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Willa Skinner, Town Historian (845) 831-7800
ext. 3507 |
In 1683, nineteen years after the
Dutch surrendered New Amsterdam to the English, two New York City
merchants, Frances Rombout and Gulian Verplanck, purchased 85,000
acres in Dutchess County from the Wappinger Indians for a quantity of
rum, powder, cloth, hatchets, shirts, knives, bottles, white wampum,
earthen jugs and 80 pounds of tobacco. Rombout and Verplanck never
lived on their land, intending to use it only for fur trading. The
first white settlers were Rombout's daughter, Catharyna and her
husband, Roger Brett, who built a mill at the mouth of the Fishkill
Creek as it flows into the Hudson. Their house, built about 1709,
still stands in Beacon, and is the oldest continuous residence in
Dutchess County. The name Fishkill is derived from two Dutch words:
Vis (fish) and Kill (creek or stream).
Fishkill played an important role
in the Revolutionary War when a vast military encampment was
established one mile below the village to guard the mountain pass to
the south. Signal fires lay in readiness on tops of the surrounding
mountains. The Fishkill encampment became the main supply depot for
the northern division of the Continental Army. The first 1,000 copies
of the New York State Constitution were turned out on Samuel Loudon's
press at Fishkill in 1777. Trinity Episcopal Church became a hospital
for soldiers recovering from smallpox, and the Dutch Reformed Church
was used as a military prison.
During the 19th century mills and factories sprang up in Glenham and
Matteawan. The Glenham Woolen Mill, which brought an influx of skilled
weavers from the British Isles, made the hamlet of Glenham a busy
industrial center. The healthy economy enjoyed by the mills came to an
end in the post-Civil War depression and the once thriving factories
fell into decay. New life came in 1931 when Texaco purchased the old
woolen mill site and established a research center there. Today, the
town's industry is technology based and the farmland has been
converted to residential housing. But the beauty of the area continues
to attract new people, diversified businesses and tourists.
Van Wyck Homestead Museum
Location: 509 Route 9 at the junction of Routes I-84 and 9, Fishkill.
E-Mail Address:
Vanwyckhomestead@aol.com
Requisitioned by the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War,
the Dutch Colonial homestead was built in 1732 and an addition was
constructed c. 1757. This is reputed to be the setting of James
Fenimor Cooper's novel The Spy. The homestead museum includes a
research library, genealogical library and a gift shop in addition to
a collection of Hudson Valley portraits by Ammi Phillips. Tours are
gladly conducted. There are School Programs for all ages. Program
features are the Revolutionary War and Fishkill history, Age of
Homespun - hands on weaving and spinning, Architecture and building
skills and Colonial Kitchen. Open Saturday and Sunday, 1pm-4pm from
the first weekend in June until the last weekend in October.
Other times available by appointment. Bus tours are welcome.
Please call 845-896-9560 for more information.
First Reformed Protestant Dutch Church of Fishkill
Location: 55-63 Main Street, Fishkill.
The original 1731 building was the meeting place for the New York
Provincial Congress and also served as a prison during the
Revolutionary War. The church
is open year round for Sunday worship at 10:00am.
Tours are available by appointment. Groups are welcome. Call 845-896-9836 for more information.
Mount Gulian Historic Site
Location: 145 Sterling Street, Beacon.
This restored 18th century homestead was the Revolutionary war
headquarters of General von Steuben and the birthplace of the Society
of Cincinnati. The home sits on 14 acres and offers a variety of
activities and special events, including changing exhibits, classes
and meetings. Open April to December, Wednesday and Sunday 1 to 5 PM,
with extended summer hours. Tours are available. Groups are welcomed
by appointment. There is an admission charge. Call
845-831-8172 for
more information.
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