History Monticello, New York

1 history

1.1 pre-civil war
1.2 post-civil war
1.3 masonic history
1.4 recent history

history
pre-civil war

on march 20, 1801, act passed authorizing building of new turnpike road hudson river delaware through ulster , orange counties. there 2 important reasons undertaking. 1 facilitate travel between newburgh , rich coalfields of pennsylvania , other provide suitable passage large droves of cattle , wood products taken virgin forests of sullivan county. proposed newburgh , cochecton turnpike brought founding of village of monticello.

two brothers, samuel f. jones , john patterson jones, built monticello. turnpike company entrusted samuel f. jones explore vast forests west of mamakating valley find best route new turnpike. while engaged, jones foresaw ulster county undergo many changes , growth when new turnpike completed, realized because of growth new county formed out of southwestern part of county. predicted county seat new county located along new turnpike. returning home, samuel related predictions , vision younger brother, john.

john joined brother , in part of 1803, bought 2 tracts of wilderness totaling 1,861 acres (8 km) paid $4,613. since samuel occupied surveying route new turnpike, left john start making immediate improvements land. john arrived later year eleven men, , after putting temporary shelter east of monticello, commenced working on sawmill. work halted when brothers returned new lebanon, connecticut, home winter resumed following spring. john returned work on lands in april 1804, while samuel continued working turnpike company. after john put sawmill in operation, started clearing , seeding land west of monticello. built gristmill used grinding grain.

the final route cochecton-newburgh turnpike determined spring, , precisely samuel jones wanted it. brothers determined build intended city. @ time name monticello given planned village. brothers ardent admirers of thomas jefferson, invented word 2 latin words meaning heavenly mountain , mr. jefferson gave home place.

before log house built in monticello or first tree cut, farseeing brothers first surveyed planned village, laying out broad streets , central park. trees marked indicate lines. consequently, monticello became grand town wide streets, magnificent shade trees, , beautiful public square. in addition, samuel jones planned, newburgh , cochecton turnpike ran straight through village.

soon after survey completed, john jones selected lot residence, , on september 4, 1804, own hands felled first tree marked site of future home. house located on turnpike (on corner of broadway , saint. john s st) across park , completed december. john lived there until died. samuel still involved turnpike, john later built first part of brother s house. in 1807, samuel built large addition dwelling.

as inducement inhabit village, brothers offered 1-acre (4,000 m) lots build , settle there. advertisements inserted many newspapers of southern counties enticed many take advantage of offer. 1 of these pioneers platt pelton of putnam county, tanner trade, came monticello in 1804. built sawmill , temporary shanty. following year erected second house in monticello. in 1805, john p. jones built blacksmith shop , miles curtis put house. sometime summer curtis lindsley commenced building hotel, later county court held until courthouse built.

on march 27, 1809, act of legislature, sullivan county created part of ulster. in june new county government organized , john p. jones became first county clerk. later elected state senator , held several other public offices. samuel f. jones became 1 of county s first judges , in 1811, when postal route went operation newburgh ithaca, new york, samuel became monticello s first postmaster.

david hammond, became active businessman in village, came monticello in 1805 or 1806. in 1811, built mansion house. eli fairchild came monticello in 1815. built first iron foundry on main st. , gristmill , sawmill on cold spring road. businesses conducted many years. ephraim lyon burnham came monticello time , established large tannery, later owned strong, starr , company.

by 1813, there twenty houses in monticello various places of business. village incorporated on april 20, 1830.

on 13 january 1844 great fire swept county seat destroying, other structures, county s buildings.

