Catskill Mountain News

The CMN’s own bound volume of the 1925 papers was missing when the collection was digitized—and no library is known to have those issues in their collections—thus articles published at the time of Dr. Maurer’s move to Margaretville in late 1925 are lost. The lead article published days after his death mistakenly stated 1926, and that error has been unintentionally repeated by many works about him since.

Articles

Archived below are Catskill Mountain News articles and snippets related to the extended Maurer, Hess, Halloran, and Burrage families.

1900s

1908 June 26

Realty Deals

Middletown—John D. Brown and wife to Phillip O. Hess, $2,800; May 4.

Town News: Arena

Philip Hess is preparing to lay a sidewalk along the side of his lot on church street. This will be a great improvement.

1910s

1920s

1926 Jan. 1

Mrs. Austin Dart of Oneonta, who with her family are staying with her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Augustus Joselyn, underwent a serious operation last week. Dr. Maurer of Margaretville did the surgical work assisted by Dr. Keator of Fleischmanns. Mrs. Dart is gaining nicely.

1926 Jan. 8

Miss Lois Gibbs of Rochester spent several days visiting Mrs. W. Maurer. She left Wednesday for her home accompanied by Miss Carol Maurer.

1926 Jan. 29

Note: This snippet mentions Dr. Maurer’s “late fall” [1925] arrival in Margaretville.

Dr. G. B. Maurer of this village is securing quite a reputation as a surgeon and has performed several successful operations since ho came here late in the fall. Wednesday afternoon of this week he went to Andes and performed an operation for appendicitis for Isabelle McNair, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Goorgoe McNair. Dr. Wakeman of Andes, gave the anaesthetic. The same afternoon he hurried back to Halcottville and operated upon Eugene Knapp at the home of David Mead for strangulated hernia. This was done without the aid of any other surgeon. A local anaesthetic was used.

1928 Feb. 17

Note: This is the “snowmobile” mentioned in Clark Sanford’s epitaph for Dr. Maurer.

Snow Machine for Physician
Local M. D. Got Ready for the Drifts That Up to the Present Have Not Appeared

One of the most unique conveyances in Margaretville is the snowflyer of Dr. G. B. Maurer. The local Chevrolet agency bought a caterpillar tread for the physician’s coupe and this has been installed at the rear of the machine. The front is equipped with broad runners or wheels, these being interchangeable.
The contrivance has been operated some during the last week and the doctor says that he could hunt foxes with it as it seems to have an ability to go anywhere. The only disappointment is that there has been no snow. Somewhat similar rigs in Vermont in use by physicians and mail carriers travel the deepest snow and highest drifts with ease.

1929 Oct. 18

Note: This article seems to imply that Dr. Maurer arrived in Margaretville in fall 1924.

Dr. Maurer May Leave Here
Health Will Not Permit Constant Demands Now Made on Him

Dr. Gordon B. Maurer who came to Margaretville five years ago this fall and in the intervening time has established one of the most success medical practices in this section of the state, is planning to leave Margaretville. The reason for his decision is that his health will not permit the constant demands upon his time. Few men have left medical schools and established in such a short time the reputation that Dr. Maurer has secured here. His decision will be heard with regret by all of eastern Delaware county. His present plan is that he will leave Margaretville on the first of the year and study until spring looking toward taking up a specialty. He may return here in April and remain for the summer and then leave permanently.

1930s

1934 Aug. 3

Third Accident Was At Home

Priscilla Maurer, 4-year-old daughter of Dr. and Mrs. G. B. Maurer, had the misfortune on Sunday afternoon to fall off a neighbor’s porch and break her right forearm. It was a busy afternoon at the doctor’s home. Before Dr. Maurer had finished treating Johnny Trickno of Arkville for deep lacerations, caused from hitting a rock while swimming, Ralph Eignor of Halcottville came. A horse had stepped on him breaking some ribs. Mrs. Maurer then remarked that there was usually a third one and turned to meet Priscilla with a broken arm.

1937 Jan. 8

Thumbtack Caused Baby’s Death

Parents of eight-month-old Thomas Zenbruske thought it was just a sore throat that made their baby irritable. But after Thomas died in a hospital at Albany, Wednesday, post-mortem examination disclosed a thumbtack lodged in the baby’s esophagus.
It will be recalled that Orvin, youngest son of Mr. and Mrs. Harry Eckert of Margaretville, swallowed a thumbtack about a year ago. He was rushed to the office of Dr. Maurer. who located the tack by X-ray deep in the throat with the point sticking toward the backbone. Dr. Maurer removed it with a snare through a rubber tube in a few minutes and the lad returned to his home in less than an hour, with no ill effects.

