The Other House at the Upper Landing

The Indians referred to it as Pondanakiren, or crooked place. To the Dutch it was the mouth of the Val-kill, and to subsequent traders, Poughkeepsie's Upper Landing. Here the community's founders are said to have stepped ashore,' and here too is the location of a house of some significance in the development of the city; a building still standing, which has gone unnoticed and almost unrecorded for well over a century. Throughout every period of the development of the Upper Landing its success has been largely determined by a unique geological combination; a fast moving creek, emptying into the Hudson in a well protected cove, coupled with the potential for waterpower afforded by a natural waterfall adjacent to the river's shore. There was the further advantage of being located on the south side of a high eminence known to the Dutch as "slangen klip" or snake cliff. Today, it is referred to as Reynolds Hill and is the eastern terminus of the Poughkeepsie Railroad Bridge. The Upper Landing's first historical mention was in 1686 with the granting of the Harmense and Sanders Patent in which Pondanakiren is mentioned as a geographical feature included in the land transfer. The patent was the first land grant to cover property within the original confines of Poughkeepsie. There is reason to believe that as early as 1699 Myndert Harmense had a sawmill at the mouth of the Val-ki11.2 In 1710 Leonard Lewis, a New York City merchant, purchased a tract of land from Harmense which included the landing property, the waterfall, and the privilege of erecting a mill or mills on the creek. Apparently Lewis proceeded to take advantage of that privilege for in 1738 a house and mill appear on a map executed by Henry Livingston Sr. The property was leased in 1740 to Anthony Yelverton, a Poughkeepsie carpenter, by Elizabeth Lewis, widow of Colonel Lewis. Yelverton eventually purchased the property from the heirs of Mrs. Lewis. Colonel Martin Hoffman, a Rhinebeck trader, became the owner of the parcel in 1755, and proceeded to erect a new mill on the creek which served the area until it was destroyed by fire in 1849. The newspaper account of the fire also contains a description of the 1755 landing area.3 Hoffman owned the property for only four years, selling in 1759 to Clear Everitt, who five years later conveyed the parcel to Queens county merchant Nathanial Seaman. Within two years Seaman sold the property to fellow Long Islanders George Sands, and Samuel and Maurice Smith. In an involved business arrangement, the property eventually passed to Henry Sands in 1768, and immediately he was joined in ownership by George and Richard Sands, his brothers. In 1772 John Schenck Jr., a Somerset County New Jersey merchant became owner of the landing and mill. Prominent among the patriots of Poughkeepsie at the onset of the Revolution, Schenck served as chairman of the Committee of Safety and was Captain of the Poughkeepsie Militia Company. About 1774 he apparently was joined in operation of the landing by his kinsman Paul Schenck, who became part owner of the property' in 1777.

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During the Revolution Schenck's Landing was a Continental Army and Eastern Commissary Department storing and forwarding depot. Paul Schenck was a commissary agent for both the Continental Army and the State of New York, and Revolutionary records contain many references to activities at the landing and orders for shipment of provisions to and from Schenck. Walter Livingston, speaker of the Assembly of New York, is thought to have had an association with Schencks, possibly as a houseguest when the Legislature moved to Poughkeepsie in January of 1778. His father, Robert Livingston of the Manor, purchased the property later that year, and quickly transferred it to Walter. Livingston owned the property until 1796 and may have occupied the house during the period when Poughkeepsie was the Capital of New York, and he, speaker of the Assembly. In 1796, a year before Walter's death, the property was transferred to his son, Robert L. Livingston, then a young man. In 1799 Robert married the daughter of his cousin, Chancellor Robert R. Livingston of Clermont, and soon thereafter became the Chancellor's private secretary, in which capacity he aided in negotiating the Louisiana Purchase. The Upper Landing was sold by Livingston in 1800 to Martin, Isaac and Robert Hoffman. The Hoffmans were instrumental in creating the diverse commercial area that evolved during the first half of the nineteenth century at the Upper Landing. The dissipation of the exclusive Hoffman control and influence at the Upper Landing, which could be said to have begun officially in September, 1807, also marked the beginning of a thirty-five year period of intricate commercial transactions. The central figure in the maneuvering to make a "boom" of the Upper Landing was George Peters Oakley, son of Jesse Oakley of Beekman, and a natural born promoter. On September 16, 1807 the Hoffmans sold Oakley all underwater land south of the Fallkill, a nine acre parcel east of Water Street and south of Mill street which included the existing mills and other improvements, and a small parcel north of the Fallkill including a wharf and new store.4 At the time of the sale, the Hoffmans were either ailing financially and stagnant of the means or desire to take advantage of the snowballing economy, or perhaps quite simply, were more interested in taking advantage of Oakley's enthusiasm and energy than in risking failure themselves. The total consideration was $15,500, a tidy sum for the Hoffmans, who, fourteen days later, joined with Oakley in the firm of G.P. Oakley and Company, thus avoiding any risk while remaining financially involved. Apparently soon after his purchase, Oakley commenced an ambitious reclamation project aimed at establishing wharves on both sides of the Fallkill, and in effect creating a new mouth to the creek.5 It appears from developments during the years following the purchase that Oakley just extended the land and docks on the north side of the Fallkill. It is possible that the development of new docks and land area on the south side of the creek mouth was a factor in Oakley's failure in 1819. Within three years of the Hoffman-Oakley partnership, two new faces, James Reynolds and Aaron Innis, appeared on the Upper Landing scene, and their sometimes intricate mercantile involvements prohibit a clear understanding of the total picture of the landing during the period of its major growth.

