Historic Whipple-Feeley Chapel Rededicated at Veterans Park
- hollytoal
- Aug 4
- 3 min read
By Holly Crocco
A shot rang out from the 4th New York Regiment to kick off the rededication of the Whipple-Feeley Putnam County Veterans Memorial Chapel on July 26 at Veterans Memorial Park in Kent.
The chapel was recreated from pieces of the 1832 Red Mills Baptist Church in Mahopac that was dismantled in 1999 and kept in storage until 2006. It was relocated to the entrance of the county-owned park on Gipsy Trail Road in 2011 and rebuilt by union tradesmen under the leadership of Peter Allegretta, Ed Cooke, and George Whipple III.
The steeple, which did not survive the years in storage and needed to be rebuilt, was placed atop the building in December.
The chapel is named in honor of Capt. Geroge Carroll Whipple Jr., and Sgt. Robert Stanton Feeley.
“My father was a captain in the 7th Regiment of the New York State National Guard,” explained Whipple, founder of Preserve Putnam. His grandfather Robert Feeley was a sergeant in the first World War, having volunteered the day the war started.
“They were all better men than I am,” said Whipple. “I’m very, very proud of their service to this country.”
Feeley’s service didn’t stop at the end of WWI.
“When the second World War broke out, his three sons and himself volunteered,” explained Whipple. Since he was “too old” to serve in the Army, Air Corps, or Navy, he enlisted in the Coast Guard and was placed on a cutter off the shore of Greenwich.
“There are very few people who can say one of their relatives was in both the first and second World War in active service,” said Whipple. “We’re very proud of it and very proud to name this chapel after him and after my father.”
During the rededication ceremony, several community members were recognized for their service to the county – and the country – with the unveiling of plaques that hang around the chapel in their honor.
Karl Rohde is a Vietnam veteran who serves as director of the Putnam County Veterans Service Agency. He is a recipient of the Silver Star Medal, Combat Infantry Badge, M16 Expert Rifleman Award, Good Conduct Award, Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry – and other honors.
Under his leadership, the county re-established its service medal to bestow on local veterans.
“We’re so grateful for what you did for us then, and we’re so grateful for what you do for us and for every veteran in Putnam County now,” said Whipple.
Ed Cooke is a civic leader and union carpenter who helped spearhead the historic recreation of the chapel, alongside Peter Allegretta and Whipple.
“They’re the heart and soul behind this chapel and this steeple project,” he said.
Allegretta is a Marine Corps veteran who, as chairman of the county’s Joint Veterans Council, served as project coordinator and construction tradesman of the chapel restoration. He even operated the crane that placed the steeple atop the structure in December.
Allegretta also built the Putnam County Gold Star Mothers Statue – the first in the country – honoring mothers who have lost a child in combat.
“I’m proud of what we did over there, I’m proud of the county, and I’m proud of being a union tradesman,” he said.
Also honored were Erik Aguirre, now a lance corporal in the Marine Corps, as well as the late Denis Castelli, who was a county historian, Village of Brewster historian, veterans’ advocate, and Vietnam veteran who earned – among other honors – a Purple Heart, Bronze Star Medal, and Combat Infantry Badge.