1937 Oct. 22

Boys Will Be Victims

“During the next few weeks, newspapers will chronicle several hundred hunting accidents. Half of those injured will be under twenty-two years of age, the largest group being boys in their teens,” says Fay Welch of the New York State College of Forestry. “Three-fourths of them will be injured by shotguns, the remainder by rifles. Almost a third of them will die.”
“Over and over again during the next few weeks the newspapers will record the stories of the men who ‘didn’t know it was loaded!’ or who ‘thought it was a deer!’ Men will be mistaken by careless companions for squirrels, bears and even ducks. Figuring frequently in the as-yet-unwritten story will be the men whose loaded guns discharged as they were getting in and out of automobiles, climbing fences or clubbing hunted game. Women and children also will be victims because careless hunters leave loaded guns around homes.”
“Following a few simple, common sense rules would eliminate a great majority of these unfortunate and unnecessary disasters,” says Mr. Welch who has analyzed the reports of hundreds of hunting accidents.

Hunters should thoroughly understand the mechanism of their own guns; make sure they are in good condition and keep them that way. Beware of snow or dust in the muzzle.

Loaded guns should never be carried in conveyances of any kind or brought into camps or houses.

Great care should be exercised in climbing over fences or other obstacles and in getting in or out of boats.

Positively identify every object at which you shoot.

Constantly keep in mind the location of your companions and the possible presence of other hunters.

Assume that every gun is loaded and never point any gun at another person.

Wear red, at least on your cap, and other colors that do not resemble the game in the region.

Do not mix alcohol with gun powder.

1938 Jan. 14

Young Man Loses Ear In Auto Smash Severed Nose Replaced and Sewed Fast by Local Surgeon

Carson George, 17, of Arkville, lost his left ear in an automobile accident at the railroad crossing north of Grand Gorge late Saturday night and but for the skill of Surgeon Gordon B. Maurer would also have lost his nose.
He was riding in the front seat in the car of Elliott Johnson, 20, who was driving. In the back seat were Kenneth Holden, 17, and Cecil Davis, 24. When the car came down the long grade at the point named it was going at a fast clip. As it crossed the trade the machine seemed to jump into the air, according to the occupants, and struck a telephone pole some 10 feet above the ground.
George went through the windshield. His ear was completely severed, his nose so badly cut that it hung on the side of his face. The two in the back seat were cut and bruised but not severely injured. Dr. Malone of Grand Gorge was called. He ordered the injured young men removed to a hospital after he gave first aid. The ambulance was summoned and the boys brought here. Dr. Maurer found young George weak from the loss of blood and suffering considerably. He was able to sew the nose back on the face and reports yesterday were that the operation is a success and the member will not show much scar.

1938 Nov. 18

Dr. G. B. Maurer Killed Saturday While Hunting
Well-Known Physician Dies Instantly from Shotgun Wound
Community In Gloom
Accident Took Place in Field Near Hall’s Bridge at Dunraven

