USA > New York > Putnam County > History of Putnam County, New York : with biographical sketches of its prominent men > Part 28
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The lot was then divided into 16 lots; two field books and maps were made. One of the field books is in the county clerk's office in Poughkeepsie, and one of the maps is in the office of the secretary of State; where the others are no one knows. The notice of the division and the time when the ballot- ing for the lot was to be done were "advertised in Hugh Gaine's Newspaper for six weeks." The balloting was on the 4th day
"This is where the house of Lewis G. Robinson now stands, in town of Kent.
2 All south of the 527 chain is in the town of Carmel. " Rowlands mill brook " is the middle branch of Croton.
3For location of this corner see sketch of Southeast.
"This is where the house of LeGrand Hughson stands, south of where the New York & Northern R. R. crosses the road near town line.
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TOWN OF CARMEL.
of February, 1771, "at the house of Samuel Francis, Inn keeper in the city of New York." On balloting Margaret Ogilvie drew Lots 1, 5, 10, 14; Nathaniel Philipse drew Lots 4, 6, 12, 15; Adolph Philipse drew Lots 2, 8, 11, 13; Frederick Philipse drew Lots 3, 7, 9, 16.
In the year 1777 Nathaniel Philipse was killed at the Battle of Germantown, and his share fell to his eldest brother, Adolph Philipse. Adolph Philipse died June 8th, 1785, leaving no children, and by his will left his share to his brother, Frederick Philipse, during his life and then to go to his daughter, Mary Philipse, who afterward married Samuel Gouverneur. Mar- garet Ogilvie died in 1807, and her share went to Frederick Philipse, her only surviving child. Thus the whole of the original lot became the property of Frederick Philipse. In 1811 he released to his daughter, Mary Gouverneur, all his life interest in the share of his brother Adolph, and thus Samuel and Mary Gouverneur became the owners of one half the lot and Frederick Philipse owned the other half. These parties, who had previously leased their farms to tenants, began to sell about the year 1811, and the deeds given by them would make a volume of themselves, as all the titles to land in Lots 6, 8 and 2, of the original Philipse Patent, go back to them, except such small tracts as had been previously sold by Philip Philipse and Margaret Ogilvie.
The original bill for lawyer's services in the partitions is still preserved and is given as a curiosity.
" The Proprietors of Lot No. 6 of Philipse Patent in Dutchess County.
" To Peter Van Schaack, Dr.
" To Counsil in devising the Mode of Proceeding on the Partition Act .
£1 9 0
" To long Advertisement of Adolphe Philipse, draft & copy 1 16 " Notification of appointment of commissioners 0 draft and copy
" Draft and copy notice of balloting . 0 12 0
1 9 0
" Minute of all the Commissioner's proceeding from the beginning to the conclusion 2 17 0
"2 fair copies entered in Books to be filed in the
2 17 0 Clerk's office
" Attendance on balloting and devising the mode 1 10 0
£12 00 0
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HISTORY OF PUTNAM COUNTY.
" New York, 24 Oct., 1785, Rec'd the contents in full.
" PETER VAN SCHAACK."
VILLAGE OF CARMEL.
Prior to the Revolution and for some years later Carmel, as a village, had no existence. All the land in the vicinity was held in large farms by tenants who paid their yearly rents to the agent of the Philipse family or to the landlord himself when he came to his estate. All the land on the west side of Lake Gleneida or Shaw's Pond, as it was then known, was part of Lot No. 8 in the division of the original Lot No. 6, and fell to Adolph Philipse, and from him to his neice, Mary Gouverneur. David Myrrick had been a tenant of a farm on this tract from the time before the Revolution, and continued so till September 13th, 1811, when Samuel Gouverneur and his wife sold him the farm of 127 acres, bounded north by the outlet of Shaw's Pond, or Mill Brook, and including all the west shore of the pond as far south as the Belden farm, and here he lived and died, and his old house is still standing on the homestead of Mr. Chauncey Weeks, the present owner of the farm. The farm of Amos Belden included all the shore of the lake from the David Myr- rick farm to the south end of the lake, and extended west to Croton River, west branch, and south to the farm of Caleb Hazen, and included 316 acres of land. This farm had also been held by lease from a period before 1762, and was sold to Amos Belden by Frederick Philipse, December 16th, 18041. The land at the south end of the pond was a farm originally held by
1 Thomas Belden came to this part of the country from Norwalk, Conn., and was agent for the Philipse family, before the Revolution. His nephew, Amos Belden, was born July 13th, 1764, died May 4th, 1830, and was buried in the old Gilead burying ground. He was agent or land steward for Frederick Philipse and transacted most of his business in renting and selling land. He married Elizabeth Isaacs. Their children were; Julia, wife of Hooker St. John; Charles, born March 10th, 1793, died February 22d, 1858; George, born March 12th, 1795, died January 14th, 1855: Sally, wife of Rev. William Mitchell; Charlotte; Eliza- beth, wife of Edwin Crosby, of Croton Falls; Thomas, born 1802, died in Mexico in 1834; Jobn, born 1805, died 1882; Frederick, born 1807, died in Texas in 1867; Benjamin J., born 1809, died in New York in 1858.
