History of Orange County, New York, with illustrations and biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Part 10

Author: Ruttenber, Edward Manning, 1825-1907, comp; Clark, L. H. (Lewis H.)
Publication date: 1881
Publisher: Philadelphia, Everts & Peck
Number of Pages: 1336

USA > New York > Orange County > History of Orange County, New York, with illustrations and biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men > Part 10

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+ The following from the Mopes' deed (1727) established the early use of both titles : " Lying on the west side of the Otterkill, known as the Den- nekill." The latter may well be preserved as a memorial of the first settler ou that part of the Wawayanda Patent.

* From the remains of the dams which they constructed, the streams of the county apparently abounded in beavers at the time of the discovery, though now extinct.

¿ " In ancient Dutch days it was known as the Martelaer's Rack, or Martyr's Reach. The Dutch navigators divided the river into reaches, to which they gave descriptive names. They found here (West Point) a rocky point nearly at right angles with the current, and, when sailing with a fair west wind, encountered, on passing it, the wind 'dead ahead,' compelling them to heat or struggle with it. Hence the name Martelaer, signifying contending or struggling. The tradition which converts the name into a memorial of deeds of violence, on the part of the Indians, is entirely worthless."-J. J. Monell's Hand-book.

HISTORY OF ORANGE COUNTY, NEW YORK.

The Ramapo River has its head in Round-island Pond in Monroe, and flows thence southerly through Ramapo Valley into Rockland County. It receives the outlets of thirteen of the mountain ponds already named : Round-island, Summit, Slaughter's, Cran- berry, No. 2, Greenwood, Round, Little Long, Cedar, Green, Car, Spruce, Truxedo, and Nigger. It enters the Passaic River near Pompton Plains, N. J. There is no stream in the world like it.

Poplopen's Creek is composed of the outlets of Poplopen's, Round, No. 1, Long, Bull, Cranberry, No. 1, and Two Fonds, Its course is southeast to the Hudson, Queensborough Brook and Sickboston's Kill (now called Stony Brook) are its tributaries.

The tributaries of the Hudson, aside from those already named, are small streams, principally in New- burgh. The Neversink and the Shingle Kill flow into the Delaware in Deerpark, the former at Carpenter's Point. * and the latter at lonesville. Grassy-swamp Brook, in the same town, unites with the Mongaup: the latter unites with the Delaware about six miles northerly from Carpenter's Point. The Little Shawan- gunk Kill and the Big and Little Pakadasink are tributaries of the Shawangunk. One branch of the former rises half a mile easterly from the village of Mount Hope, and is met, about a mile east from that village, by a branch from the town of Wallkill ; flows thenee through the town northeasterly until it strikes the line of the town of Wallkill ; thence northwest to its junction with the Shawangunk in the latter town. It was originally known as the " Little Paka- dasink," as has been already stated. The present Big Pakadasink and Little Pakadasink are in the town of Crawford, and flow north to the Shawangunk. In the Crawford dialect they are called the Big and the Little " Paugh-caugh-naugh-sing." the most prolix orthography of the original name on record.

The islands of the Hudson lying opposite the lines of the county are Polober's, now called Pallopel's; Martelaer's Rock, now Constitution, and Manaha- waghkin, now called lona. Though not under the jurisdiction of the county, their position in its water- scape entitles them to recognition in its topography.

CLIMATE.

Newburgh is in +1º 80' north latitude, and is ele- vated one hundred and fifty feet above tide-water. From observations made for thirteen successive years. the mean temperature has been found to be 50º 10". In Goshen, situated in latitude 41º 20; and elevated four hundred and twenty-tivo feet above tide-water. observations made for eight years show a mean tem- perature of 199 16. Difference between Newburgh and Goshen ninety-four minutes. At New burgh the period between frosts, though variable, has been known

to bo from the 5th of May to the 29th of September,- one hundred and forty-six days. At Goshen frosts have been noticed as late as the Ist of June, and as early as the 20th of September,-one hundred and eleven days. Difference between periods of frost, thirty-fivedays. At Newburgh the shadbush bloomed April 24th, the peach April 23d, the plum May Ist, the cherry April 27th, the apple May 6th : strawber- ries ripened JJune 10th ; haying commenced July 4th ; wheat harvest commenced July 17th ; the first killing frost September 29th. At Goshen the shadbush bloomed April 27th, the peach AApril 28th, the plum May 4th, the cherry April 29th, and the apple May 9th ; haying commeneed July 8th ; the wheat harvest July 2tst ; the first killing frost September 20th, The observations made at Newburgh show the temperature of the eastern part of the county, while those made at Cioshen may be applied to the central. On the castern slope of the Shawangunk range, representing the western part of the county, the temperature is from two to four degrees less than at Newburgh ; at the top of the range full five degrees less.

