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 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 Community Christmas Tree was taken down on Tuesday morning. It has been a thing of beauty and joy to all beholders.
There were about 55 couples present at the New Year ball at the New Paltz Opera House held on Friday evening. Highland was well represented, about one fourth of the whole number present being from Highland. The dancing was prolonged until after 3 o’clock on Saturday morning. The music was by DuBois’ orchestra of New Paltz. The dance was given by the Social Club, the officers of which are J. B. Schoonmaker, president; Jay LeFevre, vice-president; H. G. Gregory, secretary and treasurer; H. H. Grimm, chairman executive committee. Silas VanWagenen furnished the supper. Among those present from out-of-town were Dr. and Mrs. Voss of Gardiner and Mr. and Mrs. Wm. H. VanWagenen of Poughkeepsie, beside a larger number from Highland. The opera house was specially decorated for the dance, with a bell above the center of the room and streamers leading off in different directions.
School at the Normal reopened on Tuesday. We are glad to see the teachers and students back. It has seemed dull without them.
Eight or ten of the smaller children are brought from Mohonk to our village each morning to attend the school here.
Improvement is the order of the day at the New Paltz laundry. A new ironing machine is to be installed this week. The laundry is doing considerable work for the new school at Mohonk.
The Hudson has remained open this year, much later than it did last year. Then, the upper Hudson was practically closed north of Catskill on the 17th, the ferry stopped running, and there was ice cutting on nearby ponds December 22.
The death rate in Poughkeepsie for the past year is 13.7 per 1000 population and this is said to be the lowest on record. There were 547 deaths and 845 births.
The large flag of the Eltinge Post has been taken to the Memorial House: also one smooth bore flint lock musket and bayonet, one ancient sword, one line-officer’s sword, formerly carried by Capt. Bowen of Highland.
The New Paltz Savings Bank calls attention to the fact that is has existed just 50 years. The bank has enjoyed great prosperity from the outset and the deposits now amount to nearly $2,500,000. Jacob D. Wurts was the first depositor and the account still remains in the family.
Work at filling the Petersen icehouse commenced on Tuesday. The ice is about twelve inches thick and is taken from Petersen’s Pond, formerly the Perry Deyo pond. It will take about five days to fill the building. It will hold more ice than heretofore, because no part of the building will now be used for the cold storage of apples.
Raymond Sharp, youngest son of Wm. Sharp of Clintondale, who suffered a fracture of his skull when the sled on which he was coasting collided with a pole, has been discharged from Vassar Hospital of Poughkeepsie with the assurance that he needs no further surgical aid.
D. F. Jewett has forty cows on his farm in the northern part of our village, formerly the Mrs. Simon Hasbrouck place. He proposes to enlarge his stables to accommodate more cows. They receive the best care in every respect. The milk is all certified and sold to a private company in New York.
Councilman Lester Lutz of Berwick, Pennsylvania, is somewhat of a chicken fancier. Several weeks ago he tried the experiment of placing in his chicken coop electric lights that switch on about four o’clock in the morning. He believed it would result in getting more eggs from the hens. That stunt didn’t work because the chickens failed to be aroused even by the light in the pen, but Lutz thought further than that. He got an alarm clock and put that in the pen, so it would ring every morning at four o’clock, the same time the lights were switched on. “Formerly I was getting only six eggs a day from a pen of twenty Leghorns,” said Lutz. “Now I am getting twelve, thirteen and fourteen eggs from the same hens.” At least one New Paltz poultry man that we know of has used electric lights to increase his egg production with good results, but we haven’t heard of any of them trying an alarm clock.
Quaker Maid, Reg. 1380, won third prize and Princess Yoetta, Reg. No.8468, won fourth prize at the Madison Square Garden show in New York last week. These rabbits were of the Flemish Giant breed and certainly made a fine showing when you consider the immense exhibit. They were bred and exhibited by Dan Lawrence of New Paltz. He has been in the game for several years and his rabbitry on Chestnut Street [Where the Post Office now.] is well stocked with several breeds of thoroughbreds.
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