Cochecton Preservation Society

COUNTERPOINT a view from a reader Remembering Cochecton (from the Sullivan County Democrat, November 11, 1998) To the Editor: I've written before about changes in the past 90 years and I'd still like to take you (by writing) to the Cochecton I remember in the 1912-18 period. It was a wonderful little village of very neighborly people who were always willing and able to help any of the people who needed to have any care. I'd like to write about some of those people of my childhood days. I won't be able to mention all of those wonderful folks but I hope to tell you of some of them. This was the Cochecton of prosperity. The trains would discharge people from the city going to local boarding houses and the street would be packed with the visitors. On the hill above the village stood Dr. William Appley's large home. He was a good doctor and found time to care for all from the arrival of a new baby to a little scratch on the finger. His lovely wife and his daughter Musette lived there with him. Musette took a great part in the church. There were two stores. William Dermody's on the one side of the culvert and Gus Porr’s on the other. Dermody's sold groceries and other household necessities. There was a building across from the store where they kept coal, kerosene and other supplies. Dermody had a wife and two children, William Jr. and Mary, both of whom died at an early age. Going down toward the culvert you would pass Tom Scott's blacksmith shop. There are many stories about Tom and the tales he used to tell. He was a fine man and well liked. On the other side of the railroad was the general store just as it is today. Gus Porr was a jovial man who was kind to all. When Gertrude Kane and I as kids would walk up to get some things for our folks he would always give us a bag of candy which we valued highly. It would taste so good on the way home. Mr. Porr had a wife and two sons, Donald and Robert.

Across the street was the beautiful old Reilly house and in their lawn was a water fountain which fascinated us. We'd stop and watch the rainbow colors on the plumes of water as the sun hit them. Further down the street were two hotels — the Erie Hotel and the Cochecton House. Across from them were steps that led up to the Erie Station and creamery. On the street further down was the Charles Dermody livery where he hired out carriages and horses for people to drive to their desired destination, Of course, there were drivers that you could get to go wherever you desired. Next was Edward Dermody's home. He was the town supervisor and at one time was partner in a grocery store in Damascus along with his brother Martin. Then on down and through the other culvert was the Catholic church with its tall steeple that we always marveled at when Walt Tyler of Damascus would climb up and paint the cross on it. The two-story school house was just across from it. There was quite a long flight of steps to reach it. There were many teachers who taught there. Perhaps the best known were the Kopp sisters, Etta and Ruth. Both were excellent teachers and quite (strict in their way of teaching. Over the hill from the school was the John Schultz dairy farm. It was always well kept and the cattle well cared for. It had a very unusual round barn that many people marveled at. Mrs. Schultz was a great favorite of mine. She had a beautiful bay window full of blooming plants and I loved to stop in just to see them. Then, too, she had a big cretonne bag hanging to the left of ithe window. She told me it was a magic bag as she put holey sox in and they came out all mended. The secret of this was that Grandma Schultz who lived at the pump station would come and get the bag and mend them all up nicely and return it.

Further down the road was the Michael Kane residence," He worked for Standard Oil and hit wife was a very pretty woman with snow white wavy hair. She was a real warm loving person. The Kane's had four children, Edith, Lizzie, Gertrude and Maurice. Edith and Gertrude were school teachers later in life and Lizzie was a piano music teacher. Further down was the Standard Oil Pump Station. At that time it was a magnificent structure and they employed quite a lot of men. My mother took me to see the inside while the pumps were going. It really made a big impression on me as everything was polished up shiny and bright and kept in excellent condition. The Kane house was a nice home but unfortunately it stood on land that was to be used for Route 3A (now Rte. 97) and had to be torn down. The Kane family moved to Binghamton but Gertrude and I remained friends until her death. There is much more that could be remembered about those days. I wish that/ the villages of today could be as cairn and peaceful and happy as they were then. Our young people would find much more of the real meaning of, life. Today we have our modern labor savers but sometimes I wonder if they promote a faster/ pace of life and some of the neighborliness is forgotten. Wilburta C. Dexter Narrowsburg