Putnam Historian

From a Bridge in Brooklyn to the Burial Place of Emily Warren Roebling: Gifted, Noble, True . . . and Washington’s Buried There Too! Cold Spring! Here’s another Great Grave of Putnam County recommended by local Cold Spring and Philipstown Historian Mark Forlow, with images and research supplied by Cassie Ward, Executive Director of the Putnam History Museum, Cold Spring, NY . . . Emily Warren was born in Cold Spring on September 23, 1843 and raised in the family home at 10...Continue reading

We were challenged by Cornell Cooperative Extension of Putnam County to the #maskupchallenge, so here it is! Just yesterday (l to r) Melinda Miller, research aide at the Historian’s Office, was joined by Kasey Calanan of Boscobel House & Gardens and Putnam County Deputy Historian Sallie Sypher reviewing a large format historical digitization project. A great mask-wearing partnership! We now challenge the rest of Kasey’s colleagues at Boscobel House and Gardens and Putnam H...istory Museum to #maskupputnam Be well, stay well!

A Political Life Well Lived Remembering John P. Donohoe A subtle but great grave in Putnam County is that of John P. Donohoe at the Cold Spring Cemetery. Our thanks to John Bradley, Village of Nelsonville Historian and member of the Putnam County Sheriff’s Department, who also specializes in the history of law enforcement in Putnam County. John Donohue was born in 1860 to immigrant parents, John and Catherine (Riley) who came to the US from Ireland around 1850 to a farm ...in Garrison, NY. He was educated locally and later attended the Eastman Business College in Poughkeepsie, NY. By age 21, he owned a milk route and then by age 27, he owned the Garrison Hotel. Around this same time, he managed the Cold Spring Recorder. Then came politics! In 1891, Donohoe was elected as assessor for the Town of Philipstown a role which he held for 15 years. He was elected Sheriff of Putnam County in 1897 but resigned in 1899 to become Deputy US Internal Revenue Collector for the 14th District (comprised of Westchester, Putnam and Dutchess). His many other hats in the political ring include appointment as an appraiser for the NYC Croton Watershed and four terms as NYS Assemblyman, representing Putnam County. In 1904, he married Maria Seeley and they had two children, Agnes and John P., Jr., who would follow in his father’s footsteps to become a prominent citizen of Putnam County serving as District Attorney and later to serve as NYS Supreme Court Judge. In his later years he was involved in real estate and is credited with negotiating the property sales of many country estates that line the shore of the Hudson River. Donohoe served on the Garrison School Board, was a member of numerous fraternal organizations including Knights of Columbus, Elks, the Grange, the Putnam County Agricultural Association, Putnam County’s Chamber of Commerce, and a member of St. Joseph’s Church, Garrison. Putnam Valley also benefits from Donohoe’s political life well lived: he was a charter member of the Lake Oscawana Association and the Cold Spring Club on the north shore of the lake. He is said to have been instrumental in preserving the lake as a summer resort by preventing legislation that would have allowed Peekskill to acquire the lake as a water supply. In 1930, Donohoe was returning from a West Indies cruise with his son and daughter when he suffered heart trouble and died at sea on March 12th. His full obituary can be found in the March 14, 1930 issue of The Putnam County Courier, available free online through HRVH Historical Newspapers (news.hrvh.org). Thanks again to John Bradley for this "Great Grave of Putnam County"! Putnam History Museum Putnam Valley Historical Society Putnam County Sheriff's Department The Putnam County News & Recorder

Updated: Putnam County voters making history on today’s l-o-n-g line to participate in early voting at the Board of Elections in Carmel, NY. The 2020 election is the first time in Putnam County...and New York State...for early Presidential race voting, aside from absentee votes.

