Around the Neighborhood - Summit - 4 January 2026

SUMMIT - Hope all have a Happy New Year. For some reason I like even years better than odd.

We finally got a decent amount of snow, about 10” and it was fluffy snow that was easy to deal with. Then two days later 40 degrees and rain, yuk. On Sunday we had one of those inverted temperature events as Summit was at least 10 degrees warmer than Cobleskill.

On one of the warmer days the chicken loved digging in a pile of woodstove ashes (after cooled, of course) and a very little patch of dirt that I created by accident with the snow plow.

The blue jays are major hogs at the birth feeder. The poor chickadees and finches have to wait for food.

Wonderful concert at West Fulton Methodist December 21. Community choir of 13 and pianist Tom Brooks were enjoyed by an audience of about 25 people.

We haven’t had any issues with mice under the sink, where the garbage can is, in at least a year. Then the day after Christmas I put something in the garbage and a mouse jumped across my hand, UGH, got a mouse trap back in action again.

Had a Fedex delivery the other day: cardboard box, no plastic bag, lying on the driveway in the snow while it was flurrying and the item in the box was electronics, UGH. Item enclosed was OK.

I found a picture that John Hoagland, a real estate broker in Stamford, NY, took saying “Woerkle – Breakabeen.” I tried looking up the name nothing. So I posted it on the Fulton Historical Society Facebook page asking if anybody knew of the house. Within a couple of hours people responded, even somebody that had lived there. Amazing! So then I looked up deeds etc. and found that Woerkle is really Woernle.

January birthday – Hildegard Lang.

Town of Summit needs a new Board of Appeals alternate board member because Joe Dahms is stepping down. If interested in the alternate position contact John Foote at 518-287-1929.

The Summit Assessor, Dave Jones, is retiring at the end of the year and is getting Michael Yorke up-to speed for his upcoming assessor position. At the November 20, 2025 board meeting the board went into executive session and when they came back to the still open town board meeting, they appointed Michael Yorke assessor starting January 1, 2026.

Summit Highway Department has an open position. If interested in applying for the position contact Jim at 518-287-1544.

January 5 – CRCS Varsity bowling versus Fort Plain 4pm at Middleburgh bowling alley.

January 6 – CRCS Volleyball Boys Modified 5pm and Boys Varsity 6:30pm versus Greenville.

January 8 – Town of Summit organizational meeting 7pm at town hall. Meeting open to the public.

January 9 – CVCS Boys JV Basketball versus Laurens 5:30pm at Charlotte Valley gym.

January 15 – Summit Town Revitalization Committee meeting 5pm and Board meeting 7pm.

January 18 - Charlotteville FD Breakfast Buffet 8-11am at the firehouse. Includes pancakes, french toast, sausage, ham, home fries, eggs, biscuits, sausage gravy, juice hot chocolate & coffee; adults $12 and children $5, plus a 50/50 drawing. Buckshole Sugarshack real maple syrup.

January 20 – S.C.O.P.E. meeting at Carlisle Town Hall 7pm.

History

1912 Unadilla Times - The last inhabited log cabin in Schoharie county, located in the hills near Summit, is tenantless since the recent death of Mrs. Jerry VanBuren, at the age of 81, and her sister, Mary, aged 92, within two days of each other.

Both were daughters of John H. and Hannah (Loren) VanBuren and buried in Snook Cemetery, Summit. Lany, born March 1834, is buried as Laney but her real name is Sylvia Delany. Her husband is buried as Jerey/Jerry real name Jeremiah in 1895, son of Barney H. VanBuren originally of Schodack, Rensselaer County, NY. Jeremiah moved to Summit about 1851 and married Sylvia before 1855, they may have had one child that did not live to adulthood. Barney was living with them in 1855. Her sister Mary, born October 1821 never married, was with her sister by the 1892 census. In 1900 her brother-in-law Abram/Abraham VanBuren was living with them.

NYS Death Index- Lana VanBuren November 25, 1912 Summit and sister Mary November 27, 1912 Summit.

Next book for 2027 will be about Civil War veterans, over 130 of them, with connections to Summit. Let me know if you have any info or photo's of Civil War veterans.