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The
Town of Warwick was formed by act of the State Legislature on March
7, 1788. The inhabitants of the Town met on the first Tuesday in
April 1789, to elect the first Supervisor, Town Clerk, Constables
and Overseers of the Poor. It was resolved at that first meeting
that the sum of 100 pounds should be raised for the benefit of the
poor and 20 pounds for contingent expenses.From the first, for
purposes of administration, the Town was divided into three
districts: western, middle and eastern. For each district, an
assessor, a commissioner of roads, a collector and two fence-viewers
were chosen. At least as late as 1856, when a "military
roll" was taken, the three districts of the town continued to
be important. Roads, bridges, fences and stray animals were concerns
of the early town officials. Roadmasters were chosen, 38 in all, to
see that each citizen in their neighborhoods did his share toward
keeping the roads in front of his property in decent condition.
Several poundmasters were responsible for rounding up strays and
caring for them until they were reclaimed by their owners. The Town
of Warwick retained its original boundaries until 1845, when the
northeast corner was cut off to become a portion of the newly-formed
Town of Chester. It is still one of the largest towns in area in New
York State. The name "Warwick" was first applied before
1719 to a farm of thousands of acres covering much of this area; and
the designation become so well-known that it was natural to give it
to the town when it was created and also to the village which grew
up around the crossroads near the center of the town. Several other
hamlets were in existence before the town was formed. Early settlers
made good use of the Longhouse Creek, building dams and mills and an
iron forge and thus giving Bellvale its start. The Doublekill was
another fine stream for water-power and mills, and there New Milford
grew. The community of Florida was also established by the middle of
the 1700’s. During the 1800’s, Amity, Edenville and Pine Island
became centers of population in the midst of the surrounding dairy,
fruit and vegetable farms. Iron mining, charcoal burning and
lumbering were occupations of settlers in the mountains from
Sterling to Cascade; quarrying provided work near Mount Adam and
Mount Eve. Greenwood Lake became well-known to hunters and fishermen
and evolved into a popular resort and recreation area. There are now
three incorporated villages – Warwick (1867), Greenwood Lake
(1924) and Florida (1946) – within the boundaries of the Town of
Warwick. From earliest colonial times, a well-traveled route passed
through Warwick. The King’s Highway came up the valley from
Pennsylvania and New Jersey and led northeastward to the settlements
along the Hudson River and thence to New England. When the Warwick
Valley Railroad in 1860, and the Lehigh and Hudson River Railway
later, followed the same general route, the location of the offices
in the village of Warwick encouraged the growth of that community as
a business center. Wisner and Lake were established as station stops
on the railroad; and the whole town benefited from the freight and
passenger service provided by it.
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