Newburgh, 60 miles from New York. Approaching the city of Newburgh, we see a building of rough stone, one story high, with steep roof—known as Washington's Headquarters. For several years prior to, and during the Revolution, this was the home of Jonathan Hasbrouck, known far and wide for business integrity and loyalty to liberty. This house was built by him, apparently, in decades; the oldest part, the northeast corner, in 1750; the southeast corner, in 1760, and the remaining half in 1770. It fronted west on the king's highway, now known as Liberty Street, with a garden and family burial plot to the east, lying between the house and the river. It was restored as nearly as possible to its original character on its purchase by the State in 1849, and it is now the treasure-house of many memories, and of valuable historic relics. A descriptive catalogue, prepared for the trustees, under act of May 11, 1874, by a patient and careful historian, Dr. E. M. Ruttenber, will be of service to the visitor and can be obtained on the grounds. The following facts, condensed from his admirable historical sketch, are of practical interest:
Washington's Headquarters
"Washington's Headquarters, or the Hasbrouck
house, is situated in the southeast part of
the city, constructed of rough stone, one
story high, fifty-six feet front by
forty-six feet in depth, and located on what
was originally Lot No. 2, of the German
Patent, with title vested in Heman (Herman?)
Schoneman, a native of the Palatinate of
Germany, who sold, in 1721, to James
Alexander, who subsequently sold to
Alexander Colden and Burger Meynders, by
whom it was conveyed to Jonathan Hasbrouck,
the grandson of Abraham Hasbrouck, one of
the Huguenot founders of New Paltz. He was a
man of marked character; of fine physique,
being six feet and four inches in height;
was colonel of the militia of the district,
and in frequent service in guarding the
passes of the Highlands. His occupation was
that of a farmer, a miller, and a merchant.
He died in 1780. The first town meeting for
the Precinct of Newburgh was held here on
the first Tuesday in April, 1763, when its
owner was elected supervisor. Public
meetings continued to be held here for
several years. During the early part of the
Revolution, the committee of safety, of the
precinct, assembled here; here military
companies were organized, and here the
regiment which Colonel Hasbrouck commanded
assembled, to move hence to the defense of
the Highland forts."
From this brief outline, it will be seen
that the building is singularly associated
with the history of the Old as well as of
the New World: with the former through the
original grantee of the land, recalling the
wars which devastated the Palatinate and
sent its inhabitants, fugitive and
penniless, to other parts of Europe and to
America; through his successor with the
Huguenots of France, and, through the public
meetings which assembled here, and
especially through its occupation by
Washington, with the struggle for American
independence.
In the spring of 1782 Washington made this
building his headquarters, and remained here
until August 18, 1783, on the morning of
which day he took his departure from
Newburgh. At this place he passed through
the most trying period of the Revolution:
the year of inactivity on the part of
Congress, of distress throughout the
country, and of complaint and discontent in
the army, the latter at one time bordering
on revolt among the officers and soldiers.
Refusing the Crown
It was at this place, on the 22d day of May,
1782, that Colonel Nicola, on behalf of
himself and others, proposed that Washington
should become king, for the "national
advantage," a proposal that was received by
Washington with "surprise and astonishment,"
"viewed with abhorrence," and "reprehended
with severity." The temptation which was
thus repelled by Washington, had its origin
with that portion of the officers of the
army, who while giving their aid heartily to
secure an independent government,
nevertheless believed that that government
should be a monarchy. The rejection of the
proposition by Washington was not the only
significant result. The rank and file of the
army rose up against it, and around their
camp-fires chanted their purpose in
Billings' song, "No King but God!" From that
hour a republic became the only possible
form of government for the enfranchised
Colonies.
The inattention of Congress to the payment
of the army, during the succeeding winter,
gave rise to an equally important episode in
the history of the war. On the 10th of
March, 1783, the first of the famous
"Newburgh Letters" was issued, in which, by
implication at least, the army was advised
to revolt. The letter was followed by an
anonymous manuscript notice for a public
meeting of officers on the succeeding
Tuesday. Washington was equal to the
emergency. He expressed his disapprobation
of the whole proceeding, and with great
wisdom, requested the field officers, with
one commissioned officer from each company,
to meet on the Saturday preceding the time
appointed by the anonymous notice. He
attended this meeting and delivered before
it one of the most touching and effective
addresses on record. When he closed his
remarks, the officers unanimously resolved
"to reject with disdain" the infamous
proposition contained in the anonymous
address.
The meeting of officers referred to was held
at the New Building or "Temple" as it was
called, in New Windsor, but Washington's
address was written at his headquarters. The
"Newburgh Letters," to which it was a reply,
were written by Major John Armstrong,
aid-de-camp to General Gates. The
anonymously called meeting was not held. The
motives of its projectors we will not
discuss; but its probable effect, had it
been successful, must be considered in
connection with Washington's encomium of the
result of the meeting which he had
addressed: "Had this day been wanting, the
world had never known the height to which
human greatness is capable of attaining."
