Time and the Valleys opens new exhibit

A reconstructed 1930s farm, barn

By Amy Hines | Manor Ink Mentor

Grahamsville, NY – It was a dream now made real. As of this month, it is possible to visit a new exhibit at the Time and the Valleys Museum – a 1930s Catskill family farm, the kind that was sacrificed to create the engineering miracle that is the reservoir system upon which New York City depends for its water.

People lost their homes, businesses and farms to make way for the tunnels and reservoirs. And now, a recreated farm is on view. It is the result of years of planning by Board Chair Richard Coombe and museum trustees and staff, followed by the work of moving an entire original farmhouse to a site at the top of the hill behind the museum. An 1870 barn was also relocated, and 20 out-buildings were constructed, adding a road and even a working water wheel. The Time and the Valleys Museum opened its newest exhibit during a two-part event held on Wednesday, June 11, for members, donors and volunteers.

A museum with a mission

Time and the Valleys Museum, located in Grahamsville, was founded in 2004 with a mission to connect water, people and the Catskills by exploring New York City’s water systems and the sacrifices made by local residents in the 1930s to provide the metropolis with clean water. Today, the museum strives to be the Catskills’ leading resource for exploring the history and future of access to clean water.

The main museum is housed in a three-story wing attached to the expanded Daniel Pierce Library. It features two permanent exhibits. “Water and the Valleys” explains the history of the Rondout and Neversink watershed area from early geological times to the 20th century, and “Tunnels, Toil and Trouble: New York City’s Quest for Water and the Rondout-Neversink Story,” covers the city water supply system and the towns that were removed to build the system. Both offer interactive ways to learn about the history and engineering involved in establishing the city watershed. Currently, an additional rotating exhibit titled “A Quilted Past” displays 39 quilts crafted between 1874 and 2025 by women from the Rondout and Neversink watershed regions.

Recreating a ‘lost’ 1930s farm

The newest exhibit opened June 11 and is titled “1930s Catskill Family Farm.” It’s an outdoor, open-air experience with 13 early farm buildings, all illustrating life on a Catskill family farm during the 1930s. The farm represents life in the area when people learned they were about to be removed from their homes and farms to make way for the construction of a 90-mile tunnel and reservoir system to carry drinking water to New York City.

In addition to the original farm house and 1870s barn, the exhibit includes a maple syrup sap house, a pig pen, chicken coop, electric plant, milk house, several barns, a root cellar, outhouse and workshop. The exhibit explores the function of different buildings and tools, and the importance of each family member in running the farm. It preserves the story of what was lost and celebrates simple family farm life through the use of mobile technology, stationary and hands-on activities and special events including canning, cider-making and root cellar food storage workshops.

On display in the Ray Bertholf Exhibition Barn are beautifully restored vehicles, including a Model A Ford and a 1936 REO Speedwagon which belonged to Sandra Bertholf Gerry’s father.

“Our father enjoyed driving his truck at no more than 15 miles an hour around the county, even though it could go 40,” Gerry said at the farm exhibit’s opening luncheon. She also explained that since 1978 the truck has been stored in different barns. “It was time to find a more worthy home for his personal treasure and so here we are.”

Honoring donors at the exhibit opening

Richard Coombe explained to guests attending the opening that all the period buildings feature artifacts, tools and equipment – many of which were donated by local families – along with interactive videos, games and authentic farm sounds. He invited the 60 donors at the pre-ribbon cutting luncheon to take pride in the project and their contributions of $10,000 or more. He also announced the David and Terry Forshay Endowment Fund, designated for ongoing support of the museum and which is held at the Community Foundation of Orange & Sullivan. Dave Forshay, Zeke Boyle, trustees and many others volunteered their time as part of the project’s realization.

Following the luncheon, special guest NYC DEP Commissioner Rohit Aggarwall talked to the over 125 Museum members present about the importance of understanding the system-wide networks that make clean water possible for millions of New Yorkers.

The Museum’s website offers virtual exploration on a variety of historic topics relevant to the watershed and life up through the 1930s when the massive displacement of 20 farming communities occurred. The audio recording of many of these talks are available on the Museum’s website, timeandthevalleysmuseum.org.