LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION commemorating the 200th Anniversary of the County
of Sullivan, New York

WHEREAS, It is the intent of this Legislative Body to honor and commem-
orate the proud and distinguished histories of the communities which
comprise the noble body of this great Empire State; and
WHEREAS, Attendant to such concern, and in full accord with its long-
standing traditions, this Legislative Body is justly proud to commem-
orate the 200th Anniversary of Sullivan County, New York, to be cele-
brated on Friday, March 27, 2009; and
WHEREAS, Sullivan County was created from Ulster County on March 27,
1809, and named in honor of Major General John Sullivan, a leader in the
Revolutionary War; and
WHEREAS, The Algonquin speaking Lenape, the first known inhabitants of
the area, lived in the region mainly in the warm weather months, when
they could hunt, fish, and farm; with the arrival of the first Europeans
and the encroachment of the tribes of the Iroquois confederacy from the
north, the Lenape began to move westward to the Ohio Valley; by 1730,
the exposure to these other cultures and subsequent outbreaks of previ-
ously unknown diseases, along with several wars fought with the
Iroquois, left the area vacant; and
WHEREAS, Settlement by Europeans began slowly and, at first, was south
of the Shawangunks and along the Delaware River; Mamakating was first
settled after 1728, Neversink about 1743, and Cochecton and Tusten about
1757; the county's other towns were settled before the Revolution with
the exceptions of Highland, Rockland, Liberty and Bethel, which were
settled between 1789 and 1798, and Callicoon, which remained unsettled
until 1814; and
WHEREAS, The region was sparsely inhabited at the time of the Revo-
lution; in a 1778 engagement in Neversink called the Battle of the
Chestnut Woods, a contingent of 18 militiamen was slain by a force of
loyalists and their Indian allies; in 1779, about 120 Patriots led by
Colonel John Hathorn pursued the Mohawk leader Joseph Brant and a small-
er group of Indians and Loyalists to near present-day Barryville, where
they fought the Battle of Minisink; the Patriots suffered a devastating
defeat; soon afterward, General John Sullivan led his expedition against
the Six Nations across present Mamakating, en route west; and
WHEREAS, The construction of the Newburgh-Cochecton Turnpike, which
connected the Hudson River and the Delaware River, spurred the settle-
ment of the interior; the Delaware & Hudson Canal brought economic pros-
perity and led to substantial population growth; the canal opened in
1828, and, in its first 20 years of operation, the county's population
more than doubled, passing 25,000 before the 1850 census; the New York
and Erie Railroad along the Delaware River was completed through the
county in 1849, and by 1872, the Monticello & Port Jervis and the New
York and Oswego Midland (later the Ontario & Western) had been
completed; and
WHEREAS, The abundance of timber throughout the county provided the
earliest industry; Daniel Skinner rafted the first timber to Philadelp-
hia in 1764, and other men soon followed suit, providing soft woods for
the shipbuilding industry; for the next 80 years or so, timber was
Sullivan's primary export; and
WHEREAS, The Newburgh-Cochecton Turnpike carried grain, pork, butter
firkins, wooden scoops and shovels, and barrel staves and hoops out of
the county and brought sugar, spices, coffee and household goods and
farm tools into it; the turnpike crossed the Delaware & Hudson Canal at

