The following piece on Harrison Beach comes from my 2016 annual report to the Windham Town Board, the Greene County Historian, and the New York State Historian.
Harrison Beach, the
Hensonville Hermit
Harrison J.
Beach was born in the Town of Jewett, NY in October 1843. He was the second of
five sons born to John S. Beach and his first wife, Ann Drum. His brothers were
Romaine, Elbert, Legrand, and Selden.
He
appeared on Jewett census schedules with his parents and siblings in 1850, 1855
and 1860. I’ve been unable to find him anywhere in New York State on the 1865
census when his father, stepmother, brothers and two half-siblings lived in Jewett.
In 1870 Harrison
was living in Hensonville with his aunt, Eliza (Drum) Henson, and her husband,
John Henson, the hamlet’s namesake.
Harrison’s
name appeared sporadically in The Windham Journal and a
couple other newspapers. The November 10, 1870 issue reported on the installation
of officers of Hensonville Lodge No. 738, I. O. of G. T. to serve for the term
commencing November 1, 1870, and ending January 31, 1871. The Independent Order
of Good Templars was a temperance organization, and Harrison Beach’s official
title was W. T., whatever that means.
Harrison
married Ophelia A. Cook, the daughter of Amos and Jane (Bull) Cook, sometime
between 1870 and 1875. She died from the effects of child birth. The May 20,
1875 issue of The Windham Journal reported that Mrs. Harrison Beach died in
Hensonville on May 14 at the age of 18 years.
On May
22, 1875, Hensonville Lodge, I. O. of G. T. No. 738, adopted a resolution on
the death of “our sister, Mrs. Harrison
Beach” and “Resolved, That these
minutes be entered on the journal of the Lodge, published in the WINDHAM
JOURNAL, and a copy sent to the bereaved husband and afflicted parents.”
The 1875
census that was taken on June 1st shows a one month old infant named
Ophelia Beach living in Jewett with her grandparents, Amos and Jane Cook. The
widowed Harrison Beach was living in the town of Windham with Traver and Rosa
Woodworth. Little Ophelia likely died in infancy as she doesn’t appear on any
subsequent census records. Harrison’s decision to become a hermit was
attributed to the loss of his young wife and infant daughter.
Harrison spent
the remainder of his life living in Hensonville, appearing on the 1880, 1892,
1900, 1905, 1910, 1915, 1920 and 1925 Windham census schedules. In 1880 he was
listed as boarding with the John Hanley family. Sometime after that he chose to
live alone in a simple dwelling on the mountain above Hensonville.
Newspaper
items in chronological order.
The
Windham Journal, Thursday, March 17, 1881: “Mr. Harrison Beach of Hensonville, lately placed some Paris Green in a
pan on his barn floor, to kill rats. It killed a steer that got to the pan.”
The
Windham Journal, Thursday, August 23, 1888, Hensonville column: “The boarders along the route from Hunter to
Windham have lost no fine day that offered to visit the many points of interest
within a day’s journey. The sojourners at the Loughran House, headed by the
Rev. T. J. Kommers, of New York, and Robert M. Baxter of the New York World, have taken in Devasego Falls,
Pratt’s Rock, High Peaks, Onteora Peak, Haines Falls, and, greatest curiosity
of all, a visit to Harrison Beach, the hermit of Hermit Hill, on the Southern
Mountain of the Jewett range. For eight years this man has lived alone in the
mountains in one of the most primative [sic] of shanties not a mile above this village. After the death of his wife
he took himself away from the hands of his fellow man and found a home with the
pheasant, the woodchuck, the coon and the bear.”
In March
of 1890 Harrison Beach ran for Windham Game Constable on the Prohibition
ticket, garnering 86 votes. His opponents for office were Democrat Hezekiah
Rappleyea, who won with 182 votes, and Republican Jacob Turk, a veterinarian,
who received 94 votes.
The
Windham Journal, Thursday, November 19, 1891, Hensonville column: “Orrin Griffin and Geo. Winchell had
considerable fun shooting skunks, on Tuesday. They shot three. One of them had
a trap attached to one of its legs, which it had carried for nearly a week. The
trap belonged to Harrison Beach.”
The
Windham Journal, Thursday, March 24, 1892, Hensonville column: “Harrison Beach is at James Newkirk’s, sick
with pneumonia. Dr. Mead attends him.”
The
Windham Journal, Thursday, April 7, 1892, Hensonville column: “Harrison Beach has so far recovered as to
be able to be about again.”
The
Windham Journal, Thursday, March 8, 1894, Hensonville column: “Harrison Beach is cutting wood for Wm.
McLean.”
The
Windham Journal, Thursday, October 19, 1899, Hensonville column: “Harrison Beach has his new house inclosed [sic].”
