New York State Route 214
Encyclopedia
New York State Route 214 (NY 214) is a short but scenic state highway in the heart of the Catskill Park. It runs north–south from near the hamlet of Phoenicia up near an old railroad route into the narrow pass
known as Stony Clove Notch
, then down into the upper Schoharie Creek
valley to end near Hunter.
outside downtown Phoenicia
. Like 28, it bypasses the small commercial district to immediately follow Stony Clove Creek north, curving and ascending gradually but steadily as it does so. The road follows the old path of the Stony Clove and Catskill Mountain Railroad, which used narrow-gauge tracks to conquer the mountains here. At the hamlet of Chichester
a few miles north, the deep setback of the few houses along the east side of the road reflects this onetime dominance of the tracks.
Somewhere in this area, according to local legend, notorious gangster Dutch Schultz
, who often came to the area on weekends when he was running rackets in nearby Hudson
, secreted a considerable amount of his loot. The map to the site was supposedly destroyed by a hit man
who didn't believe it to be real. Although some treasure hunters have come to the area from time to time, it has never been found.
Chichester
, Lanesville
and Edgewood, across the county line, were lumber
centers in the late 19th and early 20th centuries — Chichester in particular was noted for chairs made locally. Today, with much of the surrounding woods part of New York State's Forest Preserve
, that industry is part of the past and the two remain small, quiet hamlets.
North of Lanesville the road continues to climb, and Southwest Hunter Mountain
, one of the Catskill High Peaks
, can be seen ahead at some points to the northwest. At Stony Clove Creek Road, the Long Path
hiking trail's aqua blazes on telephone poles indicate that it joins the road for the final climb into the notch. The road begins to level off in some swamp
y areas as it passes Devil's Tombstone State Campground. Ahead, the notch, the dramatic gap between Plateau and Hunter
mountains, becomes imminent.The notch is marked by a small parking lot (a fee is charged in summertime, since it is part of the nearby campground) and Notch Pond to the west of the road. The Long Path leaves the road and joins the Devil's Path
hiking trail here.
At the top of the notch, 214 reaches approximately 2,220 feet (677 m) in elevation, making it one of the highest roads in the state. There is just enough space between the steep, towering slopes of both mountains for the road (and before it was built, there was even less), the sole barrier between the Indian Head Wilderness Area on the east and what is currently the Hunter Mountain Wild Forest to the west. Past the notch, the road's northern end two miles (3 km) away is visible as it gently descends into the Schoharie Valley and reaches NY 23A
at a quiet junction between Hunter and Tannersville
.
as it was extremely narrow at the time. In the 1840s tanner
Charles Edwards widened it at great personal expense so that at least wagon
s could get through, serving not only his tanneries in Hunter but the lumber companies in Lanesville and Chichester as well.
In 1873 the Stoney [sic] Clove Turnpike was incorporated to make further road improvements. In 1881, the narrow gauge railway was built along the road. The road was taken over by the state of New York
in the late 1920s and designated as NY 214 as part of the 1930 renumbering of state highways in New York.
Mountain pass
A mountain pass is a route through a mountain range or over a ridge. If following the lowest possible route, a pass is locally the highest point on that route...
known as Stony Clove Notch
Stony Clove Notch
Stony Clove Notch is a narrow pass, roughly 2,220 feet in elevation located in the Town of Hunter in Greene County, New York, deep in the Catskill Mountains. It is traversed by New York State Route 214, although in the past the Ulster and Delaware Railroad went through it as well.The notch divides...
, then down into the upper Schoharie Creek
Schoharie Creek
Schoharie Creek in New York, USA flows north from the foot of Indian Head Mountain in the Catskill Mountains through the Schoharie Valley to the Mohawk River. It is twice impounded north of Prattsville to create New York City's Schoharie Reservoir and the Blenheim-Gilboa Power Project.Two notable...
valley to end near Hunter.
Route description
214 leaves 28 just before a bridge over Esopus CreekEsopus Creek
Esopus Creek is a tributary of the Hudson River that drains the east-central Catskill Mountains of the U.S. state of New York. From its source at Winnisook Lake on the slopes of Slide Mountain, the Catskills' highest peak, it flows across Ulster County to the Hudson at Saugerties. Many tributaries...
outside downtown Phoenicia
Phoenicia, New York
Phoenicia is a hamlet in Ulster County, New York, United States. The population was 381 at the 2000 census.Phoenicia is located in the northeast part of Town of Shandaken, on Route 28. It is the largest community in the town...
. Like 28, it bypasses the small commercial district to immediately follow Stony Clove Creek north, curving and ascending gradually but steadily as it does so. The road follows the old path of the Stony Clove and Catskill Mountain Railroad, which used narrow-gauge tracks to conquer the mountains here. At the hamlet of Chichester
Chichester, New York
The hamlet of Chichester, New York, formerly referred to as Chichesterville, is one of the northernmost communities in the town of Shandaken, New York, being right next to the borderline between Ulster County and Greene County....
a few miles north, the deep setback of the few houses along the east side of the road reflects this onetime dominance of the tracks.
Somewhere in this area, according to local legend, notorious gangster Dutch Schultz
Dutch Schultz
Dutch Schultz was a New York City-area Jewish American gangster of the 1920s and 1930s who made his fortune in organized crime-related activities such as bootlegging alcohol and the numbers racket...
, who often came to the area on weekends when he was running rackets in nearby Hudson
Hudson, New York
Hudson is a city located along the west border of Columbia County, New York, United States. The city is named after the adjacent Hudson River and ultimately after the explorer Henry Hudson.Hudson is the county seat of Columbia County...