Dr. Gordon B. Maurer, beloved physician of this village, was instantly killed early last Saturday morning when his shotgun was accidentally discharged as he fell while hunting partridges on the Riseley lot in the neighborhood of Hall’s bridge. The discharge from the gun tore away the entire right side of his face and his death was an instant one.
Dr. Maurer got up early Saturday morning in preparation for the trip. He went to the home of Niles Fairbairn to invite Mr. Fairbairn to go with him. Mr. Fairbairn could not go but let the doctor take his fine setter. The Riseley lot was a favorite shooting ground for Dr. Maurer. He drove there, parked his car beside the road and went into the fields.
Conjecture is that he had gone up the hill but a short time when the dog pointed a bird. To get in for a shot it would seem the doctor had started on a run. There was an old stone wall in his path, partially torn down, where cattle had crossed over. It did not present much of an obstacle and might have been scarcely seen by a hunter anxious for a good shot. The physician stumbled or slipped on the few low stones and fell headlong with his gun partly underneath him. The gun was probably discharged when it struck the ground or possibly when he fell upon it.
At about 9 o’clock a maternity case demanded his attention at the Margaretville hospital. Mrs. Maurer sent Edward Platt, 18, who does chores for the Maurers to look for the doctor. He had told her about where he would hunt. Young Platt found the parked car and went into the field. He soon found the dog wandering aimlessly and called it to him. The dog led him at once to the doctor’s body. The lad realized the tragedy and rushed back to the Maurer home. Mrs. Maurer secured Dr. Holcomb and notified Troopers J. P. McGarvey and T. C. Weeks. All hurried to the place in the vain hope the doctor might be alive and found the body. The physician had been dead some time, the accident probably having occurred soon after he left the car.
Coroner Julian A. Gaul was notified and permitted the removal of the body, under the direction of Dr. Holcomb, to the Lattin parlors. He gave a verdict of accidental death from shotgun wound.
Gordon Bostwick Maurer was born in Rochester May 30, 1899, son of the late William Maurer of Brooklyn and Mrs. Katherine (Bostwick) Maurer of Margaretville and New Haven, Conn. Completing his studies at Yale and an internship at the New Haven hospital in New Haven, Dr. Maurer came to Margaretville. About three years later he married Miss Florence Knight of Framingham, Mass.
Besides his wife and mother, he is survived by his 8-year-old daughter, Priscilla, and a sister, Mrs. Orvan Hess, wife of Dr. Hess of New Haven, formerly of Margaretville.
Dr. Maurer came to Margaretville in 1925 and opened an office in the Rotermund house. His abilities soon brought him a large practice and he found the house too small. He bought the present home on Orchard street of Mrs. Guilford Scott. When patients needed care he took them into his home. This pointed out the need of a hospital and a community drive was made under the leadership of Rev. Father Barry for funds to build a hospital. It was hoped to raise about $18,000. So great had become the local reputation of Dr. Maurer that the sum was exceeded by a few thousand dollars.
Dr. Maurer was made superintendent of the hospital and it has been a most successful institution. He was ably aided in the administration of his duties at the hospital by his wife.
His practice has been a most extensive one. He was a major surgical operator of unusual ability. At the same time he rode far and wide through this section and had endeared himself to the community in a way that few have ever done. He was of great liberality and gave his services freely and without stint to those who were not able to pay.
The shock of his death has brought social and business life to a standstill throughout this section. His good deeds are on every tongue and his memory will be long revered.
The funeral was held from the Presbyterian church on Wednesday morning at 11 o’clock. Rev. Father Wood of Kent School of Kent School of South Kent, Mass., a former Margaretville rector, had charge of the simple but impressive Episcopal service. The body had been viewed by hundreds at the Maurer home on the morning of the funeral and the previous day and the casket was not opened at the church.
Dr. Maurer was a member of the American Legion and the local post had charge of the services. Mrs. Maurer was presented the flag that draped his casket. He was buried at the very top of the hillside in the Margaretville cemetery in view of his mountain camp on another hillside across the valley. As the final echo of taps resounded among the Margaretville hills there seemed to fall upon the hundreds in attendance at the ceremonies the final reaction to the great loss the community had sustained. Their silent tribute spoke more than words could express of their love for the man who had gone.
The honorary pall bearers at the funeral were as follows: Dr. Thompson, Dr. Flint and Dr. Marsh of Delhi, Dr. Wakeman of Andes, Dr. Lehner of Roxbury, Dr. Olean of South Norwalk, Conn., Dr. Wilson of Downsville, Dr. Tepfer of Fleischmanns, and Dr. Champlin of Oneonta.
Dr. Maurer had many interests outside of his practice here. He was graduated from Yale in 1923, and took special courses from that time until his arrival in Margaretville. He was ex-president of the Delaware County Medical society, a fellow of the American Medical association, a frequent contributor to leading medical journals, health officer of the village and had often performed that office for the high school. Two years ago he returned to Yale and took a year of advanced study in surgery and medicine.
The community tributes, beautiful flowers and expressions of sympathy to Mrs. Maurer and other members of the family have touched them deeply and they ask the News to say they fully appreciate what has been done.

