USA > New York > Dutchess County > The history of Dutchess County, New York > Part 36
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OBLONG MEETING HOUSE. QUAKER HILL, TOWN OF PAWLING, N. Y.
OBLONG NEETIND HOUSE
OF THE SOLENOPPRE US
TAKEN BERE & MIEL
REVOLUTIONARY SOLDIERS
ARE BURIED SOUTH OF THE ROYU
MEMORIAL STONE AND TABLET.
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TOWN OF PAWLING.
"Pawling Center," as the minutes termed the village about the depot. At a Quarterly held March 25, 1865, the Trustees at Pawling report that they have sold the old church, receiving $1,175 net therefor, and have applied the proceeds toward building a new church at a cost of $6,809. The last entry in this book is a record of a Quarterly Con- ference held June 26, 1869, at South Dover, Presiding Elder A. M. Osborn in chair, Revs. Culver J. Burch and M. R. Lent, Preachers in Charge.
These old records show the interest taken by the early Methodist denomination in the education of the young. At every Conference Meeting the question was brought up: Has the rule concerning the in- struction of children been faithfully attended to? and this duty must have formed no small part of work of those upon whom it devolved. After the year 1855 the minutes are silent on this subject ; which seems to indicate that the present public school system had become so per- fected as to provide for the secular instruction of the young. At a Conference in March, 1856, Brothers Henry Ward's and Archibald Campbell's claims for house rent were taken up; Ward's for $19, Campbell's for $50. Each gave up his claim, and exonerated the Circuit. February 28, 1862, Benjamin H. Burch, age 24, not in debt ; Phineas R. Hawxhurst, age 24, not in debt, were examined and recommended to travel. The present pastor is Rev. Robert L. Ross. The church has recently renovated and decorated the interior of their house of worship, and installed a new church organ.
The unveiling of the copper tablet commemorating the events which have served to render the Oblong Meeting House notable took place on the grounds in front of the edifice in September, 1904. A huge boulder of gneiss had been removed to the church grounds from a farm in Connecticut, and fixed to this stone was the memorial tablet containing these words :
OBLONG MEETING HOUSE Of The Society Of Friends Erected in 1742 South of This Road. Present Meeting House Erected in 1760. First Effective Action Against Slavery Taken Here in 1767. Occupied As Hospital in 1778 By Revolutionary Soldiers Many of Whom Are Buried South of This Road. Meeting Divided in 1828. Meetings Discontinued in This House 1885.
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THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS.
The address was delivered by Mrs. Phebe T. Wanzer, herself a member of the society who last held meetings in the old meeting house. A large concourse of people were present on the occasion, the cere- mony having in it an especial interest.
Akin Hall Association, founded by Albert John Akin,1 was consti- tuted under the laws of the State of New York, the Certificate of Incorporation being filed August 10th, 1882. The objects of the society are the "promotion of benevolence, charity, literature, science and mutual improvement in religion and all kindred cultivation and knowledge and the providing and maintaining of a place or places of education, moral training and worship." The number of trustees shall be sixteen, its place of business and principal office at Quaker Hill, with power to fill vacancies. August 15th, 1892, a reorganization was effected, adopting all the aforesaid features of the Association, except that the number of trustees to manage the business affairs of the organization be limited to five members. It was further provided that when sufficient means shall have come into their hands, the trus- tees were authorized to construct, in addition to the Hall, a free library and provide for its maintenance. This library is now com- pleted, and a librarian is present stated days of the week. The Asso- ciation holds real estates as follows : Akin Hall and Manse, the Library Building, Mizzen Top Hotel and cottages adjacent. A liberal en- dowment has been provided for the maintenance of the various objects of the Association. The official board is now composed as follows : Albro Akin, President; George W. Chase, Treasurer; William H. Os- born, Secretary.
The Bank of Pawling was constituted under the laws of New York State in 1849. Its chief originator was Albert J. Akin, who for forty-four consecutive years held the office of President. In 1865 it was changed from a State to a National Bank, with the name National Bank of Pawling. The present officers are: John B. Dutcher, President ; Theron M. Green, Vice President; J. Gerow Dutcher, Sec- ond Vice President; George W. Chase, Cashier; Joseph F. Haight, Assistant Cashier.