Courtesy of Jack Duncan, Town of Southeast Historian: Happy "Birthday" to Brewster Troop One October 1910 : The Reverend Murray H. Gardner (First Brewster Scout Master and Future Scout Commissioner) registers Brewster Troop # 1 as the 27th registered troop Roster from original Troop One Brewster Longhouse Troop Scoutmaster: Murray H. Gardner Scouts Alphabetically:... 1. Emerson w Addis Jr 2. Moses Beal 3. Ross Beal 4. Warren Barnum 5. L. Stanley Day 6. Alfred Dahm 7. George Fagan 8. Perry Fowler 9. Walter Ganung 10. Rushmore Garside 11. Ward Hopkins (Our First Boy Scout) 12. Morris Heartfield 13. Seth Heartfield 14. Earl Merritt 15. Herbert Merritt 16. Fredrick Merritt 17. Leger Reynolds 18. Everett Ruggies 19. Aibrey Rundall 20. Warring Rundall 21. Edward Rundlett 22. Earl Tuttle 23. Lager Tilljander 24. James Vreeland 25. Reed Vreeland 26. Murray Wiltse Photo from the collection of the Southeast Museum.

Throwback Thursday: Mahopac High School music and enrichment activities from 1952. Recognize any bandmembers, mathematicians, chefs or cooks? If so, tag them! Our thanks to Barbara Bosch for the donation of "Wampum" Mahopac High School yearbooks from 1952 -1954, now part of the Historian's research library. Pay it forward: If you have local school yearbooks you no longer want, please consider donating them to local history. The Putnam County Historian's Office, your local town historical societies and/or museums are often interested. As always, feel free to message us with questions or for suggestions of good homes for any of your historic images and ephemera.

The Great Grave and Deep Roots of Henry L. & Lucia Smith Benedict By: Melinda Miller Henry Lamberton Benedict was a second-generation farmer with deep roots in Putnam County, namely his family farm in Patterson, NY. His wife Lucia Smith was the daughter of the traveling Episcopal clergyman, Rev. Orsamus Holmes Smith, and Lucy Ann Thorpe; their family eventually settled in Patterson at the end of his ministry....Continue reading

Another Circus Story: The Side Saddle Empress and the great grave of Lily Deacon Forepaugh Lily Deacon Forepaugh (1856-1946) was a local legend to several generations during more than half a century that she lived in the Town of Southeast. Born in London to Jane (Mozely) Jee and John Deacon, a musician from York. Lily grew up to become a leading equestrienne of her time and she was a champion hurdle rider with a mastery of Haute Ecole riding skills that won her acclaim...Continue reading

A great, and mysterious, grave of Putnam County Here’s a great grave history mystery: in the Adams Corners Cemetery, the inscription on Phebe Lehman Barger’s headstone refers to her as Princess in the Putnam Valley historical community her grave is referred to as that of the German princess, could there be forgotten royalty buried in Putnam Valley? Andrew (or Andries/Andros) Barger and his wife Phebe were early settlers in the Philipse Patent, and according to records, ...they were born before 1700, died date unknown. Their son John is buried next to them with a Son’s of the American Revolution grave marker. Today the princess grave is nearly illegible but the mystery still remains, was she truly a princess? Perhaps the truth is buried with them. All Barger ancestors and super sleuth genealogists are invited to help solve the princess mystery! (Please leave your comments with this post.) Luckily for us, Ron Peterson saw to it years ago that this unusual grave was photographed as part of his study of nearly all the burial grounds in Putnam Valley. Peterson has photographed all of the old gravestones that he could find and deciphered all that were legible. He mapped the cemeteries so that gravestones can easily be located, and he correlated each grave with Barbara Buys’ Old Gravestones of Putnam County, New York. In the Historian’s Collection, HC410, E. Ronald Peterson Research Papers: Putnam Valley Families and Cemeteries is Ron Peterson’s gift to Putnam County History. His papers were donated to the Putnam County Historian’s Office in 2013, are an invaluable collection for anyone researching Putnam Valley families. Putnam Valley Historical Society Putnam County Tourism

