At the crossroads of the Post Road and the Philipstown Turnpike, now Route 9 and Route 301, there once stood a hamlet called Griffin's Corners. In the mid-19th century it consisted of a small cluster of buildings including Griffin's Hotel, a school, and a blacksmith's shop, with homes around the lively intersection, some owned by the Mekeel family. By the 1870s the community's name had changed to Mekeel's Corners, as shown on Reed's 1876 map of Putnam County. Mekeel's Corners Chapel, built in 1867 in the Carpenter Gothic style, was originally called the Union Chapel. Construction began in September and took three months to complete. Its dedication took place in January 1868, and it served as a church until the mid-20th century.