Cessation of Hostilities
Notice of the cessation of hostilities was
proclaimed to the army April 19, 1783. It
was received with great rejoicings by the
troops at Newburgh, and under Washington's
order, was the occasion of an appropriate
celebration. In the evening, signal beacon
lights proclaimed the joyous news to the
surrounding country. Thirteen cannon came
pealing up from Fort Putnam, which were
followed by a feu-de-joie rolling along the
lines. The mountain sides resounded and
echoed like tremendous peals of thunder, and
the flashing from thousands of fire-arms, in
the darkness of the evening, was like unto
vivid flashes of lightning from the clouds.
From this time furloughs were freely granted
to soldiers who wished to return to their
homes, and when the army was finally
disbanded those absent were discharged from
service without being required to return.
That portion of the army, which remained at
Newburgh on guard duty, after the removal of
the main body to West Point in June, were
participants here in the closing scenes of
the disbandment, when, on the morning of
November 3, 1783, "the proclamation of
Congress and the farewell orders of
Washington were read, and the last word of
command given." From Monell's "Handbook of
Washington's Headquarters" we also quote a
general description of the house and its
appearance when occupied by the
commander-in-chief. "Washington's family
consisted of himself, his wife, and his
aid-de-camp, Major Tench Tilghman. The large
room, which is entered from the piazza on
the east, known as 'the room with seven
doors and one window,' was used as the
dining and sitting-room. The northeast room
was Washington's bedroom and the one
adjoining it on the left was occupied by him
as a private office. The family room was
that in the southeast; the kitchen was the
southwest room; the parlor the northwest
room. Between the latter and the former was
the hall and staircase and the storeroom, so
called for having been used by Colonel
Hasbrouck and subsequently by his widow as a
store. The parlor was mainly reserved for
Mrs. Washington and her guests. A Mrs.
Hamilton, whose name frequently appears in
Washington's account book, was his
housekeeper, and in the early part of the
war made a reputation for her zeal in his
service, which Thacher makes note of and
Washington acknowledges in his reference to
an exchange of salt. There was little room
for the accommodation of guests, but it is
presumed that the chambers were reserved for
that purpose. Washington's guests, however,
were mainly connected with the army and had
quarters elsewhere. Even Lafayette had rooms
at DeGrove's Hotel when a visitor at
headquarters.
"The building is now substantially in the
condition it was during Washington's
occupation of it. The same massive timbers
span the ceiling; the old fire-place with
its wide-open chimney is ready for the huge
back-logs of yore; the seven doors are in
their places; the rays of the morning sun
still stream through the one window; no
alteration in form has been made in the old
piazza—the adornments on the walls, if such
the ancient hostess had, have alone been
changed for souvenirs of the heroes of the
nation's independence. In presence of these
surroundings, it requires but little effort
of the imagination to restore the departed
guests. Forgetting not that this was
Washington's private residence, rather than
a place for the transaction of public
business, we may, in the old sitting-room
respread the long oaken table, listen to the
blessing invoked on the morning meal, hear
the cracking of joints, and the mingled hum
of conversation. The meal dispensed, Mrs.
Washington retires to appear at her flower
beds or in her parlor to receive her morning
calls. Colfax, the captain of the
life-guard, enters to receive the orders of
the day—perhaps a horse and guard for
Washington to visit New Windsor, or a barge
for Fishkill or West Point, is required; or
it may be Washington remains at home and at
his writing desk conducts his
correspondence, or dictates orders for army
movements. The old arm-chair, sitting in the
corner yonder, is still ready for its former
occupant.
"The dinner hour of five o'clock approaches;
the guests of the day have already arrived.
Steuben, the iron drill-master and German
soldier of fortune, converses with Mrs.
Washington. He had reduced the simple
marksmen of Bunker Hill to the discipline of
the armies of Europe and tested their
efficiency in the din of battle. He has
leisure now, and scarcely knows how to find
employment for his active mind. He is
telling his hostess, in broken
German-English, of the whale (it proved to
be an eel) he had caught in the river. Hear
his hostess laugh! And that is the voice of
Lafayette, relating perhaps his adventures
in escaping from France, or his mishap in
attempting to attend Mrs. Knox's last party.
Wayne, of Stony Point; Gates, of Saratoga;
Clinton, the Irish-blooded Governor of New
York, and their compatriots—we may place
them all at times beside our Pater Patriae
in this old room, and hear amid the mingled
hum his voice declare: 'Happy, thrice happy,
shall they be pronounced hereafter, who have
contributed anything, who have performed the
meanest office in erecting this stupendous
fabric of Freedom and Empire on the broad
basis of independency; who have assisted in
protecting the rights of human nature, and
in establishing an asylum for the poor and
oppressed of all nations and religions.'
Marquis de Lafayette
"In France, some fifty years after the Revolution, Marbois reproduced, as an entertainment for Lafayette, then an old man, this old sitting-room and its table scene. From his elegant saloon he conducted his guests, among whom were several Americans, to the room which he had prepared. There was a large open fire-place, and plain oaken floors; the ceiling was supported with large beams and whitewashed; there were the seven small-sized doors and one window with heavy sash and small panes of glass. The furniture was plain and unlike any then in use. Down the centre of the room was an oaken table covered with dishes of meat and vegetables, decanters and bottles of wine, and silver mugs and small wine glasses. The whole had something the appearance of a Dutch kitchen. While the guests were looking around in surprise at this strange procedure, the host, addressing himself to them said, 'Do you know where we now are?' Lafayette looked around, and, as if awakening from a dream, he exclaimed, 'Ah! the seven doors and one window, and the silver camp goblets such as the Marshals of France used in my youth. We are at Washington's Headquarters on the Hudson fifty years ago.'"