1938 Nov. 18 Epitaph

Mountain Dew

Thirteen years ago there came here a city chap, trained in one of the great universities.
The other members of his class went to big towns.
He, with the best records of them all, wanted to begin the practice of medicine in a country village.
He had compiled a list of prospective communities. He looked over several and chose us.
An untried city college boy—with magic hands, a keen vision, and uncanny knowledge of both the human body and the soul which activates it.
Soon after arrival he was called upon to care for a life given up as lost. He saved it.
He began to save others. He worked day and night. When he did not have proper apparatus or appliances he built some. When the snows kept him from patients he constructed a snowmobile.
Neither storm nor night nor mud nor snow kept him from the sick.
He took people into his home. It became a veritable hospital.
The fame of the boy spread throughout the section. Men and women from all walks of life asked for his attention.
The community built a hospital that he and others might the better care for those who needed care, medication and operation.
He continued. When a tired body all but gave up, he took a year out and returned to Yale for special work that he might come home and serve better.
He had tired of city pastimes. The lure of the country had been breathed into his soul. Camp, rod and gun, open fires, life in great outdoors gave zest, relief, happiness.
He loved our hills, our mode of life; he knew our ambitions, he smiled at our shortcomings.
He gave freely. Much of the work he did was without charge. Few knew the extent of his help to those who needed help. He served as few had ever served here before.
He was physician, parson, priest, confessor—we told him both our physical and mental troubles and he put us back on the road to reason and living.
Thirteen years he served. It was a life work worth while.
Today our hearts are numb at his loss, our senses befogged to know how to live without him. May we turn from the tragedy of the golden Indian summer morning that knew his death
And in the bleak days of the approaching Thanksgiving season thank god for those thirteen years.

― Yours truly, The Mountaineer^[1]

1938 Nov. 18 Notes

Shocked by Dr. Maurer’s Death

The community was greatly shocked last Saturday forenoon to learn of the accidental shooting of Dr. G. B. Maurer of Margaretville, the well-known physician and surgeon, who had made a great reputation for himself in his profession. ― Halcottville Cor.

Hospital Board Elects Mrs. Maurer

Mrs. Florence K. Maurer was elected superintendent of the Margaretville hospital by the board of directors at a special meeting on Wednesday evening of this week, in place of her husband, the late Dr. Gordon B. Maurer.

A Letter from Father Barry
Riverdale-on-Hudson, New York City

Dear News:
Please accept, on behalf of your community, my sincerest sympathy in the loss of one of the finest men I ever knew—Gordon B. Maurer, friend and physician.
I was, indeed, shocked to learn of his death, the more as the realization of its significance to you all grows in my mind. None of us, of course, is indispensable, but when a man creates the place Gordon did in the affections and interests of his neighborhood the loss is tremendous. Obviously he can never be replaced, but his work—especially as regards the hospital—must be carried on. That, I am certain, would be his fondest wish.
How I wish that I might be of some service to you all at this time! Even though I am limited because of physical separation, I pray most sincerely for you—and especially that whomever Gordon's successor may be, he will carry on his splendid work in the same magnificent tradition he did so much to establish in his place and time. ― Faithfully, Gerald V. Barry. Saturday P.M.

A Great Loss Sustained

The great loss which we have sustained in the untimely demise of Dr. Gordon B. Maurer is so immeasurable that at first its import cannot be grasped. It is too difficult to believe that he is no longer in our midst. His passing has left us bereft of a soul whose kindly ministrations we shall no longer know.
Dr. Gordon B. Maurer personified the highest ideals in the field of medicine. He was an exemplar of a noble profession whose life was dedicated to the well-being of all. He gave unflinchingly of the best that was in him.
We, who knew and loved him, grieve the sad fate which takes him from our midst and extend our deepest sympathy to his family.
May his soul rest in peace. ― Mr. and Mrs. S. Bluestone and Family

Saddened at Doctor's Death

Friends and patients here were deeply saddened to hear of the accident which took the life of Dr. Gordon B. Maurer, and extend sincere sympathy to the wife and little daughter and other relatives. ― Pine Hill Cor.

We wish to express our deep sorrow in the loss of our friend, Dr. Gordon B. Maurer. He labored without stint for the good of humanity and practiced in the best traditions of an honorable profession. Our heartfelt sympathy goes out to Mrs. Maurer and the family in their bereavement. The community has suffered an irreparable loss. ― Dr. and Mrs. G. A. Tepfer

1950s

1957–1960

Note: A Burrage family of White Plains—Walter Jr., his wife, Tom, and Walter Sr.—had a camp and summer home on the Tremperskill in Pleasant Valley. They are not related to the Maurer/Burrage family.