what was later known as Wurtsboro, providing transportation for expan-
sion of the tanning industry; and
WHEREAS, Hides were brought in on the canal and tanned at dozens of
large operations, many employing hundreds of men, and the finished prod-
uct was shipped out by the same method; the tanning industry peaked
during the Civil War, when the demand for leather boots, belts, bridles,
holsters, and saddles was at its highest; and
WHEREAS, Another industry dependent on the forests was the production
of wood chemicals; "acid factories" began with one at Acidalia in 1878,
and spread along the Willowemoc in Fremont and Rockland, producing chem-
icals from hardwood distillates for wool cloth processing; and
WHEREAS, Early industries declined as resources were depleted and
farming became stronger; agriculture, which peaked in the late 1800s,
consisted mainly of dairy and poultry farming and supporting hay and
grain crops; in 1900 about 75% of the land was farmland; and
WHEREAS, Sullivan County's industrial production was relatively limit-
ed; there was an early paper mill at Fallsburg, and the Long Eddy
Hydraulic and Manufacturing Company (1867) attempted to dam the Delaware
River for power and created the county's only incorporated city, Doug-
lass City (1867-73); at Livingston Manor, Spalding baseball bats were
made (1877-1900) and later, bowling pins; in Tusten, blasting powder and
excelsior were produced; in the 19th Century, ironwork and cigars were
made in Monticello while, in the 20th Century, gloves, Christmas tree
lights, toy trucks and flavorings were the village's products; and
WHEREAS, Vacationers discovered Sullivan County by the mid 19th Centu-
ry; its first summer hotel was built by J.B. Findlay at White Lake in
1846; two years later, the Mansion House, the oldest hotel still stand-
ing, opened its doors; the railroads provided new access to the unparal-
leled natural beauty of the area which they promoted aggressively, lead-
ing to an unprecedented growth in tourism; the construction of hundreds
of small hotels and boardinghouses followed, catering first to sportsmen
and then to summer tourists of various types; and
WHEREAS, A period of great prosperity in the area (1890-1915) is today
known as "the Silver Age" and was typified by hotels such as the Wawonda
and the Swannanoa in Liberty, the White Sulphur Springs House, the Fern-
dale Villa, and the Frank Leslie in Monticello; while at first they
offered their guests simply fresh air, clean water, farm fresh vegeta-
bles and milk, and plenty of shade, by 1895, lawn tennis had become an
attraction, and by 1897, golf was offered; the county's first golf
course was opened that year at the Trout Valley Farm on the Beaverkill
and several more, including three official nine-hole courses, followed
by 1901; and
WHEREAS, A seasonal influx of New York City-based Jewish immigrants
began in Glen Wild in 1899; some purchased struggling hotels; others
came to farm, but soon found that they could make more by entertaining
friends and relatives in the spare rooms than from the soil; this
provided Jewish vacationers a place to spend their free time in the
company of other Jews; most notable among these early Jewish hoteliers
were Selig and Malke Grossinger in Liberty, the Kutsher family near
Monticello, and Fleischer and Morganstern, who purchased the Flagler
House in Fallsburg; another type of resort was created by wealthy urban
sportsmen with Hartwood and Mamakating Parks and artists at Merriewold
Park (1889); meanwhile, the Willowemoc and Beaverkill remained major
fly-fishing destinations; and
WHEREAS, By about 1940, the county had become a mostly Jewish resort
area; the resorts no longer depended on the railroads to bring guests to
them, and the newfound freedom that the automobile provided brought
about changes in both the resorts and their patrons; now the hotels

comprised multiple buildings, mostly stucco or other masonry in a new,
distinctive architecture called Sullivan County Mission; many became
year-round establishments, with glitz and glamour as the goal; the
hotels of this "Golden Age" varied greatly in size and in degree of
luxury, and were as much different from each other as they were from
their predecessors of the Silver Age; and
WHEREAS, In August of 1969, approximately 500,000 people from all over
the country converged on a field in Bethel, New York, for a three-day
event that was planned for a fraction of that number; heavy rains and
inadequate facilities did little to dampen the enthusiasm of the crowd,
which enjoyed "three days of peace and music"; this event, the Woodstock
Music Festival, helped define a generation; and
WHEREAS, As Sullivan County celebrates its 200th birthday, Bethel
Woods, a state-of-the-art performing arts center, has been developed at
the site of the Woodstock Festival in Bethel; there is a motor racing
venue in Monticello, and there is a renewed appreciation for the natural
beauty and abundant wildlife, including the bald eagle, of the region;
tourism continues to be the area's primary economic force as second home
owners swell the population considerably each summer; and
WHEREAS, Of historic origin, and remaining fruitful over the ebb and
flow of decades of growth and change, Sullivan County continues to
provide the quintessential quality of life for its residents; and
WHEREAS, The residents of Sullivan County have a bright outlook for
the future of their community, which remains a beautiful place in which
to live and raise a family; and
WHEREAS, In recognition of Sullivan County's rich history and enduring
contributions to the State of New York, this Legislative Body is honored
to pay tribute to this spirited county upon the occasion of its 200th
Anniversary; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
commemorate the 200th Anniversary of Sullivan County, recognizing the
significance of the role it continues to play in the life of the commu-
nity of the State of New York; and be it further
RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be tran-
smitted to Sullivan County.