Dr. J. J. Mills
The Laurel Grove cemetery is situated in the extreme southeastern part of Port Jervis. This was established in 1856 by John Conklin, who owned the site, and it is the modern cemetery now in use. It contains many fine monuments and the lots and drives are well kept. The name Laurel Grove was most appropriately bestowed because of the thick natural growth of the American laurel on the ground. In 1857 the Weeping Willow cemetery was begun in Port Jervis. This is St. John's burial ground next the Reformed church. Among other cemeteries are that of the Reformed church, started in 1833, the Catholic cemetery, also in Port Jervis, and the Rural Valley cemetery in Cuddebackville, opened in 1867. In the early eighties the Weeping Willow cemetery was purchased by the village of Port Jervis and converted into a site for a school building, the bodies being removed to other cemeteries.
MILITARY HISTORY.
At the beginning of the French war of 1775 there were only about thirty families within the present limits of Deer Park township. It was then divided into upper and lower neighborhoods. In the upper or northern part, near the old county line, three small forts were built; one on the Neversink, another at the house of Peter Gumaer, and the third near the home of Peter Swartwout. There were also three forts in the lower neighborhood on the south.
It is believed, however, that most of the Indian occupants of this region had left before the opening of this French war. But they returned in force when the Revolution began and attacked some of the early settlers in 1777. These attacks soon became more frequent and alarming, and the Committee of Safety was obliged to resort to very vigilant methods in repelling the ferocious savages. Three other forts were built in the Peenpack section, and these were manned by soldiers known as the nine-months' men. Many of the women and children were sent out of the town to more safe quarters. About this time there were some fifty families in the town and they moved into the forts for protection. But the settlement was attacked by a force of Indians and Tories about that time and afterward, and many were killed in the conflicts. Many of the houses and barns were burned and much of the crops were destroyed during these Indian raids.
Many stirring incidents of those days are recorded, but much of this record is merely traditional and lacks authentic documentary evidence in its support.
At the close of the war the people were practically in a destitute condition, and it took them a long time, with the very meager facilities at hand, to reinstate themselves. Even the Continental paper currency had greatly depreciated in value, and it was necessary to build mills to make material for rebuilding their homes and barns.
At the opening of the Revolution Major John Decker was one of the most prominent citizens in the Minisink valley, and it is said that one of the objects of these Indian raids was to secure the scalp of Major Decker. They succeeded in burning his house to the ground and destroyed all his property during his absence from home at night, driving out his family to sleep on the banks of the Neversink River, but they didn't get the Major's scalp, though he was wounded while riding his horse homeward, and barely escaped with his life by hiding in a cave.
The Brandt raid of what was known as the lower neighborhood occurred in July, 1779. News of the atrocities perpetrated by the Mohawk chief and his savage followers was conveyed to Goshen, where a pursuing force of militia was organized by Colonels Tusten and Hathorn. They overtook Brandt at the ford of the Delaware at Lackawaxen, Pa., and in the sanguinary struggle which took place on the heights above Lackawaxen on the New York side of the river, the Indians were completely victorious. The force under Hathorn and Tusten was almost annihilated, but few escaping to tell the tale of the disaster. Of these men were Captain Abraham Cuddeback of Deer Park, and Daniel Meyers of Minisink, who is said to have killed more Indians than any other man during the engagement.
The town took its full patriotic share in the struggle to save the Union of States. Dr. John Conklin presided at the first meeting of citizens, April 18, 1861, and prompt measures were adopted. Nearly $1,000 was raised, and there were many donations for the soldiers and their families. The Ladies' Aid Society was formed with Mrs. H. H. Farnum as president, in September, 1862, and this association of patriotic women forwarded supplies to the front amounting to $843.63. Under the call of President Lincoln for 500,000 men in 1864 a tax of $48,600 was raised by the town to pay bounties for soldiers of $300 each. An additional tax of $155,300 was afterwards raised for a like purpose.
The Deer Park roll of honor in that war numbers 428. Of these some forty-five lost their lives in the service of their country.
In the Spanish-American war of 1898 eighty-two volunteers for service in Cuba were recruited in Port Jervis by Captain Benham and others under the auspices of Lafayette Post, G. A. R., of the city of New York. Of these, forty-four were attached to Company I of the Second U. S. Infantry; thirty-five to the 42d U. S. Infantry, and the remainder entered the Artillery and Cavalry arms of the service. The recruits for this war came mainly from Port Jervis, but a few came from surrounding districts.
BONDED DEBT.
Under the act of May 4, 1868, the town of Deer Park was bonded for the sum of $200,000 to aid in the construction of the Monticello and Port Jervis Railroad. These bonds drew 7% and ran thirty years to their maturity. In 1898 they were refunded at 4% and provision made for the gradual payment of the principal. There is now (1908) outstanding in these bonds $161,000.
