USA > New York > Rockland County > The history of Rockland County > Part 24
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46
217
pany. For a short time the boats were in the hands of a receiver, and then were bought by A. M. C. Smith and continued on the old route. For a brief period an opposition was kept up by D. D. Smith, but a fatal acci- dent on the boat he had chartered-The Magenta-caused the vessel to be withdrawn, and no further attempt was made to hold the route by the long time proprietors.
Chronological list of Steamboats to Nyack and Haverstraw.
1828. ORANGE. Captain John White, Jr., followed by Harman Felter and Isaac P. Smith.
1831. ORANGE. Since time of starting.
66 ROCKLAND. Built Piermont. Captain David Clark, followed by Jacob Mausell. Opposi- tion to Orange. Route from Upper Nyack. Later to Haverstraw.
1838. WARREN. Built in New York. Sold in 1850 and named Swallow. Burned in 1850 with loss of life.
= ARROW. Built at Nyack, and was the second steamboat built there. Burned twice at the Nyack landing. Rebuilt and named, at different times, George Washington, Broad- way, Metropolitan, and Broadway again. Burst a flue in 1866, with loss of life, and condemned.
1845. WARREN. Captain Jake Mausell.
66 ARROW.
66 ORANGE. By Rockland County Farmers' Association to Upper Nyack.
66 UNION. Freight boat from Nyack, owned by A. P. Smith.
1850. STRANGER. Freight boat in place of Union, owned by A. P. Sinith.
SWALLOW. Captain Mausell. Burned.
ARROW. Captain S. A. Vervalen.
NORWALK. To replace the burned Swallow.
1852. GEORGE WASHINGTON. Formerly Arrow.
ISAAC P. SMITH. Built from wreck of the Warren-Swallow. Captain George McDonald. THOMAS E. JIULSE. Morning boat. Captain E. Van Wart. Pilot, Alfred Conklin.
VINTON. Ferryboat from Ilaverstraw to Crugers. Later a small boat named Three Bells.
1853. GEORGE WASHINGTON. Captain R. T. Blanch.
JENNY LIND, for a short time. Morning boat. Also the John Farron, opposition to the Hulse.
DANIEL. DREW. Ferryboat from Nyack to Tarrytown, owned by A. P. Smith.
1854. ISAAC P. SMITH. Captain R. T. Blanch.
GEORGE WASHINGTON. Captain A. A. Lydecker.
THOMAS E. HULSE. Morning boat.
SARAH. Ferryboat from Haverstraw to Peekskill.
J. J. HERRICK. Ferryboat from Nyack to Tarrytown.
1856. ISAAC P. SMITH.
METAMORA. Opposition boat on the West Shore. Captain William Perry.
BROADWAY. Opposition boat on the East Shore. Captain House.
66 GEORGE LAW. Opposition boat.
THOMAS E. HULSE. Morning boat from New York.
1860. METAMORA. Captain R. T. Blanch. Ran from New York to Newburgh, stopping at Peck's Dock.
BROADWAY. Captain F. Frost.
66 ISAAC P. SMITH. Captain G. O. House.
218
1860. EDWIN. Freight and passenger boat from Nyack, of Smith's Line, Named later Cham- pion. AURORA. Captain Anning Smith. Morning boat from New York. Became Norwalk in 1865.
DANIEL DREW. Captain J. F. Tallman. Albany boat, stopping at Peck's Dock.
ARMENIA. Captain Isaac P. Smith. Albany boat, stopping at Peck's Dock. This boat was built by Cox, Radford & Colyer, and ran opposition to the Smiths for part of a season, when they bought her and put her on the Albany route.
1861. METAMORA. Captain J. F. Tallman. Two trips a day from Haverstraw. 5.45 A. M. and 12.45 P. M.
66 ISAAC P. SMITH.
BROADWAY.