George Belden married Sophia L. Miles, and their children are: Julia L., wife of Frederick S. Talmadge, and Laura, wife of Dudley Field, both of New York.
Charles Belden married Helen, daughter of Dr. William Miles. He had two children: Helen E., who died young; and George Mortimer Belden, born Novem- ber 3d, 1826, died October 7th, 1873, married Isabella, daughter of Levi Best, who survives him.
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TOWN OF CARMEL.
John Myrrick as tenant in 1766. It was subsequently held by other persons and was sold by Frederick Philipse to William H. Seeley, May 25th, 1815. It was then described as " begin- ning at the northeast corner of Isaac Myrrick's land, and run- ning east along the pond 17 chains 24 links, to land of John Ellis, then along the same S. 78 degrees E, 1 chain 85 links, then south 17 chains to a chestnut near Horse pound road; thence along the road to opposite Capt. Philipse house, and then along the road to nearly opposite Fletcher Hopkin's house," containing 107 acres. All the land on the east side of Shaw's Pond, from the James Dickinson farm to where the Baptist Church now stands and including all the present village of Carmel, was in 1766 held as a farm by Silas Washburn. This was, however, divided into smaller lots and owned by various persons at the beginning of the century.
Judge Edward Smith, in a conversation with Charles H. Lud- ington, December 25th, 1854, related several interesting remin- iscences. The judge was then in his 84th year but his memory was unimpaired. In this conversation he stated that he re- membered many incidents of the Revolution and was thirteen years old at its close. He recollected seeing Gen. Washington when marching through the country with his army, and saw him pass "where John Fowler now lives." 1 Within his recol- lection there were only three houses where Carmel now is. One was on the east side of the street, and on the north corner of the road running east. This was the house of Samuel Wash- burn, and is marked on Erskine's military map, made in 1780. This place was occupied by David Kelley in 1854, and is now owned by Lewis Ga Nun. Another house stood where Smalley's Hotel now stands, on the west side of the street, and about ten rods north of the road running to the lake. Elder Nathan Cole lived there at the time of the Revolution. Col. Thomas Taylor kept a store there just before it was demolished. Tanner's Hotel stood there in 1854. The third house was a log house, and stood on the west side of the street, about ten rods south of the Methodist church on the opposite side. Charles Knox was living there in 1854, at the time of the conversation.
There was another house standing on the north side of the
1 John Fowler was son of Dea. Solomon Fowler. His house was on the road close to the west line of Patterson, and now owned by heirs of John Henion. This was the homestead of Dea. Solomon Fowler.
296
HISTORY OF PUTNAM COUNTY.
road running east from the village. This house was the house of Joshua Myrrick during the Revolution. It was torn down many years ago by Ebenezer Kelley, Esq., to make room for the mansion now owned by his son, Thomas Kelley. In 1815 Stephen Swift owned a tract at the south end of the village. This was said to be bounded on the south "by Frederick Philipse Carmel town farm." This tract began on the south line of the present school house lot and ran north along the pond 10 chains and 86 links. It extended east far enough to include twenty-five acres. Next north of Stephen Swift along the pond was the land of James Mead. In 1815 "Stephen Swift and wife Katy" sold to Judah Kelley, Abraham Everett and Beverly Smith, trustees of School District No. 5, a lot " Be- ginning on the line between said Swift and Frederick Philipse, and thence along the wall by the road 50 feet; then east 50 feet; thence along Swift's land 50 feet; thence west along Philipse 50 feet, containing 9} rods more or less." This was the old school house lot and was on the east side of the road, at the north point of the park, directly opposite the present school building. The old school house stood on that site till about thirty years ago, when it was moved away, and is at the pres- ent time used as a tenement house on the premises of Miss Charlotte Hopkins. A second school building was then erected on the west side of the road just north of the present one; this remained till 1880 when the new school house was built. It was then removed and now, degraded from its former use, does duty as a lager beer saloon opposite the railroad station.