On March 1, 1810 the Hoffman brothers and Oakley sold land to Reynolds on which he had already erected a dwelling.6 During the next year, 1811, by tradition, Reynolds established a freighting partnership with Innis, and by 1816 had also begun operation of a storehouse, built on land apparently reclaimed by Oakley on the north side of the creek, south of Mill Street and west of Water Street.7 In 1807, the Hoffmans, in financial trouble, took out a mortgage with their brother-in-law Samuel Thorn, apparently banking on Oakley's ability to "boom" the Upper Landing. Evidently the risk did not pay off, because in 1819 Oakley and Company failed and the Hoffmans were forced to sell a major piece of their property to Reynolds, Innis, and J A C. Van Valkenberg to discharge the mortgage held by Thorn.' During the years following 1820 Reynolds and Innis, taking advantage of the failure of Oakley and the final dissolution of the Hoffman holdings, through a series of property purchases and agreements with the principal creditors, the Middle District Bank, and others, came into full possession of the Upper Landing, including Oakley's mills east of Water Street. In 1821, Innis, Reynolds, and Nathan Gifford took over Oakley's mills and established the dyewood firm of Gifford, Reynolds, and Innis which lasted until 1837 when it became Gifford and Sherman. Later it became Gifford, Sherman and Innis.9 On June 10, 1831 the partnership of Reynolds, Innis and Van Valkenberg was dissolved and Reynolds apparently retired from active participation in business. A new freighting company, J.R. Cary and Company, in which Innis had an interest, was formed. Active operation of the storehouse and property interests of Reynolds was taken over approximately 1832 by his son William W. Reynolds.10 New names started appearing at the landing, notably Howland R. Sherman, Aaron Innis' sonin-law, a partner in the dyewood firm, and George Wilkinson, a partner in the firm of J.R. Cary and Company. Aside from the commercial activities centered around the mills, the days of prosperity at the Upper Landing however, would draw to a close within fifteen years with the completion of the Hudson River Railroad. Today little or nothing remains of the vast commercial complex which made the Upper Landing one of the busiest areas on the river. The first structure at the landing was probably Harmense's sawmill, undoubtedly a crude utilitarian building. Within sixty-five years the commercial operation had grown to include a dock, a dwelling, mill houses and storehouses. By the end of the eighteenth century there were two sawmills and a plaster of paris mill as well as an earlier grist mill. By this time a regular ferry service to New Paltz Landing had also been established.1i Some dozen or more buildings occupied the Upper Landing site at the height of the business expansion in the 1840's. The majority of these buildings were commercial structures erected by the various proprietors of the landing. However, in addition to being an area of intense business activity, the Upper Landing also served as the residence of the various families associated with it. The Hoffman, Reynolds, Innis, Sherman, Arnold, and later the Wilkinson and Gifford families all established their homes within walking distance of their

respective businesses. Of all these structures that once stood on the Upper Landing, only two remain today. The structure most commonly associated with the Upper Landing is the stone house with the brick facade known as the Hoffman residence, but often referred to as the "Central Hudson House." This building has long been recognized as historically and architectually significant and has been treated with some depth in both Dutch Houses and Landmarks of Dutchess County. The other extant structure has however, been consistently overlooked in all studies of the area. James Reynolds, born 1777, came to Poughkeepsie about 1800 from North Kingston, Rhode Island. By occupation a ships carpenter, he apparently established himself early among the shipping community of Poughkeepsie, and in 1803 married Elizabeth Winans, a daughter of James Winans, prominent riverfront storekeeper. By 1810 Reynolds had become established at the Upper Landing, probably with capital realized from the estate of his wife's grandfather.12 Reynolds' first purchases at the Upper Landing, and the most significant in terms of the structure which was his residence, were made on March 1, 1810. One deed was from Martin, Robert, and Isaac Hoffman and G.P. Oakley, and the second was from Martin, Robert, Isaac, and Abraham Hoffman.13 By 1811 Reynolds is thought to have formed a partnership with Aaron Innis and they were said to have operated two sloops between the Upper Landing and New York City.14 About 1816, having obtained additional property, a storehouse was added to the business venture and from this small partnership sprang various succeeding firms, the last of which was William T. Reynolds and Company, one of the city's most prominent businesses. Before the partnership was dissolved, Reynolds and Innis had not only acquired other vessels and storehouses, but a sizeable portion of the Upper Landing operations, including wharves and mills. Reynolds was elected a director of the Poughkeepsie and New Paltz Ferry at its inception in 1819. By 1837 Reynolds and Innis had dissolved their partnership, with the mills going to Innis and the wholesale business being taken over by Reynolds' two sons William W. and James Jr. At the time of the 1810 purchase Reynolds had already completed the three story brick building which was his residence and is still standing today - the other house at the Upper Landing. Reynolds had apparently entered into some sort of agreement with the Hoffmans and Oakley allowing him to begin construction before the actual sale, and the final transfer covered only the land on which the building stood. Evidence seems to support the belief that the house was constructed sometime after 1807 but before 1810.15 Sometime after the formation of the Reynolds-Innis partnership, the house was used as a grocery by the two men.16 In all liklihood the first floor served the business interests while Reynolds maintained his residence on the upper two floors. Directories for the Village of Poughkeepsie, commencing in 1844, show that in that year and during the subsequent ten years Reynolds was occupying the house with his elder son William W. and his family. The 1865 census gives a clear picture of the make-up of the household at that time. The brick structure was valued at $5,000 and enumerated in the census were William W. Reynolds,