THE MONTICELLO R. R.
The Monticello and Port Jervis Railroad Company was incorporated Sept. 3, 1868. It ran between Port Jervis and Monticello and opened for traffic January 3, 1871. It was sold in foreclosure July 8, 1875, and subsequently reorganized as the Port Jervis and Monticello Railroad Co. Its history has been a checkered one. It is now operated by the Ontario & Western Railroad as a part of its system.
THE CITY OF PORT JERVIS.
Port Jervis had its beginning in 1826 when the building of the D. & H. Canal became a certainty. It was named in honor of John B. Jervis, of Rome, N. Y.. a distinguished civil engineer, who superintended the construction of the canal. As late as 1846 a writer thus describes Port Jervis:
"It is a small village on the canal where it first approaches the Delaware. It is just above Carpenter's Point (Tri-States) and the junction of the Neversink and Delaware Rivers. It owes its population and its importance to its position about midway between Honesdale, Pa., and Kingston, N. Y., the two terminals of the D. & H. Canal. There are five stores in the village; three taverns in spacious buildings; one three-story grist mill, built by Dr. Ball, of Brooklyn, N. Y., being a stone building with five run of stone in it; three churches, a Dutch Reformed, Baptist, and Methodist, and one large school house. Coal and lumber are sold in considerable quantities. A mail route from Kingston, N. Y., to Milford, Pa., and thence to Philadelphia, passes through the village."
At this time the population of the village was small, and Port Jervis was equaled if not exceeded in importance by the neighboring hamlet of Carpenter's Point, where the post-office was located and courts were held.
The completion of the Erie Railroad to Port Jervis, January 1, 1848, gave a wonderful impetus to its growth. The directors of the company celebrated the event by an official trip over the road from Piermont on the Hudson River, its eastern terminus, to Port Jervis, where the entire population of the surrounding country were gathered to celebrate their arrival. Cannon boomed and flags and bunting floated from every house top. A banquet was served at the hotel of Samuel Truex on the southwestern corner of Pike and Main streets, during which the president of the road, Benjamin Loder, made an address congratulating all concerned in the successful completion of the great enterprise as far as Port Jervis. The subsequent growth of the place was rapid. Its position as the headquarters of the Delaware division of the road and the terminus of its eastern division and the location here of extensive machine and car shops gave it a large railroad population, which has been and still is the principal contributing element to its prosperity.
In 1853 the village was incorporated and the first charter election was held in August following. The total village expenses for the first year was $1,350. Samuel Fowler was the first president.
Port Jervis became a city by an act of the Legislature of the date of June 26, 1907, and at the first election under the city charter, held in the ensuing November, the following city officials were elected: Mayor, Dr. H. B. Swartwout; aldermen, Joseph Johnson (at large), F. N. Mason, Andrew Hensel, A. F. Brown. P. C. Rutan, C. F. Van Inwegen, Thomas Mulhearn, James Howell and James I. Delaney. The first five named are republicans, the others democrats. The following appointments were made by the Common Council: City clerk, A. P. Altemeier; city engineer, Irving Righter; commissioner of charters, John M. Snook; superintendent of streets and sewers, Theodore Ludlum; chief of police, William Wilkin. Supervisors from the four wards were elected as follows: First Ward, S. S. Garriss, dem.; Second Ward, Henry Farnum, rep.; Third Ward, J. J. Toth, rep.; Fourth Ward, J. P. Gillen, dem.
The population of Port Jervis in 1907, according to the census of the State excise department, taken in that year for the purpose of furnishing a basis upon which to adjust license rates, was 10,035. But as the census was not intended to be exhaustive and practically stopped when the 10,000 limit was reached, leaving certain sections uncounted, it is fair to presume that the actual population was considerably in excess of the figure named.
The assessed valuation of the city of Port Jervis for the year 1907 was $2,000,000; for the town of Deer Park about $500,000.
The city has eighty-two industrial establishments including the car and machine shops of the Erie Railroad, employing over 1,000 operatives. The principal manufactured commodities are saws, glassware, silk, gloves and mittens, shirt and ladies' collars. These industries give employment to many skilled operatives who receive good wages. The city has three hardware stores and two iron foundries.
Among the important industries of Port Jervis is the Deer Park Brewery Co., located on Reservoir avenue. The company was organized in 1902 with George F. Ott, of Philadelphia, as president. The plant of the insolvent Deer Park Brewery Co. was purchased and greatly improved and enlarged.
STREET RAILROAD.
The Port Jervis Electric Street Railway Company was organized in 1895 with Hon. W. C. Richardson, of Goshen, as the first president. The work of construction began November 15, 1897, and the road went into operation January 15, 1898. The road is now known as the Port Jervis Electric Railroad Co. It has about 4 1/3 miles of track and runs three cars.
BANKS.
