The Carlisle Historical Society

The Carlisle Historical Society
August 2011
Volume 4, Issue 2
Carlisle, Schoharie County, New York
Chartered 2008
Digging up Facts on Caves
Reviews:
Review of Spring 2011
Programs
-Caves of New York State
-Bluebirds
-History of Money
-Blanche Hunter-Political
Pioneer
Special Interest:
th
-4 Annual Bird Tour
Information:
-Books for Sale
-Membership
Information
-2011 Fall Schedule
and Events
Bob Addis, a native of Cobleskill, has been exploring caves since the early to mid1960s. He remembers his first cave experience as a junior in high school. A friend
told him to pack a lunch and they went to explore a local cave. Although the day
ended with him being a bit let-down by the experience, he went to bed that night and
began wondering what would happen if you dug away at some of that sand and
gravel…and thus began his life-long (since then) fascination with caves. Bob has
been to caves all over the world but seems to have a special fondness for those right
here in New York State.
Beginning by defining some important cave terms, Bob told us he really doesn’t
know what the definition of a cave is because the definition differs depending on
what part of the country (or world) you are in. However, people who explore caves
prefer Caver or Cave Explorer over the media’s ever-popular “spelunker”. In fact,
the bumper sticker “Cavers Rescue Spelunkers” says it best. People who study
caves are called Speleologists.
There are five types of caves found in New York. The first is Solutional, which are
those found in limestone and marble. Next is Talus, which occurs in the
Adirondacks. Fissure or Crevice caves can be found in Shawangunks and Olean.
Sea or Wave Erosion caves are evident along Lake Champlain and Lake Ontario.
Those caves that trap ice year round (like the one that could be found on Ice Cave
Road in Carlisle) are called, no surprise, Ice Caves. Another type of cave, which is
not found in New York, is formed by Lava Tubes.
There are approximately 2,300 caves in New York. One of the most recently
discovered came as a real surprise to cavers. It is the marble cave Merlin’s Cave in
Columbia County. It was a surprise for two reasons: first, there were thought to be
no caves in that area; and second, no one thought there was marble in that area.
New York State has two “Show Caves”: Natural Stone Bridge and Caves in
Potterville, and Howe Caverns/Secret Caverns locally. There are several caves
which are defunct “Show Caves”: Natural Bridge Caves, Ellenville Ice Caves and
Sam’s Point, Gregory’s Cave (part of Clarkesville Cave), Schoharie Caverns (on
Cook Rd. near Gallupville) and Ball’s Cave (also known as Gage Caverns).
Schoharie Caverns has an interesting short story. The owner, Jim Gage, was also the
owner of Fonda Speedway. In 1958 he wanted to celebrate the opening of the
speedway as well as have a ribbon cutting ceremony to open Gage Caverns. He
invited Miss USA, Miss NY and Miss Schoharie County (who happened to be his
daughter), to the opening day celebration at Fonda Speedway…but first, he brought
them to the caverns to do a ribbon cutting there. There are pictures of two slightly
puzzled looking beauty queens standing on the truck bed in front of a cave in remote
1957 Schoharie County – probably wondering where the big race track was...Gage
Caverns was open for only the one day and never opened again.
(continued on page 5)
The Carlisle Historical Society
Page 2 of 8
Bluebirds – a Life-Long Passion
The Town of Carlisle has a
strong link to Bluebirds. Like
most of North America, Carlisle
was once abundant with
Bluebirds. In the 19th-centrury,
it was said that the Bluebird was
so common, it needed no
introduction. You couldn’t go
outside without hearing the
song of the Bluebird. Things
changed for the bluebird when
House Sparrows were
introduced as a way of
controlling insects (even though
they are seed-eating birds,
hence their rugged bills). That
was in 1850. In 1890, a couple
of European Starlings were
released in Central Park, New
York City, and within a few
years their population had
grown enormously. These two
invasive, non-native species
were instrumental in almost
wiping out the native Bluebird
that we are all so thrilled to
catch a glimpse of today.
