DRAFT: REVOLUTIONARY WARwick (Orange County, NY)

The open land at the south corner of Forester Avenue and Route 17A/Galloway Road in the Village of Warwick now known as Hallowed Ground Park was the site of the first Meeting House and cemetery of the first Baptist congregation. The log structure, built around 1765, was a community hub during Revolutionary days.

Its location is noted on several of Robert Erskine's maps of important roadways for George Washington. 

In addition to lively debates within the congregation about their positions on the conflict, the building was actually taken over for use by the Continental Army during 1780-81 to store and keep dry flour and other supplies.

Learn more about the Continental Army Supply Depot here: https://guides.rcls.org/hathornj/supplydepot

The congregation included ardent patriots, fence sitters, and those honoring the King.  Several members were ardent patriots, service in Hathorn's 4th Orange County Regiment and other units.  Some, unable to be active military, served the cause in other ways.

The original Baptist cemetery was at this location.  By the time the 1795 cemetery was begun, the graves at the original site were described as surrounding both sides and in back of the meeting house.  After the new church was built, the old structure gradually fell into disrepair, and had been removed before the Civil War.  The graves, however remained.  Some of them-- those that had been well marked and had family members to care for them-- were removed to the Warwick Cemetery.   As Eliza Benedict Hornby noted, eventually the remaining markers were turned face down and covered with turf, and remain so today.

A few of the burials are mentioned in old records, and these are some of those that remain that we could glean, to date.

Several of the known persons here have dramatic stories to tell, from their graves.  Elder James Benedict was with the emigrant Warwick congregation members in the Wyoming Valley during the Battle for Wyoming.  

The story "A Sister and a Brother" from Under Old Rooftrees recorded by E. B. Hornby relates the poignant tale of Hannah and Jonah Bennett, who as children walked alone from Connecticut to Warwick. The rolling pin described is still in the family's possession (shown at right.) 

To date, we have been unable to find primary source documents of Jonah's later service with Gen. Anthony Wayne, but as his death is less than a few decades before Eliza's childhood, we are inclined to trust that his memories had been passed down accurately.  

It was here that the Baptists, later called "Old School" Baptists, established their first log meeting house, the first documented Christian structure in the Town of Warwick.  According to Elder Leonard Cox in his "An Historical Address Delivered at the Centennial Anniversary of the Old School Baptist Church of Warwick", written in 1865:

From the best information that can now be obtained the first log meeting house was completed during the year 1774, and is remembered by some still living among us.  It was a nearly square building some 36 feet by 40 with galleries and moveable wooden seats, some of which are still to be seen in the present church edifice.  The males and females occupied seats on opposite sides of the house, after the manner of the time. The building stood on a piece of ground which was the gift of Elder Benedict, near the residence of the late Mr. John Wood.  The deed was not given until Sept, 1801 at which time the Board of Trustees was incorporated. On the erection of the present building, it was taken down..."

Elder James Benedict was the first Elder appointed for the fledgling church, in 1765. Cox's history states that the property was give to the church by Elder James to build the meeting house on. According to William B. Sayer in the Warwick Historical Papers, "The foundation was unearthed in 1906 and the corners marked while grading the lot, and surveyors' measurements proved it correct.  An early writer says the building stood in a fine grove of oak trees... Elder Benedict's home (was) across the road from here."

The front corner of the property was preserved first, given to the Village of Warwick, and cherry trees were planted. It contains the area where the original church was.  In 2002, the Warwick Conservancy became aware that land surrounding the small plot, which had been described as containing graves, was for sale.  A fundraiser was held, and with additional grant money, the entire parcel was purchased and preserved as passive use parkland, dedicated on July 5, 2003.