Hidden Hollow is located in the southwest corner of Sherman, CT. The town border with New Fairfield, and the State border with the New York towns of Patterson in Putnam County and Pawling in Dutchess County are all close by. The theme of my book is that this geography influenced those who lived there from the beginning of settlement in the 18th Century. Documenting this required visits to all four town's record offices. The Putnam County Courier columns showed the extent of the neighborhood across the towns and states in the 20th Century, so I visited to the Putnam County Historian's Office, in Brewster, NY, to read the file of materials collected by Minnie Barnum Durga. She was the wife of mustachioed Otis Durga of the photograph with John Henry Worden, from my previous post, and is often mentioned in the Maple Glenn column, visiting friends, or hosting a Chruch gathering. She is a figure of delight for historians and genealogists, living well into the 20th Century, but collecting materials that documented an earlier time. She was an oral historian before the term had been invented, collecting reminisces of the oldest residents. I put her down as a candidate for the author of the Maple Glenn column.
The Historian's Office held other treasures: Reg White and his group of knowledgeable volunteers. Reg told me of a presentation that would be made at the Patterson Historical Society about Haviland Hollow Road, which has long been the route through the hills, connecting Danbury, Ct with New York State. One of the presenters, Judy Kelly-Moberg spoke with me at length, and I looked forward to the presentation. Indeed, it fostered more than I imagined.
No comments:
Post a Comment