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The Chatham Press | September 2026 | 3
MATRIARCHS
In praise of Grandmothers September is Grandparents Month and we celebrate those who occupy a special place in our hearts and are frequently the family glue: the grandmothers. DEBORAH (SIMPKINS) SPAULDING
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KAREN HOLT-LENT
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4 | The Chatham Press | September 2026
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BARBARA PEDUZZI
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SERVICE
Photographer Richard E. Lindmark has captured the latest additions to the village-wide display.
Hometown Heroes Banners Additions
THANK YOU!
6 | The Chatham Press | September 2026
The Chatham Press | September 2026 | 7
HISTORY
World Trade Center Task Force September 21-23, 2001
Twenty-five years ago, a beautiful pre-autumn day was shattered by the attacks on the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. Most Americans have memories of that day, when they heard, what they thought, what they did, and what the country did afterwards. Many people wanted to help, those of us in emergency services perhaps most of all, because of the tragic loss of so many of our fellow responders. Some went to New York City on their own. Others of us joined task force teams, responding in the weeks afterwards to help the city’s devastated departments. I was one of six Chatham Rescue Squad members who made the trip. When we got to the city, we were split into two teams. I was with “NAPA” Bob Johnson and Dan Herrick. We had the first shift waiting at Chelsea Pier to be deployed, while the others, apologies for my lack of memory as to who, were taken to the Red Cross hospital ship Comfort to sleep and eat. This was written in the days after that.
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What to do?
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The Chatham Press | September 2026 | 9
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Gotta eat
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° « £ ½ ¸ ° ° « « º ° º ° ° ¯ ¬ ¯ ¬ ° ° « ° ° ¯ « £ « ° £ ° ° ° ° ° ° ³ · µ ¸ ° ° £ ° « « ° ° · ° ¸ « ° ° « ° ° ° Á ° ¾ « « ° °  ° ° « ¬ À « ° ° ° ± ´ µ µ¹ Å ° Á «  ° ¹ º ¹ ® µ ° ° « « ° ³ · ¸ · ¸ « ° ° º ° ° ° « ° ® ° ° ° ° ° « Lost? ° « ° ° ° Å ·° ° ° ¸ º ° ° £ « ° ° ° ° ° « Á « ¬  « º ° ° « ·¿ ¦¸ ·¼ ¸ · « ¾ ° ° ° ° ¸ ° ³ ·° ³ « « ° ° ¸ ³ ° ° º ° Ä ° À « ° ° « · ° ° ³ § Sunset « ° ° ° µ « ° À ¿ À¸ « £ ° ° « « ° ° « · ° « ° ¹ « ³ ³ ° ° « ¸ « ° ³ ° « ° « « ° ° ¾ ©±© « ° » ° ° ¾ « « « « Ä ° ° ° º ° ¬ ® Å ° «° ° § ³ ° « « º ñ© « ¬ « ° ° ° ° µ ° ° « ¯ Å « ° « ° ·´ ¸ « « « ° « ° ° ³ ° « ° Æ • ® ± The Chatham Press | September 2026 | 11
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14 | The Chatham Press | September 2026
Digital Issue
HISTORY
A Revolutionary Soldier in Columbia County Men like Austerlitz’s Samuel Mallery were the key to the American Revolution.
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A soldier’s life
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The Chatham Press | September 2026 | 15
FAMILIES
Hermance_Layout 1 8/1/26 9:04 AM Page 16
Surviving Surviving families
Margaret "Peg" Mead is the keeper and chronicler of her Hermance family history – a Ghent/Chatham family burdened by poverty during the 50s and 60s but that managed to overcome through sheer grit and positive spirit. The Press extracted vignettes randomly from Peg's autobiography including her mother’s story of giving birth alone.
Margaret “Peg” Mead is the keeper and chronicler of her Hermance family history – a Ghent/Chatham family burdened by poverty during the 50s and 60s but that managed to overcome through sheer grit and positive spirit. The Press extracted vignettes randomly from Peg’s autobiography including her mother’s story of giving birth alone.
