History of Westchester county : New York, including Morrisania, Kings Bridge, and West Farms, which have been annexed to New York City, Vol. II, Part 94

Author: Scharf, J. Thomas (John Thomas), 1843-1898,
Publication date: 1886
Publisher: Philadelphia : L.E. Preston & Co.
Number of Pages: 1286

USA > New York > Westchester County > History of Westchester county : New York, including Morrisania, Kings Bridge, and West Farms, which have been annexed to New York City, Vol. II > Part 94

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The board of trustees in 1884 was constituted as follows: William A. Hunt, Isaac Kipp, Isaac J. Baxter, S. D. Horton, George W. Bagley, George W. Robertson, W. Jordan, G. W. Denike. The stewards were William Beattys, Joshua R. Purdy, William H. Lent, Andrew R. Soper, J. Frank Sccor, Robert Mae- kellar, James Robertson, Thomas N. Avery and Joseph Sparrow.

THE WESLEYAN METHODIST CHURCH .- The sit- tings of the First Methodist Church of Peekskill were free until 1839, at which time the practice of renting them was begun. In consequence of dissatisfaction at this innovation twelve members withdrew and organized a society. John Lyon was the leader of the movement and became the preacher. They were not recognized by the New York Confereuee, aud attached themselves to the Wesleyan Methodist Church, commonly kuown as the Primitive Method- ists. They built a small chapel iu the year 1839 on

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HISTORY OF WESTCHESTER COUNTY.

Broad Street, between Park and Brown. The church has had numerous pastors, but at present (1884) is without any. The number of members does not ex- ceed twenty-five.

The church is popularly referred to as the " Pond- Lily Church," from the fact of its being located in a lot which formerly flourished with pond-lilies.

THE PROTESTANT METHODISTS AND THE CHRIS- TIAN DISCIPLES. - In 1827 a society of Protestant Methodists was organized in Peekskill, and Novem- ber 23, 1836, was incorporated, John Spock, Wil- liam R. Steel and Thomas Blackney being trustees. Their meeting-house, a small frame building, has been located on Park Street for many years. The congregation fell into decline, and in 1880 sold their meeting-house to a congregation of Christian Dis- ciples, otherwise known as Campbellites, and passed out of existence.

The Disciples began to hold their meetings in 1872 in the house of R. Harrisou, a potter doing business on Broad Street, north of Main. December 13, 1873, they were organized as a congregation by Elder Dex- ter Moody, of Troy, N. Y. The number of their originators was three, but in 1882 the church had over fifty adherents. In that year a split occurred, owing to the teaching by one party of doctrines held by the other to be unscriptural, such as the theory of evolution, the impersonality of the devil, etc., and the portion calling themselves the orthodox party with drew, leaving the congregation considerably reduced in size.

THE FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH .- A society of Bap- tists existed in the town of Cortlandt at a very early date, as would appear from a document bearing date of December 17, 1772, in which Caleb Hall, Sr., Isaac Horton, Sr., Daniel Hall, Richard Williams, Nathan Elliott, John Poun, Joshua Horton, Caleb Hall, Jr., Nathan Brown and Oliver Yeomans obli- gate themselves each to contribute one-tenth part of a sum of money necessary to pay off the debt remain- ing on a church recently created by "the society of people called Baptists."1 This church, according to Bolton, was located on the six acres of land at Cort- landtville given for church and school purposes, and directly on the site of the preseut school-house. An entry in the books of the Baptist Church in York- town is to the effect that on the 14th of October, 1823, a request was received from the Baptist Church at Peekskill (undoubtedly the one mentioned above), asking that they dismiss a number of their members to revive the congregation there. Reuben Garretson and four others were dismissed to the Peekskill Church in accordance with this request, but the society passed out of existence, nevertheless, at a period probably not much later.

The church known at present as the First Baptist

Church of Peekskill was organized by a council that met in the Reformed Dutch Church October 4, 1843. The number of original members was ten.

