Dutchess County Historical Society Yearbook Vol 054 1969 by D C H S

Year Book Dutchess County Historical Society Volume 54

1969

Baltus B. Van Kleeck, Editor The Year Book is published after the end of the year and includes reports of the activities of the society during the year. Copies are mailed to those members whose dues are paid for the current year. Address: The Dutchess County Historical Society, Box 88, Poughkeepsie, New York.

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DUTCHESS COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY MEETINGS —MEMBERSHIP — DUES

MEETINGS: At least two meetings of the Society are held each year, the annual meeting in the spring and a meeting and pilgrimage in the fall. Other meetings and social gatherings are arranged from time to time. MEMBERSHIP: Anyone with an interest in history is welcome as a member. Membership in the Society may be obtained by making application to the Secretary, Box 88, Poughkeepsie, New York. Upon the payment of dues members are elected by the Trustees or at a meeting of the Society. DUES: Annual dues, $3.00; Joint membership (husband and wife), $5.00; Life membership, $75.00. Annual dues are payable on January 1st. of each year. These payments carry with diem the right to vote, to hold office, and to take part in the proceedings of the Society. YEAR BOOK: Upon the payment of dues at time of election, a new member will be mailed a copy of the last published Year Book. Year Books are mailed only to those members whose dues are paid to date. One copy is mailed to a joint membership.

DUTCHESS COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY Incorporated under the laws of the State of New York December 21, 1918 Certificate of Incorporation filed in the office of the Clerk of Dutchess County Book 10 of Corporations page 153

OCCASIONAL PUBLICATIONS OF THE DUTCHESS COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY 1916—PAMPHLET, Troutbeck, A Dutchess County Homestead; by Charles E. Benton. Out of print. 1924—COLLECTIONS, VOL. I; Poughkeepsie, The Origin and Meaning of the Word; by Helen Wilkinson Reynolds. (Price $5.00) 1924 COLLECTIONS, VOL. II; Old Gravestones of Dutchess County, New York; collected and edited by J. Wilson Poucher, M.D., and Helen Wilkinson Reynolds. (Price $20.00) 1928—CoLLEcnoNs, VOL. III; Records of the Town of Hyde Park, Dutchess County, New York; edited by Franklin D. Roosevelt. Edition exhausted. 1930—COLLECTIONS, VOL. IV; Notices of Marriages and Deaths in Newspapers printed at Poughkeepsie, N. Y., 1778-1825; compiled and edited by Helen Wilkinson Reynolds. (Price $5.00) 1932—COLLECTIONS, VOL. V; Records of the Reformed Dutch Church of New Hackensack, Dutchess County, New York; edited by Maria Bockee Carpenter Tower. (Price $10.00) 1938—COLLECTIONS, VOL. VI; Eighteenth Century Records of the portion of Dutchess County, New York that was included in Rombout Precinct and the original Town of Fishkill. Collected by William Willis Reese. Edited by Helen Wilkinson Reynolds. Edition exhausted. 1940—COLLECTIONS, VOL. VII; Records of Crum Elbow Precinct, Dutchess County. Edited by Franklin D. Roosevelt. (Price $10.00) 1958—COLLECTIONS, VOL. VIII; Family Vista, the Memoirs of Margaret Chanler Aldrich. (Price 500) 1967—PAMPHLET, illustrated, VOL. IX; The Glebe House, Poughkeepsie, New York, 1767., Edited by a committee of the Junior League of Poughkeepsie. ( Price 500) Historical Society Year Books, Vol. 1 through Vol. 53 (Price: $1.75) each Vol. 54 (Price: $3.00) each Dutchess County Historical Society Mrs. Albert E. Powers, Curator c/o Adriance Memorial Library Poughkeepsie, New York. 3

CONTENTS Secretary's Minutes

Treasurer's Report

In Brief

Old Museum Village of Smith's Clove

The Ledge Where the Bear Jumped Off Clifford M. Buck

The Reid Family of Amenia Henry Noble MacCracken, Mable V. Lawson — Editors.

Wappinger Savings Bank

Luckey, Platt & Co.

Euturpe: A Musical History of the Mid-Hudson Barbara A. Pierce

The First White Child Born in Dutchess County Clifford A. Buck

Dutchess County Scenery Edmund Van Wyck

Cunnett House on Hackett Hill Charlotte Cunneen Hackett

Dutchess County Railroads Edmund Van Wyck

Huckle or Hooker Bush? Barbara Thompson

Names and Places in the Town of LaGrange Edmund Van Wyck

Amenia Female Academy, 1865

Constitution and By-Laws

Recent Acquisitions by the Historical Society

Glebe House

Annual Pilgrimage

The Society cannot be responsible for statements made by contributors, although an effort is made for historical accuracy in the publication.

BOARD OF TRUSTEES President Vice President at Large Secretary Treasurer Curator

Ralph E. Van Kleeck Walter Averill, 2nd Frank V. Mylod Baltus B. Van Kleeck Mrs. Albert E. Powers Terms ending 1970 Mrs. Amy P. Ver Nooy Mrs. Fred C. Daniels

Edmund Van Wyck Clyde C. Griffen, Ph.D.

Terms ending 1971 Mrs. Peter R. Mund Roscoe A. Balch, Ph.D.

William F. Gekle Mrs. Albert E. Powers

Terms ending 1972 Mrs. Mary Bogardus Mrs. Jean B. Courtney

Charles Eggert Herbert S. Roig

Terms ending 1973 Thomas J. Boyce DeWitt Gurnell

Mrs. Lawrence A. Heaton Arthur J. Wollenhaupt

VICE-PRESIDENTS REPRESENTING TOWNS AND CITIES Town of Amenia City of Beacon Town of Beekman Town of Clinton Town of Dover Town of East Fishkill Town of Fishkill Town of Hyde Park Town of LaGrange Town of Milan Town of North East Town of Pawling Town of Pine Plains Town of PleasantValley Town of Poughkeepsie City of Poughkeepsie Town of Stanford Town of Red Hook Town of Rhinebeck Town of Wappinger Town of Washington

Mrs. J. E. Spingarn Mrs. Irving Picard Mrs. F. Philip Hoag James Budd Rymph George Whalen Mrs. Charles Boos Miss Edith Van Wyck Mrs. John Mulford Hackett Miss Hazel Skidmore Baltus B. Van Kleeck, Jr. Walter W. Davis Egbert Green Mrs. William B. Jordan Miss Agnes K. Bower Miss Annette I. Young Joseph W. Emsley Mrs. Charles E. Robinton Mrs. Donald E. Norton Mrs. Silas Frazer Mrs. Roland F. Bogle Miss Louise H. Tompkins 5

SECRETARY'S MINUTES Annual Meeting Minutes of the Annual Meeting of the Dutchess County Historical Society held Saturday, May 24, 1969 at the new County Home and Farm Center, Route 44 between Washington Hollow and Millbrook. President Joseph Emsley called the meeting to order at 1:00 P.M. with approximately 60 members present. Some of the absentees were accounted for by the fact that at the same time a new addition to Vassar Hospital was being dedicated. Upon motion duly made and seconded and carried, the reading of the minutes of last year's annual meeting were dispensed with since said minutes had been published in the 1968 Year Book. Mrs. Albert Powers, Curator, reported that progress had been made in completing an inventory and classification of the Historical Society materials at the Adriance Library. In the absence of Mrs. Karin, Chairman of the Glebe House Committee, Mrs. Mund read her report which was accepted with the thanks of the membership. In the absence of the Treasurer, Baltus Van Kleeck, his financial statement was read by the Secretary, Frank Mylod. A copy of the same is attached hereto and made part of these minutes. The Secretary reported that Mr. Clifford Buck proposed the name of Mr. Paul Pollock for membership and he was duly elected a member. The Secretary reported that Mr. Arnold Sable had resigned as a Trustee since Mr. Sable found he was unable to attend the meetings of the Trustees. A motion was made duly seconded and carried that the By-Laws of the Society be amended by including therein the resolution as set forth in the notice of this meeting as follows: RESOLVED — that the By-Laws of the Society be amended to include the following provision namely — In pursuing its purposes the Society shall not engage in propaganda or political activity; shall not be operated for profit and all income and earnings shall be used exclusively for the purposes of the Society; no part of the net income, earnings or assets shall inure to the benefit or profit of any member and in the event of dissolution, all of the assets of the Society, after the payment or making provision for the payment of all liabilities shall be distributed to the Historical Societies of Dutchess County which at the time shall qualify as exempt organizations, all to be in accordance with Section 501 (c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code.

The nominating committee submitted its report as follows: Ralph E. Van Kleeck — President Walter Averill — Vice-President at Large Frank V. Mylod — Secretary Baltus B. Van Kleeck — Treasurer Mrs. Albert E. Powers — Curator Trustees to serve a term of three years: Thomas J. Boyce De Witt Gurnell Arthur F. Wollenhaupt Mrs. Lawrence A. Heaton Trustees to fill vacancies, term of two years: Dr. Roscoe A. Balch Mrs. Albert E. Powers Vice-Presidents representing the Towns and Cities of Dutchess County: City of Beacon Mrs. Irving Picard City of Poughkeepsie Joseph W. Emsley Town of Arnenia Mrs. J. E. Spingarn Town of Beekman Mrs. Philip Hoag Town of Clinton James Budd Rymph Town of Dover George Whalen Mrs. Charles Boos Town of East Fishkill Miss Edith Van Wyck Town of Fishkill Mrs. John Mulford Hackett Town of Hyde Park Miss Hazel Skidmore Town of LaGrange Baltus B. Van Kleeck, Jr. Town of Milan Walter W. Davis Town of North East Egbert Green Town of Pawling Mrs. William B. Jordan Town of Pine Plains Miss Agnes K. Bower Town of Pleasant Valley Miss Annette I. Young Town of Poughkeepsie Mrs. Charles E. Robinton Town of Stanford Mrs. Donald E. Norton Town of Red Hook Mrs. Silas Frazer Town of Rhinebeck Mrs. Roland F. Bogle Town of Wappinger Miss Louise H. Tompkins Town of Washington The President called for any further nominations and there being none, upon motion from the floor, duly seconded and carried the foregoing were duly elected. A motion was made, seconded and carried, thanking Mr. and Mrs. Herbert Roig for their efforts in making all the arrangements for the successful meeting. 7

Mr. Emsley then brought to the dias the newly elected president Ralph E. Van Kleeck and Mr. Richard Amerman, the speaker. The meeting then adjourned for dessert and coffee, after which the new president ably presented the speaker, Mr. Richard H. Amerman, Editor of the "Halve Maen", the quarterly publication of the New York Holland Society. Mr. Amerman in his discourse covered many facets of the Dutch influences on Hudson River History, touching on a great many angles which were of a special interest to those present. Frank V. Mylod, Secretary.

BOARD OF TRUSTEE MEETING JANUARY 9, 1969. Present: President Emsley, presiding; Trustees Moore, Mund, Van Wyck, B. Van Kleeck, R. Van Kleeck, Roig, Sable, Mylod, Averill and Heaton. The minutes of the November meeting were read and approved. The Secretary proposed for membership the following: Ralph Winans, Norman Polhemus, Nathanien Rubin, Charles J. Cook, Robert E. Ditton, Mrs. Edward V. K. Cunningham, John R. Gardner, and William Heidgerd. Upon motion they were elected, subject to the payment of the annual dues. The Secretary reported the death of the following members: Mrs. Warren Rockerfeller and John Tataro. He also reported the resignation of Mrs. Marguerite Quinlavin and Mr. and Mrs. James V. Mead. The resignations were accepted with regret. The Treasurer reported th:a ten members had failed to pay the 1968 dues and that they had been dropped from the membership list. The Secretary read a letter from David C. Schoentag, County Executive, requesting the Society to recommend the names of people qualified to act as Dutchess County Historian in place of Frederic A. Smith who had resigned. The matter was discussed and the Secretary was directed to send the following names to Mr. Schoentag: Theron Van Scoter, C. Fred Close, Mrs. Silas Frazer, William M. Smith, Mrs. Jean B. Courtney, Miss Hazel Skidmore, Wright Jackson, Mrs. Edward V. K. Cunningham, Mrs. Irving Picard, Mrs. Mary Bogardus, H. Wilson Guernsey and Mrs. Lawrence McGinnis. The Treasurer, Baltus B. Van Kleeck, submitted his report for 1968 and upon motion duly presented and passed, the report was accepted and ordered filed. 8

A report of the Finance Committee was discussed, and upon a motion, duly seconded and carried, the finance Committee was empowered to invest not in excess of $25,000.00 in bonds on the legal list for trust funds and savings banks. Mrs. Albert Powers, Curator, reported that additional equipment was needed in the Historical Society room at the Adriance Library to take care of records and documents. Mrs. Powers was authorized to make a purchase of a five drawer file. There was a discussion of air-conditioning the room at the Library, but no action was taken. Due to the death of Mrs. Araminta Mahoney, the office of Vice-President for the City of Poughkeepsie is vacant. Arthur F. Wollenhaupt was appointed to fill the vacancy. Several matters in connection with the Glebe House were discussed. Mrs. Peter Mund, Glebe House Chairman, reported that a slide projector and tape recorder were needed to be used throughout the schools in the County, and that the Junior League had agreed to pay the cost of the projector. Upon motion which was passed Mrs. Mund was authorized to buy a suitable tape recorder, the cost would be underwritten by the Society. The matter of loaning the Glebe House a primitive portrait of Helen Cabel, belonging to the Society and now stored at the Library was considered. It was moved, seconded and carried that after necessary repairs were made to the portrait, it would be loaned by the Society to Glebe House. It was reported that the County Committee for preservation would have a final meeting in February to complete plans for another Spring meeting at Marist College. Meeting adjourned at 5:30 P.M. Frank V. Mylod, Secretary.

BOARD OF TRUSTEES MEETING, MARCH 13, 1969 Present: Trustees Heaton, Courtney, Van Wyck, Averill, B. Van Kleeck, Roig, R. Van Kleeck, and Mylod. In the absence of the President and Vice-President, Secretary Mylod was requested to take the chair. The minutes of the January 9th meeting were approved as corrected. The Secretary stated the following had been proposed for membership of the Society and they were elected subject to the payment of the annual dues: Dell Upton, Mr. and Mrs. Joseph J McGowan, Smith Townsend, Bennett College, Mr. and Mrs. Ira Alsdorf, Mrs. Paul D. Hasbrouck, 9

Dr. Russell Berkines Booth, Edward J. Holden 3rd., Mrs. Albert Pross, Mr. and Mrs. Eugene F. McPartlin; John MacD. Miller, Dr. and Mrs. John M. Coulter, Mrs. Emil L. Johnson, Mr. and Mrs. Franklin A. Butts, Richmond F. Meyer and Robert Eastwood. The Secretary announced the following members had resigned: Miss Edith Gerard and Brother Edward Cashin, and that the Society had lost the following by death: Clifford Nuhn, Herbert Hart, Mrs. John D. Coleman, Mrs. W. A. Saltford, and Mrs. Frederick H. M. Hart. Mrs. Heaton reported that a meeting of the Society will be held in March at the Mid-Hudson Library auditorium and that Dr. Tucker, the State Historian would be the speaker. Dr. Tucker planned to visit the Glebe House and a dinner would be held at the Nelson House for Dr. and Mrs. Tucker. The Trustees were invited to attend the dinner. Mr. Roig brought up the matter of having a committee appointed to learn what local planning boards and the Common Council might be planning regarding historic houses and places and that the Society might have a long range view in regard thereto. A lengthy discussion followed, but no action was taken. It was moved, seconded and carried that Mr. and Mrs. Roig be chairmen for the annual meeting to be held in May. The Treasurer reported that $1,140 had been received from dues, $267.05 from sale of publications, and $114.00 from donations. He also stated that several unbound copies of Platt's History of Poughkeepsie were in the possession of the Adriance Library, that they are to be bound and that this scarce book would again available. It was moved, seconded and carried that Historical Society take an organization membership in the Dutchess County Landmarks Association when the same had been fully incorporated. The Secretary reported having received two railroad pictures from Thomas B. Annin of Fair Haven, New Jersey. The meeting adjourned at 5:00 P.M. Frank V. Mylod Secretary.

BOARD OF TRUSTEES MEETING, APRIL 10, 1969 Present: President Emsley and Trustees Bogardus, Eggert, Averill, Heaton, Griffen, Courtney and Mylod. 10

The reading of the minutes of the March 13th meeting was omitted on motion by Mr. Eggert, seconded and carried. The Secretary stated the following had been proposed for membership in the Historical Society: Mrs. Marguerite C. Spratt, Mrs. V. V. Anderson, Mrs. Lewis Gage, Mr. and Mrs. Edwin S. Knauss, Mr. and Mrs. John C. Smith, James Reiley, and William Hammond. Upon motion which was carried they were elected subject to the payment of the annual dues. The Secretary reported that the Society had lost the following members by death: Jesse D. Wetsel and Mrs. Hamilton Fish, Jr. The Secretary read a letter from the State of New York Department of Taxation and Finance dated March 26, 1969 addressed to the Society regarding exemption from the New York State Sales Tax and suggesting that either the articles of incorporation or the constitution and by-laws be amended to include three items set forth in the letter, a copy of which is annexed hereto and made a part of these minutes. The discussion of the contents of the letter was had and a motion made and duly seconded that the Secretary prepare amendments to our by-laws to comply with the suggestions made in said letter and to send a notice to all members that the amendments would be acted upon at the annual meeting in May. A further amendment was proposed and duly passed for presentation also at the May meeting which would give the Board of Trustees the power to appoint two members as auditors. Mrs. Heaton reported for Mr. and Mrs. Roig who were appointed at the last meeting the chairman and co-chairman to arrange for the annual meeting, they not being present she stated that arrangements were being made to hold the meeting at the Farm and Home Center on Route 44, between Washington Hollow and Millbrook, on Saturday, May 24, 1969 at 1:00 p.m. That they were endeavoring to obtain the editor of the -Halve-Maen" publication of the Holland Society. Dessert and coffee would be available at approximately $1.00 per person. Upon motion by Mrs. Heaton, duly seconded and passed, Mrs. Amy P. Ver Nooy, in recognition of her many years of service to the Dutchess County Historical Society, was elected an Honorary Life Member of the Society. The meeting adjourned shortly after 4:00 P.M. Frank V. Mylod, Secretary.

BOARD OF TRUSTEES MEETING, MAY 22, 1969. Present: Trustees Mund, Powers, Roig, Griffen, B. Van Kleeck, Emsley, Mylod. 11

It was moved, seconded and carried that the reading of the minutes of the previous meeting be dispensed with. The Secretary read a letter from Arnold Sable, stating that because of his various commitments he was unable to give the Society his best efforts. A motion was made seconded and carried that his resignation be accepted with regret and appreciation for the services he had rendered to the Society. New members presented for admission to the Society and elected subject to the payment of the annual dues were: Miss Mary S. Brewester, James J. Mulcare, Mrs. Allan R. Traver, Mr. and Mrs. Edwin L. Loomis. Mrs. Powers, Curator reported that she had received word that there would be an auction of the many historical books of Mrs. Araminta Mahoney on this coming Saturday. A check of the records of the Historical Society and Adriance Library showed that the important books were already on hand. She further stated that she would give a Curator's report at the annual meeting. A letter from the Historical Preservation Committee was received thanking the Society for its support of its recent meeting at Marist College. It was duly moved that it be accepted and placed on file. There was a letter from the Dutchess County Arts Council including an information form which was referred to the Secretary to give the information requested. A letter was received from the LaGrange Historical Society announcing a visit to historic points which that Society would visit on the 24th day of May, 1969. The main purpose of the meeting was presented by Mrs. Mund. Mrs. Mund, while a Trustee of the Society is also a member of the Junior League. The Glebe House is operated under a lease from the City of Poughkeepsie by the Junior League and the Historical Society. A committee for said purpose consists of members of the Historical Society and the Junior League. The committee meets frequently and it appears that a great deal of the management of the Glebe House rests upon the shoulders of the members of the Junior League. Mrs. Mund reported that the League is having difficulty in getting sufficient members to fulfill the task properly. Many new members prefer other activities to that of Glebe House and many do not have the historical interest. In addition, the Junior League is not supposed to become permanently involved in a public project, and its Glebe House connection is contrary to this policy. Accordingly Mrs. Mund proposes that the Glebe House committee be expanded to include interested citizens who are not members of the Historic Society or the Junior League. She suggested that the committee be made up of 1/3 members of the Historical Society, 1/3 members of the League and 1/3 non-members of either organization. A general discussion of the matter was then had, and it was pointed out that the Society and the League were both obligated on the lease which is for thirty years with about twenty years yet to run. It was suggested that the addition of nonmembers of the two organizations might stir up more interest in the Glebe 12

House and that their inclusion on the committee would not relieve either the Junior League or the Historical Society from their obligation under the lease or be contrary to the purpose of having the building available to the public. It finally was moved, seconded and carried that the suggestion made by Mrs. Mund that the Glebe House committee be composed of not more than 1/3 non-members of the League and the Historic Society be approved. There being no further business the meeting was adjourned. Frank V. Mylod, Secretary.

