County Overview
Sullivan County was carved out of Ulster County in 1809, named for General John Sullivan. Both counties were a part of the tremendous Hardenburgh Patent of 1708 (make sure to visit the Stone Houses in Ulster County for more information!). Previously, the area that is now Sullivan County was inhabited by the Lenape Indians. Scarcely inhabited, the completion of the Newburgh-Cochecton Turnpike in the earliest days of the 19th century, and later the Erie Railroad (later the O&W) opened up the area to travel and tourism. The tourism industry gradually surpassed farming and tanning as the primary industry in Sullivan County. To read more about the early days of Sullivan County in detail, please see this site.
