USA > New York > Putnam County > Garrison > History of St. Philip's church in the Highlands, Garrison, New York, including, up to 1840, St. Peter's church on the manor of Cortlandt > Part 13
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186 The History of St. Philip's Church
places above mentioned & on the Borders of Beekman's and Philipse's Precincts, that not less than 103 Persons, ten of whom only are single, have already subscribed for the Building of a Church for the Worship of God accord- ing to the Liturgy of the Church of England."1 The Society for the Propagation of the Gospel appointed Mr. Seabury general missionary for Dutchess County in 1756.2
Eventually it was found that the care of the parish at Hempstead made it impossible to devote the necessary time to so distant a field, and steps were taken to secure a resident priest. Early in 1762 the Rev. John Beardsley, missionary at Norwich and Groton, Connecticut, visited the county with a view to a permanent settlement. Four years later a glebe was purchased and Mr. Beardsley took up his abode in Poughkeepsie. As yet there was no church building, but in 1767 land was purchased in Fish- kill and Trinity Church was erected. On Christmas Day, 1774, Christ Church, Poughkeepsie, was opened for divine service, the sermon being preached by the Rev. Samuel Provoost, who was then living at East Camp.
The first services in what afterwards became the parish of St. Philip's in the Highlands were probably conducted by Mr. Seabury. He was missionary for the entire county, and the Highlands afforded a resting-place on the journey to and from Hempstead. One who remembered Mr. Seabury well described him "as seated on a strong sorrel horse with his saddle-bags strapped to his saddle. He was strongly built, but not tall . . He wore a three-cornered hat and small clothes and 'top boots.'"
1 Reynolds, Records of Christ Church, Poughkeepsie, p. 6.
2 Documentary History of the Protestant Episcopal Church, Vol. I, Connecticut, p. 324.
Chapel of St. Philip's in the Highlands 187
In his reports to the Venerable Society for the Propaga- tion of the Gospel, he records two visits to Philipse Manor: June 29th, 1757, and November 11th, 1760. It is more than likely that on those occasions he was an honored guest in the home of Beverly Robinson.
Thus was the way opened for the erection of a chapel. Beverly Robinson was a Churchman, as were also some of the substantial tenant farmers. They were, however, too few in number to undertake alone the maintenance of a minister, and Fishkill and Poughkeepsie were too dis- tant for practical co-operation. Naturally therefore they turned to the south. The Churchmen of the Manors of Philipse and Cortlandt joined forces.
So far as is known there exists no formal record of the date of the erection of St. Philip's Chapel. Services were held in a private house in the early Fall of 1770, and the minutes of the Vestry make mention of a chapel in the first month of 1772. It therefore seems reasonable to assume that the building was erected in 1771. If so, St. Philip's is second in age in Dutchess County to Trinity Church, Fishkill.
The steps that led to a Chapel may be clearly and accurately traced. In 1766 the residents of the High- lands subscribed towards the erection of St. Peter's Church. Beverly Robinson was one of the five Trustees, and the Royal Charter expressly stipulated that it was for "sundry inhabitants on the upper part of the Manor of Cortlandt and the lower part of Philipse Patent." The petition to the Venerable Society states that "the minister should be settled at both places, so as to make one congregation of the whole to preach every other Sunday at the house of Jacob Mandeville," and Beverly
188 The History of St. Philip's Church
Robinson's gift of the glebe farm for the support of the Minister was conditioned upon "his giving one half of his time to the Highlands." In a further letter it is stated that "it is intended to build another Church in the lower end of the Philipse Patent."
The first known written record of the minutes of a Vestry meeting is dated September 1st, 1770. Philips- town was well represented. Beverly Robinson was senior Warden, and Joshua Nelson and Thomas Daven- port were the Philipstown members of the Vestry. At that meeting the following resolution was passed:
Resolved, that in order to encourage the inhabitants on the lower part of Philips Patten to subscribe to the yearly maintenance of a Minister, that he shall offi- ciate one half of his time in the neighborhood of Jacob Mande on every other Sunday.
