $16, depending on whether you had a private bath and the size of the room accommodations. ($10 for room and board for a day equals about $92 today.)
An interesting ski contest was held in 1963, just three or four years after Hunter Mt. Ski Bowl opened. The contest required a letter (of 50 words or less) to be sent to the Brooklyn Eagle newspaper, telling them why you want to learn to ski. It gave five days of free room and board at the La Cascade, five days of free skiing, and two hours of ski lessons daily: a once-in-a-lifetime family vacation.
The La Cascade did well for years until Louis Jamet sold it sometime before 1978.
Thanks to MTHS board member Debbie Fromer for providing the following information… New owners operated it as a dude ranch until it ws lost in foreclosure. Jamet once again owned it for a few years before selling it to a partnership. It ran successfully as the Hunter Mountain Dude Ranch, managed for years by the well-liked Anna and Red Flechter.
It went from C. A. Martin’s Lox-Hurst, circa 1884, to the La Cascade, about 1945, and later the Hunter Mt. Dude Ranch. The property continues its interesting history as the Mountain Top Historical Society.
By Dede Terns Thorpe, Town of Hunter Historian
On June 27, 1881, George Harding opened Hotel Kaaterskill, just eight or nine months after construction began. Elias Dutcher was credited for its completion, opening ahead of schedule.
Important names credited to its construction:
– Architect, S.D. Batton from Philadelphia, PA.
– Master Builder, Elias L. Dutcher from Cairo.
– Lumber and Road, Meech & Dibble from Platte Clove.
– Millwork, Edwin Lampman from Haines Falls.
This information is credited to the Catskill Mountaineer website.
The original dimensions:
– Main Building: 324’X44′ had four stories.
– Towers: 34X34′ had six levels.
– North & West Wing: 224X42’was four levels
– East Wing: 90X26′ had four levels.
– North Wing: 141X30′ had four stories. (from the end of the East Wing)
– Laundry: was one mile away: 120’X80′.
– Barn: 240’X32′ (a reasonable distance west of the Hotel).
– Icehouse: 65X30′ (next to the hotel).
KAATERSKILL HOTEL SOLD – Brooklyn Daily Eagle, January 03, 1922…
“The Hotel Kaaterskill property at Catskill, N. Y., was sold to Dr. Harry Tannebaum of Oak Court, Lakewood, N.J., formerly owner of the Hollywood Lodge, Highmount, N. Y.
This property covers an area of six-hundred acres, comprises a township, and contains the main building, annex, and outbuilding with several lakes. The main building includes one thousand bedrooms, exclusive of other rooms; also bowling alleys, billiard rooms, and numerous recreation rooms. The property consists of a 9-hole golf course, which will be enlarged to an 18-hole course.
The property was initially constructed by day labor in 1882 by George Harding, the leading patent attorney of his time, and cost over one million dollars [today, that’s equal to just under $29 million] to complete. It was necessary to cut through roads and level mountain tops in its erection.”
An impressive accomplishment, even with today’s equipment!
