Orange County Directory 1878-9
Historical and Business Review.
SETTLEMENT AND PROGRESS.
The county was formed in 1683. It retained the original boundaries until 1798, when an act for dividing the County of Orange was passed, and by which the county of Rockland was detached, and erected into a separate county, and in April of the same year an act for altering the bounds of the counties of Orange and Ulster, was passed, by which the Towns of New Windsor, Newburgh. Wallkill, Montgomery and Deerpark were annexed. The county lies on the west bank of the Hudson southeast of the centre of the State. It is centrally distant ninety miles from Albany, and contains eight hundred and thirty-eight square miles. Under the act for dividing the counties of the Stare into towns, the towns of Cornwall, Goshen, Minisink and Warwick were erected in 1788, as were the towns above mentioned, which were added from the county of Ulster.
Blooming Grove was formed from Cornwall March 23d. 1799. A part of Hamptonburgh was taken off in 1830, and a part of Chester in 1845. It lies a little east of the centre of the county. Its surface is mountainous in the south and east and rolling and moderately hilly in the north and west. Schunemunk mountain, upon the line of Monroe, is from thirteen hundred to fifteen hundred feet above tide. The other principal elevations are Lazy Hill, Pedlers, Rainors, Round, Musqueto, Woodcock and Red Ridge Hills. These hills are too steep and rocky for cultivation. Otter Kill flows east through the north part and receives as tributaries, Cromlin, Slatterly's and several smaller streams. The extensive bog meadows along Cromlin Creek, in the northwest part of the town, have been drained and are now the most valuable agricultural lands in the town. The soil is a sand and clay loam. The first settlements are supposed to have been made about 1735. The first church was erected in 1759. Enos Ayers was the pastor. Among the early settlers were the families of Strong, Brewster. Dubois. Coleman, Moffatt, Seely, Gilbert, Woodhull, Tuthill, Goldsmith, Brooks and Matthews.
Chester was formed from Goshen, Warwick, Blooming Grove and Monroe, March 22d., 1845. It is an interior town lying a little southwest of the centre of the county. The surface is rolling in the northwest, hilly in the centre and mountainous in the southwest. The principal elevations are Goose Pond Mountains, Lazy Hill, Snake Hill and Sugar Loaf Mountain-all steep, rocky peaks. The principal streams are Grey Court Creek, Black Meadow Brook, and Seely's Creek. Except the bog meadows, the soil is a light yellow loam underlaid by clay. Limestone and slate are found in the town.
Cornwall was one of the old precincts under the crown. March 7, 1788, it was formed anew, as New Cornwall. The prefix “New” was erased March 3d, 1797. Chesekook, now Monroe, was taken off in 1799. It lies upon the Hudson in the east part of the county; the surface being occupied largely by rocky peaks and ridges of the Highlands. The higher of these are Storm King, Cro' Nest and Mount Rascal. The first being about seventeen hundred and fifty feet above tide; Cro' Nest being some twenty feet less. The principal stream is Murderer's Creek. The first settlement was made about 1684 by a company of Scots. Among the early settlers were the Sutherlands, Sackets, Sherods, Brewsters, Woods, Clarks, Smiths, Townsends, Van Duzers, Bartons, Sands, and Thoms. The first church was formed 1730, with the Rev. Mr. Chalker as pastor.
Crawford was formed from Montgomery March 4th, 1823. It lies in the extreme north angle of the county. Its surface is a hilly upland, broken by several high ridges extending northeast and southwest. The principal streams are the Shawangunk and Dwars Kill and Paughcaughnaughsink Creek,-the former furnishing a large amount of water power. The soil upon the hills is a slate and clay loam and a sand and gravel loam in the valleys.
Deerpark, was formed from Mamakating, Sullivan Co., March 16th, 1798. A part of Mount Hope was taken off in 1825. Its surface is a mountainous upland, broken by the valley of the Neversink River and numerous deep rocky ravines. The principal streams are the Delaware, Neversink, and Mongaup Rivers, Fall Brook and Bashe's Kill. The principal elevations are Shawangunk Mountain and Points Peter and William, the two latter being within the corporation of Port Jervis, Peter Gumaer, Jacob Cuddeback, Thomas and Gerardus Swartout, John Tys and David Jemison, located in this
town in the year 1690.
Goshen, with Cornwall, were the two Precincts constituting the county under the town. March 7th, 1788, the town was formed. A part of Hamptonburgh was taken off in 1830, and a part of Chester in 1845. It is an slate and limestone. Christopher Dunn located northeast of the site of the present village, in 1712. William Bull, a young Englishman, came soon after. Among the other early settlers were John Everett, John Carpenter, John Gale, William Ludlum, James Jackson, Isaac Finch, Samuel Seely, Samuel Webb, John Bradner, John Denton and John Yelventor. Noah Webster taught the first academic school in the village of Goshen. Mr. James Wilson is principal of the same school at present. De Witt Clinton was a student at one time in this academy, and the Hon. Wm. H. Seward studied law in the village of Goshen. The Court House and County offices are located here, Goshen being one of the county seats.
Hamptonburgh was formed from Goshen, Blooming Grove, Montgomery, New Windsor and Wallkill, April 5, 1830.
It was named from Wolverhampton, England; the birth place of Wm. Bull, the first settler. The principal streams are the Wallkill River. It forming a portion of the northern boundary, Otter Kill and
Beaver Dam Brook. It is one of the interior towns of the county.
Minisink was formed March 7, 1788. A part of Mount Hope was taken off in 1825, Wawayanda in 1849, and Greenville in 1853. It lies upon the New Jersey line. No records of town proceedings have been preserved earlier than 1826; consequently much of the earlier history of the town is conjectural. The Wallkill River forms a part of the south boundary, and Rutgers Creek the east. Along the Wallkill the ground is marshy. The remaining portion of tbe town is fine agricultural land.
Monroe was formed from Cornwall March 23, 1799 as “Chesekook.” Its name was changed to Southfield April 3, 1801, and to Monroe April 6, 1808. A part of Chester was taken off in 1845. There are extensive iron mines in the town. Sterling Furnaces were erected by Ward & Cotton upwards of one hundred and twenty-five years ago. The first anchor manufactured in the State was made here in 1753. Steel was manufactured here in 1776 and blister steel in 1810. The iron from which the chain was made, that was stretched across the Hudson at West Point came from the Forest of Dean mine. The Greenwoon Iron Works are located near the centre of the town. Monroe is the mountain town of the county. There are numerous small lakes and ponds in the town. Among the early settlers are the families of Miller, Bull, Carpenter, Galloway, Dobbins, Ward, Cunningham, Noble, Colton, Lamoreau and Slaughter.
Montgomery was formed March 7th, 1788. Crawford was taken off in 1823 and a part of Hamptonburgh in 1830. The surface of the town is a rolling upland, the Wallkill River flows northward through the town, and at Walden the stream falls over the rocks in a series of cascades furnishing a fine water power. Tin Brook comes from the southeast and joins the Wallkill below Walden. The soil is a sandy loam underlaid by clay and slate. Henry Hileman settled in the town 1712. Johannes Miller settled on the Wallkill below Montgomery in 1727; among the other early settlers were John Neely, Charles Booth, William Eager, Fred Sinsabaugh and Johannes Yonngblood. The first church was formed in Montgomery village in 1732.