Sugar Loaf Historical Society gains national record for ‘Legends and Lore’ marker series

The Sugar Loaf Historical Society has installed its fifth William G. Pomeroy “Legends and Lore” series marker in the competitive grant series, out of 206 nationally; more than any other organization. It can be seen at the intersection of Pine Hill and Hambletonian Roads in Sugar Loaf.

Sugar Loaf’s five Pomeroy-recognized Legends join others such as Sleepy Hollow NY’s “Headless Horseman”, The Catskill’s “Rip Van Winkle”, and Pennsylvania’s Blackbeard the Pirate”, and others across the nation.

The latest marker commemorates “Calamity Corners, the site of numerous incidents of misfortune that include America’s first murder for hire, in 1818 before Chester existed and Sugar Loaf was still part of Warwick. Earlier Native American legends told of a large burial ground at this site, known for spooky occurrences for centuries.

The Sugar Loaf Historical Society, incorporated in 2007 by the NYS Education Department, is proud of this national record.

“We keep our eye on our organization’s mission and our minds open” explains Jay Westerveld, Society president. “We are focused on our objective of researching, sharing and celebrating our hamlet’s incredibly rich history, and this includes folkloric history. A region’s folklore is its personality, its very soul. Census numbers and deed dates function merely as statistics, like a person’s blood pressure and heart rate. There is so much more to any entity than, simply, these cold data points.”

The Sugar Loaf Historical Society thanks the William G. Pomeroy Foundation, Deborah and Tim Diltz, Werner’s Ace Hardware in Florida, Donna Thom and The Town of Chester Highway Department, Giuseppe Cassara and the Town of Chester Town Board, Mayor Dan Harter of the Village of Florida, and Wadeson Home Center, Warwick. A September dedication ceremony is planned. For more, see: wgpfoundation.org/historic-markers/calamity-corners.