, secreted a considerable amount of his loot. The map to the site was supposedly destroyed by a hit man
Assassination
To carry out an assassination is "to murder by a sudden and/or secret attack, often for political reasons." Alternatively, assassination may be defined as "the act of deliberately killing someone, especially a public figure, usually for hire or for political reasons."An assassination may be...
who didn't believe it to be real. Although some treasure hunters have come to the area from time to time, it has never been found.
Chichester
Chichester, New York
The hamlet of Chichester, New York, formerly referred to as Chichesterville, is one of the northernmost communities in the town of Shandaken, New York, being right next to the borderline between Ulster County and Greene County....
, Lanesville
Lanesville Railroad Station
This small station, branch MP 5.0, owned by the Ulster & Delaware, was never that busy, as the town of Lanesville was pretty small, too. This station was five miles from the Phoenicia Station, and 33.5 miles from Kingston Point Station. This station changed little over its lifetime, and was...
and Edgewood, across the county line, were lumber
Lumber
Lumber or timber is wood in any of its stages from felling through readiness for use as structural material for construction, or wood pulp for paper production....
centers in the late 19th and early 20th centuries — Chichester in particular was noted for chairs made locally. Today, with much of the surrounding woods part of New York State's Forest Preserve
Forest Preserve (New York)
New York's Forest Preserve is all the land owned by the state within the Adirondack and Catskill parks, managed by its Department of Environmental Conservation. These properties are required to be kept "forever wild" by Article 14 of the state constitution, and thus enjoy the highest degree of...
, that industry is part of the past and the two remain small, quiet hamlets.
North of Lanesville the road continues to climb, and Southwest Hunter Mountain
Southwest Hunter Mountain
Southwest Hunter Mountain is a subpeak of Hunter Mountain, located in Greene County, New York.SW Hunter is considered one of the Catskills' High Peaks in its own right, because of its separation from the main summit, and its topographic prominence.Hunter Mountain is named after John Hunter, who...
, one of the Catskill High Peaks
Catskill High Peaks
The Catskill High Peaks are all of the mountains in New York's Catskill Mountains above 3,500 ft in elevation whose summits are separated either by one-half mile or a vertical drop of at least 250 ft between it and the next nearest separate summit...
, can be seen ahead at some points to the northwest. At Stony Clove Creek Road, the Long Path
Long Path
The Long Path is a long-distance hiking trail beginning at the George Washington Bridge in Fort Lee, New Jersey and currently ending at Altamont, New York, in the Albany area...
hiking trail's aqua blazes on telephone poles indicate that it joins the road for the final climb into the notch. The road begins to level off in some swamp
Swamp
A swamp is a wetland with some flooding of large areas of land by shallow bodies of water. A swamp generally has a large number of hammocks, or dry-land protrusions, covered by aquatic vegetation, or vegetation that tolerates periodical inundation. The two main types of swamp are "true" or swamp...
y areas as it passes Devil's Tombstone State Campground. Ahead, the notch, the dramatic gap between Plateau and Hunter
Hunter Mountain (New York)
Hunter Mountain is in the towns of Hunter and Lexington, just south of the village of Hunter, in Greene County, New York, USA. At approximately 4,040 feet in elevation, it is the highest peak in the county and the second-highest peak in the Catskill Mountains.While the mountain is closely...
mountains, becomes imminent.The notch is marked by a small parking lot (a fee is charged in summertime, since it is part of the nearby campground) and Notch Pond to the west of the road. The Long Path leaves the road and joins the Devil's Path
Devil's Path (hiking trail)
The Devil's Path is a hiking trail in the Greene County section of the Catskill Mountains of New York, often described as the toughest hiking trail in the Eastern United States...
hiking trail here.
At the top of the notch, 214 reaches approximately 2,220 feet (677 m) in elevation, making it one of the highest roads in the state. There is just enough space between the steep, towering slopes of both mountains for the road (and before it was built, there was even less), the sole barrier between the Indian Head Wilderness Area on the east and what is currently the Hunter Mountain Wild Forest to the west. Past the notch, the road's northern end two miles (3 km) away is visible as it gently descends into the Schoharie Valley and reaches NY 23A
New York State Route 23A
New York State Route 23A is an east–west state highway in Greene County, New York, in the United States. It serves as a alternate route of NY 23 through the northern Catskill Mountains...
at a quiet junction between Hunter and Tannersville
Tannersville, New York
Tannersville is a village in Greene County, New York, USA. The village is in the east-central part of the town of Hunter on Route 23A. The population was 539 at the 2010 census.- History :...
.
History
A track of some kind had long existed up 214's present-day course, although it was suitable only for personal foot traffic, which had to pass through Stony Clove Notch in single fileFile (formation)
A file is a military term for a number of troops drawn up in line ahead, i.e. one behind the other in a column. The number of files is the measure of the width of a formation of troops in several ranks one behind the other.- Ancient Greek use :...
as it was extremely narrow at the time. In the 1840s tanner
Tanning
Tanning is the making of leather from the skins of animals which does not easily decompose. Traditionally, tanning used tannin, an acidic chemical compound from which the tanning process draws its name . Coloring may occur during tanning...
Charles Edwards widened it at great personal expense so that at least wagon
Wagon
A wagon is a heavy four-wheeled vehicle pulled by draught animals; it was formerly often called a wain, and if low and sideless may be called a dray, trolley or float....
s could get through, serving not only his tanneries in Hunter but the lumber companies in Lanesville and Chichester as well.
In 1873 the Stoney [sic] Clove Turnpike was incorporated to make further road improvements. In 1881, the narrow gauge railway was built along the road. The road was taken over by the state of New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
in the late 1920s and designated as NY 214 as part of the 1930 renumbering of state highways in New York.