Bringing the Extraordinary Life of “The Female Hunter of Long Eddy” to the Stage

A new historical drama at Farm Arts Collective explores the extraordinary life and times of local historical figure, Lucy Ann Lobdell, aka the “Female Hunter of Long Eddy,” who was also known as Joseph Israel Lobdell.

In an 1877 New York Times article, Lobdell’s life is described as “one of the most singular family histories ever recorded.”

Written by Mimi McGurl, “Lucy Joseph” is a theatrical account of Lucy Ann Joseph Israel Lobdell’s life. Born in 1829, in Waterloo, NY, Lobdell lived and worked as a man in Sullivan and Wayne Counties. Lobdell had a daughter who was eventually adopted by a farm family in Damascus, PA, opened a music school in Honesdale, pioneered in the Minnesota Territories, returned to the northeast, was jailed for vagrancy, married Marie Perry, became a preacher, and was eventually committed (by a brother) to the Willard Asylum for the Insane in Seneca County, NY, to live out the rest of their remarkable life.

On Saturday (December 7), Farm Arts presents a staged reading of “Lucy Joseph” at Farm Arts Collective’s Agri-Cultural Center with a reception to follow.

Appearing on Radio Chatskill, playwright Mimi McGurl and Lead Actor Jess Beveridge discuss Lobdell’s unconventional life.

The early development of Lucy Joseph has been supported through a gift from Bill and Jean Klaber. The full production will premiere in June 2025 at Farm Arts Collective.

Image: Actor Jess Beveridge in rehearsal of the title role of the play “Lucy Joseph.” (Credit: Tannis Kowalchuk).