News

The Village of Delhi is accepting bids for a contractor to perform snow & ice removal from the sidewalks of identified properties throughout the winter season. Bidder must be insured. Sealed bids (envelope marked snow & ice removal bid) must be received at the Village Clerk’s office, PO Box 328, 9 Court St, Delhi, NY 13753 no later than 11/2/2026 by noon. Bids will be reviewed by the Village of Delhi’s Board of Trustees. The Village of Delhi reserves the right to reject any and all bids.
 

Kimberly Cairns
Village Treasurer

Published October 15, 2026
October 22, 2026

I want to research some of the oldest houses in Delhi. Delhi was settled after the end of the Revolutionary War, around 1784. One of the first settlers was George Fisher, a Hessian mercenary who decided to stay in America after the war. All the houses built in that period were log cabins with the first frame houses built after 1790. I believe Fisher, also spelled Fischer, lived in the block between Franklin St and Division St, Second Street and Main Street. This was one of the first areas in Delhi to be developed and was part of the Franklin Patent. The log cabins are gone now but remnants remain in some houses, especially in the basements. If anyone has info to share on Delhi houses, please email me at historian@villageofdelhiny.gov. 

Recently I was surprised to read something I hadn’t noticed when I read the deed to our house. We bought our house in 1993 and I saw the deed then but didn’t really read it. I thought the house was built in 1857, a date that seemed reasonable, given the large beams in the basement and the quirky corners, a variety of materials and obvious add-ons. What the deed showed me is something more exciting. Our house was built before 1847, by GH Edgerton, who sold it in 1847 to Gideon Frisbee II, son of Judge Gideon Frisbee. Gideon Frisbee II, 1785-1857, lived here with his wife, Sarah (Sally), sons, Marshall, 1847-1864, the first child born in this house, who died in service in the Civil War, and Arthur, 1852-1910. After Gideon’s death in 1857, the house was sold to Leander Maxwell. The house next door to ours was owned at that time by Edwin Byron Frisbee, (1842-1933), son of Beardsley Frisbee, (1816-1901), grandson of Judge Frisbee, and Byron’s wife, Adaliza (Addie) Frisbee (1848-1930). I believe there have been only 5 families who have lived in our house since 1847. 

Leander Maxwell bought our house in 1857. He may have been related to Ebenezer Maxwell, pastor of the 1st Presbyterian church. Leander Maxwell sold the house, when he moved out west, to the Carpenter family but there may have been one family in between. I believe there was one family whose name I don’t know. The next family to live here was Frank and Beulah Davis, and their son, Jim, aka Stubby, from 1958-1993, when my husband and I bought our house. The house is on the 1859 Beers Atlas with a much different footprint than it has now. I think it was a modest, 2 story symmetrical house, in the style of the late Federal period, facing Main Street. Franklin Street was the western edge of the Franklin Patent. Then it becomes Franklin Road leading through Treadwell, formerly known as Croton, to the Town of Franklin. They’re all named for the patent owner, William Franklin, a natural son of Benjamin Franklin, who served as the United States Ambassador to France during the Revolutionary War.

Friday & Saturday, October 9th & 10th, Delhi, NY
Household Oct 10th, 8am - 12pm - free

Business Oct 9th, 10am - 12pm - at cost (price quotes provided)

Farms Oct 9th, 12:15pm - 2pm - free

You MUST pre-register and some time slots are already taken.

Try to arrive promptly at your designated time.

Got old paints? Pesticides? Expired prescriptions? Light bulbs?

Clean Sweep provides the opportunity to clean out potentially dangerous materials from your home, garage, basement, or barn.

Clean Sweep provides safe disposal of:

• household hazardous wastes
• expired medications, sharps, syringes
• agricultural pesticides
• fluorescent light bulbs & ballasts

Hazardous waste is any product that is toxic in nature that should NOT be disposed of as everyday trash. It requires special handling, processing, and disposal. Some hazardous waste materials may be recycled but are not part of the routine recycling program. 

Click on the link below to see details on accepted materials.