AURORA
M. S. ALLISON. Captain Field. Ran from Sing Sing to Newburgh.
AMERICA. This boat was obtained by Smith's Line in exchange for the Champion, She soon took her original name, Peter G. Coffin, and ran thus till 1871, when she was re- built and called the Alexis. At a later date this name was changed to Riverdale. Her boiler exploded off New York, in 1883, with loss of life.
1865. ISAAC P. SMITH.
ARMENIA. On the East Shore for a time.
J. B. SCHUYLER. Captain F. Frost. On the East Shore.
66 NORWALK. Formerly Aurora.
IDA PELL. Ferryboat at Haverstraw in 1864,
1870 CHRYSTENAH. Built entirely new at Nyack in 1867. Always run on West Shore. Pilot and from the start, Alfred Conklin.
since. ADELPHI. Formerly the City of Albany. Rebuilt at Nyack in 1868, and run on the East Shore. Sold in 1879, and is again called City of Albany.
ALEXIS. Formerly Peter G. Coffin, run as a freight and passenger boat till her explosion.
66 RALEIGH. Freight boat.
66 TAPPAN ZEE. Ferryboat at Nyack, built in 1874.
SLEEPY HOLLOW and SUNNY SIDE. Built by a company of New York merchants, and run for two or three years as opposition boats on the East Shore. The former, now called the Long Branch, is used as an excursion boat. The latter was cut through by ice and sunk above Poughkeepsie with loss of life.
66 GENERAL SEDGWICK. Opposition boat on the East Shore.
THOS. COLYER. Opposition boat on the West Shore for a short time.
SHADY SIDE. Opposition on the West Shore for a short time.
66 BOARDMAN. Captain Chas. Stevens. Ran first between Nyack and Newburgh and later between Haverstraw and Newburgh Named now River Belle.
66 G. T. OLYPHANT. Captain Chas. Stephens. Same route as Boardman for a time.
EMELINE. Running from Haverstraw to Newburgh.
Among other boats in the local travel have been the Washington Irving, Telegraph, Antelope, Naushon, Erie, St. Nicholas, and Magenta. Freight boats-Marshall Nye, sunk off Hatteras during the war, Walter Brett, River Queen, Edith Peck, and Maid of Kent. Preceding the ex- tension of the Rockland's trips to Haverstraw, the people of that village were dependent on steamboats from up the river stopping at Grassy Point. Among the boats landing there were the Kosciusko, Cinderella, Water Witch, and General Jackson. In the year 1831, a fierce rivalry
219
existed between the owners of the last named boats, and the latter blew up while lying at the Point with the loss of life.
Four years passed away after the Orange made her first trip, when the initial movement of another advance was begun in this State. New York, ranking as the third city in the new Nation at the close of the Revolution, had been given an impetus by the far-seeing wisdom of De Witt Clinton, and was moving forward with giant strides toward her future material prosperity. Scarcely had the people of this State ceased to talk of the opening of the Erie Canal ; scarcely had the echoes of the cannon, which on that October day in 1825, thundered the news from Buffalo to New York in the unprecedented time of one hour and twenty minutes, that the first fleet of boats had started for tide water, ceased to reverberate along the Hudson Highlands; when a train of cars on the Mohawk and Hudson Railway made its first trip from Albany to Schenectady. In April of that year, 1832, the Legislature granted a charter to the New York and Erie Railroad, and a year later, 1833, the company of that railroad was organ- ized, with Eleazar Lord as President. With the long struggle of that corporation before the work of constructing the road in this County began, I am not to deal. In 1838, work was begun on the section between Pier- mont and Goshen, and by 1841, trains were running from the latter place. According to the original charter, the New York and Erie Railroad was forbidden to connect with any road which passed into Pennsylvania or New Jersey; to reach New York, therefore, it was run to the Hudson, close to the New Jersey line, and at Piermont, where, owing to the shal- lowness of the water, an enormous pier, one mile in length had to be built, connected with the city by the strongly-built steamboats, New Haven and Iron Witch. By 1852, that clause which forbade connection with New Jersey had been repealed, and the Erie Railroad Company leased the Paterson and Ramapo, and the Paterson and Hudson Rail- ways together with the Union railway .79 of a mile long that formed the connection between it and the Paterson and Ramapo road. When first built, the Erie was a single track, six foot gauge, road. In 1853 a double track was laid through the Ramapo Valley, but the section running to Piermont was not touched; and in 1878, the standard gauge was obtained by the laying of a third rail.
