The name was undoubtedly suggested by the beautiful green summer verdure the eastern part of the town exhibits, lying to the sun on the eastern declivity of Shawangunk mountain.
Its boundaries are: Beginning at the corner of the town of Wawayanda line with that of Mount Hope, thence almost due west along the Mount Hope line to that of the town of Deer Park; thence along the Deer Park town line southwest to the New Jersey State line; thence easterly along the said State line to the corner of the Minisink town line; thence northeasterly along the Minisink town line to a point on Castle High Hill near South Centerville; thence northwesterly along the town of Wawayanda town line to a corner; thence northeasterly by north along the said line to the place of beginning.
The first town meeting was held at the house of Jonathan Wood, in Bushville, March 28th, 1854. Bushville then was a village of some importance, but since the near advent of railroads its trade has gone to other places.
PHYSICAL FEATURES.
The oldest village in the town is no doubt the settlement at Smith's Corners. It was situated on the road which leads along the eastern slope of the Shawangunk mountain from Coleville, N. J., to Otisville, and in early times was a place of some business. Elijah Smith was its founder about the close of the Revolution. Joseph Smith, justice of the peace (see Minisink civil list), in 1813 was a noted man in his day. After the Goshen and Minisink turnpike road was built, and later when (about 1820) a mail route was established through there, the post-office was located at a store which stood where the village of Greenville now is. The post-office was named Minisink, because there was somewhere in the State a post-office already known as Greenville, and this was the nearest post-office to the real Minisink west of the mountain. Two churches, a store and a hotel are located there. The village of Smith's Corner has this year of 1907 been made convenient to travel on account of the new macadam road just built throughout it from Slate Hill to Carpenter's Point.
Lake Maretange, upon which one of the great land patents (Evans) cornered in Colonial days, is now known as Binnewater Pond. It covers about twenty acres of land, and is now so filled with aquatic growths and mud that it has less than half of its original extent. It was once reported to be of great depth. It in early times was famous for its excellent fishing. Its original name was undoubtedly an Indian one. The name Binnewater is a corruption of the German Beninwasser (Inland water). Boudinot creek is its outlet.
The great swamps which once stretched north and east of Smith's Corners were known to early records as "Pakadasink Swamp." They have been largely cleared, drained, and are coming rapidly under cultivation. The Shawangunk Kill whose Indian name was the same as that of the swamp, "Pakadasink" or "Peakadasink," originates from springs in the swamps, and flows northward along the base of the Shawangunk mountain toward Ulster County.
Rutger's creek originates in the watershed south of Greenville village.
EARLY SETTLERS.
Jonathan Wood, justice of the peace as early as 1796, and Timothy Wood (see civil list) resided in Bushville in this town.