Register here

The Village of Delhi is in the process of putting together an application for the Downtown Revitalization Grant. This is the same grant that was sought last year. We have been encouraged by both members of our community as well as outside agents to once again seek this grant. It has the potential to help anyone from Gallant Avenue to the top of Elm Street who might be interested in improving or offering business renovations, rental offerings or initiating new ideas along this corridor. It could mean a ten million dollar infusion of money into the Delhi community. The committee that is working on this application is open to including a variety of projects and would like to hear from anyone interested in being a part of this exciting initiative. For more information, please see our website at https://dridelhiny.org/  or, contact Barb Sturdevant at Trustee1@villageofdelhiny.gov or Jeff Gearhart at mayor@villageofdelhiny.gov . We would appreciate hearing from interested parties by Oct. 15th!

The Village of Delhi will be flushing fire hydrants throughout the month of October.

Residents may experience temporary cloudy or discolored water during this process. If this occurs, simply run your water for a few minutes and it should clear. No further action is necessary.

September 16, 2026

Village of Delhi Residents,

Recently, the New York Department of Health required the Village of Delhi to publish a notice, written by them, regarding lead in the Village’s drinking water. The Village has identified approximately 40 houses that have lead service line pipes. The Department of Health required that we test 20 of these residences. When the results came back, it was found that four of these samples taken exceeded the states standard of acceptable levels of lead. The other 16 were within acceptable state standards. It is only these four residences that are under question and not the entire Village. The water which is being used by the rest of the Village is entirely safe and residents should be assured that they do not need to take any measures to protect themselves from unwanted exposure. We apologize for any unwarranted fear or concern which this may have caused, but the Village was only following the Department of Health’s mandates. If anyone has questions or wants a further explanation, please feel free to call the Village Office at any time during business hours at (607) 746-2258.

Sincerely,
Mayor Jeff Gearhart

DRINKING WATER WARNING
 

Sampling shows elevated lead levels in some homes and/or buildings.
The Village of Delhi Water System found elevated levels, of lead in drinking water in some homes/buildings.
We may also have tested your home or building. If we did, you should receive or may have already received these
results. These results are specific to your home/building and may be different from the results taken in other
locations. Lead can cause serious health problems, especially for pregnant women and young children. Please read
this information closely to see what you can do to reduce lead in your drinking water.
 

What is an Action Level?
The lead action level is a measure of the effectiveness of the corrosion control treatment in water systems.
The action level is not a standard for establishing a safe level of lead in a home. To check if corrosion control is
working, EPA requires water systems to test for lead at the tap in homes or buildings that are likely to have
elevated levels of lead, including those with lead service lines. We compare sample results from those
homes/buildings to NYS and federal action level of 0.015 mg/L (15 ppb). If 10 percent of the samples from these
homes have water concentrations that are greater than the action level, then the system must perform actions such
as public education, adjusting treatment, and lead service line replacement.
 

What Happened?
Between August 2026 and September 2026, we collected 20 samples and analyzed them for lead. The results of
more than 10 percent of our samples exceeded the action level for lead.
The Village of Delhi Water System is focused on protecting the health of every household in our community;
however, lead from service lines and lead plumbing and fixtures can dissolve or break off into water and end up at
the faucet. We found that lead service lines and lead in plumbing are potential sources of lead in your drinking
water. This does not mean that every property that receives drinking water from the Village of Delhi Water
System has lead in the drinking water. It does mean that you should understand how to reduce your exposure to
lead through water. Keep in mind that drinking water is not the only potential source of lead exposure, since lead
can be found in air, soil, and paint. For more information on all sources of lead, visit https://www.epa.gov/lead.
 

Health Effects of Lead
*Exposure to lead in drinking water can cause serious health effects in all age groups. Infants and children can
have decreases in IQ and attention span. Lead exposure can lead to new learning and behavior problems or
exacerbate existing learning and behavior problems. The children of women who are exposed to lead before or
during pregnancy can have increased risk of these adverse health effects. Adults can have increased risks of heart
disease, high blood pressure, kidney, or nervous system problems.*
 

Steps You Can Take to Reduce Your Exposure to Lead in Your Water
Below are recommended actions that you may take, separately or in combination, if you are concerned about lead
in your drinking water. The list also includes where you may find more information and is not intended to be a
complete list or to imply that all actions equally reduce lead from drinking water.