BOARD OF TRUSTEE MEETING, JULY 10, 1969 A meeting of the Trustees of the Dutchess County Historical Society was held Thursday, July 10, at the Glebe House. Mr. Ralph Van Kleeck presided. The minutes of the May 22 Trustees meeting were read and approved with the following correction: "The Glebe House may be expanded to include no more than 1/3 membership of persons not members of the Junior League or the Historical Society. Those added to the committee shall be chosen for what they can actively contribute." The minutes of the Annual Meeting, May 24, were approved as read. Balms Van Kleeck read the Treasurer's report which was placed on file. Mr. Van Kleeck read the finance committee report. (attached). Item one of this concerning investments, was approved. Item two, a recommendation that the Dutchess County Historical Society become a member of all the historical societies in the county was approved. The Secretary is to write to the societies to which we do not belong asking to join. Item three noted that all area colleges with the exception of Marist are members of the Dutchess County Historical Society. It was moved and seconded that Marist be invited to join. Dr. Balch suggested the Librarian as the person to contact. DeWitt Gurn.ell officially invited the Society to become a member of the Rhinebeck Historical Society. He also reported that the Wells property had been purchased by Thomas Thompson and was being restored as a private home. Balms Van Kleeck asked about the status of the Landmarks Association. The Association is now officially incorporated, therefore, according to previous minutes, the Historic Society will become a member. Dr. Balch asked that the Trustees consider a larger commitment. The Association will be in need of professional staff and of capital as it becomes involved in projects. 13

It was moved by Balms Van Kleeck and seconded by Herbert Roig to become a member for $100 at present and to consider greater financial commitment as specific need arose. The Trustee approved. Dr. Balch reported on the status of Springside. New York State has said they would restore and maintain the property if it were presented as a gift. If this is to be done there must be further appraisals, negotiations, and funds to purchase found. The following were presented for admission to the Society: Mrs. J. S. Cross, Dr. and Mrs. Edward Bastian, Mary A. Glover, Mr. and Mrs. Artsen Van Wagenen, Mr. and Mrs. Stanley Millspaugh, Colin Case, Dr. and Mrs. Alfred Joyce, Dr. and Mrs. Kenneth Hollenbeck, Mr. and Mrs. John Van Benschoten, Jr., Mrs. Katherine F. Leigh, Mr. and Mrs. Henry Ludham, Mrs. V. V. Anderson, Roger Baylis, Mrs. James E. Spratt, Jr., Mrs. Russell Aldrich, Mr. and Mrs. Myron Terhune, Jr., Charles S. Mitchell, and Thomas B. Annin. Mrs. Mund reported for the Glebe House Committee. Mrs. Jean B. Courtney will be the new Historical Society Cochairman, Mrs. Edward Kerin will continue as Junior League Co-chairman. The Spring Festival was held June 8. Attendence at the event was somewhat less than expected, perhaps because the publicity was handled differently from the previous Crafts Day. The loom can be set up to weave fabric some time this fall at a cost of approximately $50. The loom and several other items are the gift of Thomas Benton. Mrs. Powers, Curator reported that retyping of the notebooks and reining of documents continues. The Roosevelt Library will be sent a duplicate of the card file when it is completed. The "M#" tags are listed in her catalog, many of these items are at Glebe House. Mrs. Powers was given a vote of thanks for her efforts. Ralph Van Kleeck announced that Thomas Boyce will be pilgrimage chairman, the area will be Eastern Dutchess. Mr. Boyce suggested that Kenneth Vincent had an interesting glass collection and knew a lot about the furnaces of the area. Mr. Vincent will be asked to be assistant chairman. Mr. Van Wyck and Balms Van Kleeck will be on the committee. Mrs. Courtney asked about using busses; Mr. Roig will find out about costs and let Balms Van Kleeck know. The pilgrimage will be Saturday, September 27. Mrs. Bogardus reported on the Fishkill Historical Society's Fourth of July celebration at which she read the Declaration of Independence. About 150 attended. Ralph Van Kleeck appointed Arthur Wollenhaupt publicity chairman. The next meeting of the trustees will be Thursday, September 11, at Glebe House at 3:30 p.m. 14

There being no further business the meeting was adjourned. Those attending: Trustees R. Van Kleeck, B. Van Kleeck, Balch, Bogardus, Boyce, Courtney, Gurnell, Mund, Powers, Roig, Van Wyck and Wollenhaupt. Respectfully submitted Winifred L. Mund, Secretary pro tern.

TRUSTEES MEETING SEPTEMBER 11, 1969. Present: Trustees: Heaton, Powers, Daniels, Courtney, Mund, Griffen, Roig, Gurnell, B. Van Kleeck, R. Van Kleeck and Mylod. President R. Van Kleeck presided. The reading of the minutes was dispensed with upon motion of Mrs. Heaton, seconded and carried. The following were presented for admission to the Society and were duly elected subject to payment of the annual dues: Mr. and Mrs. Theodore Erck, Barbara Thompson, Mr. and Mrs. Stanley Norris, Mr. & Mrs. Stanley Vincent. The President reported that representatives of the State would be present at a conference to be held in Fishkill, Saturday, September 13, 1969 relative to the preservation of the historical lands there. Mrs. Powers stated that she would attend the meeting. The Treasurer gave his report a copy thereof to be filed with these minutes. On motion duly made and seconded, his report was accepted and directed to be placed on file. He reported that there were still several members who had not as yet paid their dues for 1969. A bill for the annual dues of $50.00 from the Hudson Valley Association was received and upon motion was held over. Mr. Balms Van Kleeck reported the receipt from Mr. Stephen C. Millet of ancient Dutchess County deeds which were in frames. A communication was received from Mr. Lyndon A. Haight relative to the subsequent donation of Dutchess County Railroad data he has collected. The Secretary reported that the Society's tax free status had been reinstated by the New York State Tax Department. 15

He further stated application forms and considerable data in regard thereto had been furnished the United States Internal Revenue Service for the purpose of having the Socity ddared exempt from Federal taxes. The matter of the Fall pilgrimage was taken up. Mr. Roig reported that he had arranged to have two or three buses for the use of members depending upon number wishing to go by bus. It was arranged that return postals be sent to all the members accordingly. Mr. C. Kenneth Vincent for the program committee outlined the proposed arrangements, described the places to be visited and that a lecturer would be present on each bus to answer questions. He agreed to furnish the secretary with the necessary data for a printed program. A letter from Mr. Ray Roberts Knight of Minneapolis, Minnesota was receiveed wherein he offered to give the Society his father's Eastman College diploma of 1866. It was accepted. A letter was received from the New York Attorneys for the Mary Flagler Cary charitable trust. The Trustees of the trust showed their willingness to make a gift to the Society of Dutchess County historical material under certain conditions fully set forth in said letter. It was duly voted to accept the gifts and the president authorized to execute the agreement as furnished. It was reported that the LaGrange Historical Society was to have a pilgrimage September 20th covering places of interest in that town. The matter of saving the Poughkeepsie City Hall was discussed and the secretary was directed to send a letter to the newly formed Dutchess County Landmarks Association that it be asked to take such steps as might result in the saving of said structure at its present site or at a new location in the vicinity. The meeting then adjourned. FRANK V. MYLOD, Secretary

TRUSTEES MEETING HELD AT THE GLEBE HOUSE, THURSDAY, DECEMBER 4, 1969 Present: Ralph Van Kleeck, President, Baltus Van Kleeck, Treasurer, Mrs. Powers, Curator, Mrs. Courtney, Edmund Van Wyck, DeWitt Gurnell, Thomas Boyce and Frank V. Mylod, Secretary. 16

The reading of the minutes of the previous meeting was dispensed with and the President called upon Baltus Van Kleeck for his Treasurer's Report, a copy of which is filled herewith and made part of these minutes. In connection therewith, the Treasurer read a list of those whose dues had not been paid and learned therefrom that Mrs. Leonard J. Hart was now deceased. He also noted particularly from his report that Mrs. Powers had received $732 during the year for the sale of books and Year books. Secretary Myloci reported about the correspondence with the Internal Revenue Service in regard to having the Historical Society declared tax exempt. He suggested that in view of the situation, perhaps Congressman Hamilton Fish, Jr., a member of the Society, could be of assistance in the matter and that his office be contacted for an appointment accordingly. The President appointed the Treasurer and Secretary to act with him in arranging an appointment to see Mr. Fish. The Secretary presented the following for admission to the Society: Mr. and Mrs. Robert L. Murphy Mrs. Robert E. Butler, Sr. Mr. and Mrs. Michael Martino Mr. and Mrs. David E. Anderson Mr. and Mrs. Edward C. Allen Miss Marion Thystrop Mrs. J. B. Owen Mrs. F. Crandel Scott Mrs. Harold McClay Mr. and Mrs. John H. Snyder Mrs. William Ketchin, Sr.

Mrs. James W. Coote Mr. and Mrs. Eugene J. Coleman Mr. and Mrs. John Callahan Mr. and Mrs. Donald F. Traver Mrs. Alice Hemroth Mrs. Paul Smith Mr. and Mrs. Alan Simpson Mrs. Edwin R. Van Kleeck Mr. and Mrs. Allen Quigley, Jr. Mr. James Morganteen

Upon motion duly made, they were elected to membership. The Secretary reported that the Society had lost the following members by death: Florence Beeckman, Emil L. Johnson and Mrs. Leonard J. Hart In accordance with instructions received at the last meeting, letters were sent to the Dutchess County Landmarks Association, The County Executive and Mr. M. Donald Lane. The replies to such letters were read and a motion was made to have a committee appointed to meet with the 17

Dutchess County Landmarks Association and any other Society interested in saving the old City Hall be appointed. Accordingly, the President appointed Baltus Van Kleeck, Walter Averill and Mrs. Courtney. A notice was received from the Fishkill Historical Society accepting our Society as a member thereof. A letter was read from Trustee, Dr. Clyde Griffen setting forth his work schedule at the College and suggesting that in view thereof, his resignation as Trustee be accepted. Upon motion his resignation as Trustee was accepted with regret. This brought up the matter of the request by Mrs. Heaton that she be permitted to resign her trusteeship. Her resignation was received with regret. As Mrs. Heaton was chairman of the program committee and had tentatively arranged a slide program to be given in January by Mr. Walter Averill, the thought was for the President to contact Mr Averill to see if he would accept the chairmanship for said committee and to proceed with the arrangements for the January meeting. A form letter was received from Mr. B. John Ross enclosing a form to be filled out setting forth the educational items owned by the Society. The same was turned over to Mrs. Powers for answers thereto and when completed, to be given to the Secretary to forward to Mr. Ross. Mrs. Powers reported that a letter was received . from one Mr. Detzen offering an 1876 Atlas for sale to the Society for $300.00. The offer was not accepted as the Society and the Library have such atlas. Mrs. Powers mentioned the fact of an accumulation of pamphlets from other Historical Societys along the River and wished to know whether they should be saved. It was intimated that they should be saved. The availability of the Historical Society's records at the library was brought into focus and it was suggested that the Society appoint a committee to meet with the Trustees of the library and the City in regard to the matter of air-conditioning and lighting for the Society space. The continuing of our membership in the Hudson River Valley Association was discussed, and the Secretary was advised to notify the organization of the resignation of the Historical Society. The meeting adjourned with the thought that the next Trustees meeting be held at the Dutchess County Room of the Adriance Library. Frank V. Mylod, Secretary. 18

TREASURER'S REPORT Year Ending December 31, 1969. CHECKING ACCOUNT, Dutchess Bank & Trust Co. Balance January 1, 1969

214.97

Receipts $ 1,549.00

Dues

1,114.00

Donations

80.50

Meetings

36,650.62

Fund Transfers

$39,394.12 $39,394.12 $39,609.09 Disbursements Supplies & Equipment

373.41 1,445.00

Glebe House Expense

300.00

Fees

1,441.10

Year Book Postage

188.90

Meetings

711.41

Refunds

14.50 104.00

Memberships Curator's Petty Cash

45.00 3,275.82

Transfers to Funds Investments Purchased

30,224.49

Miscellaneous Expenses

65.25 $38,188.88 1,420.21

Balance December 31, 1969

$39,609.09 $39,609.09

GENERAL FUND $ 4,252.50

Balance Jan. 1, 1969, Savings Account. Receipts $

Interest

131.88

Trans. from Wells acct.

1,680.43

Trans. from Adams acct.

184.37 $ 1,996.68 1,996.68 $ 6,249.18

Disbursements $ 1,600.00

Trans. to Checking acct. Balance Dec. 31, 1969

4,649.18 $ 6,249.18 6,249.18

HELEN T. REYNOLDS FUND (Publications) Balance Jan. 1, 1969, Savings Account Interest

$ 5,430.82 $

Sale of Publications

172.10 805.91

Transfers from Funds

3,600.00 $ 4,578.01 4,578.01

Balance Dec. 31, 1969

$10,008.83

WILLIAM PLATT ADAMS FUND (Glebe FIouse) Balance Jan. 1, 1969 $23,944.45 Receipts $ 1,377.39 Interest Transfers from Funds 615.53 Securities Purchased 14,982.22 $26,975.14 26,975.14 $40,919.59 Disbursements Transfers to checking account Transfers to General account Securities

$15,713.04 184.37 25,022.18(see note) $40,919.59 $40,919.59

Note: Bonds at Investment Value.

WELLS FUND (General Purposes) $100,309.71

Balance January 1, 1969 Income Interest Dividends Transfers

$ 6,195.64 468.00 25,178.64 $ 31,842.28 32,842.28 $132,151.99

Disbursements Securities Purchased Transfers

$ 25,178.64 6,973.35 $ 32,151.99

Securities on Hand at Investment Value

100,000.00 $132,151.99 $132,151.99 Balms B. Van Kleeck Treasurer. 21

IN BRIEF The Dutchess County Historical Society dosed the year 1969 with a membership numbering 589. There were 553 Annual members, 32 Life members, and 4 Honorary members, an increase of 44 memberships during the year. 514 members of the Society are residents of Dutchess County, 75 non-residents of the County. Seventeen States and the District of Columbia are represented in the roster of the Society. It is the hope of the Trustees that the membership will be increased to 650 by the end of 1970. The 1966 Year Book contained a brief history of the Poughkeepsie Municipal Building, better known as the City Hall. The article included a survey made by Frederick L. Rath of the New York State Historical Association of Cooperstown, N. Y. of the 1831 structure. Mr. Rath concurred with the Historical Society Trustees that the City Hall should be preserved and put to a good use under the plans for the expansion of the County Court House and adjacent parking facilities. The City Hall, the original building occupies a plot of land 32 feet by 92 feet, is one of two Poughkeepsie buildings of the Federal period of architecture remaining in the City. The County National Bank building at the corner of Market and Cannon Streets is of the same architectural era. The Trustees have been informed by a Dutchess County official that the City Hall must be demolished and the land used for the parking of automobiles. Many of the residents of Poughkeepsie and Dutchess County feel very strongly that the preservation of the Municipal Building is of great importance, of much greater importance than a space to park twelve automobiles. The Historical Society has applied for membership in each of the Historical Societies of the Towns of Dutchess County. The Editor of the Year Book is very much indebted to the many members who have made valuable contributions of articles for this year's publication. Edmund Van Wyck and Clifford M. Buck, with their great knowledge of the history of Dutchess County, continue to add valuable data to be placed in the records each year. The Society records with deep regret the death of the following members during the year: Miss Florence Beeckman, Mrs. John D. Coleman, Mrs. Frederick H. M. Hart, Miss Emeline Guernsey, Mrs. Hamilton Fish, Jr., Mrs. Leonard J. Hart, Mrs. Martin Berry, Mrs. W. A. Saltford, Mr. Jesse D. Wetsel, Mr. Emil L. Johnson, Mr. George N. Dutcher, Mr. Herbert F. Hart, Mr. Arthur W. Emigh, Mr. Benedict Jarmel, Mr. David McCullough, and Dr. John M. Coulter. A limited number of copies of Edmund Platt's "History of Poughkeepsie", published in 1905, are again available, and may be obtained at the Adriance Memorial Library, 93 Market Street, Poughkeepsie. The Platt History is not sponsored by the Historical Society. 22

OLD MUSEUM VILLAGE OF SMITH'S CLOVE Old Museum Village of Smith's Clove, Monroe, New York, began as one man's hobby many years ago when Roscoe W. Smith started to collect and to preserve 19th Century American tools and equipment which he observed were being discarded and lost. Mr. Smith had the aid of Mrs. Smith whose expert knowledge of American glass and china has brought to the Museum a very rare and beautiful collection of old American wear. Mr. Smith, who celebrated his 92nd. birthday in August 1969, founded the Orange and Rockland Electric Company in 1905 when he was twenty eight. In the half century following the founding of the company, it grew steadily as Mr. Smith acquired many of the utility companies of the region. In 1958 the Orange and Rockland Electric Company merged with the Rockland Light and Power Company, resulting in the formation of the present Orange and Rockland Utilities. Old Museum Village of Smith's Clove is situated at Monroe, Orange County, New York and is on U.S. Route 6 three miles west of the New York Thruway exit #16 at Harrison, New York. The Village consists of forty buildings built on a thirty acre tract of land. Mr. Smith's interest in collecting tools and American artifacts grew to monumental proportions. His penchant for mechanical devices, their invention, adaption and development, spurred him to collect extensively throughout New York, New Jersey, New England, and even throughout the Southeastern region of the United States. Although he collected everything from textiles and porcelain to horsedrawn vehicles, Mr. Smith primarily collected the tools and machinery that were commonly used by the "average" American before the turn of the Century. As the years passed his collections grew to the point where he ran out of storage space. His basement was filled; his garage was filled; and several warehouses in Orange County were packed to overflowing. He realized that if his collections were to be preserved and viewed by the public, special accommodations would have to be developed. This was the beginning of Old Museum Village of Smith's Clove. As the site of his Museum, Mr. Smith chose the farm-site of his great-grandmother, Abigail Smith, which is located about one mile west of the village of Monroe. Old Museum Village was built to house Roscoe Smith's extensive collections. It is not, as are some museums, a reconstruction or replica of any particular community. The museum developed as a village which is repre•sentative of those which existed in 19th Century Orange County. The term "Smith's Clove" seems to baffle many people. "Clove" is an archaeic Saxon word meaning "cleft" or -valley." Monroe is located in a Note: the Editor of the Year Book is very much indebted to the Director of Old Museum Village of Smith' Clove, Jerome D. Talbot, the Assistant Curator, M. Susan Thurston, and the Vice-President of the Board of Trustees, Mrs. Richmond F. Meyer, for the information about the Museum contained in this article.

wide valley of the Shawangunk Mountain Range which, during Revolutionary War days was referred to as The Clove, or even Smith's Clove. Since Roscoe Smith's ancestors first settled this region, it seemed appropriate to give his museum a name with such closely related historic allusions. Various buildings are clustered around the Village Green: a Bootmaker's shop, a one-room School House, Weave Shop, Blacksmith's Shop, Tin Shop, Fire House, Livery Stable, and the General Store. Of particular interest to those in the Poughkeepsie area is a hose cart given in 1951 by Edmund Van Wyck of the Town of LaGrange in Dutchess County, as well as a Goose-Neck Hand Pumper which was used by Young America Hose Company #6, of the Poughkeepsie Fire Department. Made in 1856, the pumper was operated by a crew of men after the tank had been filled with water by a bucket brigade. When the pumper was in use at least a dozen members could participate in the pumping. The prize in the fire house is the 1820 Washington Pumper which is still used on occasion to demonstrate fire fighting techniques. Other items that originated in Dutchess County that are on display at The Old Museum Village is a collection of men's hats from the Van Kleeck Hat store ( 1799-1964), several stoneware jugs and crocks of the Redinger and Caire pottery, and a horse-drawn ambulance which was used for many years by Vassar Brothers Hospital. The large collection of wagons, sleighs and monogrammed harness came from the estate of Frederick W. Vanderbilt. Hyde Park, New York. Recently, through a gift from Edmund Van -Wyck, two fine wafering irons were added to the Smith's Clove collection. One with a candelabra and dated 1751 is now a prized possession of the museum. Many other highlights are located in buildings around the green, including a most unusual cigar store indian with a female figure and a papoose looking over her shoulder. Actually the museum owns five fine examples of 19th Century cigar store indians. The collection in the General Information center, off the parking lot, includes a collection of over fifty 18th Century and 19th Century copper tea kettles. In the weave shop next door is a Shaker loom as well as a rare verticle spinning jenny used in New England during the early 19th Century. Also included in the Weave Shop are many fine coverlets woven by James Alexander and dated 1825, commemorating the July 4 visit of General Lafayette to the United States in that year. Recently the museum came across an 18th Century brass mold for producing tat-tail pewter spoons and through a grant from the New York State Council for the Arts, the museum demonstrates the making of these fine spoons. Another unusual item on the Village Green is an old stone Goshen sign post with a pointed finger designating the direction and distance. Perhaps the most popular visit on the green, particularly by children, is the Pioneer Log Cabin with its primitive living utensils and furniture, including a senile cradle. 25