Professor Kevin Berner,
professor in the Fisheries and
Wildlife Department at SUNY
Cobleskill and nationally
recognized research expert on
Bluebirds, shared his life-long
love of all things “Bluebird” at
our March meeting – just in
time for the Spring Migration.
The Bluebird is in the Thrush
family and is related to the
robin. Some Bluebirds do overwinter here while others head
south in the winter. The
Bluebird, the House Sparrow
and the European Starling all
nest in cavities. The House
Sparrow is very aggressive and
has a powerful beak. The
European Starling is much
larger than the Bluebird and so
is able to use its size to
intimidate. So when the
Bluebird has such strong
competition for housing, they
usually lose the battle. Here is
where nest boxes become
helpful. Bluebirds readily
accept nest boxes and the boxes
can be constructed to
discourage other competitive
species. The planned and
methodical use of nest boxes in
New York State, and
particularly here in Schoharie
County (Route 20 has “The
Bluebird Trail” started by our
own Ray Briggs), has lead to
the resurgence of the Bluebird
population.
When planning for nest box
placement, there are several
important factors to be
considered. First, bluebird like
boxes in areas with short or
sparse grass so that they can
easily hunt insects on the
ground. They like scattered
trees or bushes nearby so they
can perch while hunting.
Second, usually you see two
nest boxes close together.
Bluebirds will not nest near
another pair of Bluebirds, but
they will nest near swallows. If
there is one box and the
swallows take it, the Bluebird
will move on – so put up two
boxes to attract both birds. As
Mr. Berner says, a bird that flies
around eating insects all day is
not a bad bird to have around.
Boxes should be placed 5-10
feet apart and should be no
closer than 100 feet away from
the next pair of boxes.
The male comes to an area
and will sing to attract a
female. The female selects
the box and will lay 4-6 small
blue eggs, although they can
be white. It takes 17-19 days
for the newly hatched birds to
take their first flight.
Another bird who likes the
nest boxes are the House
Wren. You will easily
differentiate their nests as they
are made out of twigs and the
eggs are speckled tan. If you
don’t want wrens, put the
boxes out in an open area
(wrens like woody areas).
Chickadees will sometimes
use a box if they are at the
edge of woods. Their nests
are made of soft moss and
downy feathers.
Mr. Berner cautions that it is
worse to put up boxes and
never monitor them than to
not put up boxes. Monitoring
involves cleaning out the box
in the early spring, removing
the previous season’s nest or
mouse nests. Once a nest has
been chosen by a Bluebird
pair, it can be carefully
checked on a daily basis,
noting when the nest is built,
when the eggs begin
appearing (a new egg will be
laid each day until there are 46), and then checking it each
day once the fledglings hatch.
As they begin to get close to
flying, you can still check the
nest, but be more cautious as
you do not want to startle
them so they fall or jump out.
Once they leave, they do not
return.
(continued on page 5)
The Carlisle Historical Society
Page 3 of 8
History of Money
Mr. Lynn Bissell of Oneonta, a
retired Wilbur Bank employee, is a
numismatist – a collector of coins
and money. He brought a selection
of American coin sets from
Colonial times to current day to the
April historical society meeting as
an enhancement to his presentation
on the History of Money.
He told us money is an invention
of the human mind – it is a symbol
of the value of goods and services.
Money has taken many forms:
shells, stones, beads, animals.
References to money have been
found as far back as 5,000 BC in
Mesopotamia. The “Shekel” is
referred to in the bible as an ancient
unit of weight.
(example of a Shekel, www.wikipedia.com)
When societies began to use
“coins”, the coins often had the
image of leaders on them so people
could see what their leaders looked
like.
Coins were minted by
governments and stamped with an
emblem in order to guarantee
weight and value.
As clothing from earlier times
didn’t have pockets, coins were
often kept in pouches hung from the
neck. Many older coins have holes
in them because people would wear
them like jewelry to show their
pride in the work they had done to
earn the coin. It took a while for
paper and coin to gain worldwide
use. Bartering and trading of goods
and services was the norm.
