The Methodist Episcopal Church, built in 1867, used to stand in this empty lot. In 1913, an addition to the church was added in the form of a new hall used for public meetings and entertainment, a reading room, a gymnasium, dressing rooms, and the entire 1,300 volume collection of books belonging to the Marlboro Free Library.
At 2:45 a.m. on December 7, 1915, for unknown reasons, the church caught on fire. Newburgh and Cornwall Fire Departments were called for aid, which prevented the rest of the town from being engulfed in flames, but the Methodist Episcopal Church was completely lost.
Gusty winds the night of fire caused the embers to spread, landing on nearby houses and on the steeple of the Presbyterian Church nearby.
Around the early 1920s, the United Methodist Church was built in the same location, which served the community for many years before it was demolished. Today, the lot remains undeveloped.
Sources:
Amodeo. E., Pagnotta, J. & Cosgrove, J. (2012). Images of America: Marlborough (p. 33). Charleston, SC: Arcadia Publishing.
Fire Destroys M.E. Church, Memorial Hall, and Library in Marlborough. (1915). Newburgh Daily News.
Town of Marlborough Bi-Centennial Committee (1978). Picture Book: As We Were- As We Are: Marlborough-Milton. NY. (p. 40). Saugerties, NY:Hope and Farm Press Bookshop.