Historical Society of Middletown, Delaware County, NY

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Historical Society of Middletown, Delaware County, NY

The Hist. Soc. Of Middletown seeks to explore/preserve the history of the largest town in Del. Co. NY HSM acquired the hall in 2012. Fascinated by local history?

The Historical Society of the Town of Middletown (HSM) is the only organization devoted to exploring, preserving, and presenting the history of the largest town in Delaware County, located in the Central Catskills Region of New York State. Established in 2004, HSM has more than 100 members, many of them active volunteers who help with our collection, building upkeep, grounds improvements, and program staffing. Our hall was built in the 1930s by the Izaak Walton League, a conservation organization. It was moved in the 1960s to its current site at 778 Cemetery Road, Margaretville, where it sits on seven acres beside a lovely pond. The hall is open seasonally for programs and activities, and is available for rental. Find out more here, or email [email protected]. Go to our website, mtownhistory.org, to find information about the Villages of Margaretville and Fleischmanns, and the hamlets of Arkville, Dunraven, Halcottsville, Kelly Corners, New Kingston, and Redkill/Bedell, plus Arena, lost to New York City's Pepacton Reservoir more than 60 years ago. The website includes feature articles, the Tin Horn blog about historical discoveries and observations, news from the Society, and information on our upcoming events. Help support the Historical Society of Middletown when you search or shop online! Find out more at Goodsearch (powered by Yahoo). Tell them you want to support "Historical Society of Middletown" (you must use that wording!), and we'll get a penny every time you search the web, visit selected sites or dine out. Please spread the word! You can also find out how to join us and support this non-profit organization!

10/19/2026

It was a beautiful day to be in the autumn woods Sunday, a perfect time to learn about the ancient art of cutting stone from the earth. Jeff and Liz Warren were our hosts for a quarry walk at which John Biruk of Halcottsville shared stories and demonstrated the craft he learned as a teenager. Seventeen people from as far away as Rhinebeck and Cooperstown enjoyed the HSM program. Ryan Trapani from the Catskill Forest Association, forest and railroad historian Michael Kudish, and Bill Johnson, whose family once owned the Margaretville property and its quarries, also contributed to the field history program.

10/12/2026

A huge slab of bluestone, just cut from the ledge where it had rested for millennia, was hoisted into the sunlight in 1956 by Lloyd Terry's crew at the Beech Hill bluestone quarry on the Finkle farm, Andes. John Biruk of Halcottsville will lead a walk to a Margaretville quarry to explain the process of extracting stone Saturday, Oct. 17 at 1 p.m. Call 845-586-2400 to reserve a spot and get directions. Photo from the Weiss collection at the Middletown History Center.

10/08/2026

That's Rudd Hubbell under the eerie mask, being adjusted by his mom, Carolyn Hubbell. The Hubbell family has carefully preserved a calico gown and leather mask worn by an ancestor during the Anti-Rent War of the 1840s. Learn more about this turbulent era in the region's history when the documentary "Calico Rebellion" is screened at the Middletown History Center, 778 Cemetery Rd., Margaretville, this Sunday, Oct. 11 at 2 p.m. Rudd is among several local players who appear in the film, directed by Victoria Kupchinetsky. A post-film discussion with participants will follow.

10/03/2026

The Middletown History Center is open today (Saturday) from 10 to 1! Bring your curiosity, your questions, or just stop in to say hello. You are welcome to come sit by the pond on this lovely autumn day. (Isn't this a beautiful photo of the Dunraven Covered Bridge?) Come up and leave a message in our notebook to the future to be placed in a time capsule for opening in 2076. 778 Cemetery Rd., Margaretville.

09/27/2026

A wooden easel, a palette and a framed photographic portrait of artist Parker Mann (1852-1918) were recently donated to the Historical Society of Middletown by Verne W. Vance, Jr. These items, dating to the late 19th century, came from Mann’s studio at the former Pakatakan Artists Colony in Arkville. The studio, built c. 1902, and the house, built in 1890, were recently sold after more than 130 years of ownership by the extended Mann family. Mr. Vance’s son, Charles H. P. Vance, and his wife, Virginia, pictured, delivered the items to the Nicholas J. Juried Archives at the Middletown History Center “so that a little bit of Mr. Mann’s history will stay in the town and region that he loved so much.”

09/18/2026

On September 17, Lauren Davis unveiled Middletown's newest historic marker for the cauliflower auction block that stood nearby from 1937 to 1950. His father, Howard Davis, was the auctioneer overseeing the sale of crates of locally grown fresh cauliflower to NYC commission merchants. Learn more about the auction block and the cauliflower growing industry in the Catskills at the HSM tent at the 22nd Margaretville Cauliflower Festival Saturday, Sept. 19 from 11 to 4. See you in the village park!

09/13/2026

Members of the Manieri family posed with a crop of cauliflower on their Townsend Hollow farm purchased by Italian immigrant Domenico Manieri c. 1919. Margaretville Cauliflower Festival Weekend will kick off Thursday, Sept. 17 at 3 on Bridge Street with the unveiling of a historic marker denoting the location nearby of a cauliflower auction block in what is now the municipal parking lot. All are welcome to the brief ceremony, and to the festival on Saturday, Sept. 19 in the village park.

09/04/2026

Two chances to catch up with HSM and send a message to the future this weekend! The Middletown History Center and archvies on Cemetery Road, Margaretville will be open Saturday from 10 to 1. And on Sunday we'll be at Pheasant Fest in Halcottsville, 11 to 5. Your message to Middletown folks of 2076 will be included in a notebook being buried in a time capsule at the History Center in November. What would you like to tell them about this time and this place?

08/31/2026

Marianne Greenfield covers her ear as Burr Hubbell lets loose on the tin horn during the Q&A following screening of "Calico Rebellion" at the Middletown History Center Sunday. Rudd Hubbell, left, and Jim Andrews also spoke about their familial links to the anti-rent conflict of the 1840s. A capacity crowd filled the hall but you could have heard a pin drop as Rudd donned the calico costume and leather mask that has been preserved by the Hubbells for more than 180 years. Thanks to filmmakers Victoria Kupetchinski and Misha Gutkin for a moving film about a story that still resonates.

08/28/2026

What's up with this get up? Come to the Middletown History Center Sunday for a 2 p.m. screening of Calico Rebellion and find out. The documentary about the Anti-Rent War of the 1830s and 40s has drawn big audiences and rave reviews. After the film (70 minutes) we'll meet the filmmakers and four local descendants of the farmers who protested the onerous leases on land they cleared and worked. Admission is by donation ($20 suggested, but any amount will be welcome). The History Center is located at 778 Cemetery Rd., Margaretville, 12455.

Address

PO Box 734, 778 Cemetery Road
Margaretville, NY
12455

Website

http://mtownhistory.org/

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