Smith's Clove, New York, ex

the Mastodon

There are many examples in the museum of things produced by the Shakers during the late 18th and 19th Centuries in New York State. The museum possesses Shaker broom-making machines and old brooms and fiber boxes which were produced by this religious sect. While the Shakers did not inhabit Orange County, the Quakers were active and in 1967 a replica of the 1830 Quaker Meeting House at Grahamsville was built on the inuseum grounds a short distance from the green. This meeting house is used once a year for services by the Quakers principally from the Cornwall area. Some distance from the green are farm buildings with many of the old farm tools, including 18th Century plows, tread mills, sulkies and a Conestoga wagon. In the Dress Emporium are two unusual objects. One is a tin top hat, and the other is a marriage certificate dated 1865, commemorating the tin anniversary. Many visitors are intrigued with the fine collection of Bennington, Vermont, Pottery as well as Victorian Art Glass and Pattern Glass pitchers in the Glass Shop. In the Candle Shop is a very rare pottery candle mold capable of producing 144 beeswax candles at one time. This mold has been used during the early part of the 19th Century by professional candle makers. The Candle Shop, which in operation demonstrates both molded and dipped candles, has one of the finest collections of lighting devices in the area. The school house, which is a reproduction of one Mr. Smith attended, has a quill pen weather vane, which came from the Noah Webster School in Goshen, New York. Many other objects can be cited, such as the rare peddler's wagon in the Tin Shop, a sleigh owned by President McKinley, and a Rockaway Carriage, used by General U. S. Grant. The carriage collection of the museum includes one of the finest groups of Victorias and surreys in the F. W. Vanderbilt collection which came from the Hyde Park estate. Projecting back 10,000 years to an ancient time is the reconstructed mastodon found in a field three miles from the museum in 1952. For two years, Mr. and Mrs. Smith were in the unusual position of having a mastodon in the cellar. In 1954 it was decided to build a large museum for the mastodon and all the scattered natural history material. The Smith mastodon is complete with the exception of several very small bones. It may seem strange that a historical museum owns one of the top three mastodon skeletons in the country, but Orange County has been one of the main sources for mastodon material ever since Charles Willson Peale collected his specimen in 1801. Since Roscoe Smith's collections consist primarily of tools, a logical development of the Museum was the initiation of a craft program. Throughout the season, which runs from April 15 through October 31, staff members, using old implements, continually demonstrate their several crafts to 27

the public. Among the craft people are potters, candle molders, tinsmiths, weavers, and broom makers. This year the pewter craft was added to the regular program. For the past four years, the crafts program has been expanded during the month of October with a Fall Festival, which is in operation on each October weekend. Old crafts which relate to preparing for winter are added to the regular schedule. Wool is colored with natural dyes; soap is made from grease and lye; the old cider mill is put into operation and samples are doled out to the museum visitors; and apple butter, which requires seven hours cooking-time, is prepared in large kettles and stirred constantly with a long paddle which was originally designed for this purpose. Many of the Museum's buildings which house the collections have been named after craftsmen and companies which were in existence during the 19th Century in Orange County and the immediately surrounding area. There are the Benjamen Barry Cooperage, the Vernon Apothecary and the Balknap and McCann Candle Shop which originally were located in the Town of Wallkill, the village of Florida and the City of Newburgh, respectively. Old Museum Village is governed by an eighteen-member Board of Trustees. Leland A. Smith, son of the founder, is President of the Board. Roscoe W. Smith continues his interest and his advice to the management and serves as Vice-President and Treasurer. Mrs. Margaret Smith Meyer of Salt Point, Dutchess County, Mr. Smith's daughter, and Frederick Neuburger are Vice-Presidents, Frederick P. Todd, Secretary, Mrs. Edna S. Seaman, Assistant Secretary, and R. E. Denton, Assistant Treasurer. Other Trustees include T. Mitchell Bundrant, Frederick Hulse, Joseph P. Monihan, Joseph W. Rake, Harry Rigby, Ina A. Smith, C. Guy Stephenson, Neil A. Swift, Peter Stern and Mrs. Meta S. Bushnell. Jarold D. Talbot is the Director of Old Museum Village of Smith' Clove, and during the past season his staff included Donald H. Sachs, Curator, M. Susan Thurston, Assistant Curator, and Mrs. Sirvart P. Kachie, Registrar. During the 1969 season April 15th through October 31st, over 127,000 visitors came to Old Museum Village of Smith's Clove and 858 schools sent groups of children from far and near. In 1961 the Museum was given non-profit status by a charter granted by the New York State Education Department and that same year Roscoe Smith was presented with a Certificate of Merit from the Freedoms Foundation for his "outstanding achievement in bringing about a better understanding of the American way of life." Other awards include the George Washington Honor Medal for Village Restoration and an honor Certificate from the Freedom Foundation again in 1963. The Mid-Hudson region is indeed fortunate to have such an outstanding Museum in the area commenced by the vision of one man and carried on through the years by both Mr. and Mrs. Smith, a splendid group of Trustees, and a staff of very knowledgeable men and women. 28

THE LEDGE WHERE THE BEAR JUMPED OFF Clifford M. Buck

In the 1930's while I was doing some research in the County Clerk's office at the Courthouse, William Moerke asked me if I would like to see an interesting deed. He had marked a liber and page number on the wall. The interesting part of the deed he found for me was in the description where it referred to a point "where the bear jumped off." In due course the room was painted covering up the notation on the wall. Frank Mylod remembered seeing the deed, but he too had not noted its location. I remembered that it had something to do with a man named Wing, and so I decided to look through all the Wing deeds. I finally came across the following deed: Liber 34, page 80, June 30, 1825, Jackson Wing and Hannah, John Preston and Amy, Henry Wheeler and Catherine, Mary Wing, Benjamin Wing, all of Dover, to Luke Bowdish $100.00. The description follows: In Dover, adjoins lot that Luke Bowdish purchased of Thomas Soule. Begins at a two pronged chestnut tree with stones laid thereat standing under the ledge where the bear jumped off south 79 degrees 10' west 9 chains 20 links to a walnut bush with stones around it standing a little east of a path and adjoining the land Bowdish bought of Soule; thence south along a line with Luke Bowdish deeded land to the beginning, 3 acres. I was curious to know if the ledge could be located with a meager description of a small parcel and the many ledges in the Town of Dover. Searching wills, I found Liber G, page 192, the Will of Thomas Wing of Dover made March 28, 1818 and proved March 7, 1825. He had a wife Hannah, seven children, a granddaughter Nancy Bowdish, and the children of his deceased daughter, Bethia. And from "Old Gravestones of Dutchess County" by Poucher and Reynolds, we have recorded graves in the cemetery two miles east of Webatuck of Thomas Wing, died 1823, December 10, age 82-2-7, and Hannah Wing, died 1825, June 3, age 83-3 mo. It appears that the 3 acre parcel was part of Thomas Wing's estate. Described in a deed, Liber 9:463 April 5, 1783, Andrew Morehouse and Judith of Pawling sold to Thomas Wing, blacksmith 296 acres in the Oblong. The deed is not complete enough to give an accurate map, but it does locate part of the property as crossing the north end of Allis Pond, now Lake Ellis, and the brook that empties into the pond. If the three acre parcel came from this 296 acre farm, it might be somewhere in this area that the Ledge Where the Bear Jumped Off could be found, for there was a definite landmark of Allis Pond. Next I looked up deeds for various parcels of the farm and sketched them. Deed Liber 34:86, June 30, 1825, Wing heirs to Benjamin Wing, parcel #2 mentions "East 6 chains 17 links under Bear Ledge," and deed Liber 34:98, June 20, 1825, Wing heirs to Mary Wing, parcel #3 there is a measurement "East 6 chains 17 links to a stake and stones under Bear Ledge". And several 29

other deeds of this same date mentioned in the descriptions the "Stake and stones under Bear Ledge". By making sketches of many descriptions I was able to establish continuous pieces of land touching each other from the 28 mile monument area over to the 3 acre parcel "where the Bear jumped off", but there was still a vacant area east of Jackson Wing's 32 acre parcel west of Benjamin and Mary Wing's 1412/ acre parcel and to the south. Thinking that this might be the parcel known as "Unity Camp", I traced that deed back, Liber 1242, page 533, May 7, 1968, Loujack Camp Corp. to Hilda, Jere, and Robert L. Hunt and as a result I was able to complete a fairly accurate sketch of the whole area. I interviewed several people who were familiar with the area, but I was unable to find anyone who had ever heard of the Bear Ledge. John Dingee who was over eighty and lived on the Unity Camp Road was able to point out where there is a ledge in the woods. Mrs. Priscella Van Horn, who had owned and mapped out several parcels, was very helpful. She went with me to find the Bear Ledge. From Wingdale we went north on Old Route 22, right on Webatuck Road, then left crossing Ten Mile River, passing the Hunt Country Furniture. Continuing on Dog Tail Corners Road, to Dog Tail Four Corners, we turned left and followed Unity Camp Road to its end at the entrance to former Unity Camp. Leaving the car there, we walked in a northeasterly direction into the woods with a stream on the west, and soon there is a high ledge of rocks on the east running for some distance in a northeasterly direction. The area at the foot of the ledge is very rocky and there are some hemlock trees. At least two sections of large flat rocks are in evidence, Bear Ledge without doubt, and at the southerly end "The Ledge Where the Bear Jumped Off". *

"History is preservation. It is the office of a historian to keep the world's memory alive, and he does an everlasting service to humanity by ammassing and preserving historical material within reach before it is too late". From an address by Dr. James F. Baldwin of Vassar College to the Historical Society, January 16th 1915 *

A Bill is now before the Legilature and without doubt will become a Law, to exempt manufacturers in this City from all local taxes. "Where to Live", advertisement by Harvey G. Eastman, 1872. 30

THE REED FAMILY OF AMENIA From Data Gathered by Its Descendants Edited by Henry Noble MacCracken and Mabel V. Lawson

The Reeds in Amenia Human migration has often been compared to the flow of a river, or the wave of a lake. There were also in the early days of the Province of New York little ripples that traversed the fringes of the colony until they flattened out along the shore in no man's land. The first of such ripples was caused by the shock of the Palatine settlement in the second decade of the eighteenth century. Robert Livingston, the proprietor of Clermont, had secured by contract his plantation of German refugees for the purpose of making tar from the pine trees of the waterside. His overseer and first instructor in tar boiling was Richard Sackett, a New Englander from New Haven, who had been in New York. Tar boiling was a failure from many causes, the only favorable result being the ripple of emigration that sped from the tar settlement at Germantown to cover the northern part of Dutchess County from Rhinebeck east into the woods. The boundary line was then still in dispute. Early settlers from the German Palatine group rippled eastward beyond what is now the Connecticut boundary, and crossed over into the western lands of Litchfield County where Lakeville, Salisbury, and Sharon lie today. It was not long before the counter-shock of the Palatine settlement flowed back again into New York. With it most of the early Palatines returned from New England into New York territory. Kindly and peaceable men, they seem to have been, for they brought back their friends with them. They left behind in their earliest dwellings of northwest Connecticut little houses in the Dutch style. Of these the Rowe and the Winegar families seem to have been the most prominent, as they were apparently the most numerous. It was in the happy valley known as Amenia that these poor Palatines and their friends met another oncoming wave of migration, this time from the south, which swept up the Oblong, the strip of boundary awarded to New York as compensation for New York lands that had already been preempted by Connecticut.

In the little Amenia melting pot the first of the mixing of the ripples of migration in American history took place: Indians, Palatines, Dutch, Scots, and the sons of the Pilgrims. They looked at each other, perhaps suspiciously, but by tradition most of them had been sufferers from land aggression. There were also members of quiet and gentle religious principles. The Palatines included the so-called "Herrnhuters”, the followers of the Count of Zinzendorf, a Moravian with land in Germany, who had gone as missionaries to Holland and from there had sent out missions to many parts of the world. Among them the first settlement was in the northern part of Amenia. The Herrnhuters met an equally famous group of Quakers who had joined themselves with the Pilgrims of Plymouth Colony to dwell at first along the extreme western part of the north shore of Long Island Sound, far enough to escape the rigid oversight from New Haven. Most of the Quakers of the Oblong came up from Norwalk and its attendant village Ridgefield. Thus it was that Newton Reed, the writer of the "Memory" came to marry a Dutch girl, whose family lived at Kinderhook, just above the Palantine pinelands. His mother, Esther Edgerton, could claim descent from the Reverend William Brewster, pastor of the "Mayflower". The Pilgrims, like the Palatines, had been displaced by their own kin. Massachusetts had preempted Plymouth, and Hartford had invaded New Haven. It was not a difficult problem for such sons of pilgrimage to bid good-bye to New England and mingle with other refugees in America's Happy Valley. John Reed, a soldier of Oliver Cromwell, who had enlisted at sixteen, and was known as Captain Reed, was followed by his son Captain James Reed. Like most of these good people, they multiplied exceedingly, most of the settlers bringing seven sons or so. The first Reed farmer came to the very center of the present village. The children went south to meet the Quakers from Norwalk. Eliakim, a nephew of Captain James, was the first on the Reed home farm. In each case it was the practice among the Reeds that the older, and presumably the strongest son pioneered it, and that one of the middle sons, loving the farm and quietly and affectionately disposed no doubt toward the mother and the sisters, paid off the other sons for their share and occupied the father's land. It is recorded that Ezra paid $10,000 to his brethren. 32

The Erza Reed Genealogy From "Three Score Years and Ten" by John Horace Reed, 1915.

I have a small volume which recently came In which are recorded the folks of my name And their wives, and wives' cousins and all their relations And the record of all their abodes and migrations. I conned it with care and with pleasure, and when I found there recorded the names of great men And great women too, whose fame is world-wide I became much elated and puffed up with pride. There was Ezra, Eliakim, Daniel and John, Sylvester Baldwin and the Count De Bouton; There was Esther, Abiah and Grace Wetherell And Sarah Post Hough too, and Ann Borradell. There was Dennison Senior, John Elliot's chum, A Lane 'twos not crooked, a John that was Plumb And also a Fisher, she mothered a host, And Hugh and Ann Calkins and Ellener Post. There was Brewster the pilgrim, John Rodgers the martyr, And soldiers of Cromwell, and Knights of the Garter, And as if royal blood could these great lines enhance, There was William the Norman and Robert of France. I have a near neighbor whose ancestry's bad. He is not even sure as to who was his dad. I bragged somewhat to him but what do you think, At this glorious record, he did not even blink. He picked up a Bible, saying proudly to me: I look in this volume for my pedigree And if it be true, I have cause to believe I'm descended from Noah and Adam and Eve. 33

The Reed Family Tree John Reed (1) b. 1633, d. 1730, m. Ann Derby. Children: John (2) Thomas

Mary Abigail

John Reed (2) m. 1687, Elizabeth Tuttle Children: Ann John Elizabeth Eleazar

Daniel (3) Experience Samuel

William Mehitable Moses

Daniel Reed (3) b. 1697. d. 1775, m. 1. Elizabeth Kellog, b. 1703, d. 1764 Children: Daniel Abraham Eliakin (4) Elizabeth

Benjamin Lydia James (4) Benjamin

Erza Joanna Elijah

m. 2, 1764 Sussanna Weed Eliakin Reed (4) b. 1725, d. 1810, m. 1748 Sarah Richards, d. 1795 Children: Sarah Eliakim Simeon Ruth

Silas Samuel Phineas Erza (5)

Esther Enoch

Amos Gilbert Jesse

Jacob James Philo

James Reed (4) m. 1760 . . . Castle Children: Daniel Reuben Stephen Elija

Erza Reed (5) b. 1765. d. 1852, m. 1. Jemina Fitch, d. 1789. Child: Harriet m. 2, Esther Edgerton, b. 1769, d. 1852. Children: Almira Betsey Columbus Cythera Polly Catherine Fitch Newton (6) Emeline Horace Newton Reed (6) b. 1805, d. 1896, m. 1836 Ann Van Dyck, d. 1887 Children: Mary Hooes Clara Cline Henry Van Dyck

Frances Adams Albert John Horrace

Catherine Matilda Cornelius

Notes On The Reed Family Tree. Elias Reed, grandson of John (1) and brother of John (2) moved to Salisbury, Connecticut, in 1738, and was one of the original proprietors of that town. The Reeds in Salisbury and Sharon are descended from him. John Reed (2), the oldest son of Captain John, was probably born in Rhode Island. He continued to live in Norwalk and in 1694 he was listed as a voter. He studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1708. His name frequently appears in the court records. He was Attorney for the Crown and Deputy for Norwalk. Daniel (3), the fifth child of John Reed (2)'s ten children, is mentioned as a tall man, and apparently was a man of considerable distinction in Norwalk. He was born in Norwalk in 1697 and died there in 1775. He was married about the year 1719. In 1720 he built a substantial house about 60 rods northeast of the original house built by his grandfather. When this house was taken down in 1882, many family records were discovered. "Captain" James Reed (4), son of Daniel (3) was the first of the family to come to South Amenia. In 1759 he was one of a company of soldiers going to assist in the capture of Quebec. At South Amenia they found the city had already been taken. They stopped at a tavern there before going home. Whether it was the beautiful countryside qr the beautiful daughter of the landlord is uncertain, but he returned the next spring and secured both a farm and a wife. His brother Eliakim (4) followed his example in regard to a farm, and came to South Amenia in 1773, where he bought of Isaac Delamater a farm of 200 acres for which he paid "nine hundred and Thirteen pounds of good and lawful money of the Province of New York". He soon after purchased forty acres more. Eliakim Reed and his wife Sarah Richards were born in Norwalk. Hers was the first interment in the newly laid out cemetery in South Amenia, and her husband was buried beside her. After Eliakim's death his son Erza purchased the farm from the estate as follows: 160 acres at $30, 75 acres at $22.50, a total of $6,487.50. After Erza's death, his son Newton paid $10,000, and in turn Newton's son, Henry Van Dyck Reed, paid $9,000. In 1947 Henry Barlow paid five or six times this amount, when he bought the farm from Henry Van Dyck Reed's son George. Erza Reed (5), the eighth of Eliakirn's ten children, was born in Norwaly in 1765, and died in South Amenia in 1852. He married first, Jemima Fitch who died in 1789, and secondly, he married Esther Edgerton, who was born probably in Hebron, Connecticut in 1769. She died in South Amenia September 6, 1852 and her ancestory is traced back to Elder 'William Brewester of Mayflower fame. (Information about the Reed Family has been gained in a large part from Miss Ruth E. Barlow of Wassaic, N. Y.)

Genealogy Of The Reed Family "Recollections" by Newton Reed

The oldest definite record of a Reed concerned the one who came to America in 1660. There is a record of his wife's parents, and even a generation earlier of other in-laws. John Reed was born in England in 1633. He was born and raised at the time of Cromwell's revolution and he became a soldier at the age of 16. John Reed, he was later known as Captain John Reed, was from Cornwall and is supposed to have belonged to a family in Dorsetshire. A member of this family, Col. John Reed, is mentioned in parliamentary records as having held Castle of Poole a town near Bournemouth in Dorchester against the King's army. As is well known, when the kingdom was re-established, men who had served under Cromwell found England an unsafe place, and that may have been why he decided to emigrate. He came to America — Providence, Rhode Island, in 1660. There he married a widow, Mrs. Ann Derby, who already had three children, and in time became the mother of five Reed children. He must have been a man of considerable means, for in 1684 he removed to Norwalk, Connecticut, where he purchased a large tract of land which became known as "Reed's Farms". It was in the western part of the town near the Five Mile River, a creek that formed the western boundary of the town. He built a house on the old Post Road, about two miles from Long Island Sound. The house was torn down in 1862, and the last one to occupy this house, a Walter Reed, said the house had a capacious chimney, which was so excellently built, that when the house was demolished, the chimney had to be blasted apart. There was a family burying ground on the farm, as was customary in those days, and after the farm had passed out of the family, this plot was reserved. In 1886, Newton Reed was one of the family instrumental in having a granite stone erected on Captain John Reed's grave.

IXTAPPINGER SAVINGS BANK 1869-1969 An important financial institution of Dutchess County celebrated its 100th birthday on April 25th 1969. On the 25th day of April 1869 af group of prominent men of Wappingers Falls were successful in obtaining a charter from the New York State Legislature for the establishment of a mutual savings bank in the village. A hundred years ago the Village of Wappingers Falls was in the Town of Fishkill. That Township later was broken into three townships, namely Fishkill, East Fishkill and Wappinger. The Village government of Wappingers Falls was established in 1871. The twenty-three founders and incorporators had varied occupations, several merchants, a former postmaster, a village Trustee, a Supervisor, a school teacher, the pastor of St. Mary' Roman Catholic Church, farmers and manufacturers, truly a cross section of occupations and interests in the prosperous village. Their names were as follows: A. W. Armstrong, Elias Brown, Samuel Brown, Benjamin Clapp, Edward M. Goring, Irving Grinnell, Joseph Faulkner, Z. V. Hasbrouck, j. D. Harcourt, Andrew Jackson, Samuel W. Johnston, Thomas W. Jaycox, J. Nelson Luckey, Daniel McKinley, Henry Mesier, William B. Millard, Francis Myers, I. T. Nichols, John R. Phillips, Rev Dennis Sheehan, Abraham D. Smith, Henry Suydam and Clayton W. Sweet. Samuel W. Johnson, the first president of the Wappinger Savings Bank, was a native of Stratford, Connecticut, and after graduating from Trinity College, came to Wappingers Falls to become a partner of Thomas Garner in the Dutchess Company. "Old Resurrection", a two wheel hose cart was given the fire company by Mr. Johnson, and the fire company today bears his name, The S. W. Johnson Engine Company. Mr. Johnson was a prominent member of the Zion Episcopal Church and his interests were many in the development of the Village. The site of the Dutchess Company is now an industrial center with several factories in operation. Prominent industries of Wappingers Falls in 1869, in addition to the Dutchess Company, were the Franindale Cotton Mill, Disbrow and Goring Iron and Brass Company, and the Independent Comb Company. The organization meeting of the Wappinger Savings Bank was held in the Circulating Library, now known as the Grinnell Library Association, and after receiving the charter, the first deposits were accepted in Sweet and Barlow's store. In July 1871 banking operations were moved to the building now occupied by the Town of Wappinger offices, and these quarters were utilized until 1956 when the present bank building was built next door at 9-11 Mill Street. In 1869 the massive stone bridge in the heart of the Village was in use but somewhat narrower than today; the Wappingers Union School was in the alley now known as Reservoir Place; the Post Office was in Chan37

ningville and the Grinnell Library, which recently had its centennial year, had its quarters on the second floor of the old Mesier building at the corner of Main and Market Streets. The Presbyterian Church in 1869 was on Fulton Street and its building was the former Dutch Reformed Church at New Hackensack, moved to Fulton Street in Wappingers Falls. This structure was remodeled some years ago and converted to an apartment house. The Methodist Church at that time was on Church Street in Channingville. There are records of daily stage coach service from Wappingers Falls to Poughkeepsie and New Hamburg. Other important dates of the 1800's in the Village of Wappingers Falls include the organization of LaFayette Lodge, I. 0. 0. F. in 1838, Wappingers Lodge, F. 8z A. M. 1867, and the Garner Engine Company 1869. When the Wappinger Savings Bank was started the village was a growing community. There were many stores, important factories, churches representing several denominations, and two physicians are listed, Dr. William Baxter, Sr., and Dr. William H. Proal. The Wappinger Savings Bank has had very competent management through the years; some of the leading citizens of the community have served as trustees and officers, and the bank has been loyally supported by depositors from a large surrounding area. In 1969 Carleton I. Relyea is the President of the Wappinger Savings Bank, and Kenneth Van Voorhis, the Secretary 1933-1952, Treasurer 1933-1956, President 1957-1964, is serving as Chairman of the Board of Trustees. Other Trustees are Dr. Chester H. Golding, Jr., Clinton Urey, Gerald J. Cerone, Douglas M. Deppe, Joseph E. Ludewig, Gordon A. Houran, R. Frederick Rowe, and Anthony R. Bottini. Anthony P. Silvestri is the Secretary-Treasurer and Robert W. Montross the Assistant Treasurer. At its 100th birthday the Wappinger Savings Bank had deposits of over $13,700,000 and continues to be active in promoting home building in Dutchess County. Its mortgage portfolio was in excess of $11,000,000. There are six Mutual Savings Banks in Dutchess County; the youngest, the Pawling Savings Bank, celebrates 100 years of service in the community in 1970. The dates of the organizations of those predating Wappinger and Pawling are as follows: Poughkeepsie Savings Bank 1831, Fishkill Savings Bank 1857, Rhinebeck Savings Bank 1860, and Beacon Savings Bank 1866. The six banks have 126,000 accounts totaling more than $299,000,000, and total assets in excess of $330,000,000.