The congregation first met in a room hired of Aaron Travis, corner of South and Division Streets, and afterward in au upper room iu a house on Divi- sion Street, hired of James Brown. The site of the present church was bought of James Brewer May 1, 1844, and a house of worship was begun, which was finished aud occupied in April, 1846. The next year the church was dedicated. In 1871 the present church was built at a cost of ten thousand dollars. The pas- tors of the church have been as follows :

October, 1×43 Rev. Edward Conover

November, 1844 . Rev. C. C. Williams

September, 1846 . Rev. A. P. Buel

May, 1849 . . Rev. C. H. Underhill

Rev. J. E. Reynolds

June, 1852 . Rev. N. W. Minor

July, 1855 . . Rev. George Silver

August, 1857 Rev. George G. Ferguson

May, 1859 Rev. llinton S Lloyd

November, 1860 . Rev. Il. C. Townly

November, 1865

Rev. J. W. Taylor

June, 1866. . Rev. C. W. Palmer

September, 1867 Rev. Il. W. Webber

May, 1870. . . Rev. C. J. Page

November, 1875 . Rev. V. Osterhout

August, 1877 Rev. J. B. Smith, D.D

March, 1882 . . Rev. Charles Coleman

February 1, 1883 Rev. William 1). Hledden

THE SOCIETY OF FRIENDS .- An organization of the Society of Friends was effected in Peekskill iu 1804, the principal members being Nathaniel Browne, James Merritt and Joshua Weeks. The society at first worshipped in a stone building on the rear of the property on South Street now owned by William Tompkins, and later in a meeting-house built in 1811 on property given for the purpose by Nathaniel Browne. It is a small frame structure with shingled sides, and is located on South Street, west of Wash- ington.

In 1828, owing to the division of the society throughout the country into the Hicksite branch and the branch calling themselves the Orthodox Friends, the latter party in Peekskill withdrew from the old meeting-house, leaving the Hicksites in possession. Two or three years after the separation the Orthodox party began meeting in a building almost opposite the present location of the post-office, and in 1857 purchased a lot on Crompond Street, where the pres- ent church was erected.

The principal members of the Hicksite party at the time of division were Joshua Weeks, Zopher Jones, Stephanus Hunt, Gilbert Dickinson, James H. Conklin and John C. Conklin. Prominent among the Orthodox Friends were James Brown, Stephen Brown and Nathaniel Bedell. The strength of the society when united was about sixty members. Both congregations have greatly diminished in numbers and rarely hold meetings at present.

ST. PETER'S EPISCOPAL CHURCH OF PEEKSKILL .-

1 Illanchard speaks of two churches at the old village fitted up as hos- pitals. One was St. Peter's, and the other the Baptist church

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CORTLANDT.

A congregation of Episcopalians was formed in Pecks- kill as early as 1820, under the name of St. Paul's Church. In 1838 the glebe owned jointly by St. Peter's Church, at Cortlandtville, and St. Philip's Church, of Putnam County, having been sold for five thou- sand dollars, the proceeds were divided equally and the twenty-five hundred dollars belonging to St. Peter's Church, together with a donation of one thousand dollars from Trinity Church, of New York City, were used the same year to erect a chapel for the Episco- palians in Peekskill. Owing to its more central situ- ation it became at once of more importance than the parent church, and finally, as narrated in the history of the latter, superseded it entirely. By an act of incorporation passed in 1840, it received the title of "St. Peter's Church, Cortlandt, in the Village of Peekskill." The church is a frame structure, built in the Gothic style.

The successive rectors have been as follows :

Installed.

April, 1×38 . . Rev. William C. Cooley

March 3, 1841 Rev. Moses Marcus

June 7, 1843 . Rev. William Barlow

April 25, 1848 . Rev. George S Gordon

October 12, 1854 . . Rev. Edmund Roberts

December 5, 1863. Rev. Jolin Rutherford Matthews

October 1, 1865 Rev. Erskine M. Rodman

February 10, 1869 Rev. Francis Harison

September 16, 1873 . . Rev. William Fisher Lewis

September, 1881 . Rev. N. F. Putnam

June, 1883 Rev. George Mcclellan Fiske

The Rev. Mr. Lewis resigned to accept the reetor- ship of Emmanuel Church, at La Grange, Illinois, and the Rev. Mr. Putnam, after his resignation iu October, 1882, became assistant rector of St. Mark's Cathedral, Salt Lake City, Utah. The present rector comes from Philadelphia.

