Trinity

Episcopal worship in the community of Highland was conducted in the mid-19th
century by The Rev. Samuel Hawksley, a missionary from the village of Marlborough, a few
miles to the south. Services were held in the old district schoolhouse whenever Mr.
Hawksley visited the town. By 1870 regular services were being held in a hall loaned to
the congregation by Col. Jacob J. Hasbrouck, or the schoolhouse during winter. The
Rev. James William Sparks of Milton officiated.

By this time church members had decided they needed their own church building. Jan
Ferris, a local farmer, donated the land, and Mrs. John Thompson contributed $3,000
toward the construction. Other farmers offered stone for the building. Famed architect
Richard Upjohn was commissioned to design the church.

On July 26, 1972, the Rt. Rev. Horatio Potter, then Bishop of New York, laid the
cornerstone. The church opened for services on June 30, 1873. The building still lacked
windows and carpeting, but money was soon raised for these remaining items. Bishop
Potter consecrated the church later in the year after the final building debt had been paid.
The rectory next to the church was completed in 1902.

Items of interest inside Holy Trinity include the Christ Window behind the high altar,
the Trinity Tapestry (dedicated in 1987 to the memory of Esther Seaman), and, on the
back wall the enameled porcelain portrait of the mother and child.

By Car

From the NYS Thruway (I-87):

Exit 18, New Paltz and bear right
after the toll booths onto Route
299 East. Continue about 5 miles
to Route 9W. Turn right heading
south on Route 9W. Continue 1
mile to the first traffic light, which
is Grand Street. Turn left onto
Grand Street. Continue on Grand
Street 1/2 mile. Holy Trinity
Church will be to the left on the
corner of Lower Grand Street and
Wilcox Avenue.

From the Mid-Hudson Bridge:

Bear right off the Mid-Hudson Bridge from Poughkeepsie, heading north on Route 9W
toward Highland. Continue north on Route 9W to the third traffic light, which is Grand
Street. Turn right onto Grand Street. Continue on Grand Street 1/2 mile. Holy Trinity
Church will be to the left, on the corner of Lower Grand Street and Wilcox Avenue.

By Train

Service from Grand Central Terminal is available to Poughkeepsie via the Metro North
Commuter Railroad. From the Poughkeepsie Station, directions by car from the Mid-
Hudson Bridge apply. Taxi services are available in Poughkeepsie, just check your

on-line yellow pages directory and make a reservation.