Hamptonburgh township as it now stands was set apart in 1830 from the towns bounding it. It is in the form of an irregular hexagon, its northern extremity a point and Montgomery bounding it on the northeast and northwest, with the Wallkill river running between Wallkill township on the west and Montgomery on the northwest, while Goshen is on the southwest, Blooming Grove the southeast and New Windsor on the east.
The Otterkill circles through the town adding picturesqueness to the fields it waters, while high ridges and fertile valleys vary the scene. The Goshen and Montgomery State road runs northeast through the western part of the town and the Little Britain State road joins it at Clark's Crossing. Mr. Clark's farm, once the Denniston Bull farm, is now in the hands of the New York and New Jersey Railroad, and the road is being constructed. It is claimed that this will put Campbell Hall within one hour of New York City, instead of the three days' journey by sloop and horseback which Sarah Wells had to undergo.
At Campbell Hall Junction four railroads center, the Ontario and Western, the Central New England, the Wallkill Valley Division of the N. Y. C. & H. R. and the Erie, while the Lehigh and New England runs through the eastern part of the town from north to south, with stations at Hamptonburgh, Girard and Burnside, thus making this small town of more than proportionate interest in the county.
There are six rural schools and one church now in the town. This is the Presbyterian church at Campbell Hall, where also are the stores of Alexander Brothers and C. B. Howell, a meat market, a creamery and a blacksmith's shop, and the surrounding houses with neat lawns make an attractive hamlet.
The two-room schoolhouse stands in a grove of oaks on a hill overlooking the Otterkill where the old church stood before it was moved to Hamptonburgh proper. Now that building stands empty and only the graveyard tells the old story. The name Campbell Hall came from a Colonel Campbell who lived there. His house was back of what is now the Bertholf house. "Col. Campbell was a Scotchman, the father of Mrs. Margaret Eustace, who was the mother of Gen. Eustace of the Revolutionary army of France, both of whom, we believe, died in the vicinity of Newburgh thirty or thirty-five years since." (Eager in 1846-7.) In speaking of Mrs. Eustace he notes her dignity of manner when she resided at Campbell Hall; also of her husband, Doctor Eustace, who was from the South, he says there was a secret not fully understood which embittered the last years of her life and her father's.
Campbell Hall owes much to Mrs. Matilda Booth Gouge. Her husband, Mr. George Gouge, conducted a large creamery business there for years, and on his death he left his widow more than comfortably provided for. There were no children and Mrs. Gouge did many kind things for her neighbors before her death. She gave the ground on which the church was built and a large house for a parsonage close to the church. She also educated a colored man for the ministry. On her death she willed her large residence with its furniture for a more comfortable home for the pastor and her farm of 100 acres to the church with $5,000 in bonds. Most of the buildings in the village are built on land purchased from her. Her birthplace was near and is now owned by Mr. C. B. Howell.
Burnside has a sawmill, a store and a Borden's creamery. Post offices are in each place and the R. F. D. comes out from Montgomery. This closes the helpful public activities of the town, but fine hotels, with bars, make an addition not to be omitted. It is impossible to follow closely all the different family fortunes of those who make the records of to-day; our allotted space is too small.
There are two of the original grants on which the descendants of the patentees are still living. These are the Richard Gerard and William Bull grants.
The one of 2,600 acres was dated August 10, 1723, on which, by a mistake of calculation, the carpenters erected the first wigwam in 1712, followed by the William Bull stone house.