his wife Amanda, daughters Martha and Mary, sons Clarence J., and William T. and his wife Louisa and son Harris S. There were in addition three servants. The occupation of the house by the Reynolds family as an extended unit seems to have remained stable until the 1873 death of William W., by then the patriarch of the family. It was during this same period that the influence of the railroad was becoming more evident along the waterfront, and sections that were once residential were abandoned for more fashionable uptown areas. The Reynolds families all moved at this time to upper Mill Street with their business being relocated opposite the railroad station on Main Street. By 1887 the building had become a tenement house.17 Its decline as a residence was thus inevitable and it was subsequently included in the Upper Landing tract purchased by the Poughkeepsie Gas Company. It was later taken over by Central Hudson Gas and Electric Company, and during the early twentieth century the building was converted to a garage and workshop, thereby eliminating almost all interior features. A cinder covered parking lot is nearly all that remains today to harken back to the era when the Upper Landing was the busiest commercial center in Poughkeepsie. However, oddly enough, in a day when only a mere handful of the city's earliest buildings remain, here in a relatively small and protected area are to be found two of the most significant.

FOOTNOTES

1. Reynolds, H.W., "How the City of Poughkeepsie.Was

Founded," Thrift Messenger, Oct., 1937, Vol. XVI,

No. II, pg. 3. 2. Deed, Sept. 9, 1710, Myndert Harmense to Leonard Lewis. 3. "The old mill next to the bridge was built in 1755 and raised on the day of Gen. Braddock's defeat. Mr. Davis (Richard Davis), assisted at the raising, which was not completed until the second day, and, for which, help had to be obtained from Fishkill and Rhinebeck. There was then nothing but a log bridge over the creek and a footpath leading from the mill to the lower landing..."

Poughkeepsie Eagle, March 3, 1849. 4. Dutchess County Clerk's Office, Deeds, Libre 20, pg. 43, 50. 5. Comparisons of the map of the homestead of the late

Baltus Van Kleeck, May 1800, (Adriance Memorial Library, 0.T.P.D.), map of the flats in the Village of Poughkeepsie, March 7, 1815, (Oakley development map), (Dutchess

County Historical Society 649), and the Hoffman, Livingston and Phillips Property map, 1834, (A.M.L., 0.T.P.D.), and deeds (D.C.C.O., Libre 20, pg. 50 and Libre 25, pg. 244), indicate how Oakley proposed to reclaim land at the mouth of the creek and what was actually accomplished in the way of that reclamation. 6. D.C.C.O., Deeds, Libre 61, pg. 587, 589. 7. Reynolds, H.W., Annals of a Century Old Business, (Poughkeepsie), (1919), (pg. 6). 8. D.C.C.O., Deeds, Libre 31, pg. 459, 462. (From 1816 to 1831 Capt. John C. Van Valkenberg had a financial interest in the firm of Reynolds and Innis.)

9. Reynolds, H.W., "Some Early Historical Facts About the 'Upper Landing' Poughkeepsie," Sunday Courier, Poughkeepsie, June 1, 1919. 10. Reynolds, H.W., Annals of a Century Old Business, (Poughkeepsie), (1919), (pg. 17). 11. "The ferry is now established upon a regular plan and travellers to the westward will find it much to their convenience to cross the river at the above place, (Upper Landing), as it shortens their journey and they may be assured they will meet with no detention." Poughkeepsie Journal, May 1, 1798, pg. 3. 12. Platt, Edmund, Eagle's History of Poughkeepsie, Poughkeepsie, 1905, pg. 81. 13. D.C.C.O., Deeds, Libre 61 pg. 587, 589. 14. Reynolds, H.W., Papers, Capt. Abraham Chatterton's Reminiscences, 1874, A.M.L. 15. D.C.C.O., Deeds, Libre 20, pg. 50, Libre 61, pg. 587, 589, a comparison of which shows that the house had to have been built after Sept. 1807 but before March 1810. 16. D.C.C.O., Deeds, Libre 31, pg. 459. 17. D.C.C.O., Maps, Sandborn, 1887.