Everyone seems to notice the little white church perched on the hill on Route 97, south of town, but how many of us have actually visited this church, one of several registered historic landmarks of our town?

In 1840, when the Town of Tusten was still a part of Lumberland, the local Baptist community organized with a desire to build a church of worship. The Tusten Settlelment Church was constructed to satisfy this need and was the first church built in Narrowsburg, with the Methodist church to follow in 1856, the Catholic church in 1862 and the Lutheran church in 1869. While the churches located within the hamlet seemed to have thriven, the Settlement Church is no longer used on a regular basis. But it is available for special events such as weddings, etc., and an annual Ecumenical Memorial Day Service. This year the service will be held at 2 p.m., Sunday, May 24. Ralph Hubner will be the guest speaker at the church service. Graveside services honoring our many veterans will be conducted by the Tusten-Highland Veterans of Foreign War. Light refreshments will be offered following the service. This is the perfect opportunity to experience life in our area back in a simpler time.

You may notice the Tusten Settlement Church as you pass, but what you now do not notice is the litter along many of our roadways as a result of all those who participated in the Narrowsburg Beautification Group annual litterpluck event, coordinated with Sullivan County. Thank you to all those that bent over and plucked that debris, with a special thanks to the Steve McGuiness family and friends, not part of the Tusten effort, but still plucked bags of trash from Route 652, removing the eyesores of debris, allowing, for us to traverse roadways with only nature’s beauty surrounding.