In his farmer's journal for February 1899, Smith Austin of Carmel records a problem caused by a blizzard. He and John Wixson, a tenant farmer, were unable to ship milk for several days because the "rods" (roads) were buried in snow. Wixson couldn't retrieve his empty milk cans, which sat at the Mahopac railroad depot, and Austin couldn't take his cans to Mahopac Falls or the Mine (German Flats) depot. Waste not, want not, so some gets churned to butter -- but soon, every handy container is full of milk...
Monday, Febuary 13th
Wether: ’nother big snow storm, bliserd, & high wind.
Know gittin’ thrue with milk. I suvel [shovel] snow all day. Shuvel to sprng in west swamp, spout froes up & haf to bring warter from thar. John Wixson sends know milk to-day, rods drifet up, can’t git thrue.
Tuesday, Febuary 14th
Wether: clear’d, & the bliseard of agane, this four-noon, & drifet sum.
Codent send know milk to-day, rods all block up. Know-boddy suvlin’ out rods. John Wixson braut 2 cans of milk in house & put in pans on table, in pans to chirn [churn]. Haf to bring warter from Robert springs. Saint Val’tine Day. Half pork, half haz.
Wensday, Febuary 15th
Wether clear ‘four Noon, but clowed up after-noon, & looks like another snow storm.
Rods ain’t shuvel out yet. John Wixson ships know milk to-day, again; got every-thing ful of milk. Know-body bin hear to-day.
Thursday, Febuary 16th
Wether worm, but clowin’ agane, looks like rain.
Rods ‘bout shovel out; I & John Wixson shovel’d from my barn yard. Gat up Sackrider hous, but know milk goes to-day -- train ain’t up to mind yet.
Friday, Febuary 17th
Wether partly clear, & snow settlin’ down.
Rober com last knight & got milk, & we went to Falls depo with cans, & John Wixson went to Mahopac & got cans, & milk car up mind for first to-day. & we dun two chirning to-day. I got rod shuvel’d, yet west torgs Isac Hulce, yet going do it ‘morrow.
--------
From the journal of Smith S. Austin (1830-1909), in the files of the Society. Spelling left as-is, punctuation added.
Friday, December 14, 2007
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
Allen Raymond Pike, 1918-2007
Allen R. Pike, compiler of the extensive genealogy "John Pike of Newbury, MA", passed away on Aug. 20.
He was a native of Caribou, ME, born July 14, 1918, a son of Eugene Hale Pike and Edna Estella Russell.
Allen retired in 1975 from two decades in Putnam County as a speech therapist and school dramatics director.
He served as organist of the Mr. Hope Methodist Church in Mahopac Falls, being an accomplished musician, former member of the Boston Festival Chorus, and holder of several degrees in music.
He was avidly involved in historical activities in the area. His presence and participation will be sorely missed.
He was a native of Caribou, ME, born July 14, 1918, a son of Eugene Hale Pike and Edna Estella Russell.
Allen retired in 1975 from two decades in Putnam County as a speech therapist and school dramatics director.
He served as organist of the Mr. Hope Methodist Church in Mahopac Falls, being an accomplished musician, former member of the Boston Festival Chorus, and holder of several degrees in music.
He was avidly involved in historical activities in the area. His presence and participation will be sorely missed.
Monday, August 13, 2007
Create a House History!
It might be the house you were born in, or your grandparents' house, the first house you owned, or the old house you live in today. Would you like to tell the world about it?
The new place to do just that is http://www.thatsmyoldhouse.com . A free membership gives you access to the site, where you can search existing posts -- about 1400 so far in its first month. Suggestion: spell out the state, as apparently it hasn't been told how to read state abbreviations yet!
Then, if you wish, start a form on your favorite old house. Add a photo (up to 200kb), and relate its prior ownership, history, who in your family lived there, your fondest memory of the place, and so on. You'll be among the first; there are only 16 postings in New York to date, and only one in Putnam, but it'll be growing.
If your photo's too big, drop us an e-mail and we can help shrink it.
The new place to do just that is http://www.thatsmyoldhouse.com . A free membership gives you access to the site, where you can search existing posts -- about 1400 so far in its first month. Suggestion: spell out the state, as apparently it hasn't been told how to read state abbreviations yet!
Then, if you wish, start a form on your favorite old house. Add a photo (up to 200kb), and relate its prior ownership, history, who in your family lived there, your fondest memory of the place, and so on. You'll be among the first; there are only 16 postings in New York to date, and only one in Putnam, but it'll be growing.
If your photo's too big, drop us an e-mail and we can help shrink it.
Friday, August 3, 2007
Gregory Cemetery, Carmel
Gregory Cemetery was located on a hill east of Horse Pound Road, Carmel, a short distance north of Stebbins Road and the District School. These dirt highways were cut off a century ago when the creation of the reservoir left them sitting on a NYC-owned peninsula on West Shore Drive. The associated settlement was Gregory's Mills, clustered near Croton Falls Road and Horse Pound Road (now underwater).
This cemetery (approx. 100x110) is not listed in Buys' reference. There are about 57 burials, though mostly all are marked with fieldstone shards and not identifiable. Some may have been moved here from cemeteries on lower ground. The stone wall on the east is old; the rest of the wall is a well-fitted trapezoid.
Marked burials:
Daniel Gregory, d. 18 Nov 1817 aged 65 y. (Additional commemorative/veteran markers.)
Elizabeth Gregory, wife of Daniel, d. 12 Oct 1841 aged 82y.
Lewis Gregory, son of Daniel and Elizabeth, d. 27 March 1819 aged 32y.
Esther, wife of Charles Williams, d. 17 Aug 1822 aged 21y.
