The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1854-06-09
Address of Rev. J. p. WakeIy.
HISTORICAL SKETCH OF COMMUNIPAW,
DC, NC, &c.

DC, NC, &c
Yesterday great day in the history of tie ancien
and celcbratsi commonwealth Of Communipaw Nearly
three hundred years have elapsed since our phiagmac
Dutch ancestaAs or New York. IL is said was sst s.
tied by emigas from that romantic locality first sat
their foot upon ~ shores but up to the present tne
edfce that Id be dgned with the title of chur Oh
has been erected tn ere But ii there house Of
worship 1t must ppt therefore, be inferred that the
citizens Of that rabss republic devoid Of re-.
gon for history says THAI has been
for the quiet and unsssurpg Of its people and
their Christian piety and zeal Yesterday, however,
the corner stone Of Methodist Episcopal Church
laid and the occasion appeared 10 be Of general
joicing among the nhs bitants. The members of the
Methodist persuasion have heretofore held divine
vice In the schoolhousc; but finding the
which It afforded rather limited for the constantly in
creasing demands made it, they resolved erect
ing suitable cdice for the purpose. At present.
II counts hundred members, which, consider.
Ing the population of "the Republic" is large num-
bcr Tho majority OF these understand are descend
ants OF NC original Dutch settlers and they still bear
IN the- appearance and mnnners unmistakcable maria
Of thoir origin We have the official records &C
the ccnsus but the population estimated at about
five hundred. Communipaw proper that is "the CITY,"
is not more than three miles from New York yet it
so from WorlC that would imagine
it was hundred miles away from the great metropolis
Every year have grand cesbra idn of the Landing
Of the Pilgrim Fathers but who thinks of sg-
nalzing the anniversary of that day which the
sturdy Dutch landed the Jersey shorc Within sight
of this restless city and within TIE hearing of it's
ceasng din and tumut hardly out Of every hundred
OF our population know of its whereabouts. Some time
ago 1t stated that vessel hgd broken from its
ings and drfed the Communipaw beach, when every
one wanted to know whore IL situated. They had
heard OF often had read OF it N knckerbockers
history Of New York " but of its locality they
trely ignorant II must not be supposed however that
because y is comparatively unknown 20 New Workers and
little frequented, II possesses attractions For
summer resort it will compare favorabiy with many in
the vicinity, and would be difficult to find It's equal in
all New Jersey for quiet beauty and picturesque
ry. The oysters, which are planted in extensive
beds along lis shores are well known to epicureans
under the meof 'sYork Bays and said to be
superior in favor TO any sold in markets The Com
muDpawans are mostly fishermen agrcultupists for
there ara very few Who follow any mechanical occupa
ton. Some Of the houses built in the old Dutch
style, with high peaked gables which give the whole
place an ancient and venerable appearance. Rev. Mr.
Wakely, BY whom the corner stone laid has given
such inter sting sketch Of the history Of the place.
however, as to leave nothing to say the sub
jec
The ceremony Of laying the corner stone commenced
yesterday about four O'Clock when about two hundred
street Methodist Episcopal Church. OF this city began
the religious exercises appropriate to the occasion, BY
reading the 95eth hsmn-
s!Behold the sur foundation store
Which God in Zion lays,
To build our heavenly hopes upon
In his eternal praise
The whole hymn sung by The congrc ton after
which prayer said BY Rev. Mr Ellison St. Paul's
Methodist Episcopal Church, of Jersey City. A portion
Of The second chapter Of the Epise OF It. Paul to the
a. tie conclusion Of the 223d psainl which next
sung, the following address was delivered ly Rev mr.