The temperature of the eastern and southern por- tions of the county is affected in some degree by the shelter afforded in the mountain ranges ; the former also by the tides of the Hudson. The Highlands, for many years exempt from taxation by reason of their unfitness for cultivation, are an incalculable advan- tage to Newburgh, New Windsor, and Cornwall ; they effectually break the force of all winds save from the cast-northeast. Thousands of invalids may be found in those towns, as permanent residents or as boarders, brought thither by this peculiarity in situation. The poet N. P. Willis, from his experience of twenty years as a consumptive, found no language too strong in which to commend the hygienie virtues of the High- lands. The entire mountain system of the county has more or less effect on its climate. In the economy of nature, currents of air gather around the ranges; are forced upward to a lower temperature, and pre- cipitation ensues, while the atmospheric condensation produces a local heat beyond the natural temperature. For this reason most of the cloves are more temperate than their elevation and latitude would otherwise warrant ; those opening towards the south especially so.

GEOLOGY, Erc.t

Probably no county in the State presents more in- teresting geological features than Orange. The rocks of the Highlands are granite, gneiss, and sienite, with veins of trap. The central portions of the county are occupied with strata of Hamilton shales, Hellerberg limestones and grit, Medina sandstone, and the gray sandstones, all extending from the northeast to the southwest, from the east foot of the Shawangunk Mountains. The rocks which compose the Shawangunk Mountains are the shales and the

" A point of land made by the junction of the Neversink and the Del- aware Rivers, just south of Port Jervis The Tri-States Rock, marking the boundary between New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania, is on thuis print.

t Horton's and Mather's Surveys consulted.

GEOLOGY, ETC.

sandstones of the Chemung group. The red shales and grit- of the Catskill group are seen at the falls of the Shingle Kill in Deerpark. The Erie division are found from the Delaware River, along the west side of Mamakating Hollow. Some of the rocks of this division, near Port Jervis, are upturned at a high an- gle; other-, toward- Cuddebackville and Ellenville, are more indurated and seem almost trappean. The geological series descend southwest to the primary rocks of the Pochuck Mountains. The Helderberg division extends through the county, on the Mama- kating Valley, by Cuddebackville, to Carpenter's Point on the Delaware. The limestones of this di- vision are all upturned, often at a very high angle, in the town of Deerpark, where they form a range of low mountains, rising from the level of the Never- sink to half the elevation of the Shawangunk. A limestone, containing fossils of this division, is also found in the town of Cornwall, between the village of Canterbury and Salisbury Mills. Its position is between the slate and grit rock ; its dip is to the south- east.

The Shawangunk grit of the Ontario division ex- tend- on the top of the Shawangunk Mountain- from New Jersey to near Kingston. The thickness of these grits varies from sixty to one hundred and fifty feet. They have been used a- millstones, known as " Esopus millstones."* A pyritous grit, in the form of bowlders, is scattered over the county. Rocks similar in character to the Shawangunk grit, and the interstratified and overlaying red rocks, extend from the Jersey line on the west side of Greenwood Lake northeast to Canterbury in Cornwall. They are also found at Pine Hill. This hill is primitive, and here the grit rock inclines against it and rests upon it. The grit rock is regularly stratified, and dips to the southeast; is of all colors from white to red. It ex- tends from Round Hill four miles, to Woodcock Mountain. It is also found in the southeast base of Schunemunk, interstratified with graywacke and slate; also at Pine Hill. Here the rock is red, and can be quarried in blocks suitable for building. The Bellvale Mountains, in Warwick, on the south- east side, are composed of graywacke ; also the chune- munk in Blooming-Grove, the Goose-pond Moun- tain, and the Sugar-loaf. Quarries of blue and red stone abound in Schunemunk and Pine Hill.

In the Champlain division is the " Hudson River series-slate group,"-which consists of slates, shales, grits, limestones, breceias, and conglomerates,-some- times designated as graywacke slate, graywacke shale, graywakee, and slaty graywacke. They con- tain facets and testacea, of which a few are seen at the falls of the Wallkill, near Walden, at Orange Lake, and at Sugar-loaf. The Hudson River group of roeks occupies a large extent of the surface of

