I50 HISTORY OF THE COUNTY OF WESTCHESTER. 



The Baptist society must have been established here at an early date ; 

 this appears from the following document, entitled an agreement made 

 the 17th day of December, A. D. 1772, by and between the subscribers, 

 as follows, to wit : — 



"Whereas the society of people called Baptists, by way of voluntary subscrip- 

 tion, have lately erected and built a house of public worship at or near a place 

 called Peekskill, in the manor of Cortlandt, and as there is not as j r et a sufficient 

 sum of money raised to pay for the building said house, we the subscribers do 

 agree upon and appoint Caleb Hall, cf the said manor of Cortlandt, to hire a sum 

 of money sufficient to pay the deficiency; and we jointly and severally promise 

 and oblige ourselves, our heirs, executors and administrators, to pay to the said 

 Caleb Hall, his executors or administrators, one equal part of the sum that he 

 shall so hire, according to the proportion of our first subscription : Provided 

 that if there shall be money raised by way of subscription, sufficient to pay the 

 cost laid out in building said house, that the money so hired shall be paid out of 

 the same. In witness whereof we have hereunto set our hands. 

 Caleb Hall, Sen., John Poun, 



Isaac Horton, Sen., Joshua Horton, 



Daniel Hall, Caleb Hall, Jr., 



Richard Williams, Nathan Browu, 



Nathan Elliott, Oliver Yeomans. 



The first Baptist church stood near Gen. Pierre Van Cortlandt's, 

 directly on the spot now occupied by the district school-house. 



The present society was organized in 1843, under the style and title 

 of the First Baptist Church of I'eekskill. The meeting-house, which is 

 valued at $3,400, was erected August, 1847, and dedicated the 8th of 

 April, 1847, to the service cf Almighty God. On this occasion the 

 Rev. W. R. Williams, D.D., delivered the dedicatory sermon. This 

 church belongs to the senior Baptist association. Upon the 31st of 

 October, 1S43, the Rev. Edward Conover, was duly elected pastor; this 

 individual was succeeded, November 25, 1844, by the Rev. C. C. Wil- 

 liams. The present pastor is the Rev. P. Buel, who commenced his 

 ministrations 23d August, 1846. The communicants belonging to this 

 church average forty. 



The Baptist burying-ground is situated north of the Episcopal yard. 

 Here is a memorial to Caleb Hall, who died October 1st, 1791, aged 91 

 years, beside other monuments. 



The Methodist Episcopal church in Peekskill, was first incorporated 

 2d August, 1808; Bethune Washburne, Gilbert Weeks and John Spock, 

 trustees.* The Methodist society must have been in existence, how- 

 ever, sometime previous to the above incorporation; for on the 26th of 



a Religious Soc. Lib. A. p, 102 



