Deerpark Town Historian

01/27/2025

Today the Deerpark Town Historian's Office honors Holocaust Remembrance Day. This day was appropriately designated to be commemorated on the anniversary date of the liberation of Auschwitz on January 27, 1945, by the advancing Red Army.

We honor the memory of the 6 million Jewish men, women and children who were murdered during the Holocaust, as well as the many other ethnic groups who also perished under the thumb of N**i oppression, including ethnic Poles, Roma, Slavic peoples, Russians and any other group of people deemed 'subhuman' by the N**i regime.

Never forget.

11/23/2024

Last month was NYS history month!

It's NYS History Month! To celebrate, we'll be posting our 63 historical markers, the description and location within the Town of Deerpark, Orange County, NY.

10/21/2023

In keeping with the spirit of the Halloween season, here is another Deerpark ghost. There are quite a few ghost stories connected to the D&H Canal, and this one comes to us from the April 25, 1887 Evening Gazette (Port Jervis, NY).

09/27/2023

Michael Worden recently attended the Association of Public Historians of New York State (APHNYS) in Ithaca, NY. He presented a program about the 1892 Lynching of Robert Lewis in Port Jervis (then a village located in the Town of Deerpark) on the first day of the conference.

05/14/2023

02/22/2023

The Deerpark Historian’s Office and the Deerpark Museum were honored to sponsor the meeting of the D&H Transportation Heritage Council today!

09/28/2022

Join us for some ghost stories just in time for Halloween!

07/07/2022

This week we want to remember Johnny Dudko. 64 years ago this week, 10 year old Johnny had gone missing and his body was later discovered on Neversink Drive in a wooded area opposite the radio station. Johnny’s story is told by Dave Shive in his book, Madness at the Horn. Dave not only explores the circumstances around Johnny’s death, but also those of the man who was later convicted of killing him: Donald Kurtz. It is a crime which brought fear into every home, and left lingering questions as to how it could have happened. Anyone interested in the book can email the author directly at [email protected].

06/03/2022

Yesterday, June 2, was the 130th anniversary of the lynching of Robert Lewis in Port Jervis. At that time Port Jervis was a village within the Town of Deerpark. No one was held accountable for the lynching. A historical marker was dedicated near the location of the tree.

Two new books are available about the lynching. Their covers are posted in the photos.