World’s oldest forest unearthed in Catskills quarry
Millipedelike creatures called myriapods likely shared this forest ecosystem, but dinosaurs would not begin to evolve for another 140 million years.
Local History
A time of ferment: The rise and legacy of Poughkeepsie brewing tycoon Matthew Vassar
Matthew Vassar barely acquired any formal education, being kicked out of night school after throwing a bottle of ink at the schoolmaster who had just smacked him in the head with a ruler. A niece named Lydia Booth, who had begun her teaching career as a private tutor and opened the Cottage Hill Seminary on Poghkeepsie’s Garden Street, was the first to plant in Matthew’s mind the notion that a fully accredited college for women was direly needed.
Smithsonian traveling exhibit “Water/Ways” opens at Maritime Museum
“Water/Ways” explores the ways in which water affects our everyday lives. It’s an essential component of life on our planet, environmentally, culturally and historically.
The brief reign of downhill skiing in the Shawangunks
Although the Gunks are known more for their abrupt drop-offs than for their slopes or their altitude, they did enjoy a brief heyday as a downhill destination.
Secret in the stones
Duck Pond Cabin foundation at Mohonk Preserve evokes era of hands-on learning.
The life & times of Rondout transport tycoon Thomas Cornell
The Cornell Steamboat Company’s fleet was the dominant towing operation on the Hudson from 1880 to the 1930s, peaking at more than 60 vessels.
Written in stone: The surprising career of Pine Hill’s scientist/philanthropist Henry Morton
In 1870 Morton became the first president of the newly founded Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, and used his own personal wealth to equip its labs with steam engines, tools and electrical equipment. He experimented and published widely, and was elected to membership in the National Academy of Sciences. He also spent summers in the Catskills, and in 1897 he established Pine Hill’s first library.
The Heart of the Matter: The Unknown Hervey White
Part IV in a series on Hervey White. Erroneously named “founder” of Woodstock by Life magazine in 1938, White [1866-1944] is better described as godfather of a town he personally transformed into America’s most famous Bohemia, earlier even than 1920. But despite this fact, and although admired by artists and farmers alike, Hervey lived and died an enigma. Some knew part, but none knew all his secrets.
Historic Saugerties farm up for sale
The historically significant Snyder Farm, located on Rt. 212, includes the family’s stone house built in the 1800s, a farm house across the road, one of the few remaining barns built in the Dutch manner, and of course its sledding hill used by generations of Saugerties youngsters each winter.
Remembering the old Kingston Post Office
Wednesday, Dec. 11 from 4-7 p.m. at 63 Main St., Friends of Historic Kingston and Blauweiss Media are hosting an open mic where the public is invited to a free event to share memories and anecdotes about the Old Post Office in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of its demolition.
