Monticello Depot
The Depot was the Catskill Mountain destination for sportsmen and vacationers from 1896 until the Ontario & Western Railway ceased operation on March 29, 1957. The O&W Railway depot on St. John Street was considered the "gateway to the Catskills" until the 1930s, when passenger service ended.
It was where city visitors arrived for the summer. Where locals sent telegrams. Where you went, grabbed a seat in a wicker chair and got the latest on boxing matches, presidential elections and anything else important. As of 2009, the depot was owned by VanEtten Oil Co.
Marker is at the intersection of St. John Street (County Route 102) and Clinton Avenue, on the right when traveling south on St. John Street.
One Room School
Sullivan County constructed a number of one room school houses beginning in the mid-19th century into the early 20th century, and in 1900 the county was one of the few in New York State that received more money from the state government for education, $24,430, than it paid towards the state. Most of these schools closed in the 1940s or ‘50s as modern school districts were consolidated.
Marker is at the intersection of New York State Route 17B and Maplewood Garden Road, on the right when traveling west on State Route 17B.
Site of First House in Monticello
Built by John P. Jones, founder of the Village, December 1804. He was an ardent admirer of Thomas Jefferson, who invented the word Monticello from two Latin words meaning heavenly mountain, which Mr. Jefferson gave to his home place.
Marker is at the intersection of Broadway (New York State Route 197) and St. John Street when traveling east on Broadway.
Site of Toll House, Monticello-Jeffersonville Turnpike, 1875
The toll-house charged six cents to horse and carriage riders, 12 cents for a team of horses, and more for cattle drivers was the going rate. The tollhouse was demolished in 1960 after falling into disrepair.
Marker is on Jefferson Street, on the right when traveling east.
Borscht Belt - Monticello
— Borscht Belt Historical Marker Project —
During the heyday of the Borscht Belt, Monticello had about 65 hotels and 133 bungalow colonies. Kutscher's Country Club was known for its sports and entertainment scene. It hosted Muhammad Ali, while additional boxers trained at other hotels. Wilt Chamberlain worked as a bellhop while playing on the hotel's basketball team before rising to NBA fame. Kutsher's also presented famous entertainers on its stage such as Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Jerry Seinfeld, Billy Crystal and Joan Rivers. Kutscher's was the longest running resort in the Borscht Belt, closing in 2013. The Laurel's Hotel and the Country Club was for a time, the largest hotel in Sullivan County. It was a popular spot for singles and held the world's record for the largest steel swimming pool. The hotel was operated by the Novack family who also built the Fontainebleau Hotel in Miami Beach. Other notable Monticello destinations were Esther Manor, Lewinters Bungalow Colony, and the Delano Hotel.
From the 1920s through the early 1970s, the Borscht Belt was the preeminent summer resort destination for hundreds of thousands of predominantly east coast American Jews. The exclusion of the Jewish community from existing establishments in the 1920s drove Jewish entrepreneurs to create over 500 resorts, 50,000 bungalows and 1,000 rooming houses in Sullivan County and parts of Ulster County. The Borscht Belt provided a sense of community for working and vacationing Jews. The era exerted a strong influence on American culture, particularly in the realm of entertainment, music, and sports. Some of the most well-known and influential people of the 20th century worked and vacationed in the areas. Beginning around 1960, the Borscht Belt began a gradual demise due to many factors including the growth of suburbia, inexpensive airfare and generation changes.
Marker is on Broadway (New York State Route 42) near Prince Street, on the right when traveling east. Located next to the Ethelbert B. Crawford Public Library.
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