One other stone, lying face up and weathered near the northeast corner, needs a gentle cleaning and transcription.
NOTE: posted NYC-DEP reservoir land, access restricted. The dirt portion of Stebbins Road is found opposite the stop sign at West Shore and Stebbins.
GPS: 41°22.124'N, 073°40.383'W.
Map location: http://wikimapia.org/#y=41368500&x=-73673072&z=15&l=0&m=a&v=2
This cemetery (approx. 100x110) is not listed in Buys' reference. There are about 57 burials, though mostly all are marked with fieldstone shards and not identifiable. Some may have been moved here from cemeteries on lower ground. The stone wall on the east is old; the rest of the wall is a well-fitted trapezoid.
Marked burials:
Daniel Gregory, d. 18 Nov 1817 aged 65 y. (Additional commemorative/veteran markers.)
Elizabeth Gregory, wife of Daniel, d. 12 Oct 1841 aged 82y.
Lewis Gregory, son of Daniel and Elizabeth, d. 27 March 1819 aged 32y.
Esther, wife of Charles Williams, d. 17 Aug 1822 aged 21y.
One other stone, lying face up and weathered near the northeast corner, needs a gentle cleaning and transcription.
NOTE: posted NYC-DEP reservoir land, access restricted. The dirt portion of Stebbins Road is found opposite the stop sign at West Shore and Stebbins.
GPS: 41°22.124'N, 073°40.383'W.
Map location: http://wikimapia.org/#y=41368500&x=-73673072&z=15&l=0&m=a&v=2
Thursday, July 19, 2007
Brewster: Bookbinding Children's Workshop
Learn the art and history of bookbinding and about Brewster’s famous bookbinder, Edith Diehl. Have fun making a special book to preserve memories.
Southeast Museum, 67 Main Street, Brewster – Sat., July 28th at 10:30AM
Reservation required - Mary Ann Taormina, 845-279-7500 semeducation@verizon.net
Southeast Museum, 67 Main Street, Brewster – Sat., July 28th at 10:30AM
Reservation required - Mary Ann Taormina, 845-279-7500 semeducation@verizon.net
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
The Carmel Dress Code
There are many towns in the United States whose lawmakers are considered a bit loony. Our town is one of them, apparently -- that is, if you were to believe this local law, which dozens of websites around the world claim is absolutely authentic:
In Carmel, N.Y., a man can't go outside
while wearing a jacket and pants that
No doubt we all agree (well, mostly all) that it's a sensible rule of thumb, and can see to its enforcement without a formal law. One website commenter, with tongue in cheek, thought it to be excellent:
This law isn't silly. Write your legislators today
and get this PASSED in your area now!!
As the keepers of Carmel history, may we categorically state the obvious, for the benefit of webmasters everywhere, that it has never been a law in Carmel -- alas.
It gained its popularity around 1991 in a book by Robert Pelton, a satire on actual rules of early America that seem outlandish now (for example, that a flagman must lead an automobile through city streets), and was assigned randomly to Carmel. The idea may have originated in a humor article, or perhaps in one of those fund-raisers where a local figure is "jailed" for a silly reason until the population donates his "bail money" for a charity.
Loony Laws That You Never Knew You Were Breaking (Westminster, MD: Ivy Books, 1991) is still found on the used-book market.
In Carmel, N.Y., a man can't go outside
while wearing a jacket and pants that
do not match.
No doubt we all agree (well, mostly all) that it's a sensible rule of thumb, and can see to its enforcement without a formal law. One website commenter, with tongue in cheek, thought it to be excellent:
This law isn't silly. Write your legislators today
and get this PASSED in your area now!!
As the keepers of Carmel history, may we categorically state the obvious, for the benefit of webmasters everywhere, that it has never been a law in Carmel -- alas.
It gained its popularity around 1991 in a book by Robert Pelton, a satire on actual rules of early America that seem outlandish now (for example, that a flagman must lead an automobile through city streets), and was assigned randomly to Carmel. The idea may have originated in a humor article, or perhaps in one of those fund-raisers where a local figure is "jailed" for a silly reason until the population donates his "bail money" for a charity.
Loony Laws That You Never Knew You Were Breaking (Westminster, MD: Ivy Books, 1991) is still found on the used-book market.
Monday, July 16, 2007
Going to Press
Carmel, George Whipple's book in Arcadia's Postcard Series, has been published. It should be available in nearby bookstores soon, and is now listed online at Amazon.com. Many of the cards in the Historical Society's collection are reproduced in this book.
Christine O'Connor was honored at Putnam History Day for her transcription of early Putnam Valley town documents. Such books are a boon to genealogists and historians, but a long and tedious process for the preparer.
Christina Mucciolo of the Putnam Historian's office has now gone to press with a similar effort, Patterson, NY Town Clerk Records, 1795-1863, published by Kinship.
Vincent Dacquino explores the haunted Hudson Valley in The Dead Live Here, to be published later this year -- Hallowe'en, perhaps! -- by Purple Mountain Press. Vin previously reconstructed the true life of Sybil Ludington.
Christine O'Connor was honored at Putnam History Day for her transcription of early Putnam Valley town documents. Such books are a boon to genealogists and historians, but a long and tedious process for the preparer.
Christina Mucciolo of the Putnam Historian's office has now gone to press with a similar effort, Patterson, NY Town Clerk Records, 1795-1863, published by Kinship.
Vincent Dacquino explores the haunted Hudson Valley in The Dead Live Here, to be published later this year -- Hallowe'en, perhaps! -- by Purple Mountain Press. Vin previously reconstructed the true life of Sybil Ludington.
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