The construction of the Erie Railroad was an invaluable aid to the growth of this County. From its necessities Piermont was born, and by the communication thus opened, the villages of Blauveltville, Nanuet, Spring Valley and Monsey were rendered possible. Not alone did it bring in ready money, by the erection of its car works and round house,
220
and the residence of its employees at its eastern terminus, but it also left a more lasting impress in the permanent development of our agricultural and mineral resources.
Four years after the Erie road changed its route from Piermont to Jer- sey City, via Paterson, the Northern Railroad of New Jersey was begun, and opened for travel from Piermont in 1859. The line belonging to the Northern road only extends in this State from the line just below Tappan to the present Sparkill. From that station to Piermont the road, as we have seen, is the original Erie track. In 1869, the Nyack and Northern Railroad company was organized. As this lies entirely within the bound- aries of Orangetown, full mention of it will be given in the history of that township.
The opening of these roads changed the course of travel in the County as radically as the building of the Orange did. While in summer the boats still carried their share of traffic; in winter, when the river was blocked with ice, Piermont Pier at first, and later, Piermont village, became the shipping port. From the building of the Erie up to the opening of the Hudson River railroad, and when the ice would not permit a crossing to Crugers, up to recent days, that road was the only winter outlet for Haver- straw. From that place to Piermont-an always rough, generally cold, and oftentimes bleak and stormy ride of fourteen miles-Charles P. Sned- eker ran a stage for the accommodation of travellers. It was by this route that the Rev. Dr. Freeman introduced the first melodeon in Haverstraw, and probably the first one in Rockland County, in 1847.
For many years a railroad had been running from Jersey City to Hackensack ere the effort was made to extend it onward toward Albany. In 1869 the Hackensack and New York Extension Company was organ- ized, and by 1870 had extended the road from Hackensack to Nanuet. In 1873 the New Jersey and New York Railroad Company was formed and under its management the road was extended through the County from Spring Valley on the Piermont and Sufferns Branch of the Erie, along the eastern line of Rámapo township and, winding around the western point of Verdrietige Hook Mountain, near Camp Hill, reached a hay-field near Stony Point, its terminus, after touching Garnerville in 1875. The pledge of the company to the people of Stony Point and Grassy Point villages, had been to extend the road into the latter by passing through the for- mer. In this way financial aid was obtained from the inhabitants of these places. Then one of those peculiar business transactions known as " rail- road financiering" took place. The road and its appurtenances passed into the hands of a receiver. Then it was bought in by a new company and
221
the just claims of Stony and Grassy Points ignored. As now situated its northern terminus is a half-mile away from everything. From Nanuet a short road was built north to New City, under the name of the Nanuet and New City Railroad, and opened for travel early in May, 1875. This road, which gave the first rail communication with our most inconveniently situated County Seat, was bought by the New Jersey and New York Railroad Company.
The Jersey City and Albany Railroad was opened as far as Tappan about 1876. It is unnecessary that I should attempt to unravel the web of railroad swindling which this corporation represented, a task that would be thankless even if possible. Through misrepresentation and flagrant deceit, money and land were obtained sufficient to permit the extension of the road to Haverstraw. This village was entered by means of a switch- back down the mountain side, and the terminal station was about a quar- ter of a mile south of the present Main Street. This road was never in- tended to be a success and it never was. For two or three years the trains were kept running, and then, in 1883, the New York, Ontario and Western Railroad was built through the County.
