Editing Hobart, New York

{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2024}}
{{Infobox settlement
| official_name      = Hobart, New York
| settlement_type    = [[Village (United States)|Village]]
| nickname           = 
| motto              = "Jewel of the West Branch," "Book Village of the Catskills"

<!-- Images -->| image_skyline      =File:Hobartnymainstreet.jpg
| imagesize          = 
| image_caption      = 
| image_flag         = 
| image_seal         = <!-- Maps -->
| pushpin_map        = New York
| pushpin_label      = Hobart
| pushpin_label_position = <!-- the position of the pushpin label: left, right, top, bottom, none -->
| pushpin_map_caption = Location of Hobart in [[New York (state)|New York]] state
| pushpin_mapsize    = 
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| image_map1         = 
| mapsize1           = 
| map_caption1       = <!-- Location -->
| subdivision_type   = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
| subdivision_name   = United States
| subdivision_type1  = [[U.S. state|State]]
| subdivision_name1  = [[New York (state)|New York]]
| subdivision_type2  = [[List of counties in New York|County]]
| subdivision_name2  = [[Delaware County, New York|Delaware]]
| subdivision_type3  = [[Town (New York)|Town]]
| subdivision_name3  = [[Stamford, New York|Stamford]]
| government_footnotes = 
| government_type    = 
| leader_title       = 
| leader_name        = 
| leader_title1      = 
| leader_name1       = 
| established_title  = 
| established_date   = <!-- Area -->
| unit_pref          = Imperial
| area_footnotes     = <ref name="TigerWebMapServer">{{cite web|title=ArcGIS REST Services Directory|url=https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer|publisher=United States Census Bureau|accessdate=September 20, 2022}}</ref>
| area_magnitude     = 
| area_total_km2     = 1.31
| area_land_km2      = 1.29
| area_water_km2     = 0.02
| area_total_sq_mi   = 0.51
| area_land_sq_mi    = 0.50
| area_water_sq_mi   = 0.01

<!-- Population -->| population_as_of   = [[2020 United States census|2020]]
| population_footnotes = 
| population_total   = 351
| population_density_km2 = 272.21
| population_density_sq_mi = 704.82

<!-- General information -->| timezone           = [[North American Eastern Time Zone|Eastern (EST)]]
| utc_offset         = -5
| timezone_DST       = EDT
| utc_offset_DST     = -4
| elevation_footnotes = 
| elevation_m        = 503
| elevation_ft       = 1650
| coordinates        = {{coord|42|22|17|N|74|40|7|W|region:US_type:city|display=inline,title}}
| postal_code_type   = [[ZIP Code]]
| postal_code        = 13788
| area_code          = [[Area code 607|607]]
| blank_name         = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
| blank_info         = 36-34979
| blank1_name        = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
| blank1_info        = 0952909
| website            = {{URL|http://www.hobartny.us/}}
| footnotes          = 
| pop_est_as_of      = 
| pop_est_footnotes  = 
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}}
'''Hobart''' is a [[village (New York)|village]] in [[Delaware County, New York|Delaware County]], [[New York (state)|New York]], United States. The population was 441 at the 2010 census.<ref name="Census 2010">{{cite web| url=http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_SF1/G001/1600000US3634979| title=Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (G001): Hobart village, New York| publisher=U.S. Census Bureau, American Factfinder| access-date=November 9, 2015| archive-url=https://archive.today/20200213082912/http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_SF1/G001/1600000US3634979| archive-date=February 13, 2020| url-status=dead}}</ref> The village is in the town of [[Stamford (town), New York|Stamford]] and is on [[New York Route 10]] in the northeastern part of the county.

Since 2005, Hobart has had multiple book stores and has become known as the "[[book town|Book Village]] of the [[Catskill Mountains|Catskills]]."<ref>{{cite news |last1=Ackerberg |first1=Erica |title=It Takes a (Book) Village |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/20/books/review/hobart-book-village.html |access-date=July 19, 2023 |publisher=The New York Times |date=January 20, 2023}}</ref>

==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>

==Historic sites==
The [[Hobart Masonic Hall]] and the [[St. Peter's Episcopal Church Complex (Hobart, New York)|St. Peter's Episcopal Church Complex]] are listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]].<ref name="nris">{{NRISref|version=2010a}}</ref>

==Geography==
Hobart is located in the north-central part of the town of Stamford at {{Coord|42|22|17|N|74|40|7|W|type:city}} (42.371251, -74.668481),<ref name="GR1">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/geographies/reference-files/time-series/geo/gazetteer-files.html|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=April 23, 2011|date=February 12, 2011|title=US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990}}</ref> along the upper reaches of the [[West Branch Delaware River]].