the county. Its general direction is northeast and southwest. Its dip is uniform to the southeast, in some places thirty degrees, in others nearly vertical. It extends from the Hudson River through Warwick to the Jersey line, and on the west side of the Wall- kill, from New Jersey to Ulster County; and in all this range there is no rock resting upon it. It forms the bank of the Hudson River from Cornwall Land- ing to four miles above Newburgh, and it is always seen stratified with graywacke and graywacke slate. In this form it is found at Walden, below Montgom- ery, in Mount Hope, at Newburgh, and towards Hamp- ton. In the town of Warwick, near the Jersey line, it forms a cuneiform termination, the limestone sur- rounding it on both sides. From this the argillite widens into an elevated ridge of rich land, called Long Ridge, which extend- into Go-hen. It forms the surface rock of most of Go-hen, Blooming-Grove, parts of Cornwall, New Windsor. Newburgh, Mont- gomery, Hamptonburgh, Crawford, Wallkill, and in Mount Hope and Minisink, quite to the top of the Shawangunk Mountains. The Utica slate is found on the banks of the Hudson, above Newburgh. It is of dark color, and in some places black, and highly carbonaceous.

The Trenton limestone is found near Mount Look- out ; also in the town of Hamptonburgh, where it is full of the fossil shells of the very early period- of animal life. In that neighborhood it is called the "Neelytown limestone." Black River limestone is found a few miles from Goshen, Mount Lookout being entirely composed of it. It is also found on Big Island, in the Drowned Lands, on Pochuek Neek, and in Minisink west of the Drowned Lands. A blue limestone, sometimes sparry and checkered, commences on the bank of the Hudson at Hamp- ton; it is about one mile in width northwest and southeast, and passes southwesterly through New- burgh into New Windsor, disappearing in the vicinity of Washington Lake. The elevated point of this rock at Hampton is in the vicinity of the Dans Kammer. It is also found east of Salisbury Mills in Cornwall, and is visible through Blooming-Grove and Warwick to the State line; also in the north part of Monroe, north of Greenwood Furnace, and extends southwest to near Greenwood Lake; also in ('ornwall, near Ketcham's Mill, and in Goshen, two and a half miles from the village, extending from the Wallkill south- west to Glenmere. The western edge of this bed underlays the Drowned Lands, and passes along the northwestern margin of the white limestone of War- wick; here it divides into two branches on each side of the primitive rock, and passes into New Jersey. This limestone also interlocks with the argillite ridges, as at near Goshen. Limestone of the oolitic character is found on Big Island, near New Milford, and on Pochuck Neck. The edges of that found in some perpendicular cliffs at the latter place are ex- posed in layers one above the other; some are of

* These millstones were the first that were quarried in the province, and were regarded as superior to those Imported from Europe.

HISTORY OF ORANGE COUNTY, NEW YORK.

the usual character ; others are oolitic, but the round granules are bluish-white quartz; otbers słaty, ap- proaching the calciferous state, and others are of a ribbon-like appearance.

Below the New York transition system lies the "Taconic system," consisting of slates, limestones, and granular quartz rocks. Slate rocks of this sys- tem are found four miles north of Newburgh, near a small hill of granite rock. The limestone between the Highlands and Goose-pond Mountain, and also about Bellvale, belong to this system. Metamorphic rocks consist of limestones that are granular, dolomitized, and stratified,-color, white, blue, and red ; of slates that are talcose, argillaceous, micaceous, and horn- blende ; and of sandstones that are changed to gran- ular quartz rocks, eurite, and gneiss. In their several deposits all the changes from the gray and blue lime- stone are traced into the perfect crystallized limestone, containing the various crystallized minerals, which give them their metamorphic character. There is a white limestone of this variety ranging from Mounts Adam and Eve, in Warwick, to Andover, in New Jersey. It is developed in a succession of narrow ridges of only a few rods in width, and is separated by masses of other rocks of granite, sienite, and granular quartz. Hornblende rock and augite are scattered all around. This white limestone is rarely stratified, and in some places runs into the blue and gray limestone, which is fossiliferous in some in- stances and oolitic in others. The white limestone forms the shore of the Drowned Lands at Amity. In some localities it is snow-white, translucent, and compact, like Parian marble. Plumbago and mica are found in it, and also a great variety of minerals. Northeast of the Amity church, on a small knoll, are found calcareous spar, rhomb spar, yellow brucite, xanthite, tale, black and ruby spinelle, cocolite. About one mile southwest of Amity is specular iron ore and serpentine ; veins of scapolite are found south- west of this place, and about a mile north the lime- stone is filled with brucite of various colors, magnetic oxide of iron, hornblende, and serpentine. At the south base of Mount Eve, in an old mine-hole, fine crystals of green and brown hornblende are found. At another place is a vein of arsenical iron. The same kind of limestone is found near Fort Mont- gomery, in the Highlands (in the gorge through which the creek passes into the Hudson), at or near Forest of Dean; thence it is traced by way of Little Round Pond towards Greenwood Furnace and across the Ramapo. It is also seen southwest of Queens- borough Furnace in limited extent. These beds also contain the minerals above named.

