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Deerpark and Mount Hope

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The names of the first four churches which were united for the service of one preacher, and their localities, were as follows:—

MAHACKEMECK CHURCH was the name of one of them, in the present town of Deerpark, formerly in the town of Minisink, in the county of Orange. The place where the church stood is about a half mile South of Port Jervis, and about the same distance Northeast from the point of the junction of the Neversink and Delaware Rivers, on the road from Port Jervis to the Neversink bridge. On the same spot where the church stood—burnt in the Revolutionary war— the second church was built after the war, which, a few years ago, was taken down and its materials removed; previous to which a new church had been built in the village of Port Jervis. The name of the Dutch Reformed Church in Port Jervis now is “The Reformed Dutch Church of Deerpark." The name was altered in 1838 by an act of the Legislature.

MINISINK CHURCH.—This was the ancient name of the church at a place then called Minisink, which, we presume, was the Indian name of a district of country of some extent, in the neighborhood of that church. Although the name by foreigners was generally applied to a district of twenty or thirty miles through this valley, yet the inhabitants only made use of the name for the neighborhood in the vicinity of the church, and principally Southwest of it. This church was situated about eight miles Southwest of the Mahackemeck Church in the state of New Jersey, and must have been in the township of Montaque or Sandison, near the line. It stood about a quarter of a mile Southwesterly of a store kept for some years by Judge Stull, where the turnpike crosses the highway leading Southwesterly.

A new church has lately been built about one mile Northerly from where the first Minisink church stood. We do not know the name of it. Minisink was pronounced Minnising in former times by the Dutch.

WALPECK CHURCH.—This was the name of the ancient church at or below a place formerly termed Walpeck or Waulpeck. This was also in the state of New Jersey, and from present enquiry we are informed was about fifteen or sixteen miles distant from the former Minisink Church. We do not know the name of the township in which this church was situated.

SMITHFIELD CHURCH.—This was the ancient name of the church at Smithfield which we are informed was about eight or ten miles from the first Walpeck Church. Whether there is still a church there or not, we do not know. The Mahackemeck congregation extended about eight miles Northeast from the church, and it is probable that the Smithfield congregation must have extended between five and ten miles below its meeting house, which would make an extent of between forty-five -and fifty miles covered by the four congregations. But one of these churches was in Orange; yet as they are very ancient, and were supplied by a gospel ministry under peculiar circumstances, we could not do less than to name and locate them. We revere them for their antiquity in the annals of the country.

In 1785 the Rev. Elias Van Bennschoten became the preacher of the three congregations of Mahackemeck, Minisink and Walpeck. He continued his services till 1795. One half of his services were in Dutch, the other in English. Since Van Bennschoten left the following persons have officiated as pastors in some or all of the churches referred to:—the Rev. Messrs. Dundrest, Elting and Van Wyck. The last named is the present preacher. The names of these churches are as they were called by Mr. Van Bennschoten.