New York State's first rural Roman Catholic church, known as the "Church in the Woods" and dedicated to St. Ambrose, was established here in 1829 at Read's Corners, where Nicholas Read had been a pioneer since 1823. Mt. Read bears his name. Devout Irish settlers led by Felix McGuire built the first church as a wooden structure. A new brick building was dedicated in 1860. The 1860 structure became a library in 1969.