The
Windham Journal, Thursday, July 31, 1913, Hensonville column: “Harrison Beach has purchased a yoke of
oxen.”
The
Recorder, Catskill, NY, Friday, March 3, 1916, Hensonville column:
“Harrison Beach inherited $1,000 and
other gifts from a brother who died recently in Florida.”
The
Windham Journal, Thursday, January 14, 1926, Hensonville column: “On Jan. 6th Mr. Harrison Beach
was taken to the County Farm by Overseer of the Poor Sidney E. Payne,
accompanied by Mrs. Payne and Arthur Vining, the trip being made by auto. The
weather being warm and pleasant all apparently enjoyed the outing. Mr. Beach
has been well known in this vicinity for many years and is about eighty years
old. The past year he has lived the real life of a hermit on the mountain back
of Hensonville, and had become unable to care for himself and of late had not
sufficient with which to make him comfortable especially during the cold
weather.”
The
Recorder, Catskill, NY, Friday, January 15, 1926, Goshen Street
column: “Harrison Beach of Hensonville
was taken to the Cairo Almshouse on Jan. 6th. Mr. Beach lived alone,
was without means and in a helpless condition. He was well known and highly
respected by this correspondent.”
Stamford
Mirror-Recorder, Stamford, NY, Wednesday, January 20, 1926: “Harrison Beach of Hensonville, who for many
years has lived the life of a hermit on the mountain back of the village,
recently became unable to care for himself, and being eighty years old, he was
taken to the County Farm at Cairo by Overseer of the Poor, Sidney E. Payne of
Hensonville.”
The
Windham Journal, Thursday, February 18, 1926, Maplecrest column: “The body of Harrison Beach was brought to
this place for burial last week.”
I suspect
that Harrison’s wife and infant daughter were buried in the Big
Hollow/Maplecrest Cemetery as that is where two of Ophelia (Cook) Beach’s
siblings were buried. Her parents may be buried there as well. There are no
gravestones in this cemetery for Harrison and his family.
Stamford
Mirror-Recorder, Stamford, NY, Wednesday, February 24, 1926: “Harrison Beach, known as the Hensonville
hermit, who was recently taken to the Greene county almshouse, died in that
institution February 7th. Funeral services were held in the M. E.
Church at Hensonville, the Rev. Harry Lammond officiating. Burial at
Maplecrest.”
Greene
County probate records and the New York State death index say that Harrison
Beach died in Cairo on February 8, 1926.
His name
does not appear in the Greene County Grantor or Grantee indexes to indicate
that he bought or sold any property, yet the 1875 census indicates that he owned
75 acres of land valued at $1,000. I can only
presume that his deed was never taken to Catskill to be recorded.
Poem
written by Miss Elizabeth Rouse, proprietress of the Red Mill Tea Room &
Gift Shop in Hensonville, that was published in Elwood Hitchcock’s book on
Hensonville. This may be the same poem that Pat Pelham loaned to the Town of
Windham Historical Society for its 2009 archival day display.
When night falls on the
mountains
And the light is growing dim,
Can’t you see a figure moving
Down the trail, that looks like him?
Can’t you hear the tapping, tapping,
Of his stick among the stones
As he’s coming with his lantern,
Coming down among your homes?
For the “Hermit of the Catskills”,
Though afar his soul may roam,
Every evening just at sunset
Comes to Hensonville, His Home.
And the light is growing dim,
Can’t you see a figure moving
Down the trail, that looks like him?
Can’t you hear the tapping, tapping,
Of his stick among the stones
As he’s coming with his lantern,
Coming down among your homes?
For the “Hermit of the Catskills”,
Though afar his soul may roam,
Every evening just at sunset
Comes to Hensonville, His Home.
I have a story to share about the Hermit. My dad, Dayton O. Slater Jr (born 1917 in Detroit and died 1978) used to visit his grandparents in Hensonville every summer. His grandparents were David and Elizabeth Slater and Levi and Katie Bloodgood. Dad was a bit of pyromaniac as a kid. He was always getting in trouble for setting fires. He told me when he was a boy in the 1920's that he set fire to the Hermit's cabin. He overheard someone in the town say, "if I ever find out who burned that cabin, I'll wring his neck." Dad was terrified he'd be found out and felt awful about what he'd done. I don't know if the Hermit was still living in the cabin at the time, but it caused quite a stir in the village.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing this interesting story. I haven't come across an article mentioning that fire. Unfortunately the newspaper website I use has been down for several days. I'll look into once it's restored.
DeleteThanks, Patricia, for this interesting post. My mother used to speak about him from time to time, seeing the light of his lantern sway as he climbed up the hill towards home. Very sad story.
ReplyDelete