Centennial Celebration
The Hasbrouck family returned to their old
home, made historic for all time, after the
disbandment of the army and remained until
it became the property of the State. On July
4, 1850, the place was formally dedicated by
Major-General Winfield Scott, dedicatory
address delivered by John J. Monell, an ode
by Mary E. Monell, and an oration by Hon.
John W. Edmunds. The centennial of the
disbanding of the army was observed here
October 18, 1883. After the noonday
procession of 10,000 men in line, three
miles in length, with governors and
representative people from almost every
State, 150,000 people, "ten acres" square,
gathered in the historic grounds. Senator
Bayard, of Delaware, was chairman of the
day. Hon. William M. Evarts was the orator,
and modestly speaking in the third person,
Wallace Bruce, author of this handbook, was
the poet. No one there gathered can ever
forget that afternoon of glorious sunlight
or the noble pageant. The great mountains,
which had so frequently been the bulwark of
liberty and a place of refuge for our
fathers, were all aglow with beauty, as if,
like Horeb's bush, they too would open their
lips in praise and thanksgiving. One of the
closing sentences of Senator Evarts' address
is unsurpassed in modern or ancient
eloquence: "These rolling years have shown
growth, forever growth, and strength,
increasing strength, and wealth and numbers
ever expanding, while intelligence, freedom,
art, culture and religion have pervaded and
ennobled all this material greatness. Wide,
however, as is our land and vast our
population to-day, these are not the limits
to the name, the fame, the power of the life
and character of Washington. If it could be
imagined that this nation, rent by
disastrous feuds, broken in its unity,
should ever present the miserable spectacle
of the undefiled garments of his fame parted
among his countrymen, while for the seamless
vesture of his virtue they cast lots—if this
unutterable shame, if this immeasurable
crime, should overtake this land and this
people, be sure that no spot in the wide
world is inhospitable to his glory, and no
people in it but rejoices in the influence
of his power and his virtue." In his lofty
sentences the old heroes seemed to pass
again in review before us, and the daily
life of that heroic band, when Congress sat
inactive and careless of its needs until the
camp rose in mutiny, happily checked,
however, by the great commander in a single
sentence. It will be remembered that
Washington began to read his manuscript
without glasses, but was compelled to stop,
and, as he adjusted them to his eyes, he
said, "You see, gentlemen, that I have not
only grown gray, but blind, in your
service." It is needless to say that the
"anonymously called" meeting was not held.
Near at hand, and also plainly seen from the
river, is the new Tower of Victory,
fifty-three feet high, costing $67,000. It
contains a life-size statue of Washington,
in the act of sheathing his sword, with
bronze figures representing the rifle, the
artillery, the line officer and dragoon
service of our country, with a bronze tablet
on the east wall bearing the inscription:
"This monument was erected under the
authority of the Congress of the United
States, and of the State of New York, in
commemoration of the disbandment, under
proclamation of the Continental Congress, of
October 18, 1783, of the armies, by whose
patriotic and military virtue, our national
independence and sovereignty were
established." The Belvidere, reached by a
spiral staircase, is capable of holding one
hundred persons, and the view there from
takes in a wide extent of panoramic beauty.
Newburgh has not only reason to be proud of
her historical landmarks and her beautiful
situation, but also of her commercial
prosperity. In olden times, it was a great
centre for all the western and southwestern
district, farmers and lumbermen coming from
long distances in the interior. Soon after
the Revolution she was made a village, when
there were only two others in the State.
Before the days of the Erie canal, this was
the shortest route to Lake Erie, and was
made by stage via Ithaca. With increasing
facilities of railway communication, she has
also easily held her own against all
commercial rivals. The West Shore Railroad,
the Erie Railway, the New York Central and
the New York and New England across the
river, and several Hudson river steamers,
make her peculiarly central. The city is
favored with beautiful driveways, amid
charming country seats. The New Paltz road
passes the site where General Wayne had his
headquarters, also, the "Balm of Gilead
tree," which gave the name of Balmville to
the suburban locality. Another road affords
a glimpse of the "Vale of Avoca," named
after the well-known glen in Ireland, of
which Tom Moore so sweetly sung. Here, some
say, a treacherous attempt was made on the
life of Washington, but it is not generally
credited by critical historians. As the
steamer leaves the dock, and we look back
upon the factories and commercial houses
along the water front, crowned by noble
streets of residence, with adjoining
plateau, sweeping back in a vast semi-circle
as a beautiful framework to the wide bay, we
do not wonder that Hendrick Hudson
established a prophetic record by writing "a
very pleasant place to build a town."