Advertisement 1864 Artificial Dentistry — Manufacture all Styles J. G. Frost, 292 Main St., Poughkeepsie. 38

LUCKEY, PLATT & COMPANY 100 Years of Service One of the leading retail firms of the Hudson Valley celebrated its 100th birthday on March 22, 1969 when Luckey, Platt & Co. of Poughkeepsie gained that distinction. The community showed its admiration for the store by honoring the president, William M. Smith, at a testimonial dinner given by the Poughkeepsie Area Chamber of Commerce and the Downtown Poughkeepsie Council, and the Retail Management Department of Dutchess Community College elected Luckey, Platt & Co. to the "Century Club". The forerunner of the Hudson Valley's largest store was a small dry good store started in the late 1840's by Isaac Dibble, who later admitted Robert Slee as a partner. Mr. Slee was a prominent citizen of Poughkeepsie in the middle of the 19th Century, serving on the first Poughkeepsie Bridge Committee and on the first board of directors of the First National Bank of Poughkeepsie. The First National was the first bank to be organized under the National Banking Act. Mr. Slee soon assumed the entire ownership of the store and engaged as the "boy in the store", Charles P. Luckey. Later the firm name was changed to Robert Slee & Company, revealing the fact that Mr. Luckey had been taken into the company, and in 1860 this company advertised the opening of a "new store at 328 Main Street". The firm had been located at 245 Main Street in the Brewester Block which was on the north side of Main Street at present New Market Street. Robert Slee & Co. was succeeded by Luckey, Vail and Mandeville in 1866, and this firm in turn became Luckey and Platt on March 22, 1869. Edmund P. Platt, who had started his apprenticeship as a merchant in the store of W. S. & H. W. Crosby in 1859, bought the Mandeville share of the business and thus a long and distinguished career of a Poughkeepsie store began. Luckey, Platt & Company was formed in 1872 when Smith L. DeGa,rmo became a partner. It was during this time the policies and ideas of the company were formed, and at the same time the concern added the second floor to its business located at 328 Main Street. In 1872, Luckey, Platt & Company added another first to their list. They established and maintained a "set price" policy. The price of each piece of merchandise was to be plainly marked . . . and there was to be no deviation from that price. In February of 1878, telephone service for customer shopping at home was first introduced at Luckey's. The same year 334 Main Street was included in the store. The premises were still farther enlarged by the addition of 336 Main Street about eight years later. The Spring of 1882 saw another first in Luckey's innovations. The buildings of 334 and 336 Main Street were serviced by an elevator, the first passenger elevator in the city. 39

The store continued to grow and further enlargements became necessary. In 1901, 340 Main Street was taken in and on June 3, 1901, rebuilding was started, uniting 336, 338 and 340 into a five story structure. Also, during the year Luckey's installed a cable cash carrier system. They had manufacturers' representatives demonstrate products to the customers. This enabled Luckey's customers to see first hand how products operated. In 1902, a furniture department was started in 342 and 344 Main Street. This department did so well that in 1910 a modern furniture building was erected on Academy Street. Over 15,000 people attended the opening day ceremonies. Along with the physical growth came wider recognition up and down the Hudson Valley. Everyone knew the big store in Poughkeepsie and compared it favorably with the New York stores. Luckey's rugs and furniture found their way into thousands of homes in the area. When the Dutchess County Courthouse was nearing completion in 1903, Luckey's was selected to supply many of the furnishings and floor coverings. Since Poughkeepsie has always been the logical shopping center of Dutchess County and the whole Hudson Valley, the management of Luckey, Platt and Company was determined to make their store the shopping center of Poughkeepsie. This was accomplished by employing every available means of advertising and publicity, both within the store and without. The quality of Luckey's merchandise was already widely known . . . it remained only to continue to publicize the store, its merchandise and its services over as wide an area as possible. In order to accomplish this feat, Luckey's went to the County Fair in the Fall of 1903 . . . and took with her a good proportion of the store's wares. These were displayed in booths and in special buildings. During this same period, Luckey's began to hold their annual Harvest Sale for those who did not get to the County Fair. Although Luckey's no longer takes a store to the Fair, the annual Harvest Sale is as popular as ever. The next few years saw changes in the management of the firm. In January, 1911, Howard Platt, son of Edmund P. Platt and a member of the firm, passed away. Mr. Platt was one of Poughkeepsie's leading citizens, lending his talents to many important community projects. He was instrumental in developing the Poughkeepsie Chamber of Commerce, the Y.M.C.A., Scouting in Dutchess County, and served as a trustee of Vassar Brothers Home. He also was a prominent member in the Presbyterian Church of Poughkeepsie. Mr. Platt's death at the early age of thirty-three was a severe loss to Poughkeepsie and the County. In July 1912 Edward F. Cary, son-in-law of Edmund Platt, joined the store to establish a statistical department. Mr. Platt was President, Mr. 40

DeGarmo Vice-president, and William DeGarmo Smith, a nephew of Mr. DeGarmo, was elected Treasurer of the incorporated firm. Upon the death of Mr. Platt, Mr. DeGarmo assumed the presidency of Luckey, Platt & Company. In 1920 the biggest change of all began for Luckey, Platt & Company, the tearing down of the old and the building of the new. As it was reported in the Poughkeepsie Eagle News: "Clerks and porters were busy today (September 24, 1920) in removing stocks of merchandise from the old brick building at Main and Academy Streets . . . tearing down will start within a few days . . ." In 1924, when the new store opened, it was the handsomest thing in the whole Valley. It was modern and up to the minute in all its furnishings and fixtures. It occupied about four and a half acres of floor space in six floors. It employed nearly four hundred people. It contained forty-three departments and had scores of service features for its patrons. Its radius of business reached some 50 miles in any direction. The exterior of the store displayed sixteen show windows. They were described in those days as "The Finest Windows in the United States." Everything for the convenience of the customer . . . that was the first consideration followed by those who planned the store. There was a Service Desk, Ladies Lounge, Cafeteria and many other service departments. After World War II, Luckey's started to brighten her appearance again by redecorating and relighting some of the floors. For the comfort of the employees and patrons, the store was completely air conditioned. In 1948, William DeGarmo Smith was made chairman of the board and remained so until his death in 1958. William M. Smith became president of the company in 1948, his brother, David DeGarmo Smith, was made vice president and remained so until his death in 1967. At that time Edward F. Cary retired. As the years have passed, Luckey, Platt & Company has continued to up-date and modernize the large store by adding air conditioning, new lighting and recently three new departments have been opened, a fashion fabric shoppe, a gourmet cookware department, and the Golden Dolphin Bathroom Accessories department. The concern still adheres to a policy set down in 1869: "Quality service, Quality merchandise." Luckey, Platt & Company is a member of Frederick Atkins, Inc., of New York a research and merchandise organization and Mr. Smith is a director and a member of the Board of Directors and the Executive Committee. He has served as President of the Frederick Wholesale Corporation 41

of New York and presently is the Vice-President of the New York State Council of Retail Merchants and a Director of John G. Meyers of Albany. The officers of the corporation are: William M. Smith, President, F. Bennett Cody, Senior Vice-President and Treasurer, and Thomas L. Evarts, Vice-President. Serving with Mr. Smith and Mr. Cody as Directors are John E. Taylor and William G. Brown. William M. Smith is a very active member of the community. He prepared for Princeton at Exter Academy and after his graduation from college returned to Poughkeepsie and at present is a Trustee of the Poughkeepsie Savings Bank, a member of the Rotary, Amrita and Poughkeepsie Tennis Clubs. He has been active in the Chamber of Commerce, the Community Chest and was a, Vestryman of Christ Church of Poughkeepsie for several years.

POUGHKEEPSIE Poughkeepsie's past, tree-shaded, colonnaded, from Kaal Rock to College Hill lies all around us still. There are mansafd roofs all through the town and gables, iron gates and stone, and turrets, towers, spires and domes and red-brick walls mellow in the sun. Bluestone sidewalks tilted by the roots of trees and wide, cool porches overlooking lawns hedged with hemlock. There cannot be a future where there is no past — or pasture for that matter. We've had meadows for our herds as well as docks for whales, crowded the river with our craft and counted stacks and sails by the hundred. We fought in wars, raised monuments, built schools and wrote stories, housed Whigs and hunted Tories, did all the amazing things of American past and a lot more than most. Between our two bridges we have the Hudson River bracketed — and it's going to stay that way. Tomorrow is another century: we'll build a better city than before, because we had a past. When you've lived in a place for almost two hundred years there are some things you can never forget. — William Gekle — 42

EUTERPE: A MUSICAL HISTORY OF THE MID-HUDSON Barbara A. Pierce*

A double quartet, composed of the Poughkeepsie area's best tenors and bases, substituted for the regular choir at the annual Memorial Day service at the Washington Street Methodist Church in 1886. The octet was well received. The singers enjoyed performing together. The situation was right for the formation of a men's glee club. They called it Euterpe, from the muse who presided over the art of music in Greek Mythology. The club's eighty-four year history is a record of some of the Hudson Valley's most prominent musicians and musical events, and of the area business and professional men who knew the pleasures of fellowship in song. Twenty-five men assembled that summer in a room above Hickok's Music Store at 342 Main Street, now a part of the Luckey, Platt and Co. department store. Among the businessmen were Charles A. Brooks, who operated a woodworking factory on Front Street, Hubert Zimmer of a jewelry firm, Albert A. Simpson of Adriance, Platt & Co., Thomas J. Swift, a attorney and graduate of Yale, Lucilus H. Moseley, a Market Street haberdasher. Other Poughkeepsie residents included Clarence J. Reynolds, William Schickle, cashier of the Fallkill National Bank, Frank J. Schwartz, pharmacist, and Alonzo H. Vail. Well-known musicians among the charter members included Charles G. Buck who was associated with the First Reformed and Congregational Churches and who later became professor of church music at a California theological seminary; Peter Deyo, father of the prodigy Ruth Linda Deyo, who made her professional debut in Poughkeepsie in 1904 as a concert pianist; and Charles M. Eastmead, associated with the Congregational, Washington Street and Presbyterian Churches, and conductor of the Orpheus and Mendelssohn Glee Clubs and the St. Cecelia Society; Charles Hickok, son of music dealer James Hickok, and a famed accompanist who became Poughkeepsie's musical entrepreneur in the 1890s and brought Pederewski, Schumann-Heink and others to the area; George W. Halliwell who performed as a bass with several clubs and choirs. Other musicians were singers Elmer E. Eastmead and Byron M. Marble, St. Paul's organist Claude H. Valentine, and well-known conductors Thomas J. Macpherson and Edward M. Valentine. The remaining charter members of Euterpe were Charles Rosenmaier, Thomas Davies, William G. Esser, Charles E. Schaffer, Henry M. Taylor and Robert E. Taylor. *Mrs. Pierce, a member of the Dutchess County Historical Society, is the wife of Richard T. Pierce, a Euterpe member and former president of the Glee Club. Mrs. Pierce is a graduate of the University of Rochester, a former teacher of secondary school social studies, and the author of historical teatures which have appeared in weekly newspaper of Dutchess County.

Charles Hickok was elected conductor, Robert E. Taylor, president, Thomas J. Swift, vice-president, and Albert A. Simpson, secretary-treasurer. Euterpe's first concert took place in March, 1887 at Vassar Brothers Institute on Vassar Street, and was complimentary, vice-president Swift paying all the expenses. A second concert, on December 14, 1887, is the only one for which the club ever charged admission. Since then Euterpe has presented seventy-nine annual complimentary concerts in Poughkeepsie. Making its debut in 1890, at the second complimentary concert, was an ode, "To Euterpe," written by Richard E. Connell, a club member and editor of a local daily paper, "The News Press." The lyric appeared on concert programs for the next 66 years. To Euterpe Sweet soother of the troubled mind, In vain I've searched the language through, Yet fiow'ry words I cannot find To weave a fitting wreath for you. The human heart is cold and dark That Cupid's glances fail to warm; But quenched must be the vital spark In one that music fails to charm. Hickok became club accompanist in 1890 and the conductor, until 1894, was Edward W. (Pop) Valentine. His remarkable boy-soprano was heard in St. Paul's Sunday School choir when he was eight, and in the adult choir at 10. While still in his teens he was appointed choirmaster at Christ Church. As a teacher of singing in the Poughkeepsie public schools he organized three high school glee clubs which competed for prizes each June during commencement week. Euterpe presented three annual concerts under his direction and a program at Vassar College, assisted by the Vassar Glee Club. Valentine's dedication to choir work impelled him to leave Euterpe. His successor, Thomas J. Macpherson, was an aristocratic patron of local musical affairs. After his wife's death in 1893, Macpherson left his North Road estate, rented a house in Poughkeepsie, outfitted a studio and launched a career as a voice teacher and conductor. He led the choir of the Washington Street Church and was chorister at the Presbyterian Church. He directed the Choral Union, a singing society for mixed voices associated with St. Peter's Church, and the Catholic Choral Club, consisting of parishoners of St. Mary's Church. Euterpe presented 14 annual concerts under his leadership, and the increasing size of audiences forced a move from Vassar Institute to the Collingwood Opera House, now the Bardavon Theater. 44

The German Emperor Wilhelm II sent a letter acknowledging Euterpe's use of his "Songs to Aegir" at the 1895 concert. Euterpe gave the premier performance of three songs by Dr. Frederick Louis Ritter, director of the School of Music at Vassar College, who dedicated the works to Euterpe's first president. The local Aponon Banjo and Guitar Club, whose leader, Henry T. Lumb, belonged to Euterpe, assisted at the 1897 concert. The Spanish-American War sent a wave of patriotism throughout the nation. The club decorated the theater with American flags for the 1898 concert, and three members soon left for the armed services, among them George V. L. Spratt, later a City of Poughkeepsie corporation counsel, judge, mayor and Euterpe president. "There Are Large Eternal Fellows," a poem set to music by Dr. George Coleman Gow, professor of music at Vassar, was on the program of the 15th concert, in 1904. Three incidents not on the program were highlights of the 1907 event, acclaimed by critics as the most musically ambitious to that date. A leg of the grand piano collapsed beneath it and workmen made repairs while the audience watched. The guest soloist, a cellist, nearly toppled from a small platform on which his chair constantly shifted as he bowed. Director Macpherson, while acknowledging applause, dropped a large bouquet which had been handed up to him on the stage.

Euterpe engaged its first paid leader, Dr. John Cornelius Griggs, after Macpherson's death in 1908. Griggs taught singing at Vassar College, was chorister of the Congregational and First Reformed Church choirs and directed the Hull Glee Club, a group for women employees of the Dutchess Manufacturing Company. During Dr. Grigg's tenure Euterpe performed at the Hudson-Fulton Celebration in 1909 and twice at Vassar, first in 1912 with its Glee Club and later in 1915 with the College Choir. At the 20th complimentary concert in 1910 the "catch" was sung for the first time. A catch is an old English form of round in which the overlapping of the melody among the various voices produces a musical acrostic. The solution of this catch, written by Vassar's Dr. Gow, develops the word "Euterpe." The round was the opening number at concerts for about 25 years. (EU) We use the pleasant hours for merry meeting (TER) To harmony with joy we turn, dull care defeating, And while our friends we're greeting, (PE) Still our songs we keep repeating, Euterpe, thrice Euterpe now we hail thee. Semper vivat EUTERPI 45

The site of the annual concert was changed in 1915 from the Coilingwood Opera House to the newly completed Poughkeepsie High School, now Our Lady of Lourdes High School. That same year Charles Hickok, the accompanist, retired after a quarter-century of service and was succeeded by Robert S. Flagler, a prominent local church organist. During the next 20 years Euterpe gave the first public performances of a dozen compositions by Flagler, who frequently collaborated with the Poughkeepsie poet Elizabeth Evelyn Moore. Graphic as well as musical reminders of World War One appeared on Euterpe's 1917 concert program. An American flag and the words of the national anthem replaced the usual engraving of the muse on the cover. A battle song, "Prepare the Iron Helm of War," and two English numbers were on the program. In 1918 the club sang "La Marseillaise" in French and closed with "Keep the Home Fires Burning" and the national anthem. On the cover was Euterpe's service flag containing six stars to represent its members in service. That 1918 concert, Dr. Grigg's last before moving to China, featured the song "Poughkeepsie" with music by Dr. Gow to Clement Wood's words which appeared in the "New York Evening Sun:" Whether I'm sober or tipsy, Lyric with life or quite prosaic, I celebrate thy fame, Poughkeepsie. I bide at home, I am no gypsy, To roam to Nome or Passaic; But should you, reader, take a trip, see This Hudson town, alert, voltaic. I do not wail like Joseph Skipsey, Nor Grecian bard nor the Hebraic; But o'er the saucy land or flip sea No town's so worth my glad spondaic. Yes, I myself have said it "Ipse Dixit." The phrase is not archaic, Whether I'm sober or tipsy, I celebrate thy fame, Poughkeepsie. Grigg's successor was Norman Coke-Jephcott, an Englishman trained in the traditions of his country's choral music. He came to Dutchess County to be organist and choirmaster at the Church of the Messiah in Rhinebeck. From 1919 to 1922 Euterpe performed a series of Sunday afternoon concerts at Coke-jephcott's church and at the Rhinebeck Reformed Church. 46

During Vassar's commencement week in 1920, Euterpe shared the concert stage with the College Choir and Glee Club. Euterpe began its yearly outings to Lake Mohonk in 1921, a custom which lasted until the Second World War. Club members drove to the lake on a Saturday in summer, used the resort's recreational facilities, were served the evening meal and then sang for the assembled guests. During the 1923-24 season Coke-Jephcott took advantage of an opportunity to become organist and choirmaster at New York City's Episcopal Cathedral of St. John the Divine. Harry P. Dodge, a local organist and conductor, became Euterpe's seventh director. He led the club in its first experience with radio performing, in 1926, with a live broadcast over stations WFBL and WGY, Syracuse, and WMAK, Lockport. Dodge's increasing responsibilities as an organist forced him to give up all of his glee club work in 1927.

