Deerpark Town Historian

10/02/2026

As Town Historian for the Town of Deerpark, Michael recently attended the Association of Public Historians of New York State Annual Conference in Utica, where he presented “From Crisis to Canal: Energy, Innovation, and Transformation in Deerpark and Port Jervis.”

The program looked at how disruptions to British bituminous coal supplies during and after the War of 1812 helped create an energy crisis and increased interest in Pennsylvania anthracite. From there, it explored how the Delaware and Hudson Canal helped transform Deerpark, reshape the local economy and landscape, and contribute to the growth of Port Jervis.

The canal’s impact can still be seen throughout the community today.

09/30/2026

09/04/2026

Save the dates!

01/27/2025

Today the Deerpark Town Historian's Office honors Holocaust Remembrance Day. This day was appropriately designated to be commemorated on the anniversary date of the liberation of Auschwitz on January 27, 1945, by the advancing Red Army.

We honor the memory of the 6 million Jewish men, women and children who were murdered during the Holocaust, as well as the many other ethnic groups who also perished under the thumb of N**i oppression, including ethnic Poles, Roma, Slavic peoples, Russians and any other group of people deemed 'subhuman' by the N**i regime.

Never forget.

11/23/2024

Last month was NYS history month!

It's NYS History Month! To celebrate, we'll be posting our 63 historical markers, the description and location within the Town of Deerpark, Orange County, NY.

10/21/2023

In keeping with the spirit of the Halloween season, here is another Deerpark ghost. There are quite a few ghost stories connected to the D&H Canal, and this one comes to us from the April 25, 1887 Evening Gazette (Port Jervis, NY).

09/27/2023

Michael Worden recently attended the Association of Public Historians of New York State (APHNYS) in Ithaca, NY. He presented a program about the 1892 Lynching of Robert Lewis in Port Jervis (then a village located in the Town of Deerpark) on the first day of the conference.

04/23/2023