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DUTCHESS COUNTY
AMERICAN GUIDE SERIES
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AMERICAN GUIDE SERIES
DUTCHESS COUNTY
SPONSORED BY THE WOMEN'S CITY AND COUNTY CLUB OF DUTCHESS COUNTY NEW YORK
PUBLISHED BY THE WILLIAM PENN ASSOCIATION OF PHILADELPHIA MCMXXXVII
Copyright; 1937 by the WILLIAM PENN ASSOCIATION OF PHILADELPHIA
Compiled by THE WORKERS of the DUTCHESS COUNTY UNIT FEDERAL WRITERS' PROJECT of the WORKS PROGRESS ADMINISTRATION in the STATE OF NEW YORK
PREFACE
ERRATA
Page 10, 4th line from bottom-for (See Tour No. 2, p. 117) read (See Tour No. 2A, p. 122).
Page 15, 12th line from top-for pp. 25-26 read p. 32.
Page 16, end of first paragraph-for p. 64 read p. 66.
Page 23, last six lines-read: An exception is Vassar College, the buildings of which have been designed by capable archi- tects. As in the case of most of our American colleges, Vassar buildings present a history of architectural taste during the past three-quarters of a century, though some of them taken individually, are decidedly better than average. The heterogeneous styles and materials are saved from discord by the magnificent trees and lovely gardens that adorn the college grounds.
Page 31, 12th line from bottom-for activities read battles.
Page 36, line 8-for authorizen read authorized.
Page 43, Points of Interest 22 and 23-reverse order. Oakley House should precede Arnold Homestead. In line 6 under Oakley House, for north read west.
Page 44, last line of Point of Interest 27-for Dannammer read Danskammer.
Page 61, under Alumnae House for cryptic read triptych.
Page 63, line 21-for municipality read municipally.
Page 98, Line 39-for halmet read hamlet.
Page 98, line 44-for DANHEIM read DAHEIM. Page 99, line 1-ditto.
Page 105, line 18-for wa sson read was soon.
Page 141, 11th line from bottom, for rae read are.
Page 142, line 30- for econd read Second.
Page 142, line 31-for tate read State. Page 142, line 32-for Aairs read Affairs.
Page 147, line 29 for Vilet read Violet.
Page 152, line 18- delete Square.
In the Index: for Cory, read Crary. for Lake Aerica read Lake Amenia.
ased upon such a that of selection. material has re- iclude significant rations the many are now known been exercised to i original sources, ata have been re- id for such errors olicited.
: cordial coopera- ,ment is made to 7 offices, and the :ches, and other or the use of his ients, newspapers, t; Dr. Emmeline It state entomolo- dent MacCracken members of the Dutchess County ns have rendered
ng over Dutchess purpose.
THE EDITORS.
III
by the V
TH DUTC FEDERAL WRITERS' PROJECT of the WORKS PROGRESS ADMINISTRATION in the STATE OF NEW YORK
PREFACE
The compilation of the DUTCHESS COUNTY GUIDE is based upon such a great wealth of material that the most difficult task has been that of selection. To meet the requirements of a book of useful size much material has re- luctantly been omitted. An attempt has been made to include significant historical data and to record for present and future generations the many facts in connection with places, houses, and people which are now known only to older members of the community. Great care has been exercised to secure accuracy, and as a result of this effort with the use of original sources, and much personal- consultation, some generally accepted data have been re- jected as unreliable. For failures in judgment in selection, and for such errors of fact as may have crept in, the indulgence of the reader is solicited.
The material could not have been assembled without the cordial coopera- tion of many citizens of the county. Grateful acknowledgment is made to the librarians, to the clerks of the county, town, and city offices, and the Highway Department; to the officials of schools, churches, and other organizations. Acknowledgement is due James Reynolds for the use of his grandfather's diary; to Isaac Platt for access to old documents, newspapers, and maps; to Dr. H. D. House, New York State botanist; Dr. Emmeline Moore, chief aquatic biologist; K. F. Chamberlain, assistant state entomolo- gist ; W. J. Schoonmaker, assistant state zoologist; to President MacCracken and Miss Cornelia M. Raymond, of Vassar College, and members of the faculties of Vassar and Bard Colleges. Members of the Dutchess County Historical Society, many old families, and local historians have rendered valuable assistance.
If the guide adds pleasure and profit to travelers driving over Dutchess County roads, the book will have accomplished its major purpose.
THE EDITORS.