Washington's Headquarters, Newburgh
Fishkill-on-the-Hudson.—Directly opposite
Newburgh, one mile north of Denning's Point
(formerly the eastern dock of the Newburgh
ferry), rises on a pleasant slope, the newer
Fishkill of this region. A little more than
a mile from the landing, is the
manufacturing village of Matteawan,
connected by an electric railroad. Old
Fishkill, or Fishkill Village, is about four
miles inland, charmingly located, under the
slope of the Fishkill range. This was once
the largest village in Dutchess county, and
was chosen for its secure position above the
Highlands, as the place to which "should be
removed the treasury and archives of the
State, also, as the spot for holding the
subsequent sessions of the Provincial
Conventions," after they were driven from
New York. A historical sketch of the town,
by T. Van Wyck Brinkerhoff, presents many
things of interest. "Its history, anterior
to 1682, belongs to the red men of the
valley, and, more than any other spot, this
was the home of their priests. Here they
performed their incantations and
administered at their altars." According to
Broadhead, "It would seem that the
neighboring Indians esteemed the peltries
from Fishkill as charmed by the incantations
of the aboriginal enchanters who lived along
its banks, and the beautiful scenery in
which those ancient priests of the Highlands
dwelt, is thus invested with new poetic
associations." Dunlap speaks of them as
"occupying the Highlands, called by them
Kittatenny Mountains. Their principal
settlement, designated Wiccapee, was
situated in the vicinity of Anthony's Nose.
Here too, lived the Wappingers, a war-like
and brave tribe, extending themselves along
the Matteawan, along the Wappingers Kill and
tributaries, along the Hudson, and to the
northward, across the river into Ulster
County. These and other tribes to the south,
west and north, were parts of and
tributaries to the great Iroquois
confederation—the marvel for all time to
come of a system of government so wise and
politic, and for men so eloquent and daring.
The Wappingers took part in the Dutch and
Indian wars of 1643 and 1663, led on by
their war chiefs, Wapperonk and Aepjen. A
few Indian names are still remaining, and a
few traces of their history still left
standing. The name Matteawan is Indian,
signifying 'Good Beaver Grounds,' and the
name Wappinger still speaks of those who
once owned the soil along the Hudson. Their
name for the stream was Mawanassigh, or
Mawenawasigh. Wiccapee and Shenondoah are
also Indian names of places in Fishkill
Hook, and East Fishkill, and Apoquague,
still surviving as the name of a country
post office, was the Indian style of what is
now called Silver Lake, signifying 'round
pond.' In Fishkill Hook until quite
recently, there were traces of their burial
grounds, and many apple and pear trees are
still left standing, set there by the hands
of the red man before the country had been
occupied by Europeans."
To return to Brinkerhoff, "The first
purchase of land in the county of Dutchess,
was made in the town of Fishkill. On the 8th
day of February, 1682, a license was given
by Thomas Dongan, Commander-in-chief of the
Province of New York, to Francis Rombout and
Gulian Ver Planck, to purchase a tract of
land from the Indians. Under this license,
they bought, on the 8th day of August, 1683,
of the Wappinger Indians, all their right,
title and interest to a certain large tract
of land, afterward known as the Rombout
precinct. Gulian Ver Planck died before the
English patent was issued by Governor
Dongan; Stephanus Van Cortland was then
joined in it with Rombout, and Jacobus Kipp
substituted as the representative of the
children of Gulian Ver Planck. On the 17th
day of October, 1685, letters patent, under
the broad seal of the Province of New York,
were granted by King James the Second, and
the parties to whom these letters patent
were granted, became from that time the
undisputed proprietors of the soil. There
were 76,000 acres of these lands lying in
Fishkill, and other towns taken from the
patent, and 9,000 acres lying in the limits
of the town of Poughkeepsie. Besides paying
the natives, as a further consideration for
the privilege of their license, they were to
pay the commander-in-chief, Thomas Dongan,
six bushels of good and merchantable winter
wheat every year." In the Book of Patents,
at Albany, vol. 5, page 72, will be found
the deed, of special interest to the
historian and antiquarian.
"After the evacuation of New York, in the
fall of 1776, and the immediate loss of the
seaboard, with Long Island and part of New
Jersey, Fishkill was at once crowded with
refugees, as they were then called, who
sought, by banishing themselves from their
homes on Long Island and New York, to escape
imprisonment and find safety here. The
interior army route to Boston passed through
this place. Army stores, workshops,
ammunition, etc., were established and
deposited here." The Marquis De Chastellux,
in his travels in North America, says: "This
town, in which there are not more than fifty
houses in the space of two miles, has been
long the principal depot of the American
army. It is there they have placed their
magazines, their hospitals, their workshops,
etc., but all of these form a town in
themselves, composed of handsome large
barracks, built in the woods at the foot of
the mountains: for the American army, like
the Romans in many respects, have hardly any
other winter quarters than wooden towns, or
barricaded camps, which may be compared to
the 'hiemalia' of the Romans." These
barracks were situated on the level plateau
between the residence of Mr. Cotheal and the
mountains. Portions of these grounds were no
doubt then covered with timber. Guarding the
approach from the south, stockades and
fortifications were erected on commanding
positions, and regularly manned by
detachments from the camp.
