Arthur Hassis, Cochecton Preservation Society historian, recently shared a topic, “A Day in a Boarding House in Lake Huntington,” at a meeting of the society. Circa 1940, his mother was the proprietor of the Arlington Boarding House in Lake Huntington, NY during a period when gypsy wagons would come by and the gypsies would tell people’s fortunes. This postcard depicts the wagons in the streets of Lake Huntington, though the outfits suggest the picture predates the 1940s.

Some folks truly believed whatever the gypsies would spin out. Hassis said that, as a boy, he wasn’t allowed outside when they came through town because they were known to kidnap children.

The Cochecton Preservation Society meets the first Tuesday of the month, 7 p.m. at the Erie Depot, 8537 Rte. 97, Cochecton, and tours are available by appointment. It will hold its 10th Coffee, Tea and History on Sunday, September 25 at 1 p.m. at the station (see page 8). Visit cochectonpreservationsociety.com, email cps12726@gmail.com, or call 845/932-8104.