During Colonial times, there was the
“Real”, a silver coin, and Doubloons,
which were gold Reales.
(example of a Real, www.wikipedia.com)
Mr. Bissell passed around a coin
from the Revolutionary period that
was quite large and fairly heavy. He
instructed each of us to hold it firmly
in our grasp, saying he would tell us
why later. It turns out the coin was
an 8 Reale – a coin of very high value
at the time and most likely used by
only the wealthiest of Colonials – and
very possibly that very coin was held
by at least on of the Founding Fathers
because of its high value.
Another form of currency during
Colonial Times was salt because it
was a rare commodity. In fact, you
were expected to bring your own salt
if invited to dinner.
In the United States a coinage
standard system was created soon
after the Revolutionary War. The
Mint Act was passed in April, 1792
and the dollar made the official
currency. Philadelphia was the first
mint (1793) and made ½ cent and
large cent coins of pure copper.
Because copper was difficult to get, it
was torn off pieces of ships.
Paper money was introduced in July,
1861 and the first one dollar bill was
printed in 1882 with Martha
Washington’s picture. The first bills
were so big they were called “horse
blankets”. All money printed until
1929 was 7.42” x 3.13”. After
1929, the size decreased to 6.14”
x 2.61”.
Money was printed on green
because green symbolized
stability.
Although the US Treasury has
printed $500, $1,000, $5,000,
$10,000 and $100,000 bills, they
were never really used much in
general circulation. Today, you
may rarely see a $500 or $1,000,
but they are not allowed to be in
circulation but can be found in
collections.
People collect coins and paper
money for many reasons: the joy
of the hobby, the search for
something rare, the value of
coins, for example.
There are several things that
make a coin valuable: the mint
mark, errors, rare examples or key
dates, grade/condition and type
set. Many people collect coins
that are older than 1964 because
those coins are 90% silver.
Today’s coins are a mixture of
common metals. Many valuable
coins are sent to “slabbing
companies” to be put in a
protective sealed plastic
container. If you have a coin that
has been “slabbed”, it proves that
it is real. You should make a
habit of checking your change.
For instance, a 1982 dime without
a P or D above the “2” is worth
about $250 because only a few
were made without the mint
stamp.
One thing that makes today’s
paper money valuable is the
number sequences. Each bill has
a number sequence (with a letter
at the beginning and end) printed
(continued on page 4)
The Carlisle Historical Society
Page 4 of 8
MONEY…Hints for the Beginning Collector
(continued from page 3)
on the front twice. If the number is the same
(99,999,999) or less than 100 (00,000,100) or a
“ladder” (12,345,678), your bill may be worth
more than its face value.
The treasury still prints money. It stamps out
800 coins per minutes and still prints out bills
because they wear out. A $20 bill has a normal
circulation life of 2 ½ years. After that, it is cut
in half, and one half is sent to the East Coast and
one half to the West Coast to be burned.
“Time stands still on coins. Sometimes it is the
only surviving record of a civilization and its
people.”
If you have silver or gold to sell and would like
Mr. Bissell’s assistance, mail it to: Lynn Bissell,
1 Robin Lane, Oneonta, NY, 13820 or call him
at 607-432-0633.
Above: Four One Dollar bills
from Mr. Bissell’s collection.
They are all Silver Dollars or
Silver Certificate. The top two
are from the late 1800s and the
bottom two are from the 1900s.
Notice the picture of Martha
Washington on the top bill.
Left: Examples from Mr.
Bissell’s collection of coins and
bills covering the history of
American money from the 1790s
to present day.
Caves
(continued from page 1)
Bob talked about several of the
local caves, giving anecdotes and
facts from his own experiences.
Under the quarry at Howe’s Cave
there is still a mine from the early
days of the quarry when they were
mining for special limestone. There
are some artifacts in that mine such
as lanterns and picks.
