Church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel.—The cornerstone of this church was laid June, 1895. The edifice cost $7,000. Rev. James Quinn was the first pastor. In July, 1899, the church and rectory were completely destroyed by fire. A year later it was rebuilt, and on September 23, 1900, was solemnly dedicated by the Most Rev. Archbishop Corrigan.
The Tuxedo police force was organized May 1, 1886. John Pederson was captain until 1891, when he was succeeded by Gillmore O. Bush. The residential part of the park is patrolled regularly day and night.
[CHAPTER XXVIII.]
TOWN OF WALLKILL.
By William B. Royce.
The town of Wallkill is the second largest town in the county of Orange, and, exclusive of the area in the city of Middletown, contains 38,030 acres, as shown by the equalization table of the board of supervisors for the year 1906. This area would be considerably increased if an accurate estimate could be obtained of the amount of land not included in farm and lot descriptions and being used for church, cemetery, school and road purposes.
The town is bounded northerly by Crawford and Montgomery, easterly by Hamptonburgh, southerly by Goshen and Wawayanda, and westerly by Mount Hope and the Shawangunk Kill, which separates it, for about half the distance, on its westerly border, from the town of Mamakating, Sullivan County. The Wallkill River forms part of its easterly boundary, dividing it from the town of Hamptonburgh. This stream also passes through the southeast corner of the town, and is the only large stream flowing within its borders. Both the Wallkill and Shawangunk Kill flow in a northerly direction and find their way into the Hudson River at Rondout. The other streams in the town of Wallkill are small; the principal ones being Monhagen Creek, flowing through the city of Middletown; the Bullhack, rising near Circleville and emptying into the Wallkill near Phillipsburgh; and the Mayunk, flowing through the easterly portion of the town and emptying into the Wallkill in the town of Montgomery. Notwithstanding the fact that there are no important streams, the town is well watered by small streams and springs, so that there is never danger to agriculture from this source.
The topography of the town of Wallkill is very irregular, varying in elevation from 335 feet above sea level in the easterly portion of the town along the Wallkill to 1,035 feet in the westerly, about three miles west of the city of Middletown and about half a mile north of the old Mount Hope turnpike. All the principal ridges and valleys of the town run in a northerly and southerly direction.
EARLY CHANGES AND GOVERNMENT.