| In
the fall of 2003 the Friends
of the Beaverkill Community—of
whom more below—published
their “Stories
of the Beaverkill”.
Although no further works
were then in planning, the
book was denominated Volume
I, and there was some expectation
that another could follow
if the reception of the first
were favorable and if further
material could be developed.
These conditions were swiftly
fulfilled. The book sold out,
becoming for some months a
best seller in Hamish and
Henry, the Manor booksellers,
and has gone into a second
printing. At the same time,
the readership responded,
presumably to success, with
copious manuscripts, photos,
and ideas for another book.
This
volume, which is all new,
is the result. Like the
earlier work, it is a compendium
of writing and photos that
focus generally on the
area and people in that
portion of the lower Beaverkill
Valley whose sentimental
hub is the Beaverkill Covered
Bridge. As an oral history,
it goes back no further
than the unwritten stories
and traditions that have
been passed on to and captured
by the authors herein.
Thus, about the earliest
material touches lightly
on the sunset of the farming
days and the beginning
of permanent summer residence
by visitors around the
turn of the last century,
and the latest ends, generally,
with the vibrant social
scene of the ’50s and early ’60s. In order to place the valley culture in a broader context, some historical notes from farther afield are included, such as the fine short history that appeared in the commemorative yearbook published in connection with the dedication of the new Livingston Manor High School in 1939.
Many
voices are heard herein,
and the close reader may
note that in a few cases
they do not entirely agree
and that their recollections
of history may not entirely
accord either with each
other or with the official
chronicles. A number of
accounts are in the first
person, reminiscences
of earlier times in the
valley by present residents
who spent childhoods and
youth on the Beaverkill,
and some are contemporaneous
writings, as in the series
of letters written from
Beaverkill by Jessica
Foote to her sons during
the Second World War keeping
them apprised of life
on the home front as it
was seen from the valley.
Some authors have proceeded
from their own introductions
to the valley in the more
recent past into the local
history that their properties
and neighbors have opened
to them, and it can be
observed that the introductions
to Beaverkill by the writers
of several accounts were
romantic ones, and further,
that they endure to the
present.
To
better show the temporal
and geographic bounds
of the volume and for
easier reference, there
have been included a map
of the area showing where
many of the principal
characters lived during
the times in question,
together with a timeline
showing principal landmarks
of Valley history.
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