According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the village has a total area of {{convert|1.3|km2|order=flip}}, of which {{convert|0.02|sqkm|order=flip|2}}, or 1.38%, is water.<ref name="Census 2010"/>

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|1880= 390
|1890= 561
|1900= 550
|1910= 544
|1920= 587
|1930= 580
|1940= 638
|1950= 618
|1960= 585
|1970= 531
|1980= 473
|1990= 385
|2000= 390
|2010= 441
|2020= 351
|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census<ref name="DecennialCensus">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|title=Census of Population and Housing|publisher=Census.gov|access-date=June 4, 2015}}</ref>
}}
As of the [[census]]<ref name="GR2">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=January 31, 2008|title=U.S. Census website}}</ref> of 2000, there were 390 people, 151 households, and 104 families residing in the village. The population density was {{convert|763.8|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. There were 200 housing units at an average density of {{convert|391.7|/sqmi|/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. The racial makeup of the village was 94.36% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 3.85% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 0.77% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 0.51% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], and 0.51% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 0.51% of the population.

There were 151 households, out of which 32.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.6% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 13.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.5% were non-families. 21.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.41 and the average family size was 2.78.

In the village, the population was spread out, with 22.8% under the age of 18, 6.4% from 18 to 24, 25.4% from 25 to 44, 25.4% from 45 to 64, and 20.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.0 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $39,375, and the median income for a family was $42,500. Males had a median income of $25,893 versus $20,313 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the village was $16,281. About 17.0% of families and 17.6% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 25.6% of those under age 18 and 10.7% of those age 65 or over.

==Notable people==
*[[James Hamilton Ballagh]], missionary who played a prominent role in introducing Protestant Christianity to Japan.<ref name="rut">{{cite web |last1=Hu |first1=Stephen J. |title=James Ballagh |url=https://sites.rutgers.edu/rutgers-meets-japan/james-ballagh/ |website=Rutgers.edu |publisher=Rutgers University}}</ref>
*[[Cheryl Clarke]], American lesbian poet, essayist, educator and Black feminist community activist<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/clarke-cheryl-1947|title=Clarke, Cheryl 1947– {{!}} Encyclopedia.com|website=www.encyclopedia.com|access-date=January 7, 2020}}</ref>
*[[Hector Cowan]], American college football player and coach, member of first [[College Football All-America Team]] in 1889<ref>Meagley (2014) p.325</ref>
*[[James R. Cowan]], farmer, banker, and member of [[New York State Assembly]]<ref name=":0">{{Cite news|date=July 21, 1911|title=Death of Hon. James R. Cowan|volume=XVII|page=1|work=Catskill Mountain News|issue=21|location=Margaretville, N. Y.|url=https://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn83031247/1911-07-21/ed-1/seq-1/}}</ref>
*[[Jay Gould]], railroad magnate, attended school in Hobart during the 1850s.<ref>Meagley (2014) p. 33</ref>
*Scott Jensen, [[Silver Reuben Award]] winning [[cartoonist]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Klukkert |first1=Vicky |title=Hobart cartoonist wins national award |url=https://www.thedailystar.com/news/hobart-cartoonist-wins-national-award/article_40d03ebc-3b4c-11ed-beca-d33f4427e265.html |publisher=The Daily Star (Oneonta, NY) |date=Sep 23, 2022}}</ref>
*[[Edwyn E. Mason]], member of New York State Assembly from 1952 to 1972 and [[New York State Senate]] from 1972 to 1978<ref>Meagley (2014) p.325</ref>
*Olive B. O'Connor, founder of the [[A. Lindsay and Olive B. O'Connor Foundation]].<ref>Meagley (2014) p. 347</ref>
*[[Orrin Peck]], American painter.<ref name="The San Francisco Call and Post-1899">{{Cite news |date=December 6, 1899 |title=Has Won Fame Abroad |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-san-francisco-call-and-post-has-won/161056315/ |access-date=2024-12-17 |work=[[The San Francisco Call and Post]] |pages=9 |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref>
*[[Helen P. Sanborn]], [[Women's suffrage in the United States|suffragist]], educator, civic worker, and clubwoman.<ref name="More1893">{{cite book |last1=More |first1=David Fellows |title=History of the More Family: And an Account of Their Reunion in 1890 |date=1893 |publisher=S.P. More |page=318 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-U46AAAAMAAJ&pg=PA318 |access-date=13 January 2025 |language=en}}</ref>
*[[Frank Sandford]], early 20th century cult leader convicted of manslaughter.<ref>Frank S. Murray, ''The Sublimity of Faith'' (Amherst, NH: The Kingdom Press, 1981), 651-909; Nelson, 417; [http://www.fwselijah.com/timeline.htm#3-%204-1948 fwselijah.com].</ref>
*[[Eleanor Clarke Slagle]], social worker considered to be "the mother of [[occupational therapy]]"<ref name=james1974>{{cite book |author1=James, Edward T. |author2=James, Janet Wilson | year=1974 | page=296 | title=Notable American Women 1607–1950: A Biographical Dictionary| series=Dumbarton Oaks Colloquium Series in the History of Landscape Architecture | publisher=Harvard University Press | isbn=978-0-674-62734-5 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rVLOhGt1BX0C&pg=RA2-PA296 }}</ref>

==References==
<references />

==External links==
* [http://www.hobartny.us/ Village of Hobart official website]
* [http://nymag.com/travel/weekends/catskills/index4.html "Capture Nature in the Catskills"], ''New York Magazine'', February 2009

{{Delaware County, New York}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Villages in New York (state)]]
[[Category:Villages in Delaware County, New York]]
[[Category:Book towns]]