The ‘‘Our towns’’ column is compiled each month by Carol Johnson of the Haviland-Heidgerd Historical Collection. The entries have been copied from the January 1925 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.
At the regular meeting of the Board of Trustees of the Village of New Paltz held December 15, 1924, the following ordinance was duly passed: RESOLVED, that all persons are forbidden from coasting upon any of the streets or sidewalks of the Village of New Paltz; the violation of this ordinance shall be a misdemeanor punishable by fine or imprisonment.
Many people enjoyed skating on the Wallkill River during last week before the big snow.
Mr. and Mrs. Philip T. Schantz, Mr. and Mrs. Cluett Schantz, Mr. and Mrs. Walter Betts and Mr. and Mrs. Olaf Sundstrom of Marlboro were among those from out of town to attend the New Year’s Eve dance in the Town Hall.
The business done at our village post office during the month of December was the largest in the history of the office — so said Postmaster Deyo recently. During the month 40,826 pieces of first class mail passed through the cancelling machine; parcels insured 1511; ordinary parcels, not insured, 4500; and money orders issued 799. During the Christmas rush there were no lay-overs. Every piece of mail was cleaned up before the next day, the office force working fourteen hours a day. This spring our office is to have some new equipment including all new lock boxes and a partly new cabinet.
We have requested a number of times that the village folks become acquainted with the proper method of blowing the fire siren. We still have people ringing the old bell for a fire and not blowing the siren correctly. Follow these instructions: Push the red button in until siren starts blowing, then release and stand at the box. Do not push black button at all, as you immediately stop siren from blowing. Push red button only. The firemen will stop the siren. You do your part and start it.
A two-story frame building on the county farm at New Paltz was destroyed by fire last Thursday. The building was located several hundred feet from the main buildings and during construction of the other buildings on the farm it was used by the superintendent. During the small-pox epidemic several years ago it was used as a pest house. Since that time it has been unused and no insurance was carried on it by the county. The New Paltz fire department was summoned as soon as the blaze was discovered but could give little help on account of a frozen hydrant.
Emza Burger has recently purchased a chassis of a second-hand Chevrolet ton truck and is now building a little house upon it. The house is intended to be six feet six inches wide, fourteen feet long and six feet two inches high, with a slightly rounding roof.
Apropos of the coming “Eclipse of the Sun, on January 24, I wonder how many noticed the account of a total Eclipse on August 12, 1868 occurring in Iowa? The account was on the editorial page of the New York Times, Sunday, January 11. It was written by the Rev. J. Clarence Jones of Brooklyn who was a boy of eight years at the time and lived in Iowa. I can corroborate practically all his statements, as I was a child then and lived in Burlington, Iowa. I distinctly remember the phenomenon. Previous to the Eclipse we children were keen on collecting pieces of glass, any old shape, and smoking them so that we could look at the sun. I remember the first wee crescent of black taken out of the sun’s disk and gradually growing larger until only a crescent of light remained, then total obscuration. The masked sun caused twilight for a spell, so pronounced that the chickens went to roost — it was about 3 p.m. on an August day. I don’t recollect the exact period of obscuration but finally a little crescent of light appeared, spread, the children came out and the sun emerged in all its glory (Emily C. Alexander).
Several of the girls are being hailed as Joan of Arcs. These are the brave souls who arose at 5:30 on Saturday morning and drove to Mohonk to see the eclipse. They are very glad it comes once in 200 years.
Join the family! 