• Use your filter properly. Using a filter can reduce lead in drinking water. If you use a filter, it should be
  certified to remove lead. Read any directions provided with the filter to learn how to properly install,
  maintain, and use your cartridge and when to replace it. Using the cartridge after it has expired can make
  it less effective at removing lead. Do not run hot water through the filter. For more information on facts
  and advice on home water filtration systems, visit EPA’s website at https://www.epa.gov/ground-water-
  and-drinking-water/home-drinking-water-filtration-fact-sheet and EPA’s Consumer Tool for Identifying
  Drinking Water Filters Certified to Reduce Lead.
• Clean your aerator. Regularly remove and clean your faucet’s screen (also known as an aerator).
  Sediment, debris, and lead particles can collect in your aerator. If lead particles are caught in the aerator,
  lead can get into your water.
• Use cold water. Do not use hot water from the tap for drinking, cooking, or making baby formula as lead
  dissolves more easily into hot water. Boiling water does not remove lead from water.
• Run your water. The more time water has been sitting in your home’s pipes, the more lead it may
  contain. Before drinking, flush your home’s pipes by running the tap, taking a shower, doing laundry, or
  doing a load of dishes. The amount of time to run the water will depend on whether your home has a lead
  service line or not, as well as the length and diameter of the service line and the amount of plumbing in
  your home. Residents may contact us at (607) 746-2258 for recommendations about flushing times in
  their community.
• Learn what your service line material is. Contact us at (607) 746-2258 or a licensed plumber to
  determine if the pipe that connects your home to the water main (called a service line) is made from lead,
  galvanized, or other materials. To find out about what we are doing to replace lead service lines, contact
  us at (607) 746-2258. Protect Your Tap: A quick check for lead is EPA’s on-line step by step guide to
  learn how to find lead pipes in your home.
• Learn about construction in your neighborhood. Contact us at (607) 746-2258 to find out about any
  construction or maintenance work that could disturb your service line. Construction may cause more lead
  to be released from a lead service line if present.
   

Get Your Child Tested to Determine Lead Levels in His or Her Blood
A family doctor or pediatrician can perform a blood test for lead and provide information about the health effects
of lead. State, city, or county departments of health can also provide information about how you can have your
child's blood tested for lead. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that public
health actions be initiated when the level of lead in a child’s blood is 3.5 micrograms per deciliter (μg/dL) or
more. For more information and links to CDC’s website, please visit https://www.epa.gov/ground-water-and-
drinking-water/basic-information-about-lead-drinking-water.
 

What is Being Done?
The actions that we are taking are following Federal and State lead and copper regulations listed below.
In addition to the information mentioned above that we will provide to residents at locations we sampled, we will
also be following up with additional public education to all our customers by November 29, 2026.
The Village of Delhi Water System balances water chemistry at the treatment plant to minimize pipe and
plumbing components from corroding and leading to the possibility of lead dissolving into water. This process is
known as corrosion control. We are completing an assessment of the corrosion control treatment currently used by
our water system.
 

We are removing the lead service lines, which is a common source of lead in drinking water. This will be
completed by the end of 2028.
 

• We also plan to take the following steps:
• We are conducting additional lead and/or water quality monitoring of our water system supply.
• We are increasing our lead monitoring to determine the extent of the situation.
   

*Call us at (607) 746-2258 or visit our website https://villageofdelhiny.gov/. For more information on lead in
drinking water, contact your local health department at (607) 432-3911 or odo@health.ny.gov, or the New York
State Department of Health directly by calling the toll-free number (within New York State) 1-800-458-1158,
extension 27650, or out of state at (518) 402-7650, or by email at bpwsp@health.ny.gov. General guidelines on
ways to lessen the risk from lead in drinking water are available from EPA’s website
https://www.epa.gov/ground-water-and-drinking-water/basic-information-about-lead-drinking-water.*
 

*Please share this information with all the other people who drink this water, especially those who may not have
received this notice directly (for example, people in apartments, nursing homes, schools, and businesses). You can
do this by posting this notice in a public place or distributing copies by hand or mail.*
 