During the last two rectorships a fund has been started for the erection of a new house of worship. In 1844 the uumber of families and parts of families in connection with the church was one hundred and thirty-eight, and the number of individuals six hun- dred. The number of communicants was two hin- dred and twenty-nine; of Sunday school teachers, twenty ; and of scholars, two hundred. The contri- butions for the year amounted to three thousand thrce hundred dollars. Every Sunday there are three pub- lic services, and the church is open for morning and evening prayer daily.

From 1876 to 1884 the Rev. Henry M. Torbert was assistant minister of the parish. The present officers of the church are as follows: Wardens, Hon. Owen T. Coffin and Calvin Frost; Vestrymen, Thomas Snowden, M.D., James H. Robertson, Jr., Colonel Charles J. Wright, Valentine Hauf, Philip Hoffman, Hon. James W. Husted, J. Van Ness Smith and Charles F. Southard ; William T. Aisthorpe is super- intendent of the Sunday-school; F. R. Manser is choir-master ; and Mrs. Julia Depew, organist.

THE REFORMED DUTCH CHURCH .- In the history of the First Presbyterian Church of Peekskill has

been given an account of the formation, in 1813, of an Iudependent Presbyterian congregation, which met in " the church on the hill," on Diven Street. After the withdrawal of the Presbyterian clement there- from, the church became Congregational in character. It fell into a state of weakness, however, and in the year 1831 made overtures for a union with the Re- formed Dutch Church at Verplanck's Point, then the ouly church of that faith in the town. These pro- posals were favorably entertained, the property and debt of the Peekskill congregation were assumed and the members were received under the title of "the Reformed Dutch Church of Cortlandtown." The num> ber of members at the time was eleven, six of whom were women. Under the terms of the consolidation, the pastor of the Verplauck's Church was to preach in the village church part of the time, but all the bap- tisms, marriages and the names of communicants were to be registered at Verplanck's. Under the min- istry of Dr. Cornelius D. Westbrook, aud owing chiefly to his energetic efforts, the old "church on the hill " and the land surrounding it were sold and a new and more centrally located church was built on the south side of Main Street about two hundred feet east of Division Street. The corner-stone of this struc- ture was laid April 29, 1839, and it was finished the same year. It was a frame building.

The church was incorporated January 3, 1843, and ealled the Van Nest Reformed Dutch Church, the title being given in respect to Abraham Van Nest, of New York, a friend of Dr. Westbrook, and a bene- factor of the church. The first board of trustees were as follows : James Goetchius, William Leavins, John P. Cruger, Washington S. Whitney, J. Henry Ferris, Thomas Nelsou, Hercules Lent, Charles A. G. Depew and Nehemiah S. Jacobs.

September 1, 1850, the Van Nest Reformed Dutch Church became a distinct organization. January 7, 1864, the corner-stone of the present house of wor- ship, at the corner of James and Main Streets, was laid, and December 28, 1864, the building was occu- pied by the congregation. The old church was sokl and the proceeds were used to purchase the lot on which its successor was built. The present church is a handsome brick structure, built in Gothic style, on a lot forty-six by one hundred feet in extent. The tower is eighty-five feet high.

The pastors of the church have been as follows :

Rev. Robert Kirkwood. installed October 21, 1831.

Rev. Cornelius Depew Westbrook, installed October 3, 1836.

Rev. Charles Duryee Buck, installed May 14, 1851 ; resigned Novem- ber 1, 1870.

Rev. Jeremiah Searle, installed May 31, 1871 ; resigned March, 1>73.

Rev. John B. Thompson, installed July 23, 1873 ; resigned July I, 1874.

Rev. Isaac L. Kip, installed May 25, 1875 ; resigned Angust 1, 1879.

Rev. A. Messler Quick, installed February, 1883 ; resigned September 1, 1883.

Rev. Ilenry De Vries, installed March 25, 1884 ; present pastor.

For eleven months subsequcut to October 31, 1879, Rev. William H. Miller preached as supply. -

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HISTORY OF WESTCHESTER COUNTY.

