LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION commemorating the 325th Anniversary of the first
settlers of Deerpark, New York

WHEREAS, It is the intent of this Legislative Body to honor and commem-
orate the proud and distinguished histories of the communities which
comprise the noble body of this great Empire State; and
WHEREAS, Attendant to such concern, and in full accord with its long-
standing traditions, this Legislative Body is justly proud to commem-
orate the 325th Anniversary of the first settlers of the Town of Deer-
park, New York, to be feted throughout the year, culminating with a
colonial celebration at their Annual Open House in September of 2015;
and
WHEREAS, The Town of Deerpark is a rural town in the southwestern
corner of Orange County; it is nestled among lakes, streams, rivers and
mountains and is bounded by the Delaware, Neversink, and Mongaup Rivers,
the Shawangunk Mountains, and the wetlands of the Basha Kill; and
WHEREAS, This land was the frontier of early America; a settler named
McDaniel enclosed a small tract of land with a fence made of brush; some
of his neighbors called it his "Deerpark"; subsequently, the entire area
was known by that name; and
WHEREAS, Today, seven hamlets, including: Cahoonzie, Cuddebackville,
Godeffroy, Huguenot, Rio, Sparrowbush and Westbrookville make up the
Town of Deerpark; and
WHEREAS, The peaceful Lenni Lenape Indians were the first inhabitants
of this area; Chief Penhorn and his tribe inhabited about 780 acres of
fine natural meadow land on the east side of the Neversink River; and
WHEREAS, In 1690, William Tietsoort, the first European inhabitant in
the valley, was asked to move here by the Lenni Lenape to build a black-
smith shop to make much needed tools; and
WHEREAS, Seven years later, a 1,200 acre patent of land was granted to
Jacob Codebeck, Thomas Swartwout, Anthony Swartwout, Bernardus Swartw-
out, Jan Tyse, Peter Germar (Gumaer) and David Jamison, sturdy Dutch and
Huguenot farming families who lived peacefully with the Lenni Lenape
Indians; and
WHEREAS, With the early rumblings of the French and Indian War, the
local residents were asked to form a militia in preparation for the
possibility of war; this effort broke the trust of the Lenni Lenape
Indians who, subsequently, moved west to the Ohio Territory; and
WHEREAS, Many families traveled along the Old Mine Road, America's
oldest 100 mile road, to settle in this fertile valley watered by pris-
tine rivers; since the boundary line between New York and New Jersey was
still undetermined, residents on both sides fought and destroyed each
other's homes and property during The New Jersey-New York Border War;
finally, on September 1, 1773, the present boundary line was established
by England; and
WHEREAS, On October 13,1778, during the American War of Independence,
Colonel Joseph Brant and his raiders approached by way of an old trail
from the Mongaup River to Huguenot, attacking from south to north ending
at Fort DeWitt in Cuddebackville; and
WHEREAS, Colonel Joseph Brant returned again on July 20, 1779, bring-
ing with him 27 Tories and 60 Indians to fight against the settlers; it
was this raid which lead to the major Battle at Minisink Ford, where
many local militiamen lost their lives; and
WHEREAS, In 1798, the counties that we know today were created by the
New York State Legislature; Deerpark was established from both the Town
of Mamakating, and the Town of Minisink; and

WHEREAS, The construction of the D & H Canal, from 1828-1898, dramat-
ically changed the Town of Deerpark; new industries were created and old
ones expanded; and
WHEREAS, Quarries, tanneries, lumber mills, boat yards, supply stores,
blacksmith shops, and carpenter shops were busy places along the canal;
homes were built making schools, churches and public buildings necessary
and today, many of these buildings remain throughout the town; and
WHEREAS, The Town of Deerpark changed once again with the advent of
the railroad; in 1868, the Monticello & Port Jervis Railroad Company
started to bring tourists to enjoy the natural beauty of the rivers and
mountains, therefore, a thriving resort industry arose; and
WHEREAS, The railroad was also instrumental in making commercial dair-
ying in the Neversink Valley a viable occupation; each farm within a
convenient distance of a railroad had a milk stop to pick up cans of
milk to ship to New York City; and
WHEREAS, The automobile brought even more people to the town; among
them was D. W. Griffith who, between 1909 and 1915, made many films
using the majestic mountains and flowing rivers as natural backdrops;
and
WHEREAS, Geography remains an important part of the town's identity;
camps care for natural areas and teach environmental education courses,
The Nature Conservancy has extensive holdings of environmentally fragile
sections of the Neversink River, the Orange County Land Trust and the
Basherkill State Wildlife Management Area protect sections of the Basha
Kill wetlands, and the Orange County Parks Department has developed The
D&H Canal Park to preserve one of the few sections of the Canal which
still holds water; and
WHEREAS, Remaining fruitful over the ebb and flow of decades of growth
and change, the Town of Deerpark, under the luminous leadership of
Supervisor Gary Spears, continues its commitment to enhancing the quali-
ty of life of its citizens, ensuring a positive business, institutional
and educational climate, and providing all essential services; now,
therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
commemorate the 325th Anniversary of the first settlers of Deerpark, New
York, and to enthusiastically salute its residents as they celebrate
this auspicious occasion, recognizing the significance of the role it
continues to play in the life of the community of the State of New York;
and be it further
RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be tran-
smitted to the Town of Deerpark, New York.
.SO DOC A R638 RESO TEXT 2015