The Vedder Research Library

Greenville Free Academy, pre-1906

The Garrison house (today owned by John & Laurie Manchisi, one-half mile west on Rt 67, Freehold starts with the building of the laid-stone foundation. Lewis Garrison and unidentified man stand in the cellar. The Goodfellow house (owned by Stanley & Cindy Niekamp) stands in the center. The snow covered hillside is today the site of the Cairo-Durham High School.

The wagon is stopped in front of Palmer’s woodworking shop and next to the old wagon shop (formerly a tin shop) on Main Street, now Rt 67, freehold. Both buildings no longer stand. Note the kerosene lantern in foreground.

When the snowplows didn’t make it, the men of Freehold did. Shoveling through a draft in front of Elmer Story’s house, one quarter mile west on Main St., Rt 67, in the winter of 1917-1918 are, left or right: Oliver Hunt, Alex Garrison, Floyd Palmer, Merv Bennett, Calvin Lacy, ? (the boy peering by the shovel handle), Elmer Story, ?, Harmon Becker.

Freshly blanketed by a nor’easter squall, this Freehold house, located 100 yards west of the Freehold bridge, was owned by Elmira Becker in the early 1900’s, bequeathed to the Freehold Church as a parsonage, and currently is being renovated. The stone wheel, bottom, was a remnant of the grist mill that stood on Mill Road (Hempstead Lane).

This view of the Basic Creek from the Freehold Bridge shows the clinging snow of a January, 1993 storm. The Basic Creek, along with the Catskill Creek, Jan de Bakker, and Cobb Creek are the “major” waterways in the Town of Greenville.

One of the largest oaks in the Town of Greenville, this white oak of twenty feet circumference dominates this view of the Freehold Congregational Church. The earlier Freehold Cemetery is located 1/4 mile south of Freehold.

The aerial of Freehold shows Rt. 67 splitting the picture vertically, with Rt. 32 the upper horizontal, and Red Mill Road and Hempstead Lane the lower horizontal. The Freehold Country Store anchors the four corners. Taken after TipTop’s fire, this photo shows the temporary tent set up just before the new structure was built. (Debra Teator, Freehold Airport)

Long an anchor of Freehold, this structure stands on the southeast corner of Freehold’s four corners. Known as one of the inns that accommodated 19th century travelers on the Schoharie Turnpike (today’s Rt. 67), this building has served as restaurant, bar, inn, and boardinghouse over the years. Many will remember Jennie Parks, who kept a boardinghouse/inn from the 1930’s until her death in the late 1960’s.

View of Freehold Congregational Church, looking toward hamlet center.

The last remnant of a proud history of aviation in the Town of Greenville, the Freehold Airport was created from cow pastures by Virgil Phinney in1960 along the Catskill Creek, one mile west of Freehold’s four corners. Clem and Rita Hoovler (shown in inset) have operated the airport since 1961 and have given scenic rides and taught many an aspiring pilot ever since. Further details of early aviation history in the town are written in the Winter 1984 Green County Historical Journal.

One of the half-dozen oldest active churches in the town, Freehold Congregational Church, located almost one-quarter mile east of Freehold on County Route 67, was formed in 1812 as the Christian Church of Freehold. The first structure was probably built by 1825. In 1915, the kerosene lamps were replaced by gas, which were replace eight years later by electricity. The stained glass windows were given in memorial of Yeomans Haight, Calvin and Alice Mygatt, Jotham Place, Mrs. John Jones, and Hannah and Leonard Vincent, while Mr. and Mrs. C.R. Lacy gave another. Long-term pastors included John Spoor (1816-1856) and Sion Lynam (1928-1928, 1967-1975).

Perhaps the oldest house still standing in the hamlet of Freehold is the “Brown” house, located on the southwest corner of the intersection of Route 67 and Hempstead Lane. It was once the residence of Stephen Platt, one of Freehold’s founders. According to Beers’ 1884 history, the first meeting to elect town officers for the town of Freehold (included today’s Town of Greenville and area west) was held at the home of Stephen Platt in 1790. He was also a member of the NYS legislature in 1795. Later owners included the Jennings and King families. Thomas Brown acquired the house from Amos and Angela King in 1885 and his heirs sold it to Herman and Ethel Hempstead in 1952. Remodeling in recent years by later owners has changed the outside appearance from this early 1900s photo.

Summertime fun meant swimming in the Basic Creek beside the Freehold Mills resort. Operated by the Andreattas, the resort is named for one of the mills that was an 1800s mainstay. Part of the creek was diverted to make a raceway, or separate waterway, to provide power to the mill. This resort was one of about 40 in the Greenville area around 1960.

When the Freehold steel bridge needed replacement in the mid-1930s, a detour was created just a few feet downstream. Cars drove across the temporary bridge and, on the west side, would enter today’s Hempstead Lane before continuing on. The latest Freehold bridge replacement was tentatively scheduled for fall, 2002.

One of the GLHG’ S community recognitions (see also July), George Story’s business life has centered on vegetable farming and the nursery trade. The son of Clinton and Gladys Story, and grandson of Ralph Story, George was born in Freehold. As a teenager, George sold vegetables to local businesses. He graduated from Cornell, operated a roadside vegetable stand, and developed the business we know today as Story’s Nursery. However, it is George’s service to the community that the GL HG recognizes. He was a school board member for nineteen years, is a Mason, and has served as a member of a variety of business and advisory committees. Most noticeably, George has volunteered his time, efforts and goods for community fundraising efforts.

Wayne Nelsen (project director and Freehold Country Store proprietor) and Bunny and Phil Savino (project coordinators and Freehold residents) spearheaded the Freehold Beautification Project that reshaped Main Street ambience with placement of sidewalks, lights, benches, trees and a clock tower. Leading to this, a county project replaced an aging bridge but had also cut down the street’s largest trees, leading to protests, petitions, and grants from the town, county and state.

Frank Giorgini (owner and internationally known artist) and Ana Sporer (owner and chef) bought an old ice cream shop (located at the intersection of Rt 67, Red Mill Road, and Hempstead Lane in Freehold) last used nearly 50 years ago, preserved the interior that had not been touched since its last use, and transformed a quietly decrepit building into Ruby’s Hotel. This French-Eclectic restaurant features an Art Deco bar and soda fountain. Frank and Ana’s efforts exemplify a preservationist spirit that serves the town well.

This eastward view of the Basic Creek Bridge looks toward Freehold’s four corners. This crossing of the creek along the Schoharie Turnpike witnessed many pre-automobile travelers-through. At least two bridge replacements have superseded the one shown of about 1920-ish vintage. The building on the right serves as an apartment building today; however, the building just beyond, and the building across the street, do not exist, the former burning in a spectacular 1960’s fire. A view through the bridge shows the porch of Parks’ Hotel, recently the Freehold Country Inn, and today the Freehold House. This landscape has most recently changed with the completion of the Freehold Beautification project.