By Margaret Mead
We were a big family: Buddy, Peg, Mike, Josh, Ed, Kate, Molly, Pat, Jr. (aka Bill) and Lori. That’s all of us in birth order. Buddy was born in 1951 and Lori was born in 1967 – 16 years of added siblings in my life. There is one missing – Danny was born in 1953 (between myself and Mike, but he passed away just a few months into his life so none of us ever knew him. I can only imagine the grief my parents endured. We grew up in a completely different world in the 1950s and 1960s. We were very poor, financially.
Buddy
Buddy was my older brother by one year so my earliest memories are those I spent with him in our Chatham home. I remember walking Buddy to school at what is now the American Legion on Woodbridge Avenue where we attended kindergarten. It was a one room school with three teachers all for one class. Soon after, the MED Elementary school opened and those three teachers then had their own class. I believe the teachers were Mrs. Miller, Mrs. Trimm and Mrs. Sommers. Also back then, I vividly remember one day someone knocking on our door at home. A man was there holding our dog (dead) – he had run over the dog with his truck. I was very sad. A few days later the same man came to the house with a new dog for us. Very kind man. I remember there was a big fire in that house. I remember sitting in a room downstairs with a fireman’s coat over me while the fire was being put out. There was a large hole in the ceiling where the fire was, and water was pouring out of it onto us. It was winter so they couldn’t send us outside. It must have been that fire which made us move to a house on Arnolds Mills Road in Ghent.
Arnolds Mills Road
Peg Hermance Mead, standing at right, poses with her indomitable mother Esther and Peg’s daughter, also Esther, and son Mike.
16 | The Chatham Press | September 2026
We lived in a small 2 bedroom house – no indoor plumbing. We took baths in the creek well behind the house, went to the bathroom in an outhouse 200 feet away from house. Much of the time we had no electric either. I remember we kept our refrigerated items in a wooden box nailed to a window in the winter or in some container in the cold creek water in the summer. Baths in the winter were in a metal tub with water heated up on either a wood stove or a three burner kerosene kitchen stove which my mother cooked on. My mother would make most of our clothes on a sewing machine with a pedal to power it. I remember one year she made the boys suits and me a beautiful dress for Easter. Most of our other clothes were hand me downs from other relatives. We weren’t unhappy or miserable with this life – we didn’t know any different. Buddy’s and my major toys were marbles. We each had a box of marbles which we played with every day drawing a circle in the dirt part of the yard and shooting marbles the old fashioned way – some days ending with more marbles – some ending with less. In the summer Bud and I would walk each morning along the edge of the road and pick black raspberries to put on our cereal or to eat with milk and sugar on them. During winter months we would go sledding across the road in the woods. We didn’t have sleds. We used cardboard boxes or the original flying saucer (wringer washer lid). We had a path going down a hill that went in and outside of trees. At the end we would yell “duck” just in time to duck and go under a barbed wire fence. What the hell were we thinking? We would do this over and over again. I remember all of us going swimming up the road in a place called Lampman’s. It was a little walk down a path up the road into a little area that had a small beach where all of us swam and there was a large hill that people used to dive from. One time I actually saw someone dive in and hit his face on the rocks. Not a pretty sight. It left an impression on me. I suddenly became aware of safety and things not to do. Buddy and I went to school in Ghent (where the Town Hall is today) There were grades 1-5 in that school. School lunches were brought into the school by buses and
Hermance_Layout 1 8/1/26 9:04 AM Page 17
My brother Josh entered this world uniquely. Following is a story Mom wrote about his birth. I very much remember that day/night but it is best read in her own words. served in the hallways. Since my family couldn’t afford to buy (or even bring our own) the school provided free meals to us. There were about four other students in my classes which received free lunches and everyday it was announced as that. That’s probably the first time I realized we were different. I was a little embarrassed that my name was announced every day. Once Buddy tried out for Little League. Back then not everyone was allowed on a team – there were tryouts. Bud loved baseball and wanted to play. He went to all the practices and tryouts. One day he didn’t get home when expected, so I went looking for him. I found him along side of the road crying. He said he was crying because his bike broke down. (I don’t remember the bike any other time except that day). In reality I knew in my young wisdom that he was crying because he didn’t make the team and kids younger than he in my grade did. I wanted to find those responsible and give them a piece of my mind. I knew in my mind it was because we weren’t from the “right” family. That stigma again. I was pissed at that young age. The same thing happened to me when I wanted to be a Girl Scout. I wasn’t accepted. May sound odd these days, but that’s the way it was.