The oldest of the two banking establishments of this place, the National Bank of Port Jervis, was organized under the State law as the Bank of Port Jervis, in March, 1853. Business was opened in the Delaware House. The original capital was $120,000, afterwards increased to $130,000. Its first president was Thomas King, who served until his death in 1857, when he was succeeded by H. H. Farnum, who served until his death in 1879. The late Charles St. John succeeded him and the late Francis Marvin became president in 1892 on the death of Mr. St. John. The present incumbent of the office is W. L. Cuddeback.
The heavy defalcation of the assistant cashier led to a reorganization of the institution in 1899 with Dr. W. L. Cuddeback as president. The last annual report, December 5, 1907, showed deposits amounting to $550,738.04. The present dividend rate is 7-1/2 per cent, per annum.
The First National Bank was organized in 1870 with a capital of $100,000. Jacob Hornbeck was the first president. The late Martin C. Everett succeeded him. The present head of this prosperous institution is Chas. F. Van Inwegen. Its last report, on December 3, 1907, showed total deposits of $1,001,621.46. The stock pays 16 per cent. dividends to stockholders.
The Port Jervis Savings Bank, organized under the State law, began business in March, 1870, with Eli Van Inwegen as president. It discontinued business in the later seventies.
THE POST-OFFICE.
The post-office was removed from Carpenter's Point to Port Jervis in 1829, and John Slauson was the postmaster. He was succeeded by Dr. John Conklin in 1833, followed by Dr. Charles Hardenburgh in 1845, who was soon displaced by Thomas J. Lyon. Then came Dr. Conklin again in 1849, Francis Marvin in 1851, Thomas J. Lyon again in 1853, James Van Fleet in 1855, George Brodhead in 1857, Augustus E. Goodale in 1861, Charles St. John, Jr., in 1879, Benjamin Ryall in 1885, Stephen St. John in 1889; George A. Elston in 1893; S. D. Boyce in 1897. Mr. Boyce still (in 1908) continues in office.
THE FIRE DEPARTMENT.
The Port Jervis fire department was long regarded among the best in the State outside the large cities, and few destructive fires were ever allowed to gain much headway. The introduction of the water-works system gave ample hydrant pressure to cope with any conflagration, and the old hand engines were long since abandoned. There are seven different fire companies with a force of considerably over 200 effective fire fighters. The equipment included a steamer and hook and ladder apparatus. P. C. Rutan is chief engineer of the department.
PORT JERVIS FREE LIBRARY.
In 1892 was organized the Port Jervis Free Library, with W. L. Cuddeback, W. H. Nearpass, Maria B. Van Etten, Minnie C. Brox and E. H. Gordon, trustees. This board has continued in charge of the library until the present time except that, in 1896, Mrs. Brox resigned and was succeeded by Mrs. M. I. Coonrod. In 1901 a gift of $20,000 was received from Mr. Carnegie for the construction of a library building, which was subsequently increased to $30,000, and with this fund a large, handsome, commodious building was constructed on Pike street hill on a site given by Peter E. Farnum. The building is constructed of light colored pressed brick with native blue stone trimmings. It will house 40,000 volumes. The number at present on the shelves is 15,000; added during the year 1907 by purchase, 1,062; the number lent for home use during the current year, 33,706. It is rich in encyclopedias and valuable works of reference, including the Congressional Record and Globe, and reports of the departments of the Federal and State governments. The valuable collection of books and documents of the Minisink Valley Historical Society is also housed in this building, a separate room on the second floor having been set apart for the accommodation thereof. This building contains two spacious, well equipped reading rooms, in which may be found all the leading reviews, magazines, and weekly periodicals, with complete files of many of them handsomely bound and ranged about the walls for convenient reference.
The present librarian is Miss Elizabeth G. Thorne; assistants, Miss Charlotte Nearpass and Miss Anna G. Wells.
SEWERS.
Port Jervis has an excellent system of public sewers, established in 1891 at a cost of about $85,000, for which the bonds of the village were issued. The original sewer commissioners were Francis Marvin, L. E. Carr, George Schoonover, W. A. Drake, M. D. Graham, with Ed. Whitner, clerk. Its establishment has resulted in a lowering of the death rate and a notable diminution in zymotic diseases within the city limits.
CHURCHES.
Port Jervis has eight churches, which in the order of their establishment are as follows:The Reformed Church of Deer Park,founded August 23, 1737, under the name of theReformed Dutch Churchof Machackemech;Drew Methodist Episcopal Churchand theBaptist Church,both founded in 1838;First Presbyterian,incorporated July 15, 1851;Grace Episcopal Church,incorporated September 3, 1853; theChurch of the Immaculate Conception,incorporated January 10, 1860;German Lutheran Protestant,Port Jervis, incorporated January 1, 1861; theSecond Reformed Church,whose house of worship on West Main street (in Germantown), was dedicated November 29, 1896, with Rev. David T. Harris as pastor; theChurch of Sacred Heart(in Germantown), whose handsome church edifice of brick was dedicated in November, 1899, with Rev. B. J. Duffy, ordained in Rome, as first pastor.