"Upon one of these hills, rising out of this
mountain pass-way, very distinct lines of
earthworks are yet apparent. Near the
residence of Mr. Sidney E. Van Wyck, by the
large black-walnut trees, and east of the
road near the base of the mountain, was the
soldiers' burial ground. Many a poor patriot
soldier's bones lie moldering there; and if
we did but know how many, we would be
startled at the number, for this almost
unknown and unnoticed burial ground holds
not a few, but hundreds of those who gave
their lives for the cause of American
independence. Some fifteen years ago, an old
lady who had lived near the village until
after she had grown to womanhood, told the
writer that after the battle of White Plains
she went with her father through the streets
of Fishkill, and in places between the Dutch
and Episcopal churches, the dead were piled
up like cord-wood. Those who died from
wounds in battle or from sickness in
hospital were buried there. Many of these
were State militiamen, and it seems no more
than just that the State should make an
appropriation to erect a suitable monument
over this spot. Rather than thus remain for
another century, if a rough granite boulder
were rolled down from the mountain side and
inscribed: 'To the unknown and unnumbered
dead of the American Revolution,' that rough
unhewn stone would tell to the stranger and
the passer-by, more to the praise and fame
of our native town than any of us shall be
able to add to it by works of our own; for
it is doubtful whether any spot in the State
has as many of the buried dead of the
Revolution as this quiet burial yard in our
old town!" Here also on June 2, 1883, was
observed "The Fishkill Centennial," and few
of our centennials have been celebrated amid
objects of greater revolutionary interest.
Near at hand, to quote from the official
report of the proceedings, is "Denning's
Point where Washington frequently, while
waiting, tied his horses under those
magnificent 'Washington oaks,' as he passed
backward and forward from New Windsor and
Newburgh to Fishkill. Near by is the
Verplanck House, Baron Steuben's old
headquarters. On Spy Hill and Continental
Hill troops were quartered. At Matteawan
Sackett lived, and there is the Teller House
built by Madame Brett, where officers
frequently resorted, and there Yates dwelt
when he presided over the legislative body
while it held its sessions in Fishkill, that
had much to do with forming our first State
Constitution. Baron Steuben was for a while
in the old Scofield House at Glenham. In
Fishkill are those renowned old churches
where legislative sittings were held, which
were also used as hospitals for the sick,
and one of which is otherwise known as being
the place where Enoch Crosby, the spy, was
imprisoned, and from which he escaped. Near
at hand the Wharton House (Van Wyck House),
forever associated with him, and made famous
by Cooper's 'Spy.' In the Brinckerhoff House
above, Lafayette was dangerously ill with a
fever, and there, at Swartwoutville,
Washington was often a visitor. Whenever
Washington was at Fishkill he made Colonel
Brinckerhoff's his headquarters. He occupied
the bedroom back of the parlor, which
remains the same 'excepting a door that
opens into the hall, which has been cut
through.' It is an old-fashioned house built
of stone, with the date 1738 on one of its
gables." With the story of Fishkill we close
the largest page relating to our
revolutionary heroes, and leave behind us
the Old Beacon Mountains which forever
sentinel and proclaim their glory.
Low Point, or Carthage, is a small village
on the east bank, about four miles north of
Fishkill. It was called by the early
inhabitants Low Point, as New Hamburgh, two
miles north, was called High Point. Opposite
Carthage is Roseton, once known as
Middlehope, and above this we see the
residence of Bancroft Davis and the
Armstrong Mansion. We now behold on the west
bank a large flat rock, covered with cedars,
recently marked by a lighthouse, the
Duyvel's Dans Kammer
Duyvel's Dans Kammer.—Here Hendrick Hudson, in his voyage up the river, witnessed an Indian pow-wow—the first recorded fireworks in a country which has since delighted in rockets and pyrotechnic displays. Here, too, in later years, tradition relates the sad fate of a wedding party. It seems that a Mr. Hans Hansen and a Miss Kathrina Van Voorman, with a few friends, were returning from Albany, and disregarding the old Indian prophecy, were all slain:
"For none that visit the Indian's den
Return again to the haunts of men.
The knife is their doom! O sad is their lot!
Beware, beware of the blood-stained spot!"
Some years ago this spot was also searched
for the buried treasures of Captain Kidd,
and we know of one river pilot who still
dreams semi-yearly of there finding
countless chests of gold.
Two miles above, on the east side, we pass
New Hamburgh, at the mouth of Wappingers
Creek. The name Wappinger had its origin
from Wabun, east, and Acki, land. This
tribe, a sub-tribe of the Mahicans, held the
east bank of the river, from Manhattan to
Roeliffe Jansen's Creek, which empties into
the Hudson near Livingston, a few miles
south of Catskill Station on the Hudson
River Railroad. Passing Hampton Point we see
Marlborough, the head-centre of a large
fruit industry, delightfully located in the
sheltered pass of the Maunekill. On the east
bank will be noticed several fine
residences: "Uplands," "High Cliff,"
"Cedars," and "Netherwood." Milton is now at
hand on the west bank, with its cosy landing
and West Shore Railroad station. This
pleasant village was one of the loved spots
of J. G. Holland, and the home of Mary
Hallock Foote, until a modern "Hiawatha"
took our Hudson "Minnehaha" to far away
western mountains.
