[J. Thomas Scharf (1886)] In 1839 a grand reception was given at this hotel to President Martin Van Buren. PUBLIC Halls. — The first public hall in Peekskill was known as Simpson's Hall, and is still in use. It dates back to about 1S50. It was of small dimensions. At present it is occupied by the Young Men's Christian Association. It is located on the northwestern corner of Main and Division streets. Dramatic Hall was its successor. It was built about 1869 by John Karst, passed into the hands of Daniel J. Haight, in 1878, and in 1880 became the property of Durrin Brothers, the present owners. It is used for lectures, dramatic entertainments and other public assemblages. It has seats for five hundred people. It is located on Main street. There are besides Military Hall, on Park street, and Central Hall, on Central Avenue, near Division street, neither of which is as large nor as much used as Dramatic Hall. The Jefferson Quards and the Bleaklbi Rifles.— The war begun in 1 81 2 against England re-sulted in the organization, in Peekskill, in the year : 1814, of a company for the service of the United States, who were known as the Jefferson Ouanls. On CORTLANPT. U3 the 12th of October, 1X14, the company were sta-tioned at Fort Gansevoort, New York City. The