The colored people also have a church organization known as theWickham A. U. M. P. Church,in honor of the late Dr. D. T. Wickham, the principal contributor to their church building.
ST. MARY'S HOME.
A religious, educational and charitable institution of great merit and usefulness is St. Mary's Home, founded in 1871 by the late Rev. Father Nelan, its object being to provide a home for orphan children and to train and instruct them for a useful place in society. For over twenty years this institution has been in charge of Sister Theophelia, a woman whose motherly instincts and marked administrative abilities peculiarly fit her for this highly important work.
MINISINK VALLEY HISTORICAL SOCIETY.
An event of great importance to the residents of this town was the organization of the Minisink Valley Historical Society in 1888. Among the active promoters of this undertaking were Rev. Dr. S. W. Mills, Francis Marvin, Dr. John Conkling, O. P. Howell, Dr. Sol Van Etten, C. E. and W. L. Cuddeback, W. H. Nearpass and C. F. Van Inwegen. Its collection of relics and manuscripts is large and of great value to the genealogist and historian. Its library numbers more than 1,500 volumes of books and pamphlets. Its manuscripts exceed 1,000 in number. With the facilities offered by its new home in the Carnegie Library building and protection and safety provided by its fireproof vaults, it will in time become the repository of all valuable documents and manuscripts in this vicinity.
OLD BURYING GROUND RESTORED.
During the summer of 1907 a notable work was accomplished by the Machackemech Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, of which Mrs. Charles F. Van Inwegen is the president, in clearing and beautifying the grounds of the old historic Machackcmech cemetery on East Main street next to the Catholic cemetery. Through long neglect the cemetery had fallen into a condition of utter decay and ruin. The ground was covered with a dense growth of weeds, briars and underbrush, and the memorial stones, some of them dating back to a period anterior to the Revolution, were for the most part so weather beaten and moss-grown that their inscription was difficult to decipher, in some cases were totally illegible. All this has been changed, and now this hallowed ground "Where the rude forefathers of the hamlet sleep" has been restored to order and beauty and no longer offends by its wild and neglected appearance.
SOLDIERS MONUMENT.
A conspicuous ornament to the public square of the city (Orange Square) is the soldiers' monument, erected in 1886 through the liberality and public spirit of Diana Farnum, widow of H. H. Farnum, whose gift of $10,000 defrayed the cost thereof. It commemorates the valor and patriotism of the soldiers from Deer Park who took part in the great struggle for the preservation of the Union in 1861-5. It was unveiled to the public on July 4, 1886, in the presence of a vast multitude of spectators. L. F. Carr, Esq., of Port Jervis, and General Stewart L. Woodford, of Brooklyn, N. Y. were the orators of the occasion. The ceremonies were in charge of Carroll Post, G. A. R., of Port Jervis.
FLOODS IN PORT JERVIS.
The situation of Port Jervis near the confluence of the Delaware and Neversink Rivers exposes its low-lying parts to occasional overflows of these streams in times of heavy rainfall and more especially during the break-up of ice at the end of the winter season.
The channel of the Delaware at this place is shallow and obstructed by rapids and islands against which descending masses of ice become lodged, damming back the water and producing what is known as an ice-gorge. Such an event occurred in the latter part of February, 1875, when the channel of the river for several miles in extent was filled with a gigantic accumulation of broken ice. For several weeks the village was threatened with inundation and various unsuccessful expedients were resorted to to start the ice moving. The excitement culminated on March 17, when the "gorge" gave way, carrying with it the iron railroad bridge across the Delaware above Sparrowbush, which in descending the stream on top of the moving ice, struck and swept away the Barrett suspension bridge at Port Jervis. For a short time just before the break-up of the "gorge" the lower part of the village as far as the Erie tracks was flooded with water.
On October 10, 1903, a ten-inch rainfall in forty hours caused both rivers to overflow their banks, submerging the low-lying parts of the town. Barrett bridge across the Delaware was again carried away, and five persons who were on it at the time lost their lives.
On March 8, 1904, a flood caused by an ice gorge destroyed the iron railroad bridge across the Delaware at this place and the suspension bridge across the Neversink. The lower section, of the village was submerged to a depth of three feet and the portion across the Erie tracks to a depth of from seven to ten feet.