At the time of the Revolution the principal stopping place for travellers was Samuel Washburn's tavern, which stood, as stated before, on the north side of the road running east from the village. This was the only inn for a long distance, the next nearest being John McLean's tavern, which stood on the road to Lake Mahopac, where the house of the late Townsend Secor now stands. "Conklin's tavern" is marked on Erskine's map as being on the road to Patterson, some three miles from Car- mel. There were not many houses in the village at the time when the county buildings were erected, but the business inci- dent to the county seat caused the population to increase and the village has had a healthy growth ever since. At the begin- ning of this century the land on the east side of the street, from the road south to a point below the Methodist Church,
CARMEL, PUTNAM COUNTY, NEW YORK From a Painting By James M. Hart, 1858, ( In possession of Charles H. Ludington, New York City. )
ARTOTYPE E. BIERSTADT, N. Y.
297
TOWN OF CARMEL.
was owned by Gen. James Townsend. This was sold by him to his son-in-law, Dr. Robert Weeks, who built a hotel on the cor- ner opposite the old Washburn House, and this was his home till the time of his death, which occurred May 14th, 1816, at the early age of 44. Dr. Weeks was a member of the Legisla- ture at the time of the establishment of Putnam county, and gave the land where the Court House and county clerk's office now stand. He came to Carmel from Westchester county, prac- ticed his profession for twenty years and was one of the promi- nent men of the county. The hotel and land adjoining were sold to Lewis Ludington who conducted the business, and made it a famous resort for many years. It was torn down about thirty years ago, and the elegant residence of the Misses Lud- ington was erected in its place.
The Smalley House stands on the site of the old home of Elder Nathan Cole. After his death it was owned by Stephen Waring who kept a store. The hotel was built by Col. Thomas Taylor, who was born in Jamaica, Long Island, April 12th, 1784. He came to Carmel and established a small hat factory in the south part of the town. He built the hotel about 1833. Dur- ing his life he was a well known and prominent citizen, and was elected member of the Legislature, and held the office of sheriff. He died August 1st, 1865, at the age of eighty. After his death it was purchased by James J. Smalley, from whom it derived its present name. Few citizens enjoyed a greater popu- larity. He was twice elected member of Assembly, and was also sheriff of the county and county treasurer. He died in 1867, and the place passed into the hands of John Cornish, by whose heirs it is now owned.
The Gleneida House was established as a hotel by David Lockwood about 1850, and was conducted by him till the time of his death. Since then it has been under the management of the present proprietor, David Lockwood, jr., and has a well merited reputation for excellence.
LAKE GLENEIDA .- This beautiful lake, which is one of the principal beauties of the landscape, was in early days known as Shaw's Pond, from Timothy Shaw, who was one of the earliest settlers in the town. This name, though of time hon- ored antiquity, was too plain and unpoetical to suit the fastid- ious taste of modern times. Accordingly a meeting was held on the evening of December 21st, 1852, for the purpose of be-
298
HISTORY OF PUTNAM COUNTY.
stowing a new name upon what was justly considered the beauty of Carmel. This meeting was duly organized with Reuben D. Barnum as chairman, and Edward Crosby, clerk. A committee, consisting of William J. Blake, Noel E. Waring, James Ray- mond, J. D. Little and Samuel Washburn, was appointed to select an appropriate title. Several names were proposed, such as Como, Wassaic, Sagamore and Wicope, while one man, with Scripture in his mind, urged the name of Tiberius as being a very appropriate addition to the already well established name of Carmel. Rev. Henry G. Livingston, who was then in Phila- delphia, wrote a letter in which he proposed the name of Gleneida. This was adopted by acclamation, and will doubt- less continue for all time to come. This beautiful sheet of water covers an area of 168 acres, and its depth exceeds 100 feet in some places. Many years ago on the outlet of this lake there was a mill, which was owned by Daniel H. Cole, who bought the water right from the Philipse family. It descended to his son, Tillott Cole, who leased the right to draw water from the lake, to the city of New York. The old mill, of which some relics yet remain, was built more than a hundred years ago.
At the meeting mentioned above the name of Lake Sagamore was given to Bean's Pond in Kent, while Lake Gilead received its present name in place of Crosby's Pond, by which name it was formerly known.
