MONTICELLO – Marking the end of pandemic-related closures, the Sullivan County Cultural Center in Hurleyville and the Delaware & Hudson (D&H) Canal Interpretive Center in Summitville are once again open to the public.
“It’s great to be able to unlock the doors to these special destinations,” said County Parks Director Brian Scardefield, who oversees their operation. “They contain some of the most significant collections of county history you can find, and they make perfect day trips for the entire family!”
Located at 265 Main Street in downtown Hurleyville, the Sullivan County Cultural Center, commonly known as the county’s museum, is home to the Sullivan County Historical Society and houses several exhibits, genealogical archives and hundreds of items related to local history, including the Woodstock festival, the Borscht Belt resorts, North Pole explorer and native Frederick A. Cook, and more. Hours are 10 a.m.to 4:30 p.m., Tuesdays through Saturdays and 1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Sundays. Admission is free, though the Historical Society accepts donations.
The D&H Canal Interpretive Center sits along the county’s D&H Canal Linear Park (a portion of the canal’s original route) at the end of Bova Road in Summitville, accessed via Route 209. Dioramas of canal equipment and photos/illustrations of canal life fill the center, and visitors can also wander the Canal’s towpath, marked with informative signage and suitable for dog-walking and bicycling. While the towpath is open year-round from dawn to dusk, the Center’s hours are 10 a.m.to 5 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays, and 12 p.m. to 5 p.m., Sundays until Columbus Day. Admission is free.
Though the Fort Delaware Museum of Colonial History, 6615 Route 97 in Narrowsburg, is not operating on a normal schedule at this time, the county is entering into an operating contract with the Barryville-based nonprofit, The Delaware Company, to offer programs this season and re-establish a full schedule in 2022.
The first of the 2021 programs will be offered this Saturday, July 10, from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. “Patriots & Loyalists,” a free event, will feature demonstrations of colonial life, a reading of the Declaration of Independence (and a Tory response), music and song, and refreshments.
More programming will be announced on the Fort’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/fortdelawareny.
