Tours of the Historic Upper Delaware River Valley

HISTORY AT YOUR DOORSTEP

About Historic Resource Services. . .

Our company provides a variety of history programs and guided tours in and around the Upper Delaware River region year-round. It is an area rich in history and natural beauty. I am a long-time resident of the valley and have been involved in many projects including the preservation of its history and environment. Having served as the executive director of the region’s oldest historical society, I have written on a variety of topics over the years including two recent books on one of the most important of President Franklin Roosevelt’s legacies, the Civilian Conservation Corps.

Enclosed are a sampling of tours that we offer but we can also create packages that serve your organization's specific needs. For example, some of our business is with groups that come to Port Jervis, New York, on the Metro-North commuter railroad and have a tour bus waiting for them. Other groups are simply passing through the area on a motor coach, staying at one of our local hotels or eating at local restaurants and needing a step-on guide for several hours.

We offer a series of special lectures on topics that range from the history of bluestone, the stone that most of the metropolitan area’s sidewalks are made of; graveyard art and the history of graveyards and cemeteries in America . We have also provided educational programming about President Franklin Roosevelt and his wife, Eleanor Roosevelt for the Elder hostel program. We can come to your site or if your group is planning to stay at a local hotel or conference center in our area, we can make our presentation at the site.

Whatever your needs, we are flexible and can offer programs that are suited to your group's needs. Pricing information is available upon request. Feel free to call us or write us and come and experience the beautiful Upper Delaware River Valley in this place we call home. To learn more about the region go to www.minisink.org.

Peter Osborne

Courtesy Minisink Valley Historical Society

GUIDED MOTOR COACH TOURS

OF THE HISTORIC

UPPER DELAWARE RIVER VALLEY

The following is a brief description of the tours that our company offers. We can provide scheduling information upon request. The tours generally take several hours but can be adjusted to meet your needs.

Courtesy Minisink Valley Historical Society

BLUE MOUNTAINS AND FRENCH CHATEAUS

This tour takes you through the beautiful and quaint Pike County town of Milford, Pennsylvania, and to the home of noted conservationist and former governor of Pennsylvania Gifford Pinchot. Guided tours are given by United States Forest Service interpreters. From there the tour passes through High Point State Park in northwestern New Jersey and then stops at the scenic overlook on Interstate 84 where you can see majestic views of the Catskill and Pocono mountains.

Upon your return you will ride through Port Jervis, the former railroad center of the mighty Erie Railroad. The tour concludes at Fort Decker, a 1793 stone house museum, with refreshments being served. New exhibits have been installed to commemorate the 210th anniversary of the building's last major renovation and its recent nomination to the state's Revolutionary War Heritage Trail. This tour can be taken any time of year but is most impressive when the leaves change colors from about September 20 until October 25.

Courtesy Minisink Valley Historical Society

PURPLE SAGE AND ORANGE BLOSSOMS

AUTHORS IN RESIDENCE

STEPHEN CRANE AND ZANE GREY

This tour takes you along the beautiful Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River to the home of Zane Grey the famed writer of western novels who spent a considerable amount of time along the Delaware. A guided tour is given by the National Park Service interpreters.

Upon your return you will ride through Sullivan County, where noted American author Stephen Crane wrote his "Sullivan County Tales and Sketches" at Hartwood, New York. Returning to Port Jervis, New York, the former center of the mighty Erie Railroad, a tour of several sites associated with Stephen Crane will be given, including Orange Square, where he interviewed veterans of the famed Orange Blossoms and created the acclaimed Civil War novel, The Red Badge of Courage. His works, The Monster and Whilomville Stories, were also based on his experiences in the area. The tour ends at Fort Decker, a 1793 stone house museum with refreshments being served.

WHERE EAGLES SOAR

EAGLES LIVE!

EAGLE VIEWING IN THE UPPER DELAWARE VALLEY

The "Where Eagles Soar" tour takes you along the beautiful Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River to the home of Zane Grey the famed writer of western novels who spent a considerable amount of time along the Delaware. A guided tour is given by the National Park Service.

Along the way you will have a chance to see bald eagles, our nation's most cherished symbol. The eagles have come back to the valley after major restoration effort by the states of New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania and now winter here, one of the major wintering sites in the East.

Upon your return you will ride through scenic Pike County, and charming Milford, the county seat. Returning to Port Jervis, New York, the former center of the mighty Erie Railroad, the tour ends at Fort Decker, a 1793 stone house museum. Refreshments are served before departure.

Another version of this trip, called "Eagles Live," will enable your group to see an hour-long presentation on raptors by the staff of the Delaware Valley Raptor Center including live eagles before the trip up the Delaware River begins. This trip does not include a visit to the Zane Grey House. These trips should be planned for between November 15 and March 25.

BARGES AND BRIDGES

A TRIP ON THE DELAWARE AND HUDSON CANAL

This tour takes you along the beautiful Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreation River on Route 97 along the route of the Delaware and Hudson Canal. The tour visits the Roebling Aqueduct, John Roebling's oldest surviving suspension bridge in the United States. He was the man who designed and built the Brooklyn Bridge and designed this particular structure for the Delaware and Hudson Canal Company in the 1840s.

The tour then travels to Cuddebackville for a visit to the Delaware and Hudson Canal Park and the Neversink Valley Area Museum. A short towpath walk is possible or you can spend time in the visitor's center and museum. Upon your return you will ride through Port Jervis, New York, which was a canal center and end at Fort Decker, a 1793 stone house museum which served as a headquarters for D & H Canal engineers. Refreshments are served before departure. This tour can be taken any time of the year but it is best in the spring, summer or fall.

Courtesy Minisink Valley Historical Society

THE GILDED AGE IN THE UPPER DELAWARE VALLEY

This tour of some of the region's most beautiful buildings takes you through the quaint Pike County town of Milford, Pennsylvania, and to the 1885 French Chateau summer home of noted conservationist and former governor of Pennsylvania Gifford Pinchot. Guided tours are given by United States Forest Service rangers. From there, the tour proceeds to The Columns, the 1907 Neoclassical home of David McGaughlin and home to the Pike County Historical Society, famous for its Lincoln flag. It is believed the flag was used as a pillow when President Lincoln was carried across the street to the Peterson House after he was shot by John Wilkes Booth. Upon your return you will ride through Port Jervis, the former railroad center of the mighty Erie Railroad.

DORFLINGER GLASS AND WILDFLOWERS

This tour is a must for those who are interested in the history of glass making or are collectors of glass. The Dorflinger Glass Company was known internationally and this museum, the Dorflinger-Suydam Wildlife Sanctuary, is dedicated to preserving the history of Dorflinger glass and furthering the study of natural history, conservation and cultural education. There is a wildlife sanctuary on the grounds. This tour could also include a visit to the Gillinder Glass Museum in Port Jervis where glass is still being manufactured using 19^th century methods.

This tour takes you along the beautiful Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River and through scenic Pike County, Pennsylvania, and its charming county seat, the borough of Milford. Returning to Port Jervis, New York, the former center of the mighty Erie Railroad, the tour ends at Fort Decker, a 1793 stone house museum. Refreshments are served before departure. This tour can only be taken between May 31 and October 31.

Date Last Revised:06/17/2004 07:23 PM