Jacob Mandeville1 came of a Dutch family, and the house in which he lived, and in which the services were first held, still stands at the "Four Corners." It was
1 Jacob Mandeville was of Dutch ancestry. He was a descendant of Yellis Jansen de Mandeville who, with his wife and four children, came to New York from or near Garderer in Holland in the de Trouw (the Faith) on February 12th, 1659. They were members of the Dutch Church. He purchased land on Long Island and lived at Shappano- conk (Greenwich Village). In 1700 he sold the city farm to his second son David, who was born in America. It ran from Hudson's River to Warren road (14th to 21st Streets). Jacob Mandeville was the son of David, who married on June 10th, 1709, Jannetje Jacobs Wortendyk, maiden, from the Bowery, N. Y. (N. Y. Dutch Church Marriages). They had seven children of whom Jacob was the eldest. He was baptized January 10th, 1711. (N. Y. Genealogical Record, Vol. XXXVIII, page 284 ff.) It is not known when Jacob Mandeville came to live in the Highlands, but Beverly Robinson speaks of him as an old tenant under Adolphe Philipse who died in 1749. He was a
JACOB MANDEVILLE'S HOUSE
Chapel of St. Philip's in the Highlands 189
afterwards occupied by his son-in-law, Joshua Nelson. Even after the chapel was built services were still held in this house, as witness this baptismal record of the Rev. John Urquhart:
Baptised at Joshua Nelson's House on Sunday the 22nd of Novr, 1812, before the congregation after divine worship, Susan, the daughter of George Reade from Mr Stewarts mines.
The original gift of land for the chapel was one acre, and the donor was Colonel Beverly Robinson. This land was in serious danger of confiscation with the rest of the estate, but it was finally secured to the parish by the efforts of William Denning, who added "another acre reserved to the Church for ever."1 In 1803, when Cor- nelius Nelson sold 125 acres to Harry Garrison, it was "exclusive of the three acres for the use of the Church."2
substantial tenant farmer cultivating 400 acres for which he paid an annual rental of five pounds. The house at the "Four Corners" in which he resided is undoubtedly the oldest in Garrison as "Beverly" was not built until 1758. It is marked on the Villefranche and Erskine maps as "Mandevilles." There is a tradition that it was used as a Military Hospital during the War of the Revolution. Certainly it was a place of call for Washington, and the wife of General Israel Putnam died within its walls during the British attack on Fort Montgomery.
He married Sarah (or Martha), daughter of Thomas Davenport about 1735. She died May 18th, 1782. His daughter Sarah, born September 18th, 1736, married Joshua Nelson on the 3rd of January, 1754. A second daughter Hannah, born November 7th, 1737, became the wife of Daniel Birdsall of Peekskill. Both Nelson and Birdsall were members of the Vestry. A third daughter was married to one Sebrings. The rent of the Mandeville farm was collected by Susannah
1 Hobart MSS.
2 Dutchess County Deeds, 1803.
190 The History of St. Philip's Church
In a letter dated 1813 the writer says:
S. Philips Church is situate near the banks of the Hudson river, nearly opposite to West Point, and about midway of the Highlands. Is a small building on a very beautiful commanding rising ground, with two acres of land.1
Like St. Peter's, the building was painted red.
The first actual mention of a chapel at Garrison occurs in the Minutes of the Vestry of January 4th, 1772. Money was needed for the work of the parish, and it was ordered that Beverly Robinson "do furnish a ticket in the Delaware Lottery out of the money collected in S. Philips Chappell." In April of the same year the parish organized a lottery of its own for "S. Peters Church at Peeks Kill, and S. Philips Chappell in the Highlands."
The chapel had been built but a little more than four years when the War of the Revolution broke out. Both the English and the American authorities at once recog- nized the strategic value of the Highlands. General Washington spoke of Hudson's River as "the key that
Robinson up to March 20th, 1777, after which the property was for- feited to the State.
State Treasurer's Receipt for Rent, New York, November 30th, 1784. Received of Mr Joshua Nelson, one of the heirs of Jacob Mandeville, deceased, thirty-one pounds, five shillings, which sum said Nelson pays as rent due from him to the State for the farm occupied by the said Jacob Mandeville and himself, being leased of Beverly Robinson whose estate was forfeited to the People of the State of New York by his attainder. The rent computed from the 20th of March, 1777, the day of the date of Susannah Robinson's receipt for one year's rent to the day the Commissioners of Forfeiture conveyed the said Farm, being June 16th, 1784, is seven years and 3 months £5 per annum. (N. Y. in the Revolution, Vol. XLI, p. 89).
1 Hobart MSS
Chapel of St. Philip's in the Highlands 191
locked the communication between the eastern and the southern States," and regarded it as the most important post in the United States.1 Each side contended vigor- ously for possession of the gorge, and troops were con- stantly in the neighborhood of the chapel. On Novem- ber 12th, 1776, after a detailed inspection of the High- lands, Washington entrusted their defence to Major- General William Heath with instructions "to fortify them with all possible expedition." Guns were mounted on the north and middle and south hills, and brigades were stationed at "Robinsons" and Constitution Island.
