Deerpark Diary Town of Deerpark 1863 School House Museum Town of Deerpark Historian, P.O. Box 621, Huguenot, 12746 (845) 856-2702 website--1863schoolhouse.org

June 2012 Vol.9 No. 2 Features route taken by and will explain the story connected his Tory troops during the July 20, with each happening, as the bus makes stops at the following his- • Deerpark History 1779 raid on the Neversink Valley toric markers along the route: Comes Alive during the Revolutionary War. Both of these events are 1. Indian Raid Signs— highlighted in this issue. Rt. 42 & Rt. 97 • Joseph Brant Bus 2. Indian Raid Sign— Tour Joseph Brant Bus Tour Peenpack Trail & Rt. 209 3. Neversink Drive 4. Major Decker’s Fort— • The Rest of the Every year there is a Bat- Militia meets Story tle of Minisink Memorial Week- end at Minisink Ford. To explain 5. Solomon Davis Gristmill the events that led to this battle 6. Black Rock School • D & H Canal the Town of Deerpark Museum is Painted Apron Story Towpath Trail sponsoring a bus tour on July 21, 2012 following the route taken by

• D & H Preservation Joseph Brant during his raid on the Neversink Valley on July 20th, • Historic Marker 1779. The tour starts and ends at the Sparrowbush Fire House, Update Main Street, Sparrowbush, NY. All participants will meet at 7:45 Deerpark History Comes a.m. There will be free coffee Alive and snacks available before the bus leaves promptly at 8:00 a.m. Reservations are required. Forms Painted Apron Drawing from Magazine of A special celebration American History Vol. X, October, 1883 are available at Town Hall, at the was held on May 19th marking Town Museum, 1863 School- the Grand Opening of the D & house, 25 Grange Road or on the 7. Willahousa Cave— H Canal Towpath Trail. Hikers website www.1863schoolhouse. Major Decker’s escape from Orange and Sullivan County org. For additional information, 8. Anthony Van Etten joined members from the D & H call 845-754-8070. Tickets will Smithy—J. Swartwout’s escape Conservancy, the Orange County be sent to registrants in the begin- 9. Fort Van Auken--Only Parks Department and the Orange ning of July. Tickets are necessary fort Brant could not destroy County Citizens Foundation along because space is limited. 10. Solomon Kuykendal the newly cleared three mile sec- Reenactors will be on the Homestead tion of the towpath between Hu- bus in costume to explain what 11. Simon Westfall guenot and Cuddebackville. happened on that eventful day Homestead ~ during the Revolutionary War. 12. Cole’s Fort On Saturday, July 21st the Frank Salvati will give extensive 13. Maghakamik Church Town of Deerpark Museum will background material. Reenactors 14. Peter Kuykendall Home sponsor a bus tour following the & Tavern before us to lay in ambush. These division which split off Wisner’s two rascals were afraid when they division. This cut off one third of saw the path, and did not return to the militia force from the battle. inform us, so that the rebels had Nothing more was heard about fair play at us.’ this division. Gradually the mili- After the attack, Brant and tia was hemmed in upon a rocky his men marched northward to- hill by Brant’s forces. The battle ward Grassy Swamp Brook near raged for about four hours in bru- the Mongaup River where he had tal July heat. There was no water left a number of his followers or food and little ammunition by and they made camp to spend the late afternoon. At that point Brant night. noticed a gap in the American The river territory was line. Members of the militia re- Maghakamik Church Drawing from Magazine wild and hostile. About fifty treated toward the river trying to of American History Vol X, October, 1883 miles from their homes, the militia save themselves. Lieutenant Col- came upon a recent campground onel Tusten, a physician, stayed 15. — of Brant’s warriors. It was at this with the wounded he was treating. (The Minisink Valley Historical point that the militia realized that These men were killed by Brant Society will hold a cooking dem- the raiders were much stronger and his raiders. onstration.) than anticipated. The colonels The next morning Brant The bus will return to the wanted to wait for reinforcements and his party continued north with Sparrowbush Fire House where a before attacking, but the rank and their plunder. box lunch will be available (must file threw caution to the winds and The bones of those slain be ordered at reservation time). wanted to move forward. in the , were This will also give time for ques- Brant’s war party and left for