1960s

1962 July 26

Visits to and Away From Margaretville

Mr. and Mrs. Peter Burrage of Winchester, Mass., returned home Monday after spending an “English” weekend with her mother, Mrs. Polly Maurer. Mrs. Burrage is the former Priscilla Maurer.

1962 Sept. 13

Local and Personal

Mr. and Mrs. Peter Burrage of Winchester, Mass., have returned home after spending last week with her mother, Mrs. Gordon Maurer.

1965 March 25

Local and Personal

Mrs. Gordon B. Maurer had as guests on Sunday her son-in-law and daughter, Mr. and Mrs. Peter Burrage, of Wappingers Falls.

1966 June 2

First Holiday Weekend Put Community on Move

Miss Mary Gorman, RN, Sister Mora Bernadette and Sister Thomas Anthony of St. Josephs hospital. Far Rockaway, visited Miss Mabel L. Hess for a few days last week. Holiday weekend guests of Miss Hess were Attorney Thomas Halloran, Dr. Katherine Halloran and children, Charles, Peter and Priscilla, of Stamford, Conn. Dr. Halloran, a niece of Miss Hess, has been appointed assistant professor of pediatrics at Yale Medical school in New Haven.

1967 February 16

Local and Personal

Mr. and Mrs. Peter Burrage of Wappingers Falls were weekend guests of her mother, Mrs. Gordon Maurer, and participated in skiing.

1967 August 1967

{{blockquote |title=Dr. Orvan Hess Takes State Post |quote= Dr. Orvan W. Hess of North Haven, Conn., and a native of Margaretville, has been appointed medical director of the Connecticut state welfare department. He is a past president of the State Medical society.

Dr. Hess will assume his new duties on a part time basis which will allow him to continue his practice and provide treatment for his present patients until he assumes the office full-time.

A well-known gynecologist and obstetrician, he is assistant clinical professor in his specialty at the [[Yale College of Medicine. He is a brother of Mrs. Mable Hess of Margaretville. His wife is a sister of the late Dr. Gordon B. Maurer. }}

1969 May 8

Personal News Bits About Village Residents

Mary Gorman and sister, Cecelia Gorman, of Far Rockaway spent last weekend with Mable Hess. Miss Hess spent the week in Far Rockaway, returning with Mary Gorman to her Margaretville home Friday.

1969 July 37

Visits And Vacationing Sign Of Summer

Mr. and Mrs. Peter Burrage of Essex Junction, Vt., spent the weekend at their Margaretville cottage and visited Mable Hess.

1969 October 16

Sociable Ways To Enjoy October’s Weather

Mr. and Mrs. Peter Burrage of Essex Junction, Vt., spent the weekend at their Margaretville camp.

1969 November 27

Local and Personal
Thanksgiving Week Sees Much Social Activity

Mrs. Margaret Sondagaard of Long Beach, L.I., and Miss Mary Gorman of Far Rockaway were weekend guests of Miss Mable Hess.

1969 December 18

It’s Calm Before Holiday Whirl

Miss Mable Hess spent last week in New York visiting friends.

1970s

1970 January 22

Local and Personal
January’s Blasts Can’t Keep Friends Apart

Mrs. Arthur Flick of Westkill was a Saturday guest of Miss Mabel Hess. The ladies were classmates in nursing school. Miss Mary Gorman of Far Rockaway, L.I., was a weekend guest of Mable Hess.

1970 May 7

School Vacation A Time For Spring Travel

Miss Mary Gorman of Far Rockaway spent the weekend with Miss Mable Hess.

1970 May 21

Local and Personal

Mr. and Mrs. Harry Nicholas of Valley Stream, N.Y., spent .several days with Miss Mabel Hess. Mary Gorman of Far Rockaway was a weekend guest of Mable Hess.

1970 June 18

Local and Personal

Mary Gorman of Far Rockaway was a weekend guest of Miss Mable Hess.

1970 July 23

Friends and Relatives Travel ‘Twixt Rain and Rays

Mr. and Mrs. Peter Burrage of Essex Junction, Vt., spent a week at their Margaretville home.

