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General View of the County

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The following is an alphabetical list of the Towns in Orange County at this date, of the year in which erected, and territory out, of which formed.

Blooming Grove, erected in 1799, taken from Cornwall.

Cornwall, erected in 1788, as New Cornwall, and in 1797 changed to Cornwall.

Chester, erected in 1845, taken from Goshen, Warwick, Monroe and Blooming Grove.

Crawford, erected in 1823, taken from Montgomery.

Deerpark erected in 1798, as a part of Ulster County, and taken from Mamakating.

Goshen, erected in 1788.

Hamptonburgh, erected in 1830, taken from Walkill, Goshen, Montgomery, Blooming Grove and New Windsor.

Monroe, erected in 1799, taken from Cornwall. The original name was Cheescock’s; afterwards, in 1802, Southfields, and in 1808 changed to Monroe.

Montgomery, erected in 1788.

Mount Hope, erected in 1825, taken from Walkill, Deerpark and Minisink. The original name was Calhoun.

Newburgh, erected in 1788.

New Windsor, erected in 1788.

Walkill, erected in 1788.

Minisink, erected in 1788.

Warwick, erected in 1788.

All of this date were organized originally as part of Ulster County, except Goshen, Cornwall, Warwick and Monroe.

INDIANS.

When this part of the country was first visited by Hendrick Hudson, and when first visited and settled by Europeans, many small tribes, members of larger nations, were scattered throughout the County. The location of their wigwams, places of general residence and rendezvous, were along the various streams of water, as would be the case with any rude people who depended for their support on fishing, hunting, &c., in place of agriculture. The names of these various tribes and, their particular locations, at this day are generally not known—in some instances they are. Traditions of places bearing Indian names, their burying grounds, and the great number of arrow-heads found in certain localities, &c., constitute the principal evidence of their former residence in the various parts of the County. These proofs we shall not particularly refer to at present, but will do so in the towns in which we find them. Nor shall we enter into any particular history of the Indians who may have possessed the County, fished in its streams, and followed to the death the wild game and ferocious animals with which the forests then abounded, but merely refer to it with a special purpose.

Some of our young readers may be inclined to enquire what became of all these Indians, and ask, Were they exterminated by the white settlers or removed by them to other places, or did they leave their settlements and the graves of their warriors and retire of their own accord? To satisfy such enquirers, and not to instruct the aged, we make these remarks at present, and because the Indian having once possessed these lands and does not now, his existence and possessed these lands and does not now, his existence and possessions here, his removal and present absence are directly connected with the history of the county. We anticipate the pleasure, before a distant day, of seeing an interesting history of these original tenants of Orange and vicinity laid before the public, emanating from the historical body referred to in the early part of this paper. Knowing the thorough mode of enquiry and investigation of the gentleman who has the subject in hand, we are satisfied the narrative will be highly interesting, and contain all that can be known of them at this late day.