Bowdoin Park: A History (1688-1975) by Annon Adams
[See the section on Irving Grinnell for the subject of ice yachting, Encore Edition editor, 2022].
Bowdoin Park, located on the Hudson in the town of Poughkeepsie near New Hamburg, has a remarkable history beginning with the arrival of european settler, Pieter Pieterse lassen in 1688.1 After colonial era settlement by the lassen family, the land we know as Bowdoin Park was used by related, wealthy and accomplished New York City residents as the picturesque setting for their 19th century riverfront country homes. eventually, these estates were donated to the Children’s Aid Society to become a training farm and camp for New York City’s impoverished children. Dutchess County purchased the land from the Children’s Aid Society in 1975 for a riverfront county park. Pieter Pieterse Lassen the first owner of Bowdoin Park land was Pieter Pieterse lassen, born about 1637 in Denmark, Germany or the Netherlands. twenty-two years later in 1659, Jan Baptist Van rensselaer in Amsterdam reported to his brother, Jeremias Van renssalaer in New Netherlands that the ship Der Vergulde Beever included Peter Petersz lassen as a passenger. lassen was under contract to work for Volckert Jansz of Beverwyck [Albany], colony of rensselaerswyck for approximately four years during which time, Pieter lassen learned to be a brewer.2 In 1671, Pieter lassen purchased a brewery and took Goosen Gerritsen Van Schayk as his partner. Along with his partner, lassen appears on the list of those invited to the funeral of Jeremias Van rensselaer, director of the colony of rensselaerswyck - an invitation demonstrating lassen’s increasing importance in the community.3 ten years later in 1681, lassen deeded his half of the Albany brewery lot to his partner, Sybrant Goosense Van Schayk, the son of his first partner. He then left Albany with his family and settled first in the vicinity of Kingston, where two of his children were baptized in 1684 and 1687.4 (Pieter lassen’s wife was Catharina Hoffmeyer whom he probably married before 1679.)5 By 1688, lassen had settled on the east side of the Hudson river in Dutchess County.6 • reflections on a river
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