The ‘‘Our town’’ column is compiled each month by Carol Johnson of the Haviland-Heidgerd Historical Collection. The entries have been copied from the July issues of the New Paltz Independent. To get a closer look at these newspapers of the past, visit the staff of the Haviland-Heidgerd Historical Collection at the Elting Memorial Library at 93 Main Street in New Paltz, or call 255-5030.
The members of the high school graduating class will probably all enter the Normal next fall.
The Summer School at the Normal has opened favorably. There are about 115 students and a sufficient number of children in the grades. Most of the students are from high schools. A sufficient number of places have been found in the village to accommodate members of the school.
Nearly all the students at the Summer School went on a trip to Mohonk one day last week, some going by carriage and others walking.
Herbert Williams has been making a wonderful record in swimming at Lake Mohonk. He thinks nothing of swimming four or five miles in an afternoon. The other day he made a new long distance record, twelve and eight-tenths miles in five hours, 12 minutes, 16 seconds. He also took first place in high diving by diving from the top of Mohonk House, 84 feet.
At 6:15 this evening the Poughkeepsie Business Men will meet the New Paltz Business Men in a baseball game on the local diamond. New Paltz has several good games scheduled for the coming weeks and will furnish the townspeople with abundant entertaining sport. It is now up to the town to support and back the nine by attending the games and contributing financially. The boys deserve it thoroughly.
A patriotic service will be held in the Methodist Church next Sunday night. An address will be delivered by Prof. William Ward of the Normal School upon “The Spirit of ’76.” Appropriate readings and vocal selections will add to the interest of the occasion. “All Welcome.”
There are about 125 guests at Minnewaska. The laurel is in bloom now and it is very beautiful and luxuriant though not so abundant as last year. The Sunset Inn, Shady Knoll and the New Paltz Hotel were all filled with guests over the weekend and had to turn many away. The College Inn was so well patronized on the Fourth that people had to wait for their turn at the tables.
William Watson, Chief of the State Library Bureau, visited New Paltz Tuesday to meet with the house committee of the library, to discuss the question of shelving, to inspect the recently purchased building and look over the plans for restoration.
Reuben Swartz of Poughkeepsie, formerly a jeweler in this village, has purchased and is tearing down the old house adjoining the Charles Schepmoes residence on Main Street. This is an old landmark and probably the oldest house on the street, with the possible exception of the new library building. Half a century ago it was occupied for a long time by Daniel Relyea, the village butcher. The material of the building will be taken to Mr. Swartz’ lot near Burns’ greenhouse, where a house will be put up, some time.
Both Republicans and Democrats have nominated Ohio men for President. There is no great enthusiasm in either party over the nominations. Both nominees are men of fair ability, though not party leaders. The party leaders all make enemies, who are liable to cause their defeat, either at the Convention or at the polls. Both of the candidates fairly represent the party that nominated them.
Poughkeepsie gave a great welcome on Tuesday evening to Franklin D. Roosevelt, Democratic candidate for vice-president. Ulster County sent a big representation.
Currant picking is about ended. Mr. Pederson on the Plattekill Road is the largest grower in this vicinity. There are six or seven pickers from this village. They get three cents a quart for picking. Quite a number of New Paltz people were engaged in currant raising 30 years ago, but the price dropped to four or five cents a quart and all quit the business. They sell at three times that price now.
The Clintondale Fruit Growers Association has been sending currants in large quantities to Pittsburgh.
Millham’s barrel factory is doing a large business sending great loads of barrels by auto truck to different parts of the county. A trip was made to Bearsville in the northern part of the county for a load of barrel headings.
Philip H. DuBois has lately had about 20 cherry pickers at work and has shipped about 20 crates a day to a wholesale dealer at Kingston to whom he has sold his crop. Children from our village have been picking cherries for Mr. DuBois.
Just before the heavy shower on Wednesday afternoon, last week, a small cyclone struck the trees in the yard at Mr. Becker’s, the old Reformed Church parsonage, doing considerable damage.
There are about a hundred summer boarders in the Springtown neighborhood. There are more at John H. Relyea’s than anywhere else and there are some at Sullivan’s, Shuttrick’s and Mrs. S. J. DuBois’. Our village streets were very lively until a late hour on Saturday evening. The summer boarders now help materially to increase the business of the place and are especially good patrons of entertainments of all kinds.
There were more people at the Catholic Church on Sunday than the building could accommodate. A considerable portion were summer boarders. The Catholics when away from home go to church on Sunday. Some Protestants do and some do not.
Mrs. L. M. Valentine is in charge of the household and Fresh Air children at the Arbuckle Farms. The second lot of children has been of late at the farms. Each lot stays two weeks. There are now 40 Fresh Air children on the Arbuckle Farms.
Although certain places in our village that used to take summer boarders are not taking them now, there are certainly more here than ever before. There are also a great number in Springtown, Gardiner and other places in the vicinity. The price of board is about double what it was a few years ago. The visitors from the city come into the country not only for rest, but to be entertained, and they are willing to pay for the entertainment. They like ballgames, dances, movies and entertainments of all kinds. They bring much business to our village.
The sales of over 40 houses during the past year were reported in the Independent last week. This is perhaps one-sixth of the total number of houses in the village. There has been perhaps a large proportion of farms in the vicinity sold during the past year, but there is this difference to be observed: the sales of property in the village are mostly to people already living here or in the immediate area while the sales of farms are mostly to people from the city who are attracted by the charm of country life.
The bulletin issued by the census gives the total population of Ulster County as only 74,979, a decrease of 16,790, or 18 percent since 1910.
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