1970 October 22

Warmth Of Welcome Offsets October Chills

Miss Mable Hess and Miss Mary Gorman spent Saturday in Great Barrington, Mass., visiting N. L. Lattin.
Mr. and Mrs. Jacob Ruoff of Keesville spent three days last week with Mable Hess. Miss Hess spent Sunday to Tuesday with Mary Gorman at Far Rockaway, L.I. Miss Gorman came with Miss Hess for the weekend.

1970 October 29

Local and Personal
Neither Flood, Nor Cold Can Keep Us From Visiting

Ruth and Eleanor Ritter have returned from their home in Dwight, Ont., and were Sunday guests of Mable Hess.
Mr. and Mrs. Peter Burrage of Essex Junction, Vt., were weekend guests of her aunt, Miss Mable Hess.

1970 November 5

Local and Personal

Mary Gorman of Far Rockaway, L.I. was a weekend guest of Mable Hess.

1970 December 31

Christmas Reunions Bring Joy To Families

Miss Mable Hess was a Christmas weekend guest of Mary Gorman and Celia Stewart in Oneonta.

1971 March 11

Local and Personal

Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Halloran and children, Charles, Priscilla and Peter, of Stamford, Conn., were weekend guests of her aunt, Miss Mable Hess.
The Senior Homemakers club will meet Thursday, March 18, at the home of Miss Mable Hess. A representative of the Delaware County Opportunities center will be guest speaker. A dish to pass and table service for luncheon will be needed.

1971 March 18

Local and Personal

Miss Mary Gorman of Far Rockaway was a weekend guest of Miss Mable Hess.

1971 April 8

Local and Personal
Spring, Vacations Help To Boost Activity

Miss Mable Hess, Mrs. John Boulton, Miss Marian Connell, Mrs. Edna Kusnirak, Miss Charlotte Sanford and Mrs. Angelina Cerquozzi attended the funeral of Mrs. Eleanor Ritter Sunday in Westford, N.Y.

1971 September 16

Local and Personal
September Marks Resumption Of Activities

Mr. and Mrs. Peter Burrage and son, Michael, of Essex Junction, Vt., spent the weekend at their Margaretville cottage.

1972 March 23

Local and Personal

Mr. and Mrs. Peter Burrage of Essex Junction, Vt., are parents of a baby daughter, Ann Elizabeth. Mrs. Burrage is the former Priscilla Maurer.

1972 June 8

Local and Personal

Dr. Orvan Hess of North Haven, Conn., and grandson, Charles Halloran, of Stamford, Conn., were weekend guests of his sister. Miss Mabel Hess.

1972 July 13

Local and Personal

Miss Mary Gorman of Oneonta, Mrs. Margaret Sondagaard of Long Branch and Miss Mabel Hess spent 10 days at Wellfleet on Cape Cod. They were joined by Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Halloran and three children of Stamford, Conn.
Mr. and Mrs. Harry Nichols of Valley Stream and Mary Gorman of Oneonta arrived on Thursday to spend several days with Miss Mabel Hess.

1972 July 27

Local and Personal
There Is Much To Do In A Village Summer

Mr. and Mrs. Peter Burrage and children, Michael and Ann, of Essex Junction, Vt., spent from Thursday until Sunday at their Margaretville summer home. They were Friday evening dinner guests of Miss Mabel Hess.
Mary Gorman of Oneonta was a Tuesday to Saturday guest of Mabel Hess. They were Thursday evening guests at a cookout with Mr. and Mrs. Peter Burrage and family.

1973 June 21

Local and Personal

Mr. and Mrs. Harry Nicholas of Valley Stream and Mary Gorman of Oneonta were Tuesday to Thursday guests of Miss Mabel Hess.
Mr. and Mrs. Peter Burrage and children, Michael and Ann, of Essex Junction, Vt., spent Friday to Wednesday at their Margaretville home. Mr. and Mrs. Burrage and family were Friday dinner guests of Miss Mabel Hess and Miss Hess was a Monday dinner guest at the Burrage home.

