Margaretville, New York

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Margaretville is a village in Delaware County, New York, United States. The population was 643 at the 2000 census.

The Village of Margaretville is in the Town of Middletown. The village is on the border of the Catskill State Park.

Margaretville is located at 42°8′51″N, 74°39′4″W (42.147496, -74.651090)^GR1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 1.8 km² (0.7 mi²), all land.

[edit] History [1]

In 1708, Queen Anne of England gave the Hardenburgh Patent to Johannes Hardenburgh and his associates.
Chancellor Robert R. Livingston divided 221,748 acres of the land among his family.
In the 1770s, the original settlers paid one hundred forty-nine pounds and 19 shillings to American Indians for the land.
In 1778, the valley’s settlers were driven off by the American Indians. It was here that Tom Quick and Timothy Murphy became famous for their Indian slayings.
Before the settlers were driven from their homes, they were given a timely and friendly warning by an Indian named Tunis and returned to the Hudson Valley. The settlers returned after the Revolutionary War.
In 1779, a deed to a Lot No. 39 was given to Livingston’s sister, who married Morgan Lewis. A daughter, named Margaret, was born to them.
In 1784, Ignos DuMond was the first settler in the current village. He sold his claim of land for $100 to John Tompkins, who then built the first sawmill.
In 1820, the Old Stone Schoolhouse at Dunraven was built.
By 1831, Orson M. Allaben began the practice of medicine. Dr. Allaben was also made first postmaster in June 1848, when Margaretville was designated as a post office station. It was actually a small addition made onto the G.G. Decker store.
In 1850, the village was named in honor of Margaret Lewis (Livingston’s granddaughter). Until then, it had been known as Middletown Center, which took its name from its location, in the middle valley drained by the Hudson, Delaware and Susquehanna Rivers. It is one of the oldest towns in Delaware County.
On 1875-05-08 the village became incorporated.
in 1894, Mr. Eels started the Margaretville Messenger newspaper.
In 1904, Clarke A. Sanford bought the Margaretville Messenger, and changed the name to the Catskill Mountain News. Sanford’s editorial column was titled “Mountain Dew,” and ran until the 1960s
In 1905, the Delaware and Eastern Railroad (later changed to the Delaware and Northern Railroad) was built. The railroad era lasted only into the 1940s.
In 1907, Sanford brought the first automobile (a Pope-Toledo) to Margaretville.
In 1922, Sanford built the Galli-Curci Theater (named after the famous singer) on Main Street.
In 1925, Dr. Gordon Bostwick Maurer started a “veritable hospital” in a small farmhouse near the current high school.
On 1930-10-21, the Margaretville Hospital was incorporated, and was built using a two-story white farmhouse in the center of town.
On 1931-01-13, the Margaretville Hospital was opened. It continued to be run by Dr. Maurer until his untimely death in 1938.
in 1939, the Margaretville Central School replaced a number of smaller local schools.
in 1944 the Margaretville Hospital was expanded, and again in 1947.
In 1950, the Pepacton reservoir dam was finished, submerging the neighboring villages of Arena, Union Grove, Shavertown, and Pepacton. This caused a drop in local trade, but the project did give the village its own sewer system.
In 1969, the Margaretville Memorial Hospital replaced the older facility, and was dedicated to Dr. Maurer.
On 1996-01-19, the entire downtown was damaged in a flood. The village lost 10 homes, a gas station, and a diner/ice cream shop.
On 2006-06-28, a smaller flood, washed out the annual Fireman’s fundraising carnival. (pictures, from the village’s website)

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^GR2 of 2000, there were 643 people, 278 households, and 140 families residing in the village. The population density was 354.7/km² (916.8/mi²). There were 350 housing units at an average density of 193.1/km² (499.1/mi²). The racial makeup of the village was 97.98% White, 0.47% African American, 0.16% Native American, 0.78% Asian, and 0.62% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.93% of the population.

There were 278 households out of which 21.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.5% were married couples living together, 9.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 49.6% were non-families. 45.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 25.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.99 and the average family size was 2.78.

In the village the population was spread out with 19.3% under the age of 18, 3.0% from 18 to 24, 20.8% from 25 to 44, 22.1% from 45 to 64, and 34.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 50 years. For every 100 females there were 69.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 69.1 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $27,500, and the median income for a family was $37,188. Males had a median income of $32,500 versus $26,016 for females. The per capita income for the village was $15,437. About 12.1% of families and 16.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.0% of those under age 18 and 15.4% of those age 65 or over.