This succession of disasters emphasized the necessity for protective measures of some kind, and the matter was taken in hand by the village Board of Trade, as a result of whose deliberations a bill was presented and passed at the ensuing session of the Legislature, appropriating the sum of $35,000 for diking the Delaware at Port Jervis. This money was used to excellent purpose and a substantial dike was built under the direction of the State engineer, extending from the upper part of Germantown to Barrett bridge. To afford the needed protection, however, this work should be extended down the river bank to Laurel Grove cemetery. Bills for the necessary appropriation have been introduced at the successive sessions of the Legislature, but for various reasons have failed to pass. A more fortunate issue is expected from the one introduced by Senator Taylor at the present session. Another State appropriation of $10,000 was spent in strengthening and clearing the channel of the Clove Brook at Tri-States and a pumping station has been established at the foot of Wagner Place, by means of which accumulated surface water is drained off in times of flood. An effort is also being made through Representative Thos. W. Bradley to secure the aid of the Federal government in clearing and deepening the channel of the Delaware and removing obstructions from Storm Island, about a mile below the city.
CANAL ABANDONED.
The canal of the Delaware & Hudson Company was abandoned in 1878. Samuel D. Coykendall, of Kingston, purchased the right of way, and sold it to the Pennsylvania Coal Company, by whom a coal carrying road from the anthracite field to tide water along the old canal route was projected. The enterprise was defeated by the purchase by the Erie Railroad Company of the stock of the Pennsylvania Coal Company, which carried with it ownership and control of the old right of way and blocked threatened competition in the carriage of coal to tide water.
ERIE CHANGES.
In the spring of 1890 the Erie removed its passenger station from the foot of Pike street to the Brown building in Jersey avenue, near its junction with Fowler street. This building was remodeled and enlarged and made over into one of the finest depots along the line of the Erie road. It was destroyed by fire on Christmas night of the same year and the present handsome structure erected on its site.
On Easter Sunday, 1905, the company transferred the headquarters of the principal Delaware division official from Port Jervis to Susquehanna. This involved the removal of thirty officials and assistants, including the superintendent, train master, division engineer, division plumber, and division carpenter.
GOOD ROADS.
This section will benefit by the good roads movement lately adopted by the State, and Port Jervis may naturally expect considerable increase of trade and perhaps of population from the three State roads now in process of construction which converge in this city. One of these begins in Middletown, passes through Wawayanda and Greenville and comes out upon the road leading from Tappentown to Tri-States. Another starts from Middletown and passes through Otisville and Cuddebackville, taking at the last named place the old road pronounced by the State inspector to be one of the finest in the State. A third leads from the Sullivan County line at Rio on the west to Port Jervis.
CITY IMPROVEMENTS.
The year just passed has witnessed the organization of a City Improvement Association composed of ladies, the object of which is sufficiently indicated by its name. It has an active corps of officers and members animated by a praiseworthy spirit of civic pride. Mrs. Maria B. Van Etten is the president.
PLACES OF SPECIAL NOTE.
Tri-States Rock, situated at the confluence of the Delaware and Neversink Rivers, at which the boundary lines of three States—New York, Pennsylvania and New Jersey—intersect, is one of the show places of the town. The rock is at the extreme point of the narrow tongue of land lying between the two rivers and at the mouth of the Neversink. The geological formation is rocky and will stand the wear of the floods for centuries to come as it has for centuries past. A small monument now marks the spot.
The site of the old Dutch church on the Van Inwegen land directly opposite the old Machackemech cemetery on Main street is suggestive of historic memories. Here assembled for worship in the old log "meeting house" of 1743 the pioneer families of this section. The house was burned by Brandt and his savages in the historic raid of July, 1779.
The Van Etten schoolhouse, from which the teacher, Jeremiah Van Auken, was taken out and cruelly murdered in the same raid, was located on the old Levi Van Etten farm, afterwards owned by Mark Van Etten, on the east side of the Neversink River about one-fourth of a mile north of Black Rock cut on the Erie.
The forts mentioned in the early annals gather about themselves most of the traditions of Indian attack. In the upper neighborhood there was one at the house of Jacob Rutsen De Witt. This was near Cuddebackville, on the west side of the Neversink. Another fort was at the Gumaer place, now the Godeffroy estate. The old stone building is still standing and in excellent preservation.
In the accounts of incidents occurring during the old French War, it is stated that on one occasion the Indians lay in ambush "to take the lower fort at Mr. Westfall's." This was probably the old stone house at Germantown. A local writer says: "The present structure, rebuilt in 1793, occupied the site of a fort or blockhouse built anterior to the Revolution and occupied as a dwelling and trading post by a family of the name of Haynes, who carried on a thriving trade with the Indians for many years." Captain Westfall, who married one of Mr. Haynes's daughters, lived in the house during the Brandt invasion of 1779. He was away on a scouting expedition at the time, and a trusty Negro buried the valuables and assisted the escape of the captain's wife to the high hills of the Jersey shore near Carpenter's point.
It is said that Brandt's expedition first attacked "the fort at Major Decker's." This was on the old George Cuddeback place on the east side of the Neversink River, about three miles from Port Jervis. Another fort was near the residence of the late James D. Swartwout. Still another is mentioned by Peter E. Gumaer "at the house of Peter Coykendall, in the present village of Port Jervis."