The number of members in the year 1884 was eighty- four, and of scholars enrolled in the Sunday-school sixty-seven. Dr. J. B. Gregory is superintendent. The elders are Dr. J. B. Gregory, Samuel Pugsley, Benson Dyekman and William Birdsall. The deacons are H. B. Strang, E. M. Powell, Isaac Pugsley and Mel- vin Cronk.

ROMAN CATHOLIC-THE CHURCH OF THIE AS- SUMPTION.1-The Catholies of Peekskill attended clurch at Verplanek's Point until the year 1858. In that year, at the time of the Feast of the Nativity, Peekskill was established as a mission, under the charge of Rev. Nicholas O'Donnell, of Verplanek's, and afterwards attended from that place.

A hall was procured in Division Street, between Centre and South Streets, where divine services were held.

Father P. L. Madden was appointed pastor August, 1863, and through his exertions and the zeal of the leading Catholics, the present church was ereeted in 1865.

He was succeeded by Rev. James Hasson, whose pastorate extended from July, 1866, until 1871.

Rev. Dr. Patrick McSweeney became next pastor, and remained until February, 1872, when he was sue- ceeded by Rev. J. Griffin. Father Griffin remained in charge until 1873, when Rev. Wm. P. Flannelly was appointed pastor. He continued to exereise the office until 1879, when Rev. Michael Callaghan was ap- pointed pastor, with Rev. T. A. MeCabe as assistant,

The church is a modest and pretty brick building of the Gothic style of architecture, situated on Union Street, and is capable of seating about five hundred people. The number of members is about thirteen hundred. The lay members of the board of trustees in 1884 were James Oates and Peter McGovern.

. About one and a half miles from the centre of Peekskill, on Mt. Florence, on the Furnace Woods road, on the property formerly owned by D. H. Craig, is an institution belonging to the Order of Sisters of the Good Shepherd. It was purchased by them eight or nine years ago for the purpose of establishing a Novitiate of their order. The design of the Novitiate is to train Sisters for the work of earing for and re- forming those of their own sex who have fallen from virtue.

Near Cortlandville is the Boland Farm2 of two hundred and forty acres of land, purchased from James Sherwood by the managers of the Roman Catholic Orphan Asylum of New York about 1871, out of a fund bequeathed for the purpose by a sea- captain named Boland, which, with the accumn- lated interest, amounted at the time of the pur- chase to fifty thousand dollars. In 1875 a four-story brick building, forty by one hundred feet in extent, was erected, containing accommodations for one hun-

dred and thirty persons. The large boys from the Roman Catholic Orphan Asylum on Fifth Avenue, New York, are sent thither and instructed in farming or other useful work, and in the elementary branches of study. They are not retained on the farm after reaching the age of sixteen years, but homes are ob- tained for them in well-regulated families. The farm has been, since September, 1876, under the charge of the Brothers of the Christian Schools, a society num- bering about twelve thousand members and three hundred novitiates, and having for their object the Christian education of youth. The number of orphan boys on the farm in 1884 was about one hundred.

ZION AFRICAN METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCHI was organized in 1878, and was presided over for the first three years of its existence by the Rev. George E. Smith. His successors were as follows, in order : Rev. George E. Jakson for one year, Rev. Joseph P. Smith for one year, Rev. Thomas C. Johnson for one year, and Rev. Andrew V. Dickson, the present pas- tor, who assumed charge in June, 1882.

During the time of the Rev. George E. Smith the congregation built for themselves a house of worship on Highland Avenue, near Orchard Street. They were unable to pay for it, and it was sold under fore- closure after a few years. They were still allowed to hold their meetings there, however, and in 1884 the sum of twelve hundred and fifty dollars had been col- lected towards buying baek the church, which is valued at twenty-five hundred dollars. The number of members in 1884 was only six, but the average attendance each Sunday was forty or fifty. A flour- ishing Sunday-sehool in addition was attended by forty scholars. William Crumb is its superintendent. The trustees of the church are as follows : Charles E. States, Henry Tunson, Abram Jackson, David Jack- son and George Hutchison.

EDUCATION.

