Town of the Week: Barryville

  |  February 18, 2013
barryville old school

H. Mallison, Publisher, Barryville, N.Y.

“Barryville is a small, poor village now, but at one time supported an active business. The lumber of the region being exhausted, the business of canaling declining and now abandoned, it has for the last 25 years been waning, until now it seems to have reached a bottom of hardpan. Human imagination can hardly reach anything in the future likely to improve it; but it will probably remain indefinitely the small poor place it now is.” – John Willard Johnston, the town of Highland’s first supervisor, 1899.

These days, the residents of the hamlet of Barryville would surely beg to differ on Mr. Johnston’s assessment of their beloved hometown. Located along the Delaware River in the town of Highland, Sullivan County, Barryville was built up around the Delaware & Hudson Canal, where barges ran up and down, delivering anthracite coal that eventually made its way down to New York City.

D&H canal

What remains of the D&H Canal

The intersection of Route 55 and 97, just shy of the Pennsylvania border, makes up the center of Barryville. Make sure you check out the waterfall at that intersection as you’re passing through. Traveling down 97 a piece will reveal some history of the area, including stonework from the old canal and the Spring House Commons B&B (sorry; no official business website). Plenty of stores and restaurants in the area, too.

minisink battleground park

Minisink Battleground Park, location of the July 22, 1779 Battle of Minisink during the Revolutionary War

As for Barryville real estate, we feel a little bit like we stumbled onto a tiny goldmine of houses while we were researching the town of Highland. And not just in Barryville. There’s great stuff in the other Highland hamlets, too, like Yulan and Eldred. Chances are, you’ll find something you like in just about every price range, although it was slims pickins for super expensive luxury houses. The five-figure category is great fun to browse in Barryville. Lots of cabins and small bungalows going for dirt cheap.

Interested in learning a bit more about the area? The Barryville Chamber of Commerce did a bang-up job of documenting the hamlet’s history as well as its currently amenities. Read all about it here on their website.

Barryville is located 100 miles from NYC, approximately 1 hour and 56 minutes away.

barryville capture

GMAP

About Kandy Harris

Kandy is a writer and musician/music teacher living in Saugerties, NY.

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