III
CONTENTS
PREFACE
Page III
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
VII
LIST OF MAPS VII
DUTCHESS COUNTY : PAST AND PRESENT 1
POUGHKEEPSIE 24
VASSAR COLLEGE 54
BEACON 62
FISHKILL VILLAGE 79
TOUR 1
Poughkeepsie-Hyde Park-Rhinebeck-Red Hook-Pine Plains- Amenia-Millbrook-Washington Hollow-Pleasant Valley- Poughkeepsie 86
TOUR 1 A
Junction US 9 and Old Post Road-Staatsburg 103
TOUR 1 B
Rhinebeck-Barrytown-Annandale-Tivoli 105
TOUR 1 C
Red Hook-Dutchess-Columbia County Line 109
TOUR 1 D
Pine Plains-Washington Hollow
110
TOUR 2
Poughkeepsie-New Hackensack-Hopewell Junction-Pawling-
Dover Plains-Amenia 112
TOUR 2 A
Junction State 55 and 22-Quaker Hill 122
TOUR 3
Poughkeepsie-Wappingers Falls-Beacon-Fishkill-Brinckerhoff -Hopewell Junction-Billings-Poughkeepsie 124
TOUR 3 A
Junction US 9 and New Hamburg Road-New Hamburg 135
TOUR 3 B
Junction State 9 D and Chelsea Road-Chelsea 136
. V
Page
TOUR 3 C
Beacon-Dutchess-Putnam County Line
137
TOUR 3 D
Fishkill-Dutchess-Putnam County Line 139
TOUR 3 E
Brinckerhoff-Wiccopee-Dutchess-Putnam County Line 142
TOUR 3 F
Junction State 55 and 82-Moores Hills-Verbank-Clove Valley 144
TOUR 4
Poughkeepsie-East Park - Pleasant Plains - Wurtemburg- Schultzville-Clinton Hollow-Salt Point-Poughkeepsie .
.. 147
TOUR 4 A
East Park-Netherwood 152
BIBLIOGRAPHY 154
INDEX
162
VI
Illustrations
Page
Saw Mill of Henry Livingston
I
Dover Furnace 7
Van Kleeck House, built in 1702 16
Old Brewery at the River Front 19 40
Dutch House, known as "Old Hundred," New Hackensack
Reformed Dutch Church at New Hackensack 40
.
Poughkeepsie Railroad Bridge from the Waterfront
41
Interior woodwork of the Lewis DuBois House, Gray's Riding Academy 41 Blodgett Hall Arch, Vassar College 56 Students' Building, Vassar College 57 Along Wappinger Creek Reformed Dutch Church at Fishkill 69 80 Road to old landing near mouth of Wappinger Creek 8I 88
Milestone near entrance to Crum Elbow
Entrance Drive to the Roosevelt Estate 88 89
Crum Elbow, the Roosevelt Estate
A Family Burial Ground north of Rhinebeck 104
The Whitefield Oak at Smithfield
104
Churchyard at St. James' Church, Hyde Park 105
St. James' Church, Hyde Park 105
Doorway to the Oblong Meeting House at Quaker Hill 120
Sycamore Tree, with embedded plaque, used as a whipping post during the Revolution, John Kane House, Pawling 121
Oblong Meeting House, Quaker Hill
I2I
Mount Gulian, the Verplanck House, Fishkill-on-the-Hudson 129
Pasture Lands near Dover Furnace 136 De La Vergne Hill near Amenia 136
Old Mill and Falls near Amenia 137
Storm-Adriance-Brinckerhoff House, Old Hopewell 143
Abraham Fort Homestead, near Poughkeepsie 153
Doorway of the Brett-Teller House, Beacon Tailpiece
Maps
Poughkeepsie, 1798
End papers
Poughkeepsie 24
Poughkeepsie Foot Tour
35
Vassar College Campus 54
62
Fishkill Village
78
Beacon
Dutchess County Tours 86
VII
DUTCHESS COUNTY
Saw Mill of Henry Livingston, 1792
Geography and Geology
Dutchess County lies between the Hudson River and the State of Con- necticut ; and is bounded on the north by Columbia County and on the south by Putnam County. It lies between the parallels of 42º5' and 41º26'30" N. latitude. The 74th meridian west of Greenwich passes about one mile west of the western boundary. Its area of approximately 800 square miles is divided into 20 townships.
Dutchess County is a region of great interest to the geographer and geologist .* The economic importance of the county is partly due to its varied surface and types of soil. Except along its extreme southern and eastern edges, the section is gently rolling. Altitudes range from sea level in the western section along the Hudson River to 2,300 feet in the northeast. A truly pic- turesque country, it consists of long ridge-like hills and trough-like valleys trending generally northeast-southwest. In the western part of the county these hills are low with an average elevation of 650 feet. In the central part,
No detailed study of Dutchess County rocks has been made till recently. Since 1935, two groups of geologists, working in this field, have reached different conclu- sions which have occasioned a controversy. The generalizations here made are still true, however, whichever set of detailed conclusions finally prevails.
