Towns of Goshen, Hamptonburgh and Chester

In addition to the reason previously stated for treating of several towns together in this and the article of settlement, we now add that of brevity, for every page becomes an argument for such a course.

The land covered by these three towns is about of the same grade and kind of soil, and if there be any real or apparent difference, it is that the slate formation which underlies the whole, comes nearer the surface in the town of Goshen and crops out more distinctly than in the others. We do not know that this condition of the slate ridges is an absolute detriment, unless they lie too near or above the surface. The annual ploughing turns up small portions of slate, which by the action of the frosts and atmosphere, are dissolved and converted into vergin soil, which to some extent is a fresh manure. In some respects such lands have an advantage over lower, richer and fatter lands, in being warmer, earlier, and their winter *crosses out so liable to be frozen out. These remarks do not apply with the same force to Hamptonburgh and Chester.

The hills of this district being high and sharp, and in one direction, the meadows are consequently extensive, continuous and productive. The wash from the adjoining elevations is carried down to the meadows, where it is held as in a basin by the close rock formation below, and enriches the locality, while the whole is kept comparatively moist, perhaps by stagnant water or ponds beneath.

A few years since in the town of Warwick, a Mr. Bradner asked permission of the commissioners of highways to change the direction of the highway near his dwelling, by carrying it in a straight course across a meadow for some two hundred yards, thus shortening the road. The request was granted on condition that he would make the new equally good with the old road, which wound round the head of the meadow, along the hard dry land. Mr. Bradner commenced filling up the new tract, till he had carried it some 30 or 40 yards into the meadow-one morning when he went to inspect it, lo! it had all disappeared beneath the surface, and some water was standing above the sunken tract. Not willing to give it up, he put down stakes, brush and timbers on the southerly side to keep the ground to be deposited in its place, and continued his process of filling up. After this was continued for a short time, again it all went down and disappeared, and on inspecting it a few days afterwards, the boys were baiting their hooks and catching fish in the water pool formed at the spot. We believe the improvement was given tip, for we saw it in this condition not ten days since.

The meadow in question had been cultivated and drawn over by teams for half a century.

This is not an extraordinary or uncommon fact, for the same has been found in all parts of the world, even to large and rapid rivers; nor is it alone peculiar to low ground, for the like has been experienced on high dry land at deep perforations. The reader may recollect seeing an account within a few years of the building a rail road over a meadow in Ireland, where the filling fell in several times, making in all 70 or 80 feet of perpendicular earth, and the company only succeeded at great expense and labor.

That fish should be found in these locations is not a miraculous fact, for these subterranean waters have all a direct or indirect communication with ponds and rivers. In the marlpit, out of which the Brewster Mastodon was dug, small fish were found at the time. There is no brook, stream or inlet of any kind into this locality, which is a small basin formed by two low slate ridges, and surrounded by highlands. The Big Pond or Orange Lake, is the nearest water of any magnitude, from which they could have come.

In these towns there is an extensive mass of peet formation, equal to any future demand for the article. It begins near the county Poor House in Goshen, and continues with broken intervals till it runs out in the eastern part of Chester. On this point we refer the reader to the geological survey of the county by Doct. Horton. Independent of these extensive meadows there is little level land, and the whole may be considered beautiful and undulating with an occasional sharp and long elevation.

Mount Lookout in Goshen, and Sugarloaf in Chester, are the principal mountain elevations. The former is limestone and furnishes fine building materials, but the lime is not of good quality. Besides this, and the limestone quarries of Mr. Connings at the head of the Tamarack Swamp, the stone, from which are now being used to build bridges across the Otterkill, in the vicinity of Washingtonville, by the Newburgh branch of the N. Y. and Erie rail road, we do not know where any other valuable building materials are found in these towns. The limestone, therefore, seems to be the most valuable, and the range commences at Neelytown on the old farm of William Eager, and taking a south westerly direction, is seen at Mr. and Connings', on the lands originally settled by Charles Booth, then again at Mount Lookout, and so on to the drowned lands. It then passes into New Jersey, where it forms a beautiful marble, sometimes white, with a slight tinge of yellow, resembling the Parian marble; at other times clouded black, sometimes varied black, and at other times arborescent. Vide.

The streams of these towns are few, small and insignificant, the Walkill excepted, and are only Quaker Creek, the Otterkill and Walkill. These, together, furnish but a very limited amount of hydraulic power. We believe they do not contain the whole of a single pond of any name or note, for Wickham's and Thompson's ponds, besides which, there are no others, are partly in other towns.

The soil of these towns is about equally good for grass or grain, but in consequence of the vicinity or the N. Y. and Erie rail road, and the immediate influence of the city of New York as a provision market, their husbandry is, and must continue to be, directed to stock, and its products in various ways, as its great and most reliable staples.

EARLY SETTLEMENT OF GOSHEN, HAMPTONBURGH AND CHESTER.

The Patent of Wawayanda.

In our remarks on this article we claim, as we previously have done, the privilege of prolixity, in consequence of the necessity we find imposed upon us, of associating with it other matters more or less directly or indirectly connected.- The subjects referred to are, the Patent-its original settlement by Christopher Denn and Daniel Cromline-the time and manner-and by whose personal exertions the same was effected, etc.

