Last month, Grade 4 students in Elizabeth Lefferts’, Adam LaFera’s and Elizabeth Corsitto’s classes at Bennett Elementary School took a deep dive into learning about the region we live in, conducting an extensive study of life around the area of the Ashokan Reservoir — before, during and after it was constructed.
First, the curious students spent some time in the classroom learning about the historic creation of one of the reservoirs that supplies water to New York City as well its aftermath, examining multiple primary source materials like maps, photographs, historical data and more.
The learning continued as the students delved into more perspectives and took a trip to local historical sites. At the Olive Free Library, in the “Town Shaped by Water” museum exhibit, they listened to firsthand oral histories of life in Olive as it was being transformed by the Ashokan Reservoir and viewed photographs and artifacts from local schoolhouses, tanneries, fire and police departments and more. At the Historical Society of Woodstock, they were treated to “Family Tales of Farming and Country Life Around Old Woodstock,” which entailed hearing some very interesting stories about farming families, examining their tools and being able to ask questions of the many knowledgeable staff in hand.
The curious historians also traveled to the Ulster County Historical Society’s Bevier House Museum, where they viewed “Leaving Bishop Falls: An Ashokan Story” — an exhibit that chronicles the work of artist Kate McGloughlin, a 12th-generation Ulster County resident whose family was forcibly removed from their land when the reservoir was constructed. McGloughlin’s stories and paintings explain what her people experienced, acknowledging their loss and finding solace in the beauty of the Ashokan landscape.
There was much to digest, as students considered multiple perspectives, made connections in their learning and thought critically about what they had seen and heard.
“Kate told us that half of her family in New York City needed water and the other half of her family had to leave their homes to give the water to the city,” said Teegan Blakely, capturing the complexity of the situation. “Kate’s story about Bishop Falls was the best speech I’ve ever heard. Honestly it almost made me cry,” said Sam Mack.
On a lighter note, Morgan Nagele quipped, after viewing some of the farming tools of old Woodstock, “I thought it was odd that they picked apples with a tool that looks like a giant back scratcher!” Perhaps Caleb D’Arcy summarized it best when he concluded, “I realized how important it is to keep the reservoir history going.”
In the coming weeks, students will examine the impact that the reservoir construction had on the lives of the immigrants and African Americans who built it between 1907-1912, while they were living in makeshift camps. Finally, students will evaluate how our local population uses the Ashokan Reservoir today, and how the Onteora Central School District serves a vital role through its state-of-the-art municipal wastewater treatment plant, located in Boiceville.
Join the family! 