The Pawling Savings Bank was incorporated in 1870, receiving its first deposit in 1871. The first President was David R. Gould, who was conspicuous in its organization, and was indefatigable in his
1. See Part II of this work for biograpicai sketch of Mr. Akin.
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TOWN OF PAWLING.
endeavors for its advancement. William J. Merwin was the first Treasurer, who was succeeded by H. A. Holmes. Its present officers are: William H. Taber, President; George A. Daniels, Treasurer; Benjamin F. Burr, Secretary.
Pawling has a fine water system, the construction of which was be- gun in 1895. The reservoir is some two miles distant, located on a hill about 220 feet above the village level, and gives a pressure of 120 pounds to the square inch. The village was bonded for its con- struction to the amount of $45,000, to be paid in yearly installments, all to be liquidated in 1927. Not only is water furnished for house- hold purposes, but the fine pressure is made serviceable in the driving of water motors and for other mechanical uses, and also for supply- ing the locomotives of the New York Central Railroad. Eight of the bonds have now (1908) been paid off. The annual income to the village from the system is about $2,200, of which the New York Cen- tral pays $1,000. A fire company is maintained, with a hose house well equipped for the fighting of fire.
Publication of the Pawling Pioneer was begun in 1870 by Philip H. Smith, and by him sold to George W. Tice in 1882. Subsequently it was purchased by William Downing, then by Horace Sague, Jr., afterward coming into the possession of Dr. F. M. Robinson, when the name was changed to the Pawling Journal. It was destroyed in the fire which burned the block on which the Ferris Building now stands. In 1891 publication of the Harlem Valley Chronicle was commenced by Philip H. Smith, sold to William T. Chapman in 1894, who conducted it one year, changing the name to the Pawling Chroni- cle, and sold the business to Charles Walsh, who is still its proprietor.
The public school districts of the town, originally ten in number, have been reduced to eight; one having been discontinued, the school house sold, and the territory divided among districts contiguous to it; and another having been merged into that of the High School at Pawling. Two outlying districts-Hurds Corners and Quaker Hill- have modern buildings ; the others have school houses more or less par- taking of the architecture of the past.
The books in the office of the town clerk contain no records of yearly elections previous to 1854. Many valuable records relating to the early days of the town and precinct were destroyed by fire on the
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THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS.
night of May 4th, 1859. The succession of Supervisors from 1854 to 1909 has been as follows:
1854
Sherman Howard
1877-'78 William J. Mervin
1855 James Craft
1879-783
Albert W. Corbin
1856
Sherman Howard
1884
Edwin B. Dodge
1857
William H. Taber
1885
James S. Pearce
1858
Theron M. Green
1886 Edwin B. Dodge
1859
James Craft
1887-'88
Jeremiah S. Pearce
1860 Asa B. Corbin
1889
Albert W. Corbin
1861-'62
Samuel A. Barnum
1890
George F. Lee
1863-'65 David R. Gould
1891-'93
Jeremiab Mead
1866 J. Wesley Stark
1894-'95
Morton Haynes
1867-'68
John J. Vanderburgh
1896-'98 William R. Lee
1869-'70 J. Wesley Stark
1899-'04 Henry A. Holmes
1871-'72 John B. Dutcher
1905-'06
William Downing
1873-'74 William B. Ross
1907-'09
Charles C. Stark
1875-'76
Jedediah I. Wanzer
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TOWN OF PINE PLAINS.
CHAPTER XXVII. THE TOWN OF PINE PLAINS.
BY PHILIP H. SMITH.
T HE town of Pine Plains is one of the northern tier of towns in Dutchess, bordering the county of Columbia. It is bounded on the east by Northeast ; on the west by Milan; on the south by Stanford and Northeast. Extensive plains originally covered by pine forests gave the town its name.
The territory was included in the Little Nine Partners' Patent; together with Milan and a portion of present Northeast it was in 1788 erected into a town, the three being known as Northeast. Milan was taken off in 1818, and Pine Plains was erected into a separate township in 1823. Before these townships were divided the seat of government was at the present village of Pine Plains; here the town records were kept; hither the voters from Spencer's Corners and Northeast Center had to come over the "West Mountain, which is a high ridge of fertile country, well inhabited, stretching from north to south, steep in ascent and descent, and is about three miles over ;" in short, the people of the vicinity of Millerton had to traverse about fifteen miles to reach the place of their annual town meetings, with the result that this duty was almost wholly neglected. The farmers of Milan, on their part, were obliged to pass over Stissing Mountain to and from the polls, and to transact other necessary business ; hence the division of the towns was resolved upon as a matter of general convenience.
