The History of Washingtonville's David Moffat's Dream

7/29/2026 -A fun and educational evening drew several dozen Washingtonville residents to a presentation about a famous local millionaire native, David H. Moffat, after whom the Moffat Library is named, by Village Historian Jeanne Versweyveld.

Jeanne Versweyveld, Village of Washingtonville Historian

This was the first official theatre Event produced last week at the brand new Guilty Pleasures Cheesecakes Cafe on Depot Street in Washingtonville since purchased by Patrick and Justine Maiorino earlier this year.  It has a blend of the building’s  downstairs shops and with seating areas it blends the aura of its former life as the beloved Candle Store, but with inspiring  hints of a new life that will include  presentations like this in the beautiful upstairs theatre, in addition to the cafe and gifts available in this  former Corner Candle Store that was lovingly restored after a fire gutted the interior several years ago.

Guilty Pleasures Cafe, 1 Depot Street, bringing life back to a beloved area in the Village

Guilty Pleasures Cafe's layout includes places here and there to sit and chat comfortably with a friend.

Mrs. Versweyveld gave a comprehensive talk and slide  presentation including dozens of stories from Moffat’s birth in the Village to his financial ventures in Denver, visits back home, and  his passion to extend the railway by way of his "Moffat Road", all the way to California, despite the insurmountable barriers of snow and terrain.

This is the terrain between Denver, Coloradoi and California that the proposed railbed faced.

Attempts to complete the rail from Denver to California ran into many

obstacles, including the tragic collapse of a tunnel that left many dead. But the call of the West triggered by the Gold Rush was too compelling to be ignored.

Moffat was known for his generosity, frequently helping and working on projects with other new entrepreneurs  like the Woolworth Brothers during the early years of big business in America.

A lasting tribute to the Moffat Family, a dream of David's and a top Pride of the the Village is the Moffat Library, replete with Tiffany Windows. It had an expansive removation in 2007 after storms had ravaged the area, Designed by Butler, Rowland, Mays Architects, Much of the Village of Washingtonville was renovated and repaired during that time, along with a string of culvert replacements in wetlands, Moodna and Cromline Creek areas.