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however, they attain a somewhat greater height. In addition to the smaller valleys between the ridges, there are a number of more conspicuous valleys such as the Clove and Harlem valleys, the valley east of Stissing Mountain, and that of Wappinger Creek. These are long and broad and have very flat bottoms.
This pleasing, rolling country is known technically as the Middle Hudson Valley. The geologist designates it as a portion of what is called the Great Valley, the longest valley in eastern United States, extending all the way from the State of Alabama to the Province of Quebec, a distance of more than 1,000 miles, and includes the well-known Tennessee, Shenandoah, and Cumberland Valleys to the south.
Bordering Dutchess County on the south and east is a mountainous mass which rises above the rolling country. In elevation it reaches well over 1,000 feet and forms a distinct barrier to southward and eastward travel. On the southern edge of the county this mountainous mass includes Storm King. Mount Beacon, and the Fishkill Mountains. On the east it is represented by Schaghticoke Mountain and other mountains immediately east of the Con- necticut boundary. This high barrier is known as the Hudson Highlands. As in the case of the Middle Hudson Valley, the Hudson Highlands are a portion of a much larger physiographic province, which crosses the Hudson River below Beacon and extends many miles to the southwest, terminating at Reading, Pennsylvania.
The marked contrast between the Hudson Highlands and the Middle Hudson Valley is accounted for in a study of the bed rocks which underlie the region. The Hudson Highlands are composed of the oldest rocks in Dutchess County. These consist of granites and altered granitic rocks, which, in places, have a noticeable banded character (gneiss). They have been formed by the cooling and crystallizing of molten rock which has risen from deep in the earth. These granitic rocks have been so greatly metamorphosed (altered by heat and pressure), that much of their original character has been obliterated. The greater resistance of these rocks to weathering, causes them to stand higher than the surrounding country.
In contrast to the Hudson Highlands, the Middle Hudson Valley is under- lain entirely by sedimentary rocks (rocks which were deposited by water). These rocks are all younger than the granites of the Hudson Highlands, above which they were deposited. The most extensive of these are shales and slates which have been named the Hudson River formation. They were com- posed originally of mud which was deposited in horizontal layers on the bottom of a great arm of the sea once covering this area. Since their deposi- tion, however, the mud layers have been buried and folded under great heat and pressure which hardened them into shales and slates. The folds in these rocks trend northeast-southwest, and impart a northeast-southwest trend to the ridges and intervening valleys.
The broad flat valleys, such as Clove Valley, are underlain by the Wap- pinger limestone formation, which is younger than the granites of the Hudson Highlands, but in part older and more easily eroded than the Hudson River
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formation. This is also a marine deposit, as shown by the marine fossils, or the remains of ancient sea life, it contains. In the western part of the county, near Poughkeepsie, the Wappinger formation is a true limestone composed of small grains of calcium carbonate. It has been used as a building stone, but does not break well for the quarryman. East of Poughquag the limestone has been highly metamorphosed and recrystallized into a marble. At South Dover the marble was formerly quarried extensively for building purposes.
Dutchess County has had an unusually interesting geological history. After the granites of the Hudson Highlands were injected, the whole region endured a long period of erosion during which many thousands of feet of rock were worn away. Then, as the land sank, the sea crept in and the region was covered with sand and mud. As the sea deepened, the limy shells of sea animals and chemically precipitated lime accumulated on the bottom to form the Wappinger limestone. Later, streams brought in mud to be deposited as the Hudson River shale. These rocks were then buried beneath a great thick- ness of overlying sediments and were intensely folded, crumpled, and meta- morphosed. Since that time the land has risen, the sea has retreated, and the region has been severely dissected by the erosion of streams.
The relatively recent geological process of most importance in Dutchess County has been glaciation. Many thousands of years ago, this region was covered with a vast sheet of ice which moved from north to south. Its thick- ness here was probably 2,000 feet. Such a load of ice exerted a terrific down- ward pressure on the region which it covered. At Storm King Mountain, the bottom of the rock channel of the Hudson River is more than 800 feet below sea level, indicating that the Hudson Valley sank after it was formed. At the end of the Glacial Period, with the change to warmer climate, the front of the ice sheet melted back toward the north; and as the ice load was removed, the land rose. The Hudson River Valley was partly dammed at its southern end, and a long, narrow, fresh-water lake was formed. Here the fine clays were deposited which are now used in the manufacture of bricks at many points along the Hudson River. The poor drainage in Dutchess County is the result of the haphazard distribution of sand, gravel, and boulders left behind when the ice retreated.
