West Saugerties, New York
Encyclopedia
West Saugerties is an hamlet
in Ulster County
, New York
, United States
and part of the Town of Saugerties
.
West Saugerties is located at 42.112590°N 74.048193°W (42.112590, -74.048193). It lies 607 feet (185 m) above sea level.
During the period after World War II, West Saugerties was a popular summer retreat for New York City police officers, firefighters and their families. The police officers in particular were drawn to West Saugerties partly due to its proximity to the Police Camp at the top of Platte Clove. Largely of Irish descent, the policemen and firemen’s families would spend the summer in unheated open-air bungalows, while the men worked in the city. They would join their families on weekends and during week-long vacation periods. By the 1980s most of these bungalows had been converted into year-long residences, many occupied by members of the same families who lived in them as bungalows.
Summers in post-war West Saugerties were lively. The principal social center was the “Pinewood House”, a boarding house/bar/restaurant on West Saugerties Road operated by the Wood family. Although open year round, its proximity to the Plattekill Creek and a large swimming hole not accessible by car (referred to as “Daley’s”, “The Big Pool” or “The Big Hole”) made it a popular destination for both year-round and summer residents. A smaller swimming area downstream (“The Little Pool”) was more accessible by car from Burnett Road. The Wood family sold the Pinewood House in 1970. It remained a tavern into the early 1980s, then became a convenience store.
Another gathering place located on the “South Road” or West Saugerties-Woodstock Road, was the Ridge Runners Rod and Gun Club clubhouse. A group of outdoorsmen who frequented the Pinewood House acquired several acres in the late 1950s, and built the clubhouse with volunteer labor, finishing in 1962. The building served as a meeting house, dance hall and catering facility, while the grounds offered picnicking, softball, horseshoes and skeet shooting. The Ridge Runners disbanded in the mid 1980s and the property was sold.
Other recreation in West Saugerties included The Barn, a dance hall on West Saugerties Road featuring live music, and a working farm operated by the Bach family, who hosted fishing, horseback riding and picnic outings. Several Bach family descendents continue to live on and near the family farm.
Summer Sunday mornings in West Saugerties would find most of the summer residents (as well as some year-round residents) walking to 10:00 mass at Our Lady of the Mountain Roman Catholic chapel. The local parish, Saint John the Evangelist, operated this and two other summer chapels (in Quarryville and Fish Creek), in order to serve the summer residents from New York City. The parish priest was usually assisted in the summers by a young newly-ordained priest just beginning his vocation. All three outlying properties were sold in the 1970s to help fund a new church building in Centerville.
In February 1967, Rick Danko
, Richard Manuel
and Garth Hudson
moved into a house in West Saugerties nicknamed Big Pink on Stoll Road. These musicians, when joined by Robbie Robertson
and Levon Helm
, would subsequently become famous as The Band
. In Big Pink, they recorded around a hundred songs with Bob Dylan
from June to October 1967, and a selections of these recordings were released in 1975 on the album The Basement Tapes
. In 1968, The Band released their debut album, Music From Big Pink
. This album was, in fact, recorded in studios in New York and Los Angeles.
Hamlet (place)
A hamlet is usually a rural settlement which is too small to be considered a village, though sometimes the word is used for a different sort of community. Historically, when a hamlet became large enough to justify building a church, it was then classified as a village...
in Ulster County
Ulster County, New York
Ulster County is a county located in the state of New York, USA. It sits in the state's Mid-Hudson Region of the Hudson Valley. As of the 2010 census, the population was 182,493. Recent population estimates completed by the United States Census Bureau for the 12-month period ending July 1 are at...
, 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...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and part of the Town of Saugerties
Saugerties (town), New York
Saugerties is a town in Ulster County, New York, USA. The population was 19,482 at the 2000 census. The Town of Saugerties contains the Village of Saugerties. The town is in the northeast corner of Ulster County....
.
West Saugerties is located at 42.112590°N 74.048193°W (42.112590, -74.048193). It lies 607 feet (185 m) above sea level.
