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History of FOBC
The
Friends began as a formal organization
in 1998, although it had gestated
for at least a decade before
that. Several groups of long time
valley residents had previously
organized for special purposes,
such as the repair of the Beaverkill
Church, and the maintenance of
roads along the river, and there
was increasing discussion on all
sides about a variety of local
issues. At the same time, a wider,
and younger, population had coalesced
around an annual end-of-season
tennis tournament, originally
hosted by Michael and Winsome
Macintosh on whose Campsite Road
property the court was located.
The outcome of the exquisitely
seeded matches occasioned an awards
ceremony and get-together attended
in each succeeding year by an
increasingly large number of players,
watchers, gossipers, and party-goers.
The awarding of the Steiff beaver-on-a-board
trophy required a speech that
soon evolved into valley announcements
and discussion of local issues.
It
should also be recorded here that
there had been a significant demographic
change around Beaverkill in the
early ’70s when, during a relatively
short period, a number of older
residents left or died, their
places and, frequently, homes
taken by an incoming group of
thirty and forty somethings and
their children, numbers of whom
had known each other in the city.
Among the early members of this
population was the group who gathered
to build the cooperative tennis
court that became the venue for
the annual open tournament. These
new residents, mostly summer visitors,
were enthusiastic about their
new homes in the valley, conservation
and preservation oriented, and
community spirited almost to a
fault.
Into
this receptive environment Patricia Adams, who lived closest to the
Bridge, introduced a letter in January of 1998 asking for an
expression of interest in an organization that would deal with community
preservation issues, initially the picnic area of
the Campsite,
the Beaverkill Church, the Covered Bridge, and the Iron Bridge. Response was immediate, and the association
was organized that year as the Friends of Beaverkill Community. Patricia Adams became the first
president, serving until 2004 when she resigned to become the editor of volume II.
Meanwhile, Volume I had been published in 2003, with a second printing in 2005. Volume
II appeared in 2006, followed
in 2007 by the Heritage edition which included all the material from Volumes I and II, plus an
additional photos section. The
Heritage edition was reprinted
in 2008.
In
2000 the Friends, through Mike
Teitler, were incorporated as
a New York not for profit corporation
primarily dedicated to preservation,
and quickly received qualification
as a tax exempt organization under
the Internal Revenue Code, permitting
contributions to be made on a
tax deductible basis. In addition
to holding a general business
and social meeting at least annually
and committee meetings throughout
the year, the Friends publish,
update, and provide to their dues
paying members a directory for
use within the group. An extensive
website, created by Colin Foote
and currently maintained and enlarged
by Virginia Lawrence, records
the doings of the Friends and
contains numerous photographs
and some items not included in
the two histories published by
the Friends as well as reprints
of some articles from these volumes.
In
spite of a universal feeling for
Beaverkill and its history, the
Friends are frequently not of
one mind on local issues. Preservation
can controvert improvement, utility
can contend with history, private
and public use can be at odds,
and the interests of permanent
residents are not necessarily
the same as those of summer visitors.
The approach taken by the Friends
has to date been primarily to
keep the membership informed about
the status of issues of interest
to the community, particularly
governmental actions proposed
for the area and any hearings
and related requests for comment,
thereby enabling members to make
their feeling known on a timely
and effective basis. Officers
of the Friends and committee members
try to attend all relevant governmental
meetings in order to keep the
membership up to date. They do
not assume positions on behalf
of the entire group and indicate
that their comments reflect their
personal positions only. However,
the regular presence of representatives
of a broad based and well informed
local group shows an interest
and potential political strength
that, the Friends believe, has
helped to generate favorable governmental
actions, among other things, in
connection with the two bridges
and the campground. Debate among
the Friends themselves is frequent
and encouraged.
As
an early act, the Friends established
a Heritage Committee in order
to further its preservation mission
by collecting and presenting materials
relating to the history and lore
of Beaverkill. These volumes are
part of the result.
Print History
In
1998 when we
formed Friends
of Beaverkill
Community we felt
strongly that
the word “Community”
be a part of our
name. Part of
our growing sense
of community
were the records
of valley events
we found in boxes
left in attics
in the old houses
we bought, old
‘flyers’ about
the campsite
or hotels in the
area, some of
which had been
printed in magazines
or newspapers
and pictures
left behind by
previous owners.
There were also
a few individuals
who had written
out their memories.
Through
existing material
and interviews,
we saw an opportunity
to give voice
to earlier members
of this community
and create a written
legacy that would
be a part of our
valley for years
to come. Our goal
was to keep the
individual “voices”
of the various
pieces and create
a book which gave
a bit of the flavor
and atmosphere
of Beaverkill
over the past
one hundred years.
Volume I
There
was a great deal
of enthusiasm
for both the writing
and then for the
book itself, and
in the fall of
2003 the Friends
of Beaverkill
Community published Stories of the
Beaverkill Volume
I. We soon sold
out our first
edition of 200
copies and decided
that not only
would we have
a reprint of Volume
I, but we saw
that we had enough
material and willing
volunteers to
start on a second
volume.
Volume II
Volume
II, which was
all new, was 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, 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.
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.
Volumes
I and II: Heritage
Edition
In
the event, Volume
II essentially
sold out through
subscription before
its printing,
and we came to
believe that this
latest edition,
which contains
both earlier volumes,
together with
a collection of
photographs from
the Beaverkill
archives, should
be produced not
only to keep the
books in print
and available
to Friends and
to future Friends,
but also to preserve
the heritage of
our valley for
generations to
come.
Join FOBC
DUes
Membership
is $25
per household/family
per year.
Checks
should
be made
out to
Friends
of Beaverkill
Community.
Payment
You
can mail
your
check
to: FOBC,
P.O.
Box
704,
Roscoe,
NY 12776
Email List
Contact
our Communications
Director.
email@beaverkillfriends.org
Board Members August 2012
President: David Barnes
Vice-president: Peggy Shaw
Corresponding Secretary: Jane Sokolow
Treasurer: Sue Barnett
Secretary: Steve Leviine
Members at large: Patricia Adams & John Kelly
Website: Virginia Lawrence
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