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DENNING, named in honor of Wm. H. Denning, former proprietor of a large part of the town, was formed from
Shandaken, March 6, 1849. A part of Hardenburgh was taken off in 1859. It lies in the north-west part of the County
on the border of Sullivan. The surface is broken and mountainous. A spur of the Catskill Mountains extends through
the town, with a mean elevation of 1,500 to 2,000 feet. Its streams are head branches of Rondout Creed and Neversink
River. The valleys are narrow ravines bordered by steep and rocky hillsides. The soil upon the uplands is a gravelly
loam, and in the valleys a sandy loam. It is very sparsely populated, the settlement being chiefly confined to
the valleys. Its chief wealth consists in its heavy growth of timber.
Denning (p.o.,) is near the center of the town.
Dewittsville is a hamlet near the south line.
Settlements were made at a comparatively recent period. The first saw mill was built in 1827, and the first tannery,
at Dewittsville, by DeWitt & Reynolds.
The population in 1870 was 1,044, and its area 65,445 acres, with an assessed value of $49,260.
There are eight school districts in the town, employing the same number of teachers. The number of children of
school age is 466; the number attending school, 289; the average attendance, 112, and the value of school houses
and sites, $2,330.
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