History
There is evidence in West Saugerties of what appears to be an early 20th century logging industry, and also some light quarrying. There are several sections of the Plattekill Creek where carved stonework still exists that would support one or both of these activities. There are also remains of a broken dam referred to as “Carn’s Dam”, likely owned by Jacob Carn, and behind which logs would have been retained; there also stands the remains of a stone structure which may have been a milling facility. This area also later served as the source of ice for an ice delivery business run by the Vickery family.During the period after World War II, West Saugerties was a popular summer retreat for New York City police officers, firefighters and their families. The police officers in particular were drawn to West Saugerties partly due to its proximity to the Police Camp at the top of Platte Clove. Largely of Irish descent, the policemen and firemen’s families would spend the summer in unheated open-air bungalows, while the men worked in the city. They would join their families on weekends and during week-long vacation periods. By the 1980s most of these bungalows had been converted into year-long residences, many occupied by members of the same families who lived in them as bungalows.
Summers in post-war West Saugerties were lively. The principal social center was the “Pinewood House”, a boarding house/bar/restaurant on West Saugerties Road operated by the Wood family. Although open year round, its proximity to the Plattekill Creek and a large swimming hole not accessible by car (referred to as “Daley’s”, “The Big Pool” or “The Big Hole”) made it a popular destination for both year-round and summer residents. A smaller swimming area downstream (“The Little Pool”) was more accessible by car from Burnett Road. The Wood family sold the Pinewood House in 1970. It remained a tavern into the early 1980s, then became a convenience store.
Another gathering place located on the “South Road” or West Saugerties-Woodstock Road, was the Ridge Runners Rod and Gun Club clubhouse. A group of outdoorsmen who frequented the Pinewood House acquired several acres in the late 1950s, and built the clubhouse with volunteer labor, finishing in 1962. The building served as a meeting house, dance hall and catering facility, while the grounds offered picnicking, softball, horseshoes and skeet shooting. The Ridge Runners disbanded in the mid 1980s and the property was sold.
Other recreation in West Saugerties included The Barn, a dance hall on West Saugerties Road featuring live music, and a working farm operated by the Bach family, who hosted fishing, horseback riding and picnic outings. Several Bach family descendents continue to live on and near the family farm.
Summer Sunday mornings in West Saugerties would find most of the summer residents (as well as some year-round residents) walking to 10:00 mass at Our Lady of the Mountain Roman Catholic chapel. The local parish, Saint John the Evangelist, operated this and two other summer chapels (in Quarryville and Fish Creek), in order to serve the summer residents from New York City. The parish priest was usually assisted in the summers by a young newly-ordained priest just beginning his vocation. All three outlying properties were sold in the 1970s to help fund a new church building in Centerville.
In February 1967, Rick Danko
Rick Danko
Richard Clare "Rick" Danko was a Canadian musician and singer, best known as a member of The Band.-Early years :...
, Richard Manuel
Richard Manuel
Richard George Manuel was a Canadian composer, singer, and multi-instrumentalist, best known for his contributions to and membership in The Band....
and Garth Hudson
Garth Hudson
Eric Garth Hudson is a Canadian multi-instrumentalist. As the organist, keyboardist and saxophonist for Canadian-American rock group The Band, he was a principal architect of the group's unique sound...
moved into a house in West Saugerties nicknamed Big Pink on Stoll Road. These musicians, when joined by Robbie Robertson
Robbie Robertson
Robbie Robertson, OC; is a Canadian singer-songwriter, and guitarist. He is best known for his membership as the guitarist and primary songwriter within The Band. He was ranked 59th in Rolling Stone magazine’s list of the 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time...
and Levon Helm
Levon Helm
Mark Lavon "Levon" Helm , is an American rock multi-instrumentalist and actor who achieved fame as the drummer and frequent lead and backing vocalist for The Band....
, would subsequently become famous as The Band
The Band
The Band was an acclaimed and influential roots rock group. The original group consisted of Rick Danko , Garth Hudson , Richard Manuel , and Robbie Robertson , and Levon Helm...
. In Big Pink, they recorded around a hundred songs with Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
from June to October 1967, and a selections of these recordings were released in 1975 on the album The Basement Tapes
The Basement Tapes
The Basement Tapes is a 1975 studio album by Bob Dylan and The Band. The songs featuring Dylan's vocals were recorded in 1967, eight years before the album's release, at houses in and around Woodstock, New York, where Dylan and the Band lived...
. In 1968, The Band released their debut album, Music From Big Pink
Music from Big Pink
Music from Big Pink is the 1968 debut album by rock band The Band. It features the well-known song, "The Weight". The music was composed partly in 'Big Pink', a house shared by Rick Danko, Richard Manuel, and Garth Hudson in West Saugerties, in upstate New York...
. This album was, in fact, recorded in studios in New York and Los Angeles.
External links
- Ulster County New York, Towns, Hamlets, Townships... at TheCommunityGuide.net