The "house of Israel Reynolds" (Stissing House) was designated in the early records as the place where town business was transacted, and where the first town meeting for Pine Plains was held.
In the western part is Stissing Mountain, rising to the height of nearly a thousand feet above the adjacent valleys. At its foot on the east are Thompson's, Stissing and Halcyon Lakes; the principal streams are the Wappingers, flowing south, and the Shekomeko, flow-
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THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS.
ing north. Roeliff Jansen's Kill crosses the extreme northwest cor- ner of the town.
As indicated by the nomenclature of its mountains and streams, the territory was occupied by remnants of Indian tribes when the first white people settled here. By reason of inability to secure a good title to lands, the settlement of Pine Plains was retarded for years; when, therefore, in 1744, or thereabouts, the territory of the Little Nine Partners was surveyed, and divided among the several proprie- tors, so that titles could be legally conveyed, the rights of the Red man to the soil were scarcely recognized. In fact, there is no record in the early deeds of lands in Pine Plains of Indian titles having been first extinguished as a preliminary to the conveyance of property- a specification so frequently met with in the deeds of other parts of the county. In short, the vices and greed of the white man had con- spired to obliterate all traces of the rightful owners of the soil.
Among the early settlers are the names familiar at the present time-Winans, Smith, Harris, Reynolds, Hoffman, Pulver, Deuel, Dibblee, Husted, Stevenson, Rau (Rowe), Seldon and others. The eastern portion of Pine Plains was settled by the Palatines, remnants of a colony of German religious refugees, who had sought the pro- tection of England, and by that power had been given over into the tender hands of land monopolists, who transported them to the vicinity of Rhinebeck and the Catskills, and there set them to work to make tar, pitch, turpentine and resin from the pitchless, dwarfed white pines on Livingston's land grants. Of course the poor Palatines could not create what did not exist, and left to themselves to provide for themselves, they scattered to various points, some seeking homes in Pine Plains.
About 1760 a settler moved into this town and built a cabin on the north side of Little Stissing, near a spring still known as "Hubbell Spring." This was on the road to Mount Ross. When the Tories from the west of Stissing Mountain raided Pine Plains through this pass, Hubbell's cabin was a rallying point for beating them off. His was said to have been an important frontier post, and he had many an exciting chase after the Tories.
When Hubbell came he brought with him, on a sled, a cannon which he used with effect against the armed Tory lads, and which for half a century was on every Fourth of July utilized in all patriotic cele-
407
TOWN OF PINE PLAINS.
brations. It was finally taken to the Hotchkiss foundry at Sharon Valley and exchanged for a smaller one, which has long since gone.
It was not until the close of the Revolution that immigration to Pine Plains set in to any great extent, when settlers began to flock in from the Oblong, Dover, Amenia, Pawling, and from other points. There were Lutherans and Dutch Reformed from the vicinity of the Hud- son ; there were Baptists and Methodists from the Oblong; there were Episcopalians and Congregationalists from the Connecticut Colonies ; then the society of Quakers was established and a house of worship erected; and later the denomination of Christians organized a church and held stated worship; in a word, nearly every Protestant organi- zation is now, or has been, represented in the religious history of the town.
At first one house of worship might suffice for more than one de- nomination, where the congregations would be composed of members of distinct societies, who would listen in turn to the exponents of diverse creeds. This did not always tend to unity of heart and belief, and as soon as was practicable, each sect worshiped in its own church with a stated pastor.
The prosperity of Pine Plains has been retarded by an adherence to that relic of England's custom of land tenures, that is to say, life lease-holds. The stranger on his first stop at the village of Pine Plains is sure to be impressed with the sight of a prosperous village built on one side of the principal street. On account of lease-hold tenure the land on the other side was not available for building lots. Happily that condition of things is no more, and the abnormal growth of the town to one side will in time be remedied.
At the first town election of Pine Plains, Tuesday, April 1, 1823, Israel Harris was elected Supervisor, Reuben W. Bostwick, Town Clerk ; Samuel Russell and Isaac Sherwood, Overseers of the Poor.