Spring Street, Chatham
Some time in 1962 we moved to 43 Spring Street in Chatham. While we had electricity sometimes in Ghent, the house in Chatham had electric and indoor plumbing – a first for me. We also then had neighbors – who eventually all became family members. My mom and dad split up somewhere around 1963 and a while after that my mom started dating one of our neighbors and eventually they married years later. As a result of that union two more siblings were born – Jr. (Bill) in 1966 and Lori in 1967. That completed our family of 10 siblings. We lived on Spring Street for 3-4 years and all of us made friends next door and in the village. We weren’t so remote anymore. I went to MED for 5th and 6th grades and then on to the Jr./Sr. High School which is now the Middle School.
Fun times
We didn’t have many toys growing up, but we did have a lot of play time. We played hide N Seek every day. Did a lot of jump roping. Hopscotch was good also. Once in a while, we would get to go to the drive in movies. We would all pack in one car (no seatbelts at the time). Just before we got to the drive-in, we would stop and hide as many kids in the trunk as we could – then once we were in they would all get out and most of us would sit on the ground to watch the movie. It was ok. Going to the movies was a big deal. Usually the only other time we would get to go to the movies was at Christmastime. The Crandell Theatre would have a free Christmas movie every year and we would all get to go together. Not much money for snacks but the movies was a treat.
Food
With a family of 12 one can imagine how hard it was to feed everyone. Well, that’s a big understatement – but we really never went hungry – only if we didn’t want to eat what was cooked – which was often in my case. We of course raised all our own vegetables. Had a large garden – was a lot of work. Many times we had lettuce sandwiches for lunch. Then when they were ready, we ate cucumber sandwiches and lots of tomato sandwiches. We had lots of corn – not from our garden – but from farmers cow corn fields. Not the tastiest but with lots of butter it was certainly edible. We always had butter because once a month we received Government food. The butter was one of the best things we received. Other things – not so great – were rolled wheat, nonfat dry milk, canned meat (somewhat like Spam), lard, rice, raisins, peanut butter, cheese. Of it all, I think the rolled wheat was the worst. But it was our breakfast most of the time. Most of the time, we had plenty of bread. The A&P store in Chatham would give us shopping carts full of day old breads and cakes that they couldn’t sell anymore. Plus, Mom would make lots of bread and biscuits. We had pancakes often. Now for the meat: Again, we couldn’t afford to buy meat most of the time so we raised our own. We had lots of chickens. They provided eggs but were also raised to butcher, usually in the fall. It would be a whole day of chopping off heads, plucking feathers off, and cleaning out the insides of the chickens. Most were frozen for future meals. Same thing with pigs. We usually raised two pigs a year. Again in the fall there would be a whole day of slaughtering, cleaning, cutting up, wrapping all parts of the pig to freeze. Then there was hunting: Deer, rabbit, woodchucks were all meat on our table. Mom did her best to make dishes that were edible but some were just not. A few of the meals I could not tolerate at all were liver, split pea soup, and salted codfish.
