Page 72
History of Orange County
Town of Newburgh
Page 72
REVOLUTIONARY HOUSES.
On testing the memory of several aged inhabitants of this town, we find the following houses built before the Revolution still standing:
1. The old Stone Hasbrouck House, built in 1750, commonly called “Head Quarters.”
2. A wood house on High street, formerly occupied by Deacon Leonard, the father of Mrs. George Gardner. This house was the top or upper story of the old George Gardner stone house in Water street, near the Whaling House—taken off after the war, and drawn up the hill by oxen to its present site.
3. The old stone house of George Gardner, above mentioned, in Water street.
4. The old Isaac Belknap house in Water street, nearly opposite to the George Gardner house.
5. The old house in a state of dilapidation near Mr. William Roe’s gate in Montgomery street.
6. The old Thomas Gardner house in Colden street.
7. The stone house near Gidneytown, known as the Widow Smith’s. Who erected it is unknown. It is thought to be one hundred years old.
8. The *Eleazer Young House at Gidneytown.
9. The one now occupied by Francis Crawford, Esq., on the Burr farm, and formerly owned by Col. Thomas Palmer.
10. The one near the corner of Smith and First streets, formerly owned by Richard Wood, now by Aaron Belknap, Esq.
11. The old stone house on the farm of Wm. Thayer, Esq.
12. The house near Middlehope, owned by Arthur Smith, Esq., of the Revolution.
13. The one in which Eli Hasbrouck, Esq. lives, in Liberty street, the former residence of Benjamin Smith, Esq.
REMARKABLE INCIDENTS.
1799. The following sloops sailed weekly to New York:
Mary Amney,
Eliza,
Favorite,
Geo. Gardner's sloop,
Ceres,
|
Wm. Vandle,
John Anderson,
Benj. Case,
Caleb Coffin,
Derick Amerman,
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Master;
do;
do;
do;
do.
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1800. Jonathan Freeman and Phineas Haight re-opened Cleosophic Hall, and among other things stated in their advertisement that good board could be had in several sober and decent families in the village.
1803. Druid Society formed. An editor of that day remarked that it was composed wholly of deists. Their proceedings were held in secret.
1804. Jonathan Fisk, Esq. horsewhipped Jonathan Cooley, Esq. publicly in the street, and Hugh Walsh, Esq. certified the facts of the transaction in the newspaper.
1805. January 16. Benevolent Society of the County of Orange formed. The following were the officers chosen by the Society: Hugh Walsh, President; Gen. John Skey, Eustace, Vice President; John McAuley, Treasurer; Wm. Gardner, Secretary.
January 24. A son of Mr. Warren Scott, aged fourteen years, was killed and torn to pieces by wolves, in the west part of this town while feeding his father’s sheep. **At this they came down and killed sheep near the village of Newburgh.
March. Mr. William Seymour of this village, fell accidentally down the hold of his ***sloop in New York and injured the spine of his back, from which he never recovered, thought he lived some years afterwards.
Mr. Townsend of Georgia, an attorney at law, committed suicide. Before death he declared the cause—” By my imprudence I have lost my good fame and reputation and my life shall be the forfeit.”
1808, May 25. On Saturday last the body of Mr. Benjamin Staunton, noted to have been drowned in a previous paper, was found in the Hudson River about one mile above the village. A coroner’s jury was immediately called and on examining the body, it appeared evident, that the deceased had come to his end by violence. On examination of the testimony it appeared that the deceased and David Vance had been fishing in company the preceding night and no other person with them. The coroner’s jury, after sitting two days unanimously pronounced that Staunton was murdered by Vance, who was committed. Index.
1810, May 6. A man apparently about thirty years of age, dressed in a sailor’s habit, came near the mill pond of Mr. David Belknap, jun., and after loitering about for sometime, threw himself into the pond and was drowned. Mr. Belknap saw the transaction and made an effort to save him, but without effect. On examination no discovery was made of his name or residence.
1816. J. and L. Carpenter, J. P. De Wint and Thomas Lawrence, owners of the Newburgh Ferry, first used a horse boat. She was called the ****Jason Rogers, and crossed the river for the first time on the 13th of August with the following cargo: 1 coach and horse, 1 wagon and horse, 17 chaises and horses, 1 horse and 50 passengers.
Powder Mill erected by Asa Taylor, now owned by Daniel Rogers, Esq.
1815. July. Captain Halstead, of the sloop David Porter, on landing at New York, observed that one of his passengers had went ashore and left her infant on board. The captain took him in charge, and had him christened David Porter, Jr.
1816. Peter Townsend, Esq. erected a cannon foundry at Chamber’s Creek, on a large scale, consisting of two furnaces and four boring mills.
1817. The officers of government inspected and proved ninety tons of cannon made by Mr. Townsend on Chamber’s Creek, and all proved good. They were the first manufactured in the State. They were made of Sterling ore from the town of Monroe, and on trial were double charged.
1820. Major Ecker killed eleven pigs ten months old, all of one litter, which weighed together 3062 lbs.
1820. June. An apprentice to Mr. Wm. Brown, of this town, who had been out collecting money was stopped at the New Mills and robbed of about $11. No trace was ever found of the robbers. This is among the few cases of robbery that have happened in this County since the Revolution.
July 6. The youngest son of Mr. Halsey, teacher of the academy, was instantly killed. His father was experimenting with the solar microscope—a branch of a tree obstructed the rays—the boy ascended to cut it away, which he did, but in descending, slipped and fell thirty feet, struck on his head, fracturing his skull, and expired in a few minutes.
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*Errata--read Eleazer Gidney**Errata--read At this time,***Errata--read ship ****Errata--read Moses Rogers