The History of the The Town Of Liberty

By Del VanEtten

The Town of Liberty, fittingly named, from the sentiment which is so dear to the American people, was officially formed on March 31, 1807, making it the fourth oldest of Sullivan County’s fifteen townships. The area is credited with providing 303 men who fought in the Revolution. Liberty was originally carved from the then large townships of Lumberland, and was itself at this time, so large that it included the present towns of Callicoon and Freemont. The Town today covers 85 square miles. When the first white settlers came to this area, then known as the Blue Mountain Country, they settled to the north west of the present Village of Liberty near to Revonah Lake, formerly known as the Broadhead Pond.

Our early settlers came from Connecticut and some of the oldest remains left in the Town are some laid up stones in the outlet of Revonah Lake, which were probably placed there in 1797 for the purpose of building the first saw mill in the area.

As the land was cleared of the dense dark hemlock trees that these early settlers found, the area went through various stages of development. After the small farms were cleared, the tanneries were constructed. The tanneries were in operation until after the hemlock was used up. It was always said that the Civil War soldiers wore boots made of Sullivan County Leather.