Flora and Fauna
The characteristic native trees of the lower parts of the county are hickory, oak, sycamore, basswood, soft maple, elm, birch, dogwood, azalea, mountain laurel, laburnum, red cedar, pine, hemlock, black walnut, horse chestnut and tulip. At higher altitudes in the Taconic and Highlands sections there is an- other characteristic assemblage of native trees, which includes some of the first group together with sugar maple, beech, white cedar, spruce, tamarack, ash, cucumber, and others. Some of the older trees are introduced species, from other sections of the country, from Europe, or the Orient, such as some varie- ties of spruce, European larch (see Beacon), Lombardy poplar, old-world willow, mulberry, locust, and catalpa. These expatriates of Europe and the
3
Orient are generally found on large estates or on lands that have been settled for many years. Chestnuts are exceedingly rare, a blight having de- stroyed most of these fine, large-leaved forest trees. The second-growth chestnuts are said to be immune.
Real forests are scarce in the county outside of the highland regions. Woodlots, however, are numerous; and hedgerows and road plantings are common. Especially in hedgerows are the smaller trees and shrubs found. Unlike many of the New York counties, there is no State forest preserve land in Dutchess. Taconic State Park, in the northeast, has been reforested to some extent with plantations of Scotch pine, European larch, Norway spruce, and white pine, all of which are relatively quick growers with root stock suitable for soil erosion prevention.
Shrubs of all sorts are found, many having been introduced and planted on estates and in hedgerows. Some of the larger estates use shrubs as walls to hide the mansions from the highways. Rhododendron is somewhat out- standing because it will not thrive much farther north, because it will grow in dark places unsuited to lawns, and because it has pleasing leaves and blooms.
Too numerous to list are all the species of wild flowers. Common meadow flowers are daisy, black-eyed Susan, devil's-paintbrush, Queen Anne's lace, buttercup, wild strawberry, blue violet, thistle, butter-and-eggs, and golden- rod. Cattail, blue flag, broadleaved arrowhead, jack-in-the-pulpit, pond lily, and marsh buttercup are characteristic flowering plants of marsh and pond. In the woods are dogtooth violet (spring), wintergreen, trillium, bitter sweet, arbutus (do not pick), and a host of other colorful plants. Just which plants thrive in any one section is determined by soil conditions, amount of light, and altitude.
Like the plants and trees, animals of the county comprise native and in- troduced species. In a group by themselves are insects and arachnids (spiders). Lowly worms, slugs, ticks, bats, rats, frogs, toads, mice, shrews, and protozoa usually pass unnoticed.
The largest animal is the common (Virginia) deer found in the mountain areas. It occasionally strays to inhabited sections but scuttles away when discovered. Fiercest of the mammals is the wildcat, which keeps out of sight in the mountains. Prowling domestic cats destroy many birds, moles, and mice. The groundhog (woodchuck) is a common burrower in more remote meadows and hillsides. Raccoons and skunks, although relatively numerous, are seldom seen, as they commonly run about at night. Skunks, attracted by automobile lights, are sometimes spattered about State roads. Gray and red squirrels live in forest, estates, woodlot, and city trees, but rarely are seen together because they are incompatible. Chipmunks, with black stripes reach- ing down their brown backs to their thin tails, frequent stone walls but shun human company. The nocturnal flying squirrel is also found. Meadows and hedgerows are the favorite haunts of burrowing rabbits. Foxes, gray and red, are sometimes seen and often trapped in the mountains. Intermit- tently, opossums come to the county, only to disappear again in what appears
4
to be a fixed cycle of about seven to nine years. The little weasels, brown in summer and whitish in winter, prey on smaller animals. The otter and mink are not uncommon. The muskrat inhabits streams and lakes.
The outstanding fowl are classified as game birds and song birds; many of each are migratory, and several are year-round residents. Most sought game birds are duck, goose, pheasant, partridge (ruffed grouse), and quail; the duck and goose are migratory, and the pheasant is introduced.
Among the common birds are robin, sparrow (English sparrow, intro- duced), house wren, swallow, grackle, starling (introduced), oriole, swift, gull, wood thrush, catbird, warblers, yellow throat, redstart, scarlet tanager, vireos, finches, rose-breasted grosbeak, cowbird, red-winged blackbird, pewee, flycatchers, kingfisher, woodpeckers, flicker, owls, hawks, killdeer, snipe, heron, and common tern.
