The Town of Cortlandt was named after Philip van Cortlandt, one of General Washington's officers, and officially became a town on March 7, 1788. The Town Hall building served as Van Cortlandville elementary school for decades before it was purchased by the Town in November 1990. Town Hall was dedicated to the current Town Supervisor Linda Puglisi in 1992. The halls of the building are decorated with many commemorative plaques. There are also display cases of donated historical artificats from the Cortlandt area, as well as "then-and-now" photographs showing local buildings and the businesses that have occupied them. The Supervisor, Water, Engineering, Code Enforcement, Planning, Tax, Town Clerk, Comptroller, Assessor and Recreation offices are located in the building, along with the V. Nyberg Conference Room and Justice Court. The Court's entrance is through the middle court yard in the back.