Review Home Schoharie County HISTORICAL REVIEW — Spring 2003 Cover/Contents
History in the News Richmondville Society to Convert Feed Mill Into a Museum The Richmondville Historical Society has purchased the former C. A. Bunn Feed Mill on High Street, built about 1885, and plans to reopen it as a working museum. The 12,000-square feet building was apparently was built as carriage factory, was purchased in the 1890s by C. Arthur Bunn for use as feed mill, and was used at a feed mill as late as the 1980s. The society hopes to have at least part of the mill ready for tours on Richmondville Day in June. – L.E.H.
The Old Stone Fort in Schoharie, the Duncan Best house in Middleburgh and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Gallupville have been placed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Stone Fort is well known to Society members. Schoharie town historian Anne Hendrix prepared the application. The Best House, now a medical museum operated by the Middleburgh Library, was listed August 15, 2001. Best House museum focuses on the life and practice of the Dr. Christopher S. Best family and rural American life in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. His son, Dr. Duncan Best, died on July 18, 1991 at the age of 88 and left the house to the Middleburgh Library. Anne Doerge is Best House director. The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Gallupville was built in 1853 and has had continuous service since. The congregation plans to celebrate its 150th anniversary this year. The building is considered to be an intact example of Greek revival architecture. Church member Barbara Waring prepared the application. The Gallupville Methodist Church was placed on the register in May, 2001. – L.E.H.
Schoharie entries for the Encyclopedia of New York State have been completed by Dawn and Peter Johnson of Schoharie. Syracuse University Press is behind the effort to produce the encyclopedia, the first reference work of its kind to be published in more than 50 years. The one-volume print edition of the encyclopedia will consist of approximately 1,500 pages, 4,000 articles, 500 illustrations, 120 maps and 140 tables. An electronic edition will be even more extensive. The encyclopedia will have an entry on each county and town in the state. The 1,500-word Schoharie county entry includes basic demographic, geological, meteorological, religious and political information and glosses the county’s history and economy, following the standards and format established by encyclopedia editors. The Johnsons also submitted an entry on New York’s centennial farms. Peter Johnson holds a PhD degree in history from Syracuse University and was a principal assistant in preparation of the recently published David Rockefeller memoirs. Dawn, who holds a master’s degree from Syracuse, has retired from teaching history in the New York City public school system. More information about the Encyclopedia of New York State may be found at http://encyclopedianys.syr.edu – L.E.H.
Schoharie County and the Town of Blenheim lost a devoted historian and ardent supporter on January 7, 2003, with the passing of Josephine Dunham Fuller. Josephine was Town of Blenheim historian from 1979 until her death. Through her efforts, the Blenheim Bridge Historical Society was organized and a one-room schoolhouse owned by the town was converted into a museum. She became an authority on the history of the Blenheim covered bridge and its builder, Nicholas Powers, and worked with the county and New York Power Authority to ensure the bridge’s ongoing preservation. Her strength of determination and selfless contributions will be greatly missed. – Helene Farrell
Richard G. Hanson, an active supporter of the Schoharie County Historical Society and a Society trustee since 1998, died on November 8, 2002. He was elected supervisor of the town of Middleburgh in 1995 and chairman of the Schoharie County Board of Supervisors in 2002. His wit and wisdom will be missed by all. – Anne W. Hendrix |