The New York, West Shore and Buffalo Railroad bought the road bed of the New York, Ontario and Western Company in 1883. Early in 1880, the latter company had begun the construction of a road from Middletown to Cornwall, and then through the medium of a construction company cx- tended their line to Weehawken, buying up the old road bed of the Jersey City and Albany.
Almost immediately this company sold the line from Cornwall south to the N. Y. W. S. and B. Railroad, and then leased back their sale. Of the management of these roads, of the scandalous way in which they have been used to perpetrate fraud, it is needless to speak. Built during the latter years of the railroad building mania, and with no particular demand for their existence, they fell into hopeless financial ruin, as soon as the bubble was pricked, and carried down in their fall many private fortunes.
Authorities referred to : Civil List S. N. Y .; Session Laws S. N. Y .; Minutes and Papers of the Nyack Steamboat Association ; History of the Town of Haverstraw, and lectures entitled, "Thirty Years in Rockland County," and "Thirty Years in Haverstraw," by the Rev. A. S. Freeman, D. D .; History of the Town of Ramapo, by the Rev. Eben B. Cobb ; Archives of the Rockland County Historical Society ; Files of the Rockland County Messenger.
CHAPTER XIII.
HISTORY OF THE REFORMED CHURCH AT TAPPAN-OF THE REFORMED CHURCH AT CLARKSTOWN-OF THIE " BRICK " OR REFORMED CHURCH AT WEST NEW HEMPSTEAD-OF TIIE REFORMED CHURCH AT NVACK OF THE REFORMED CHURCH AT PIERMONT-OF THE REFORMED CHURCHI AT SPRING VALLEY-HISTORY OF THE "ENGLISH" OR PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH AT HEMPSTEAD-OF THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH AT HAVERSTRAW-OF THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH AT RAMAPO -OF THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCHI AT GREENBUSH-OF THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH AT NYACK-OF THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH AT WALDBERG-OF THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH AT STONY POINT- OF THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH AT PALISADES, AND OF THE CENTRAL AND MOUNTVILLE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCHES-HISTORY OF THE BAPTIST CHURCH AT NANUET-OF THE BAPTIST CHURCH AT HAVERSTRAW-OF THE BAPTIST CHURCH AT VIOLA-OF THE BAPTIST CHURCH AT PIERMONT-OF THE BAPTIST CHURCH AT NYACK-OF THE BAPTIST CHURCH AT SPRING VALLEY.
Eight years elapsed after the settlement of the Orangetown patent ere a church organization was formed in this new County. Then, on October 24, 1694, the little band of settlers formed themselves into a society under the name of the "Low Dutch Christian Reformed Church of Tappan."
For many years-twenty-two-this society had no church edifice, and thirty years passed ere it possessed sufficient strength to afford a settled pastor. The first ministrations to this body were given by Guilliam Ber- tholf, who was the settled pastor of the united churches of Hackensack and Acquackanonck but extended his ministrations, and during his term of ministry organized the Sleepy Hollow Church at Tarrytown, in 1697, and the church at Raritan in 1699.
Guilliam Bertholf was a native of Holland, and had immigrated to this new world in the capacity of school-master, catechiser and voorleser, this word signifying a leader in singing, prayer and reading of the scriptures. In 1693, the people of Hackensack and Acquackanonck sent him to Hol- land to be examined, licensed, and ordained to the ministry. He was the first regularly installed pastor in New Jersey, and for the first fifteen years of his ministry, the only Dutch preacher in that State. Dominie Bertholf had spiritual charge of all the Dutch people on the west side of
223
the Hudson, south of Ulster County, and of those of Tarrytown and Staten Island. The salary of this pioneer in the ministry in our County reached £50 a year in 1717.
