Historical Society of Middletown, Delaware County, NY

05/30/2026

Three young friends on the steps of the Marks home, Swart St., Margaretville, l. to r.:

Dawn Birdsall Roadman, Willis Marks and June Close Valk. The house was a Sears Roebuck catalogue house, now the home of Gail Lennstrom. It is 100 years old this year.

05/25/2026

Take a few minutes this Memorial Day to read the names of Revolutionary War veterans who settled or lived for a time in Middletown. There were 40 of them, collected here with additional information about their lives.

PRESERVATION PROJECTS: Revolutionary War Veterans In commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence and the start of the Revolution in 1776, HSM documented the service of 40 Revolutionary War veterans who lived in Middletown after the war. Revolutionary War....

05/23/2026

SCAM ALERT!
Apparently scammers are using our page to urge people to buy Historical Society t-shirts and giving them a url to order them. Don't waste your money, folks! We are NOT selling t-shirts!

05/19/2026

Back in the day, if you needed to lay a water pipe, you didn't call a contractor with a backhoe to dig a trench, you picked up a shovel and did it yourself. That's what Raymond Ward was doing when he was captured in this photo, c. 19teens, supplied by his great grandson, Leonard Utter. The photo was taken on the Embree Johnson farm, formerly the Gavette farm, on what is now state land at Kelly Hollow, Millbrook.

05/15/2026

05/13/2026

This little guy, one of 9 goslings on the History Center pond, is too cute for words. Luckily, we have John Lehmann to take a picture, worth a thousand of them. John will give a slide show of his nature photographs Sat., June 6 at 2 p.m. Meantime, you can see the new family in person when you come to the program on Esopus Indians and their world 1730-77 this Sunday, May 17 at 2. The History Center is at 778 Cemetery Rd., Margaretville.

05/10/2026

Happy Mother's Day! Andrew and Laura Worden VanBenschoten welcomed their second son, Edward Gerald, known as Jerry, on May 18, 1919. He joined big brother Roland ("Rolly") who would come to own the family farm in New Kingston. A third brother, Robert, was born in 1921. Jerry passed in 1985, Rolly in 1998 and Bob in 2012. Laura, their mom, was 88 when she died in 1978.

05/06/2026

Laura Sanford is among several volunteers who are cleaning headstones in Middletown cemeteries this month. It's a fundraiser for HSM and a way to show our respect for folks who helped build our community.

04/30/2026

Middletown History Center is open May 2

The Middletown History Center, 778 Cemetery Road, Margaretville welcomes visitors Saturday, May 1 from 10 to 1. Sit by the pond, bring lunch to enjoy at the picnic table, view an exhibit on historic Arkville (including this aerial image of the B. J. Harrison chair factory taken by Bob Wyer in the 1940s) and check out the genealogical and historical documents in the Nicholas J. Juried Archives.
The History Center will be open the first Saturday of the month through November, or by appointment: [email protected],; 845-586-2400. Assistance is available for those researching genealogy or house history, looking for community or business photos or seeking other information in the extensive archives.
The History Center’s hall is available for event rental. Stop by to check it out. You can also find out about volunteer opportunities with the Historical Society of the Town of Middletown.

04/25/2026

Judson Fabian Kirke, born in Fleischmanns in 1888, was a major league baseball player who wore the jerseys of Boston, Cleveland, Detroit and the NY Giants during the 19-teens. Shown here in 1912, he was a powerful hitter, and, they say, something of a comedian. He married a Louisiana woman and they had three children, the family living with his parents in Middletown in the 1920s and '30s. Come to the Middletown History Center Sunday, Apr. 26 at 2 to hear more about Jay (1888-1968) and other ballplayers in a talk by Collin Miller of the Mountain Athletic Club.