The specific area, now Continental Village, comprising 2,000 acres, was originally part of some 87,000 acres purchased by Stephanus Van Cortlandt from the Native Americans and owned by Colonel Pierce Van Cortlandt during the Revolution. Colonel Van Cortlandt, a great-grandson of Stephanus, was a friend and confidant of General George Washington. For more information on this area during the Revolutionary War, reach out to the Van Cortlandtville Historical Society. 

In 1886, the property was purchased by Stuyvesant Fish, Sr., who served as a Congressman from New York around the turn of the century. The property remained in the Fish family until the 2,000 acres were purchased by Norman K. Winston-Arnold Holzer Associates in September of 1946, for the purpose of developing the area into a residential community. 

To perpetuate the relationship between the area and the Revolution, the streets in the Village were named after military leaders who fought there during the War. Also, Gallows Hill Road derived its name from the historic fact that on the crest of the hill, several British spies were executed. 

The Clubhouse area in Continental Village, as it was when it was Cinnabar Ranch, then Peekskill, NY, now Garrison, NY: Revised 8/17/21 from Historic Peekskill, NY, in Pictures; Archive Edition 

Mr. Clark J. Walter was born in Bangor, South Dakota, in 1888 on December 14th. The son of Leon and Jennie (Plummer) Walter. He married Constance Paulson in 1911 in Bangor. The family homesteaded in western Canada, transporting themselves and their belongings in an ox-driven wagon. Eleven children were born to them; all survived except Jeanette, who died in childhood. In addition to the ten children, there are 19 grandchildren. 

With his brother Vern, C. J. pioneered dude ranching in the East and founded the first Eastern Dude Ranching Association. SKI HI RANCH, the first eastern dude ranch, was opened at Warrensburg, New York, in the late 1930's by Vernon Walter. 

In 1938, the two brothers assumed management of the Diamond O Ranch in Peekskill. This ranch was later renamed Cinnabar. This became one of the most popular vacation spots in the East. 

In 1939, the two brothers opened Cimarron Ranch in Putnam Valley, which was an immediate success and is now the oldest dude ranch in the East. 

The Cinnabar Ranch property was sold in 1946 and became the site of the Continental Village Development. Mr. Walter later owned the Walter Ranch in Garrison, New York. He was also associated with two other dude ranches, including the Au Sable Guest Ranch in Michigan, the Lost Wilderness Ranch in Massachusetts and the Flying W Ranch in Garrison, New York.

Established in 1948, the CVPOA is the social and civic heart of Continental Village. Our community is unique, spanning the borders of Philipstown, Putnam Valley, and Cortlandt. While the Continental Village Park District (Philipstown) manages our beautiful lake and grounds, the CVPOA is a volunteer-led non-profit dedicated to the "people" side of our neighborhood. We steward our historic Clubhouse, coordinate community-wide events, and work to preserve the legacy of a village that has been a home to families for generations.