Not alone was Rev. Bertholf in this great work of Christianity. Where- ever settlement was begun, before the wilderness had been cleared, minis- ters of God entered upon their mission of love. On Long Island, at Fort Orange, at Esopas, clergymen had preceded him, and in the section north of the mountain-the present Orange County-Johannes Casparus Fry- enmoet followed his example, ministering in 1737 at the churches of Mag- aghamack, Minnisink, Walpeck and Smithfield, and receiving from the four churches £70 in money, 25 schepels of oats from each church, and his firewood.
By 1716, during the pastorate of Rev. Mr. Bertholf, the Tappan con- gregation had attained sufficient strength to build a church, and erected a square stone edifice on their glebe, which contained fifty acres. This church building which stood upon the site of the present house, remained un- changed till after the Revolution. In it the military court which tried John Andre sat, and in it Joshua Hett Smith was confined.
In 1724 the congregation at Tappan called and settled its first pastor, Rev. Frederic Muzelius. During his occupation of the pulpit, which lasted for twenty-five years, occurred the controversy in the Dutch Reformed church in America over the question whether the American Church should continue in or should break from its ecclesiastical dependence upon the church in Holland. In the schism produced by the disputation, the advo- cates of an independent American classis organized themselves into a body called " The Coctus," while the party favoring a continuance of the relations with Holland, was known as " The Conferentic."
In this contest, which began in Dominie Muzclius' time and, after causing his removal from the pulpit, lasted far into his successor's period of ministration and ended in 1770, Rev. Mr. Muzelius favored the cause of " The Conferentie," while a majority of his congregation sided with " The Coetus." Ill-will and annoying acts were caused by this disagree- ment, and these, combined with growing physical ailments in Rev. Mr. Muzelius led to his being set aside in 1749, as pastor emeritus, and to the call to Rev. Samuel Verbryck.
In the dissolution of the pastoral relations between Muzelius and his congregation. It was agreed by the latter to furnish him with a house and pay a yearly sum of £20 for his support.
As has happened in every religious controversy, before and since this quarrel, the pastor had many adherents. To these he continued steadfast,
224
and from them organized, in 1767, a separate congregation, which contin- ucd in existence till 1778, long after the cause of its creation had ceased to exist. Frederick Muzelius died at the age of 78 years in 1782.
By 1749, settlement had extended throughout the rest of the County so rapidly, that the residents further north demanded and formed a separ- ate church organization under the name of the Low Dutch Christian Re- formed Church of New Hempstead, and three years later a house for wor- ship was erected at Clarkstown. In the " call " to Rev. Mr. Verbryck, given July 17th, 1750, both the Tappan and Clarkstown churches were placed under his care. At the former, he was to serve two-thirds of the time, at the latter, one-third. £80 a year was to be his salary so long as the emeritus pastor lived, and this was to be raised by each congregation in the same proportion as his time was devoted. With this salary, the people were to furnish him with a parsonage, barn, orchard and garden at Tappan, " also a well, and sufficient firewood, and to keep everything in good repair."
Samuel Verbryck entered upon his duties with a people irritated and divided by questions of church government. Ere this cause of trouble had ceased in 1770, the mutterings of the approaching civil revolution began, and in the intense excitement which followed, through years of war and months of reprisal, he passed away on January 31st, 1784, at the age of 84 years.
The next pastor at the Tappan and Clarkstown churches was Rev. Nicholas Lansing, who was " called " August 11th, 1784, at a salary of £170 a year. Dominie Lansing was the last of the old Dutch pastors, and the last minister who commanded that obedience and respect, which has long ceased. In regard to the former statement, he was the last pas- tor who preached in the Dutch language, at first altogether, toward the close of his long service of over a half century, when the English had become the language of the younger people, alternately in Dutch and English. In regard to the latter statement-entering upon his duties when the total population of the town did not reach nine hundred souls, and when no church save that of his denomination existed, he knew personally all of the residents and ministered to most of them. Ere his death, steam communication had brought the County closer to the outside world; the restless and ceaseless struggle for wealth had already begun ; Orangetown had increased in population to more than two thousand peo- ple, and church organizations of three different denominations existed.