Hailes Cave, below Thatcher Park
has a vast amount of graffiti around
the entrance…posing the question,
“At what point does graffiti become
historic?”
McFails Cave in Carlisle is named
after the ill-fated Professor McFail
of the Carlisle Seminary. Many
varying stories exist of what
actually happened, but Professor
McFail died in the cave named for
The Carlisle Historical Society
him. The first entrance, which is
the common entrance now, is a
70’ drop. There is a older
entrance, used before the other
was found, which consisted of a
60’ drop to a narrower 30’ drop
which then went to a 100’ belly
crawl through a space about 9”
tall. The water in McFails cave is
about 43 degrees year-round.
Behind the Carrot Barn in
Schoharie is a Strontium mine.
Strontium is a mineral used by the
Chinese to get the red color in
fireworks.
Knox Cave has a 51-foot “gun
barrel” passage which can’t be
more than 2’ in diameter…a rite
of passage for many Cavers.
Page 5 of 8
And finally, Bentley’s Cave, in
Rensselear County, is part of a
land grant given to a soldier after
the Revolutionary War. The
original grant, signed by the King,
is hanging in the house of the
current owners. The land has
been in the same family since it
was given to that soldier. The
family has donated the immediate
area around the cave to the
Northeastern Cave Conservancy.
For more information about
caves, caving and the
Conservancy, visit their website:
www.necaveconservancy.org.
Monitoring Bluebirds
(Continued from page 2)
The “ideal” box is hard to identify exactly, but there
has been a lot of research done to determine the best
features – much of it done by Mr. Berner. A long roof
which overhangs the opening by at least 5 inches is
effective for keeping predators from reaching into the
box and taking out eggs or baby birds. A heavily
greased pole - axle grease works great - on which to
mount the box will keep predators on the ground and out
of the box. You will find several designs for the shape
and construction material of the boxes – and almost each
one has a different opening. Some have round openings
and some have oval openings. The round holes are 1½”,
the oval are 3/8” x 2 ¼”. Different size and shape
openings deter (or attract) different types of birds, and
different box shapes and sizes are also a factor.
Changing up the combinations to find the most effective
at encouraging Bluebirds while discouraging
competitors and predators becomes challenging.
As mentioned earlier, some Bluebirds don’t migrate if
they have seed and fruit available. They will need a nest
box. Mr. Berner has studied the nest boxes at the end of
the winter and found that the most common food source
for these wintering birds is sumac, wild raisins
(nannyberry), and poison ivy (!). If you find you have
Bluebirds, or you want your Bluebirds to stay, or you
want to attract Bluebirds, you can make a difference
by putting out a pair of boxes and monitoring them.
This has and will make a difference in their
population. The Bluebirds will arrive in early April,
so have the boxes clean and ready for them. Once
they leave, clean out the boxes again as Bluebirds will
often nest a second time about 3 weeks later.
And the secret to happy Bluebirds? Mealworms.
Mr. Berner has been able to train Bluebirds to come to
just about any location using mealworms. They can
be purchased at local pet stores, but are more
economical ordered from the internet in larger
quantities. Yes, they are alive, but can be stored in a
cool, dark place with a bit of lettuce or slice of fruit
occasionally.
Mr. Berner has dedicated much of his life to the
Bluebird and he has Ray Briggs to thank for bringing
the decline of the Bluebirds to the attention of the
public. By putting up boxes such as you find all along
Route 20 for the entire length of New York State and
in fields and yards of landowners, you can help the
Bluebird continue its courageous comeback.
The Carlisle Historical Society
Page 6 of 8
FALL 2011 PROGRAM SCHEDULE AND OTHER EVENTS –
GET OUT YOUR CALENDARS!
SEPTEMBER 14 (Wednesday): Lynn Bissell – “Profound Thoughts” – A
humorous look at the oddities of the English Language, interspersed with “one-liners”
from old comedians like Henny Youngman. A real crowd-pleaser! Let’s start of the Fall
Season with a few good laughs! “If you cannot laugh, what good is life?”-Henny
Youngman.
