Cochecton was probably settled by exploring Swedes about 1638. About
1754, Connecticut Yankees, operating under the Charter of the Delaware
Company, came west seeking land to support their families.
The Cushetunk Colony was the name given to the entire tract that
apparently extended from New Jersey up the Delaware to Ten Mile River and
beyond.
Cochecton, in pre-revolutionary days, was an important post in Sullivan
County's great fur trade. Even after the Revolutionary War, beaver and other
fur-bearing game was very prolific. Timbering had its beginnings in
Cochecton. Daniel Skinner, son of one of the first settlers, was the first
man to float a timber raft down the Delaware to Philadelphia. Because of the
huge forests, tanning became one of the most important industries in
Cochecton from 1830 to 1890, at which time, this industry began to decline.
In later years, tourism was one of the most important industries for the
town.
Cochecton was originally a part of Lumberland. In 1828, the town was
formed from what was then Bethel Township. The first town meeting was held
on March 3, 1829, under the direction of Supervisor James C. Curtis. In
1869, Cochecton was divided and the Town of Delaware formed from it.
The Town of Cochecton includes the hamlets of Cochecton, Cochecton
Center, Lake Huntington, and part of Fosterdale. Population in the 1990
census was 1,318.
Points of interest: remains of the Pump Station; the Erie Railroad
Station, which is being restored by the Cochecton Preservation Society;
Schultz's "round" barn"; Lake Huntington and the Delaware
River.
The Cochecton Erie Railroad Station is a one-story Greek revival station
built around 1850, at the time railroad pioneers were building the first
major trunk lines. The building was located on the property of Cochecton
Mills, Cochecton, N.Y., until 1993, when a group of interested residents,
hearing that the station was about to be demolished, formed the Cochecton
Preservation Society for the major purpose of saving the station.
With money from many fundraisers and donations, the group has been able
to dismantle the station, move it to another location along the old Erie
tracks, and begin to rebuild it. It will be used as a historic site and
museum once reconstruction is completed.
Source:
Frank V. Schwarz, Historian
Lumberland: A Gem with Many Facets
Bicentennial Pamphlet, 1998
