Phoenix, NY?

In an article Tanneries hurt the environment in the 1800s, but the Catskills eventually benefited, published in the website Hudonvalleyone.com, Violet Snow discusses the work of Paul Misko, who researches and makes presentations on our corner of the Catskills. It makes for interesting reading, including this tidbit:

An avid hiker since childhood, Misko has researched the remnants of human presence he often stumbles across in the woods. He explains how Phoenicia received its name, based, as many town residents know, on the Phoenix Tannery, once a mainstay of the local economy. Not all of us have heard that the tannery’s name came from the rapid rebuilding of the structure when it burned down in 1839, soon after it was first constructed. The town was called Phoenix until the postal service was getting established. Because there was already another Phoenix, New York, local residents picked the new name, hearkening back to the ancient Mediterranean culture.