forty-three years. In 1822, tions. Hathorn’s militia approached the Dr. David Arnell of Goshen and The tour will end in time Minisink Ford by different routes. a group of others gathered the so that anyone wishing to attend Brant traveled north along the bones and brought them back to the Battle of Minisink Memorial and Hathorn’s Goshen and placed them in two Program at Minisink Ford will be men traveled through the hills by walnut caskets. On July 22, 1822 able to do so. That program be- way of the Kesherthton path. their caskets were buried and the gins at 2:00 p.m. As the militia approached First Minisink Monument was Minisink Ford, the battle was dedicated. The Rest of the Story joined. Captain Bezaleel Tyler was sent ahead with a small inter- cepting force. The rest of the men Brant reported ‘I left this were divided into three divisions-- place (Minisink) about 8 o’clock Lieutenant Colonel Benjamin Tu- next day and marched fifteen sten on the right (top of Ambush miles. There are two roads, one Hill)--Hathorn and his men in the through the woods (Peenpack center--Lieutenant Colonel Wis- Trail), and the other along the riv- ner on the left. Captain Tyler or er. We were coming up this way one of his men, fired prematurely the next morning, and I sent two D&H Canal Towpath Trail giving away Hathorn’s planned men to examine the other road, the ambush. Brant who was about a only way the rebels could come to The D & H Canal Tow- quarter of a mile downstream of attack us. These men discovered path Trail was officially opened Minisink Ford when the firing the enemy’s path, not far from our at 9:00 a.m. on May 19th, 2012 at began, brought forty of his men camp, and discovered they had got the former C & D factory’s park- behind Hathorn’s and Tusten’s ing lot, Route 209, with a special Parking Lot (54.68): When the D Lock 55 “Neversink” (52.29- ribbon cutting ceremony. Doing & H Conservancy discovered that .27) 10’ lift: Berm wall is in great the honors were Cliff Robinson a small part of the former C & D shape. and Burt Thelander, of the D & H factory’s parking lot was covering Lock 54 “Neversink” (52.03- Conservancy, Rich Rose, Orange part of the canal, an agreement to .01) 10’ lift: Much of this lock has County Parks Dept. and Nancy move the existing fence onto their both sides caved in or covered by Proyect, Orange County Citizens property was negotiated. This cre- fill. Foundation. ated a parking area for the canal Lock 53 “Neversink” (51.86- trail. D & H logo signs mark the .84) 10’ lift: Most of this lock is site. intact. Cuddeback’s Basin (54.45): Lock 52 “Neversink” (51.77- Several boats could moor here for .75) 10’ lift: This lock is in great the night. shape with just some of the lower Bridge Site (54.32): This bridge wing wall collapsed. The house to marks the half way point on the the right of the towpath was the canal. At one time the bridge had lock tender’s house and telegraph signs on both sides, one that read, station. “54 Miles to Honesdale” and the other, “54 Miles to Kingston”. Ribbon Cutting—left to right, Nancy Van Etten’s Bridge (53.95): The Proyect, Orange County Citizens berm abutment is intact. Foundation; Burt Thelander, Vice Pres. D&H Conservancy; Rich Rose, Orange Bridge Site (52.91): Manville County Parks Dept.; Cliff Robinson, Wakefield,Coal Boats to Tidewa- Pres. D&H Conservancy ter, calls this a “change bridge”. Photo Courtesy Andy Komonchak The towpath continued on both sides of the canal all the way to It was a perfect spring day the aqueduct. This was neces- West Abutment of Roebling Aqueduct over the Neversink River when about thirty hikers helped sary because there was a current Photo Courtesy Andy Komonchak celebrate the occasion by hiking in the canal from the Neversink from Huguenot to the Neversink Feeder to this point. This neces- West Abutment of Neversink River Aqueduct abutment in Cud- sitated the use of double tow lines Aqueduct (51.62): This is one debackville. As a memento of the to pull loaded canal boats against of four aqueducts that Roebling occasion, small booklets, noting the current. built to carry the canal across the specific, significant stops, were river.” given to participants. Cliff Robin- The trip ended with a son had copies of canal era pic- comfortable mini-van ride back tures pertaining to these stops and to the parking lot. Everyone there explained the significance of each enjoyed themselves. site. Stickers denoting these stops were affixed to the booklets, cre- D & H Preservation ating special souvenirs. The