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*Errata--read crops out

1138th

Table of Contents Towns of Goshen, Hamptonburgh and Chester Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Orange County AHGP/ALHN New York AHGP/ALHN AHGP ALHN	History of Orange County
	Towns of Goshen, Hamptonburgh and Chester In addition to the reason previously stated for treating of several towns together in this and the article of settlement, we now add that of brevity, for every page becomes an argument for such a course. The land covered by these three towns is about of the same grade and kind of soil, and if there be any real or apparent difference, it is that the slate formation which underlies the whole, comes nearer the surface in the town of Goshen and crops out more distinctly than in the others. We do not know that this condition of the slate ridges is an absolute detriment, unless they lie too near or above the surface. The annual ploughing turns up small portions of slate, which by the action of the frosts and atmosphere, are dissolved and converted into vergin soil, which to some extent is a fresh manure. In some respects such lands have an advantage over lower, richer and fatter lands, in being warmer, earlier, and their winter crosses out so liable to be frozen out. These remarks do not apply with the same force to Hamptonburgh and Chester. The hills of this district being high and sharp, and in one direction, the meadows are consequently extensive, continuous and productive. The wash from the adjoining elevations is carried down to the meadows, where it is held as in a basin by the close rock formation below, and enriches the locality, while the whole is kept comparatively moist, perhaps by stagnant water or ponds beneath. A few years since in the town of Warwick, a Mr. Bradner asked permission of the commissioners of highways to change the direction of the highway near his dwelling, by carrying it in a straight course across a meadow for some two hundred yards, thus shortening the road. The request was granted on condition that he would make the new equally good with the old road, which wound round the head of the meadow, along the hard dry land. Mr. Bradner commenced filling up the new tract, till he had carried it some 30 or 40 yards into the meadow-one morning when he went to inspect it, lo! it had all disappeared beneath the surface, and some water was standing above the sunken tract. Not willing to give it up, he put down stakes, brush and timbers on the southerly side to keep the ground to be deposited in its place, and continued his process of filling up. After this was continued for a short time, again it all went down and disappeared, and on inspecting it a few days afterwards, the boys were baiting their hooks and catching fish in the water pool formed at the spot. We believe the improvement was given tip, for we saw it in this condition not ten days since. The meadow in question had been cultivated and drawn over by teams for half a century. This is not an extraordinary or uncommon fact, for the same has been found in all parts of the world, even to large and rapid rivers; nor is it alone peculiar to low ground, for the like has been experienced on high dry land at deep perforations. The reader may recollect seeing an account within a few years of the building a rail road over a meadow in Ireland, where the filling fell in several times, making in all 70 or 80 feet of perpendicular earth, and the company only succeeded at great expense and labor. That fish should be found in these locations is not a miraculous fact, for these subterranean waters have all a direct or indirect communication with ponds and rivers. In the marlpit, out of which the Brewster Mastodon was dug, small fish were found at the time. There is no brook, stream or inlet of any kind into this locality, which is a small basin formed by two low slate ridges, and surrounded by highlands. The Big Pond or Orange Lake, is the nearest water of any magnitude, from which they could have come. In these towns there is an extensive mass of peet formation, equal to any future demand for the article. It begins near the county Poor House in Goshen, and continues with broken intervals till it runs out in the eastern part of Chester. On this point we refer the reader to the geological survey of the county by Doct. Horton. Independent of these extensive meadows there is little level land, and the whole may be considered beautiful and undulating with an occasional sharp and long elevation. Mount Lookout in Goshen, and Sugarloaf in Chester, are the principal mountain elevations. The former is limestone and furnishes fine building materials, but the lime is not of good quality. Besides this, and the limestone quarries of Mr. Connings at the head of the Tamarack Swamp, the stone, from which are now being used to build bridges across the Otterkill, in the vicinity of Washingtonville, by the Newburgh branch of the N. Y. and Erie rail road, we do not know where any other valuable building materials are found in these towns. The limestone, therefore, seems to be the most valuable, and the range commences at Neelytown on the old farm of William Eager, and taking a south westerly direction, is seen at Mr. and Connings', on the lands originally settled by Charles Booth, then again at Mount Lookout, and so on to the drowned lands. It then passes into New Jersey, where it forms a beautiful marble, sometimes white, with a slight tinge of yellow, resembling the Parian marble; at other times clouded black, sometimes varied black, and at other times arborescent. Vide. The streams of these towns are few, small and insignificant, the Walkill excepted, and are only Quaker Creek, the Otterkill and Walkill. These, together, furnish but a very limited amount of hydraulic power. We believe they do not contain the whole of a single pond of any name or note, for Wickham's and Thompson's ponds, besides which, there are no others, are partly in other towns. The soil of these towns is about equally good for grass or grain, but in consequence of the vicinity or the N. Y. and Erie rail road, and the immediate influence of the city of New York as a provision market, their husbandry is, and must continue to be, directed to stock, and its products in various ways, as its great and most reliable staples. EARLY SETTLEMENT OF GOSHEN, HAMPTONBURGH AND CHESTER. The Patent of Wawayanda. In our remarks on this article we claim, as we previously have done, the privilege of prolixity, in consequence of the necessity we find imposed upon us, of associating with it other matters more or less directly or indirectly connected.- The subjects referred to are, the Patent-its original settlement by Christopher Denn and Daniel Cromline-the time and manner-and by whose personal exertions the same was effected, etc. ________________________________ Errata--read crops out 1138th