Wawarsing

by Pamela Kuhlmann

Overview

Established in 1806, the town of Wawarsing is located in the beautiful Shawangunk Mountains in Ulster County. The town is comprised of many small hamlets, as well as the village of Ellenville. The abundance of mountain streams provided electricity to run factories, and in the early 1900s, these communities were flourishing. The Delaware and Hudson Canal opened in 1828 and provided a venue for factories to transport goods. Following the close of the canal in 1898, the Ontario and Western Railroad took over, shuttling summer vacationers from New York City. The vintage postcards in Wawarsing provide views of the Delaware and Hudson Canal, the Ontario and Western Railroad, and a glimpse back to a quieter time when the mountain and valley landscape provided picturesque locations for lovely hotels and boardinghouses.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780738562605
Publisher:	Arcadia Publishing SC
Publication date:	01/21/2009
Series:	Postcard History Series
Pages:	128
Product dimensions:	6.30(w) x 9.20(h) x 0.50(d)

About the Author

Pamela Kuhlmann, a postcard collector for many years, has an avid interest in local history. Born and raised in the town of Wawarsing, she has been employed by the Ellenville Central School District as an elementary school teacher for more than 20 years.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments 6

Introduction 7

1 Canal Boats and Trains 9

2 Places of Learning 17

3 Houses of Worship 25

4 Vacationing in Wawarsing 37

5 Business and Industry 83

6 Having Fun 105

7 Streets, Roads, and Residences 117

Bibliography 127

Editorial Reviews

Title: Bookmarks: Local authors

Author: Staff Writer

Publisher: Times Herald-Record

Date: 10/25/09



Title: 'Postcard History Series: Wawarsing'



Author: Pamela Kuhlmann, a native of Wawarsing in Ulster County, put her collection of postcards in a book so that the rich history of the town could be enjoyed by all. Her mother, Carolyn Kuhlmann, also contributed her postcards to the project.



Occupation: Kuhlmann is a first-grade teacher at Ellenville Elementary School.



How long did it take to write the book: Kuhlmann wrote the book last summer. She has been an avid post card collector for 30 years. Her first postcard was found in an attic inside an old suitcase that belong to her great-grandmother. It was of the flower gardens on Center Street in Ellenville. It was at a postcard show where she found out about Arcadia Publishing and its book project using postcards to tell the history of a town.



What was the best piece of information she found: Kuhlmann actually found out two facts she didn't already know through her research. She wasn't aware that "meenahga" is the Native American word for blueberries. Mount Meenahga was a hotel/resort for vacationers, and the mountain location always had an abundance of blueberries.



The second fact came from her friend Rickey Caruso's great-aunt Alice of Pennsylvania. Now in her 90s, Alice used to live in Ulster Heights, a hamlet in the Town of Warwarsing. When Kuhlmann brought her cards to Alice, she was able to provide more information about the original Wyndmere boardinghouse, which burned July 6, 1909. Alice said the fire was caused by someone's throwing firecrackers under the porch. Kuhlmann found the New York Times article dated July 7, 1909, that confirmed Alice's memory. The damage was estimated at $35,000 at the time. A new Wyndmere was built later.



"I've dragged postcards in for years ... if you live here, this is the school you would have gone to."



Advice to new collectors: "It's important to me because my families been here for hundreds of years on both sides. I think it's important what came first ... and how it evolved into what it is today. If you are interested in it, go for it. I knew my cards, so I didn't have to do a lot of research.



Publisher: Arcadia Publishing



Price: $21.99



Availability: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, eBay, limited supplies locally at Peter's Market and Matthew's Pharmacy and Ellenville Library.

From the Publisher