July in Halfway Brook, 1881 to 1903

by Louise Smith Posted on July 26, 2026

July 2, 1881
President James Garfield was shot.

July 4, 1881
“They had a festival in the Village today.”
—Aida Austin, Echo Hill and Mountain Grove, p. 41.

July 6, 1881
“Ida, little Tom, and I went up on the hill for berries this morning, but it was so warm we did not stay long.”
—Aida Austin, Echo Hill and Mountain Grove, p. 41.

End of July
July 1881 was a time to not only collect berries, but to rake hay and enjoy hayrides. The end of July was the last to be able to see the 1881 Great Comet (Tebbutt III). It had appeared in late May.

July 4, 1883
Ladies’ Aid Society fair.

July 1890
Rates charged Rates for April to July:
8 hours with a horse …………………..$1.60
1 whole day with a horse …………..$2.00
1 day of work (no horse) ……………$1.00
1/2 day of work (no horse) …………. $.50
—Echo Hill and Mountain Grove, p. 169.

July 5, 1896
Mount Pleasant House, Barryville: Large cool rooms; plenty shade; pine grove; adults $5 to 6 per week; children according to age. Send for circular. Wm. Wolfe.—Brooklyn Daily Eagle, July 5, 1896.—Echo Hill and Mountain Grovep. 159.

Mount Pleasant House, Barryville.
Mount Pleasant House, Barryville.

July 25, 1897
Cold Spring Farm, Yulan: Will accommodate few families; $5 per week; plenty of milk, butter, eggs, vegetables from farm; lake 3/4 mile from house; boats free; good roads, shade, pine groves; elevation 2,00 feet; no malaria. Circular Eagle Bureau. M.E. Crandall, Yulan.—Brooklyn Daily Eagle.

Cold Spring Farm, 1909.
Cold Spring Farm, 1909.

July 19, 1900
Orchard Terrace, Eldred: 4 miles Shohola; elevation 1,600 feet; beautiful balsamic and pineclad hills; broad plazas, hunting, fishing, boating; fine scenery; modern improvements. Booklet. A.S. Myers.—Brooklyn Daily Eagle.—Echo Hill and Mountain Grove, p. 208

Orchard Terrace.
Orchard Terrace.

July 20, 1902
West Farm: Pleasant location; boating, bathing; fresh eggs, milk and vegetables; good accommodations; homelike; terms $6 and $7; circulars. Theo. West. Brooklyn Daily Eagle—Echo Hill and Mountain Grove, p. 208

1903
Popular Boarding Resorts in 1903 For Sullivan County: Washington Lake House at Yulan, Pine Grove Farm at Eldred, West Farm at Yulan, Myer’s Farm House at Eldred, Minisink Farm at Eldred, Laurel Cottage on Washington Lake, Crest Hill Cottage at Barryville, The Arlington at Eldred, Orchard Terrace at Eldred, Oak Dene, Pine Grove Cottage, and Lake View Farm at Yulan.—Republican Watchman, p. 220.

Washington Lake House, Yulan, NY, 1909.
Washington Lake House, Yulan, NY, 1909.
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July in Halfway Brook, 1779 to 1879

by Louise Smith Posted on July 12, 2026
Minisink 1794.
Minisink 1794.

This month I am featuring events that happened in July from my three Halfway Brook Books. This post includes text from The Mill on Halfway Brook.

July 22, 1779
The only major Revolutionary War battle in northern Delaware Valley was fought on the plateau above Minisink Ford, six miles south of Ten Mile River.

Dr. Tusten gave emergency treatment during the battle to the wounded men. Dr. Tusten and seventeen patients were massacred.
—The Mill on Halfway Brook, p. 2.

July 13, 1846
“There’s been a freshet in the Halfway Brook. It has done much damage. There is not a bridge or dam left between here and Barryville. It has damaged us more than fifty dollars. The Mongaup was very high. There was a young man drowned in that stream…”
—Phebe Eldred Austin letter, The Mill on Halfway Brook, p. 57.

Shohola-Barryville Bridge completed in 1856
Shohola-Barryville Bridge completed in 1856

July 2, 1859
On the evening of the 2nd of July 1859, an unusual gust of wind from the North struck the bridge, over came the guys, turned the structure upon the edge and demolished it. The bridge was reconstructed at a cost of $4,000.
—The Mill on Halfway Brook, p. 81.

July 4, 1859
Methodist Church was dedicated by Rev. J. O. Wisner.
—The Mill on Halfway Brook, p. 85.

July 16, 1861
George Eldred and Ira Austin enlisted at Newburgh.
—The Mill on Halfway Brook, p. 92. Continue reading →

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New Year 1887

by Louise Smith Posted on January 18, 2026
New York Daily News. New York, 1887. LOC: 2003673066.
New York Daily News. New York, 1887. LOC: 2003673066.

Hello Halfway Brook Friends,

I hope your year is off to a good start. It’s been awhile since I have posted because of busy times here in November and December; and a glitch in this website’s email notification system. Hopefully, the glitch is now fixed using my new email address.

Louise

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1902 Home of Rip Van Winkle

by Louise Smith Posted on September 7, 2025
Home of Rip Van Winkle, Sleepy Hollow, Catskill Mountains. Detroit Photographic Co., ca. 1902. LOC: 2008679627.
Home of Rip Van Winkle, Sleepy Hollow, Catskill Mountains. Detroit Photographic Co., ca. 1902. LOC: 2008679627.

You may remember Washington Irving’s short story of Rip Van Winkle, first published in 1819. Rip Van Winkle was a Dutch-American villager who had a habit of avoiding work. He lived in a village at the foot of the Catskill Mountains in the years before the American Revolution.

To shorten the short story: One day Rip met a mysterious Dutchmen and a group of men playing ninepins. Rip imbibed their strong liquor and fell deeply asleep in the Catskill Mountains. When he woke up twenty years later, the world was very changed—instead of King George, there was President Washington.

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