An outline History of Orange County, with an enumeration ... of its towns, villages, etc

Front matter

AN OUTLINE HISTORY OF OMNGE COUNTY, WITH AN ENUMERATION OF *'HE NAMES OF ITS TOWNS, VILLAGES, RIVERS, CREEKS, LAKES, PONDS, MOUNTAINS, HILLS AND OTHER KNOWN LOCALITIES, AND THEIR STFSDLOQIES OS HISTORICAL REASONS THEREFOR TOGETHER WITH LOCAL TRADITIONS AND SHORT BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES Ol EARLY SETTLERS, ETC Bis SAM'L W. EAGER, ESQ., BHHBER OF THE HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION OF NEWBURGH, AKB CORRESPONDING MEMBER OF THE HISTORICAL EOCIETT OF THE STATE OF NEW VORE. NEWBURGH : 8. T. CALLAHAN, 1846-7, INDEX preface, Page 3 Introduction, 6 General View of the County, 18 Indians, 30 Settlement of Orange County* 42 Roads and Turnpikes, 52 Agricultural Society, 58 Mastodon, 71 Isewburgh, 81 Montgomery^ 230 Crawford, 332 Walk ill, 345 Deerpat k and Mount Hope* 361 Mount Hope, 398 Minisink, 406 Warwick, 421 Goslien, Hainptoubiirgh and Chester, 443 Goshen, 502 Hampionburgh, 511 Chester, 516 Bloonringgrove, Cornwall and Monroe* 523 Bloominggrove, 1 535 Monroe, IQ UL Ol 550 Cornwall, 571 New- Windsor, 608 To the Reader, 643 Appendix, 645 Errata*

Preface

. The following Paper was in part prepared to be read before the Historical Association of Newburgh, and a small portion of it was actually read before that body last spring ; since which the residue has been written, and, at re quest, permitted publication. The nature and general scope of the Paper will more particularly appear from the Introduction. It was undertaken partly out of curiosity, and partly for amusement, to learn what things, in teresting of the kind, could be found located in the County, worth recording. Since began, it has increased in size on our hands, and we now find it, both in contents and magnitude, a very different article from what it was origin ally intended to be, and so disposed to grow up and expand — perhaps not in real interest, yet in other ways — that we hasten to get rid of it, and give it another paternity, lest it become too varied in contents and too cumbersome in detail, to manage with convenience to ourselves or justice to the subjects treated of We confess the subject, has failed in fruitfulness and disappoint ed our expectations, especially in local tradition.

There are, perhaps, many in the county worthy of rescue from oblivion ; but we cannot afford to spend the time and money necessary to visit the individuals in possession of them, scattered as they are in every town. We take to ourselves no special cred it for the hasty and fugitive contents, prepared at leisure moments in our office, in the course of a few months, costing no great expenditure of time or talent. That it is defective, barren, and devoid of interest to the old and well-informed citizen, and could have been far better executed by hundreds in our County, had they deemed the same worthy of their leisure moments, we are fully assured. Such, we trust, may hereafter adventure upon the enquiry, and if the present Paper shall lay a foundation in any way, for a future effort, on an enlarged plan, we shall be gratified and receive our reward.

At present we are contented to commit our bantling to the public alms-house of the people, where, if it be not cherished with greater indulgence than it has received from its author, its destiny is already determined. What the judgment may be, we will not anticipate farther than to state that many great and capacious minds may say the contents are worthless, and our time misspent. If this be all we are prepared for it, and Eiay survive the shock, under the mental satisfaction that we have done something, small indeed, connected with the objects of the Association, added ten fold to our stock of information, respecting the numerous localities of the county, and saved time for the purpose, redeemed from idle gossip along street, about the News, Texas, Oregon, James K. Polk, the Mexican and Tariff wars.— To all disposed to find fault, (their name is legion,) we say.be not so intent on our errors and defective execution, as to be forgetful of your own. We claim the most lenient judgment, lor it is one hundred to one, we may never again be guilty of perpetrating an act like this.