One interesting episode may be singled out for men- tion. As the Winter of 1780 approached preparations were made for a grand forage. Teams were impressed for this purpose in northern Westchester and lower Dutchess-that is in the area served by the united churches. Advantage was taken of the assembling of the troops to hold a grand review in honor of some dis-
On April 10th, 1786, one of Mandeville's daughters writes the State Treasurer as follows:
Sir,
Please pay my third share of the amount of the timber, firewood &c taken for the use of the Army from the estate of my late father, Jacob Mandeville, and valued by persons appointed by decree of the Quarter- Master General and State Agent, to my sister, Mrs. Sebrings,
Hannah Birdsall.
Amount paid 350 July 17th, 1786.
Jacob Mandeville was a man of some importance in the Highlands. At a Town meeting, held April 5th, 1772, he was appointed a Fence- viewer and Highway-master from the Post Road near Widow Arles' through the Highlands to the Four Corners, and from thence to Caleb
1 Memoirs of Major-General Heath, p. 237.
192 The History of St. Philip's Church
tinguished French officers. The review was held in a field adjacent to the chapel. Heath thus describes the event:
Nov. 21st .- The troops destined for the grand for- age paraded between Nelson's Point and the church. Just before they marched, Chevalier Chastellux, Major-General in the French army at Newport, and some other French officers, arrived; the detachment filed before them, and proceeded for the lines. The French officers were much pleased with the appear- ance of the troops.1
The effect of the War on the Highland church was dis- astrous. Tradition has woven many stories concerning the use to which St. Philip's was put by the stress of the conflict. It is said to have been used as a hospital, and also as a military prison, but there are no proofs of the statements. One thing, however, is proved beyond question-the church property was grievously damaged.
Nelson's, and from thence to Christopher Fowler's (Pelletreau, History of Putnam Co., p. 458). There is not known to exist any official record of the date of his death, but recently there has come to light an old man- uscript book which belonged to Joshua Nelson (his son-in-law) in which there is written the following, evidently copied from a tombstone:
Martha Mandevill
Deceased 18th May, 1782.
Jacob Mandevill
Husband of the above Martha Mandevill Deceased the 27th of August In the Year of our Lord Jesus Christ One Thousand seven hundred and eighty-foure Aged 75 years.
1 Heath's Memoirs, p. 278. Cf Voyages en Amerique Septen- trionale, by Chastellux. Vol. I, p. 65 ff. Paris; 1786.
Chapel of St. Philip's in the Highlands 193 William Denning, the first Warden of the parish after the War, writes:
S. Philips in the Highlands had the windows, the sidings and the floors taken away for the use of West Point, and nothing of it left but the floor and the frame. In this situation the present Patrons found it and at great private expense repaired it as not one farthing could ever be obtained from the public for its destruction.1
An unknown writer of 1813 confirms the statement:
During the said War, S. Philips Church, being in the vicinity of the armies, suffered greatly. Nothing of it remained but the frame and the roof. The floor, siding, doors and windows were destroyed or taken away. The late Mrs. Ogilvie contributed generously, which with a very scanty aid from an indigent popu- lation, and the residue furnished by William Denning, the Church was repaired, the floor laid, doors and win- dows replaced, a pulpit and altar erected, the Church painted,2 and a small decent schoolhouse erected. This was done in 1786."3
No mention is made of the place of burial. It may have been in the Churchyard of St. Philip's, but the probabilities are that he was interred in the graveyard which then lay just behind his own house. (There is considerable difficulty about the name of Jacob Mandeville's wife. The tombstone gives it as "Martha." On the other hand the Will of Thomas Davenport speaks of "the children of my daughter 'Sarah' Mandeville." In the absence of further information it seems impossible to decide between the two.)
1 Archives of Trinity Corporation. Letter of William Denning to the Rev. Mr. Hargill dated Sept. 10th, 1795.
2 Hobart MSS.
3 According to the minutes of the Vestry the schoolhouse was not built until 1793.
194 The History of St. Philip's Church
The material damage was the least evil. The inter- ruption of the spiritual work of the chapel was more serious. The Rector had removed to Schenectady and the senior Warden had joined the British forces in New York. The infant cause was therefore deprived of its spiritual director and its most influential layman. No clerical aid could be obtained from adjacent parishes. To the northward the churches both at Poughkeepsie and Fishkill were closed, and the same conditions pre- vailed in the parishes to the south. We have the au- thority of Mr. Denning for the statement that "During the War no regular worship took place in either of the Churches and the interest of this weak and infant Insti- tution seemed wholly abandoned."