Euterpe grew in musical prominence and membership under its eighth conductor, the reknowned Dr. Elmer A. Tidmarsh, who created, then directed, the department of music at Union College in Schenectady. He led a half dozen different singing groups in the Mohawk-Hudson area and was acknowledged in the press as "the best known choral director in the East." At the 1939 World's Fair in New York he directed a massed chorus of 5,000 male voices, Euterpe's among them. At that same performance, one of the four accompanists was Euterpe's pianist, Dr. Charles Gilbert Spross. His first appearance with the club was as assisting artist at the fifth annual concert in 1894, when he played two piano pieces. For the next 60 years he continued his close association with Euterpe, for 17 of them as official accompanist following the death of Robert Flagler in 1935. Dr. Spross accepted no payment for his services to Euterpe. When not accompanying the club he played for guest soloists or performed as soloist himself. A prolific composer, he wrote or arranged volumes of songs, two dozen of which have appeared on Euterpe programs. It has become traditional to include one Spross selection in every annual concert. The number and variety of Euterpe's appearances illustrates its increased musical prominence under Dr. Tidmarsh. In 1931 the club performed at the 11th annual Sangerfest of the Central New York Sangerbund sponsored by the Germania Singing Society of Poughkeepsie. Euterpe sang at the rededication, in 1933, of the Smith Memorial Organ in the Presbyterian Church and also performed a benefit for the Hyde Park Village Library. Another benefit, one year later, assisted the Family Welfare Association of Poughkeepsie. Euterpe participated in services commemorating Christ Church's 175th anniversary in 1941. The club joined Vassar College Glee Club for 47

a performance of Ha,ydn's "Seasons" at Skinner Hall in 1943. During the pre-war years Euterpe added to its schedule an annual concert in Beacon, a practice which continued for about 15 years. As World War Two changed American life so it modified Euterpe's musical activities. To prepare for Palm Sunday concerts at the United States Military Academy at West Point, information on members and guests was mailed ahead so that individual passes could be issued. In 1942 the group made the West Point trip by bus, as gasoline rationing curtailed the use of cars, but in 1944 war-time restrictions made it impossible to hire a bus, so autos were used. The 1942 annual concert was unique; its most memorable part was a one-hour blackout. Citizens active in civilian protection services were asked to report to their posts and nearly 100 left. The soloist, violinist Alice M. Smiley, played while air raid sirens shrieked and the club sang in the Vassar College Chapel, with the only light the shaded lamps in the choir. In 1946 one thousand people attended a concert to benefit famine relief, with proceeds to be administered by the American Friends Service Committee. After the war the concert schedule was expanded beyond the annual Poughkeepsie and Beacon events. In April, 1947, Euterpe performed at the Smith Brothers Centennial in the State Armory and in December it participated in the inaugural program of the FM radio station WHVA. The next year the men joined the Dutchess County Philharmonic in a performance of Brahms' "Rhapsody" and sang in Wappingers Falls to benefit the 4-H Clubs. Conducting dress rehearsals at Oakwood School, prior to the annual Poughkeepsie concert, began in 1951 and continued for five years. A mem• ber of Oakwood's faculty, Paul L. Taylor, served as librarian for Euterpe from 1935 to 1965. Also in 1951 Euterpe began its association with other male choruses in the Mohawk-Hudson area for an annual springtime massed concert. The club hosted that event in 1961 and is today an active member of the Mohawk-Hudson Male Chorus Association. During the eight-day celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Poughkeepsie City Charter in 1954 a music festival took place, with Euterpe participating. A placque, "To acknowledge the fame and record official appreciation," was presented by the community to Dr. Spross. He became ill in 1951 and was forced to step down as Euterpe's accompanist, after 60 years with the group. Earlier he had been honored by the club at a dinner, during which he heard a 15-minute program on WKIP dedicated to him. Dr. Spross gave Euterpe a work written only for the club's use, "Heaven is Made of Things Like These." He died in 1961. Replacing him was Albert G. Hunter Jr., then Donald W. Brown. Dr. Tidmarsh was stricken by a heart attack early in 1958. The club member who was club conductor, George Fowler, lead the annual concert that year. He became accompanist and served under the men who were to replace Tidmarsh. 48

The post-Korean War era has been a time of public indifference to traditional choral music and social changes have left their mark on Euterpe. The concert schedule has been reduced to the annual complimentary concert and the Mohawk-Hudson Association's massed event, with occasional benefits over the years. Membership has dwindled, for many reasons beyond the club's control and increasing costs lead to the introduction of concert patrons and sponsors, with tickets remaining complimentary. Succeeding Dr. Tidmarsh as director was Rolland E. Heermance of Saugerties, a well-known choral conductor in New York and New England, who was killed in an auto crash in 1960. Euterpe's tenth conductor was Hans 0. Melzer, who led the IBM Male Chorus. He received his first musical training in his native Germany and continued to study voice here, where he made his debut on the concert stage. His bass-baritone occasionally was heard in Euterpe concerts as soloist or in duets with the feminine guest artist until illness forced him to retire in 1963. Next was Willard McNary, choir director and teacher of vocal music in the Poughkeepsie high schools and director of the Marist College Glee Club. When the pressures of his schedule forced his to resign, he was succeeded by William James, the current conductor. James, active in the Community Mixed Chorus and leader of its A Cappella Singers, is well known for his work with local "barbershop" groups. Accompa,nist since 1962 have been Miss Kathleen Flaherty, Miss Nancy Harmon, Kevin Walters and, currently, Frederick Williams. The annual Euterpe complimentary concerts are scheduled for the spring of each year, and an important musician from the New York City or Hudson Valley area is the assisting artist. Many residents of the Hudson Valley attend each year to demonstrate their continuing support for male chorus music, and the Euterpe members are maintaining with enthusiasm their fellowship through song.

For a Consumption: Pectrol bals of hufiney as thus, take hunney, west india rum, bals tolue, bals pure, gum Stirax, put all to gether in a botil of flask and let it in corperate in the heat of the Sun, shaking well 2 times a Day and after 3 or 4 days let it setel and then decant in a nother botil for use. Dosse 2 Tea spoonfulls. From notebook of Dr. James Osborn, Middle Ward, Poughkeepsie Precinct, Feb. 1746.

THE FIRST WHITE CHILD BORN IN DUTCHESS CO-UNITY Clifford M. Buck

James H. Smith in his "History of Dutchess County" (Note 1.) refers to Nicholas Emigh as the earliest settler in the Town of Union Vale, Dutchess County, and his daughter is identified as the first white child born in the County. She married a Lossing. However George Olin Zabriski writing for the "New York Genealogical and Biographical Record', (2), shows that Nicholas Emigh did not come to Dutchess County until 1710 at the time of the Palatine emigration, not early enough to be the parent of the first white child. From the same sources, (3), there is a record of the baptism on October 16, 1698 of William, son of Peter and Catherine Hoffmayer Lassing, and a quotation, (4), from the Poughkeepsie Advertiser of August 15, 1791: "Poughkeepsie, August 11, died a few days since in this town, Mr. William Lawson, age near 100 years. He was the first born white child in the County of Dutchess." In the diary of John Drakem Jr., of New Hamburg dated May 6, 1831, there appears the following, (5) : "Died at his house in the Town of Poughkeepsie, John P. Lawson, known by me for Forty-five Years. He is gone, one of the oldest that remains of this once numerous and respectable family of Dutch — the first settlers of the south portion of this great County of Dutchess, Town of Poughkeepsie. His grandfather William Lawson died at the advanced age of flinty years old, owner of the farm now possessed by Ferris Bell, Esq., and was to be the first white child born in Poughkeepsie. John P. Lawson was buried at the Presbyterian burying ground at Wappingers Creek." There follows a lengthy description of his good qualities. Years ago when the historian, Helen Wilkinson Reynolds, was asked: "Who was the first white child born in Dutchess County?", she replied that it was probably an Ostrom or a Van Kleeck, but that she had not found sufficient records to reach a conclusion. There were a few families setded near Rhinebeck before 1698, at Kips-berg or Kipsburg. Ulster County deeds (6) refer to a patent given June 2, 1688 to Gerret Aertsen, Adrian Roose, Jan Elting, and Hendrick and Jacob Kipp amounting to 1,200 acres in the Rhinebeck-Rhinecliff area. These men probably settled here before 1698. In his "Historic Rhinebeck", Howard H. Morse states that Hendrick Kip built the first house in 1700, but that log huts or dougouts may have preceeded the Kip house. There is an Ulster County deed, (7), October 12, 1698 from Hendrick Kip to Walran Der Mont, Jr., both of Dutchess County. In her book "Poughkeepsie, the Origin and Meaning of the Word", Miss Reynolds gives a very thorough study of the early settlers in the Town of Poughkeepsie. There is a reference, (8), to the patent of Peter Schuyler of Albany, June 2, 1688, which quotes from the records of the Secretary of 50

State Book of Patents: (9), " . . . at Long Reach, bounded on the south and east by a certain creek that runs into the Hudson River on the north side of a certain house now in possession and occupation of Pieter the Brewer." His last name is known to have been Lassing in its various spellings, and mention of a house indicated Peter Lassing was living in Dutchess County prior to 1688. The 1962 Year Book of the Dutchess County Historical Society contains the translation of a lease of land at Langhe Rack, dated June 9, 1687, by Robert Zanders (Sanders) and Meyndert Hermens (Van Den Bogert) to Barenz Cleek (Van Kleeck) and Henderh Jans °Ostrom. Miss Reynolds book on Poughkeepsie, (10), refers to a mortgage dated June 15, 1691, Meyndert Van Der Bogert of Albany to Abraham DePeyster of New York. Five tenants are listed: Balms Barents (Van Kleeck), Henderick Oostram, Jan Buys, and Symon Schoute. In the same article, (11), reference is made to a sale, June 3, 1697, by Sanders and Hermense of a sizable tract to Balms Van Kleeck, including four lots "now or lately in possession of Myndert Hermans, Bathazar Barnes, Hendrick Ostroom and Symon Scoute." It should be noted that in Miss Reynolds book "Poughkeepsie", (12), Catherine Hoffmeyer is listed (1688) as the widow of Peter Lassen, yet the New York Lutheran Church records, (13), state Pieter and his wife were witnesses to a baptism May 27, 1707, and that his death occurred February 9, 1709. Other early settlers mentioned by Miss Reynolds include Jacobus Van Den Bogert, Helena Schemerhorm, and Myndert Harmense Van Den Bogart 1692, and Michael Parmentier 1699. In the Ulster County Deeds, (14), it is recorded that Philip French of New York City bought 600 acres in Dutchess County from Myndert Hermance on June 11, 1692, and sold the same acrage, (15), on May 29, 1700. There is no record that Philip French ever lived in Dutchess County however. We know for certain the names of the early settlers in Dutchess County but to try to determine the birth places and birth dates of their children is difficult since the first church records in the County, the Dutch Reformed, start in 1716. The only earlier churches in this region are those of the Dutch Reformed Churches of New York, Kingston and Albany, and the Lutheran of New York City. A study of those records indicate children of early Dutchess County settlers were born as early as 1684. The Kingston records include the children of Pieter and Catryna Hoffmayer Lassing, Johannes, baptised May 4, 1684, and Marytie, baptised June or July 1687, (17). And from the same source Hendrick Kip, son of Hendrick and Antle Van Patten Kip, was baptised July 7, 1688; (18), Rachel, daughter of Johannes and Lysbeth Aertsen Ter Bos, March 17, 1689; (19), Syman, son of Gent and Clara PeIls Aertsen, April 7, 1689. (20). There are many other baptisms recorded in New York, Albany and Kingston of children whose parents undoubtedly lived in Dutchess County, but proof of their birth dates in the County is not available thus far except for three boys and 51

three girls namely: Marytie Lassing, baptised 1687, Henderick Kip, 1688, Abraham Buys, date uncertain, Jannetje Oostrom, 1694, Rachael Bos (Ter Bos), 1695, and Roelof Kip, 1697. All of these six children were born before William Lassing and perhaps there were many more. The search for proof of Dutchess County's first white child goes on and on. References: (1) History of Dutchess Co. p. 474, James H. Smith (2) N. Y. Gen. & Biog. Record Vol. 70 (3) Same Vol. 14, p. 87. (4) Poughkeepsie Advertiser, Aug. 15, 1791, p. 2 (5) Diary of John Drake, Jr., p. 221 (6) Ulster Co. Deeds, Lib. AA, pp. 268-70, 418, Lib. BB162 (7) Same Lib. AA p. 196. (8) Poughkeepsie, Origin & Meaning of the Word Reynolds

(9) State of N. Y. Book of Patents Vol. 6: 325 (10) Poughkeepsie etc. Reynolds, P. 38 (11) Dutchess Co. Hist. Soc. Year Book Vol. 47, pp. 49-50. (12) Poughkeepsie etc., Reynolds, p. 55 (13) N. Y. Lutheran Church Records, Holland Society of New York Year Book 1903. (14) Ulster Co. Deeds, Lib. AA, p. 233. (15) Same, p. 234. (16) Records of Dutch Reformed Church, ICzngston p. 367. (17) Same, p. 519. (18) Same, p. 579. (19) Same, p. 619. (20) Same, p. 625.

Rules for Patients No patients must attempt to regulate the light in the wards by interfering with the gas fixtures. Vassar Hospital, 1897

DUTCHESS COUNTY SCENERY Edmund Van NXTyck

Much has been written about the old houses and structures of our County and the people who inhabited them. Many houses have been visited from time to time through tours conducted by the Historical Society and by the various societies of the County. By our visits we get to see fine old homes and to learn something about the cares and pleasures of those who lived in them. But sometimes I wonder if we really SEE the beautiful scenery all around us as we hurry from spot to spot, or if we know where to go to get to the magnificent views that can be seen here in Dutchess County. To list all the beauty spots of the County would be an endless task, and to direct you to them via a road map and milage would take up an entire edition of the Year Book. So I will pick out a few places that I have enjoyed so many times, and I hope that you will see them as you journey from place to place. You will need a good map of the County, and you should keep an eye on your odometer. I will try to pinpoint places and distances from intersections, cities and villages. Views along the Taconic Parkway are plainly marked in most cases by "Overlooks" so there's no need to point them out, only to urge you to stop at every "Overlook" as you drive up and down this beautiful highway. One of the most extensive views is from McGhee Hill in the Town of Northeast. One of our past Presidents called it, most inappropriately, "Silver Mountain", and he often picnicked there. Pick a "Kodachrorne" day and go to "Silver Mountain" when the sun will be at your back. The view extends' from the Catskills to the northwest to Mohonk to the southwest. To reach this spot take U. S. Route 44 to the top of Delavern Hill at Route 82A, proceeding on 82A about 21/ 2 miles to Smithfield, straight ahead on Smithfield Road about 212/ miles. As you near the top of the hill a sharp left turn puts you on Silver Mountain Road. Choose your own place or places to stop, and allow more than a few minutes because the view will keep you there for a quarter of an hour. If you start for Silver Mountain from Pine Plains, use 82A through Bethel to Northeast Center Road and turn right at Silver Mountain Road. A very lovely view of the Hudson River is within the Poughkeepsie City limits, "Lover's Leap", which is on a high bluff overlooking the Hudson in the southern area of the Poughkeepsie Rural Cemetery. Park your car and walk a hundred yards to the top of the hill and you have one of the finest views of the River Valley to the north and the south. High Acres Drive, oddly enough, in High Acres is off Noxon Road about 21/ 2 miles from Route 55 and unfolds a 180 degree panorama from the Taghanics on the east around to the south past the "Hook" and Mount Beacon, then across the Hudson and northward along the Appalachins to Illinois Mt. on the west. High Acres is six miles from Poughkeepsie on Route 55 and Noxon Road. 53

There are many very pretty views of the Hudson River and the Catskills on the drive north on Route 9G, especially north of the Rhinecliff Bridge entrance and on into Columbia County toward the Rip Van Winkle Bridge and the City of Hudson, a trip of forty miles from Poughkeepsie. 9G is a heavily traveled road, so pick a safe spot along the way as you pause to enjoy the many vistas. And another very scenic spot I recommend is the top of German Hill on Route 82 between Verbank and South Millbrook, fourteen or fifteen miles from Poughkeepsie. And another ride I always enjoy: go out on Route 44 to Washington Hollow, north on Route 82 to Stanfordville. Leaving that villa,ge, bear to the right and soon you will be in Bangall on Hunns Lake Road. A mile or two further on you will reach Lake Road which takes you along the east side of Hunns Lake, a very pretty County lake, and I understand there's good fishing to be enjoyed. Follow along Hunns Lake Road for about a mile and you will come to Carpenter Hill Road where the route swings around to the east, then south, and start down hill. You will have a beautiful broad view of a large section of our farm lands stretching east to the Taghkanics and north to the Berkshires. At the bottom of the hill, turn left on 82A through Shekomeko and Bethel to the Village of Pine Plains, turn right to Smithfield and Route 44 at the top of Delaverne Hill, west on Route 44 back to Poughkeepsie, a fine ride of about 50 miles. When you are in northern Dutchess some sunny day take the Upper Red Hook Road from that village and head east through Cokertown and on to Jacksons Corners. Drive slowly so you do not miss the two places, but if you pass under the Parkway you will have seen both of them. You will enjoy this ride eastward over the hills for there a,re many very worthwhile views of our County and our countryside. And when you are heading for the southern part of the County, go by the way of Route 376 as far as New Hackensack, straight ahead on All Angels Hill Road. About 21/ 2 miles south you will reach All Angels Hill and there you should stop a few minutes all look around at the fine picture that you will remember for a long time. A close-up view of the eastern environs of Poughkeepsie can be had from Spy Hill, a mile east of Howard Johnson's off Route 55. Overlooking the Vassar College campus in the foreground, you have almost a 360 degree picture. Perhaps some do not know that once there was a coal mine started on Spy Hill. There are many, many other magnificant views to find in Dutchess County, such as the one of the Amenia environs as one goes down the east slope of Delavern Hill on Route 44. The best time of day for this lovely picture is early in the morning, and there are many other pictures from the hill tops of the hills and mountains, the farms and hamlets that are scattered along our Connecticut border and also along the Putnam County line. I hope these few paragraphs will entice some of the readers to roam around Dutchess County on the back roads. You will enjoy it, I am very sure, and . if you do get lost, keep on going, and eventually you will be back on a milea-minute thoroughfare to hurry home again. .54

REMINISCENCES OF CUNNETT HOUSE ON HACKETT HILL AND THE HACKETT FAMILY 1868-1969 Charlotte Cunneen Hacket

The house was built by my husband's father John Hackett, whom I have never known. There are encircling trees planted by him, now fully grown, which give restful, needed shade on this sultry June day when not a leaf stirs. Sitting on the veranda, looking out over the broad fields, I wonder, "Where were you when you dreamed a dream fulfilled in this well-planned home to which you and your mother came a hundred years ago, a friendly tall white house upon a man-made rock constructed hill?" Hackett Hill is located on the north side of the East Park road a mile east of the Village of Hyde Park. Crossing Crum Elbow Creek bridge, glancing to the right, you see the white house with green blinds smiling down at you over the heart shaped lawn, encircled by a drive leading to the road. John Hackett, the builder of Curmett House, was born June 8, 1845, and came to America with his parents in 1852, settling at Hyde Park. Frank Hasbrouck who was a close friend and associate of Mr. Hackett, wrote in his The County of Dutchess, published in 1909, the following paragraphs: "His early education was such as he could obtain in the district schools of his town, and he also attended Eastman Business College from which he graduated in 1863. He then read law in the office of Charles Brundage at Poughkeepsie and was admitted to the bar in 1866, and at once began the practice of his profession. He served as Assistant District Attorney in 1873 under the late James L. Williams; in 1884 he was elected District Attorney of Dutchess County and was re-elected to that office in 1887. In 1876 the firm of Hackett and Williams was formed and was continued until the death of Mr. Williams in 1908. "The career of John Hackett offers to young lawyers an example worthy of their emulation. With absolutely no advantages of birth, position, wealth or education to start with, he is a self-made, better still a self-educated man, and is living example of the opportunities presented in this country to all youths possessed of character and intelligence, who are willing to work, to study and to persevere. "As District Attorney, Mr. Hackett was an unrelenting prosecutor of crime and did his full duty always, conscientiously, without regard to any consideration of policy or of popularity. He lives in the summer time at his home in Hyde Park; he passes his winters at his residence in Poughkeepsie." 55

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If only the old house could speak, what tales it could tell me, the last of the eight who have lived here and called the place home. Today, John Hackett, I place a blossom on your grave and thanked you for the happiness you have brought to us down through the years. Now to the story of those years: In 1866 John Hackett walked along the East Park Road, and looked over the level fields surrounded by woods. As a little boy tagging at his father's heels, he had followed this path. His father had been employed by the "River People", as Hyde Parkers called the owners of the estates along the river. Now as a man he walked alone and dreamed of a home for his mother and himself. The "River People" were kind to him, little dreaming that he and his sons would handle their law business in their law office at 226 Union Street, Poughkeepsie. John Hackett's mother died in 1879, and on April 10th 1880 he married Harriet Vanderbilt Mulford, daughter of Hon. David Mulford and Cynthia Van Benschoten. 'Their sons, John Mulford Hackett was born in 1881, Henry Heckett in 1885. Upon the death of her husband David Mulford, Mrs. Hackett's mother, Cynthia Mulford joined the family circle. Also a brother who was in the Immigration Bureau in New York City was a frequent visitor. John Mulford Hackett graduated from Riverview Military Academy in Poughkeepsie, attended Columbia University and received a diploma from Albany Law School. He wished to be a linguist but necessity made him a lawyer. He was an excellent attorney but teaching languages in some college should have been his life work. His desk across from me is still covered with books, grammers, bibles in all languages and many dialects. John Hackett enjoyed a large Law practice, but he found time to represent his community as an Assemblyman in Albany for many years. The construction of the Mid-Hudson Bridge was authorized by the Legislature in 1923, the bill having been introduced in the Senate by J. Griswold Webb and in the Assembly by John M. Hackett. His vacations were spent in the north woods where we had a camp. His life there, his friends, reading were a joy to John, and charm brought him a host of friends. His living made the world a happier place to be. Henry Hackett was a: quiet, retiring person. He was an efficient lawyer, and loved his work. He attended Riverview Academy and prepared for Harvard at Exter. He was a vestryman of St. James Church, Hyde Park and served as vice-president of the Dutchess County Historical Society, representing the Town of Hyde Park for several terms. He spent his life happily with a few close friends, his books, loving to tramp the woods with his dogs at his heels, to visit historical spots, or to return to Harvard for a game or a class reunion. I have never had a brother, but no brother could have been kinder or closer to me than Henry Hackett. No other family has lived at Cunnett House since it was built. 57