DISTRICT SCHOOLS OF PEEKSKILL .- The village of Peekskill is embraced in School Districts Nos. 7 and 8, which are the most populous in the town. Each contains a large and handsome school-house. The histories of these districts are as follows:

The first school-house in District No. 7, and indeed of the village of Peekskill, was situated on the brow of the hill, on the north side of South Street, about half-way from Division Street to the foot of the hill. It was burnt, as a map of "the village as it was in 1800" records, about the beginning of the century. Its successor was " the old yellow school-house," which probably stood in the same place, and was just oppo- site the present residence of William Amos.

About the year 1849 a new and large school-house was erected on a lot on the north side of South Street, some hundred feet or more east of the old one, and just opposite the foot of Smith Street. The school becoming too small, an effort was made to combine with District No. 8 in constructing one large school,

) By the pastor, Rev. Michael Callaghan.

" On this farin was the first landing for bonts at Peekskill.

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CORTLANDT.

which resulted in a junetion that was dissolved in a few months. In 1859 three and a half aeres of ground were purchased on Drum Hill for fifteen hundred dollars, and a school-house was ereeted the same year for about seven thousand dollars. In the year 1860 the district was organized under the general Union Free-School District Law, and Messrs. Philander Stewart, Sanford R. Knapp, George W. Raymond, Owen T. Coffin and John R. Benediet were ehosen the first Board of Education. The building was en- larged in 1881. Iu 1884 Mr. George F. Cole was prineipal, and had ten assistants.

The records of Union Free-Sehool Distriet No. 8, at Peekskill, are very meagre until the year 1844, but it is known that the distriet was in existence some time previous to 1829. The first sehool-house in the district was probably a little building which stood on Mill Street, and which was at one time taught by Coffin S. Brown. Districts No. 8 aud No. 7 were joined by resolution of the commissioners of schools passed February 5, 1840, but this action was not popu- lar, and the resolution was reseinded on June 24th following.

A meeting of the inhabitants of the distriet held October 8, 1844, authorized the purchase of a lot on the corner of James and Howard Streets for five hundred and seventy-one dollars, for the ereetion of a new school-house. The school-house was completed the next year at a eost, for the structure itself, the lot, the fenees and improvements on the lot, of $2085.55. December 22, 1858, the distriet beeame a Union Free- Sehool Distriet. William Nelson, John Ombony and Ephraim D. Fuller were the first Board of Education.

From the year 1869, an agitation was earried on for the purehase of a new site and the ereetion of a new school building, but it was only on March 17, 1882, that the present site was selected. The corner-stone of a new sehool-house was laid June 28, 1882, and the building was dedieated September 17, 1884.

The school is a very handsome briek building which stands in a large lot bounded by Abbey Street on the south, Hadden Street on the west, Paulding Street on the north and Decatur Street on the east. The cost of the lot was six thousand dollars, and of the building, complete, thirty-four thousand dollars, making the total eost forty thousand dollars.

The school opened with Mr. J. D. Sherman as principal and with eight assistant teachers.

ACADEMIES.

In Peekskill are located four academies, which are well attended and possessed of high reputations. They are the Peekskill Military Academy, the West- chester County Institute, St. Gabriel's Sehool for Young Ladies and the Academy of Our Lady of Angels.

THE PEEKSKILL MILITARY ACADEMY. - The Peekskill Military Academy is the oldest and best

known of Peekskill's educational institutions. The original building was a square frame structure, which is still standing, and was built in the year 1834 by a eapital of five thousand dollars, which was subscribed in five-dollar shares by the eitizens of Peekskill. William Nelson, Tyler Fountain and Frederiek W. Requa were the first trustees, and Wil- liam Nelson was an especially generous subseriber to the ereetion fund.

The cost of the original building was five thousand one hundred and twenty-seven dollars. The first principal was Lyman Thompson. The institution was opened, in the fall of 1837, with forty-seven stu- dents. May 20, 1841, Audrew Huntington succeeded Mr. Thompson as principal. He remained until April, 1843, when he resigned. He was followed in May, 1843, by Albert Wells, who held the position until July 15, 1873. Colonel Charles J. Wright and Robert Donald then beeame principals; but, on the dissolution of the partnership, on January 28, 1880, the whole management of the institution fell into the hands of Colonel Wright, who has remained at the head of affairs ever since. The number of seholars during the school-year 1883-84 was one hundred and thirty-two, some of whom had come from South Ameriea, the West Indies and other foreign places.

