The ‘‘Our town’’ column is compiled each month for the New Paltz Times by Carol Johnson, coordinator of the Haviland-Heidgerd Historical Collection. The entries have been copied from the April issues of the New Paltz Independent. If you would like to get a closer look at these newspapers of the past, visit Carol Johnson and the staff of the Haviland-Heidgerd Historical Collection at the Elting Memorial Library, located at 93 Main Street, or call 255-5030. Meanwhile, enjoy these words from a century ago.
The annual meeting of the New Paltz Study Club was held Tuesday at the home of Mrs. Bowman LeFever. The following officers for the year were elected: President, Miss Cora DuBois; secretary, Mrs. Louis D. LeFevre; treasurer, Mrs. Stahl. Miss Ella McLaury had charge of the program, which consisted of readings and phonographic selections portraying the humorous side of life among the American, British and Canadian soldiers during the war. The program committee was authorized to select a number of subjects for presentation to the club, one of which to be decided upon for next year’s course of study. At the next meeting, on April 15, Helen Dawes Brown, who has a summer home at Onteora, will lecture on Alsace-Lorraine. Prof. Textor of Vassar College is scheduled to give another of her lectures on Russia in the near future.
Many persons went from our village to Kingston on Tuesday to attend the big parade in honor of the returning soldiers. About 25 took the train at the New Paltz station. The parade was the greatest ever witnessed in that city. Among those who marched in the parade were Harvey G. Gregory, Frank J. LeFevre and Elting Harp.
Frank J. Steen of Walden was in our village on Saturday. Mr. Steen, Abm. J. DuBois and Melvin Smith, all former New Paltz men, are carrying on the manufacture of paper bags on a large scale at Walden. Mrs. Steen’s brother Peter Marquet is now a colonel in the American army in Europe. Walter Marquet, who was our pet when the family lived on our street [Elting Avenue] about 30 years ago, and who was then three or four years old, is a captain in our army in France.
The Ulster County Chapter of the Red Cross has recently shipped 3,553 garments of new clothing and 5,968 garments of old clothing to the refugees.
Four airplanes flew over Highland Monday of last week, coming up from Mineola to help open the Victory Loan campaign at Poughkeepsie.
The fact that the call for the Victory bonds is only for $4,500,000 is a pleasant surprise. The rate of interest, 4 ¾ per cent is higher than for previous bond issues. The quota of New Paltz is $147,750.
Three Land Army camps are assured for Ulster County this summer. These camps are to be located at Milton, Marlborough and Highland, and if the need is sufficient, other camps may be placed in the county. It is planned to send between 25 and 75 girls to each camp.
A stock company is in course of formation at Clintondale to finance and construct a cold storage plant and fruit packing factory which is to be located near the railroad tracks west of the village.
It is expected that the highway bridge over the Wallkill between Gardiner village and Tuthill will be ready for use in a few months. On the end where the slide occurred, resulting in making the abutment decidedly unsafe, men have commenced work. The abutment will be entirely reconstructed. Owing to the scarcity of men the work will probably proceed somewhat slowly, Meantime people will detour via the old bridge [Phillies Bridge] at the P. B. Hasbrouck place.
The Springtown farmers are planting potatoes. Jesse Deyo has 100 bushels planted already.
Henry Kaiser plowed the land in the rear of the Magdalene DuBois house, now owned by George e. Johnston, Monday. Potatoes and other vegetables will soon be sprouting there. [Where the New Paltz Post Office and parking lot is now.]
Work on the new Normal building has made good progress of late. It is to be completed in a few weeks. Slate and marble workers are now busy. More carpenters are coming this week. Sam Dayton is painting. The plastering is about completed. None of the flooring has yet been laid. It came, however, some time ago and has been stored in a barn. A great portion of the new building is taken up by the auditorium, which is expected to seat 1200 people — that is 200 more than our Reformed Church will seat.
Clean Up Day was observed in our village on Monday. The old tin cans, empty bottles, etc., that have been accumulating for the past year were gathered up and put into barrels by the side of the street and then carted off to the dump by the wagon of the street commissioner.
This section of the country was hit last Thursday and Friday nights by the heaviest April frost recorded here in a hundred years, the thermometer Friday dropping down to 22 degrees, doing much damage to strawberries, peach trees, cherries and other fruits whose buds were sent ashooting earlier in the week by warm weather and heavy rains. Many farmers in this section burned brush all night Friday and Saturday in their orchards, it is said, to prevent the buds from freezing.
An unusual entertainment will be given in the Modena church, Friday evening, May 2, by Grace M.E. choir, Newburgh, consisting of over 40 voices. They promise this concert will be better than any given by them before. Entertainment, 25 cents; good supper served, 35 cents.
The Victory Loan Committee of New York has notified the Local Loan Committee that one of the Whippet tanks that pierced the Hindenburg Line will be at New Paltz on May 6 to give an exhibition. The tank will be in charge of a company of 15 of Pershing’s Men, who will operate the tank, firing the rapid fire guns, etc. The committee have secured the Old Normal School grounds for the exhibition and the crew of the tank will give a demonstration of what a tank can do, in and out of the cellar of the Old Normal ruins. This exhibition will be free. The tank will arrive about noon and the committee in charge will receive word one hour in advance of its arrival. The fire bell will ring one hour before the arrival of the tank, thus giving everybody ample time to come out and see the tank and hear the speeches. The tank on its arrival at the outskirts of the village will be met by the following organizations: New Paltz boys home from service, New Paltz Fire Department, Boy Scouts, Students from New Paltz Normal and high school, Huguenot Grange, Business Men. A parade will immediately form and escort the tank to the Old Normal School grounds where there will be speaking, singing and an exhibition by the tank.
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