Mom’s story – giving birth alone
"It was a normal January day when I woke on Jan. 29, 1957. I got up got dressed, started a fire in the wood stove that we used to heat our home, made coffee and prepared breakfast for myself, my husband Ed and 3 kids, Buddy who was 5, Peg who was 4 and Mike who was 13 months old. I was pregnant, expecting around Valentines Day. A snow storm was reported to start that afternoon, typical for that part of the country. Ed had no work that day so he decided to go to my moms to pick up some chicken and eggs before the snow sat in. My mom worked at a chicken farm and provided us with chicken and eggs. Buddy decided to go with him. It was about 3 miles away and they walked, because we had no car. Its about an hour walk. They started out around 8 am and usually stayed there until my brother-in-law came home from work and drove them home. He and my sister lived with my mom. I did my daily household chores, filled the stove with wood and sat down on the couch to sew on a quilt that I was making. I heard the school bus pick up the girls next door. Their house was a short distance from ours. Around 9:30 the snow began to fall and it was heavy. I sat and sewed. The kids were asleep on the day bed. It was around 10:30 and I felt a slight back ache. I got up and checked the stove, got a cup of coffee and sat back down to sew. The back ache was getting worse. I said to myself Oh My God, I hope I’m not going into early labor as I was alone with the 2 kids and had no phone. I got up and looked to the neighbors house because they had a phone that I could use if I needed. No one was there, the girls were at school and the mother and father were at work. My back ache was worse. By then it was evident to me that I was starting labor but it was just my back for now. At about 1:30 I realized something was wrong. I waited for the neighbor girls to get home from school so I could call someone. The bus usually drops them off around 2:30. I could only wait and hope. I heard the bus at 2:45 and got up and was ready to go out and call my mom. The bus did not stop, the girls must have stayed after school. By that time the snow had piled up to about 6 inches. Oh My God, what was I going to do. The pains were getting harder and closer. The next neighbor was about a city block away. I had no choice, I had to try and make it there to use the phone. I dressed warm with coat hat, boots and gloves and started out. It was snowing real hard and the wind was blowing. I could hardly see trudging through the 6 or more inches of snow. I knew I had to keep going or give birth here on the road. I finally made it to the house and knocked on the door. I told her what was going on and could I please use her phone. She would not let me in. She said her 7 year old son was home and she didn’t want him to see this. I was devastated and started to cry. I gave her moms number and asked her to please call. I just had to hope she would. Crying my eyes out I turned and started the long trek back home. Contractions were so hard I had to stop and wait for them to ease up. All of a sudden I heard a car coming. It was the milk truck. I was so happy to see it. I stood waving my arms but they didn’t stop they just waived back at me. Oh My God pains were unbearable I could hardly stand. I could see my house about 50 feet away. All of a sudden it happened, my water broke and I knew I was in desperate trouble. I had to get to the house. I went as fast as I could with pains ravaging my body. This baby was ready and no way to stop him. I made it to the house and up the steps with water running and freezing on my legs. I knew this was it. I had babies before and this one was ready. I knew I had to do this all by myself. With the pains were ripping through my body, I got undressed, took off my pants and underwear and got into the daybed. Peg was looking at me like what’s going on. Mike was sleeping on the couch. I told Peg to go upstairs and not to come down no matter what she heard. I was in real hard labor and knew it was time. After a few minutes and a couple hard pushes my baby boy was born. I knew I had to make sure he was OK so I tried to set up and check on him but I was so dizzy I just fell back down. I moved my legs to try and feel him. All of a sudden I heard what I was waiting or – he let our a cry and I knew he was alive. I called Peg downstairs and asked her to get a clean towel from the closet and warm it by the stove for her new baby brother. She did and brought it to me looking scared. I told her it was ok. I was so dizzy I couldn’t wrap him so I just pulled him close with my legs, covered him with the towel and prayed. At that time the door flew open and Ed and Buddy came in. She did call but didn’t tell the whole story. They thought I was in early labor. I told them the baby was already here. He threw off his coat and ran next door; they were home by now. They all ran over to see what was happening. The ambulance came, the EMT cut the cord, wrapped him and gave him to me and we were on our way to the hospital. Its now 58 years later but I remember that day like it was yesterday. God was with me that day. He saw me and Josh through it all. We often talk about that day. I remember Peg saying she didn’t want any baby because the stork bit Mommy and made her cry. She now has 3 kids of her own, all grown with their own families. Josh is married with a daughter. Mike is also, he has kids and lives in North Carolina. I had 6 more kids after this. All are grown up with families of their own. But this is the birth that I remember the most. In a blinding snow storm with only my 2 kids and God to lead me on.”
