was erected about 1760. Occupied by the New York Provincial
Convention, which removed from White Plains Sept. 3, 1776. Used for a
military hospital by the army of General Washington until disbanded
June 2, 1783."

The Dutch Church was stone, and was soon used as a prison by the
Americans. Probably the most famous prisoner it contained was Enoch
Crosby, the spy, the hero of Cooper's novel, who escaped with the help
of the Committee of Safety, the only ones who knew his true character.
The second time he was captured the officer in charge being nettled at
his previous escape, had him guarded with extra care, but again the
Committee of Safety lent a helping hand and Crosby was free once more.

Fishkill, settled in 1683, is one of the old towns. It was the largest
town in the county during the Revolution, and in 1789 was one of the
seven postoffices in the state; but its glory has departed and it is
now a pleasant village living in its memories of the past. Here lived
and worked the blacksmith, J. Bailey, who forged General Washington's
sword. Joshua Het Smith was arrested here for his participation in the
Arnold treason plot. The Dutch Church was built about 1725, its roof
then sloping up from all four sides to a cupola, holding a bell. The
window lights were small, set in iron frame (a good prison), and the
upper story was pierced for muskets. This was all changed soon after
the Revolution, but the stout walls still remain.

[Sidenote: _WAPPINGER FALLS._]

Beyond Fishkill the Post Road traverses a high plateau whose fertile
soil is well cultivated, a country beautiful after its kind, but to
one fresh from the grandeur of the Highlands the stretch of six miles
to Wappinger Falls seems but a tame affair, with only one of the old
mile-stones left to tell the tale of long ago. This seemed to read "71
M. to N. York."

A country school was having recess as I went by, the master sitting in
the shade outside reading, while the boys were playing the national
game and the one little girl stood by admiring their prowess.

Wappinger Falls preserves the name of the Indian tribe that once held
sway over these uplands. The falls around which the village has grown
up are lined with factories and factory ruins, which latter lend an
added charm to the natural beauty of the scene, for even in a dry time
water enough tumbles down these rocks to make the place a delight. The
village contains an interesting relic of the past in the old h