town of carmel
This land of Carmel was originally inhabited by Indians of the Wappingers tribe, who, in 1691 sold the property to Dutch traders. In 1697, a wealthy New York merchant, Adolph Philipse purchased the trader’s land and was granted a patent from King William III of England for the entire tract of land which is now Putnam County. Settlers who began arriving here in 1720 became tenants of the Philipse family or of the Indians.
Today, Carmel is home to three places listed on the National Register of Historic Places; the Gilead Burying Ground is the final resting place of at least two dozen Revolutionary War veterans including patriot spy, Enoch Crosby. The Reed Memorial Library was dedicated in 1914. It was built by Arrietta Crane Reed as a memorial to her husband, William Belden Reed. In 2013, the library celebrated its 100th anniversary. The Putnam County Courthouse was built in 1814 and was repaired or improved several times over the years. It closed in 1988 for extensive repairs and reopened in 1994. It is still used today for Surrogate’s Court.
