Soon after the Revolution she was made a
village, when there were only two others in the State. Before the days
of the Erie canal, this was the shortest route to Lake Erie, and was
made by stage _via_ Ithaca. With increasing facilities of railway
communication, she has also easily held her own against all commercial
rivals. The _West Shore Railroad_, the _Erie Railway_, the _New York
Central_ and the _New York and New England_ across the river, and
several Hudson river steamers, make her peculiarly central. The city
is favored with beautiful driveways, amid charming country seats.
The New Paltz road passes the site where General Wayne had his
headquarters, also, the "Balm of Gilead tree," which gave the name of
Balmville to the suburban locality. Another road affords a glimpse of
the "Vale of Avoca," named after the well-known glen in Ireland, of
which Tom Moore so sweetly sung. Here, some say, a treacherous attempt
was made on the life of Washington, but it is not generally credited
by critical historians. As the steamer leaves the dock, and we look
back upon the factories and commercial houses along the water front,
crowned by noble streets of residence, with adjoining plateau,
sweeping back in a vast semi-circle as a beautiful framework to
the wide bay, we do not wonder that Hendrick Hudson established a
prophetic record by writing "a very pleasant place to build a town.
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