CARMEL COLLEGIATE INSTITUTE AND THE DREW LADIES' SEM- INARY .- The credit of being the founder of the Carmel Collegiate Institute is doubtless due to James Raymond, whose interest in its welfare continued till the day of his death. A company including many of the prominent citizens of the town, sub- scribers for stock in the enterprise, held a meeting at the Court House, August 23d, 1848, and elected Leonard K. Everett, Samuel Washburn, David Merritt, Samnel Myrrick, James Raymond, Azor B. Crane, Daniel D. Travis, Joseph E. M. Hobby, Eli Kelley, Jonathan Cole, Benjamin Bailey, Enos Hazen, Henry G. Livingston, Lewis Doane and Harman R. Stephens, trustees of an " Association for building and estab- lishing a seminary of learning in or near the village of Carmel." The site selected for the building is a portion of the old James Dickinson farm which was then owned by Elisha Cole, who sold to the trustees above named five acres of land, Sep-
299
TOWN OF CARMEL.
tember 4th, 1848, for $1,000. The work was soon commenced and the building was raised October 30th, 1849, upon which occasion Rev. Epenetus Benedict, the well known minister and teacher of Patterson, delivered an address. The raising was finished November 5th, the last "bent" being elevated in its place by the ladies of the village with the help of pulleys. Before the building was finished a sad accident occurred. Theodore Howes, a young man of 25, fell from a scaffold and was killed September 10th, 1850. The cost of the edifice was much larger than was expected, and there being some diffi- culty in procuring sufficient funds, the trustees procured the passage of a special Act of Legislature, April 10th, 1850, by which the controller was authorized to loan to the county of Putnam the sum of $6,000, and the Board of Supervisors were authorized at their discretion to loan that sum to the Carmel Collegiate Institute, upon receiving sufficient security. The supervisors, at a meeting held in May, 1850, declined to accept the loan and incur the responsibility, and this source of assist- ance failed. The amount necessary to complete the work was furnished by Mr. James Raymond, and the institute was opened September 16th, 1851, with Rev. S. G. Manwarring, as prin- cipal. By his untimely death, which occurred in 1852, the in- stitution met with a severe loss. By an informal agreement be- tween the stockholders it was resolved that the whole establish- ment should be transferred to Mr. Raymond upon his supply- ing the means to finish the building. No deed was given, and after the death of Mr. Raymond, which occurred March 23d, 1854, a suit was begun which resulted in a sheriff's deed being given for the premises to Mrs. Julia Raymond, December 4th, 1855, and it was transferred by her to her daughters, Ada Weeks, Sarah R. Livingston and Mary E. Drake, October 1st, 1858.
These parties sold the institute to Daniel Drew, May 4th, 1866, for $25,000. This was the first step in a great educational enterprise contemplated at that time by Mr. Drew in his native town, viz., the founding and endowment of a seminary for both sexes, with a collegiate department for ladies and also of a theological seminary, the latter being afterward located at Madison, N. J.
Mr. Drew immediately placed Prof. George Crosby Smith in charge of the institute, with instructions to make such changes
300
HISTORY OF PUTNAM COUNTY.
and improvements as might be desirable. The buildings were thoroughly repaired, fitted for steam and gas, and refurnished throughout, and supplied with maps, charts, globes, philo- sophical and chemical apparatus, and a very choice library of 3,000 volumes. The grounds, which are ample, were beautified and means procured for supplying an abundance of pure water from the lake. The school was opened September 20th, 1866, under the title of the Drew Ladies' Seminary, with a full board
DREW LADIES' SEMINARY .- FRONT VIEW.
of teachers, and with thorough courses of study, elementary, academic and collegiate, and with well equipped departments of art and music.
An Act "To incorporate the Drew Seminary and Female College" was passed April 23d, 1866, by which Daniel Drew and others were constituted a body corporate with full powers to establish the college. This corporation was organized March 13th,
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TOWN OF CARMEL.
1867, by the election of Bishop Edmund S. Janes, president; Ambrose Ryder, secretary; Henry J. Baker, treasurer; and an executive committee; but, owing to the incompleteness of Mr. Drew's plans the institution did not then, and has not since, come under their supervision and control.
Subsequently, however, it was conveyed in trust to Mr. Daniel D. Chamberlain to hold for the purposes of the 'school, and under an obligation to deed it "in fee" to the board of corpo- rators when they were ready to receive it, and in this condition it remains at the present time, and is in charge of Prof. Smith, who has had the entire administration of its affairs from the beginning.
The buildings are located on an eminence overlooking the village, and commanding a fine prospect in all directions,
DREW LADIES' SEMINARY .- REAR VIEW.
and are justly deemed the pride and ornament of the vil- lage.
As an institution of learning the seminary holds an honorable position among the female colleges of the State, and under its present principal it exerts a wide spread influence for good. For beauty and healthfulness of location it is unsurpassed and presents every attraction that can render an educational home delightful.