Northwest, sixty miles by rail from New York City, sixteen miles in an air line west from the Hudson River, lies Goshen, the county seat of Orange County, located in the geographical center of that civic sub-division. The town derives its name from the Goshen of Biblical memory. Almost two centuries ago the first of the settlers came. The native beauty of the place appealed to the calm and dauntless spirits of these men, who had plunged boldly into a benighted and unknown country. They stood upon the wooded hills and looked with glad eyes upon the fertile, fruitful valley. All around about them lay the land of their desire, and they called it Goshen, the "promised land" of the Scriptures.
The town, which was first known by this name in 1714, was originally much larger than at present. Its boundaries were defined by law in 1788. A part of Hamptonburgh was taken from it in 1830, and a part of Chester in 1845. Other changes of boundaries were made at different times, as recited elsewhere in this article. It has a population to-day in town and village slightly in excess of 5,000.
The section is known for the great fertility of its soil. It is in the heart of a noted dairying country, and as long ago as Revolutionary days Goshen butter was widely famed. Butter making has practically ceased now, but the milk production is large. The town is also noted for the onions and celery raised on its black dirt meadows, as well as for the grass crops grown on its fertile farms.
The village is located on the main line of the Erie Railroad, and has direct connection with New England cities by way of the N. Y., N. H. & H. R. R. It is also the terminus of the Montgomery & Erie, the Goshen & Deckertown, and the Lehigh & New England Railroads. It is handsomely laid out with broad, well-kept and well-shaded streets of smooth macadam. It has three public school buildings, and Garr Institute, a parochial school, conducted under the direction of St. John's Church. It has six churches: The First Presbyterian, organized in 1720; St. James's Episcopal, dating back to 1796; St. John the Evangelist, Roman Catholic, founded in 1820; the Methodist Episcopal, organized in 1847; the A. U. M. P. Church, and Olivet Chapel, a Presbyterian colored mission. It has two national banks and a savings bank, two newspapers, gas and electric lighting companies, a waterworks system, and first-class hotels and clubs. Its fire department is made up of three volunteer companies, Cataract Engine and Hose, organized in 1843; Dikeman Hose, organized in 1872, and Minisink Hook and Ladder, organized in 1906, upon the disbanding of Elliott H. and L., which was organized in 1871. Leading to the village from almost every direction are improved roads, maintained under State supervision.
George F. Gregg
No mention of the town, past or present, would be complete, without reference to the trotting-horse industry. It began in 1803, when Imp. Messenger, acknowledged head of the trotting family, stood at Goshen Down through all the years trotting horses were bred and raised there, and even in this day and generation the horse interests are chief among the interests of the town. In the center of the village is located the finest half-mile track in the country and many famous horses are trained there.
Every foot of its ground is historic. In the far-gone years red men roamed its landscape and predatory beasts lurked in the shadows of its primeval timber lands. It was one of the early settlements made on that vast tract to which Governor Nicolls referred when he wrote in 1664: "The lands which I intend shall be first planted are those upon the west bank of Hudson's River." Shortly after the first settlement a bounty was placed on wolves and the Governor recommended its payment to the House of Lords. Chapter 302 of the laws of 1715, was an act for the destroying of wolves in this section. This act expired July 21, 1717, and on October 29, 1742, the General Assembly found it necessary to pass a law placing a bounty of a shilling and sixpence on "wolves, whelps and panthers."
Noah Webster, of dictionary renown, taught the first academy in Goshen. Dewitt Clinton attended school there, and William H. Seward studied law in the office of Judge Duer. The first newspaper of the county,The Goshen Repository,was published at Goshen in 1788, by David Mandeville.
In the article which follows, the writer has endeavored to furnish a concise history in limited space. As nearly as possible, events are set down in chronological order. Much of interest concerning the town that is based only upon tradition is left out and the space devoted to historical facts that can be authenticated and verified by records, maps, parchments and the writings of earlier and wiser men.
The County of Orange dates its existence by legal enactment from October 1, 1691, in the third year of the reign of King William and Queen Mary, and in the administration of Henry Sloughter, Esq., Governor. The First Assembly convened the 9th of April that year. On October 1 it passed an act, Chapter 17, entitled "An Act to divide the province and dependencies into shires and counties." Section VII of this act provided: "The County of Orange to begin from the limits or bounds of East and West Jersey, on the west side of Hudson's River, along the said river to the Murderer's Creek, or bounds of the County of Ulster; and westward into the woods as far as the Delaware River."
Chapter 94, which became a law October 18, 1701, added to the lands embraced in the county those of "Magachemeck and Great and Little Minisinck."
