Liberty, New York

Liberty
Town
State Route 17 at Liberty

Location of the town of Liberty in Sullivan County, New York
Coordinates: 41°48′05″N 074°44′48″W / 41.80139°N 74.74667°W / 41.80139; -74.74667Coordinates: 41°48′05″N 074°44′48″W / 41.80139°N 74.74667°W / 41.80139; -74.74667
Country United States
State New York
County Sullivan County
Area[1]
 • Total 80.74 sq mi (209.11 km2)
 • Land 79.58 sq mi (206.12 km2)
 • Water 1.16 sq mi (2.99 km2)
Population (2010)
 • Total 819
 • Estimate (2016)[2] 9,283
 • Density 116.65/sq mi (45.04/km2)
Time zone UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
 • Summer (DST) UTC-4 (EDT)
FIPS code 36-105-42235
Website www.townofliberty.org

Liberty is a town in Sullivan County, New York, United States. The population was 9,885 at the 2010 census.

The Town of Liberty contains a village also named Liberty. The village is bisected by state route 52 and 55, and is crossed by New York State Route 17.

History

The Town of Liberty area is credited with providing 303 men who fought in the Revolution. Liberty was carved originally from the then large township of Lumberland and was itself at this time so large that it included the present Towns of Callicoon and Fremont. The Town today covers 85 square miles.

When the first white settlers came to this area, known as the Blue Mountain country, they settled to the Northwest of the present village at the existing Revonah Lake formerly known as Broadhead Pond. The early settlers came here from Connecticut and some of the oldest remains left in the Town are the laid up stones in the outlet of Revonah Lake which were probably placed there in 1797 for the purpose of building the first sawmill in the area.

As the land was cleared of the dense dark hemlock forest that the early settlers found, the area went through various stages of development. After the farms were cleared one of the earlier forms of industry to be established was the tanneries which ran through the Civil War era. Following this, the dairy farming came into its own, to be followed by the taking in of “summer boarders” which gradually led to the founding of the large hotels, the Wewonda, Liberty House and many others.

It was along about 1900 that the large Loomis Sanatorium was established for the care of TB or tubercular patients and Liberty in general went through another stage of its development which lasted until other cures beside the fresh air and rest were found.

It was also early in the century that the Workmen’s Circle, a leading Jewish fraternal order, built a sanatorium east of Liberty, the property now occupied by the County Home and Infirmary and also the site of the Social Service Buildings.

Then the town in general fell back to it dependency upon the tourist and its so called summer season. Being blessed with an abundance of rural beauty and nearness to the metropolitan area provides many advantages in this respect.

As the years went by, and different settlements began to develop, they eventually became the Village and Hamlets that we know today. Some of the old settlements either changed their names or were lost in the ways of progress. Doubtenville, Glen Cove, Egypt and Red Brick are just a few of the lost communities.

Still remaining within the confines of the Town of Liberty today are the Village of Liberty and the smaller hamlets of Ferndale, Parksville, Swan Lake and White Sulphur Springs.

The Village of Liberty, incorporated on September 17, 1870, is by far the largest of the Town’s communities, being located at the crossroads of the Quickway (Route 17) and State Highway Route 52.

Liberty can boast of its tanneries, of the old Liberty Normal Institute, established in 1847, its famous Coaching Day Parades, and its hotels of the 1900 era. The Liberty House was the greatest and was the site of many Lincoln Dinners and reunions of the Grand Army of the Republic.

Of the smaller hamlets, Parksville is the only one to maintain its original name. Even before the formation of the Town of Liberty there were people in this area. The Martins and the Halls were early settlers, arriving in 1804. At a later date the Parks family came to the area and proved to be extremely active and productive and through their efforts came the name Parksville, otherwise it more than likely would have been known as “Martinsville”.

White Sulphur Springs was originally called Robertsonville, being named for Bradley Robertson who left Connecticut and settled in the area in 1809, and later fought in the war of 1812.

The Hamlet has always been a rural area. At one time it was surrounded by many small dairy farms and had a cheese factory operating within its bounds.

