Ascension

In the early 1800's, worshipers in the town of Esopus on the west bank of the Hudson River traveled by ferry to Hyde Park to attend services at St. James. After an unfortunate ferry accident, in which one person drowned, The Rev. Dr. Reuben Sherwood of St. James worked actively to establish a church in Esopus. The parish was organized on April 4, 1842, and Dr. Sherwood laid the cornerstone for the church on July 19.

Mrs. Anna Watts of the Stuyvesant-Rutherford family donated money for the construction, and her son-in-law, Archibald Russel, commissioned New York architect John Johnston to design the building. On November 12 the stone church, built in the Gothic style, overlooking the Hudson River, was consecrated by the Rt. Rev. Benjamin T. Onderdonk, then Bishop of New York. The certificate bearing his seal and signature hangs in sacristy today.

Mrs. Watts reportedly named the church Ascension, because she also attended the well-known Church of the Ascension in New York City.

During the first several years, services were held in the church only in the summer months because the majority of active members and supporters were summer residents from New York City. One of the most prominent families to attend Ascension was that of financier John Jacob Astor. In 1860 Mr. Astor donated money for the construction of the rectory. The cemetery, one-quarter mile north of the church, had also been established by this time. This cemetery, which is visible from the present Route 9W, contains several headstones of interest from the 18th and 19th centuries.

Soon after the Civil War, another well-known family joined the parish when General Daniel Butterfield and his wife moved to West Park. The Butterfields donated several acres to the parish and, in 1879, the General paid for the redecoration of the church's interior in memory of his wife, Lizzie, who had died in 1877. The present wooden
pulpit, lectern, font, and altar are from this period. The baptismal font is engraved with the name of their only child, Edgar, who died at the age of three.

The two stained glass windows, representing Faith and Hope, are original designs from the Tiffany Studios in New York City, and were installed in 1916 in memory of Sarah Carlton Brookman and Harriet Carlton Durkee. The remaining windows were reportedly donated by General Butterfield.

The Parish Hall dates from 1929. Part of it, however, was constructed in the early 19th century as a carriage shed. Carriage hooks on the stone walls remain from this earlier time.

When the parish celebrated its 100th anniversary in 1942, the interior of the church was refurbished including a new floor, the reredos, and altar rail. The porch was added and dedicated during the 125th anniversary celebration.

The needlework on the altar step and at the communion rails was donated by Barbara Maynard in memory of her mother, Florence Lapine Elsworth, and was dedicated on September 20, 1981. The altar step shows the chariot of fire that took the prophet Elijah to heaven and represents the Old Testament type of Christ's ascension. The rail cushions depict fruits and flowers mentioned in the Bible. The needlepoint was the result of three year's work by Mrs. Maynard, The Rev. Paul Parker, Muriel Cotant, and Brenda Allen. Mr. C. Penny Fulton helped with the installation.