Have you ever looked at the Village of Walden’s monuments and buildings and wondered about the stories behind them? The Historical Society of Walden and the Wallkill Valley quenched this curiosity during its monument walking tour last month, visiting several historical locations across the village.

The first stop on the tour was the Jacob T. Walden House, the historical society’s base of operations, located on 34 North Montgomery Street. This building is a two-story apartment constructed sometime in the 1700s, serving as the late Jacob Walden’s home during the early 1800s. The house fell into ruin over the last few centuries but was restored by the historical society after the group formed in 1958. Most of the house’s artifacts were lost at this point, so the historical society refurbished it with furniture and photos that a 1700s home would contain. The house also received a new roof last year courtesy of Max Home Improvement, a remodeling company based in Port Jervis.

Currently, the Jacob T. Walden House’s biggest mysteries are the original owner and the date of construction; the latter is especially difficult to determine as the building does not contain a visible datestone. Village Historian Mary Ellen Matise speculated that the house was built after 1790 given its federal-style architecture, and based on some old records, the first owner or developer may have been William Erwin. Neither of these are confirmed, however, and the historical society is still uncovering the building’s origins.

The next stop was the Soldier’s Monument, a 40-foot granite obelisk erected at the center of the municipal square in 1890. Sculpted by Emil B. Koch of Middletown, this monument was dedicated to the soldiers of the 124th New York Infantry Regiment, an Orange County volunteer unit that served during the American Civil War. Spectators looking closely enough can see the names of the unit’s battles inscribed into the obelisk.

The third stop was only several feet away from the Soldier’s Monument: the village hall, home to the municipal offices and the Josephine-Louise Public Library. Constructed in 1915, this building was formerly a firehouse for Enterprise Steam, Fearless Hook & Ladder, and Orange Hose. Colonel Thomas Bradley, a late veteran and congressman from Walden, conceptualized and designed the building as a replacement to the fire companies’ previous, dilapidated station. Bradley covered nearly all of the building’s expenses, donating a collective $65,000 both before and after he passed away in 1920. After the fire companies moved elsewhere in 1994, the village began hosting board meetings and municipal operations in the former firehouse.

Additionally, Bradley requested the firehouse to accommodate his family’s library, which would become the Josephine-Louise Public Library, named after his wife and daughter.

Within the village hall is a smaller, more peculiar monument: the head of a stag elk, mounted on the third floor of the building’s stairwell. Originally from Jackson Hole, Wyoming, Ab Garrison gifted this elk to the Walden Fire Department in 1919.

Near the municipal building’s library entrance, passersby can find the Firemen’s Monument, a bronze statue depicting a firefighter holding a child. Sculpted by DC Miller of Newburgh, this monument was dedicated to the village’s volunteer firefighters in 1908. The statue was originally located in front of Walden’s Savings Bank on Main Street, but it was moved to the west side of the village in 1925, then moved again to its current location in 1973. The monument also previously contained functional fountains for residents, dogs, and horses.

After heading north on Orchard Street and taking a right on Main Street, the tour reached the Walden Post Office, located on Orange Avenue. Established in 1925, this federal building was another idea from Bradley; while serving as congressman for New York’s 20th district, he purchased the land on Orange Avenue for the project’s construction. Bradley was very hands-on with the PO’s design, basing it off a building in Reading, Massachusetts. Additionally, a time capsule was placed inside the building’s cornerstone, which the PO staff hope to unearth and open soon.

The tour concluded with the McKinley Monument, a statue of 25th President William McKinley, located at the intersection of Route 52 and 208. Sculpted by Henry Hudson Kit and dedicated in 1924, this was another gift from Bradley, who knew McKinley through the cutlery industry. McKinley advocated for tariffs on knives, which would have protected Walden’s cutlery from foreign competitors. Bradley, former president of the NY Knife Co., testified before McKinley during a U.S. Ways and Means Committee meeting.

Bradley may have also known McKinley while the two were serving in the Civil War. Matise noted that this is a myth and has not been confirmed.