Schools in Orange County, NY

[That_Beach_Girl]

My father was from the Middletown/ Walden Area. His name was Francis Henry Baack. He dated and married my mother, Jean Augusta Decker. My mother, who died when I was very young, went to a college in New York. I have some pictures around here somewhere. It was a large, beautiful school that was covered with ivy. If I remember correctly, it was called Geneseo State Teachers College. Does anyone know what that school is called now? I was hoping I could find something on Classmates or a site for the school. I would like to find out anything about this school and possibly anything regarding my mother, Jean Augusta Decker-Baack. Thank you so much, Nancy Jean Baack-Brooks.

[STAYCALM]

Minisink Valley has always been an excellent school and was...might still be accredited by Middle States. The area around Minisink is very lovely with great access to I-84 and 17M. Stay away from Middletown--it was my family's hometown for over 100 years and has decayed; Middletown-Town of Wallkill were written up some years ago in NY Magazine as one of the worst examples of community planning in the US. Ridgebury and Unionville are quite nice with many well preserved antique homes--esp. Ridgebury-Slate Hill.

[STAYCALM]

There is still a good size college in Geneseo. It might be grown out of the old Teacher's College. The Geneseo area is absolutely gorgeous in summer and if you get a chance to go you must--esp in late Sept or early Oct. The Deckers are a very old and now large NYS colonial family; there is a Ft. Decker Museum in Port Jervis. There are also Deckers in the Mohawk Valley some of whom I believe descend from Germans. There's one on Rutger St. in Utica who is very interested in history. His name is Milford Decker. You can probably find him via zabasearch.com and or the Utica white pages. I am in New Mex at this time. Good luck. The contact at Ft. Decker is Peter Osborne. Also try the Minisink Valley Hist Soc. in Pt. Jervis, NY--lots of genealogy there and Deckers in that area and in Orange County.