Only two poisonous snakes are found, the rattlesnake and the copperhead. Both keep to the uninhabited hills, are relatively inactive, and are not dangerous unless bothered or surprised. Other and more common snakes are the garter snake, the spreading adder, the water snake, the little green grass snake, and the black snake.
Dutchess County streams are regularly stocked with game fish, mostly trout, by the State or by local game clubs. Hunn's and Whaley Ponds, as well as other lakes, are well supplied with pickerel, yellow perch, sunfish, and largemouthed bass. Smallmouthed bass and rock bass frequent faster moving water, such as Wappinger Creek. In the Hudson, shad and herring (oc- casionally sturgeon) run each April to fresh-water spawning pools, and large catches are made. White perch are netted in the winter. Slack waters influenced by tides contain suckers. Carp have been introduced into many lakes and ponds.
Insects of special moment are those which are destructive to shade and orchard trees. The worst offenders are the tent caterpillar, the codling moth, and the gypsy moth. Japanese beetles and Dutch elm leaf beetles, common and very destructive farther south, threaten the county's southern border. Reaching New York harbor from foreign lands, they are found in a widening circle, the Japanese beetle eating foliage, the Dutch beetle spreading a destructive fungus.
Butterflies and moths of varied hues are common inhabitants of meadows and woods. The county has its full share of flies, mosquitoes, bees, hornets, and wasps.
Early Exploration and Indians
The history of the early exploration of the middle reaches of the Hudson River is shrouded in legend and uncertainty. The Florentine pilot, Giovanni da Verrazano, sailing under the French flag in 1524, and the Portuguese, Estevan Gomez, exploring for Spain in the next year, were possibly among the first to enter the mouth of the river. The theory that either of these pushed up the Hudson any real distance is untenable. Certainly neither ascended the river as far as what is now known as Dutchess County.
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The first authenticated voyage up the Hudson was made by Henry Hudson in 1609. This voyage was recorded in the celebrated log of Robert Juet, English mate of Henry Hudson's Half Moon.
On September 29, 1609, on the return voyage down the "great river of the mountains," later named Hudson's, the Half Moon dropped anchor off the present city of Beacon. The inhabitants of this part of the valley, as the Europeans had learned on their trip up the river, were of a friendly dis- position. Native canoes brought out pumpkins, maize, and tobacco, which were readily exchanged for trinkets and "fire water." The next day the voyage was resumed, and for another three quarters of a century the Indians roamed the woods of Dutchess undisturbed by the whites.
At the time of its organization in 1683 (November 1), Dutchess County was well populated by the Wappinger Indians, a branch of the Lenni Lenape (Algonquin) linguistic family. They called themselves Wapani (wapan, east), dwellers on the east bank of the river. The name Wappingers, however, is believed to have been derived from the Dutch Wapendragers, or "weapon- bearers."
An affidavit of King Ninham, a Wappinger sachem, recorded in Albany in 1730, states that a tribe of the River Indians, the "Wappinoes," were "the ancient inhabitants of the eastern shore of Hudson's River from the city of New York to about the middle of Beekman's Patent." Doubtless this refers to Beekman's upper or Rhinebeck Patent, which would place their northern boundary almost on a line with the southern boundary of the town of Red Hook.
Like other Indian tribes, the Wappingers were divided into clans and villages. Concerning the locations of the various villages so much conflicting testimony has been left by the early Dutch historians who were actually on the scene that it is difficult now to speak with any certainty. But however the precise divisions may have been, it seems clear that the Indian population was centered in the extreme southwest of the present county, where the mouths of the two largest streams in the region provided good fishing and good harbors for canoes.
The name Megriesken, except Ninham the only recorded name of a Wappinger sachem, is preserved in an interesting document dated August 8, 1683-an Indian deed conveying land to Francis Rombout and Gulian Verplanck. Covering land in the southwestern part of the present county, this is considered the only perfect transfer title made by the Wappinger Indians. This sale was of more than symbolic significance: it was a cession not merely of territory, but of those lands which the Indians themselves had chosen to occupy. Other sales followed, three of them before 1687.
The peaceable and friendly intentions which Henry Hudson discovered in the Dutchess County Indians appear to have continued throughout the brief history of their relations with the whites. An impressive instance is the settlement of Amenia by Richard Sackett in 1711 and Uldrick Winegar in 1724. Until the coming of the Winegars the Sackett family was the only one between Poughkeepsie and New Milford, and for many years after
6
1724 the two families lived in complete isolation. Yet they appear to have had no defenses whatever against: the Indians, while at the same time in Litchfield, across the Connecticut border, five houses were surrounded by palisades, and soldiers were stationed to guard the workers in the fields.
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