The company business of the town of Pine Plains and Northeast. was settled as far as could be before the spring elections. The Legis- lative act authorizing their separation provided for the disposition of the highway money, leaving the school money and the division of the. town paupers and the poor fund to be determined by the towns inter- ested. Those constituting the board for the settlement of the latter. question were: for Pine Plains, Israel Harris, Supervisor; Samuel Russell and Isaac Sherwood, Overseers; for Northeast, Philo M.
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THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS.
Winchell, Supervisor; Eben Wheeler and Enos Hopkins, Overseers. The settlement was based upon the tax list of the territory before the division.
The early settlers of Pine Plains, such as were of the Lutheran and German Reformed creed, were perforce required to attend service at points on the Hudson, whither they went in primitive fashion, twenty miles and more, on horseback, with a child in front and one or more seated behind. Once a settler from Carman's Mill, in fording the Shekomeko, met with a mishap, and a child intended for baptism at the distant church, fell into the stream and was drowned. Under such difficulties were church relations kept up until about the year 1746, when the "Old Round Top," so named from the shape of its roof, was built at what is now "Bethel." This was at one time a business center ; here is located the oldest cemetery in the town, where the forefathers of the hamlet sleep. Here stood the "bark church," built by the Moravians, and where those early self-sacrificing preach- ers ministered to the Indians-when permitted to do so by the Sheriff of the County. To this mission people often came from Rhinebeck to hear these missionaries, and the audiences often numbered two hundred.
The deed for the land on which the "Old Round Top" was erected, granted in 1769, twenty-three years after the edifice was built, states that the building was designed "for the worship of Almighty God as practiced by the Lutheran Evangelical Churches." At the dedica- tion in 1840 of the Union Bethel Church, which stands near the site of the old building, the Rev. A. Wackerhagen, a Lutheran, was pres- ent, and said: "We are on interesting ground; a hundred years ago a church was erected to Almighty God on this spot, and to-day, after the passing of a century, we have dedicated another to His Most Holy Name."
The road now runs through the land described by this deed, and makes two cemeteries ; that west of the road being used for a general burying ground. The old church site was in the cemetery on the east side, where the present monument to William A. Rowe-a de- scendant of one of the grantees in the deed-is erected.
In 1753, Abraham Reinke, a Moravian, was sent to preach to the white people at Sharon, at their urgent request. He preached at Salisbury, at Oblong (Amenia Union), in the Round Top at Nine Partners (Bethel), and at Livingston Manor.
409
TOWN OF PINE PLAINS.
In its day Round Top was widely known. It is now ascertained that Dr. Quitman of Rhinebeck preached here in the years previous to 1815, at which time the Presbyterian church at Pine Plains was completed; then he preached in the latter church, the Lutherans hav- ing one-fourth interest in the building. This drew away the interest in Round Top as a special center. The old second church was never completed inside; benches were used for seats; after a time repairs were needed, and money for that purpose was subscribed, but the re- pairs were never made. The next year the clapboards were torn off and the frame sold at auction. The business of the town had drifted to Pine Plains, where was afterward to be the religious center as well.
The old Red Church at Pulvers is of interest in this connection. As has been stated, the Lutheran and German, Reformed elements came into Pine Plains with the Palatine settlers. At first both used the Round Top church. In 1772 the Reformed church built a meet- ing house on the present Herman Pulver farm, which was painted red, and was known far and wide as the Red Church. Rev. G. D. Koch was the first preacher in this building, hence it was called "Koch's Meeting House." Like Round Top, it was never finished inside; beside, it was also distant from the religious and commercial center of the town; which contributed towards hastening the end of the old Red Church. This building ceased to be about the year 1823.
The chief mover in the establishment of the Society of Friends, or Quakers, as they were more commonly called, was Charles Hoag, who settled on a farm near Bethel, on which a Quaker church was after- wards built. Quite a number of associate Quakers living within go-to- meeting distance of each other were "allowed" to hold meeting twice a week at the house of Charles Hoag. The parent society that exercised ecclesiastical jurisdiction over "The Northeast Society of Friends," -as the meeting at Charles Hoag's was officially termed-was located at Stanfordville. A committee had been appointed by the "Quarterly Meeting" at Nine Partners to attend the meeting "allowed" at Hoag's, which committee reported to the ecclesiastical head that they felt "freedom to propose a continuance of the same, under the care of a suitable committee." They were therefore allowed to hold meetings on the "first' and "fourth" days of the week, except monthly prepara- tion and quarterly meeting weeks.
