The Village of Wappingers Falls Celebrates Its Centennial

THE VILLAGE OF WAPPINGERS FALLS CELEBRATES ITS CENTENNIAL

by Dorothy B. Alsdorf Dutchess County Historian

Early in 1968, a representative group of citizens of the Village of Wappingers Falls met for the purpose of considering the question "Shall we plan a centennial celebration in 1971?" An affirmative decision was reached and a committee was duly set up. This committee brought the celebration of the village's birthday through a glorious year. The first event was held in January of 1971. It was an evening of ballet presented by the Estelle and Alphonso School of the Dance. The presentation of the ballet was made in the Wappingers Central Junior High on Remsen Avenue.

An old-fashioned skating party was the next event. This was planned and given by Sister M. Patricia of St. Mary's School. Local firemen prepared the ice so that it would be in fine condition for those taking part in the skating. Students from St. Mary's prepared and served hot chocolate, coffee and other refreshments. This event was particularly pleasing to the long time residents of the village for it brought to mind the skating parties of olden days.

In May, a monument was erected and dedicated to the memory of Dan Brouthers, Wappingers Falls contribution to the world of baseball. The speaker for that day was no less than the Curator of the Doubleday Baseball Museum of Cooperstown, New York. Relatives of Mr. Brouthers came from their homes far removed from Wappingers Falls. The Brouthers Memorial is in Veterans Park near the Little League ball diamond.

It has been customary for some years for the Lions Club to present musical and other cultural programs in the village park during the summer months. As their contribution to the Centennial, that organization erected a redwood and concrete band shell for the village which is placed in Mesier Park in front of the natural amphitheater. This is a most welcomed facility as it improves the acoustics of the place.

Our local firemen are always to be depended upon to do their share in making any project a success. As their contribution to the Centennial, they purchased and erected a fine granite monument embraced by a low brick wall to the memory of the firemen of Wappingers Falls who have served voluntarily to keep fires of the village under control.

This writer cannot refrain from expressing her personal opinion that the most meaningful project of all was that of the small group of ten to twelve year old boys who, through their own efforts, were able to have a new pump put into the well in Mesier Park. When this was accomplished, the water was tested for purity and now one is able to get a drink of most excellent, chlorine-free water while enjoying the other park facilities. These children really have a good feeling for their village, and have shown that, when permitted, the younger generation can truly act constructively.

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The "Big Day" was scheduled for August twenty-eighth. It was to be a Picnic in the Park, preceeded by a big parade. When the plans were laid, no one counted on a visit the night before from Dora. That tempestuous lady came and left behind tons of water in homes and in storm sewers. All plans were cancelled for the day while firemen and home owners did some mopping up. The following day, floats which were to have been in the parade assembled in the park and prizes were awarded. The Wappingers Historical Society won the second prize while the first prize went to the local Campers Club.

Organizations which were to have prepared the food for Saturday came to the park on Sunday and set up their stands. One of the features was a Lost and Found booth manned by members of the Wappingers Historical Society. It was really a busy group!

Brewer-Mesier House was open for the purpose of showing the room recently restored by the Historical Society. More than one third of those visiting the Centennial viewed the restoration. It is regrettable that no more were able to see the house, but rescheduling meant that about half of the committee planning to help in the house that day were unable to be there. Hopefully, with the coming of spring, a regular schedule for showing the house will be put into operation. Authorities estimate that over ten thousand people were in Mesier Park on the day of "A Picnic in the Park". A hearty thanks to all who made the Centennial a success!

Perhaps you are wondering about the background of this Village of Wappingers Falls. To try to tell the complete story of Wappingers Falls would be too much for our present purposes; therefore I shall touch only upon what seems to me to be most revealing of how we became a village and some of the factors which caused the village to develop.

Wappingers Falls had its beginnings as a community when it was used as a summer home for the Wappinges Indians. These people spent their winters in Massachusetts near Stockbridge. They came to the bluff above the Creek in summer where they planted their crops in the fertile fields extending for several miles along the creek. They harvested their crops in the fall, returning to Massachusetts just before the winter snows.

Tradition tells us that the first white man to settle here was a Dutchman by the name of Hoffman. He reportedly lived in a mud and stone house on the west side of the creek. When the Rondout Survey was made it included the land now covered by the Village of Wappingers Falk Today this village lies in two townships. The west side or Channingville is in the Town of Poughkeepsie and the east side in the Town of Wappinger. Thus the east-siders vote in town elections in the Town of Wappinger and the west-siders vote in town elections in the Town of Poughkeepsie.

Through acquisition by inheritance, Elizabeth Skinner, wife of Rev. William Skinner, came into possession of a large tract of the Rombout Patent through her relationship to the Van Cortlands. The Skinners came to the Wappinger area intending to develop the land but for some reason they did not carry the project through.

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In 1738, the Skinners sold several hundred acres to Adolphus Brewer and his son Nicholas. Poor Adolphus did not have a very happy time while he lived in Wappingers Falls. His young daughter was bitten to death by rattle snakes in June of 1739, and a few weeks later, in early July, Adolphus was hit by a bolt of lightening and died. Adolphus Brewer was the first person to be buried in the cemetery behind the Zion Episcopal Church.