Springbrook, opposite Milton, a place of
historic interest, near the river bank, was
bought by Theophilus Anthony before the
Revolution. Some of the links of the famous
chain in the Highlands were forged here in
1777. When the British ships ascended the
river the family fled to the woods, all but
an old colored servant woman who wisely
furnished the soldiers a good dinner and got
thereby their good will to save the house.
The old Flour Mill, however, was burned
which stood on the same site as the present
Springbrook Mill.
Theophilus Anthony's only daughter married Thomas Gill after the Revolution, and from that time the property has been in the Gill family. Few places in the Hudson Valley have such ancient and continuous family history.
Locust Grove
Locust Grove, with square central tower and
open outlook, residence of the late Prof. S.
F. B. Morse, inventor of the telegraph, is
seen on the west bank; also the "Lookout,"
once known as Mine Hill, now a part of
Poughkeepsie cemetery, with charming
driveway to the wooded point where the
visitor can see from his carriage one of the
finest views of the Hudson. The completion
of this drive is largely due to the
enterprise of the late Mr. George Corlies,
who did much to make Poughkeepsie beautiful.
The view from this "Lookout" takes in the
river for ten miles to the south, and
reaches on the north to the Catskills. In a
ramble with Mr. Corlies over Lookout Point,
he told the writer that it was originally
the purpose of Matthew Vassar to erect a
monument on Pollopel's Island to Hendrick
Hudson. Mr. Corlies suggested this point as
the most commanding site. Mr. Vassar visited
it, and concluded to place the monument
here. He published an article in the
Poughkeepsie papers to this effect, and,
meeting Mr. Corlies one week afterwards,
said, "Not one person in the city of
Poughkeepsie has referred to my monument. I
have decided to build a college for women,
where they can learn what is useful,
practical and sensible." It is interesting
to note the fountain-idea of the first
woman's college in the world, as it took
form and shape in the mind of its founder.
Morning View At Blue Point
We now see Blue Point, on the west bank;
and, in every direction, enjoy the finest
views. The scenery seems to stand, in
character, between the sublimity of the
Highlands and the tranquil, dreamy repose of
the Tappan Zee. It is said that under the
shadow of these hills was the favorite
anchorage of
The Storm Ship
The Storm Ship, one of our oldest and most
reliable legends. The story runs somewhat as
follows: Years ago, when New York was a
village—a mere cluster of houses on the
point now known as the Battery—when the
Bowery was the farm of Peter Stuyvesant, and
the Old Dutch Church on Nassau Street (which
also long since disappeared), was considered
the country—when communication with the old
world was semi-yearly instead of semi-weekly
or daily—say two hundred years ago—the whole
town one evening was put into great
commotion by the fact that a ship was coming
up the bay.
She approached the Battery within hailing
distance, and then, sailing against both
wind and tide, turned aside and passed up
the Hudson. Week after week and month after
month elapsed, but she never returned; and
whenever a storm came down on Haverstraw Bay
or Tappan Zee, it is said that she could be
seen careening over the waste; and, in the
midst of the turmoil, you could hear the
captain giving orders, in good Low Dutch;
but when the weather was pleasant, her
favorite anchorage was among the shadows of
the picturesque hills, on the eastern bank,
a few miles above the Highlands. It was
thought by some to be Hendrick Hudson and
his crew of the "Half Moon," who, it was
well known, had once run aground in the
upper part of the river, seeking a northwest
passage to China; and people who live in
this vicinity still insist that under the
calm harvest moon and the pleasant nights of
September, they see her under the bluff of
Blue Point, all in deep shadow, save her
topsails glittering in the moonlight.
Poughkeepsie, 74
miles from New York, is now at hand, Queen
City of the Hudson, with name, derived from
the Indian word Apokeepsing, signifying
"safe harbor." Near the landing a bold
headland juts out into the river, known as
Kaal Rock, and no doubt this sheltering rock
was a safe harbor in days of birch canoes.
It has been recently claimed that the word
signifies "muddy pond," which is neither
true, appropriate or poetic. Poughkeepsie
does not propose to give up her old-time
"harbor name," particularly as it has been
recently discovered that the name "Kipsie"
was also given by the Indians to a "safe
harbor" near the Battery on Manhattan
Island. It is said that there are over forty
different ways of spelling Poughkeepsie, and
every year the post office record gives a
new one. The first house was built in 1702
by a Mr. Van Kleeck. The State legislature
had a session here in 1777 or 1778, when New
York was held by the British and after
Kingston had been burned by Vaughan.
Ten years later, the State convention also
met here for ratification of the Federal
Constitution. The town has a beautiful
location, and is justly regarded the finest
residence city on the river. It is not only
midway between New York and Albany, but also
midway between the Highlands and the
Catskills, commanding a view of the mountain
portals on the south and the mountain
overlook on the north—the Gibraltar of
revolutionary fame and the dreamland of Rip
Van Winkle.