In the 1890s and early 1900s it was doing a thriving hotel and Boarding House business. It was during this period of time that a large hotel, called the White Sulphur Springs House was built. The hotel took its’ name from the Sulphur Spring whose waters were supposed to have medicinal benefits which were obtainable either by drinking or bathing in it.

In December 1890 Robertsonville officially changed its’ name to White Sulphur Springs, no doubt to further help the promotion of the tourist trade.

In later years many additional hotels were constructed in the Hamlet and the business flourished in the summer for many years.

Ferndale, originally known as Liberty Falls, was settled by Roswell Russell in 1807. It had, during the Civil War era, thriving tanneries within its confines. The tall brick chimney of one of the tanneries stood until sometime in the 1950s when it was taken down for its bricks.

The name was changed from Liberty Falls to Ferndale by the O & W Railway because of a mix up of the mails.

The name Ferndale covers a much larger area than the hamlet itself.

Ferndale is credited with having the Grossinger Hotel within its boundaries. This large layout all started by the Grossinger family taking in a few summer boarders to help meet expenses in 1914.

Swan Lake originally called Stevensville, was named after the Stevens brothers who built a large sole leather tannery there. The tannery was in existence until about 1873.

Since the 1880s the Swan Lake area has been noted for its hotel and tourist industry. Many of the local farm girls found jobs there in the early 1900s. The lake has always had an abundance of fish and brings sportsmen into the area.

Alden S. Swan arrived there from New York about 1895 and by the time of his death in 1917 owned much of the land and all of the lake. The name was changed to Swan Lake in January 1927.

The Swan estate was purchased by Siegel and Kretchmer and the Siegels went on to build the Commodore and Stevensville the latter developing into a large sprawling hotel run by the Dinnerstein family.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 80.7 square miles (209.0 km²), of which, 79.6 square miles (206.2 km²) of it is land and 1.1 square miles (2.8 km²) of it (1.36%) is water.

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.%±
Est. 20169,283[2]
U.S. Decennial Census[3]

As of the census[4] of 2000, there were 9,632 people, 3,711 households, and 2,263 families residing in the town. The population density was 121.0 people per square mile (46.7/km²). There were 5,350 housing units at an average density of 67.2 per square mile (25.9/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 83.70% White, 9.19% Black or African American, 0.37% Native American, 1.43% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 3.76% from other races, and 1.54% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 10.90% of the population.

There were 3,711 households out of which 30.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.7% were married couples living together, 13.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.0% were non-families. 32.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 3.08.

In the town, the population was spread out with 24.7% under the age of 18, 7.6% from 18 to 24, 27.4% from 25 to 44, 23.5% from 45 to 64, and 16.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.2 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $32,022, and the median income for a family was $37,689. Males had a median income of $31,088 versus $24,655 for females. The per capita income for the town was $17,565. About 12.1% of families and 17.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.0% of those under age 18 and 11.4% of those age 65 or over.

Communities and locations in the Town of Liberty

Notable people

Liberty in Film

Liberty is the setting of David Cross's film Hits. The dark comedy has created controversy, as it represents the townspeople as a bigoted and narrow-minded bunch.[7]

Also one of the major settings in the novel So B. It by Sarah Weeks and the Stephen Gyllenhaal film based on the novel, of the same name.

Liberty in the News

In 2017, The Town of Liberty was ranked as one of the 250 best towns to buy a home in New York, ranking #104. The report highlighted Liberty and other top-rated cities and towns using licensed data to analyze hundreds of New York towns based on several factors deemed important for homebuyers such as income and population projections. The Town of Liberty has received this award on the heels of many community developments this past year. Updates have included beautifying Town Hall with a newly painted exterior and a new front porch area, business friendly economic developments including improved roads throughout the Town, enhanced green spaces, upgraded signage and maps, and much more. Learn more about the recent community developments here: http://www.townofliberty.org/town-of-liberty-community-update/.