Great Graves of Putnam County: The Barretts headstone in Union Halstead Cemetery, Kent, NY Laboring on the farm and chopping wood are common tasks of many of Putnam County’s early farming families. This unique headstone, image courtesy of Kent Historian, Jacqueline Rohrig-Strickland, is from the Union Halstead Cemetery in Kent, NY. The stacked logs are likely a tribute to a farmer’s life dedicated to clearing the land, hard day labor work, and keeping one’s family warm and f...ed during the winter months. In 1858 Solomon Barrett resided in Brewster when he purchased a farm in Kent Cliffs. In his obituary, Solomon Barrett was referred to as a resident of Wicopee (Kent Cliffs) and he was the son of Laymor and Delilah Barrett. His wife Sarah Knox was born at Drewville in the Town of Southeast to Hannah and Edmund Knox. Unfortunately, Solomon and Sarah lost a number of children,often way too young, during their marriage but luckily the Barrett’s other children populated throughout Putnam County and beyond, with their own families. The Barretts were associated with many Barretts from Putnam Valley as well. They were members of the Kent Cliffs Baptist Church and Solomon, Sarah, Hannah, and Laborn are buried in the Halstead Union Cemetery with this unique log stacked headstone. Kent Historical Society Putnam Valley Historical Society

A circus must see, we must say! In honor of this weekend’s Path Through History Weekend At Home weekend, the Putnam County Historians’ Office, in partnership with Southeast Museum, and with support of Putnam County IT present: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nDJu9RZJsQ0

Here’s another installment of Great Graves of Putnam County! This time, the Circus is in Town: the mausoleum of Seth B. Howes Seth B. Howes (1813-1901) became the most famous, the richest, and the most successful circus proprietors of his time. Born in the town of Southeast, he first joined his brother Nathan’s circus as a performer and gained great experience about running a show. Eventually, having his own show with partner Joseph Cushing, Howes introduced the American c...ircus to Europe. His mausoleum is located at the Milltown Rural Cemetery in Brewster, NY, where many other Howes family members are at rest. This great grave is a real showstopper! It is prominent in its construction and placement and most notable about it is the brass ring that encircles it, a nod to his career in the circus ring. This weekend marks the debut of Historic Putnam County & the Birth of the American Circus, a virtual exhibit hosted and narrated by Putnam County’s well-known journalist and skilled storyteller, Eric Gross. It is a virtual presentation by the Historian’s Office, in partnership with Southeast Museum. This lesson in local history, including much more about Seth B. Howes, can be found on the County’s YouTube channel as part of the virtual events to celebrate Path Through History Weekend at Home, October 10-12, 2020, a semi-annual event through New York State Tourism. (A link will be provided in a future post, stay tuned!) For more information on events throughout the Path Through History at Home weekend, visit www.iloveny.com Tilly Foster

Another installment of "Great Graves of Putnam County": William Rohrig Letting off Steam The Steam powered engine design on Rohrig’s stone was based on the painting by Victor G. Westman not only an engineer on the Harlem Line but an extraordinary painter too! Victor’s original painting is featured on the paperback cover The Putnam Division about New York Central’s bygone route through Westchester County by Daniel R. Gallo & Frederick A. Kramer. William Francis Rohrig was... born March 15, 1912 and enjoyed painting, fishing, hunting, and hiking throughout his youth in Brewster, New York where he lived until the 1950's. He worked for Nate Wittenburg delivering cattle to Canada before he started work at New York Central Railroad as a conductor until his retirement. He was a Legislative representative for the union, then called the United Transportation Union. His railroad nickname was "Poison Pen" due to the letters he wrote on the conditions of the railroad and in defense of his co-workers. From his days with a poison pen to his final resting place at Raymond Hill Cemetery, William will forever be remembered as part of the railroad family. Content and images courtesy of William’s daughter, Jacqueline Rohrig-Strickland, Town of Kent Historian Town of Carmel Historical Society Kent Historical Society Putnam County Tourism