The well known poet and litterateur, Joel
Benton, who divides his residence between
New York and Poughkeepsie, in a recent
article, "The Midway City of the Hudson,"
written for the Poughkeepsie Sunday Courier,
says:
"Poughkeepsie as a township was incorporated
in 1788. The village bearing the name was
formed in 1799 (incorporated as a city in
1854), and soon became the center of a large
trade running in long lines east and west
from the river. Dutchess County had at this
time but a sparse population. There was a
post-road from New York to Albany; but the
building of the Dutchess Turnpike from
Poughkeepsie to Sharon, Conn., connecting
with one from that place to Litchfield,
which took place in 1808, was a capital
event in its history. This made a
considerable strip of western Connecticut
tributary to Poughkeepsie's trade.
"Over the turnpike went four-horse Concord
stages, with berailed top and slanting boot
in the rear for trunks and other baggage.
Each one had the tin horn of the driver; and
it was difficult to tell upon which the
driver most prided himself—the power to fill
that thrilling instrument, or his deft
handling of the ponderous whip and
multiplied reins. Travelers to Hartford and
Boston went over this route; and an east and
west through and way mail was a part of the
burden. A sort of overland express and
freight line, styled the Market Wagon, ran
in and out of the town from several
directions. One or more of these conveyances
started from as far east as the Housatonic
River, and they frequently crowded
passengers in amongst their motley wares.
"Speaking of the stage-driver's horn recalls
the fact that when the steamboat
arrived—which was so solitary an institution
that for some time it was distinctly called
'The Steamboat'—the tin horn did duty also
for it. When it was seen in the distance,
either Albanyward or in the New York
direction, a boy went through the village
blowing a horn to arouse those who wished to
embark on it. It is said the expectant
passengers had ample time, after the horn
was sounded, to make their toilets, run down
to the river (or walk down) and take passage
on it.
"In colonial days few were the people here;
but they were a bright and stirring handful.
It seems as if every man counted as ten. The
De's and the Vans, the Livingstons, the
Schuylers, the Montgomerys and ever so many
more of the Hudson River Valley settlers are
still making their impress upon the country.
I suppose it need not now be counted strange
that the strong mixture of Dutch and English
settlers, with a few Huguenots, which
finally made Dutchess county, were not a
little divided between Tory and Whig
inclinations. Around Poughkeepsie, and in
its allied towns stretching between the
Hudson River and the Connecticut line, there
was much strife. Gov. George Clinton in his
day ruled in the midst of much tumult and
turbulence; but he held the reins with
vigor, in spite of kidnappers or critics.
When the British burned Kingston he
prorogued the legislature to Poughkeepsie,
which still served as a 'safe harbor.' As
the resolution progressed the Tory faction
was weakened, either by suppression or
surrender.
"It was in the Poughkeepsie Court House
that, by one vote, after a Homeric battle,
the colony of New York consented to become a
part of the American republic, which consent
was practically necessary to its existence.
How large a part two small incidents played
here towards the result of nationality. That
single vote was one, and the news by express
from Richmond, announcing Virginia's
previous ratification—and added stimulus to
the vote—was the other. Poughkeepsie honored
in May, 1824, the arrival of Lafayette, and
dined him, besides exchanging speeches with
him, both at the Forbus House, on Market
Street, very nearly where the Nelson House
now stands, and at the Poughkeepsie Hotel.
It was one of Poughkeepsie's great days when
he came. Daniel Webster has spoken in her
court house; and Henry Clay, in 1844, when a
presidential candidate, stopped for a
reception. And it is said that, by a mere
accident, she just missed contributing a
name to the list of presidents of the United
States. The omitted candidate was Nathaniel
P. Talmadge. He could have had the
vice-presidential candidacy, the story goes,
in 1840, but would not take it. If he had
accepted it, he would have gone into history
not merely as United States senator from New
York and afterwards Governor of Wisconsin
territory, but as president in John Tyler's
place.
"In 1844, the New York State Fair was held
here somewhere east of what is now Hooker
Avenue. It was an occasion thought important
enough then to be pictured and reported in
the London Illustrated News. Two years after
the telegraph wires were put up in this
city, before they had yet reached the city
of New York. Considering the fact that Prof.
S. F. B. Morse, the telegraph inventor, had
his residence here, this incident was not
wholly inappropriate.
"The advent in 1849 of the Hudson River
Railroad, which was an enterprise in its day
of startling courage and magnitude,
constituted a special epoch in the history
of Poughkeepsie and the Hudson River towns.
Men of middle age here well remember the
hostility and ridicule the project
occasioned when it was first broached. Some
said no railroad ever could be built on the
river's edge; and, if you should build one,
the enormous expense incurred would make it
forever unprofitable. It seemed then the
height of Quixotism to lay an expensive
track where the river offered a free way to
all. Property holders, whose property was to
be greatly benefited, fought the railroad
company with unusual spirit and persistence.
But the railroad came, nevertheless, and
needs no advocate or apologist to-day. There
is no one now living here who would ask its
removal, any more than he would ask the
removal of the Hudson River itself."