2000s

2008 Oct. 29

A Catskill Catalog

When I first came to this part of the Catskills, Margaretville Memorial Hospital, on Route 28, was still referred to as “the new hospital.” Forward-looking men and women of the Upper East Branch Valley had conducted major community fund-raising a few years before, raising astounding thousands of dollars for the effort. The new hospital was a source of community pride: a bricks and mortar example of what a community can accomplish when focused on a tangible goal.
It was also, then as now, a wonderful little hospital, one of six independent rural community hospitals in Delaware County at the time. Walton’s Delaware Valley Hospital, Delhi’s O’Connor Hospital, The Hospital of Sidney, and MMH are still in business, although all are presently affiliated with a larger, stronger entity. The Stamford and Hancock hospitals are no longer with us, victims of the precarious nature of the health-care business.
The hospital boasted a team of outstanding nurses, a cadre of women who provided each patient a level of care, commitment, and concern that was the hospital’s calling card. Joanie Asher, Betty Griffin, Bucky George, Barb Kapitko—mentioning some leaves out others, but many readers will continue the list from memory.
The hospital attracted physicians and surgeons to practice here. Dr. Spector delivered babies. Doctors Halim and Abrahao did surgery. Dr. Abe Rottkov had a general practice in Fleischmanns. I loved his practical approach to medicine: “A guy gets hit over the head with a beer bottle,” I heard him once say, “he doesn’t need a bunch of tests. He needs a bandage!”
Margaretville Memorial Hospital was founded in 1931 in a two-story frame farmhouse located at the western edge of that village. Eight years later the new central school would be built on the field just below the hospital.
There had always been a rudimentary system of medical care in the rural Catskills. From the late 19th century through the early 20th century, general practice physicians made house calls, midwives delivered babies, and a few area nurses provided 24-hour sick care in the patient’s home. In those days, patients needing surgery or hospitalization had to travel to Kingston City Hospital or to Oneonta.
Dr. Gordon Maurer, a surgeon, settled in Margaretville in 1925, and began to provide surgical services in the operating room of his clinic, located in several village houses the doctor rented. In 1931, he purchased the farmhouse of Sinclare Archibald to establish a proper hospital. Margaretville Hospital became a memorial to Dr. Maurer in 1938. The young doctor, an avid hunter, was killed in a tragic early morning hunting accident in November of that year. The impressive monument to Dr. Maurer in the old Margaretville Cemetery has been featured in a book of American epitaphs.
In the post-war years, Margaretville Memorial Hospital flourished under the medical leadership of doctors Gilbert Palen and C. Ray Huggins. A surgeon and an internist, the two delivered a sophisticated level of medical care to their rural patients. Dr. Palen, a pilot as well as a surgeon, made Margaretville one of the first hospitals to use modern anti-biotic drugs. He would fly his small plane to Philadelphia to pick up the medicine, then fly it back here, landing, he once told me, on the old fairgrounds by the river.
Recently, I was told the story of the two doctors, back in the 1950s, building a small bonfire of invoices for medical service provided, invoices they knew their economically-strapped patients would not be able to pay. I’m told the two doctors burned-up over $100,000 worth of bills.
My friend, the doctor’s son, used to tell me how the family table was often graced with a string of trout, or leg of venison, or a dozen eggs that the good doctor had been given in payment for services rendered.
Money has always been an issue in providing health-care. Back in the ’70s, the new hospital always seemed on shaky financial ground. Some waited for it to fail, planning for future uses of the building as a middle school or community center. But the wise among us knew that the hospital could not be allowed to fail. Without it, we are simply too far away.
One used to be able to become a life member of the hospital for a total donation of something like $50. Life members met in an annual meeting—in good years in a church basement with 20 or so people in attendance. In years of controversy, several hundred life-members would gather in the school gym. The life members would elect the board of directors, who ran the hospital.
In 2001, the life members put themselves out of business, merging the hospital into the health-care system generated by the Kingston Hospital, today known as Health Alliance Planning. ― Bill Birns