On November 12, 1709, during the administration of Richard Ingoldsby, Esq., Lieutenant-Governor, the Eighth Assembly passed an act, Chapter, 202, "to determine, settle and ascertain the bounds and limits of the County of Orange." This act repealed the clause added by Chapter 94, and fixed the bounds as follows: "That the County of Orange shall extend from the limits and confines of the Province of New Jersey on the west side of Hudson's River, along the said river to the line of the County of Ulster, and westward so far as the Delaware River."
The county derives its name from the Prince of Orange, who married Mary, and came to the throne in 1689, under the name of King William.
Goshen is a part of the tract known as the Wawayanda Patent, acquired of the red men by John Bridges & Company, on March 5, 1703, and confirmed by royal decree of Queen Anne. Twelve Indian sachems conveyed the land. They were Rapingonick, Wawastawa, Moghopuck, Comelawaw, Nanawitt, Arawinack, Rombout, Claus, Chouckhass, Chingapaw, Oshasquememus and Quilapaw. The patent was granted April 29. There were twelve patentees, namely, John Bridges, LL.D., Hendrick Tenyck, Derrick Vanderburgh, John Chotwell, Christopher Denn, Lancaster Syms, Daniel Herran, Philip Rockeby, John Meredith, Benjamin Aske, Peter Matthews, and Christian Christianse. The grant was supposed to contain 60,000 acres, but surveys later showed that it contained nearly 160,000. These twelve patentees held the land in common until 1706, when it was divided into twelve parts. Only eight of the original shareholders retained their interests at that time, Bridges having died in 1704, and others having transferred their holdings.
The tract was unoccupied until 1712, when Christopher Denn made settlement upon it, to be followed shortly by Benjamin Aske; Daniel Cromline, who became a shareholder in 1704; Christian Snedeker, of Long Island; Samuel Staats, who came into record as a thirteenth shareholder in 1713; and John Everett and Samuel Clowes, who in 1714, acquired a tract equal to four of the thirteen shares. The township of Goshen came that year, and the precinct of Goshen, comprising the outlying settlements came later, and remained until 1788 when the township was expanded to take its place.
In 1712, Christopher Denn, a carpenter by trade and resident of New York City, paid a visit to the patent and determined to make a settlement upon it. He and his wife, Elizabeth, were childless, but had adopted an orphan girl, Sarah Wells.
Denn selected a spot along the Otterkill, as it is now known, about two miles or more from the present village. He returned to New York, equipped an expedition, which he sent up the Hudson River in charge of his adopted daughter, accompanied by two white men and some Indians whom he had taken to New York when returning from his first visit. A raft was used for the voyage and a landing safely made near Cornwall. The journey to the spot selected by Denn was through a trackless forest, but was made without mishap and a rough cabin was built. After the starting of the expedition Denn was remorseful because he sent the girl into unknown dangers, and within a short time he started for the new settlement, with his wife. The journey was made on horseback. They arrived safely and took up permanent residence there.
It appears from an old map that Denn's share of the patent was a triangular tract, containing about 2,000 acres. The presence of this family soon brought other settlers and the woodman's axe resounded far and near. The merciless push of immigration began and the native red men were driven further into the wilderness. In the course of a few years Sarah Wells became the wife of William Bull, of Wolverhampton, England, who came to this country and was employed by Daniel Cromline in 1716 to build the masonry of a dwelling, later known to fame for nearly a century as the Greycourt House. History records this as the first marriage within the limits of the town of Goshen.
The lands in the vicinity of the present village were settled to some extent soon after Denn's arrival. There were on record deeds showing the conveyance of lots in the village in 1714. On July 10, 1721, a deed in trust was made to John Yelverton by John Everett, John Carpenter, John Gale, William Ludlum, Nathaniel Higby, John Carpenter, Jr., G. McNish, James Sandys, Thomas Watson, Hope Rodes, John Holly, James Jackson, Isaac Finch, Solomon Carpenter, John Beers, Michael Dunning, Samuel Seely, John Nichols, William Jackson, Alexander Moore, John Knapp, Samuel Webb, John Alsop and Richard Halsted, setting forth that a conveyance had been "lately" made to John Everett and Samuel Clowes, giving them one-sixth part of all the lands for the purpose of laying out a township, establishing a church and settling a minister.
The Goshen Presbyterian Church was organized in 1720, and Rev. John Bradner, to whom more extended reference is made later in this article, became its pastor in 1721. Two hundred acres of land were deeded to him on April 17, 1722, and recorded at the request of his widow on April 8, 1742. In 1724 the erection of a house of worship was begun on the spot where now stands the court house. The first court was convened in Goshen in 1727, and on December 16, of that year an act was passed providing for the building of a court house and jail, which were erected and completed in 1740, on the site of the present Orange Hotel. On October 24, 1754, the General Assembly appropriated 100 pounds for an addition to it, and in 1775 it was demolished and a new one built at a point where now stands the county clerk's office. The arms of King George III were placed upon its front, but were torn down by indignant citizens.