A word about the house, — a few memories. If it could talk, the house would tell you that it cost fifteen hundred dollars to build, and it would be surprised to know that I now pay eighteen hundred dollars just to give it a coat of paint. Originally it had eight rooms, was heated by wood stoves, lighted by oil lamps and candles; the water came from a pump on the back porch. Of course, there was no inside water or plumbing. Later bathrooms, fireplaces, more bedrooms, and two kitchens were added, still later gaslight and finally electricity. Evenings as the family talked, listened to the tooting of the horns on the tugboats in the river, heard the tinkle of sleigh bells in the winter or the hum of the little people of the night in summer, or smelled the scent of clover, they must have mentioned the passing of the first bridge bill. How surprised they would have been to know that young John, playing with his toys before being sent to bed, would pass the Mid-Hudson Bridge bill. I remember a huge fire engine drawn by four white horses brought by Uncle Thomas to Henry and John one Christmas. It was the most fascinating toy that two boys could own. I gave it to the Newburgh Museum some ten years ago. The family circle, like all such joys, was broken. Harriet Mulford Hackett died in 1926; her mother preceded her in 1901; her husband ten years earlier in 1916. Henry Hackett died in 1951. John and I moved here then, though down through the years since our marriage in 1919, we had been more often here than in our home in Poughkeepsie. Three years later, my husband died in 1954. Looking back, it seems to me that we have been a tiny League of Nations composed of Irish, Dutch, French, English. On my side, we reach Cornwall, England, and the landing of Priscilla and John Alden, whose daughter Ruth married a Bass. Both my father and John's came from Ireland. (My father had been told that the streets in America were paved with gold.) That there was a Dutch branch is shown by a portrait of the wife of Dominie Vas which hangs in our parlor. A brass plate on the frame says, "Groorje Vas" We were also as a group a study in religious tolerance and understanding, as we attended Presbyterian, Episcopal, Dutch Reformed and Catholic churches. Never in any diaries have I found anything indicating friction. Apparantly all went to church where they desired and agreed to differ, resolved to love, and united to serve their God, community and country. 58

Service, I believe, is the rent we pay for the space we occupy upon earth — according to Dr. Grenfell. We have made mistakes, of course. All human beings do, but in deep humility, may I say that I believe that we have tried to make the world abetter place because we have lived. I hope that the house has never heard anything to confute what I have written. As I sit here writing, I can see out the window the ancient dinner hell swinging from a limb on the tall elm, half smothered by a, trumpet vine now in bloom. The bell rope is still dangling, and I seem to hear the bell ringing to call the seven men who worked the farm to their noonday meal. These men worked the fields, cared for the cattle, horses and grazing sheep, fed the chickens, ducks and geese. I look toward the bay window on the other side of the room, envision the fields banked high with snow when the Blizzard of 1888 raged. My husband then seven watched his father, astride a huge, powerful horse — probably a draft horse hired at a Poughkeepsie livery — struggle through those fields. The snow was over the fence tops. Saddlebags filled with food and necessities swayed as the horse lunged forward. At last, horse and rider reached the house and John rushed to the door to greet his father. How relieved the latter must have been to find his family safe and well. I dream as I sit here alone of John and Henry playing with that huge fire engine and other toys, running up and down the long flight of stairs, their gay laughter echoeing through the high-ceilinged rooms. The family was hospitable. At twilight I can hear sleighbells jangling as the teams come up the drive, happy voices as friends and relatives were welcomed at the door. In summer, as the moon arched the sky above the treetops, there would be visiting on the verandas as the smell of clover and new-cut hay drifted up from the fields, and the little people of the night sang their songs. Usually the guests spent the night. A twelve mile drive was enough for a team, and none desired to drive back to Poughkeepsie, LaGrangeville, Pleasant Valley, Freedom Plains or other nearby towns that we reach today so quickly by car. During the years there have been trips to New York City for shopping and the theatre, first by boat, then by train, now by automobile in two and a half hours. The years have been gracious here at Hyde Park without tensions, unrest, turmoil, uncertainties, confusion, that mark 1969. My interest in Girl Scouting and scouting in general have led me to will the house and to give now the other forty-four acres to Scouts. There have been two dedicatory programs, one on May 4, 1969, arranged by the Council, chairmanned by Warren A. Davis at the request of John Aldeborgh, president. On this occasion the house was christened Cunnett House corn59

bining my father's name Cunneen, with Hackett. A placque was placed by the front door reading: In memory of John Cunneen 1848-1907, John Hackett 1845-1916, John Mulford Hackett 1881-1954, Henry Thomas Hackett 1885-1951. Also flagpoles were erected on the grounds to carry the American flag, the Scout flag and Hackett Hill's own flag. These were in memory of Cynthia Van Benschoten (1859-1926), Charlotte Stenson Bass (1837-1906), and Elizabeth Bass Cunneen (1853-1917). Many dignitaries invited by the Boy Scouts and also Scout officials were here. They asked me to welcome the guests. On September 7th 1969 I was hostess to my friends and both the Boy Scouts the Girl Scouts assisted me along with some twenty friends to commemorate the 100th birthday of Hackett Hill. A large number of friends, neighbors, especially those interested in Scouting gathered on the front lawn to participate in this important birthday. The Reverand Gordon S. Kidd, Rector of St. James Church Hyde Park from 1949 to 1966 presented the invocation and the Reverand Vincent P. Scanlon, Pastor of Regina Coeli R. C. Church of Hyde Park offered a prayer for the youth of today. Led by Robert Hinz, a teacher in the Elementary School of Hyde Park, the audience sang "My Country 'Tis of Thee" and "America the Beautiful." The Reverand Emmett B. Waite, minister for sixteen years of the Hyde Park Dutch Reformed Church which was built in 1789 offered a prayer for oncoming youth. Mrs. Gary Giedd brought greetings from the Girl Scouts, John E. Aldeborgh brought all good wishes from the Council and the Boy Scouts. Karen Costello, a Girl Scout, Patricia C. Ready, Director of Girl Scouts of Dutchess County also spoke briefly. During -the program I saw Congressman Hamilton Fish in the audiance and I asked him to come forward so I could greet him officially. As I requested, Mr. Fish who is on the Boy Scout Council, very graciously spoke to us. George A. Darlington, retired Executive of the local Boy Scouts of America told what his fifty-two years of scouting had meant to him arid what he had seen scouting do for boys, and Randolf Kohl, Deputy Regent Scout Executive brought greetings from the National organization. Deborah Lee Foster one of our eager and active girl scouts was introduced, and Paul G. Bucklin, Director of Boy Scouts in the County, made a splendid statement of his reasons for entering scouting as a life work. In closing the meeting, I thanked everyone for coming and spoke of yesterday, today and tomorrow in the Scout World, and something of what I had learned in my fifty-five years in scouting. I called upon the Reverand Paul H. Rutgers, Pastor of the First Presbyterian Church in Poughkeepsie who made a heart-warming and impressive prayer for Cunnett House and Hackett Hill, closing with the Benediction. There will be a room in Cunnett House when I no longer live here used as a small museum, and, if you visit the Scouts here, do glance at the albums, old dauguerreotypes, portraits, samplers; two old scrapbooks cover-

ing around a hundred years made by Harriet Mulford Hackett. I think you will be interested in them. May God bless this very small spot in a large world and may the young people who are trained here go down through the years able to face life's problems, competent to carry responsibilities, desirous of doing tasks well, having in their hearts a love of freedom, of country and a faith in God. If they have learned these lessons, our America will be a worthwhile land, worthy of all those who have lived and died for her, a land able to take a stand in the World for righteousness and peace.

Editor's Note: Charlotte Cunneen Hacket, author of the article about Cunnett House on Hackett Hill is an active member of Dutchess County Historical Society and serves as Vice-President representing the Town of Hyde Park. A graduate of Buffalo University, she did post graduate work at the University of Arizona, and was admitted to the Bar in 1914. Mrs. Hackett's many interests and activities in the community include the Presbyterian Church in Poughkeepsie, the American Red Cross, the Children's Horne, the D. A. R. Chapter of Rhinebeck, the Poughkeepsie Garden Club. In 1968 the Dutchess County Professional and Business Women's Club named her "Citizen of the Year". She has been very important in Scouting in Dutchess County since 1914 and has received many honors and citations for her work of promotion of both Boy and Girl Scouting. Mrs. Hackett's generous gift of land and her provision for the future use of Cunneen House on Hackett for Dutchess County Scouts is another mark of her continuing good deeds in our neighborhood.

The Common Council of the City of Poughkeepsie do ordain as follows: The owner or owners of any goose or geese shall forfit for the use of said city, for every goose that shall be at large in any of the streets or highways of said city, the sum of ten cents, to be sued for in the name of the city of Poughkeepsie, and the marshall is hereby authorized to impound in the city pound, any and all .%-uch geese so found at large. Passed May 25, 1874.

DUTCHESS COUNTY RAILROADS Edmund Van Wyck

Probably few of the present generation remember even hearing about the early railroads of Dutchess County. It was the era of the late 1850's, and from then on for twenty or more years there was almost an epidemic of railroad building, or perhaps I should say, an epidemic of buying and selling railroad stocks. Railroads just had to prosper, no two ways about it. It was no different here in Dutchess. The earliest railroad which I can remember discussed was the "Poughkeepsie, Hartford and Boston". I doubt that this one ever got off the drawing boards. Other than memories of the earlier days of conversations among my elders, I can find no reference to it; Platt does not mention it in his "Poughkeepsie History." With such an inviting set of initials, P. H. St B., it became known as the "Push Hard and Bust." It did. Next came the "Poughkeepsie and Eastern", the P. & E., and this one was more often called the "Pleasant and Easy", or in a slightly critical vein, "The Perverse and Eccentric". There was often a derogatory reference to the P. & E. as the "Tr -weekly" (Try-weakly) railroad. The train that went up one week and tried to get back the next. The passenger service on the Central New England Railroad, the C. N. E., was referred to as "Certainly Not Elegant"; not very clever or very critical. Up through the middle of the County ran the Newburgh, Dutchess and Connecticut Railroad, the N. D. & C. R. R. It had at least two variations on its title, equally venomous and vitriolic: "Never Did and Can't Run Right", and "Nasty, Dirty and Crooked". Both, I think, were slight overstatements. Over on the east side of Dutchess County was and still is the Harlem Railroad. This road started out as a convenient connection between lower New York City and Harlem, then a high class residential area on the north end of Manhattan Island. It was gradually extended northward through White Plains, Brewster and Pawling to Boston Corners and Stateline. The whole line became known as "The Harlem" and the valley took on the same name. The people who ride the line may have other names for it but I have never happened to hear them. The "Harlem" became part of the Hudson River Railroad, then the New York Central and Hudson River Railroad and now in 1969, the Penn Central Railroad. The story of railroading in Dutchess County parallelled that of the rest of the county, "Boom and Bust". Imagine the need for two railroads from Poughkeepsie to Pine Plains? There they were, side by side, crossing over or under one another at intervals and dividing up business that really was insufficient to sustain either of them. Both gradually ceased operation and the rails were torn up and sold for scrap in 1938. 62

HUCKLE OR HOOKER BUSH? Barbara Thompson (Reprinted, with permission, from the Barrytown Explorer. Vol. 12, #1 & 2, June-July 1969).

There seem to be two schools of thought as to whether the train was called the "Hucklebush" because it travelled so slowly you could pick the huckleberries as you rode down from Cokertown, or "Hooker Bush" because you could grab the branches as you went along. At any rate, the old train is gone now, along with its tracks and trestles, but the traces are still there and so are the memories no matter which school you prefer. The line was chartered in 1870 to be known as the Rhinebeck Conn. Railroad with a capital of $1,000,000. In 1874, 28 miles of track were opened and another 7 miles added in 1875. The entire length of the main line was 41.6 miles from Rhinecliff to the State Line C. W. R. R. Junction. The track from Boston Corners to State Line was held under lease. The train ran from Rhinecliff, Rhinebeck, on up to Red Hook, where the former station is now the Red Hook Farmers' Cooperative. Then it crossed 199 near the location of the laundromat, coming round back of Fraleigh's farm where there was a freight switch. From there it went up to Spring Lake Road for the Cokertown Station. The train scheduled two runs a day. Down past Cokertown at seven in the morning, back by nine; down again at one in the afternoon and back by four. This was the high schooler's commuter run. Only then it might be a horse and buggy ride from home to the station with a ten to twelve minute ride into Red Hook. The next stop was at Jackson's Corners where there are more evident traces of the old track bed. Mr. Fred Long kindly showed me the house which was built around the original two-room station. Going east to west behind the neat frame house, one can still see the old road bed as a grassy flat lane between walls of trees. There are still the piers of concrete and laid up stone that supported the wooden trestle over Fishwoods Creek and Academy Hill Road. The trestle had a platform which held a barrel of water with a bucket in case of fire emergency. Up at Mr. Long's "Whistle Stop," there is what I called a concrete bridge in the middle of the woods, about thirty feet high having grass and wild flowers on top spanning a very small stream. I was informed that this was a culvert and was so built, high and wide, in order to accommodate not only the stream but a wagon and team of horses for the farmers to get to their fields. Perfect Brain Service Offered The railroad was acquired by the Philadelphia Reading and New England Railroad. This company published a rather extensive brochure extolling the values of spending a vacation in the Catskill and Berkshire Mountains 63

or in the valleys of the Hudson, Walkill or Conn. Rivers, all of which is "now possible to reach by the means of a perfect train service". This booklet, loaned through the courtesy of Helen Hermans, is a delight to read. One may take a "ride" from Hartford, Conn. to Campbell Hall N. Y. taking that summer vacation of somewhere around the early nineteen hundreds. You could stay at Maple Glen Farm owned by L. W. Schultz near Rock City. For an adult at $5.00 a week (children half price) there would be free transportation from the Red Hook Station, a stay at an "old fashioned farm house with plenty of shade, wide meadows, high hills, magnificent views, and no malaria." It is said that Mrs. Schultz took in so many summer boarders from Brooklyn that the lane finally took the name of Brooklyn Heights Road, but I don't know if that's the gospel truth. Henry Pink, now Silver Lake Camp, offered the same as Mrs. Schultz with the added bonus of a "large hall with piano used for dancing. Guests taken out riding free of charge." Henry, Peter and Harvey Near had a monopoly on the accommodations listed for Jackson's Corners with adults being charged $4.00 a week and "transients $1.00 a day" at all three places. The Red Hook area is described as "a land of plenty this, where health and good living reign . . . the air is light, clear, and invigorating." So whether you took the train to school, to go visiting, to get to your summer home or vacation, or if you were wont to call it the "Hucklebush" or "Hookerbush," it still remains a part of the town in fact and memory. Barbara Thompson

Sept. 1, 1745: Doctor Cornelus Rasbun agreed with for 20 shills per jear for to doctor my lamely. Due him—£1-0-0. From Francis Filkin's account book.

NAMES AND PLACES IN THE TOWN OF LAGRANGE Edmund Van Wyck

During a conversation with some fellow residents of the Town of LaGrange I happened to mention some area by names familiar to me. Promptly came the query, "Now where in the world is that place?". So that the new friends of our Town will know what we old timers are talking about, I have located a few of these "places" geographically. Freedom Plains. This is the name by which the broad, flat lands on either side of Route 55 were called after the formation of the Town of Freedom in 1821. Sprout Creek runs the length of the area, but the name today is more or less localized in the vicinity of the Presbyterian Church. The name continued after the town became LaGrange in 1826. Titusville. The Titus family established a woolen mill along this section of the Wappingers Creek in 1825. The "vine" consisted of four proprietor's houses, five or six multiple family frame dwellings which housed the mill hands, a school house and a chapel. The mill burned just before 1900, the workers' houses soon fell in disrepair and were torn down, the school was abandoned and the chapel was moved to Manchester. Sprout Creek, Noxon. The little piece of highway between the north end of Robinson Lane and the bridge over the Sprout on the present Noxon Road was known at various times as "Sprout Creek" and "Noxon". It boasted a tavern, the building now owned by the artist Emile Walters, a store, a post office and a doctor. "Noxon" derives its identify from the Noxon family which lived there until the early 1900's. Manchester Bridge. This name originally referred to the complex of brick houses below the road just west of Route 55 which recently have been demolished. When the Bradbury, Priestly and Robinson paper mill was in operation, there was a two story four-family stone house on the opposite side of the old road. Also there were two frame houses on the bank of the head race behind the brick houses and two more on the lane that led to the mill on the south. A bell in the cupola of the boiler room was rung every day at twenty minutes past eleven o'clock so that the wives would know when to put .the potatoes on for dinner. It was known, of course, as the "potatoe bell". The mill burned down on December 29, 1880, and the name has now migrated eastward to include a commercial area in LaGrange and still further eastward a mile or two to "Manchester Heights". Meddaugh Town, Overlook. Meddaugh Town was the name of the settlement around the junction of the present Overlook and Cramer Roads. Formerly the name was pronounced "Meddick", then about fifty years ago it began to be called "Overlook". "Domine" Phillips lived in the house on the 65

corner and Julian Bloomer had a general store down by the brook. John Logan had a carriage, wagonmaking and paint shop, and there was a school house just across the road. There were a half dozen or more houses along Cramer Road. Morey's Corner. East of Route 82, where Noxon, Cross and Upton Roads all come together, was the place known as Morey's Corners. Morey was a busy man. He had a grist mill, a fulling mill, a distillery, and a few other little things going for him, not forgetting of course a tavern. The "town" of Morey's Corners moved to the west when the Newburgh, Dutchess and Connecticut Rail Road was built. And in planning the new metropolis of Morey's Corners a lot was set aside for the erection of a bank. Dreams, dreams! Moores Mills. In the early 1750's the Moore family first settled on the old Oswego Road and established a grist mill which was operated by the original settler and his descendents for nearly 200 years. The village of Moores Mills had a store, a school house and later on a railroad station. And the Quakeress Susan Moore's famous Floral Home, a boarding house was at Moores Mills. Billings, Billings Gap. Billings was distinguished perhaps because it did not have a school house. It did have a store, a boot and shoe maker, a very flourshing feed and grist mill, and in later years a processing plant. Billings Gap was the water gap west of Billings where both the road and the brook break through between the hills on either hand. Van Benschoten Hill. Beginning at Apple Valley on Route 55, Van Benschoten Hill tops at Redl's junk yard. The Van Benschoten family were the original settlers along there and owned both sides of the road which was then known as the Oswego Road. Jewell's Hill. East of Van Benschoten Hill was the last step before you came out on the Freedom Plains Road. The old road is not even close to the new one, for it same out on Lauer Road north of the present intersection. It turned left to pass in front of the Phillips house and the Little Red School House. This part of the highway is now Dr. Fink Road. Dr. Fink practiced medicine in the Town for many years. He lived and had his office where Ralph Burdick now resides. Todd Hill Road. LaFayette Todd lived on this road and built the house where the Blake family are living today. While many roads in LaGrange were named for a family that lived there, many others were named because of a steep hill on the road. The hills were a real factor in the life of the Town. In the first place the roads, both up and down, were hard to maintain because of constant wear and tear and 66

the washing away during the wet weather. Whether you were hauling hogs, hay or humans, it was necessary to load according to the hills that had to be climbed and the ability of your draft animals to haul your wagon. The Owego Road is without doubt the oldest named road in the Township. It crossed the Wappingers via DuBois Bridge which was near the large Greenvale Farms house, through the Creek meadows to the east, and then up the bank to the Titusville Road opposite the Rothenburgh horn; formerly the Storm place in 1821. Owego Road followed Titusville Road over Merry Hill, which used to be Murray Hill, until it came to Apple Valley at the foot of Van Benschoten Hill, over that hill to Freedom Plains, and Billings Gap to Billings. From Billings the road turned north to Moores Mills, then east to Oswego Village which was once part of LaGrange, now Union Vale. Sanke Hill is the rocky, cedar covered hill a little east of the Parkway south of Route 55, where they cross at Freedom Plains. It has the reputation of being infested with copperheads, a matter I have never investigated. Pond Gut is a little, narrow fiat bottomed valley at the northern end of the "Plains", near the present Hunt Club 110. It encloses the outlet brook of Tyrrell Lake. The Pond Gut Road, now deadended, formerly continued through the Innisfree property to Tyrrell Road, and there used to be a road from it to the west which came out on Downing Road at the foot of the steep hill.

An Ordinance Relating to Public Health, Cleanliness, and Obstructing, Encumbering and Misusing the Streets, Passed May 25, 1847. Sec. 2. No person shall obstruct the walks laid across the public streets in the City of Poughkeepsie, by placing or stopping his or her carriage upon or across any of the walks . . . under penalty of one dollar fine for each offence. Sec. 10. Any persons, during any holliday who shall collect in numbers in any street for the purpose of joining dancing or any other amusement, shall forfit ten dollars for every offence. Sec. 23. No physician or other person shall inoculate any person for the small pox, under the penalty of twenty-five dollars for each inoculation

AMENIA FEMALE ACADEMY Amenia, Dutchess County, New York Academic Year will begin September 7, 1865. Faculty Principal M., York, A. Rev. Sydney P. Mathematics, Mental and Moral Sciences Edwin Kempton, A. B. Natural Sciences and Classics Miss Sarah J. Ingraham, Preceptress Modern Languages Miss Marion E. Taylor Instrumental Music Miss Orra L. Wood Painting, Drawing, and Gymnastics G. W. Center Financial Director and Steward

HISTORY and PROSPECTS. Amenia Seminary, founded nearly thirty years ago, has sent forth many sons and daughters to fill honorable places in society. But after careful consideration, it has been thought best to make it a Seminary exclusively for Young Ladies, retaining all the good of the old system, and adding thereto many advantages that could be obtained from a mixed school. CHARACTER and ADVANTAGES A perfect character is one that is thoroughly and evenly developed; therefore, physical, mental, and moral culture, will receive appropriate attention. It will be the aim to send forth Young Ladies, to whose intellectual attainments shall be added those of polite accomplishments that fit them to adorn society. LOCATIONS and GROUNDS The charming village of Amenia, surrounding by picturesque scenery and healthful mountain breezes, is a location unsurpassed. It is situated in the midst of a community of high mental and moral culture, and is almost wholly exempt from those temptations and amusements abound in large towns. A large grove of trees of more than a quarter of a century's growth, gives that peculiar charm that belongs to old family mansions — that air of stability in spite of the changes of time.

