Above: Snow drifts pile up around Parksville's abandoned drug store, once a jewel of Main Street and still clinging to derelict grandeur. Photo taken last week by John of Catskills Photography, and shared in the Watershed Post's Flickr group pool.
Parksville has seen brighter days: The little Sullivan County hamlet, just a few miles from downtown Liberty, was once a prosperous tourist destination, before the shutdown of the O&W railroad and the long decline of the Borscht Belt took their toll. Later, in the 1990s, Parksville enjoyed a brief revival, led by the owners of the now-shuttered Dead End Cafe. A massive construction project to re-route Route 17, which for years ran right down the middle of Parksville, has been rough on some businesses, and good for others.
To hear supporters talk, Parksville is due for another renaissance. A local music festival held at the former Dead End Cafe is gearing up for its second year. And an inn, gallery and eatery founded in 2008 on the bank of the Little Beaverkill, the Rolling River Cafe, is drawing visitors to Parksville with an eclectic mix of tapas, locally-sourced entrees and traditional Russian foods.
For more Parksville history -- and a list of businesses currently alive and kicking in the hamlet -- see Parksville's official website.