This notice is being sent to you by the Village of Delhi Water System
State Public Water System (PWS) ID#: NY1200257
Date distributed: September 15, 2026

A small crew installed the abandoned gravestone of a former Hamden,  NY woman, Elizabeth B. Russell, who died Oct 30, 1874, aged 27 yrs,  11 mos and 2 days, in the West Delhi Cemetery. Elizabeth and her  husband, Robert H. Russell, lived in Hamden but went out to Missouri  in the 1870’s. They had a child there and were coming back to Hamden  when Elizabeth died somewhere along the way. No one knows where  she’s buried but not around here, as far as I can tell. When Robert got  back to Hamden I believe he ordered a gravestone for Elizabeth at one  of the local gravestone carvers. Before it was finished I think he moved  to Michigan where he remarried, had a family and died there. The  local gravestone carver knew the gravestone was meant to be placed in  the West Delhi Cemetery. My conjecture is that when he brought the  finished gravestone no one was at the cemetery so he left it at the  District #7 schoolhouse on West Platner Brook Rd., near the cemetery.  I believe it may have been there since around 1875. The current owner  of the former schoolhouse, Leanne Nabinger, asked me what to do  with Elizabeth’s gravestone. I did some research but couldn’t find the  same family. I asked the Bovina Historian, Ray LaFever, if he could  find any Russell’s. He was able to locate a descendant of Robert H.  Russell and that person contacted Robert’s Great Granddaughter, a  woman in Michigan who’s still living and 91 years old. They said we  solved the oldest Russell family mystery - where is Elizabeth’s  gravestone? I think Robert intended her gravestone to be placed as a  cenotaph in the West Delhi Cemetery because his family is buried  there. Elizabeth’s epitaph is “and whither I go ye know, and the way ye  know”, John 14:4-26. Steve Fleming, Mike Mills, Brandon Dennis,  Leanne Nabinger and Marianne Greenfield installed the gravestone on  the Russell family lot, August 26, 2026. 

AUGUST 26, 2026 THROUGH SEPTEMBER 2, 2026

Prospect Street will be closed to all through traffic from August 26, 2026 through September 2, 2026 for Road Reconstruction. Delays in travel will be expected for local residents in the affected area, please plan accordingly and use alternate route.

Please contact the Village Clerk’s office at (607) 746-2258 if you have any questions or concerns.

The Village of Delhi Board of Trustees will be holding a Public Meeting, on September 9, 2026 at 6:00 pm, Village Hall, 9 Court St, regarding the Downtown Revitalization Initiative (DRI) grant.

by Marianne Greenfield, Delhi Historian

There are several reasons why a gravestone may not be in it’s original location. One scenario is when a family member dies they get their own gravestone. Then when another family member dies the family decide it’s time to erect a larger gravestone or monument where everyone’s name can be memorialized. Then the original gravestone may be removed and repurposed. I occasionally find those gravestones on the stone wall. 

Another situation may be due to removing remains to a different cemetery. In the late 1800’s there was an effort to remove all the remains in Old Delhi. A neighbor to the old burying ground, Attorney William Youmans, pursued litigation with the Village of Delhi for nearly 25 years, in an attempt to convince the Village to remove the remains of everyone buried in Old Delhi to Woodland Cemetery, which was organized in 1847. Old Delhi was the first secular burial ground in Delhi. The first burial ground was the Flats Cemetery, started 1799, by the Presbyterian Church, near where the Delhi golf course is now. The effort to move many of Delhi’s founding fathers and other dignitaries, like Osman Steele, Henry and Electa Leavenworth, was successful to some degree. No list remains with the names of people who are still buried in Old Delhi or the names of people removed to Woodland Cemetery. 

