 |
|
|
The town of Cairo embraces
Acra, Cairo, South Cairo, Purling, Round Top, and Gayhead.
Cairo, the largest hamlet, features a Main Street shopping
district, the Town Hall and the library.
Located in the Northern foothills of the Catskill Mountains,
the Town of Cairo is known for safe quiet streets, friendly
neighbors, exquisite scenery, and convenient access to
larger cities. Historic structures date back to the 1800's,
and the Mohican Trail and the Schoharie Turnpike both travel
through our area.
Cairo, formed from Catskill,
Coxsackie and Freehold, or Durham, March 26, 1803, situated
at the foot of the Catskills, the mountains forming the west
boundary.
|
|
Patents had been
issued for all of the lands of this town before the
Revolution, but there is some doubt whether any of
these had been lived on by actual settlers before
James Barker, who settled in 1765. With the end
settlement to this district, mainly by those who
were after hemlock bark for tanneries.
Curiously out of the
destruction of so many trees for their bark, grew a
new industry, which has left its name forever on one
of the streams of the neighborhood shingle making. (Shinglekill)
The only sizable settlement in the town is the
village of Cairo. Cairo has a history of drawing
visitors going back to the 1800's. |
 |
A history filled with colorful tales and folklore; Rip Van
Winkle, "Legs" Diamond, Jimmy Durante, Frank Sinatra and
thousands of others have been a part of Cairo's history. As
with many communities, name changes happen. We have been
known as Cairo since 1809.
Tourism has been the town’s largest
"industry" for the entire township since the 1800's. Cairo
was one of the first towns in the area to develop ski slopes
and trails.
 |
Many of the visitors
to this beautiful area have returned as seasonal or
permanent residents.
Safe, quiet streets,
friendly neighbors, beautiful scenery, easy access
to larger cities and a great school district school
hold a lot of appeal to families looking for a place
to call home. Small churches dating back to the
1800's still remain active today. Cairo is the
heartland of Greene County which was named after
General Nathaniel Greene.
Gen. Greene was second in command of the American
Revolution under George Washington, who became the
First President of The U.S.A. Historic paths such as
the Mohican Trail and the Schoharie Turnpike travel
through our area.
|
The Cairo Railroad
represented the incursion by the young Catskill Mountain
Railroad into the freight business when the branch was
chartered on April 10, 1884. The directors of the CMRR saw
the Cairo extension as a means of tapping business in
bluestone, hay and fruit.
While the line opened for business in June, 1885, sustaining
business did not arrive until 1894 with the formation of the
Catskill Shale Brick Company. The shale rock would come from
sidings in Cairo and represent a major portion of the CMRR's
freight revenue until the shale brick plant closed in 1914.
Mounting financial losses, brought about by improved roads,
forced the termination of service on the Cairo Railroad
following the end of the 1918 tourist season.
|
|