2008 Nov. 12

A Catskill Catalog

Usually, I do my research before I write. Usually. A couple of weeks ago, I took a shortcut. Writing about the founder of the hospital in Margaretville, Dr. Gordon Maurer, I mentioned that his epitaph appeared in a book of American epitaphs. Dr. Maurer was killed exactly 70 years ago in a November 1938 hunting accident. He is buried in the old Margaretville Cemetery.
It’s not that I made anything up. It’s just that, in the midst of a busy week, I didn’t go to the cemetery to look for the headstone to read the epitaph myself. Instead, I took the information about it from Ethel Bussy’s classic 1960 book History and Stories of Margaretville and Surrounding Areas, lent to me a couple of months ago by my accountant (in the midst of a national financial crisis, it seems reassuring to use the phrase my accountant.)
The other day, I corrected my mistake. I spent an hour or so wandering through the terraced old cemetery looking for Dr. Maurer’s headstone. It is a wonderful cemetery, an old-fashioned park-like rural resting place that contains the names of many who figure prominently in the history of this part of the Catskills. A tall granite obelisk marks the grave of Orson Allaben, Margaretville’s founder, and that of his wife, Thankful Dimmick, daughter of Noah Dimmick, Arkville’s first citizen. Ray Marks, elected Delaware County Treasurer in 1932, rests there. I found several graves of people I knew.
The cemetery is on a sidehill, and reaching the top requires a bit of a climb, but at the very top of the hill, on the uppermost terrace, I found what I was looking for. It was worth the effort! Gordon Bostwick Maurer, 1899-1938, is memorialized by a massive double-wide granite slab on which is inscribed a profound and moving poem of remembrance and respect, written by Dr. Maurer’s friend, Clark Sanford, and published originally in the Catskill Mountain News in Sanford’s column, The Mountaineer.
Standing next to the headstone, one looks directly across the East Branch valley at the hill on the other side, looking directly at the Margaretville Hospital, founded by Dr. Maurer and dedicated as a memorial to him. What is uncanny, and a bit magical, is that that hospital was not built there until 30 years after Dr. Maurer’s death. His interment in a spot that directly overlooks the hospital he founded is, at least, a delightful coincidence. Perhaps, it is more.
And the epitaph! If you can, take the hike to the top of the cemetery hill and see it for yourself. It tells the story of a young man who graduated first in his class as an undergraduate engineer, and then, at Yale Medical School, number one in his class once again. More importantly, it tells the story of the connection made by an individual and a community.
Let the Mountaineer give us his remembrance. The headstone reads as follows.

[Catskill Mountain News epitaph]

― Bill Birns

2010s

2015 Nov. 18

A Young Man Meets His Destiny

Seventy-seven years ago, on November 18, the Catskill Mountain News printed the obituary of one of its most beloved citizens, Gordon Maurer. In only 13 short years, he had ensconced himself as the life blood of his adopted hometown. In 1925, fresh out of medical school, Dr. Maurer could have chosen to go anywhere in the United States—he was a promising young doctor with strong surgical skills. He looked around and decided that Margaretville, a tight knit country community in the beautiful Catskills, was where he would call home. The work was exhausting and unrelenting. He (and soon his young nurse wife) would operate on their kitchen table as needed. He stuck it out through the innumerable strep throats, the appendectomies, the routine broken bones, although at one point he was almost ready to cash it in. Maurer’s dedication and talent led Clarke Sanford (probably his best friend) and others on a crusade to build a real hospital. His tragically truncated life has had a profound effect on our lives “in this place” to this day. Although his name is seldom heard these days (kudos to the Historical Society of Middletown for “resurrecting” him in its first Cemetery Tour), I consider him one of Margaretville’s and our county’s greatest heroes. Part of Maurer’s legacy is the seamless dedication this village has shown for decades to a strong local hospital. Here I share with you his obituary (which Clarke had engraved in its entirety on his gravestone) along with some more prosaic and typical incidents of his all too short time among us. I know some of you may also be wondering about another village hero, Harry Odell, a prisoner of war mentioned in last week’s column. An update on him next week! ― Trish Adams

References

↑ Sanford, Clark A. Editor/Publisher (November 18, 1938) “Mountain Dew” Catskill Mountain News.

Catskill Mountain News archive (July 1902 – Dec. 1973)

Year	Mising issues
1919	May 16, October 17 & 31, and December 26
1920	all
1921	Jan.–Mar., May–Jun., Sep.–Oct. and Nov. 4 & 25
1922	January 6 and October 13
1923–’24	none
1925	all
1926	February 5 and March 19
1927	March 25
1928	none
1929	August 2
1930	April, May, July 18 and December
1931	January 2 – March 13 and April 17
1932	March 11, July 22 and September 30
1933	June 30
1934	March 30, June 8 and August 31
1935–’37	none
1938	September 30
1939	July 28
1940–’42	none
1943–’73	?

[1] Sanford, Clark A. Editor/Publisher (November 18, 1938) “Mountain Dew” Catskill Mountain News.

[1]