on 14 august 1862, mr. john c. holley received authority recruit regiment in sullivan county, organized @ monticello, david p. dewitt colonel, , there mustered in service of united states 3 years october 8, 1862. companies recruited principally in: @ monticello, fremont, bethel, rockland, forestburg, liberty , beaver kill; b @ bethel, thompson, fallsburg, forestburg , stormville; c @ fallsburg, rockland, grahamville , neversink; d @ ithaca , lansing; e @ wurtsborough, bridgeville, monticello , phillipsport; f @ fremont, callicoon, jeffersonville, rockland , monticello; g @ fremont, bloomingburg, neversink, monticello, thompson, cochecton , tusten; h @ liberty, monticello , rockland; @ dryden , cochecton; k @ cochecton, monticello, tusten, callicoon, highland , thompson.

the regiment left state october 14, 1862; served in defenses of washington in 3rd brigade, abercrombie s division, october 16, 1862; in 3rd, hughston s, brigade, gurney s division, department of virginia, @ suffolk, virginia, april, 1863; in 1st brigade, gordon s division, of 7th corps, may, 1863; of 4th corps, june, 1863; in 1st brigade, 3rd division, 11th corps, july 14, 1863; in 3d brigade, 1st division, 20th corps, april, 1864; in 2d brigade, bartlett s division, 22d corps, june 30, 1865; and, under col. horace boughton, honorably discharged , mustered out july 20, 1865, @ , near washington, d.c.

during service regiment lost death, killed in action, 3 officers, 13 enlisted men; of wounds received in action, 2 officers, 25 enlisted men; of disease , other causes, 1 officer, 177 enlisted men; total, 6 officers, 215 enlisted men; aggregate, 221; of whom 3 enlisted men died in hands of enemy; large loss accident (9), principally caused railroad accident on march 20, 1863.

post-civil war

even though village grew great deal turnpike, village not fortunate railroad. although 1 survey erie railroad went monticello, when final route determined did not go near village. later when midland railroad (later o & w) built through sullivan county, missed monticello going through fallsburg 5 miles (8 km) away. railroad line between monticello , port jervis launched in 1869 formal opening taking place on january 23, 1871. name of little railroad changed several times before taken on new york o & w in 1903. o & w ran line until suspended in 1935.

on august 10, 1909, monticello suffered worse calamity in history when fire wiped out of business section of village. thought fire started large burned out smokestack belonging murray power plant. fire broke out on tuesday evening 8:30 when evening mail arriving. streets, stores , hotel porches thronged summer visitors when alarm sounded. time firemen responded , hoses laid power house roaring in flames. fire spread huge palatine casino, consumed in fire in matter of seconds. strong wind spread fire building building , in less hour, both sides of street fury of fire. when on forty buildings had been consumed along million dollars worth of property. fortunately, no lives lost hundreds of horrified people watched, powerless save 1 hundred years of growth , industry. monticello quick rebuild; replacing many of wooden buildings more fire resistant ones made of brick. unfortunately, replacing beautiful trees once lined broadway take great deal longer.

some pioneer hotels in county located in monticello; mansion house , rockwell important places during sullivan county resort era. there lot of summer activity , entertainment in monticello. during 1900s, there driving park association held races in village. in 1910 lyceum , largest theater in county opened in monticello. successful until 1922 when moviegoers visited rialto theater, new showplace in town. monticello amusement park popular until burned in 1932. monticello played host sullivan county fair on fifty years until closed in 1931. although few of monticello hotels made transition later resort age, village continued draw tourists stayed @ nearby hotels , bungalow colonies.

a compact , run-down african-american district once stood on wheeler , young streets in village s west end. neighborhood demolished in 1970s construction of government center.

in 2008 widening of broadway begins allowing space median 45-degree parking, disappointment of many once tree-lined street (broadway) has been cut bare.

masonic history

according grand lodge records 8 lodges have been established in sullivan county. earliest recorded lodge in sullivan sullivan no. 272 warranted @ monticello, january 2, 1817. first lodge founded in sullivan county. in june 1835, lodge disbanded.

recent history

the bennett family house, chevro ahavath zion synagogue, rialto theater, , st. john s episcopal church , rectory listed on national register of historic places.