Arizona weekly citizen., 1895-06-22
In the Catskills Built for Fight ing as Well as Comfort
 in Colonial Days.
Interssting Relics of the Early Set tiers and "Reminiscences of Pfou.
 eer Days in New York.

once swept over them from the north. This formation is exceedingly interest ing to Reologists, is entirely the result of oceanic processes; in the locality are ancient rocks belonging to the Silurisn and Devonian ages.
 Hendrick Hudson found this region inhabited by Indians of the Delaware and Mohicsn tribes with their wigwams. One gave him
 sTRoPE OF BEADS
 And they showed him around the coun- try. He called them a "Lovlng Peo- ple." Indian arrow heads are now of ten found there when ploughing. The first European settlers were refugees driven from the Lower Pslstinate by the ediot of Louis XIV and they were join ed by Holland Dutch settlers.
 Near the foot of these mountains are a number of stone house erected before the days of the American revolution. Many are built on side slopes and the different parts are one, two and three stories, according as the top came above the hilltop. The roofs are garbled; the architecture Is broken stone and mortar which was the style of the Dutch build buildings of that region; masons of to- day would like to know what they put in the mortar to make it SO hard and stick so tightly; some of the walls are between 21z and feet thick and on the building is often stone giving the date of the building and initials of the builders; the windows have small panes rvla Aa ell l1 Ro doors have the upper half swinging se- parately from the lower half; over the fire places are high mantels over which strings of dried apples used to hang; some of the ceilings have pine beams; one plastered ceiling has had nothing done to it in
 OVER A 100 YEARS.
 The owner, who was past three score and ten, said, "They don't make such ceilings now;" they are all supplied with a large garret. The descendants of tbe first owners of these houses still live ID many of them. A number of the fields are bounded by walls of pieces of stone which are piled srd not cPmact 3. In' those early days the msidens sat at the spinning wheel, the women met st sew ing bees and quilted and gos-iped an9 the young men and young women met at husking parties.
 There are two old Dutch Reformed churches here, one built ID 1732 on what was known as Kings Road: the other was organized in 1732 in what was call ed Old Catskill, now Leeds; the minis ter had to preach twice every sabbath in the Holland Dutch language, the first minister's salary being f50 a year with house, garden, tirewood, horses saddle and a bridle of his own. One hous. was built by the Salisbury family; ths massive walls of stone are pierced below with several loop holes, mementos of days when the Indians were not neigh borly; the high fire place was once GOV cred with square delft tiles on which were painted in blue the scenes of JUDAS sELF-MURDERER
 And of Pilates ablution of his hands; on the front door is large, quaint lock of wrought iron; in the house is 8 dark place where they locked the slaves when they wosld not mind.
 Another old house was an inn in the days when the old stage coach went rumbling along the turn | pthe6, duo was OW4cQ Oy OOAHCA- jus Person, or Case" as he was called; in this house are old print China ih photographic color, other China furni- ture of those dave, all over century ! old, an almanac of over 200 years of age, @ Dutch bible of over 150 years, letter of Robert Fulton Tn his handwriting and at the front door an old fashioned stoop with bench seats at the side rail ings; at this inn about 1790 young German fur peddIer stopped on his way | to the mountains, the neighboriDg trap | pers came to him to sell pelts they hao | collected, at first be was very humble | and mdoest, quite satisfied to sleep or | the furs he brought with him, fearing tC | leave them m his wagon in the barn les' | they be stolen; once the hostess re | moestrated with him for filling hel kitchen with "such dirty,
 ILL SMELLING THINGs;"
 his only answer was in broken Englisf His SO in the kitchen best" ;" years pass | ed and the trader still came but he oc oupied the best room ID the inn aDC demanded that the bed linen be wei aired and frequently changed, he stil kept sharp watch of his furs; finally h. | ceased coming but people were talkinl of wonderful fur trader, when he dieC he left S4O0,000 to found library 1T New York city which bears his name
 From being poor peddler he rose tC be the merchant prince John Jacot | Astor." Across the Hudson is a ston, house built by the Livlngstons; on th, grounds are the finest specimens O | yellow locusts ID America, cue is sixteeI feet ID circumference, there is one or | the lawn on which can be seen wher, limbs were removed by a cannon bal fired from British vessel before tht troops were landed. When under Gen
 Vauhan they arrived they offered pro
 tection to the house but it was no
 accepted and they were sent to tor,
 house; the Livingstons buried in tn,
 woods their silver worth from twenty t,
 THIRTY THOUSAND DOLLARS
 the centIe piece was valued at 5000, tn,
 books of the library were placed in
 basin of a fountain and covered witl
 rubbish, large looking glasses were huDl
 in an outhouse and an inside fram,
 work made to conceal them; at this tim,
 locust trees shaded the lawn, terraceC
 gardens bright with flowers and rict
 fruit were on the hill back of the house
 the family with loaded wagons and car
 riages departed, when they reached th
 top of the hIll they saw smoke arisin,
 from their house; the soldiers discharg ed their m muskets into the t-house ant
 shattered the mirrors. The family re
 built the house on the old walls whicl
 where firm, and later built another ston
 house near in the shape of letter H, i
 faces the river with front of 104 fee
 and is 9l feet deep and built ill FrencI
 style, it had a library of 4,000 vel
 chosen books, the furniture of the hous
 wos imported from France expressly fo
 that purpose, here grand reception