There are few paees of small magnitude ia tho New
World around pen = Sisloss. hes thrown
and romance about IL that will lnger for ages come
whila the waters of the noble Hudson continue TO ro
towards the Atlantic the gentlc Of this
tful bny roll against this shore. Communpaw is i'm
mortalized 1t il identified with the earliest history of
our country It is not its magnitude but its antlonty
that has given it immortality was an Indian village
and retains its Indian name. l know there are some
who tell that received its froia Michael Puauw
who purchased large tract Of land extending from Ho
boken to Amboy-inoluding Staten Island, which
called by the name Of ravonia But l believe the
The old Indian ian name. name Here was a community
OF 1nlians-a fraternity Of savages After the Dutch
landed here they continued its old name-just
have retained the old Indian OF many places 1t
is worthy Of note that while msny other places have
changed their names, New Amsterdam becomes New
York Communipaw remains unchanged whether in
habited by Indians, Dutch English. There times
when thought is very busy reviewing the past, contem
plating the present and anticipating the future. This
With US Is one of those periods. If looN back few
hundred years ago, this vast continent with its lofty
mountains and beautiful valleys its splendid lakes and
noble rivers, unknown TO the civilized world. They
thought the world was imperfect, and dreamed there
must be some beautiful country in the mighty
then dream, shortly after became glorious reality.
ais somewhat strange that what led to the discovery Of
America, and what led to the discoyert Of this
magnificent bay and noble river the
thing, viz: desire to dnd northwest passage
to the East Indies. This led to- "a discovery OF
America by Christopher Columbus, ami to the disco.
very Of this bay and river by Henry Hudson. IT'S nga
lar-two whales ascenaed this river perhaps to find
norhw est passage to the Pacific Ocean but they
much mistaken Hudson and they ashore he
mouth of the Mohawk river and heard of their
returning The 18th Of September l6O9-ol5 years ago
wa al a auf.tr IN m
history Of the word strange sight beheld in this
beautiful bay vessel such had been before
was seen sailing upon its blue bosom Those board
Of different complexion from the natives of this
country They were pale faces-were white 1t proved
to be the Half Moon commanded by Hendrix Hudson,
celebrated navigator, who after having explored the
bay and river that bears his name retnred t0 Europe
Hudson did not call the noble river after himself but
Great River, or Great River Of the Mountains IT was
called North river to distinguish IL from the South
river, or Delaware. How magnificent must have been
the scenery at that tme-nature in her awful wdness
and naked grandcurl The white mans foot had
trod the soil-tLe white mans voice here hal never
heard This splendid bay BY any the
world these islands that beau tully stud the arbor
the Islands and the main covered with lofty trees plant
ed by Gods own hand The magnificent oak and other
trees rearing their lofty heads the birds the
making the air redolent with their music-.he wild
flowers blooming in beautyall nature in delicious wild
The beaver making his dam-thc otter playing in
the waterhe deer feeding undsturbed along the shore
the Indian roaming these hills and penetrating
the forest visiting these islands and padding his
upon these waters; all must have been perfectly
chanting-benutful-grand = magnificent = oyerwhelm
ing. VITO would not IKE TO have witnessed the scen,S
No temple TO the worship Of the living God made with
bands, erected in this New World The In
dians worshipped the Great Spirit in Gods great
cathedral--in natures magnificent temple. What
a mighty change since that dayl The Indians have
melted away before the OF civilization The lofty
trees have fallen. The wild flowers have disappeared
The wild beasts The wilderness and the
solitary place have been made glad and the desert re-
oiced and bossomed the That splendid island
Manhattan. was then inhabited by warlike OF In
dians called the Manhattas That island, where is
the empire city Of the Empire Statewin its half mil
lion OF inbabants-its commerce, whose sails whiten
every sea, and visit every harbor the globe, dstin
guished for ITS wealth. fashion, splendor-for its
chant princess and its palaces SURROUNDED by vessels
whose mass they look like forest trees
with its numerous and splendid temples with lofty spires
ascending upwards towards heaven catching the earliest
and latest rays Of the sun, sold in 1925 by
the Indians TO the whites for twenty four dollars
Let notice more particularly the history of this cee
brated place. The most extended history OF Communi
paw IL in "Knckerbocker's History Of NewYork = written
byWashiDgon Irving OF this history half truth
and half romance We can hold on TO the truth while
get rid Of the fiction. We retain the wheat while