The act of incorporation of Mount Hope was passed in 1825, as before stated. But the new town was then named "Calhoun" in honor of the distinguished South Carolina Senator, John C. Calhoun, whose patriotic course as secretary of war during the contest with Great Britain in 1812 won him great favor with the people of this entire region. But they soon regretted this action and the honor conferred because of Calhoun's course and policy during the nullification discussions of 1831 and 1832. There was a violent revulsion of public opinion and everybody wanted to drop this now unpopular name of the town without ceremony, thus showing their open disapproval of the new policy of the Southern statesman. A public meeting was held, the old name was dropped with a heavy thud and the present title of "Mount Hope" was unanimously adopted with much enthusiasm. In response to a popular petition sent to the Legislature in 1833 a law was passed March 14 of that year discarding the old name and ratifying the new one. The plan of thus honoring a political favorite of the hour, however distinguished and popular he might be, had proved a dangerous experiment even in those eight short years, and the people were now resolved to adopt some title for their town which could not be affected by the sands of time or the progress of human events.
While all the earlier records of this town were destroyed by fire in 1848, the account of the first town meeting, which was held at the house of Joseph Conklin, April 5, 1825, is happily preserved in the books of Deer Park. Joseph Chattle and Richard Penny were the presiding justices of the peace. One hundred and fifty dollars were raised for the support of the poor for the ensuing year and $35 for the maintenance of bridges. Joseph Chattle was chosen the first supervisor and Joseph Conklin town clerk. While many of the principal officers were chosen by ballot, all the minor town officials were selected by the primitive method of raising of hands. Four constables were chosen, six fire masters, four fence viewers and forty-one highway masters. Just what the duties of the latter were can only be conjectured, as very little attention was paid to the public roads of that period or their repair, and fortunately so, perhaps, because of the primitive and defective methods in vogue. The official list of the town included also three assessors, two overseers of the poor, three commissioners of highways, three school commissioners and three school inspectors.
The first town meeting after the fire was in 1849. At that time the rather extravagant civil list of the town had been somewhat reduced in number. One hundred dollars were then raised for repairs to roads and bridges.
It is interesting to note in passing that in 1906 the sum raised for the maintenance of public roads alone in the town under the money system of road work was $2,743.33. Of this amount $933.12 was received from the State and $260 from the poll tax.
LITTLE SHAWANGUNK KILL.
Heretofore it has been said that the little Shawangunk Kill, in this town, was of such little importance that historians declined to mention it, yet this stream, lying practically all in the town, was at one time the scene of five thriving saw-mills in operation, but which have since disappeared. Yet the city of Middletown in 1890 saw a basis of great water works in this stream, and just from the line at the headwaters of this kill in the town of Wallkill, erected a reservoir which was known as Highland Lake, containing about 500,000,000 gallons of water. On April 22, 1901, just below Highland Lake and in the town of Mount Hope, the city of Middletown decided to erect another lake, and the contract was let to Charles Sundstrom of the city of Middletown, who, by the erection of what was known as Shawangunk, Greenleaf and Steward dams, impounded a large quantity of water, which was to form a part of the Middletown system.
This work was at the cost of something like $57,000, and was connected with Monhagen Lake by a twenty-inch conduit, and also a twenty-four-inch conduit was extended in a westerly direction to a point in the Shawangunk Kill, above Mount Hope, from which it was intended to take water at high times, and conduct it to what was called Shawangunk reservoir.
This reservoir when full contains over 434,000,000 gallons of water, and has an acreage of about 102 acres, on what was formerly known as the Greenleaf farm. It will be observed that Highland Lake had been erected some fourteen years, but since Shawangunk Lake was erected, litigation sprang up from the mill owners on the big Shawangunk Kill, as far north as Pine Bush, and all the farmers on the line of the little Shawangunk Kill were brought into proceedings for condemnation, and the payment of damages for the taking of this water, and this litigation, which continued some two or three years, was finally settled in the year 1907, when all water rights to both kills were finally determined, but the city of Middletown had paid in expenses and damages something like $25,000.
VILLAGES.
The village of Mount Hope is in the southwestern part of the town. This name was bestowed long before the formation of the town itself, which was evidently named after the old village. The site of the hamlet is a commanding elevation, and there is a charming view of the surrounding landscape on all sides far and near.