Monticello-Jeffersonville Turnpike tollhouse site marked

The River Reporter
Thursday, August 31, 1995

Tollhouse site
marked for honor

By TOM RUE

MONTICELLO - A crowd of more than 40 gathered on the site of an 1861 tollhouse on Jefferson St., along what was once called the Monticello-Jeffersonville Turnpike on Aug. 25.

Placement of a marker on the site was orchestrated by Town of Thompson historian Marjorie Smith, 72, of Rock Hill.

The Monticello tollhouse charged 6 cents to horse and carriage riders, 12 cents for a team of horses, and more for cattle drivers. The tollhouse was demolished in 1960 after falling into disrepair.

Keynote speaker, retired chief judge Lawrence H. Cooke of Monticello, told the history of turnpikes in New York State.

"Some would tell us to constantly look ahead and never behind. And that, my friends, is a common mistake. For by looking at the sideboards of other days -- their pitfalls and their successes, we can better see the road ahead," said Cooke.

He exhorted the crowd to practice safe driving habits.

"I just think that it's time the people in the area have a better idea of some of the history that goes with the village that they live in," said Smith.

Mayor Robert Friedland praised the marker's erection. "You'd be surprised how many people come looking for these," he said.

Thompson supervisor Anthony Cellini commended Smith for her work spearheading the marker's purchase and ceremony.

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Unveiling the marker. Photo by Carmen Rue.

Pictured (left to right): Marjorie Smith, Jim Armstrong and his grandmother, Alice Armstrong, Thompson supervisor Anthony Cellini, and Monticello mayor Robert Friedland. The Armstrong family once resided in the Monticello tollhouse. Friedland is holding the plastic which covered the marker until its unveiling.