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THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS.
In due time they set about building a meeting house. On the "19th of the fourth month," 1806, a building committee advised that a house be built "30 by 20 feet, and 10 feet posts," which was com- pleted by the 20th of June following. Ezra Bryan, one of the early members of the Society, was its builder-a plain building with long steep roof and high gables. There were two doors for entrance, the right for "mankind," the left for "womankind." There were long seats with comfortable back rails, the distinguishing feature being the high wood partition running through the center to "hide the women from the men and the girls from the boys." A small raised platform was at the rear and with seats facing the audience; these were for the officials and preachers. It was about this time that Elias Hicks appeared on the arena; but the doctrine he advanced, which rent the society in twain finally, did not do its full work until some years later.
Thomas Ellison was a prominent Quaker preacher here. There was a pleasing melody in his voice, and this together with that peculiar "chaunt" in the Quaker preacher's custom of speaking in meeting, made him popular with the public. This manner of speaking is de- scribed as a kind of singing oratory, so natural to some people, and hence pleasant to listen to.
In 1812 Charles Hoag opened a boarding school for boys and girls at his own dwelling. Jacob Willett and his wife, Deborah Rog- ers, were employed by him as teachers. These instructors afterward became prominent in the county as leaders in education; the Nine Partners School is still spoken of with the highest esteem; Willett's Arithmetic had a high place in the curriculum of the schools of that day.
As has been said, there were not, among the various adherents of the several religious denominations, in early Pine Plains, enough of any one sect to build and support a church ; hence, "Articles of Asso- ciation for the building of the Union Meeting House on Pine Plains" were entered into. A lot was purchased at the price of one hundred and fifty dollars on which to build it. Silas Harris and William Woodin were chosen to go to Catskills to purchase lumber and material, for which purpose they were on February 13, 1815; paid $222. Great was the enthusiasm over the building of the church; it was the special enterprise of that year.
The building was begun in April. Ten steps were required to get
JACOB S. HINSDALE.
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TOWN OF PINE PLAINS.
into the high pulpit. A window was in the rear of this to facilitate the reading of the scripture and the written sermon. This window was removed, as it was unpleasant for the pew-sitters to gaze at the preacher in its glare. As was then the custom, there was a gallery on three sides, and the heating was by stoves. The pews were offered at public sale February 14, 1816, and the proceeds amounted to over $4,000. In March of that year a meeting was called, at which the following was passed:
Resolved, That the ministers hereafter to be employed to preach in this meeting house shall be selected either from the Presbyterian Society, from the Dutch Reformed Church, from the German Lutheran Church, or from the Episcopal Church, and no other.
This exclusiveness was subsequently relaxed, inasmuch as a min- ister of any denomination was allowed to preach in this house, but the "preached to" must pay the preacher.
In 1836 the first church bell in Pine Plains was hung in the square belfry of this church. It was rung on all occasions of celebration, and tolled the age of each citizen at his death, in addition to the call for church services. Previous to 1840 a church organ was pur- chased at $400; this organ is still doing service after the lapse of over half a century.
The church underwent extensive repairs in 1879. Huntting says there were mingled feelings of regret and joy, at the last service in the old edifice. Its antique internal architecture, hallowed by asso- ciations of more than a generation, was to be marred by vandal hands ; something "modern" in structure and convenience was to take its place. Dr. Bevan of New York preached the sermon at its rededica- tion. The drift of his discourse was to the effect that the building was no longer a union meeting house; that it was to be thereafter strictly a Presbyterian Church.
In June, 1833, William N. Sayre and Sarah A. Marshall were married. Shortly after he was ordained to preach by the North River Presbytery. On the way to fill an appointment he stopped at the Stissing House, where he learned there was no stated preaching in this church. He made an appointment for Pine Plains, with the result that in September of 1833 he preached the first sermon of an unbroken pastorate of fifty years.
When Mr. Sayre first came the building was used by four denomi-
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THE COUNTY OF DUTCHESS.
nations, so he occupied the pulpit but one Sunday in each month, unless a vacancy occurred. In 1847 the resolution was passed "that Rev. W. N. Sayre occupy the pulpit of the Pine Plains church statedly every Sabbath." June 24th, 1883, Mr. Sayre preached his fiftieth annual sermon, when he resigned.
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