C 281

The former site of the Palenville Free Library was the first stop on our late-Summer Kaaterskill Falls adventure. The building was unmistakable and sat in the center of town, looking just like an old library or other public building, though we did not see any signs. We parked in the small lot adjoining the front yard and began our benchmark search. The mark was found as described on a boulder just off the north shoulder of Route 23A, near a small grove of trees separating this little garden alcove from the yard itself. The disk is in good condition with legible stamping. We took photographs and measurements, and were soon on our way.

My curiosity aroused, I couldn't resist approaching the building to see if I could find any sign of it present use. What a surprise I had when I pushed the intercom button and heard a nasty voice on the other end: "What do you want?!" I asked if the woman knew anything about the history of the building, and when the library had moved out. She snapped back that she had no idea, and wouldn't say anything more. I thought I spotted a carved cornerstone on the southeast corner of the building, so I began to walk over to it to check out the date. The "woman" (a teenage girl) appeared above me at a window and had a fit! She started screaming at me to leave and just kept saying "this is private, get out". I told her that nowhere on the grounds is there any indication of that fact, and that she had no reason to be so rude and confrontational. I left it at that. What an incredibly nasty person. My later attempts to research the ownership of the building turned up nothing.