Wednesday, September 8, 7:30 pm at the Carlisle Town Hall.
OCTOBER 13 (Wednesday): Treasure Hunt, presented by Kris Driessen.
Once an indication of poverty, feedsacks are now gold to whoever owns them. What was
a feedsack and how was it used? Learn about these wonderful reflections of America's
rural past. Ms. Driessen of Albany is an accomplished quilt maker, quilt historian, quilting
teacher, author, researcher, and lecturer. Her articles on dating, cleaning and just plain
appreciating antique and vintage quilts have appeared in many publications. Expect to
see and touch great examples of quilts, clothing, dolls and other items made from
feedsacks. Do you have an antique quilt you would like to share and discuss with the
group? Please bring it to the presentation. Wednesday, October 13, 7:30 pm at the
Carlisle Town Hall.
ANNUAL MEETING/ELECTIONS: Our Annual Meeting will be held at 7:00
pm on Wednesday, October 13 at the Carlisle Town Hall, just prior to our
October presentation. Two Trustee positions (3-year posts) will be up
for election. Please plan on arriving at 7:00 pm in order to participate in the election
process – then stay for the presentation!
NOVEMBER 9 (Wednesday): Leo McAllister “My Grandfather’s Civil War
Experience”. Mr. McAllister’s grandfather, 18 when he joined the war, fought in
several major battles and was captured yet he lived into his 90s. Mr. McAllister and his
sons have visited some of the battle sites and will share the stories and experiences.
Wednesday, November 9, 7:30 pm at the Carlisle Town Hall.
Current Executive Board Members:
President – Jacqueline Turnquist
Vice President – Susan Tillapaugh
Treasurer – Michelle Holyoak
Recording Secretary – Joan Sisson
Correspondence Secretary – Colleen Crofts
Trustee – Art Graulich, Kim Wigen-Walton (10/2012)
Trustee – Connie Costello, Bob Smith (10/2010)
Trustee – Allan Tillapaugh, Ray Briggs, Jr. (10/2011)
Town Board Member Trustee – Ed Sisson
Town Historian, Ex-Officio Trustee – Ray Briggs, Sr.
The Carlisle Historical Society
BLANCHE BORST - A Political Pioneer
In 2009, Karen Cuccinello was
asked to portray Blanche Alta
Hunter Borst for the “Pageant of
our Past” at the Old Stone Fort.
Knowing nothing of Blanche,
Karen undertook the task of
researching this pioneer of
Schoharie County.
Born in Esperance in 1885,
Blanche Hunter attended and
graduated from Albany Business
College. She was employed as a
stenographer for various legal and
business offices in Schoharie
County until 1913 when she was
appointed Schoharie County
Deputy Clerk. The County Clerk
was Mr. Glanis Snyder, who was
later accused and dismissed for
incorrectly handling $1,600 in
1916.
In 1919, Blanche ran for and was
elected Schoharie County Clerk, the
first woman elected to public office
in the County, and the second in the
state. Later that same year, the
suffrage bill introducing the 19th
amendment was passed in the
House and Senate and by August,
1920, enough states had ratified the
amendment to give women the right
to vote. So Blanche, elected before
all women had the right to vote in
all elections, was a pioneer in
Schoharie County.
Blanche was a Republican in a
solidly Democratic County, yet beat
the Democratic challenger for
County Clerk by 1,350 votes. Her
deputy, Florence West, was very
close to Blanche, and in fact lived
with Blanche prior to and
throughout Blanche’s marriage.
Blanche married Everett Borst, a
well-known farmer and mail-
carrier, three months after being
elected, when she was 35-years old.
Blanche held the office of County
Clerk for 15 years, winning several
more elections against both men
and women. She retired on
December 31, 1934, probably due
to illness, and died one year later on
January 1, 1936. She is buried in
Esperance Cemetery.