In 1872 preparations for erecting a new building for the "Drew Seminary and Female College " were made on a very extensive scale. The edifice, which was to be "400 feet in length and surmounted by a tower one hundred and thirty-five high," was intended to replace the building now in existence.
302
HISTORY OF PUTNAM COUNTY.
On the 1st of October, 1872, the ground was broken "by Master Henry D. Clapp in the name of his grandfather," the ceremony being accompanied with suitable religious exercises, and public expectation was raised to the highest point in an- ticipation of the speedy completion of an institution which would be monumental in character and of lasting benefit to the entire community. The foundations of the building (which was to be located south of the present seminary) were scarcely laid when the financial reverses which overtook its generous founder put a stop to all further proceedings and the enter- prise was never carried to completion. Some of the stones prepared for the building were used for the new county clerk's office.
CARMEL LITERARY UNION .- In 1868 the want of a public library was felt in the village of Carmel, and steps were taken to supply it. The Carmel Library Association was formed, to which nearly all the families of the vicinity subscribed. The president of the association was Rev. William S. Clapp, pastor of the Baptist church; James D. Little was the secretary; Gil- bert T. Ludington, treasurer; Herman Best, librarian; and G. Mortimer Belden, William S. Clapp, Ambrose Ryder, Jonathan Cole, Byron E. Hazen, Noble P. Barnes, James D. Little and J. Addison Fowler, directors. A library of over nine hundred volumes was formed and put into circulation, many of the books having been contributed by members who took more than an ordinary interest in its success. Among the chief donors were Daniel D. Chamberlain and G. Mortimer Belden. The payment of five dollars to the treasurer constituted a life membership, which was taxed at the rate of one dollar per year; and persons not members of the association could obtain its privileges, in the. discretion of the librarian, upon making payments to him at the rate of one dollar per quarter. The association established a reading room at the residence of the librarian, which was open every day except Sundays and holidays, and for a time was well patronized. After the first year, however, interest waned, the receipts failed to meet expenditures, a debt of some size accumulated, and no attempt to perpetuate it was made. The books of the library were removed to the vestibule of the Bap- tist church, where they were under the charge of no particular officer, and as no one was responsible for them a large propor- tion became scattered amongst the members of the society, and
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TOWN OF CARMEL.
were lost or destroyed. After a few years the remnant of them was again removed to the residence of Rev. W. S. Clapp.
In 1881, they were transferred by Mr. Clapp and his son to the Literary Union, of Carmel, New York, a society of young people, and through their care and efforts a public library has been re-established.
The Literary Union, a literary and social organization, was formed by a party of young ladies and gentlemen at the resi- dence of Rev. W. S. Clapp, February 23d, 1881. The original members were Rev. Matthew A. Bailey, Rev. J. M. Yeager, Rev. D. D. Sahler, Frank H. Greene, William H. Foster, Henry D. Clapp, Gilbert R. Livingston, Edward J. Wilson, Professor S. O. Spencer, Emma J. Wood, Emma J. Foster, Marilla C. Foster, Bessie C. Foster, Ida A. Turner, Carrie A. Trowbridge, Georgia E. Ludington, Emma C. Miller and Anna C. Little, and to this list many other names were soon added. The Rev. Matthew A. Bailey, formerly of the town of Kent, now of St. Johnland, L. I., was the first president of the society, and his successors have been Clayton Ryder, Emma J. Foster, Professor S. O. Spencer, Frank H. Greene, Emma J. Wood, James A. Foshay, Edward J. Wilson, Ottis H. Cole, Henry D. Clapp and Edwin H. Abrams.
In March, 1882, the society was incorporated under the laws of the State, and has since continued to flourish.
RAILROAD .- Previous to the building of the New York and Northern Railroad, the principal mode of communication with the outside world was by stages which ran from Carmel to Croton Falls where they connected with the Harlem Railroad.
The project of a more direct communication by means of a railroad was long agitated, and in 1870 the scheme seemed likely to be fulfilled. The 13th of February was a great day for Car - mel, for on that day ground was broken for the new railroad. This ceremony was performed by the Rev. William S. Clapp, who threw the first shovel full of earth. A large concourse of people were present and the usual speeches were delivered. But Carmel had to wait many years before the road was completed for the work was hindered by constant delays. The first train from Carmel was on December 23d, 1880, and six passengers and thirty-nine cans of milk were the first freight. The road was finished to Brewster in February, 1881. The bridge over the railroad, at the Carmel depot, was built in October, 1871,
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