Margaretville is a village in Delaware County, New York, United States. The population was 643 at the 2000 census.
The Village of Margaretville is in the Town of Middletown. The village is on the border of the Catskill Park. Margaretville is located at 42°8′51″N 74°39′4″W / 42.1475°N 74.65111°W / 42.1475; -74.65111 (42.147496, -74.651090)[1].According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 0.7 square miles (1.8 km2), all of it land.
Margaretville was the boyhood home of Dr. Orvan Hess, inventor of the fetal heart monitor and one of the first doctors to successfully treat a patient with penicillin. Hess was influenced by beloved Margaretville physician, Dr. Gordon Maurer. [2]
Margaretville served as a locale for the award winning 2000 film You Can Count on Me.
History
- In 1708, Queen Anne of England gave the Hardenburgh Patent to Johannes Hardenbergh and his associates.
- Chancellor Robert R. Livingston divided 221,748 acres (897.38 km2) of the land among his family.
- In 1763 Harmanus DuMond, was deeded seventy-five acres "opposite Margaretville" by Chancellor Livingston.[3][4][5][6]
- 1765 map by Will Cockburn shows a road from Marbletown to Pakatakan (near present day Margaretville and Arkville).[7]
- In the 1770s, the original settlers paid one hundred forty-nine pounds and 19 shillings to American Indians for the land.
- In June of 1778, a combined force of Tories and Indians led by Joseph Brant raided the East Branch of the Delaware including the Margaretville area.[8]
- August 26, 1778, general evacuation assisted by guard from Great Shandaken.[9]
- In 1778, the valley’s settlers were driven off by the American Indians. It was here that Tom Quick and Timothy Murphy became famous for their Indian slayings.
- Before the settlers were driven from their homes, they were given a timely and friendly warning by an Indian named Tunis and returned to the Hudson Valley. The settlers returned after the Revolutionary War.
- In 1779, a deed to a Lot No. 39 was given to Livingston’s sister, who married Morgan Lewis. A daughter, named Margaret, was born to them.
- In 1784, Ignos DuMond was the first settler in the current village. He sold his claim of land for $100 to John Tompkins, who then built the first sawmill.
- 1784 settlers return to area, including Ignos DuMond, nephew of Harmanus DuMond
- In 1820, the Old Stone Schoolhouse at Dunraven was built.
- By 1831, Orson M. Allaben began the practice of medicine. Dr. Allaben was also made first postmaster in June 1848, when Margaretville was designated as a post office station. It was actually a small addition made onto the G.G. Decker store.
- In 1850, the village was named in honor of Margaret Lewis (Livingston’s granddaughter). Until then, it had been known as Middletown Center, which took its name from its location, in the middle valley drained by the Hudson, Delaware and Susquehanna Rivers. It is one of the oldest towns in Delaware County.
- On 1875 May 8, the village became incorporated.
- in 1894, William H. Eells started the Margaretville Messenger newspaper.
- In 1904, Clarke A. Sanford bought the Margaretville Messenger, and changed the name to the Catskill Mountain News. Sanford’s editorial column was titled “Mountain Dew,” and ran until the 1960s
- In 1905, the Delaware and Eastern Railroad (later changed to the Delaware and Northern Railroad) was built. The railroad era lasted only into the 1940s.
- In 1907, Sanford brought the first automobile (a Pope-Toledo) to Margaretville.
- In 1922, Sanford built the Galli-Curci Theater (named after the famous singer) on Main Street.
- In 1925, Dr. Gordon Bostwick Maurer moved to the community and his village home quickly became a “veritable hospital”.
- On 1930 October 21, the Margaretville Hospital was incorporated, and was built using a two-story white farmhouse near the current high school.
- On 1931 January 13, the Margaretville Hospital was opened. It was run by Dr. Maurer until his untimely death in 1938.
- in 1939, the Margaretville Central School replaced a number of smaller local schools.
- in 1944 the Margaretville Hospital was expanded, and again in 1947.
- In 1954, the Pepacton Reservoir dam was finished, submerging the neighboring villages of Arena, Union Grove, Shavertown, and Pepacton over the next year. This caused a drop in local trade, but the project did give the village its own sewer system.
- In 1969, the Margaretville Memorial Hospital (dedicated to Dr. Maurer) replaced the older facility.
- On 1996 January 19, the entire downtown was damaged in a flood. The village lost 10 homes, a gas station, and a diner/ice cream shop.
- In 1999, circa June, the film You Can Count on Me was filmed in and around the village.
- On 2006 June 28, a smaller flood, washed out the annual Fireman’s fundraising carnival. (pictures, from the village’s website)
- On 2007 April 24, a 23 year old man—Travis Trim of North Lawrence, NY—shot a New York State Trooper, who was saved from serious injury by his bullet proof vest. The following day Trim and a different Trooper were killed in a shootout in a neighboring hamlet.[10][11]
Demographics
As of the census[12] of 2000, there were 643 people, 278 households, and 140 families residing in the village. The population density was 916.8 per square mile (354.0 /km2). There were 350 housing units at an average density of 499.1 per square mile (192.7 /km2). The racial makeup of the village was 97.98% White, 0.47% African American, 0.16% Native American, 0.78% Asian, and 0.62% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.93% of the population.
There were 278 households out of which 21.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.5% were married couples living together, 9.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 49.6% were non-families. 45.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 25.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.99 and the average family size was 2.78.
In the village the population was spread out with 19.3% under the age of 18, 3.0% from 18 to 24, 20.8% from 25 to 44, 22.1% from 45 to 64, and 34.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 50 years. For every 100 females there were 69.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 69.1 males.
The median income for a household in the village was $27,500, and the median income for a family was $37,188. Males had a median income of $32,500 versus $26,016 for females. The per capita income for the village was $15,437. About 12.1% of families and 16.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.0% of those under age 18 and 15.4% of those age 65 or over.
Notes
- ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2000 and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2005-05-03. http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/gazette.html. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ Baranauckas, Carla (16 September 2002), "Dr. Orvan W. Hess, Who Developed Fetal Heart Monitor, Dies at 96", The New York Times, http://www.nytimes.com/2002/09/16/obituaries/16HESS.html, retrieved 15 October 2009
- ^ Ethel, Bussy (1960). Margaretville: History and Stories of Margaretville and Surrounding Area. unk.
- ^ Smith, Anne (January), "Early Settlement of Middletown", Olde Ulster : An Historical and Genealogical Magazine VI (1): 12, http://www.archive.org/details/oldeulsterhistorjan1910king
- ^ Murray, David, ed (1898). Delaware County, New York; History of the Century, 1797-1897. Delhi, NY: William Clark. pp. 40-41.
- ^ Gould, Jay (1856). History of Delaware County. Philadelphia, PA?: Keeny & Gould.
- ^ Monroe, John D. (1949), Chapters in the History of Delaware County, New York, Delaware County Historical Association, p. 87, http://www.dcnyhistory.org/monroepages87_123.pdf
- ^ Affidavit of Barnabas Kelly, iii, Albany: State of New York, 1900, pp. 504-506
- ^ Monroe, John D. (1949), Chapters in the History of Delaware County, New York, Delaware County Historical Association, p. 53, http://www.dcnyhistory.org/monroepages42_86.pdf
- ^ Newman, Maria. 2 N.Y. State Troopers Shot; 1 Dies of Injuries New York Times (April 25, 2007)
- ^ Mahoney, Joe & Tracy Connor. Friendly fire - Trooper was shot by officer New York Daily News (April 28, 2007)
- ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
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