Orange County, New York, the picturesque, the magnificent, was chosen for an abiding place by the early pioneers because nature had here created a beautiful garden where man might live and reap rich rewards for his toil. Its lofty mountain chains, stand-in guard over rich, undulating plains, watered by many crystal streams, wending their way to the mighty Hudson, its charming valleys and vales, wooded hills and green meadow lands all appealed strongly to their sense of beauty and the desire for a life of independence, peace, contentment and happiness. And they chose wisely and well.
The County of Orange dates its existence by legal enactment from October 1st, 1691, in the third year of the reign of William and Mary and in the administration of Henry Slaughter, Esq., Governor of the Colony. Orange County derives its name from the fact that King William was a Prince of the House of Orange. The first Assembly, which convened in the year 1691, passed an act entitled “An Act to Divide the Provinces and Dependencies into Shires and Counties,” and Section of that act provided: “The County of Orange to begin from the limits or bounds, of East and West Jersey, on the Westside of Hudson’s River, along the said river to the Murderer’s Creek, or bounds of the County of Ulster; and westward into the woods as far as the Delaware River.” To this was added later the lands of Wagacheneck and Great and Little Minisink.
Local tradition records that the first settlements were made by Dutch pioneers along the Minisink River in the early days of Nieu Amsterdam, then an infant Dutch colony. Dates and historical facts are conflicting and vague regarding these early settlers who were few in number, but records in existence show that it was towards the close of the 17th century that active competition in obtaining patents in the district began. On December 30th, 1702, the Cheesecock Patent was granted. This was followed on March 5, 1703, by the Wawayanda Patent, and on August 28, 1704, by the Minisink Patent. Those patents, which were obtained by purchase from the Indian proprietors, covered extensive territories, the boundaries of which were described in such general terms and the lines so vague and undefined that for many years afterward there existed difficulties as to titles that brought about long years of litigation.
The first census of the county was taken in 1698 by order of Governor Bellomont, which showed the population to consist of 29 men, 31 women, 140 children and 19 Negro slaves.
In 1785 Rockland County was formed from the Southern territory of Orange County and five towns were taken from the Southern part of Ulster County and added to Orange County, viz.: Newburgh, Cornwall, New Windsor, Montgomery and Deerpark. The present boundary of Orange County contains 834 square miles. The population as given by the last National census shows a population of about 120,000 people.
Almost every acre of Orange County is historic ground and to record the thrilling past of her patriotic men and women, its many places of Colonial and Revolutionary history and its present day industries and business enterprises would fill volumes many times the size of this modest little book.
Wander where you will, search foreign lands in every clime, and no fairer spot on “God’s. Footstool” can be found that so appeals to one’s sense of beauty, grandeur and love of home as Orange County, the land of plenty, beautiful in the budding Spring, gloriously’ radiant in her Summer dress of green, rich in the many colorings of Autumn and magnificent in her Winter garb of snow.
History of Orange County New York
- A Crooked Little Brook
- Its Historic Old Churches, with Biographies of Their Pastors
- Its Places of Colonial and Revolutionary Interest
- Reminiscences Of Rysdyk’s Hambletonian
Poems about Orange County New York
Bethlehem Presbyterian Church, Cornwall, Orange County, New York
Bethlehem Presbyterian Church enjoys the distinction of being the third oldest Presbyterian congregation organized north of the Highlands and west of the Hudson River, and the further distinction of being the third oldest religious organization in the County of Orange. The congregation is composed of residents of the Towns of Cornwall, New Windsor and Blooming Grove. The church edifice stands in the Town of Cornwall, on the main highway leading west from Newburgh towards Washingtonville, Chester and Goshen. The first church building was erected in 1729, although previous to that date the inhabitants worshipped at various places in the immediate…
Blooming Grove Congregational Church, Orange County, New York
Blooming Grove Congregational Church is situated in the Town of Blooming Grove, Orange County, New York, twelve miles west of the Hudson River, and two miles west of the Village of Washingtonville, on the main road running from the City of Newburgh to the Villages of Chester, Warwick and Goshen. The first congregation was formed in 1759, by early pioneers settling in this section, who came chiefly from Suffolk County, Long Island, many of whom were descendants of the Pilgrims. The first house of worship was erected in the same year. It was a small wooden structure, painted yellow, and…
First Presbyterian Church, Goshen, New York
The First Presbyterian Church of Goshen undoubtedly has the distinction of being the oldest religious organization in the County of Orange. Ruttenber’s History of the County of Orange says: “There is ample evidence of a collateral nature to show that the Presbyterian Church of Goshen was organized as early as 1721. The dates of legal papers conveying property to the church and the regular call and settlement of a pastor establish this fact. There are, however, no church records in the possession of the society showing either facts, dates, or names for the succeeding sixty years. The founders of the…
First Presbyterian Church, Newburgh, Orange County, New York
The First Presbyterian Church of Newburgh commenced its formal, legal existence shortly after the disbandment of the Revolutionary Army and the breaking up of its encampments in 1783. Previous to this time for nearly a score of years there had been a religious organization composed of those who by religious conviction were of the Presbyterian faith, or in the designation used in those days, “in communion with the Church of Scotland.” It was an informal society and could be designated more properly as an outlying mission station or district. The records of the Marlborough Society state that in the year…
New Windsor Presbyterian Church, Orange County, New York
The New Windsor Presbyterian Church dates its organization from September 14, 1764, at which time Joseph Wood, William Lawrence, Samuel Brewster and Henry Smith were chosen Elders. It was formally constituted May 5, 1766, by the Rev. Timothy Jones, a committee of the Presbytery of New York. From the date of its institution until 1805, it was associated with the Bethlehem and Newburgh Societies in the support of a pastor, and from 1805 to 1810 with Bethlehem.. From 1810 to 1827 it enjoyed only occasional ministerial labors. On May 1, 1827, the Rev. James H. Thomas was employed in connection…
Celebrated Horses, Orange County, New York
The ancestry of the American trotting horse goes back for several centuries and is chiefly confined to the early racing records in England, coupled with local tradition. Some two or three centuries ago the trotting horse was a great favorite in and about Norfolk and Yorkshire, England, and trotting races were frequent occurrences in that locality. Several authorities state, and the fact is partially borne out by early records that a trotting mare named Phenomena, owned by a horseman of Norfolk, in 1800, trotted 17 miles in 56 minutes, carrying a weight in saddle of 225 pounds. In 1806 the…