His father's death left Nicholas chief heir and in charge of the Brewer affairs. The Yellow Mill and a small stone house were already built at the time of Adolphus' death. It was left for Nicholas to build the Red Mill, the Yellow House, the Old Red House and the Brewer-Mesier House. This last was built, according to Clinton Clapp, in 1741. Helen Wilkinson Reynolds believe it was built 1740-1745. It is the one house of that vintage still standing and occupied. Nicholas Brewer was a successful miller, and he later became a builder of sloops. His shipyard was on the lower Wappingers Creek. He was commissioned by George Clinton to have seventeen ships ready for the Continental Forces. On one occasion Nicholas Brewer was rated as a Captain in the Militia. He served his country well as a spy for General Washington.

In 1775, the Mesier family purchased the Brewer house in Mesier Park and several hundred acres of land including the Yellow Mill. The Mesiers added to their holdings, acquiring the Red Mill which continued to operate long after the Yellow Mill. Benjamin Clapp came to Wappingers Falls from New York City, rented the Yellow House from the Mesier family as a dwelling and opened a factory where he manufactured mahogany veneer. He later opened a textile factory when cotton was the raw product from which the cloth was made.

Elias Brown, with others, owned and operated a Comb Shop. Combs were made from horns of buffalo and steel, but with the lowering of tariffs on foreign imports, the Comb Factory was forced out of business.

The one enterprise which had its origin in Wappingers Falls and is still in business, although not now in Wappingers Falls, is the Sweet-Orr Company. In 1871, James Orr returned to Wappingers Falls from California whence he had gone to make and sell gentlemen's clothing. There he had found that his product was not in demand, for the men in California wanted working clothes. In Wappingers Falls, Mr. Orr persuaded his nephews, Clinton and Clayton Sweet, to enter into a partnership with him in the manufacture of a work garment that would cover the whole body and keep the soil of work from staining the clothing worn underneath. The Sweets were agreeable and the Sweet-Orr Company was formed. The first pair of coveralls, as they were called, was made on a home type sewing machine. Mr. Orr took the samples to New York City, showed them to several business houses, and he was in business! The orders were so numerous that the new company had trouble filling them. The first factory rooms were in the building now occupied by the Popper Electric Company. This space soon became insufficient so the factory was moved to Mill Street where a new factory had been built for the purpose of housing the Sweet-Orr Company.

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The home of Sweet-Orr remained in Wappingers Falls until 1958 when the doors were closed. A few years later, the company moved its Newburgh plant to the south where the company had been located for several years. Presently, the company has several factories operating in the United States. The newest one was opened in Alabama last summer. There is much more to the history of Wappingers Falls, but space is not available for its publication. This article is only a brief review of some of the more significant bits of its history.

A brief look at Wappingers Falls today reveals that it is a modern village in spite of its old, well-kept houses. The streets are paved, the sidewalks are good and modern lights illuminate the streets at night. Residences are generally owned by their occupants and most of the home owners keep

A well-maintained, stylish old house in Wappingers Falls

their properties in good repair. The sanitary conditions are good. Free garbage pick-up is maintained by the local government and fire protection has been well provided by the Johnson and the Garner Engine Companies. Fire hydrants located at specified distances from buildings provide a reasonable rate of fire insurance. Postal delivery is provided. There are four churches

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within the village: the Roman Catholic Church is on the west side and on the east side we find the Zion Protestant Episcopal, Baptist, Presbyterian and United Methodist churches. Although there are no public schools in the village, there are three private schools. They are the Wappingers Falls Play School, St. George's School and St. Mary's. Children from the village who do not attend private school attend the Wappinger Central School System.

A police force of four full time and six part-time policemen gives protection to our citizens and guards their possessions. Grinnell Library provides the local readers with a wide variety of material, both fiction and nonfiction. Membership in the Mid-Hudson Inter-Library Loan System augments the supply of reading material when necessary.

At last census, the population of the Village of Wappingers Falls approximated 5,500. Several apartment complexes provide housing for many of these people. One complex includes two six-story apartment buildings.

In 1830, James Ingham came to Wappingers Falls and opened a mill in which cotton cloth was printed with patterns. This enterprise became a very big business. It changed hands several times, and with a change in ownership came the inevitable change in name. With the ownership of the Garner and Johnson families came the name Garner Print Works. The name of Garner is perpetuated by the Garner Engine Company and Mr. Johnson's name is carried by the S. W. Johnson Engine Company. These engine companies make up the firemen of the village. They are volunteers, but the equipment is purchased and maintained by the village government. After being called the Garner Print Works, the mill's name became the Dutchess Bleachery. This company, in addition to bleaching fabrics, manufactured large quantities of sheets and pillowcases. In 1955, the Dutchess Bleachery, owned by Deering Milliken, closed its doors because of the failure of labor and management to reach a working agreement.

Presently, the former Bleachery grounds are known as the Industrial Park of Wappingers Falls and numerous smaller plants are in operation there. The Three Star Anodizing Company and the Kemp-Beatly are among the largest. The first of these above mentioned companies is self-explanatory in its name. The second company manufactures table cloths, luncheon sets, aprons and similar products.

Over the years, many changes in the customs of her people have evolved. Standards have changed, but still Wappingers Falls remains, loved by those of us who have passed through the hard years of the Depression, two World Wars, the Korean War and the Vietnam War, sharing our needs and our sorrows, laughing together, crying together, knowing our neighbors as only people in a small village are privileged to do.

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