Delaware County group to feature day of Catskill Watershed history

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August 4, 2012

Delaware County group to feature day of Catskill Watershed history

Anonymous Staff Report The Daily Star Sat Aug 04, 2012, 03:30 AM EDT

On Saturday, the Delaware County Historical Association will offer a program titled "Rivers, Dams & Reservoirs: Exploring the History of New York City's Catskill Watershed."

The program, running from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., will include presentations, films, a dramatic reading and a small exhibit highlighting the numerous issues surrounding water and the New York City reservoirs in the region.

Two presentations will be given, one by Gerry Stoner and the other by Diane Galusha.

Stoner is a 20-year resident of Gilboa and has been publishing the newsletter of the Gilboa Historical Society for the past six years. In that time, the newsletter has grown to a quarterly publication of 40 pages per issue and is available online at gilboahome.com.

Stoner will give a quick overview of events leading up to the location of the Gilboa Dam, and will continue through the construction necessary (1915-27) for bringing more water to New York City taps. The centerpiece of the talk is the pictures drawn from the annual reports as well as additional pictures from the DEP archives.

Galusha, author of "Liquid Assets, A History of New York City's Water System," will present, "Legacy Lost: Assessing Damage Claims from the Pepacton and Cannonsville Reservoirs."

The presentation will examine how the Damage Appraisal Commissions determined the value of condemned properties, and the monetary impact on jobs and businesses hurt by the projects. The talk will also spotlight individual cases, and introduce some of the colorful personalities involved in this painful process. Galusha, who works for the Catskill Watershed Corporation, is the president of the Historical Society of the Town of Middletown. Her father's business damage claim against the city was argued in Delhi in 1966.

In addition to these presentations, a dramatic reading will be performed using newspaper articles from the local area and from New York City. The reading is designed to touch on the divergent viewpoints of "Upstaters" and "Downstaters" during the time the reservoirs were planned and built. Three films will also be shown during the day: "Shavertown: A Reservoir of Memories," "Indian Summer: The Story of Cannonsville Reservoir" and "Beneath Pepacton Waters."

The cost is regular museum admission: $4 for adults and $1.50 for children. DCHA members are free.

Schedule:

10 a.m.: Presentation by Gerry Stoner

11 a.m.: Film: "Beneath Pepacton Waters"

Noon: Presentation by Diane Galusha

1 p.m.: Film: "Shavertown: A Reservoir of Memories"

2 p.m.: Dramatic Reading

3 p.m.: Film: "Indian Summer: The Story of Cannonsville Reservoir"