Work Shop" Was a Venture
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INTRODUCTION Our Putnam County History Work shop" was a venture. Were there twenty persons who would do creative work? Ifa*, who were they? The response exceeded expectations. Two groups of about forty each, one in Camel and one in Cold Spring, have spent six evenings in group study and discussion. We sought to do four things: (1) to limit aur study to before 1783 (this enabled us to sharpen our historic sense); (2) to locate historic sites and persons, and to select the nost important; (3) to become familiar with the established historic materials, and to locate new materids; and for each nember of the group (4) to relive a bit of the past, and to share it with others. The individual con- tributions have totaled more than forty. The interest was keen, The demand for another 9vork shopn next fall vhs certain, Those who have gone out of their way to make this "work shop" a success, and this publication a reality, include: the County Supervisors a~dYe, Paul Lun:ielius for the use of The Coun%y Building; Supervising Principal ilobert Kristeller and the Camel School fop a Class Ram, the Futnai County Hist~ricalSmiety fcr sponsoring the I Cold. Spring %crk shzp,tt the Eiutterfield Memorial Library for a @ace c.f meeting; Fresi6snt Senjdn Frazier and Mr. Lawrence Head for the shcjwing of their unusunl "Historirz Sites1' pictures and their careful docunentaticm; &kissEdith McIntyre fcr conserving our di* cussions and her typing md printing of our articles, Miss Margaret Pugsley and Mrs. Florence Donelson for a like service; Mrs. Olive Hille~yand Mr. Gecrge Heuston for illustrating articles, alsc bs, Ann hurphy fcr the Scuth Eest Chu~chillustration, and Willitt Jewell f~r assmbling this booklet, / YOU County Historian has thoroughly enjoyed working with these "mrk shop groups, and looks forward tc having each of YGu with us in nexk year1 s Itwork Horace E. HiS-lery Patterson, New York &.U& Pirs. Lloyd Miss Uivs Adarae The Misses Ellen and Hattie BAlard Miss Virginia Amnptmqg &I Van Ness Ballard &s. J=~sWe BabZe;~ &, and Mrs, Henry Burtan Mr. aad Hm, Henry Basrsett W, md PZS, Fred De Wtt Mr. Raymond Mwpl EtIrs, FiLUian Gilbert Mr. Charles Brody *, mci VFS, Horace IUllery Dr, and Mrs. SBnger Brawn, U mii Pks. Edgar Hoag &s, W. S. Colwell Mr, and YES. Addisan Hopkina Mr, Selson Delanoy :%s, Josephine Horak &, and Mrs. B. de Turem Mr. Wiliett Jewell ad Dewey Mr.. end :bks, Bernard H, Goossen Mrs, James knoht&h ii-s. T~wnarKent Mrs. Charles Franklin Mr. Paui L~ndeliu~ Mrs. Herbert Frazier *. Frank Lyden Mr. mZm3.n Fder &.and Mrs. F. Lee Waltby Mrs. Alice Gsge Mr. and Mrs, Willlam H.Uer a88 Ik3?0&~Gmk Mrs. A, C. Penny Mrs. Louise GueW Mr. adMrs. Earl Robinson &, and Mrs. Charles Ha@ Mr. Ward Segur Mrs. #=am hm8ti Mr. and Mrs. Alvah Townsend Mr. and eP,George Hetxstan kgand fis, Paul Townsend Mrs. Thomas Jayck &, 20be,% Weeks Mrs. George Jiminee &s, Ho~&-ci wit8 &s, Elsie La he HPs. William HI Young Mrs. Louise Post MSS Edith McIntyre Miss R&Sn Bath jem Tbe &&&Bee 1- a34 3amicm Itsid' Mrs. Herbert Sara Mr. anct Mrs. Elij& Tontpkins Mr. and Efrs, A. J, white - .,. 4. CHIEF CAVOPUS by Mrs. Eva De'vVitt ,, . Vfien Hudson sailed up the river that bears his name, he found the Redmen there all the way north to Albany. :,,I 5 is.?-y:.-!:.~ingsj=,.-, or Jest of the River Ind.ians, were nine tribes extending c .. A ,c :a,:;;lT 1.: -I -. tc Wapping6r Fells. These Indians were larger in. .. - ,.;a ,.;a .>.;~e4.-h?n o thpr Redmen. One of ihcse tribes, the Mahopacs, lived ma hold their council on Canopus Islend in L?ke Mahopac. Their chief was amcng the first to strike a blow against the Dutch in the war of 1543'. 1 Lrter Lhsse tribes showed their devotion to England's King William by -.j~hitg . the English (in 1689) in the mar between the French and Eng- 1-Ir. ms about this time that the Highlands east of the Hudson Xivor were sold to Lambard Dorlmd and Jean Seabrant by the Indians who iu ~UTAsold it to Adolph Philipse. Betacen i.75'6-1766 the lands back rrom the River were l~stby the Red- msnt and rhcy mere ejected from thsir homes. There are hosts of traditions of the happy life of the ishogacs en and crcund Csnopus Island. An old burial lot on the Griffin farm (nwr the Averill a lane) north of' Lake Mahopac is mid to contain many Indisn graves. Ti-aditinn says Chief Canopus lost his life defending their tribal lands ag3iilr the claims of the Rhites. His grave is located on the shores of Ki~kLake. .I ,C ! ! A -2 -... :*. 