Sentence:  Along Wappinger Creek in Dutchess County , past the white church at Fishkill , past Verplanck 's Point on the east bank of the Hudson , to the white salt crusted roads of the Long Island Rockaways there <WSD>was</WSD> a watching and an activity of preparing for something explosive to happen . 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  have an existence, be extant