The present society was organized La 1843, under the style and title of the First Baptist Church of Peekskill. The meeting-house, which is valued at $3,400, was erected August, 1847, and dedicated the 8th of April, 1847, to the service of Almighty God. On this occasion the Rev. W. R. Williams, D.D., delivered the dedicatory sermon. This church belongs to the senior Baptist association. U'>cn the 31st of October, 1843, the Rev. Edward Conover, was duly elected pastor; this individual was succeeded, November 25, 1844, by the Rev. C. C. Williams. 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, 180S; Bethune Washburne, Gilbert Weeks and John Spock, trustees.™ The Methodist society must have been in existence, however, sometime previous to the above incorporation; for on the 26th of

o Religious Soc. Lib. A. p, 102

THE TOWN OF CORTLANDT.

February, 1795, we find John Drake and Catharine, his wife, conveying three-quarters of an acre of land in this place to William Hallock, Thomas Clark, William Weeks, Abraham Travis and Stephen Newby, managers of the Methodist society. The present church edifice, erected A.D., 1837, occupies the site of a still older building, erected in 181 1 : to it is attached a small grave-yard. The communicants of this church number two hundred.