Page 5
History of Orange County
Town of Warwick
Page 5
     Quaker Creek.-This is the outlet of Thompson's Pond, runs west and falls into the Walkill.  It constitutes the boundary between Warwick and Goshen, and at the pond furnishes a fine water power for milling purposes, which has been in operation for many years.  We do not know the origin of the name.
     Long Pond.--This is partly in Orange and partly in New Jersey, lies north and south, about nine miles long and one wide.  It is used as a feeder to the Morris Canal and furnishes a delightful fishing ground, especially for Pickeral, for the lovers of the sport for many miles around it.
     Thompson's Pond.-This is in the north part of the town, just east of Florida.  The north half of the pond is in the town of Chester, and the whole covers an area of 100 acres.  It has its name from Judge William Thompson, late of Goshen, deceased, who owned it and had a flour mill on its outlet.
    Wickham's Pond.--This is in Sugarloaf valley, in the north east part of the town, the outlet of which composes a part of Wawayanda Creek.  A part of it is in the town of Chester.  Its area is not as large as that of Thompson's Pond.  It had its name from William Wickham, Esq., once first Judge of the county, who formerly owned it.
     Sterling Pond.-This is in the south easterly part of the own, and partly in Monroe.  This is not as large as either of those formerly named.  The Sterling Iron Works are on the outlet which runs south into New Jersey, and called Sterling Creek.  The name was in honor of Lord Sterling of New Jersey, of Revolutionary memory.
     The outlet of this pond had its importance in a national point of view from the early manufacture of Iron at the place, which was began nearly a hundred years since, and has been continued to the present time.  It is the oldest in this vicinity, and the first anchor shop in America, except one in Rhode Island, was established at this locality.  The manufacture of iron is still extensive, there being furnaces, forges or bloomeries, an anchor shop and a furnace to make steel, which produces an article of good quality. The neighborhood abounds with iron ores of the best and most profitable kinds.
     LORD STERLING.-This gentleman lived near Baskingridge, in New Jersey. His country seat was the most splendid in the state. He had parks of deer, beautiful gardens and many elegant horses. The following account is taken from the Encyclopoedia Americana.
     William Alexander, Lord Sterling, a Major General in the service of the United States during the Revolutionary War, was born in the city of New York, but passed a portion of his time in New Jersey.  He was generally styled through the country Lord Sterling, in consequence of being considered by many the rightful heir to the title and estate of an Earldom in Scotland, from which country his father came, though the government refused to acknowledge the son's claim.  Throughout the Revolution he acted an important part, and particularly distinguished himself in the battles of Long Island, Germantown and Monmouth.  In the first he was taken prisoner.  He was always warmly attached to Gen. Washington and the cause he espoused.  He died at Albany Jan. 15, 1783, aged 57 years, leaving behind him the reputation of a brave, discerning and intrepid officer, and an honest and honored man.
     Little Gardner's, Black Walnut, Pine, Merritt's and Owen's Islands are in the Drowned Lands in the west part of the town.  From this it would seem as if these portions of land were surrounded by water, yet it is not so.  That was the fact at the early settlement of the county, but since these lands have been cleared up and drained, many of the spots, then islands, which could only be approached by a boat- the submerged lands having become hard and dry-are now traversed by turnpikes and other public roads; and a stranger passing over them, would never suspect he was crossing the far-famed Drowned Lands of Orange county.
     Warwick Mountains.-This name is applied to the elevated range in the southeast part of the town.
Rough Mountain lies east of Warwick Mountains, and the circumstance of its being barren and rough, caused it to be so named.
     Sterling Mountain is still east of Rough Mountain-not noted for anything in particular, and had its name from being in the vicinity of Sterling iron works.
     Round Mountain received its name from its general regular outline.
     Pochuck Mountain.--This is in the southeast part of the town, and Pochuck creek, which runs in the vicinity, gave the name.  Pochuck is said to have been the name of an Indian chief, the meaning of which is not known.
     Mount Adam and Mount Eve.-These insulated mountain masses are united in location and we will not separate them in description.  They are on the edge of the Drowned Lands in the west part of the town.  Adam is the highest; Eve, the longest and largest.  The latter lies east and north of the former.  These elevations spring up from the bottom lands on the west, and the beautiful glades around Edenville on the east, without any apparent physical reason, and stand solitary and alone, like twin islands on the broad expanse of the ocean.
     Perhaps the cause which produced the interesting mineral region, commencing in this vicinity and extending some 20 miles into New Jersey-mentioned in the early part of our paper-had something to do with upheaving these two insulated elevations.  They are granite formations, and may become valuable for building stones, when the exigencies of the county shall demand them to be opened and worked for such purposes.
     In former times they abounded with rattlesnakes, and we have been told by a gentleman of the town, that when he was a young man, he had frequently been out with others in the spring of the year expressly to kill them, and destroyed one hundred in a day.  They knew where to find them in their dens and wintering places.  In this respect they are very social, and thousands spend the winter in the same den.  They are not as numerous here as formerly; for the cultivation of the lands, near and around the base of the heights for many years, has afforded the inhabitants an opportunity in many ways to exterminate them.  If being alive and crawling with these death-dealing serpents, had any thing to do with the bestowment of these names, it was a poor compliment paid Mother Eve by her children.  How fruitful in similitudes is the human mind.