Sifting Through the Sands of Time

from theCourier Archives

70 Years Ago

April 6, 1939

Washington's Visit Here

With 1939 marking the 150th anniversary of the inauguration of George Washington as the first president of the United States, we are reminded that he spent more time in the Hudson Valley during the Revolution than anywhere else.

While histories fail to give us much about his life aside from military activity and little or nothing about his visits in what is now Putnam county, we have the stories in threads handed down from generation to generation that he marched across the town of Patterson, stopped at the fowler homsestead, now the Douglas farm at Tilly Foster, s believed to have courted Mary Phillipse at the old house on Seminary Hill near the present home of Willis Ryder, etc., in addition to his travels through Philipstown to Fishkill and across the river to Newburgh.

There were no contemporaneous writers to record these things for future generations, no report of his participation in village life or in social or religious activities.

School children here studythe life o the father of our country in history books and possibly graduate without realizing that they are in the very territory in which he spent many of his days during the war; some may even walk over the same paths that he rode his horse; or drink daily from a spring by which he stooped for rest.

It would be fitting for some organization to endeavor to patch the threads together handed down by our forefathers and compile a recover that could be preserved for posterity.

100 Years Ago

April 9, 1909

Some County Politics

Governor Hughes' pet measure, the direct primary law, was overwhelmingly defeated in the assembly last night. Assemblyman Yale voting with the majority against the bill.

It is reported that Supervisor Hine of Southeast will not ask for a renomination this fall and that Supervisor Clark is not to be a candidate. There is some talk of a union ticket in Carmel town.

The republicans have not as yet picked out their candidate to oppose Supervisor Townsend in Kent.

155 Years Ago

April 1, 1854

The Sailor's Bible

After the recent heavy storm on the coast of Massachucetts, a sailor's chest which had been swept up from some wrecked vessel was cast on shore, and opened by those who found it. A narrator says:

"But we found precious treasure in the sailor's chest. No diamond of Brazil—no gem of the Western coast, but precious yes, the price of it was above rubies. It was the word of God. We were glad to see it. The sight sent tide of pleasant thoughts through our hearts. If we knew not where the tempest had sent the body, we could no but hope this precious Bible had sent the spirit to a heavenly home. No name yet met our eyes. But these beautiful lines cut out of some book or periodical were pasted on the flyleaf:

'A parents's blessing on her son, Goes with this holy thing, The love that would retain the one, Must to the other cling. Remember 'tis no common toy, A mother's gift! Remember boy.'