The primary rocks of the county consist of gneiss and hornblende granite, sienite, limestone, serpen- tine, augite, and trappean. Among these rocks there are no continuous ridges of mountains of more than a few miles in length, in consequence of the interrup- tions caused by the dislocations and the lateral up-

heavals of masses of the strata. Ridge succeeds ridge, each of which runs out and diminishes until it disap- pears below the rocks of a more recent origin.

The primitive rocks extend from Butter Hill to Fort Montgomery, thence along the line of the county to New Jersey, theuce to Pochuck Mountain, embracing a large part of the towns of Warwick, Monroe, Highlands, and Cornwall; part of New Windsor, Newburgh, Blooming-Grove, and the south part of Goshen. Woodcock Mountain, Round Hill, Peddler Hill, Goose-Pond Mountain, Sugar-loaf and Sugar-loaf Mate, Brimstone Hill, Muchattoes Hill, Mount Adam, Mount Eve, and Pochuck Mountain, are composed of this series.

Granite is found at the foot of Butter Hill suitable for quarrying ; sienite at West Point, on the east side of Bear Mountain, and at the base of Butter Hill. Gneiss abounds in all the Highlands, and has been quarried at Butter Hill, Cro'-nest, West Point, But- termilk Falls, and between that and Fort Montgom- ery. Mica slate, or micaceous gneiss, is found one mile north of Fort Montgomery, and at the foot of Cro'-nest. Augite rock is found between West Point and Round Pond; also in Monroe, south of Cedar Pond ; near Slaughter's Pond, Green Pond, and Mom- basha Pond, and near the O'Neil, Forshee, Clove, Rich, and Forest of Dean mines. Greenstone trap is found near Truxedo Pond. Granular greenstone is found at Cro'-nest and at Butter Hill. Hornblende rock is found in large strata, and quartz rock is in every hill and mountain of the Highlands. In the town of Monroe is a bed of the latter four rods wide rising fifteen feet above the gneiss on each side. Ser- pentine is found at the O'Neil and at the Forshee mine, and there is a large bed of it in the town of Warwick. Crystallized serpentine is also found in Warwick in the white limestone. Scapolite is found at Amity ; also, blende of minute, red, brilliant prisms, with adamantine lustre. Yellow garnet is found at Edenville. A species of soapstone is found at the Clove mine in Monroe; magnetic pyrites, mica, and hornblende, at the Rich iron-mine. Large sheets of mica are found southwest of the Forshee mine. In the latter mine are found beautiful red garnet, brown tremoline, cocolite, and umber. The O'Neil mine abounds with a great variety of beautiful minerals, among which are crystallized magnetie ore of great brilliancy and beauty, magnetic pyrites, copper py- rites, carbonate of copper, serpentine, amianthus, as- bestos, brown spar, rhombic spar, augite, cocolite, feldspar, and mica.

West of the village of Canterbury is a bed of hem- atite ore, on the late Townsend farm. Two beds of arsenical iron are found in Warwick : one in a vein near Mount Adam, and the other near Edenville. The latter contains arsenical pyrites of a white silver color, in connection with arsenic, sulphur, and iron ; also red oxide of iron. This vein is connected with the white limestone. An ore of titanium is also found

GEOLOGY, ETC.

in Warwick, associated with augite and scapolite. An ore of cerium ocenrs near Fort Montgomery.

The primitive rocks of the Highlands abound in ore of the magnetic oxide of iron. The granite gneiss more generally contains it in layers having the lines and bearing of the rock. At West Point the ore is associated with hornblende. Meek's mine, Kronk- ite's mine, Round Pond mine, Forest of Dean mine, Long mine, Patterson mine, Mountain mine, and a group of mines around it, and Crossway mine, all abound in this ore, of rich quality. A bed of titan- iferous iron ore is located on the east side of Bear Hill; magnetic ore at the lower landing at Fort Montgomery, mixed with the sulphuret of iron ; also at the place called Queensborough ore-bed, within a mile or two of Queensborough Furnace. In several localities of the Shawangunk grits are found veins of lead. Beds of lead ore have been opened at Eden- ville, and also in the towns of Deerpark and Mount Hope .* Zinc ore has also been found, exceeding in quality the lead. A copper-mine was opened near Otisville in 1866, and worked for about a year, show- ing good ore but in small quantities.

