OCR Text |
Show MODEL TOWN NEAR NEW YORK CITY DESERTED WHEN WORK CEASES I About twenty-live miles inland ! from Kingston. N. V.. lies a beau tiful model town, now deserted, but l ready In every detail for occupancy. Unless interests can be aroused to 1 preserve it the town will be ab solutely wiped out. i This village was built by the preal Ashokan Dam contractors and was used by the engineers and workmen during the construction Wprk. Now that the dam is finished fin-ished the men who erected the buildings are obliged by their contracts con-tracts to leave the ground clear of all Incumbrance. The Neighborhood Neighbor-hood Workers' Association is work-ing work-ing to preserve the town Intact, and plans for its future use have been I nade. Hiss Mary de Gray Trenholin. head worker of the East .Side Settlement Set-tlement House, Is co-operating with the neighborhood workers und has enlisted the aid of all the setlle-inenis setlle-inenis and people interested in sufth work. "At present. " paid Mi.s Tren-hoim, Tren-hoim, "there are numbers of places where persons In poor health may go for the summer and find excellent excel-lent accommodations and the best cif living conditions at moderate cost, but there is practically no place where those in health may to preserve their health and give their families the benefit ot outdoors. out-doors. The camps do not supply ih-j demand nor meet all the re- iiilicmer.es. This property belong to the City of New York and we are endeavoring to get from the city an appropriation fur the work we aim to do. We do not ask the city to finance the scheme entirely, ' u t merely to aid us with a reasonable amount, the rest to bo made up by contribution. This town, as yet unnamed, con-tums con-tums -iuu house. They are small frame ail airs, built with an eyo to convenience and comfort lor summer sum-mer occupants. llrc loo families could be accommodated, and the rental WOUld not exceed JO a wet k each The place is not too fur from the city, but created In the mountain.-, high and dry. and the work r In New York could go out every week end. "The houses are models of construction con-struction and drainage, the work having been done by expert engl- neera. There Is an electric light plant, tin streets aro well pavcel and lighted , tbere is a clubhouse, gymnasium, bakeshop, storehouse, lee plant, barber, tailor and shoe shop; a sohOOlhouse, a bandstand, and a cold storage house, so you see verythlng Is ready tit hand. Each cottage has a little garden plot. There ;irc also six large dormitories dor-mitories within easy walking distance dis-tance In a house formerly used as a boarellng place. The houses would bo furnished, not expensively, but neatly. "The plan is to have a larc community com-munity store, for of course families would wish to do their own housekeeping. house-keeping. For this tho building used as i commissary' department Is admirably ad-mirably fitted. Wo feel certain that In a short time ihe properly would be more than self -supporting, but a certain amount ef capital is re quired for the beginning. '.Settlement workers are really e.c rimenters in many directions; this would be an experiment conducted con-ducted under the auspices of the combined sottlement houses of New York City; and when the work had l.een proved a success and was running run-ning smoothly It could bo turned over to the care of the city If desired." |