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 The
Town of Wallkill was established April 7, 1772, at the home of
Samuel Watkins in Campbell Hall in the present Town of Hamptonburgh.
Vast tracts of wilderness, called patents, were acquired from the
Indians over the period from 1703 to 1761. The original Wallkill
Precinct was created from portions of two of these patents, the
Minisink Angle and the John Evens Patent. Wallkill Precinct
originally extended into Ulster County and was much larger than its
present day boundaries. In 1798, by an act of the Legislature, the
present Orange-Ulster County boundaries were formed. In 1782, the
Congregational Church, at what is now Howells, was organized and has
the distinction of being the second Congregational Church formed in
the State of New York and the first church group in this area. In
1787, George Houston of Neelytown settled on 300 acres in the
southeastern part of Wallkill. This land was bought for him by his
father James Houston who was a descendant of Rev. Joseph Houston,
first minister of the Goodwill Church of Montgomery. In 1796 a
church was organized at the home of George Houston and he donated
three acres for a church site and burial ground. Because of the
preponderance of Scottish families, it was decided to name the
settlement which grew up around the church, Scotchtown. The First
Congregational Church was organized in 1785 in the settlement not
yet known as Middletown. The church acquired 1/2 acre of land from
the estate of John Green, to which was added 15-1/5 square rods from
the husband of the minister's niece, Jonathan Owen. The Rev. Charles
Seelay served as the first pastor and construction was begun in 1786
but not finished until some ten to twelve years later. In 1792,
several families joined to organize the Wallkill Old-School Baptist
Church which met at various places for thirty years before building
on land donated by Silas D. Horton at Rockville, some two and three
quarter miles north of Middletown. A fifth church was organized in
1799 in an area between the present Fair Oaks and Bloomingburg. the
meeting house was known as "The Old Union House."
Settlement clusters rose up around the churches organized in the
Town Scotchtown - situated on high ground, this section of country
being about one thousand feet above tide-water. It undoubtedly took
its name from the nationality of the early settlers, McVey,
McWhorter, McInnis, McLaughlin and McCord. The first store opened in
1803. There was also a wagon-shop and blacksmith-shop. By 1848,
Middletown had a population of 1360 and incorporated as a village.
The Town of Wallkill became bitterly divided politically as the
Civil War era approached and in 1860 the Republicans carried the
first Supervisor's election and then the Presidential election in
Wallkill. During the War, Middletown and Wallkill together supplied
no less than six companies and regiments to fight for the Union.
After the war, Middletown boomed and by 1888 Middletown was granted
her charter as a city. Wallkill remained rural through the first
half of the twentieth century. The town sent her children to
state-drawn district schools and at the present time still has no
school districts of its own. However, the town is still dotted with
old one or two room school houses built between 1820 and 1850. Seven
volunteer fire companies serve the Town. Howells Fire Company was
established in 1924 followed by Mechanicstown Engine & Chemical
Co. #1, Circleville Volunteer Fire Co., Washington Heights Volunteer
Fire Co., Inc., Silver Lake Volunteer Fire Co., Inc., and Pocatello
Fire Company. Bloomingburg Fire Company also covers a portion of the
Town. In the early 1960's the Town of Wallkill began to feel the
impact of development as new highways put it within driving distance
of New York City and New Jersey. The opening of Routes 17 and 84 and
the placement of interchanges in the Town changed the complexion of
the area. In 1960, the census reported 8000, and in 1980 the census
showed the population grew to 20,481. By 1987, it had grown to
approximately 27,000. The "Miracle Mile," a section of
Route 211 in the Town has become a regional shopping center. Many
national and local retail stores have located in this area.
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