The Chatham Press | September 2026 | 17
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18 | The Chatham Press | September 2026
BFFS
friendship Big
in a small town
The author, a Chatham native, and lifelong bestie, Devinia Ball Whipple, have been there for one another through thick and thin over the years.
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Oscar and Felix
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Always “there”
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The Chatham Press | September 2026 | 19
NOW SCHEDULING FOR FALL CHATHAM, NY 518.392.9486
SPECIALIZING IN: • INTERIOR PAINTING • PAPER HANGING • PLASTER & SHEET ROCK REPAIR » FULLY INSURED «
20 | The Chatham Press | September 2026
FAMILY
Where did we come from?
Graphic designer by profession, genealogist by obsession, goes the motto of Chatham’s Michelle LeClair. She shares her knowledge and bag of research tricks with classes at the Chatham Public Library.
·
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Cemetery visits
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Into the toolbox
Teaching
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The Chatham Press | September 2026 | 21
June PRESS 2025_v1.qxp_Layout 1 5/21/25 3:52 PM Page 2
A whiskey distillery crafting Rye and American Single Malt from the grain grown on our historic farm in Old Chatham
Open Saturdays & Sundays, 12:00 pm - 5:00 pm
silverbrothers.com We provide great plumbing, and Air Conditioning services as well as installs.
New address: Phone (518) 672-7068 #437 NY Route 295 www.dellsplumbing.com www.dellsplumbing.com Chatham NY 12037 info@dellsplumbing.com dellsplumbheatac@yahoo.com Office #518-672-7068
Visit Rural Grounds, our new coffee & smoothie truck located just outside the store
STORE.HAWTHORNEVALLEY.ORG LOCAL ORGANIC & BIODYNAMIC PRODUCE ORGANIC BAKERY & CREAMERY PREPARED FOODS MADE FRESH DAILY
HOURS: FARM STORE 7 DAYS, 7:30-7 RURAL GROUNDS MON-SAT, 7:30-4
22 | The Chatham Press | September 2026
CURATED SELECTION OF CRAFT BEER & HARD CIDER BUYING CLUB ECO-FRIENDLY BACK TO SCHOOL GEAR: BACKBACKS, LUNCH BOXES, WRITING UTENSILS AND MORE!
COMMUNITY
No blues at the 25th annual
Blueberry Festival
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The vittles
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Kudos!
° « « ° ° » ° £ « £ µ « ° Ä ° º ³ ° • The Chatham Press | September 2026 | 23
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service
Kitchen & Bathroom Design Studio 6 Main Street, Chatham, NY 12037 Design Consultation c. 518-755-1994 e. robyn@keelerconcepts.com Kitchen & Bathroom Design Studio 6 Main Street, Chatham, NY 12037 Design Consultation c. 518-755-1994 e. robyn@keelerconcepts.com
James Kleinbaum Attorney at Law James Kleinbaum Attorney at Law (518) 794 - 8708 18 Park(518) Row, Chatham, NY 794 - 8708 18 Park Row, Chatham, NY
MasseyMasonry (518) 392-2825 www.masseymasonry.com
Malden Bridge, NY 518.755.6787 Malden Bridge, NY 518.755.6787 Services: Services: Tree Planting Tree Planting Transplanting Transplanting Pruning Pruning Consultations Consultations Fruit Tree Pruning Fruit Tree Pruning
www.dwileskitree.com www.dwileskitree.com ®
NY 6073A
24 | The Chatham Press | September 2026
HISTORY
TidBits
ELSIE POWELL
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GEORGE BEACH
· ° ¸ « · ° « § ° Ç ° ¬ Ç ° ¸ ° « ´ · ¸ « £ ° « ° · ¸ « « ° § ° ¬ ° » ° ° § ° ± £ » · ° » ° ® ° ° ° ¸ ° Ä » £ ³ ° ° ° · Ä ° ¸ ° ° ° Ä ° ° ° « ° ¾ ° ° ¬ ° « ° ° ° « ·° ° Æ « ° µ £ µ ° ° « ° µ « ° ° « ° ° « £ ° « · ° £ ³ ° ° ° ° ¸ ° £ ° ° « ° ° · ¸ The Chatham Press | May 2026 | 25
the CHATHAM
BOOKSTORE & Art Supplies
Country Squire Supply, LLC Where you will find whatever you need, whenever you need it Paint & sundries Hardware Tools Building supplies Automotive Heating
Lawn & garden Farm supply Plumbing Electrical Keys made Screen repair
1224 State Route 20 New Lebanon, NY Phone 518-794-8111 Fax 518-794-9778 Email: countrysquiresupply@yahoo.com
GOOLD
We carry books for readers of all ages, as well as art supplies, toys, crafts, games and gifts.
