Welcome to Copake, New York

Long before the white man came to the area now known as Copake, it was inhabited by Mohican Indians, who found its many lakes, streams, woodlands and lush countryside a fine place to establish their camps.

Their arrowheads, spears and axes can still occasionally be found in the Copake area.

White settlers, mainly Dutch and German, began to come in numbers around 1750, although a 1714 map shows a settlement near the lake by a family named Whitbeck.

The Brusies were also early settlers.  It takes only a quick look at a current telephone book to verify that other families not only came early but stayed, as did many of the descendants of the first settlers.

Some of the arrivals were accidental.  In the spring of 1753 the captain of a Dutch vessel enticed a number of men aboard his ship for an "excursion".

After consuming a considerable amount of food and drink, they found instead that they were on the high seas, bound for the New World.

Landing in New York and unable to pay their passage, they were sold to the highest bidder to earn the money.

Apprenticed to Livingston Manor, they served their time at the iron ore furnaces around the area.

Once free of indebtedness, they accepted Livingston's offer of leases to farmland, several of them settling in what became Copake.

Peter Rhoda took land around two bodies of water now named for him, Upper and Lower Rhoda Ponds, while Nicholas Robinson, a miller, settled at the foot of a pond later named for him.

The actual Town called Copake was not divided from Taghkanic until March 26, 1824, when the old town of Granger was split, creating Copake in the eastern half and Taghkanic in the west.  The town derived its name, generally supposed to be of Indian origin, from the lake.

The first town meeting, held in April 1824 at the village home of Catherine Williams, elected town officers, raised $850 for the support of bridges and $800 for the support of the poor in the coming year, and continued the "Bye-Laws" in effect in Taghkanic the previous year.

William Murray, a storekeeper, was elected first supervisor and William Elliott town clerk.  Caspaurus P. Lampman, Cornelius Vosburgh and Gideon Sheldon were the first three assessors: William Groat, George Niver Jr. and Jacob Snyder, commissioners of highways.

David Langdon and Jacob Shafer were elected as overseers of the poor, and George J. Rossman collector, allowed 3% on the taxes he collected.

John Langdon Jr., Augustus Reid and James Knickerbocker were chosen commissioners of schools, while Benjamin Hamlin, Peter Sturges and Russell Everett were elected inspectors of schools.

Two constables were elected, William W. Turner and Evert Whitbeck. Isaac Oakley and Harvey Mallory were the fence viewers and Frederick Van Tassel pound master.

Benjamin Hamlin and Jacob Shafer also were elected as justices of the peace and inspectors of elections.

Copied from the Taghkanic by-laws enacted by the inhabitants in 1819 was the following:   That no ram shall be allowed to run at large after the 10th day of September until the 10th day of November following.  An that if any person or persons shall suffer his, her or their ram or rams to run at large (during that time) he, she or they shall forfeit the sum of five dollars to the person or persons aggrieved to be recovered with costs of suit in any court in the County of Columbia having cognizance thereof in like manner as other damages are sued for recovered and collected.

And further that no Boar shall be allowed to run at large after three months old under the same penalties as Rams.

At the second town meeting a law was passed that every person who allowed Canada thistles to go to seed either upon his land or upon the roadside adjoining his land, should pay a fine of $3 for the benefit of the poor.

The town's first board of excise issued licenses to sell intoxicating liquors to innkeepers, Peter Vandebogart, Peter Williams, Elisha Wilcox, john Parsons and Catherine Williams.

The township of Copake had four post offices in small hamlets:  Copake Iron Works (now Copake Falls), Copake,  West Copake and Craryville.

At one time there was also a hamlet called "Black Grocery", so-called, it is said, because its grocery was painted that color.

In 1866 the town was divided into two election districts, the north and west, the first district with a  polling place at Craryville, the east and south, having a polling place at Copake Flats.

Copake Iron Works, also known as Copake Station, was the site of iron mining throughout the latter part of the 19th century.  The New York and Harlem Railroad came through in 1852.

There was also a Harlem Railroad station in Craryville, first called Bain's Corners after Peter Bain, and sold to Peter Crary about 1870, taking his name.

West Copake, first known as Anderson's Corners, was the site of the splendid residence built by Henry Astor in 1865.  

Around Copake Lake colonies of cottages sprang up in the 1920's.

The village of Copake, which remains the hub of the town, was originally called Copake Flats, because of its level ground, and is to this day called "The Flats" by many long time residents.  Even in its early days it had hotels, stores and other businesses, with a one-mile trotting track nearby.

Taconic State Park was established in the 1920's by a commission that included Francis R. Masters of High Valley Farm in Copake Falls and Franklin Delano Roosevelt.  The park attracted a number of people who later became residents.

Camp Waubeeka, originally a Boy Scout camp, and Oleana have become family campgrounds, contributing to Copake's reputation as a pleasing resort area.

Part of Catamount Ski Area is also within the Town of Copake.

In addition, Copake has been sought out by metropolitan New York residents as a location for second homes, bringing in a weekend and summer population that has added another dimension to the town.

Celebrating over 175 years  the town retains its rural character, despite the loss of many farms in recent years, and goes forward into a new century as a great place to live.

Town history provided by Elinor Mettler, writer, founder of the Roe Jan Independent Newspaper and director of the Roeliff Jansen Historical Society Museum, as copied from the Roe Jan Independent Newspaper.