Editing Hobart, New York (section)

==History==
===18th century===
Prior to 1763, Hobart and its surrounding region were used as hunting grounds by [[indigenous peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands]], specifically the [[Lenape]].<ref name="Meagley2023">{{cite book | title=A Look Back At Hobart, NY - Volume II | author=Meagley, James G., compiler | publisher=Hobart Historical Society | year=2023}}</ref>

In the aftermath of the [[American Revolution]], European-descended settlers moved to the present-day village around 1784, building farms, mills, and inns. Many of these settlers came from [[Connecticut]] and [[New England]] to seek cheaper farmland. This early group was largely [[Episcopalian]], and constructed the village's first [[St. Peter's Episcopal Church Complex (Hobart, New York)|church]] in 1801, placing it so that it was at the center of the village.<ref name="Meagley2023""></ref>

The village was initially known most commonly as Waterville. 

===19th century===
In 1828, the [[United States Postal Service]] requested that the village rename to avoid confusion with the more populated village of [[Waterville, New York]]. The name Hobart was selected to honor [[John Henry Hobart]], then the Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of New York. <ref name="Meagley2023""></ref><ref>{{cite book | url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_9V1IAAAAMAAJ | title=The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States | publisher=Govt. Print. Off. | author=Gannett, Henry | year=1905 | pages=[https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_9V1IAAAAMAAJ/page/n156 157]}}</ref>

Hobart grew in population through the 1800s. By the turn of the century, it was home to a variety of local industry, largely centered around agriculture. [[Ulster and Delaware Railroad|A railroad]] line first connected to the village in 1884 and helped support local agricultural businesses. Some of the most prominent were [[Sheffield Farms]], which operated a local plant from 1888 to 1968, and the E.T. Van Buren lumber and hardware business, which operated from 1906 until 1965.<ref>Meagley (2014) pp. 296, 282</ref> The presence of the railroad helped create and maintain an active tourist trade in Hobart and the surrounding [[Catskill Mountains|Catskills]] in the 1920s.<ref>Meagley (2014) pp.61-62</ref>

===20th century===
Along with its surrounding region, Hobart saw a decline in business and population during the second half of the 20th century. In 1965, the E.T. Van Buren business burned down and never recovered, and slowly a large number of small businesses closed down as revenues declined and owners retired.<ref>Meagley (2014) p. 347</ref> 

Dean M. Graham established a pharmaceutical company in the village in 1966, and over the next few decades it grew into a successful business, providing employment for local residents and summer jobs for area students interested in the sciences. After "Doc" Graham sold the company in 1996, the company's factory was significantly expanded and is currently owned by [[Mallinckrodt]].<ref>Meagley (2014) pp. 349-351</ref>

===21st century===
In 2001, William Adams and his wife Diana were traveling near Hobart on vacation and decided to rent a building in the village for a future book business, opening Hobart's first book store the following June. A few years later, Don Dales, a local resident who owned several buildings in the village, helped spur local support for emulating the model of [[Hay-on-Wye]] and making Hobart into a [[book town|book village]]. Since 2005 the village has been home to around six bookstores and has experienced a resurgence of tourism from book shoppers.<ref>Meagley (2014) pp. 351-353</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Hobart Book Village |url=http://www.atlasobscura.com/places/hobart-book-village |access-date=September 5, 2022 |website=Atlas Obscura |language=en}}</ref>

In 2014, [[Bollinger Motors]] was founded in Hobart and produced its initial [[Bollinger B1|B1]] prototype in a garage on the western side of the village. In 2018, the company relocated to [[Detroit, Michigan]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Bollinger B1 to Exhibit at Los Angeles Auto Show |url=https://www.pr.com/press-release/736195 |publisher=pr.com |date=November 14, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Bollinger Motors gets settled in Detroit|url=https://www.autonews.com/cars-concepts/bollinger-motors-gets-settled-detroit|access-date=June 16, 2020|language=en}}</ref>