Now open 7 days a week ! 27 Main Street, Chatham, New York
Chathambookstore.com
518 392-3005
Athyrium Landscape Design LLC
WELLS • PUMPS
• Water well drilling • Water filtration systems • Complete pump systems • Hydrofracturing (to increase flow) • Licensed • Fully insured • Residential • Commercial • Wells & pumps • Sales & service Family owned since 1928 CHATHAM CENTER, NY
518-392-4254 800-454-4448 / www.gooldwells.com
Design Installation Maintenance
518 392 1912 athyrium@mac.com www.athyriumlandscapedesign.com
We have selection and shru your land
Chatham Dental, PLLC Dr. Colin Heeps
Offering all phases of general dentistry. New patients always welcome. We work with most insurance plans. One Houseman Avenue, Chatham 518 392 5571 Mon, Tues, Weds, Thurs : to
The Chatham Press June 2025 Page 8 The Chatham Press January 2013 Page 25
Chatham 518-392-3241 Millerton 518-789-4471 Claverack 518-851-5391 Great Barrington 413-528-2390 www.agwayny.com The Chatham Press | July 2026 | 27
HORSE RACING
A formidable team:
Roger Ellis and Rensselaer Lad
Ghent’s Roger Ellis was in for the ride of a lifetime when his dad brought home a lame horse that turned out to be a harness racing legend.
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28 | The Chatham Press | September 2026
A racing hub
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A sulky star
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·£ £ ° ¿ ° « ¸ ¹ ° ° « µ ° « £ ¹ Winding down ¦ · ° ¹ £ ¹ µ Á Â « ¹ ¨ ° ¸ • £ ° £ ¹ ° The Chatham Press | September 2026 | 29
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your every day farmers market
farm store & Garden center
" Open " " daily 8am-6pm " " "* )$
hydroponic greens | specialty foods fresh fruit & vegetables meat & seafood farm kitchen savories plants for the garden & home gifts | gift unique cards
the greenhouse cidery Located at The Chatham Berry Farm Open April 16th October 31st " " new " york state " farm "cidery
" small batch ") cider hard
greenhouse & field taproom, food from yummy kitchen craft beer | wines | spirits craft cocktails | n/a beverages music live | pop-ups family & dog friendly
"" "" " "&#(" " "+&#( "!" 518-392-4609 | 2309 Route 203 Chatham NY 12037 | thechathamberryfarm.com
30 | The Chatham Press | September 2026
70
SPORTS
SportBits
A Striders return?
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The ‘altitudinous athlete’
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Big switch
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The Chatham Press | September 2026 | 31
We’re here to insure your entire world.
With three offices in Copake, Valatie, and Chatham we are here to help you with any of your insurance needs. Contact us today for a quote on your home, auto, business, health insurance or life insurance. We are the Kneller Agency and we’re here to insure your world.
Auto • Home • Farm • Business & Commercial • Life, Health & Long Term Care Call or visit any of our locations: Chatham: 6 Church Street, Chatham, P. 518.392.9311 Copake: 179 Cty Rte 7A, Copake, P. 518.329.3131 • Valatie: 3030 Main Street , Valatie, P. 518.610.8164