The War over, the faithful of the flock of God pro- ceeded to repair the waste. It should not be forgotten that the Revolution wrought radical economic changes in Philipstown, and the most important change was in the ownership of the land. The small freeholder took the place of the territorial magnate. The record of deeds for Dutchess County at this period shows that when the Commissioners of Forfeiture sold the Robinson estate the purchasers, in many cases, were the tenants who had farmed the land under Mr. Robinson.1 It was the era of the small farmer with little capital and poor soil and impoverished by the War. The Churchmen were few in number, for not a few of those who had been associ- ated with the beginning of St. Philip's had followed the
1 The 50,000 acres of Roger Morris were distributed amongst nearly 250 buyers and the James De Lancey estate went to about 275 different persons. (Loyalism in New York during the Amer. Rev. by A. C. Flick, Ph.D. p. 160.)
Chapel of St. Philip's in the Highlands 195
fortunes of Beverly Robinson and were in exile. Those who remained had no clergymen to lead them. Their little chapel had neither altar nor pulpit; neither floor nor siding. Like a gaunt skeleton it stood on the hillside without either door or window. The words of Hanani to Nehemiah concerning Jerusalem describe the con- dition alike of people and chapel:
The remnant that are left of the captivity there in the province are in great affliction and reproach; the wall of Jerusalem also is broken down, and the gates thereof are burned with fire.1
To re-establish the work under such conditions was a herculean task, and with "head bloody, but unbowed" they nobly rose to the occasion. The first requisite was to fit the chapel for divine worship; the second, to secure a minister. In the former task they were aided by the leadership of William Denning, who had taken up his residence in the Robinson homestead. He was a wise counsellor and a liberal contributor to the work of restoration. With his assistance and that of Mrs. Ogilvie, extensive repairs were made to the building, to which also was added, apparently for the first time, a pulpit and an altar. But, alas! there was no resident priest to feed the flock. Doubtless services were held at such times as ministers could be found, but, it is to be feared, they were few and far between. It was during this trying period that the Rev. Silas Constant, a Presbyterian pastor of Yorktown, preached at least thrice in St. Philip's. The choice of a Rector waited upon the re-organization of the Vestry, which was not accom-
1 Nehemiah I, 3.
196 The History of St. Philip's Church
plished until April 5th, 1790, "being Monday in Easter week." On that day William Denning was elected one of the Wardens, and the other members of the Vestry from the Highlands were Joshua Nelson, Silvanus Haight, Richard Arnold and Jarvis Dusenbury. With the en- gagement of David Lanison to "read service" in the two churches the new era was ushered in.
Between the years 1792 and 1800 the records of St. Philip's are very scanty. With the Church in America it was a period of arrested development. It seemed as though the supreme effort put forth to obtain the Episco- pate had exhausted her vitality. The diocese of New York at that time could not be justly accused of ag- gression. Bishops Provoost and Moore seldom exer- cised their office outside the city and neither of them ever visited this parish, although the former announced to the Diocesan Convention of 1790 that "he had it in contemplation to visit the churches on the Hudson whenever circumstances permit." The chronic difficulty of the time-a difficulty acutely felt in the Highlands- was the lack of clergy to minister in the vacant parishes. The adherents of St. Philip's did their best and patiently hoped for brighter days to dawn.
In 1800 it is recorded
That the Wardens and Vestry do agree with Harry Garrison that he shall take the land that belongs to the Church in the Highlands, exclusive of the garden that is for the use of the School House, which land (he) said Garrison is to have the use of for six years to paster or mow, and (he) said Garrison is to put a good suffi- cient fence all around it and two good swing gates, and at the expiration of said six years do promise to deliver said land to said Wardens and Vestry in good order.
Chapel of St. Philip's in the Highlands 197
The agreement is dated April 14th, 1800, and is wit- nessed by Jacob Nelson. Four years later William Lancaster was appointed to call on Harry Garrison
to know if he will keep the Churchyard of S. Philips in fence according to his agreement made with the Wardens and Vestry in 1800, and if he will not, Mr. Lancaster to see the fence put up.
In 1806 it was voted that
Harry Garrison, William Lancaster and Joshua Lancaster have liberty to build three pews on the north side of S. Philips Church and that Abraham Garri- son, John Nelson, and Richard Hopper have liberty to build three pews adjoining the above-mentioned pews.
Three years later it was resolved
that the Church ground in the Highlands that is not occupied by the School House is let to Harry Garrison for twenty shillings for the ensuing year.
