Warwick Historical Papers Volume 6, Part 2

by HILAH HASBROUK

Now that the steeple of the Old School Baptist Meeting House regilded, money must be given to pay the bil. Mrs. Lewis has had a meeting of the church committee and they will plan something to raise money. I thought maybe this article on old times interest our newcomers in past history - a new member of the antiques Club had the meeting last Tuesday, maybe other newcomers will become interested.

The Old School Baptist Meeting House on High Street, with the shining, newly covered weathervane has taken on a new lease of life with Mrs. Madison Lewis and the Warwick Historical Society taking an interest in it. The weatervane can be seen from every road leading into town and has been noticed by the older residents to see if clear weather or a storm are to be expected according to the direction of the wind. The steeple is 93 feet high.

The historical society is a group of people interested in keeping the landmarks of the early days. There is a white stone on Oakland Avenue showing the distance to Newburg. It is said there used to be such stones every mile to the Hudson River. This one on Oakland Avenue was saved by Mr. Frank Sanford who lived next door and bought a strip of land to own that old tree and stone.

The houses along Oakland Avenue were placed the same distance from the street. Those on the east side had a row of maples carefully placed in a straight line to protect those living there from the glare of the sun. The new houses were carefully placed the same distance from the street.

Mrs. Furman, whose husband was a conductor on the L. & H. Railroad, was born and lived as a young girl on High St. She remembered taking the family cow mornings down the main street and across the creek to a vacant lot for pasture.

When a cemetery was needed, it was probably Mr. Clinton W. Wisner who drew the plans for the stone entrance and the driveways. It was land belonging to the Welling family and they kept the knoll between the road and the land they sold so that a view of the cemetery was not seen from the Welling Home.

The village for years was between Colonial Ave. and High St. It was not until the early 1800's that homes were built toward the north. There are photographs in the Chester Bank of the houses between Grand St. and Welling Ave. of which the stone house owned by Genevieve

More to come when I can get it. Didn't photocopy the end of the article. What is publiished here is a transcription of an article from the Warwick Valley Dispatch, dated September 15, 1971. Used with permission.