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A Bit of History About Catskill
In many parts of the United States, when one says they are from Catskill, NY, the listener immediately thinks about the Catskill Mountains. But those that live here, know better. Yes, the Catskill Mountains are beautiful. Known for hiking, camping, rock climbing, birding, skiing, and a wealth of historic sites, the mountains are a fantastic tourist destination.
But Catskill, NY actually lies along the Hudson River in the foothills of the Catskill Mountains. Initially inhabited by the Lenni Lenape, indigenous people who established villages along the Hudson. They fished in the river and creeks and hunted for game in the rich habitat of the highlands, thousands of years before the arrival of the Europeans.
In 1609, Henry Hudson, an English sea explorer, anchored the Half Moon on the shores of what is the present-day Village of Catskill. The Dutch followed, setting up a post on the Catskill Creek. Many were traders, but they also established farms, as the lands proved to be quite fertile. By the 1850s, many goods, ranging from honey, grain, to tanned hides passed through the port. Ice was harvested from the frozen river and its tributaries. The blocks were insulated with saw dust, stored in ice houses. and shipped to New York City for early refrigeration in spring and summer.
Greene County was formed by an act of the New York State Legislature in 1800 with a population of 13,000 residents. Today, it consists of 14 towns and 5 villages with a population of 48,000 people.
The Town of Catskill was established in 1788, as part of Albany County, but when Greene County was formed, Catskill became part of the new county. Located in the southeastern section of the county, the town grew and later decreased upon the formation of the towns of Cairo(1803) and Athens(1815). The town currently comprises 64 square miles, of which ~4 consist of water with the balance being land. It has a population of 11,300 (2020).
The village of Catskill was the primary settlement of the town, located in the northeast on both sides of the Catskill Creek. Steamboats stopped there where tourists could take stage coaches to mountain retreats. Today it is home to 3763 residents (2023) with a well-defined Main Street lined with flowering trees and some pocket parks maintained by Cultivate Catskill.
Like other river towns, Catskill initially flourished with boat building, brick-making and milling. The village and the town prospered after the Civil War. By the mid 19th century, the county became known for its resorts, and the region evolved to focus on the tourism industry. Today the largest industries include Health Care and Social Assistance, Public Administration, and Retail.
Other notable facts include:
* Thomas Cole, founder of the Hudson River School of Painting, lived in Catskill from 1827 until his death in 1848, His farm and house is now a National Historic Site. One of his students, Frederic Edwin Church (1826-1900), became a renowned landscape painter who lived across the river in what is now known as Olana, a New York State Historic Site.
* Catskill is the location of the short story, “Rip Van Winkle”, by Washington Irving that was first published in 1819. The bridge crossing the Hudson River that was completed in 1935 also bears this name.
* The ‘Black Bridge’ that spans the Catskill Creek was originally built as a railroad bridge. Today, it still survives as a walkway and a carrier of utility lines.
* The Catskill Public Library is an early Carnegie Library and built to Carnegie’s standard plan as a medium-sized library.
* Mike Tyson, former world professional boxing champion, lived in Catskill with Cus D’Amato (1908-1985), an Italian-American boxing manager and trainer, who subsequently adopted him.
Cultivate Catskill 