Woodland Cemetery was organized after legislation was enacted by the NYS Assembly in 1847, and it quickly became the “cool” place to be buried. Cemetery fashion changed with the Rural Cemetery Movement in the mid 1800’s. Early burial grounds near churches were called graveyards. Many farm families had their own burial grounds because they thought the farm would always be in the family. Burial grounds in villages, towns and cities were in out of the way places, away from people. Those burial grounds could be scary places, avoided by most people, due to overcrowding, grave robbers and epidemics of disease. Rural cemeteries were designed to be idyllic, peaceful places with open landscape, terraced hills, walking paths, trees and elegant monuments. The term changed from burial ground to cemetery, from the Greek word “koimeterion”, meaning resting place. 

Many abandoned gravestones were removed when they no longer marked a grave. The former Delaware County and Delhi Historian, Mr. John Raitt, told me there’s an old an gravestone in the foundation of his home. He believed it came from Old Delhi. A neighbor found a gravestone upside down in their back yard. Another person found an old gravestone on the floor of his barn. That one was confirmed to have been removed from Old Delhi when the remains of a Delhi founder, former Hessian Rev War Vet, George Fisher, were moved from Old Delhi to Woodland Cemetery. His family bought him a modern gravestone. George Fisher’s original gravestone was carved by Coffin Man and is now in the Collection at DCHA. 

Which brings me to the most recent abandoned gravestone story. My friend, Leanne Nabinger, lives near the West Delhi church cemetery, found an old gravestone leaning against a tree when she purchased her home a few years ago. I had the privilege of seeing the gravestone and hope to find the cemetery where it belongs. The lettering on the gravestone reads “Elizabeth B. Wife of RH Russell, who died Oct. 30, 1874 aged 27 yrs, 11 mos & 2 dys”. After a fruitless search online I enlisted the help of Ray LaFever, Bovina Town Historian and Archivist and Librarian at the Delaware County Historical Association and Frisbee House Museum. Ray quickly solved the “biggest Russell family mystery” by locating a relative, a great granddaughter of RH Russell, who was thrilled the gravestone was found. Sadly, we still don’t know where Elizabeth is buried. She may have died while traveling back from Missouri to Bovina, New York and was buried in an unmarked grave. RH Russell married again and moved to Michigan. Steve Fleming, West Delhi Church Cemetery, has agreed to place “Libbie’s” gravestone in the Russell family lot. Now we can take her gravestone back to her family.

The Village of Delhi has contracted with Sewer Specialties to do some preventative work on the following streets over the course of the next week or so: Delaware Avenue, Sheldon Drive, Park Place and Phoebe Lane. This should not cause any problems other than some traffic inconveniences. If possible, avoid driving on these streets.

The boil water notice has been lifted for the Village of Delhi streets: Crestwood Dr, Cuddeback Ave, Delview Terrace, Delview Terrace Ext, Edgerton St, Upper Franklin St, Meredith St, Phoebe Lane, Prospect St and Spruce St. Please follow the Department of Health’s instructions for after the boil water event. Please call the Village Clerk’s office with any questions at (607) 746-2258.

Due to a water main break on Sunday, July 19, 2026, a boil water notice has been issued, until further notice, by the Village of Delhi for the following streets: Crestwood Dr, Cuddeback Ave, Delview Terrace, Delview Terrace Ext, Edgerton St, Upper Franklin St, Meredith St, Phoebe Lane, Prospect St and Spruce St. 

Attached are boil water notice facts sheets from the NYS Department of Health.

Please call the Village Clerk’s office with any questions at (607) 746-2258 Monday through Friday 9:00 am to 4:00 pm.

ELM STREET
JULY 14, 2026
STARTING AT 6:00 AM

The Village of Delhi will be paving Elm Street Tuesday, July 14, 2026 (weather permitting) as a form of pavement preservation to help prolong the life expectancy of the paved surfaces of the roadways. Delays are to be expected and travel for traffic will not be allowed until the application to Elm Street surface has the proper time to cure and dry before traffic will be allowed return to the lane of travel. Dry time of the product can take up to, if not longer than a half hour before light traffic can resume therefore access in and out of driveways or parking lots will be prohibited while the paving project is taking place, so please plan according for limited access and availability to parking.

No parking will be allowed on Elm Street starting at 6:00 am until paving is completed and proper time to cure and dry has been given.

Please contact the Village Clerk’s office at (607) 746-2258 if you have any questions or concerns.