fol- D & H Canal Lock 56 Photo Deerpark Historian’s Office lowing information was provided Since the 1960s, there by the D & H Conservancy. Lock 56 “Mineral Springs” has been a resurgence of interest “Mileages were noted, (52.61-.57): 10’ lift: This was the in the D & H Canal. Four impor- based on David Barber’s book: A first of six locks that lifted boats tant canal sections are designated Guide to the Delaware and Hud- heading east, the only ones that as National Historic Landmarks: son Canal, and are miles from did so. All others dropped boats Rondout; Cuddebackville; Roe- Eddyville, where the canal met heading east. The lock was buried bling Delaware Aqueduct; Hones- tidewater at the Rondout River. when Graham Road was built. dale. Many miles of canal are pre- al trail. Over the years volunteers Historic Marker Update served as open space, with more from the D & H Conservancy have being added each year. Stretches cleared brush and cut trees making As you drive through Deer- of canal are enjoyed for hiking, the towpath passable. A few years park you will notice that a num- walking, biking and cross-coun- ago the Conservancy received ber of the historic markers have try skiing in all of the counties the a $125,000 grant to improve the been repainted. Michael Murphy, canal goes through. trail and build three bridges to Eagle Scout Candidate, (Troop Since 2001, the D & H cross over breached sections of 68, Cuddebackville) and his help- Transportation Heritage Council, the canal. These bridges will have ers have been very busy working a partnership of nonprofit organi- to be completed before the entire on the signs along Route 209. It zations, businesses, government trail can be utilized. takes much work to complete one agencies, and interested indi- sign. Each must be scraped and viduals, has been committed to cleaned. The entire sign is then promoting the appreciation and painted blue. Finally yellow paint preservation of the D & H trans- is applied to the lettering and the portation system. This includes post is painted black. Michael’s the canal from Kingston in Ulster goal is to have them all completed County, through Sullivan and Or- in June. He will also photograph ange Counties along the Delaware each sign and using GPS note the River to the Gravity Railroad in coordinates of the location of each Pennsylvania. sign. This information will be In Orange County all of marked on a topographical map. the land along the D & H Canal Next year this map will be avail- from the Port Jervis/Deerpark Original D & H Canal stonework along the able on the Town of Deerpark line to the Westbrookville/Sulli- Trail. All work was done with hand tools and website along with links showing van County line is owned by the no mortar to hold the stones. Photo courtesy Andy Komonchak the photos of each sign. County. Eventually this entire The Deerpark Highway distance will be cleared for rec- Last year the Orange Dept. has installed new and re- reational purposes. A one mile County Citizens Foundation also paired signs. Volunteers painted stretch of the canal within the Or- joined in the effort to make this all of the signs along Neversink ange County D & H Canal Park, project a reality. The Foundation Drive in preparation for the Jo- Hoag Road, Cuddebackville, has was instrumental in the creation seph Brant Bus Tour. The next been enjoyed by visitors since of the D & H Canal Park. phase will be to paint the rest of the 1980s. On May 19th this trail Anyone interested in vol- the signs along the Tour Route. was extended to Huguenot. In unteering to work on the trail can If anyone knows of a sign late summer the trail from Port contact Cliff Robinson at the D that needs paint, please call the Orange to the Otisville Road in & H Conservancy, 119 Mandy’s Historian’s Office 845-856-2702. Westbrookville will be opened. Rd., Westtown, NY 10998, Phone We will try to have it painted this In time the entire Orange County 845-674-8010, www.dandhcon- year. Thank you. section will be connected to the servancy.org. trail completed by Sullivan Coun- 2012 Museum Programs ty north of Westbrookville and to July 20—Brant Bus Tour the existing trail in Port Jervis. September 30—Open House at In September 2006, Cliff the Huguenot 1863 Schoolhouse Robinson organized the D & H October 14—Basha Kill Area & Conservancy to preserve the D Queen Basha Program & H Canal and make it available, December 3—Annual Tree Light- once again, to serve the needs of ing & Holiday Sing-Along the area, this time as a recreation-