The academy has frequently been enlarged, as the number of the seholars increased, and the buildings at present are quite extensive. The property is val- ued at about seventy-five thousand dollars. The academy is situated in a lot of about six acres, on an eminenee known as Oak Hill. On the grounds stands the spreading oak tree on which the spy, Daniel Strang, was executed during the Revolution. The view from the building is very fine.

In addition to rooms for the elasses of the various departments, the academy contains a laboratory well supplied with apparatus for praetieal work in ehem- istry and physies, a drawing-room, a musie-room and an observatory supplied with an exeellent seven-foot teleseope. There is a fine gymnasium, a library con- taining one thousand volumes and a reading-room, which is supplied with a number of periodieals.

There are four courses of study which may be pur- sued: the Classical, four years in length, which is designed to prepare the studeut to enter the most advaneed college; the Modern Language course of four years, which substitutes Freneh and German for the Latin and Greek of the classical course; the English course, of four years ; the Engineering course, of four years, and the Commercial eourse, of one year.

The academy is under the control of the Board of Regents of the State of New York. The Board of Trustees contains twelve members, who in 1884 were as follows: Hon. Owen T. Coffin, president; Sanford R. Knapp, secretary; Nathaniel Dain, treasurer, and Edward Wells, Coffin S. Brown, William P. Ray- inond, Uriah Hill, Jr., Jacob MI. Shipley, D. F. Clapp,

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HISTORY OF WESTCHESTER COUNTY.

William Mabic, D. S. Herrick and Frederick R. Fields.

Among the graduates who have attained distinction may be mentioned General James M. Husted, Chaun- eey M. Depew and Theodore Hyatt, the president of the Pennsylvania Military Academy.

Colonel Charles J. Wright, whose name has been elosely identified with thesuccessful progress of Peeks- kill Military Academy during the last twelve years, was born at St. Johnsbury, Vt., October 21, 1839. After ob- taining a preparatory education in the public schools of Boston, he entered IIobart College, Geneva, N. Y., where he graduated in June, 1861. Foremost among the sons of New England to aid in the preservation of the Union, he enlisted in the army as a private of Com- pauy G, Sixteenth Regiment New Hampshire Vol- unteers, and served with that eommand under Butler and Banks, at New Orleans, as sergeant, sergeant- major and lieutenant, having been promoted for the daring displayed in conveying dispatches from Com- modore Farragut to General Banks at Port Hudson, through the enemy's country, for which duty he was selected from among many volunteers on account of his peculiar fitness. In 1864 he was promoted to lieu- tenant-colonel, and on July 30th of the same year was severely wounded at Petersburg. After the capture of Fort Fisher, in January, 1865, Colonel Wright was sent forward to reconnoitre. In making notes of the position of the enemy he observed a company of Con- federates firing at the Union forces, and beiug armed with a repcatiug rifle, he opened fire upon them in return. His movements attracted the attention of a Confederate sharpshooter concealed in the branelies of a neighboring tree, and a well-directed shot in- flicted upon Colonel Wright a dangerous and almost fatal wound. When the government resolved to en- list freedmen in the military service, he was actively employed in organizing and drilling the colored troops, and was at different times in command of the Twenty- seventh and Thirty-ninth Regiments of United States Colored Infantry. At the close of the war he was in command at Boonville, N. C., and was unceasing in his efforts to restore order in that section of the country.

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History of Westchester county : New York, including Morrisania, Kings Bridge, and West Farms, which have been annexed to New York City, Vol. II, Part 94

Author: Scharf, J. Thomas (John Thomas), 1843-1898, Publication date: 1886 Publisher: Philadelphia : L.E. Preston & Co. Number of Pages: 1286

Author: Scharf, J. Thomas (John Thomas), 1843-1898,
Publication date: 1886
Publisher: Philadelphia : L.E. Preston & Co.
Number of Pages: 1286