Local History with Dede Terns-Thorpe - Additional Tidbits on the Police Camp

A few more tidbits on the Police Camp.  

Recently we shared information on the NYC Police Camp at the head of the Platt Clove Mountain, purchased in 1920.  Here’s a bit more information on the Kaplan property that became the Police Camp.  

I neglected to include the following: 

Mr. Kaplan’s homestead was on a 2-mile piece of property, consisting of farmland, woodland, and a sharp, rocky, and wooded ascent to within 600 feet of the tip of High Peak. The property was built with great care and included all the improvements possible in the early 1890s. Running water supplied the 3 bathrooms and the 22 living rooms, and a gas supply had been installed. It said the multi-millionaire woolen miller took pride in adding, year by year, to the attraction of the place.  

MORE FEMALES ARE NEEDED IN THE POLICE FORCE: 

The paper said a committee of 25 women brought a petition with 10,000 signatures to Commissioner Enright and requested he appoint at least 10 more policewomen.  

Eight widows of policemen who made the supreme sacrifice also served on the committee. They appealed to have the policewomen hired before the present list expires. There were 47 names left on the list. 

Commissioner Enright promised to consider their petition. (History articles show that female police “matrons” were hired in 1891; caring for female and child prisoners only.  It took another 30 years before the first female Police Defective was hired in 1912, Detective Isabella Goodwin.)  

On a side note, a recent article said approximately 50 policemen responded to assist the volunteer firemen at the Twilight Inn fire in Haines Falls.  

August 18, 1923, the Union newspaper said that Town Road Superintendent, James Walsh, was to repair the Platt Clove Mt. Road from Loomis Bridge to the head of the mountain.  Walsh will do this under the supervision of the county highway department. It is being regraded and resurfaced with oil for a distance of 1 and ¼ miles.  

It is a fine piece of property. Before Kaplan owned it, part of the property was owned by George Harding of the Hotel Kaaterskill. After the Kaplans, the NYC Police Department owned it, and now it’s part of the Platt Clove Community and well taken care of. 

Thanks for reading. Be well and stay safe. Happy St. Patrick’s Day! 

Dede Terns-Thorpe/Hunter Historian.