Aug 9, 2017 - Roads lined with bright and vibrant flower baskets highlight the main corridors of the Town of Liberty and it’s all thanks to a local business owner who is dedicated to make his town truly beautiful. The ‘Flower the Village’ campaign was created by Bruce Davidson, CEO of Pestech, a leader in insect control and pest management in the tri-State area. Born and raised in Liberty, Bruce saw a need for improvement in the downtown area and worked closely with Russell Reeves, Town Councilmen and Town Interim Supervisor, to bring this idea to fruition. With that thought in mind, the ‘Flower the Village’ campaign was born. Through the help of local organizations, town officials, Mayor Ronald Stabak, businesses and residents alike, the campaign was formed to promote local donations for the funding of flower baskets throughout the village. The main goal was to enhance the overall beauty of the community and to make the Liberty area a better place to live, work and visit.

July, 2017 - Liberty High School Student Wins 2017 FirstEnergy All-American Soapbox Derby World Championship The 80th FirstEnergy All-American Soapbox Derby World Championship wrapped up July 22 in Akron, Ohio and one of the drivers that took home a world championship hails from Liberty. Brianna Roth, a 15-year-old Liberty High School student, placed first in the Local Superstock Division of the annual event which takes place in Akron, Ohio each year. Brianna Roth won the local race at the 6th annual Soapbox Derby held in Liberty back in May, which made her eligible to compete in the FirstEnergy All-American Soapbox Derby World Championship. This year the event had over 425 worldwide participants.

May, 2017- Town of Liberty Announces Schools’ Recognition in U.S News & World Report The Town of Liberty announced its high school and middle school have been recognized by U.S. News & World Report’s annual school report, which highlights top-performing schools on a state and national level. The Town of Liberty’s middle school and high school each earned a bronze medal, ranking 259th within New York State. The Liberty School District was one of only two Sullivan County School Districts that received an award in 2017. The Town of Liberty is nationally recognized for its award-winning school district. The district, which inspires students to pursue their dreams, and to contribute to and thrive in a diverse community, serves 1,625 students from five surrounding townships, plus the village and town of Liberty. Towns include: Rockland, Fallsburg, Neversink, Thompson and Bethel. Additionally, the Liberty Central school district offers its students the opportunity to take Advanced Placement® course work and exams.

Aug, 2016 - The Town and Village of Liberty were awarded a joint $50,000 municipal partnership grant from Sullivan Renaissance at the organization’s award ceremony August 8 at Bethel Woods Center for the Arts. The grant will fund the ongoing effort to beautify Liberty’s public spaces and make them more visitor friendly. The Silver Feather Award also acknowledges the collaborative work already done over the past several months.

In 2012, a man named William Barboza received a ticket for speeding through the town. When he paid his fine, he wrote a vulgar statement on the ticket. He also replaced the village's name, Liberty, with "Tyranny." The police in Liberty charged him with a crime for the scrawling. During the second week of September 2015, United States District Judge Cathy Seibel ruled that Mr. Barboza's First Amendment rights were violated by the charge, which was dismissed prior to this ruling. She said Barboza's phrase was crude and offensive to some but "did not convey an imminent threat and was made in the context of complaining about government activity." As of September 18, 2015, Mr. Barboza has filed suit against the Town of Liberty, but no decision has yet been reached.[8]

References

  1. ↑ "2016 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved Jul 5, 2017.
  2. 1 2 "Population and Housing Unit Estimates". Retrieved June 9, 2017.
  3. ↑ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2016.
  4. ↑ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on September 11, 2013. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
  5. 1 2 3 National Park Service (2009-03-13). "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service.
  6. ↑ Biographical Sketches of the State Officers and Members of the Legislature of the State of New York by William D. Murphy (1861; pg. 59ff)
  7. ↑ [Hits. Perf. Julia Stiles, Michael Cera. Honora Productions, 2014. Film.]
  8. ↑ "Judge: NY Village Wrong to Arrest Man Who Wrote Profanity on Ticket". Retrieved September 18, 2015.


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