Credibility Clues: Reading the Binnewaters
Meet the Binnewaters
Lesson 20230123.01 (non-local classes)
by Laura Pearce
Stories surround us. Some may be true and some are pure fiction. How can we tell the difference? What are the clues that indicate the credibility of a story? How can we, as readers and listeners, discern historical truth from fiction?
Objectives: Students will examine historical records and identify clues (literary, linguistic, cultural, chronological) which may or may not support the credibility of those accounts.
Materials: Table of Credibility 20230116 – copies to be distributed.
Article: Strange Colony in Ulster 20230115 – copies to be distributed.
Time: 40 – 50 minutes
Download the full lesson plan.
Background:
A little over one hundred miles up the Hudson River from New York City lies Ulster County, within which is a place known as Binnewater (pronounced Binny-water). Today Binnewater is an historic district listed on the National Register of Historic Places. In the late 19th and early 20th century Binnewater was a town like other small towns with a railroad depot, a general store, a post office, and several houses. The Binnewater area has been known for its five lakes including Williams Lake, Twin Lakes, and Fourth Lake. At one time there was a lake resort along Williams Lake. The resort had a hotel, a restaurant, and a private beach club. All of this sounds rather respectable.
However, there was a time when the name Binnewater was used to describe something far different. A group of people who lived around the lakes became known as the Binnewaters. It was said that the Binnewaters were outcasts who engaged in behaviors less than acceptable. They were characterized as criminals and people possessing a wide range of undesirable traits.
