Village and Town...As The Story Is Told
Delaware County was created by an Act of the Legislature of New York State on March 10, 1797, from the counties of Ulster and Otsego. The Act stipulated that a jail and courthouse be erected within a distance of two miles from the confluence of the Little Delaware River and the West Branch of the Delaware River. The county was organized on May 30, 1797, at the house of Gideon Frisbee in the Town of Kortright. Participating in the organizational meeting of the new county were representatives of the towns of Colchester, Franklin, Middletown, Stamford, and Walton.
In November 1779, the Board of Supervisors bought the land now called Courthouse Square in what was then the Town of Walton. Before the courthouse could be erected, another town, Delhi, was formed on March 23, 1798, and inherited the county seat.
There was no Village of Delhi when the construction of the county’s courthouse and jail was authorized, but it was inevitable that a village would grow around them. The 1800 census shows that eight families had formed the nucleus of that village, situated in the Town of Delhi. The village was incorporated by an Act of the Legislature on March 16, 1821, and bears the name of the town from which it was born.
(Adapted from the writings of Fletcher Davidson)
The above, somewhat stylized, description of the birth of the Village of Delhi defines the beginnings of the village that local residents know and love. Many current villagers are second, third, and even fourth generations of Delhi residents, while others are relative “newcomers” whose families have been here “only” 40 or 50 years. Whatever our ancestral circumstances, all of us love our Village of Delhi, located on the West Branch of the Delaware River, in the foothills of the beautiful Catskill Mountains of Upstate New York.
Due to the majestic presence of the Catskill Mountains, the intriguing babbling brooks that flow through the mystical valleys created by these mountains, and the delightful presence of flora and fauna indigenous to the area, Delaware County exudes a sense of peaceful and tranquil beauty unsurpassed by other regions of our country. So sensuous is the magnificence of this area that an early postcard producer developed a series of postcards photographically depicting the local area as “Delhi – The Garden Spot of the Catskills.”
At one time, Delaware County was the largest producer of dairy products of any county in the United States. Following the country byways that wind through the creek and stream paths feeding the West Branch of the Delaware River, a traveler will see the remains of the magnificent farms and pastures that fueled the dairy industry. In each small village and hamlet encountered along the journey, remnants of the plants and factories that supported the dairy industry are evident. In 1955, there were 2,306 dairy farms in Delaware County. By 1985, that number had dropped to 503. In 1991, only 321 remained. Today, the number is well below 100. At one time, there were no fewer than 14 dairy receiving and processing plants in Delaware County; today, there are two. Although many of the farms and processing facilities are long gone, the verdant valleys and pastures that fueled this industry still exist and provide a visual experience that overwhelms the senses.
The current Village of Delhi envisions the area as a tourist destination for those looking to escape the hustle and bustle of the more congested areas of the Eastern Seaboard. Although Delhi does not offer accommodations typically sought by vacationers, many people from the New York City area see Delhi and Delaware County as the ideal location for a second home. Some newcomers only visit during the vacation season, while others migrate to the Delhi area on a weekly basis. Similarly, the advent of modern telecommunications technology makes Delhi an ideal getaway location for those employed in positions amenable to telecommuting.