In 1820 Harry Garrison and Tunis Cronke were appointed a committee
to affect the repairs of the Church in the Highlands, and to make a good stone fence along the road, and to make one good and sufficient gate to enter the Church grounds.
In those days a good deal of energy, and not a little money, was expended on the renovation of the church building. There is still preserved a tattered and browned document dated January 26th, 1826, containing the appeal for money and the names of the subscribers. The appeal is thus worded:
In all ages and in every community the best regu- lated Societies have been those where the Gospel is
198 The History of St. Philip's Church
preached and the ordinances thereof, in some form or other, statedly administered, and duly attended too. Setting aside every consideration the moral prin- cipals of the Gospel are universally allowed to be bene- ficial to Society in general. This influence on the minds of men whenever they are duly observed produce love to God and good-will towards men, advancing not only their future good, but their present comfort and prosperity. Convinced in some degree of the above facts, and taking into consideration the decayed and ruinous condition of S. Philips Church in Philips- town, we the subscribers do promise and agree to pay the several sums affixed to our respective names for the repairs of the said Church whenever called for, and to use such other endeavour as shall seem meet to us in order to establish the worship of God in said Church. The whole to be under the directions of the Church Wardens and Vestry or such other persons as they may appoint.
In response to this reasoned appeal $525.74 were con- tributed, Frederick Philipse heading the list with $200. There were over thirty donations of one dollar. Thus in 1827 the Rev. Edward J. Ives was able to write Bishop Hobart, "The Church in the Highlands has been repaired since I came here. They raised a subscription to the amount of Five hundred dollars to do it. It is now well finished."1
In spite of this expenditure the renovation could not have been very thorough, for in 1833 another effort was made to raise money to repair the church. The effort had the approval of the Bishop of the Diocese, who en- dorsed it in these words:
1 Hobart MSS.
Chapel of St. Philip's in the Highlands 199
S. Philips Church, Philipstown, one of the oldest Churches in the State, being much out of repair, the Vestry are desirous of refitting it for the comfortable celebration of divine service. The parish is small and not able to accomplish the object without aid. The spiritual prospects were never better than at present; and I would express the hope that they may be en- abled by the liberality of friends, to effect the im- portant purpose in which they are engaged.
Benj T. Onderdonk,
Bishop of the diocese of New York
New York,
Oct. 10th, 1833.
The following were the amounts subscribed:
F. Gouverneur1
200-00
I. and A. E. Watson
50-00
Harry Garrison
25-00
John Garrison
20-00
Gouverneur Kemble
25-00
Daniel Haight
20-00
Mrs. Cooper
20-00
I. W. Dominick
10-00
Mr. Garrison
3-00
Thomas S. Clarkson
3-00
Rev. Samuel R. Johnson
10-00
Murray Hoffman
10-00
Peter A. Jay
3-00
The clergyman of that day, the Rev. J. Sunderland, evidently spent some time in New York for the purpose of soliciting donations in furtherance of this appeal, and we have the good fortune to possess the account of his expenses presented to the Vestry. It is as follows:
1 Later known as Frederick Philipse.
200 The History of St. Philip's Church
Philipstown, Oct. Ist, 1833
S. Philip's Church to James Sunderland, Dr.
To Board N. Y. city 6 days at 1-50 per day, 9-00
To passage and back 3-00
To Board N. Y. City 12 days at 1-50 per day 18-00
To passage and back 3-00
To Directory and Map of the City 2-50
$35-00
The scheme was held in abeyance for lack of sufficient funds, and in 1834 an appeal was made to the Corporation of Trinity Church for assistance. Apart from its wit- ness to financial conditions, it sketches in an interest- ing fashion the conditions of Church life in the High- lands in the thirties. The document is preserved in the archives of Trinity Church and is in the handwriting of Frederick Philipse. It is worded as follows:
To the Corporation of Trinity Church in the City of New York.
The undersigned, on behalf of St. Philip's Church, respectfully ask leave to state,
That St. Philip's Church is situated nearly opposite West Point, with a Population in its vicinity which is now split up into various sects, principally Metho- dists, Baptists, and Episcopalians, and as is usual in Country Parishes most of them are Farmers & others of limited resources, & dependant upon their personal exertions for the support of their families. The greater part of this population in the opinion of your Petitioners could in a short time be united in the sup- port of Episcopalians, were St. Philips either rebuilt or properly repaired. We feel the more confidence in this opinion from the facts, that (with the exception of the Churches at Coldspring of which none is Episcopal, and also of a small Methodist Church
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