History
How Circleville and Bullville came to be
Circleville, NY
Circleville is a hamlet in the Town of Wallkill, County of Orange, State of New York.
Before 1791 this area was a thick forest with a single log house, occupied by a Mr. Coddington. Circleville’s post office was established in 1850. There was a blacksmith shop, a wagon shop, a shoe shop and two creameries.
Samuel Bull, Sr., a blacksmith who settled near Circleville, is said to have worked on the chain used to obstruct the Hudson River during the Revolution.
Church services were held in the “White School House” until the Circleville Presbyterian Church was built.
The Circleville Presbyterian Church was organized on January 4, 1842, and became part of the Presbytery of Hudson. Its house of worship was erected in 1842, and much of the cost seems to have been contributed as donations of labor, timber, lumber and mason work. The land, five acres, was donated by Samuel Bull, who in addition to his gift of land contributed much in labor, material and money. To him the community is largely indebted for the benefits it has derived from this church through the years.
The name Circleville was given to the church and village by Mrs. Mary Bull, who thought Circleville, in Ohio, was a very pleasant name.
Bullville, NY
In 1723, King George I granted Thomas Bull 2,600 acres of land, some of which became Bullville, NY. Thomas gave his son Daniel land in Bullville to build his house. Daniel married Catherine Miller on January 17, 1780, and they had 13 children. In 1787 Daniel built a large stone house, later added onto twice, on what is now known as Roberson Avenue. Of Daniel Bull’s 13 children, 7 lived within two miles of the Stone House, and so the name Bullville was given to the area.
On November 27, 1867, Josephine Bull married Captain Theodore Roberson of the Orange Blossoms, 124th Regiment, and they lived in the stone house. In 1908 their eldest son, Louis, married Florence Decker. In 1915 they built the Roberson Family Homestead, in the style of the large center-hall colonials, on Highland Avenue in Middletown, NY, for the grand sum of $3,450, barn included. The Roberson Family Homestead was inducted into the Town of Crawford Historical Registry.
From the archives
- The 1913 Fourth of July celebration in Circleville, as reported by the Middletown Daily Times-Press
- Circleville postmasters since the 1950s
More local history
- History of the train in Circleville (YouTube)
- Town of Wallkill history
- The Bull family and Bull family picnic photos on Flickr
- Graves in the Circleville Presbyterian Church cemetery
- Scotchtown website (archived)
- 130 old fire trucks under one roof (YouTube)
- Tribute to 9-11-01
- Monroe Historical Society