Florence West, her deputy and
friend, succeeded her as County
Clerk for two more terms. After
Blanche died, Florence continued to
live in the Borst home with Everett
until his death many years later
(1968). In fact, Blanche left most
of her assets (just over $17,000) to
Everett upon her death. When
Everett died, he left about $78,000
and the house to Florence.
Karen Cuccinello shared several
interesting facts about Blanche, her
husband Everett and Florence West.
First, Everett had a sister who
married a bigamist and his father,
Smith Borst, was killed when he
was hit by a car in 1922. Blanche’s
father was the last surviving
member from Esperance of the
Grand Old Army. While Florence
was in office, she had to fire a Mrs.
Florence Holstein due to
accusations she was a German spy
– this was in 1940.
Karen did a great deal of research,
contacting Ken Jones, Esperance
Historian, Tom Dale, a greatnephew of Blanche’s and pouring
over many newspapers. During her
talk, she had a running slide show
of images of Blanche as well as
articles and information. It was an
enjoyable and interesting program.
Page 7 of 8
BIRDS A-PLENTY
Saturday, May 7 was a perfect
morning for bird watching. Although
a bit breezy, the sun was out (unlike
last year) for our 4th Annual Bird
Tour. Bill Cleveland did a wonderful
job locating and identifying a vast
variety of birds for us.
We started in the parking lot at the
town hall, and immediately saw a
Northern Harrier (hawk). There were
Tree Swallows, Red-Winged
Blackbirds, and several types of
sparrows. Moving on to the
cemetery, we got our first view of a
male and female Oriole and a pair of
Bluebirds. We all heard the RedBreasted Grosbeak, but only one
person saw him. On the way to the
Bear-Swamp we got a terrific look at
a Pileated Woodpecker and a
Common Snipe. At the swamp there
were Canada Geese (with their new
babies), an American Coot, Wood
Ducks and a Common Moorhen. At
Doolittle swamp were Common
Mergansers and Great Blue Heron.
In the woods on Karker Road we saw
a Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker and a
Blue-Winged Warbler. The “marsh”
on Little York Road is more pondlike this year, so we saw a Belted
Kingfisher and a large, long-tailed
bird we couldn’t identify. In total, we
heard or saw 52 birds, a very
gratifying amount! We finished up
with some fine refreshments at the
town hall. Can’t wait for next year!
Keep your eyes on the birds!
The Carlisle Historical Society
Page 8 of 8
The Carlisle Historical Society is a non-profit organization seeking
to promote the history of Carlisle and the surrounding region as well
as highlighting other topics of interest to the local community.
Chartered in March, 2008, the society features a minimum of 6
programs a year – March, April, May, September, October and
November. Our programs are free and open to the public, and include
refreshments. Unless otherwise noted, all programs are currently
presented at the Carlisle Town Hall at 541 Crommie Road, on the
second Wednesday of the month at 7:30 pm.
Although our programs are free, annual membership is $5 for
individuals and families who wish to support the society and be
members. Membership includes two newsletters per year and voting
privileges. Membership dues are collected beginning with the
September program. You may mail in your dues to The Carlisle
Historical Society, PO Box 28, Carlisle, NY 12031, or pay them at
any meeting.
Because we are non-profit, any contributions made to the society are
tax-deductible and greatly appreciated! The society can be contacted
either by mail (PO Box 28, Carlisle, NY 12031), e-mail
([email protected]) or at 234-3041. Check
out our website for information and updates:
www.carlislehistoricalsociety.webs.com.
The Carlisle Historical Society
PO Box 28
Carlisle, NY 12031
The Carlisle Historical Society
PO Box 28
Carlisle, NY 12031
[email protected]
www.carlislehistoricalsociety.webs.com
We meet the 2nd Wednesday of the month
(March, April, May, September, October,
and November)
7:30 pm
(unless noted)
Carlisle Town Hall
541 Crommie Road
Refreshments are always served and all
are welcome