THE ELTING HOUSE
Elting Homestead is the home of Adonai Lodge No. 718, Free and Accepted Masons of the State of New York. The building was devised (bequeathed) by Mary Elting Maynard Williams to Adonai Lodge in A.D 1946.
The homestead was built in 1817 by Philip Elting, who in 1832 used part of his farm to found the Village of Highland, then known as New Paltz Landing. The farm was originally granted to Abraham Elting, who devised it to his son Noah in 1797, who devised it to his son Philip.
Noah Elting operated one of the original ferries between Highland and Poughkeepsie, and acquired significant land holdings in Ulster County. By the 1780's, he owned 1/17th of the original New Paltz land grant. Philip Elting died in 1839, leaving the homestead to his son, Charles W. Elting who was town supervisor in 1880 and 1881. He was also school board president in 1905.
Charles W. Elting was Master of Adonai Lodge in 1899. He devised the homestead to his daughter, Mary Elting Maynard who had married Louis B Maynard. Mary later devised the homestead to Adonai Lodge.
The Lodge Room and kitchen were added to the homestead in 1951 by the brothers of Adonai Lodge.
On August 4, 1910, the homestead was the site of the funeral of Hiram Schoonmaker of Brooklyn, who had died two days before in Poughkeepsie.