Working on the Railroad

"Where were the tracks?"  That is one of the more frequently asked questions by visitors to the  Society's Ulster and Delaware Station in Haines Falls.  You can see where the tracks were as outlined by string in the photo.Later this year the string will be replaced by actual tracks. The Catskill Mountain Railroad (CMR) is donating 120 feet of rails to help recreate a portion of the railbed  in front of the U&D train station. In order to make this a reality,  MTHS needs to purchase railroad ties and ballast for the track AND we need the help of volunteers on track-laying day.  The cost of materials is estimated at about $3,000. Both donations and volunteers are needed.  You can donate here or fill out the downloadable Working on the Railroad Form. Please email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it if you would like more information on the MTHS railroad project.

Archives Addition to the Visitor and Art Trail Center

Groundbreaking for an archives addition on the north side of the existing Visitor Center building on Route 23A took place on Sunday,  August 7 at 4 P.M. at the Visitor and Art Trail Center, MTHS Campus.  The addition will be named the Justine Hommel Room in honor of  the president emeritus, a co-founder of the Mountain Top Historical Society. It will provide approximately 140 square feet of storage space. The archive/vault will be constructed of concrete and have an independent climate-control system. The new addition, designed by MTHS board member Patrick Curley, will conform to the roofline and construction of the present Visitors’ Center.  To see  PDFs of the designs for the addition, click Archives Addition Plan or Archives Elevation. Photos of the day's events can be see here.

KRT Rail Trail

MTHS is working with Greene County Soil and Water Conservation on establishing a new  rails-to-trails path from our historic train station in Haines Falls  to Laurel House Road. It's been a bit of an odyssey but we're hoping things are now on track . Much of the old bed is still intact and visible to the naked eye. The trail will require improvements but the skeleton is there. Most importantly, it  is the start of a path that will eventually connect the only fully-restored, historic 1913 train station in Greene County with the state’s North/South Lake Campsite  just down the road–the busiest campground in New York state with over 100,000 visitors a year. For photos of our exploratory visits down the proposed trail, click here. The Kaaterskill Rail Trail project is featured in the NYNJ Trail conference newsletter The Trail Walker (this is an external link).