Till 1830, Rev. Nicholas Lansing remained in charge of the churches at Tappan and Clarkstown. At that time, owing to his great age and its
225
attendant infirmities, he gave up the latter, which has since maintained a separate . existence. From this time he devoted himself entirely to the church at Tappan till his death on September 26th, 1835, at the age of 87 years.
The fourth settled, and fifth pastor of this church was Rev. Isaac D. Cole, who was born at New City, Rockland County, January 25th, 1799. Upon entering the ministry, he was called in 1829 as assistant pastor to the Tappan church. During the year from December 16th, 1832, till De- cember 16th, 1833, Rev. Mr. Cole was absent from the Tappan church ; then he returned and remained with this congregation till February 9th, 1864. After his retirement from the church and ministry in that year, a retirement necessitated by failing health, Rev. Mr. Cole removed to Spring Valley, where he lived quietly till his death on August 30th, 1878, at the age of 79 years.
The next settled pastor at Tappan was Rev. George M. S. Blauvelt, who was called in 1864 and remained in charge of the church till 1882, and he was followed in the last named year by Rev. William H. William- son, the present pastor. In its history of one hundred and ninety-two years, the church society at Tappan has had but seven pastors, and of these but six were settled. The lengths of pastorates have been respect- ively 30, 25, 34, 51, 30, 18, and 4 years.
The first church edifice remained unchanged till about 1784. Then the four-sided roof was removed, the house was lengthened, covered with a gambrel roof, and a spire was added in which was placed a bell. The in- terior was painted in imitation of mahogany, and the columns which sup- ported the roof were done in imitation of marble.
Over half a century more elapsed before further change was made in the church edifice, then, during the early years of Rev. Mr. Cole's pas- torate, and the closing years of Dominic Lansing's life-he died before it was completed-the present brick building was erected in 1835, at a cost of $11,000. Of the church lands, some has been sold, some devoted to the purpose of a cemetery, till at present only about fifteen acres re- main with the parsonage. The present house of worship stands upon the site of the original church.
CLARKSTOWN CHURCH.
This society, as has been said, was organized in 1749, and the first house built was in 1752. This stood on the site of the old stone building on the New City road. Until 1830, the congregation was under the min- istration of the Tappan pastor. At that time, Rev. Christopher Hunt
226
was called to the church and remained till 1832, when he was followed by Rev. Alexander Warner in 1832, who occupied the pulpit till 1837. In 1837 Rev. Peter J. Quick began his pastorate at this church, and con- tinued his ministrations till 1866. Dominie Quick was followed by Rev. Benjamin C. Lippincott, who was called in 1866 and remained till 1872. In 1872, Rev. Ferdinand Schenck settled at this church, and continued five years. In 1877, Rev. Samuel Streng was called and served several years, and in 1884 the present incumbent, Rev. D. M. Talmage entered upon the pastoral duties.
Until 1840 this church society was known as the First Reformed Protestant Dutch Church of New Hempstead. On May 6th, of that year, the Legislature passed an act changing the name of the corporation to the First Reformed Protestant Dutch Church of Clarkstown.
The original church edifice stood till 1825, when a new building was erected on the site of the first house, which is still standing. In 1871 the new church building was finished, and has since been occupied. Disagree- ments have been frequent in the Clarkstown Church Society since 1812, and from it have split the Methodist Church at Nyack, the Presbyterian Church at Blauveltville, the True Reformed Church at Nannet, and the Waldberg Church. Serious trouble was threatened at the time that the new house of worship was built in 1871, but the annoyance was finally soothed peacefully.
THE REFORMED PROTESTANT DUTCH CHURCH OF WEST NEW HEMPSTEAD, OR "BRICK CHURCH."
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.