The mines which have been opened in the beds de- scribed, and some of which have been named in other connections, are the Stirling mine, in Monroe, opened in 1781.+ Its ore is very sound and strong, and has been much used for cannon. Part of its ore is bare, and part of it slightly covered with soil and rocks. It embraces a surface of about thirty acres. One and a half miles southwest of the Stirling is the Belcher mine, supposed to be a prolongation of the Stirling mine. Long mine and Red mine are farther south ; the ores of the latter are magnetic and full of pyrites. East of Stirling Pond are the Mountain mine, the Crossway mine, and the Patterson mine. About a mile south of the village of Monroe is the Clove mine, the ore of which is magnetic, granular, and compact ; a portion of it soft, in a black powder, and can be taken out with a shovel. Southeast of the Clove is the O'Neil mine, in the midst of granitic gneiss and sienite. Half a mile southwest of this is the Forshee mine, permeating the whole hill upon which it is located. About five miles southeast of Monroe is the Rich mine, the ore of which is strongly magnetic, rich, and abundant. The Smith mine is between Cro'-nest and Butter Hill ; its ore is a native magnet ; it has not been worked of late years. The Townsend mine of hematite ore is in Cornwall, about two miles

and a half west from Canterbury. Its ore is lean, but makes excellent iron. It is mostly in powder or small fragments, mixed with balls of the hematite of a few pounds' weight. Forest of Dean mine was opened as early probably as 1761. It lies west from Fort Montgomery. The Queensborough; mine lies sonth from Forest of Dean; it has not been worked to any extent. Greenwood mine, in Monroe, lies north of the Erie road. Its yield is consumed by Greenwood Furnace.

Traditions of lead, tin, silver, and even gold mines, in the Highlands, are quite prevalent, while on the Schunemunk range and in other places the carbon- aceous slates have been pretty thoroughly examined from presumed indications of veins of coal. The early European adventurers evidently made a very complete examination of the entire district in the hope of striking the precious ores. Some magnificent magnetic pyrites, however, was their only reward, as it has been of equally sanguine but more recent searchers.

The soils of the county vary with the geological features of the different sections. The district known as the primary, in most of its higher elevations, is not susceptible of cultivation, owing to the rough and broken state of the surface and the naked character of the rocks. At the base of the Highlands are out- cropping hills, and the surface, though broken, is productive, and in many instances presents beautiful farms. In the district of the Hudson system of slates and limestones, though irregular and broken, its slaty or shaly beds and sandstone and limestone rocks furnish a soil favorable to the growth of grain and grass. Above the Highlands this district di- verges from the river to the southwest quite into the State of New Jersey. No part rises into mountains, yet there are steep bluffs, but not higher than three hundred feet. West of this lies the belt of land to the Shawangunk Mountains, stretching across the county from Crawford to the Jersey line, in which the soil partakes of the grits and shales of this series, giving peenliar features and qualities to the surface.

In this connection it may be remarked that the most striking feature of the Shawangunk range, as presented to the eye, is the fact that the surface of its eastern or southeastern slope bears abundant evidence that the great glacial or ice age witnessed the passage from it of an enormons glacier, which ground up the rocks until the soil was produced which is now so highly cultivated, while its western or northwestern slopes remain rocky and untillable, bearing nothing but forest-trees and minerals. This peculiarity exists in the range even beyond the limits of the county ; and the glacier marks, so plainly visible, afford a

* The principal lead-mines that have been opened are in Mount Hope and Deerpark. They are known as the Erie, at Guymard ; the Wallkill, two and a half miles northeast of Guymard; the Champion, Washington, Mammoth, Mount Hope, and Central. Of these, but two, the Erie and the Walkill, linve ever been extensively worked. The lead of the Erie mine is argentiferous, and at times the yield of silver pays running ex- penses, leaving the lead a clear profit. The worka are within a few rode of the Erie Railroad.

t The Stirling iron-works were established in 1751. This mine was discovered in 1780 and opened in 1781. The works are now connected with the Erie road by a branch from Stirling Junction.

# Queensborough mine takes its name from a tract of one thousand four hundred and thirty-seven acres granted to Gabriel and William Ludlow, Oct. 18, 1731, and to which they gave the name. The name is now fre- quently but wrongly written Queensbury ; the suffix should be borough, signifying, in its application, Queen's Ilill.

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History of Orange County, New York, with illustrations and biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Part 10

Author: Ruttenber, Edward Manning, 1825-1907, comp; Clark, L. H. (Lewis H.) Publication date: 1881 Publisher: Philadelphia, Everts & Peck Number of Pages: 1336

Author: Ruttenber, Edward Manning, 1825-1907, comp; Clark, L. H. (Lewis H.)
Publication date: 1881
Publisher: Philadelphia, Everts & Peck
Number of Pages: 1336