Congregational and Methodist Churches
In 1799 Isaac Sergeant helped establish what became the Eldred Congregational Church. Descendants of Rev. Isaac and his wife Mary Richards Sergeant resided in the Town of Highland in 1920. As did several relatives of Felix Kyte.
Rev. Felix Kyte was the well-respected pastor when the Barryville and Eldred Congregational Churches were built in 1835.
Five years earlier Mr. Grace and Mr. Street, Methodist circuit riders, had preached every two weeks in the Town of Lumberland. In 1859 the Methodists built a church in Eldred. Later, Barryville and Pond Eddy each had a Methodist Church.
St. Bernardine Catholic Church in Highland Lake and St. Anthony’s Catholic Church in Yulan were conveniently located for summer boarders. Shohola, Pennsylvania was home to both a Lutheran and a Catholic Church.
Town of Highland Occupations
Boarding houses were the main “industry” in the area, but there were still sawmills (belonging to Harry Wormuth, John Love, and others) and bluestone quarries which needed workers. The Erie Railroad employed many men.
The Barryville Glass Factory employed some 15 local people. Earl Palmer (who also was the bridge tender for the Barryville and Pond Eddy bridges) was a polisher and his wife Kate worked in the Glass Factory Showroom showing glassware for sale. The glass cutters included Albert, Norm, and Frank Wolff, sons of Charles and Janette Kerr Wolff. (We first met the Wolff family in Echo Hill and Mountain Grove.)—Excerpt from “Chapter One: Most Pleasant Time of All,” Farewell to Eldred.