Board, Furnished Room, Fuel, Lights, and Washing ( one dozen per week), Tuition in English Classics and Gymnastics, per year, Payable in Advance Quarterly

$280.00

Extra Charges per Quarter: Lessons in Penceling

$5.00

Water Color Painting, Monochromatics

6.00

Pastel Painting

7.00

Oil Painting

..........

Music Lessons, Piano or Melodeon

12.00 17.00

Use of Instruments for Practice

3.00

Modern Languages, each

6.00

Extra Washing, per dozen

.60

Washing Dresses or Large Pieces

.10

COURSE OF STUDY A systematic Graduating Course of Study has been arranged, divided into Academic and Collegiate Departments. Advancement from a lower to a higher grade will depend upon scholarship, real attainments forming the only basis of classification and advancement. The regular Collegiate Course embraces three years. Students may, however, enter any class for which they are prepared, and as soon as the Course is completed, will be allowed to graduate without reference to the time they have been connected with the Seminary. Applications for Rooms may be made to the Principal, or to G. W. Center. Amenia, Dutcbess County, New York, Eighty-eight Miles from New York; sixty-five from Albany; and twenty-five from Poughkeepsie. On the Harlem Railroad.

BYLAWS DUTCHESS COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY Revised May 15, 1969

Name The name of this organization is: The Dutchess County Historical Society. Object The object of the society shall be to discover, procure and preserve whatever may relate to American history in its several phases — social, economic, military, political, literary, artistic, etc., but particularly material regarding Dutchess County in the State of New York; To encourage the writing of papers and the delivery of addresses on subjects of historical interest; To collect objects of historical value and arrange for their preservation. In pursuing its purposes the Society shall not engage in propaganda or political activity; shall not be operated for profit and all income and earnings shall be used exclusively for the purposes of the Society; no part of the net income, earnings or assets shall inure to the benefit or profit of any member and in the event of dissolution, all of the assets of the Society, after the payment of making provision for the payment of all liabilities shall be distributed to the Historical Society or Societies of Dutchess County which at the time shall qualify as exempt organizations, all to be in accordance with Section 501 (c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Members There shall be four classes of members: 1. Active members: individuals, societies and organizations 2. Active family members: husband and wife 3. Life members, any member who shall pay at one time at least seventyfive dollars to the society 4. Honorary members: any person who, in the judgment of the trustees, has attained distinction in historic work of research. Dues The dues for active members shall be three dollars, payable at the time of election and thereafter annually on the first of January. The dues for active family members shall be five dollars, payable at the time of election and thereafter annually on the first of January. Life members and honorary members shall be exempt from the payment of dues. Any member in arrears for dues for six months shall be considered as having resigned from the society. 70

Officers The officers of the Dutchess County Historical Society shall be: A president A vice-president at large A vice-president representing each town in Dutchess County A vice-president representing the City of Poughkeepsie A vice-president representing the City of Beacon A secretary A treasurer A curator Sixteen trustees Board of Trustees The Board of Trustees shall consist of: The president, ex-officio The vice-president at large, ex-officio The secretary, ex-officio The treasurer, ex-officio and sixteen trustees There shall not be duplication on the Board of Trustees. No one person may serve at the same time as an executive officer and a trustee. Election of Officers and Trustees Officers and trustees shall be elected at the annual meeting of the society. Terms of Officers and Trustees A president and a vice-president at large shall be elected for a term of two years, and each shall be eligible to succeed himself but once after having served one full term. Vice-presidents representing the towns and cities of Dutchess County, a secretary, a treasurer and a curator shall be elected for a term of two years. Sixteen trustees shall be elected in four classes, each to serve four years, but no trustee shall be eligible to succeed himself after having served one full term of four years. Duties of Officers and Trustees President: The president shall preside at meetings of the society and of the Board of Trustees. He shall initiate and direct the activities of the society in conjunction with the Board of Trustees. Vice-President at Large: The vice-president at large shall act in the absence of the president as need occasions. Vice-Presidents for Towns and Cities of Dutchess County: It shall be the duty of the vice-presidents for the towns and cities to stimulate interest in the objects of the society in their several localities. Secretary: The secretary shall keep a record of all meetings of the society and of the Board of Trustees; shall notify all persons elected to membership; shall notify members of the time and place of meetings; and shall perform 71

all the duties of the secretary of the society. Treasurer: The treasurer shall collect and disburse all moneys of the society under the direction of the Board of Trustees. Curator: The curator shall be responsible for the safekeeping of all possessions of the society, other than securities or bank deposits. He shall keep an inventory of the possessions and shall notify the secretary in writing of all new acquisitions of the society, whether by purchase or by gift. Trustees: The Board of Trustees shall transact any business of the society and have general management of its affairs, including the election of members. Meetings There shall be at least two meetings of the society each year: an annual meeting during the month of May, and a semi-annual meeting during the month of October. In addition to the annual and semi-annual meetings, a meeting of the society may be called by the president, or by the vice-president at large, or by the secretary, or upon request of five members of the society. The day and place of all meetings shall be chosen by the officers and all members shall be notified of a meeting by the secretary at least two weeks in advance. Meetings of the Board of Trustees may be held at any time on the call of the president, or the vice-president at large, or the secretary, or of three members of the Board of Trustees. Ten members shall constitute a quorum of the society. Five trustees shall constitute a quorum of the Board of Trustees. Reports The officers of the society and the committees shall report to the society at the meetings in May and October upon such matters as are in their charge, and shall inform the members of the condition of the society. Order of Business The order of business at any meeting of the society, or of the Board of Trustees, shall be as follows: Reading of the minutes of the previous meeting Reports of officers Reports of committees Election of members Unfinished business New business Adjournment Amendments These bylaws may be amended at any regular. or special, meeting of the society by a majority vote of those present, provided a notice of the proposed amendment shall have accompanied the notice of the meeting at which it shall be acted upon. 72

RECENT ACQUISITIONS BY THE HISTORICAL SOCIETY During the year the Dutchess County Historical has received many important items which have been catalogued by the Curator, Mrs. Albert Powers, and are added to our collection at the Adriance Library. In her report to the Trustees Mrs. Powers includes a gift from the Hudson River Commission of the book entitled "Historic Resources of the Hudson"; "Constitution of the Dutchess Club, 1888", donated by Mr. Wilbur N. Creswell of Stanfordville; four boxes of various items including several complete WAVE uniforms from Mrs. William Wood of Hyde Park; a large collection of papers concerning the Tappan family, 1614-1725, presented by Mr. Edward Murray of Hyde Park; papers connected with the Miller family, 1800-1866, a gift of Mr. Merrihew; a diploma awarded to Charles B. Knight by Eaatman Business College, sent to the Society by Dr. Ray R. Knight of Minneapolis, Minn. Mr. Stephen C. Miller, Jr_., a member of the Society has sent two very interesting and valuable Dutchess County deeds dated 1698 and 1749. Mr. Millet who is a resident of Washington, D.C., presented the two framed papers in memory of Mrs. Maria B. Tower who edited in 1932 "Records of the Reformed Dutch Church of New Hackensack, Dutchess County, New York," the publication sponsored by the Society, Volume 5, and which has had such wide use in historical research of the area. The two papers are being copied and will be published in the next Year Book. Several photographs of great interest have been received from another member of the Historical Society, Mr. Thomas B. Annin of Fair Haven, New Jersey. Mr. Annin is an authority on the histories of old railroads and has a collected over the years a vast amount of information and photographs of Dutchess County railroads of past years. The photographs Mr. Annin has sent to our historical room at the Aciriance Library include the Poughkeepsie and Eastern Railroad stations in Stanfordville and at Salt Point, the Central New England engine house and the freight house at Pine Plains, and the gates guarding the grade crossing at Millerton. Another photograph shows the first steam engine on the Connecticut and Western Railroad, built in 1871. The picture was taken at the station at State Line. The Society recently received notification from the Trustees of the residuary Trust under the Will of Mary Flagler Cary, deceased, that Mrs. Cary's property contained certain historical materials which bore a relationship to Dutchess County. The Trustees offered the materials to the Historical Society under certain conditions which were approved by the Trustees of the Society upon recommendations of our attorney, Mr. Frank V. Mylod. The materials which have been received and catalogued by Mrs. Powers, include two especially important items, a framed original parchment map of the Great Nine Partners Patent dated 1697, and the original Record Book of the Great Nine Partners which contains a summary of the 73

events in connection with the acquisition of the Patent and the record of the proceedings at the meetings of the Nine Partners, November 6, 1730 to December 31, 1748. These two items as well as many books and doai.ments were, for the most part, collected by Mrs. Cary's father, Mr. Harry Harkness Flagler of Millbrook. Mr. Flagler was a very active and interested member of the Dutchess County Historical Society for a great many years, and with Miss Helen Reynolds, Dr. J. Wilson Poucher, Mr. Willis Reese and Mrs. Amy Ver Nooy, he was instrumental in the development of the Society and in the preservation of historical materials. A partial inventory of the items received under the Trust of the late Mrs. Cary follows: Homstead Map of N. Sachet Volumes 1, 2, 5, 6, 7, Dutchess County Historical Society Books. History of Dutchess County, 1609-1882, James H. Smith History of Poughkeepsie, 1683-1905, Edmund Platt. History of Dutchess County, Frank Hasbrouck. Biographical Record of Dutchess County, J. H. Beers Co. Documentary History of New York, Vol. 1, Hon. Chris Morgan Bound Copies, Poughkeepsie Telegraph 1840-1841. The Clerk and Magistrate' Assistant, Poughkeepsie 1818, 3rd. Edition. Farmers Almanac 1834, Potter 8c Sons, Poughkeepsie. Farmers Almanac, 1819, Poughkeepsie. Dutchess County Doorways, 1730-1830, Reynolds. Dutch Houses in the Hudson Valley before 1776, Reynolds. Historic Houses of the Hudson Valley, Eberlein and Hubbard. The House at Hyde Park, Clara and Hardy Steeholm. Dutchess County, American Guide Series. Old Dutchess Forever, McCracken. Role of Plant Life of Dutchess County, Roberts and Reynolds. Youth's Companion or Historical Dictionary, Simpson; 3rd. Edition. Town's Spelling and Defining Book, 1852. Framed Samplers. Embroidered Picture of Sketchley's Boarding School, Poughkeepsie. Blithe Dutchess, McCracken. Dutchess County Historical Society Year Books 1934-42. Pre-revolutionary Dutch Houses and Families, Bailey. Southeastern New York, 3 Volumes. Practical Book of Early Arts and Crafts, Earle. Diary of Anna Green Winslow, Earle. Colonial Days in Old New York, Earle. Several miscellaneous items.

GLEBE HOUSE REPORT Glebe House has had an active year with many members of both the Junior League and the Historical Society engaged in a variety of activities. Several members of the Poughkeepsie Garden Club continue to improve the garden and grounds, and a continuing interest and aid came from John W. Nelson Superintendent of the Poughkeepsie Board of Public Works. The Joint committee, Junior League and Historical Society representatives, was composed of the following: Mrs. Edward Kerin and Mrs. Jean B. Courtney co-chairmen, Mrs. Anthony Quartararo, secretary, Mrs. Edward Davis, treasurer, Mrs. Peter R. Mund, Mrs. Samuel A. Moore, Mrs. Andrew L. Mund, Mrs. Herbert Roig, Mrs. Walter Averill, Mrs. David Hannan, Frank V. Myloci, Edmund Van Wyck and Balms B. Van Kleeck. The Historical Society Trustee meetings have been held at Glebe House, and on many occasions other meetings of the committees of the League and the Society have been held there. The house has been open for visitors daily except on Wednesday from one to five in the afternoon, and during 1969 over 2,100 individuals were welcomed. The visits by a great many school groups continued again throughout the year. Three special events took place: the planting of another tree, a crabapple, by the Poughkeepsie Garden Club on Arbor Day; an Open House and Crafts Day and "Flea Market" on June 8th; and the annual Christmas open house during the holiday season. The Arbor Day event was arranged by Mrs. Walter Averill and was attended by the president of the Garden Club, Mrs. Helen Ludolph, several members of the Garden Club, and representatives of the Junior League and the Historical Society. Crafts Day included demonstrations of the art of candle making, flower arrangements and crewel work. Several antiques dealers were invited to participate and a "Flea Market" was arranged on the lawn north of the house. The committee in charge of Crafts Day included Mrs. Robert Southworth, Mrs. Herbert Roig, Mrs. Helen H. Schoonmaker, Mrs. Glen Osberg, Mrs. Richard Strain, Mrs. Louis La Motte, 3rd., Mrs. Thomas Hartshorn, Mrs. Peter Mund, and Mrs. Charles Mitchell. The house and grounds were in very good order and the day was a great success due to the diligent efforts of the committee members. Open House at Christmas time drew the usual large number of visitors. Glebe House was beautifully decorated with Christmas greens and all who visited enjoyed the day a great deal. The chairman of the day was Mrs. Drury Cargill, and her committee was composed of Mrs. Joseph Furlong, Mrs. Velma Pugsley, Mrs. Robert Pantridge, Mrs. Arthur McComb and several Provisional members of the Junior League. During the years we have been fortunate in having Mrs. Stanley Norris of Billings meet with a group of the Provisional members of the League 75

and members of the Glebe House committee, and to learn from Mrs. Norris a great many facts about the care and preservations of old furniture. Mrs. Warren Partridge of the National Park Service at the Vanderbilt Mansion, Hyde Park, has joined the Glebe House committee and we are very fortunate to have someone of her knowledge and experience work with the committee. Several important donations of furnishings for Glebe House have been received. A very important acquisition has come from a member of the Historical Society, Mr. William A. Benson of Pleasant Valley. He presented Glebe House with a loom which dates back to 1812, perhaps even before that date. It came from the Benson homestead in Wassiac, a house that was built in 1812 by Stephen Hitchcock. Homer, son.of Stephen Hitchcock, married Rebecca Lowery in 1839, and their daughter Rebecca married Erza Reed Benton in 1865. From that date the farm was occupied by the Benton family. William Benton, son of Erza R. Benton and great, great grandson of the builder of the old house, Stephen Hitchcock, was the last resident of the farm. The large loom has been set-up at Glebe House and has attracted a great deal of attention. It is a very valuable addition, and but one of several items presented to the house by Mr. Benton. The Junior League and the Historical Society have purchased a tape recorder and a slide projector, and the slide presentation prepared in 1967 by the League Provisional members is being shown in the Grade Schools throughout the area. The Junior League and the Historical Society are very much indebted to the many individuals who have given so much of their time and their talents to Glebe House, the 1767 structure that carries down to today not only the structure itself but also furniture and furnishings of two hundred years ago.

Advertisement 1865 Fancy Goods & Yankee Notions Mrs. M. Peterkin, 330 Main St., Poughkeepsie.

THE ANNUAL PILGRIMAGE The annual pilgrimage of the Dutchess County Historical Society took place on Saturday, October 11th, 1969 when over one hundred and twentyfive members of the Society spent the day touring one of Dutchess County's most beautiful sections, the Towns of Dover and Amenia. The tour in the eastern part of the County was planned and directed by Thomas J. Boyce and Kenneth Vincent who welcomed the three bus loads of travelers at Dover Plains and escorted them to the nearby Wing house where Mr. Boyce gave a talk on the history of this 1803 structure. The house was built by Thomas Taber on land he had inherited from his father job Taber. The doorway of the house is of special interest and is fully described in "Dutchess County Doorways, 1730-1830" by Miss Helen Wilkinson Reynolds. Mr. Boyce also told about one of Dover's most famous citizens, General John Henry Ketcham, Congressman for several terms and commander of the 150th Infantry Regiment of Dutchess County during the Civil War. The buses, followed by several automobiles, left Dover Plains and moved south on Route #22 to Dover Furnace and the property of the New York Missions Society, Camp Shaparoon. Mr. Robert Edwards of the Camp had very kindly cleared the area near the old Shaparoon Iron Works for parking, and the pilgrims spent a very interesting hour, inspecting the massive iron ore furnace with its huge marble cut stone walls. This furnace was put in operation in 1881, and, fed by ore of the region, turned out tons of iron ingots for many years. It was fortunate indeed to have Kenneth Vinson and Thomas Boyce as well as many other authorities of the region explain so vividly this important product of Dutchess County. Mrs. Lawrence Heaton of Poughkeepsie and Edward Johnson of Moore's Mills supplied the committee with important information concerning the iron ore furnace. The pilgrims next journeyed to Wingdale, to be welcomed at the Wingdale American Legion Hall by Mrs. Priscella Mostachetti and other members of the Women's Guild of the American Legion. A box luncheon was enjoyed in the Hall, the Women's Guild supplying coffee and dessert to the visitors. Ralph Van Kleeck, President of the Dutchess County Historical Society welcomed the pilgrims and expressed great appreciation to the Legion and the Guild for allowing the Society the use of the beautiful building, and he thanked the chairmen, Mr. Boyce and Mr. Vincent as well as the many others who had gone to such lengths in preparing the tour for the Society members. The next stop of the day was at the Wing or Levings House which is situated across, the road from the site of the famous Morehouse Tavern at Wingdale. Mr. Boyce introduced James Morganteen, a resident of Dog Tail Corners Road, Wingdale, and presently a student at Marist College, Poughkeepsie. Mr. Morganteen gave a splendid address, tracing the history of the still standing Wing House and the First Baptist Church of Dover 77

Photo--Poughkeepsie Journal—Jas. Decker SHARPA 00N BLAST FURNACE

Town of Dover, Dutchess County—Built 1881.

and also told about the Morehouse Tavern which used to be a landmark of the another day. To his aunt, Mrs. William Ketchin, Mr. Morganteen gave much credit for the information he had obtained of the Dover Plains area, and he stated also that valuable data had come from Howard C. Rice of Princeton who had studied in the Dover Plains area some years ago. Mr. Morganteen, describing the Morehouse Tavern, said it was a two story building, simple clapboard with a wood shingle roof and that it stood on the north side of the short intersection connecting Routes #55 and #22 in Wingdale. There was a main door with two windows on either side, a fireplace at each end of the building and two windows on either side of the chimneys. The Tavern was in a state of poor repair when it was torn down in 1877. During the Revolution the Tavern was on a heavily traveled road between New England and Fishkill, and it was one six inns for drovers between Dover Plains and Pawling. The owner was a Colonel Andrew Morehouse who served in the 3rd regiment of the Dutchess County militia. During the war many prominent colonial officers stayed there, George Washington, Alexander Hamilton, General Gates, General Putnam and General Lafayette. It is thought probably that Benedict Arnold and Major Andre met at the tavern. Morehouse Tavern also played a role in the life of Enoch Crosby, the colonial double agent of James Fenimore Cooper's "The Spy". After the Revolution the tavern lost its importance. The speaker, standing at the doorway of the Moosehead Tavern or the Wing House, pointed out that the two story red brick structure had a hipped gambrel roof, twenty-four windows with flat arches, and that the south and west wings were clapboard with a gable on the west wing. Jackson Wing was the builder, probably about 1804, and the wooden portion was added two years later. Relatives of Jackson Wing still live in the area of Wingdale and his family gives Wingdale, formerly Wing Station, its name. Moosehead Tavern was popular among drovers in the early days, and the tavern was called "Moosehead" because moose horns were displayed on a pole in the front yard. The Tap Room of the old tavern was taken to Cooperstown and is now known as the Bump Room in the Farmers Meseum there. Mr. Morganteen then called attention to the First Baptist Church of Dover which would be passed as we proceeded from the Wing House. At a meeting of the Philadelphia Baptist Association held in October of 1757, a request made by the residents of Beekrnan's Precinct in Dutchess County for the establishment of a church was approved, and a Mr. Miller and Mr. William Marsh were commissioned to aid in any way they deemed necessary. In November 1757, Mr. Marsh visited South Dover and explained the "covenant" to many eager subscribers. This society has flourished to this very day and is now known as the First Baptist Church of Dover. A very influential leader, Samuel Waldo, arrived in January 1758, and he directed the building of the Red Meeting House, a 30 by 40 foot structure 79

Photo--Poughkeepsie Journal—Jas. Decker SAINT THOMAS' EPISCOPAL CHURCH—Amenia Union, New York—Built 1851.

