Kaatscast: the Catskills Podcast

History Episodes

March 26, 2024

"It's One O'Clock and Here Is Mary Margaret McBride"

Dubbed the "first lady of radio," Mary Margaret McBride was a welcome voice in millions of homes in the 1930s, '40s, and '50s, pulling in 6 to 8 million listeners daily! Mary Margaret interviewed 30,000 guests, from Eleanor R...

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March 12, 2024

Overlook History Hike with Will Nixon

Will Nixon has been writing about Woodstock for decades, including a column in the Woodstock Times , and two popular books-- Walking Woodstock , and The Pocket Guide to Woodstock , all in collaboration with writer Michael Per...

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Jan. 30, 2024

Telephone Tales with Switchboard Operator Lula Anderson

Before cell phones, before touch tone, before dial tone, even, if you wanted to make a phone call, you'd pick up the receiver and talk to an operator. If that call was placed in the Catskills in the late 1940s …

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Nov. 7, 2023

At the D&H Canal Museum with Historian Bill Merchant

On today's Kaatscast, we checked in with Bill Merchant, Deputy Director for Collections, historian, and curator at the D&H Canal museum, recently transplanted to the historic Depuy Canal House in High Falls, NY. Not every vis...

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Oct. 10, 2023

Indigenous Catskills 101

On the heals of Indigenous People's Day, Kaatscast sat down with Justin Wexler, of Wild Hudson Valley , for an overview of the Catskills' own native history. If you've ever wondered about the people who came before us, and wh...

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July 18, 2023

Brunel Sculpture Garden: Resurrecting a Roadside Attraction

Nearly a century ago, famed photographer and innovator Emile Brunel purchased Boiceville's Brown Hotel and transformed it into Le Chalet Indien, a world-class resort frequented by famed artists and politicians of the day. Bru...

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Dec. 20, 2022

Sea Lion Training in ... Kingston! The Tale of Sharkey and "Seal Coll…

Just off the Kingston traffic circle, you'll find a couple of gas stations, a used car dealer, and a drive-through vegetarian burger joint. But in the 1940s, this was the site of "Seal College," a training facility for some o...

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Dec. 6, 2022

Kenny Bloodgood's Catskills Connection to a Famed Western Artist

Charles Shreyvogel was an Eastern artist who painted famous Western scenes. His favorite model was also decidedly non-Western. Greene County’s Kenny Bloodgood recounts tales of his great-uncle Grant and his unlikely appearanc...

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Nov. 8, 2022

Witness Cremations at the Historic Wiltwyck Cemetery

When the Wiltwyck Cemetery and family crematory started following us on Instagram, instead of getting ... well ... creeped out, we decided to reach out, and learn about this unique establishment. Kingston's Wiltwyck Rural Cem...

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Oct. 25, 2022

Women and the Vote: an Interview with Catskills Novelist Violet Snow

Catskills writer Violet Snow is the author of To March or to Marry , an historical novel about the lengthy fight for a woman's right to vote, both here in New York, and nationally. As we prepare to cast our …

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Oct. 11, 2022

Overlook's Spirit Stones: Investigating the Indigenous

Overlook Mountain is a popular Catskills hiking destination, complete with a scenic fire tower and the ruins of an historic hotel. According to researchers, and bolstered by groundbreaking scientific evidence, the mountain's ...

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Sept. 13, 2022

Empire State Railway Museum: Catskills Rails Then and Now

In our last episode we took a ride on the old Ulster & Delaware rails with Rail Explorers , a pedal bike experience in Phoenicia, NY. This week, we're at the neighboring Empire State Railway Museum , at home in …

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Aug. 16, 2022

The Classical Concerts that Predate 1969's Woodstock: Inside the Mave…

Long before "THE" concert so closely associated with Woodstock, " Maverick Concerts " have been delighting fans of classical music for more than 100 years. We sat in the historic concert hall with music director Alexander Pla...

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Aug. 2, 2022

Drive Time: at the Schoharie Turnpike – Kaaterskill Clove Road Rally

Earlier this summer, we joined dozens of auto enthusiasts for a 135-mile loop on the Schoharie Turnpike - Kaaterskill Clove Road Rally, one in a series of rallies that pairs Catskills scenery and history with the love of driv...

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June 21, 2022

Fire Tower Challenge!

If you're looking for a unique way to experience Catskills views, there's no better time to check out the Catskills' 6 hiker-accessible fire towers ! The 2022 Catskills Fire Tower Challenge encourages hikers to visit all 6, w...

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