A schoolhouse was built in 1801 on the church plot, the same spot where the public school building on Greenwich street now stands. Here Noah Webster taught for a time before he published his first dictionary in 1806.
Jno. Pleovert
Goshen, after its original settlement, soon became the most important and populous district of the county, and a census taken in 1738 showed a total of 319 males above the age of ten. These were stirring times for the people and most of the affairs were of a warlike nature. There was frequent trouble with the Indians. The frontier was only four miles away. Block houses were built at Dolsontown and Scotchtown, and tradition has it that a block house once stood back of the present race course on the property known to-day as the Parkway Farm. In those days the settlers west of the Wallkill made Goshen their rendezvous when Indian raids were feared.
In the reign of George II, when Hon. George Clinton was Governor, the General Assembly passed an act to enable the inhabitants of Goshen in the County of Orange to elect two additional constables. This act explained that the inhabitants of the Precinct of Goshen had liberty to elect only one constable and as the precinct had considerably increased in numbers of inhabitants and settlements, it was necessary that an increased number be elected. The act was passed December 17, 1743, and provided that one of the constables "be elected and chosen from and out of such of the inhabitants as have habitations in the south part of Goshen, commonly called Wawayanda, and the other from and out of such of the inhabitants as have habitations northward near the meeting house, commonly called the Water-Side Meeting House."
On September 21, 1744, the General Assembly passed an act to authorize justices of the peace in the counties of Dutchess and Orange to "direct so many constables and overseers of the highways to be chosen, in the several precincts as to them shall seem meet." On the same day an act was passed for the relief of the poor in the counties of Orange and Suffolk.
Covenant Chain Treaty.
During these years the settlers had as allies two tribes of Indians, sometimes known as the Cashigton Indians, whose principal lodges were located near where now stands the village of Cochecton in Sullivan County, They formed a part of the Lenni Lenape, or Delaware Confederacy, once powerful, but at that time reduced in numbers. From time immemorial Western Orange had been their hunting ground, but late in the year 1744 they showed signs of distrust and retired to their lodges on the upper Delaware. The colonists were loath to lose these faithful allies, for their withdrawal left the outlying settlements on the frontiers exposed to attack of hostile savages, incited to rapine and murder by the French.
The attention of the Colonial Government was called to this matter and Colonel DeKay was ordered to take a party and visit the Indians in the hope that friendly relations might be restored and the red men induced to return to their old hunting grounds. As a result of this visit the Indian Treaty of Orange County was enacted and the ceremony of the Covenant Chain performed at Goshen. Colonel Thomas De Kay took with him, upon this expedition, Major Swartwout, Ensign Coleman, Adam Weisner, who acted as interpreter, Benjamin Thompson, and two Minisink Indians as guides. The pilgrimage was made in the depth of winter. The Indians were found and agreed to come back, claiming that they left because they were afraid of the people of Orange County, who were always under arms. When it was explained that this was by order of the Governor and for protection against the French and their allies, the Indians rejoiced. They explained that they were of two tribes, using for totems the signs of Minsi, or Wolf, and Uralachtgo, or Turkey, and that their sachem had recently died. They were about to choose a new sachem to govern all, and they promised that when he had been chosen they would send representatives to make a treaty. New Year's Day was fixed upon as the date.
On January 3, 1745, two days late, the Wolves and Turkeys, a dozen of the head men in all, led by the new sachem, came into the village of Goshen and marched in savage bravery up its main street. Just where the ceremony took place is unknown, but the old manuscript record says that the weather was severe, and it is probable that the meeting was held in the rude court house. The Indians by their spokesman explained that they had brought a Belt of Wampum that friendship and brotherhood might be restored. They asked that some one be appointed to enact with them the ceremony of the Covenant Chain.
Colonel De Kay informed them that the Governor alone had power to make such an appointment and that as there was not time to communicate with him, it would be best for the Indians to select a man. They chose the colonel and he was then chained to them for an hour or more as a token of their being united again in the bonds of friendship. Speeches were made by the Indians and they solemnly pledged themselves to be true "as long as the sun and moon endured," and promised to send in runners at once if they learned of any plots against the English. They also agreed to join in fighting the enemy and asked that aid be given them in case of attack by the French. This was freely promised and while the Colonel was still chained to the Indians they gave him the Belt of Wampum to be sent to the Governor. The Indians, according to the record, "again rejoiced with three huzzahs and departed very much pleased." The Belt of Wampum, so states the books of the Lords of Trade and Plantations in London, was taken to the Colonial Council in New York by Colonel DeKay a fortnight later and delivered to the Council, which in turn sent it to the Governor, who recommended that one be given in return to the Indians. This was the only occasion on record when the ceremony of the Covenant Chain was enacted in Orange County.