which stood on the brow of the hill near the old part of the cemetery, almost directly east of the present church. All the members of the town helped, making it a truly union church. Elder Waldo was a powerful speaker and a dynamic individual, and he served the area faithfully over a period of thirty-five years. The first Meeting House was abandoned in 1833, and the second was constructed and used until in 1855 when the present church was built. The pilgrims returned to the buses and the few automobiles that comprised the flotilla, and after passing the Baptist Church, headed north through the beautiful valley until Old Drovers Inn was reached. Mr. Morganteen stood on the lawn of this famous old inn surrounded by the members of the tour and gave a brief history of the place. Once a part of a large area owned by Ebenezer Preston who settled there in 1727, the inn was built about 1750 with Jeremiah French the keeper of Old Drovers. He had Tory leanings and there is no record of the length of his stay. When John Preston took over in 1810, the Inn began to make a name for itself, and perhaps much of its popularity was due to the eccentric and longwinded owner. There are many stories about the owner, and he was a very successful operator. For over a hundred and fifty years Old Drovers Inn has had a successful career. The Inn is a handsome building and in excellent condition, as is the coach house across the road. Leaving the Town of Dover via Route #22, the pilgrimage entered the Town of Amenia and near Wassic passed two conical stone pits of kilns which were built about 1845 by Noah Gridley who operated a blast furnace nearby. Charcoal making was continued there until the 1880's. From Wassaic the tour turned eastward through South Amenia, thence to Amenia Union and Saint Thomas' Episcopal Church where the Reverand Walter Allyn Rogers, the Priest in charge, was waiting at the doorway to greet the visitors. Saint Thomas' Church is considered one of the finest examples of small Gothic churches. It was designed by Richard Upjohn, the architect of Trinity Church in New York. and was built in 1851, two years after the organization of the Parish by the Reverand Homer Wheaton of Lithgow. The pilgrims were invited to enter the charming edifice and to examine the beautiful interior. The Rector gave a brief history of the church, stating that the building was built at a cost of $3,000, $500 given by Trinity Church of New York, $500 by Henry Morehouse of Amenia Union who also made the brick and donated it to the church. The chestnut beams came from trees grown on Sharon Mountain, and a great many residents of Amenia Union of the day not only made up the cost of the building but also donated their services and skills. The organ was placed in Saint Thomas' in 1886, and the magnificent Alter window was installed in 1875. The window was designed by Messrs. Heaton, Butler & Bayne of London and portrays the aged Saint John being carried into his church. The church bell was presented by Southard Hitchcock in 1869, and 81

was made by McNeely & Co., of Troy. On the bell is engraved the message: "Come and worship, come and pray; I call at death, and on the marriage day." The Historical Society members are very much indebted to Father Rogers for allowing the pilgrims an opportunity to visit this beautiful church and especially to learn from him the interesting history of the Parish. The next stop of the day was a brief visit at the Winegar House north of Amenia Union. This is one of the oldest structures still standing in the area. It is built of stone, with brick trim around the doors and windows. Many years ago the building was coated with cement. The fine old house was built in 1761 by Henrick Winegar, a grandson of Ulrick Winegar whocame to the oblong from East Camp, now Germantown, Columbia County, in 1724. Although the building is in rather poor condition at present, it is sound, and very fortunately will be restored. The tourists then proceeded to the village of Amenia, up Delavergne Hill on Route #44, thence on Route #82 to Smithfield and the beautiful Presbyterian Church of Greek architecture where we were greeted by the minister, The Reverand Leis Erickson and invited to enter. The church is the third on the site of the present church. The late Wilson Carpenter read a paper at a meeting of the Historical Society held at the Smithfield Church on September 15, 1926. Mr. Carpenter stated that the present church was the third one built there. The first church was built in 1750 on land given by a man named Smith and that the present Smithfield was known as the City at that time. The second church was constructed in 1815, and the church standing on the site was completed in 1847. Calvin Chamberlain and Barak Willson were in charge of the construction. The Smithfield Church is a splendid building, kept in excellent repair and beautifully decorated. It was a very suitable place for the members of the Historical Society to complete one of the finest pilgrimages that have been undertaken over so many years. The Society is deeply indebted to the many who made the trip so delightful, especially the chairmen Mr. Boyce and Mr. Vincent. Walter Crane of Dover Plains supplied data on the Wing House; James Winchester of Wassaic, Amenia town chairman, was very helpful; Errol Hufcut, Sr., of Wingdale acted ably as bus guide; and the Dutchess County Sheriff's Department kindly assigned a deputy to accompany the Society on; the entire pilgrimage.

NOTES

Dutchess County Historical Society Yearbook

Index Vols. 49-54 1964-1969

- A Adams, William Platt, estate of v.49,10; v.51,8. Adriance Memorial Library v.51,63; v.52,9,13. Akin Hall, Quaker Hill v.51,13. Aldeborgh, David v.51,7. Allen, Gertrude v.52,9. Amenia Female Academy v.54,68. Arnenia Union v.54,81,82. Annin, Thomas B. v.54,73. Archibald, Mrs. Wilber T. v.50,5. Architecture, federal period v.51,44. Arnold, Mrs. Harry v.52,16. As I remember v.52,57. Averill, Walter v.52,71; v.53,57. Averill, Mrs. Walter v.50,15; v.51,9. -B Babson, Katherine L. Jr. v.53,43. Bagwell, Mr. & Mrs. David v.52,10. Ball, Hazel J. v.50,5. Beery, Mr. & Mrs. Carl v.51,7. Benedict, George H. v.50,5. Bevier, Dr. & Mrs. Monroe B. v.52,9. Bible records of Dutchess County families DeGroff, Robert family v.50,51. Polhemus family v.49,57. VanAnden & Gay families v.50,50. Veile family v.50,51. Birdsall family v.50,7. Bliss, Mr. & Mrs. Richard v.52,9. Bogardus, Mrs. Mary v.53,25. Bollinger, Henry R. v.50,13. Bondos, Mrs. Arlene v.52,8. Book Reviews Dutchess County Data Book 1964, v.49,54. Dyson, John S. — Our Historic Hudson v.53,76. MacCracken, Henry Noble — Prologue to Independence v.49,53. Reagan, William J. — A Venture in Quaker Education at Oakwood School v.53,76. Bookman, George B. & Janet S. v.52,79. Bowdin, George Temple v.52,16. Bower, Mrs. F. Irving v.49,12; v.50,17. Bowman, Franklin v.49,12. Braig, Mrs. Louis v.52,11. Brash, Miss M. E. Gertrude v.52,16. Breadbasket of the Revolution, past and future v.52,44. Breed, Robert B. v.49,8. Breed, Mrs. Robert B. v.51,7. Briggs, Mr. & Mrs. Kenneth v.52,12. Brill family v.52,91. Brinckeroff, Derick v.52,28. Brinckerhoff, Sarah, will of, v.52,26. Brinckerhoff, (hamlet) v.52,18.

Bronson, Mr. & Mrs. John v.52,9. Buchanan, Mrs. Edward v.50,5. Buck, Clifford M. v.52,91; v.54,29,50. Bull, Capt. Thomas, an outline of the descendents of v.49,7. Buys, Mrs. Barbara S. v.52,35 - C Caldwell, Brent B. v.50,5. Callender House v.51,48; v.53,21. Cameron, Mrs. Donald Sr. v.52,9. Card, Mary E. v.49,6. Carter, Mrs. Howard F. v.49,8. Carter, Mr. & Mrs. Norman v.52,9. Cary, Mary Flagler v.54,73. Cary, Mrs. Melbert B. Jr. v.52,16. Case, Mrs. Edwin v.49,8. Case, Mr. & Mrs. Robert v.50,13. Cashin, Bro. Edward v.49,12. Christ Church, Poughkeepsie v.51,58. Christ Church, Quaker Hill v.51,7. Churches — Dutchess County Christ Church, Poughkeepsie v.51,58. Christ Church, Quaker Hill v.51,7. Trinity Church, Fishkill v.52,35. Clermont v.53,21. Close, C. Fred v.52,12. Coe, Mrs. R. Theodore v.49,6. Colonial Dames of Dutchess v.51,19. Connevey, Mr. & Mrs. Charles H. v.52,12. Constitution, Federal, 175th anniversary of v.49,6. Cornell, Mrs. Peter M. v.50,5. "County Heritage" v.52,8. Courtney, Mrs. Jean B. v.53,25. Crum, Mr. & Mrs. Raymond v.52,9. Cunningham, Mrs. Edward V. K. v.52,23. Curdy, Radford B. v.52,44. - D Darrow, Mrs. John H. v.50,5. Davenhall, Mr. & Mrs. Robert W. v.49,12. Davis, Walter v.52,10. Defending the Highlands in the Revolutionary War v.49,36. DeGroff, Mrs. Paul v.50,5. DeGroff family Bible records v.50,51. Delafield, Gen. John Ross v.49,10,19. de la Vergne, Charles v.49,6,12. DeLong family v.52,91. DeRiemer, Peter v.35,43. Detjen, Gustav v.49,8. Dietz, Robert v.52,10. Donahue, Mr. & Mrs. Robert v.52,9. Dover Plains v.54,77. Drovers v.53,55. Duggan, William B. v.52,16.

Gellert, Mr. & Mrs. Arthur L. v.52,12. Gerard, Edith v.52,12. Gindele, Herbert v.52,9. Glebe House v.49,6,10; v.50,6,12,16; v.51,6,8,11; v.52,6,7,11,13; v.53,19,20; v.54,75. Grefrath, Mr. & Mrs. Edmund F. v.49,8,11. Griffen, Dr. & Mrs. Clyde v.52,9,17; v.53,8,24. Grover, Dr. Milton M. v.49,6. Guernsey, Mr. & Mrs. H. Wilson v.52,9.

Dutch Reformed Church, Fishkill v.51,32,37,39. Dutch Reformed Church, First, Poughkeepsie v.51,32,34,39. Dutch Reformed Church, Second, Poughkeepsie v.51,36. Dutch Reformed Church, Kingston v.51,32. Dutcher, Mr. & Mrs. George N. v.52,12. Dutchess County Bible Society v.50,28. Dutchess County Historical Society By-Laws v.49,24; v.53,78; v.54,70. DCHS Collection v.52,9,13. DCHS holdings to be housed at the Adriance Memorial Library v.53,11. DCHS holdings to be removed from F. D. Roosevelt Library v.53,9. Dutchess county people v.52,91. Dutchess county railroads v.54,62. Dutchess county scenery v.54,53. Dwelley, Richard A. v.53,65.

- H Hackett, Charlotte Cunneen v.54,55. Hackett, Mrs. John B. v.50,5. Ham, Mr. & Mrs. Edwin S. v.49,8; v.52,16. Hammertown (Pine Plains) v.50,11,18,26. Hanley, Dr. & Mrs. Harry v.50,13. Harden, Helen v.52,9. Harris-Hustis House (Pine Plains) v.50,18,27. Hautman, J. John v.52,10. Heaton, Mrs. Lawrence A. v.52,17. Heitman, Mrs. Johnson v.52,9. Hewson, Mrs. W. L. v.50,5. Historical signs v.53,14,15. Historical Societies of Dutchess County v.50,31. Hornak, Michael J. v.51,7. Horticulture in Dutchess County v.53,27. How to Retire Creatively v.53,76. Huckle or Hooker bush? v.54,63. Hudson River Dayline dock v.52,57,59. Hudson River Valley Assoc. v.53,10. Hudson Valley Receipe book v.50,7.

- E Early American glass v.53,48. Eastman Business 'College v.52,67. Eastwood, Robert v.52,11. Edmond, Capt. William, ancestry and descendents of v.49,7. Edmunds, Vincent E. v.49,7,8. Education: A Moral Duty v.51,50. Eggert, Mr. & Mrs. Charles v.51,7; v.53,25. Emigh, Arthur W. v.51,7. Emigh family v.52,91. Emsley, Joseph W. v.51,25; v.53,27. Ethal, Mrs. Harry J. W. v.50,5. Euterpe. A Musical History of the MidHudson v.54,43. -F -

Intercollegiate regatta

Federal Period in Dutchess County v.51,43. Finkel, Charlotte C. v.52,28. First white child born in Dutchess County v.54,50. Fish, Hamilton v.50,7. Fisher, Mrs. R. Dale v.50,5. Fishkill v.52,20,44. Fitchett, Bernie v.50,7. Fitzpatrick, Regina D. v.51,50. Flagler family v.52,91. Flanagan, Major Luis J. v.52,49. Frazer, Mrs. Silas v.53,26. Frear cemetary v.52,10. Furlong, Mr. & Mrs. Joseph F. v.50,5.

v.52,60.

J Jackson, Mrs. Wright W. v.51,7. Jacobus Swartwout, Resident of Rombout Precinct v.51,25. Jaminet, Leon L. v.50,5. Jay, John house, East Fishkill v.52,10,11. Jay family in Fishkill (pamphlet) v.52,16. Jordan, Mrs. William B. v.50,13. - K Kalemche, Wayne v.52,11. Kelley, Arthur C. M. v.52,11. Kerbin, Sue-Jane v.52,12. Kester, Mrs. Charlotte S. T. v.50,18,26. King, Mrs. John F. Jr. v.50,13. Kinkead, Elise H. v.49,8. Klinger, Peter v.49,8. Knapp, Gilbert L. P. III v.50,5. Knickerbocker, Mrs. Harrie D. v.49,6,19.

- G Galle, Mrs. Edward G. Jr. v.52,12. Gay Family Bible records v.50,50. Gekle, William F. v.53,69; v.54,42.

Hamilton Reproductions

Poughkeepsie, N. Y.

Munsell, Mrs. Danforth H. v.49,8. Museum Village of Smith's Clove v.54,23. Muth, Dr. Frederick v.50,5. Mylod, Frank V. v.52,57.

Knox, Maj. Gen'l Henry v.52,49. Krieger, Mrs. George W. v.52,16. - L Lafayette in America v.50,7. LaGrange town of, History v.53,31. Landmarks v.49,8. Lane family v.52,91. The Ledge where the Bear Jumped 011 v.54,29. Liesenbein, Dr. & Mrs. Wm. v.50,13. Life's Race Well Run v.49,43. Littell, Mrs. Emlen T. v.50,5. Little Nine Partners Historical Society v.50,18. Livingston family plot v.53,11. "Locust Grove" v.49,19; v.50,7. Logan, Mrs. Joseph S. v.51,7. Lossing, Benson J. v.51,50. Lossing family v.52,91. Love, Mr. & Mrs. Donald v.52,9. Luckey Platt & Co. v.54,39. Lumb, Mrs. George L. v.52,12. Lynn, Mrs. Wm D. v.50,13.

- N Nagengast, Eileen E. v.49,8. Names and places in the Town of LaGrange v.54,65. Nelson, Mr. & Mrs. Victor E. v.50,13. Norris, Mr. & Mrs. Stanley J. v.49,8. - 0 Oblong Meeting House, Quaker Hill v.51,13. Ogilvie, Ida H. v.49,6. Old Drovers Inn v.54,81. Old Museum Village of Smith's Clove v.54,23. Old Ways Rediscovered v.53,65. Orchard, Mrs. Malcolm v.52,12. Our Salt Box v.52,79.

- M -

-P -

McAllister, F. J. v.51,7. McCabe, Mr. & Mrs. Joseph v.50,13. McCann, Charles v.62,16. McCoy, Mrs. Bernard J. v.50,5. MacCracken, Henry Noble v.49,27; v.50,7,21; v.51,19; v.53,76. McGinnis, Mrs. Lawrence v.51,7. McLaughlin, Mrs. H. A. v.50,5. Madden, Mr. & Mrs. John C. v.52,12. Maizefield, Red Hook v.51,47; v.53,22. Mangold, Harold v.50,5. Mansfield, G. Stuart v.50,5. Marist College v.52,6. Market Street #90 v.52,13. Mastmann, Mr. & Mrs. Herbert v.49,8. Matteson, Mrs. Harry v.49,10. Mead, Mr. & Mrs. James V. v.52,12. Memorial funds v.52,10. Milestones v.53,13,15. Miller, Kenneth C. v.49,36. Miller, Walter V. v.49,8. Millet, Stephen C. Jr. v.54,73. Mills, Mrs. Harold S. v.49,8. Mills, Dutchess County v.52,28; v.53,32. Mingley, Mrs. Verna v.50,13Mizzentop Hotel v.51,7. Moehle, Jean E. v.50,5. Montgomery Place, Barrytown v.51,49; v.53,22. Moore, Mr. & Mrs. Davison F. v.52,9. Moshier, Mrs. Charles v.52,9. Mund, Dr. & Mrs. Andrew L. Jr. v.52,12. Municipal building, Poughkeepsie v.51,16.

Pawling, New York v.51,7,13. Pearce, Kenneth E. v.53,48. Pete, Katherine v.52,12. Peterkin family v.51,7. Phoenix fire house v.51,14. Pierce, Barbara A. v.54,43. Pilgrimages: Orange county v.49,20; Pine Plains v.50,18; Quaker Hill v.51,13; Southern Dutchess v.52,18; Northern Dutchess v.53,21; Dover, Amenia v.54,77. Pine Plains v.50,11,13. Platt, Ann M. v.50,5. Pleasant Valley Presbyterian Church v.49,9. Polhemus family Bible records v.49,57. Potter, Mr. & Mrs. John N. v.52,12. Poughkeepsie by William Gekle v.54,42. Poughkeepsie fire bell v.51,14. Poughkeepsie Planning Board v.49,8. Poughkeepsie-Wappingers Falls R.R. Co. v.52,66. Powers, Mrs. Albert E. v.53,7,13. Prologue to Independence v.49,27; v.50,7. Publications—prices v.53,14.

-Q

Quaker Hill v.51,7,13. Quimby, Margaret D. v.52,12. Quinlavin, Mrs. Leland P. v.49,8.

Swartwout house v.52,18. Swift, Mrs. Theodore Van Kleeck v.50,5,17.

- R Rawson, Mr. & Mrs. Edmund G. v.52,12. Reed family of Amenia v.54,31. Reformed Churches of Dutchess County v.51,32. Reminiscences of Cunnett House on Hackett Hill & the Hackett family v.54,55. Restoration at New Windsor Cantonment v.49,39. Reynolds, Helen Wilkinson, In Memory of v.53,73. Reynolds, H. W.--Dutch houses in the Hudson Valley before 1776 Reprint v.50,16. Rivals for Dutchess v.49,27. Robinson, Oakley D. v.49,6. Roig, Herbert v.53,26. Romance of the Hudson River Sloops v.53,69. -s

T -

Thatcher, Mrs. Dorothy D. v.52,10. Thomas, Mr. & Mrs. Augustus v.52,12. Thomas, Lowell v.51,13. Thompson, Barbara v.54,63. Thorndale, a place of beauty v.53,35 Todd, Frederick P. v.49,39. Todd, Mrs. Wm. G. v.49.7. Tompkins, Louise v.53,35. Trolly v.52,66. Tucker, Dr. Louis Leonard v.50,17. - V Van Van Van Van Van

Anden family Bible records v.50,50. Dyne, Ruth v.49,12. Kleeck, Balms B. v.51,32,43. Kleeck, Baltus Jr. v.52,11. Kleeck, Mr. & Mrs. Dudley N.

Van Van Van Van Van

Kleeck, Dr. Edwin v.50,17. Kleeck, Mrs. Frank v.49,6. Ness, David v.51,47. Scoter, Theron v.50,5. Wyck, Edmund v.53,31,55; v.54,53; v.62,65. Vassar College v.52,10,13. Veile family Bible records v.50,51. Ver Nooy, Mrs. Amy P. v.49,43; Resignation v.51,14; v.52,9; v.53,76. View of Tidewater Dutchess v.50,21. Vinall, Mr. & Mrs. Harry E. v.52,12. Vogel, Mrs. Craig v.52,11. Voorhees, Dr. Earle W. v.50,5. Voorhees, Valere v.49,8.

Sable, Mr. & Mrs. Arnold v.51,7. St. Thomas' Episcopal Church, Amenia Union v.54,81. Sands House v.53,22. Sands House (Robert Sands), Rhinebeck v.51,46. Sanford, Mrs. David N. v.52,9. Satterthwaite, Mrs. J. Sheafe v.50,5. Schenck, Hendrick, store account book v.50,36. Schiavone, Mrs. George A. v.52,10. Schuyler house, Rhinebeck v.51,46. Schwartz, John R. v.52,16. Shaparoon Iron Works v.54,77. Shunpiking in the Hudson River Valley v.52,71; v.53,57. Sibley, Mrs. Leonard A. v.50,5. Skau, George v.52,11. Sloops v.53,69. Smith, Elliott W. v.50,5. Smith, Mrs. Robert L. v.50,5. Smith Bros. restaurant v.52,67. Smithfield Presbyterian Church v.54,82. Snider family v.52,91. South Amenia Presbyterian Church marriages & baptisms v.49,9. Spencer, Mr. & Mrs. Harold v.52,9. Spencer, Mr. & Mrs. Jack v.52,9. Stevens, Mr. & Mrs. James B. v.50,5. Stone, Mrs. Marion L. v.49,12. Strain, Mrs. Chalmer B. v.50,13. Strain, Mr. & Mrs. Richard v.52,12. Stringham, Mr. & Mrs. Varick V. W. v.52,9. Strong, Michael J. v.50,5. Swartwout, Brig. Gen'l Jacobus, letters of v.52,23.

W -

Waggoner, Mr. & Mrs. Elwood M. v.52,9. Wallenhaupt, Arthur F. v.52,10. Walsh, Mr. & Mrs. James E. v.52,10. Wappinger Savings Bank v.54,37. Wappingers Falls Historical Society v.52,16. Wells, Caroline Thorn, estate of v.49,6. West Mountain Mission, Pawling v.51,14,68. Wheaton, Mr. & Mrs. Scott R. v.52,9. Wheaton papers v.53,12. White, Mr. & Mrs. William R. v.52,12. Wilderdiff, Rhinebeck v.51,47. Wilkinson, Mrs. Robert F. v.50,13; v.52,9. Winegar house, v.54,82. Wing house Dover Plains v.54,77. Wingdale v.54,77.

Dutchess County Historical Society Yearbook Vol 054 1969

Articles inside

Names and Places in the Town of LaGrange

Glebe House

Recent Acquisitions by the Historical Society

Cunnett House on Hackett Hill

Dutchess County Railroads

Constitution and By-Laws

Huckle or Hooker Bush?

Dutchess County Scenery

The First White Child Born in Dutchess County

The Ledge Where the Bear Jumped Off

Old Museum Village of Smith's Clove

In Brief

Wappinger Savings Bank

Euturpe: A Musical History of the Mid-Hudson

Secretary's Minutes

Luckey, Platt & Co

The Reid Family of Amenia