4L , i. ,-. +. T9E GR F.fi-T S!VA TAP , i'.',. * - ..:c 4,..... !ip. .{? ::*+ $5, ,. by Horace E. Hillery 6 -I*. A -..v,- 2- The Indim-Dutch treaty of 1617 said furs from "The Great Swampff (in Patterson) were most desirable. The Indian Cemctcry at the mouth of Eaviland Hollow wzs probably near the Indian wintcr trapping camp. In 1707 thc Swamp and lmd to the east was sold to Lt. Gov. N3than Gold of Conn. Possibly the swamp was trspped out. Later the Philipse family calimed and possessed tho svmmp (1760). Between 1744-1757 a clevcr gang of countcrfciters operated in the Swamp. At times rnembe1.s of the Gang were captured and imprisoned but mmnged to escape, probebly with outsidc help. Finally their ringleader rons caught and hung. He confessed to printing thouscnds of colonial counterf cit bills, mrstly Rhodc Islqnd twenty shilling notes worth about $25C each. No less thnn $4000. was passed in one d?~. He slid there were 29 in the gmg but refused to tell who they WEPC. The printing plates were never seized. A score of the early fzmilics helped round up the Gang. This was one rcsson New ark" money was dcmmded in early contracts in this arm. During the Revo- lutionary War both British 2nd Ccntinantal money was coznterfeited and had much to do with the exprtssion "not worth a oontincntnl." bf J~SSIGSC. ElsPd If we can believe the twllfiorarr .of %he Indisns who Jived in the H*wboa River tsXleys @he first copper-colored &den to lws a white man was not Pocahontas but hanteo, daughter of the sachem of the Wappingers. Instead of Smith wu have Jacobus Van Horen, one of Hemy Hudsont s sailors. MMteo had no chance to save her Jacobus like Pocahontas had saved Smith. In 1609, Hudson anchored off every village where Indians we& friendly. By the the they reached Fishkill Hook, they left their guns on the boat and while they were gathering grapes a shower of Indiarn * arrows fell mng them injiming Jacobus'who was carried to the sachem. The chief was pleased with the present of the captive. Give him to me, said Paanteo, Wake him uy husband. tf Long before the sailor was able to walk, the Half Pdban was an her voyage to the Netherlands, for the sailors thought their mate was dead. The Indians treated him kindly for the sake of l%&eo whom they all loved. When he was strong, he spent much time hunting. One day he found his way to the place where he had landed from the Half Moon. While he sat on a fallen tree he prayed that he might be reunited with his family in Holland, As he fM&& a voice came from somewhere in the twilight. "The Lord will find a wayon When he returned to aamp the sachem told them they were going down the river for the winter and his marriage to Manteo would be postponed untLl. next sunmer. Spring came agai& The chief began td talk of an early wedding, Jacobus and Manteo went often to a roaring mterfall whieh the people who live in Cold Spring Imow as Indian Falls. They sat on the bank of the stream and Jaeobus ' said loving things which he did not mean. As she told him of the wedding plans- - the big feast and the presents which visiting chiefs would bring, he was planning to eseape and saying under his breath, WThe Lord will find a way.* A week before the return to the Fishkill .amp, Jacobus uhile hunting was startled by the sound of a gun, Anchored in a nearby stream was a ship flying the Dutch flag. He scrambled down the cliff and reached the ship just in time. The sachem was not alarmed when Jacobus did not return that night for he was of ten gone several d-. Later the chief heard of the visit of the ship and he knew that the Dutchman had gme. Wteo went into her father's wigwan and refused to be comforted. One morning she was not ta he found and the whole tribe began a search. It was several days before they found her body in the glen at the foot of Indian Falls. They carried her back to Fishkill and buried her in the Indian gravegerd, They wrapped her body in a coat which Jacobus had left behind and in the grave they placed the few trinkets which he had given her. Of the stories of fiahopac Indians that have come dovlnto us none are more tragic, none more tic than that of boyao and The English haviry secured the ity of Ken Amsterdam becan to xtend their settlements along udson River, The Indians ngregated in large numbers about Piahopac, Knowing the tegical vdue of the Lake's islands and mayhpaa sensing its beauty, rejected all overtures for the purchase of the Lake and the land in all the surrounding.