Poughkeepsie has been known for more than
half a century as the City of Schools. The
Parthenon-like structure which crowns
College Hill was prophetic of a still
grander and more widely known institution,
the first in the world devoted to higher
culture for women,
Vassar College
Vassar College.—This institution, founded by Matthew Vassar, and situated two miles east of the city, maintains its prestige not only as the first woman's college in point of time, but also first in excellence and influence. The grounds are beautiful and graced by noble buildings which have been erected year by year to meet the continued demands of its patrons. The college is not seen from the river but is of easy access by trolley from the steamboat landing.
Eastman College
Eastman
College is also one of the fixed and solid
institutions of Poughkeepsie, located in the
very heart of the city. It has accomplished
good work in preparing young men for
business, and has made Poughkeepsie a
familiar word in every household throughout
the land. It was fortunate for the city that
the energetic founder of this college
selected the central point of the Hudson as
the place of all others most suited for his
enterprise, and equally fortunate for the
thousands of young men who yearly graduate
from this institution, as the city is
charmingly located and set like a picture
amid picturesque scenery.
Among many successful public institutions of
Poughkeepsie are the Vassar Hospital, the
Vassar Old Men's Home, the Old Ladies' Home,
the State Hospital and the Vassar Institute
of Arts and Sciences.
The opera house is one of the pleasantest in
the country and received a high comment,
still remembered, from Joseph Jefferson, for
its perfect acoustic quality. The armory,
the Adriance Memorial Library to the memory
of Mr. and Mrs. John P. Adriance, and the
historic Clinton House on Main Street
purchased in 1898 by the Daughters of the
Revolution, also claim the attention of the
visitor. Several factories are here located,
the best known being that of Adriance, Platt
& Co., whose Buckeye mowers and reapers have
been awarded the highest honors in Germany,
Holland, France, Belgium, Sweden, Norway,
Italy, Russia, Switzerland, and the United
States, and are sold in every part of the
civilized globe. The Phœnix Horseshoe Co.,
the Knitting-Goods Establishment, and
various shoe, shirt and silk thread
factories contribute to the material
prosperity of the town. The drives about
Poughkeepsie are delightful. Perhaps the
best known in the United States is the Hyde
Park road, six miles in extent, with many
palatial homes and charming pictures of park
and river scenery. This is a part of the Old
Post Road and reminds one by its perfect
finish of the roadways of England. Returning
one can take a road to the left leading by
and up to
College Hill, 365 feet in height, commanding
a wide and extensive prospect. The city lies
below us, fully embowered as in a wooded
park. To the east the vision extends to the
mountain boundaries of Dutchess County, and
to the north we have a view of the Catskills
marshaled as we have seen them a thousand
times in sunset beauty along the horizon.
This property, once owned by Senator Morgan
and his heirs, was happily purchased by
William Smith of Poughkeepsie, and given to
the city as a public park. There is great
opportunity here to make this a thing of
beauty and a joy forever, for there are few
views on the Hudson, and none from any hill
of its height, that surpass it in extent and
variety. The city reservoir lies to the
north, about one hundred feet down the slope
of College Hill.
The South Drive, a part of the Old Post
Road, passes the gateway of the beautiful
rural cemetery, Locust Grove and many
delightful homes. Another interesting drive
from Poughkeepsie is to Lake Mohonk and
Minnewaska, well-known resorts across the
Hudson, in the heart of the Shawangunk
(pronounced Shongum) Mountains, also reached
by railway or stages via New Paltz. There
are also many extended drives to the
interior of the county recommended to the
traveler who makes Poughkeepsie for a time
his central point; chief among these,
Chestnut Ridge, formerly the home of the
historian Benson J. Lossing, lying amid the
hill country of eastern Dutchess. Its mean
altitude is about 1,100 feet above tide
water, a fragment of the Blue Ridge branch
of the Appalachian chain of mountains, cleft
by the Hudson at West Point, stretching away
to the Berkshire Hills. It is also easy of
access by the Harlem Railroad from New York
to Dover Plains with three miles of carriage
drive from that point. The outlook from the
ridge is magnificent; a sweep of eighty
miles from the Highlands to the Helderbergs,
with the entire range of the Shawangunk and
the Catskills. Mr. Lossing once said that
his family of nine persons had required
during sixteen years' residence on Chestnut
Ridge, only ten dollars' worth of medical
attendance. Previous to 1868 he had resided
in Poughkeepsie, and throughout his life his
form was a familiar one in her streets.
Dover Stone Church
The Dover Stone Church, just west of Dover Plains Village, is also well worth a visit. Here a small stream has worn out a remarkable cavern in the rocks forming a gothic arch for entrance. It lies in a wooded gorge within easy walk from the village. Many years ago the writer of this handbook paid it an afternoon visit, and the picture has remained impressed with wonderful vividness. The archway opens into a solid rock, and a stream of water issues from the threshold. On entering the visitor is confronted by a great boulder, resembling an old-fashioned New England pulpit, reaching half way to the ceiling. The walls are almost perfectly arched, and garnished here and there with green moss and white lichen. A rift in the rocks extends the whole length of the chapel, over which trees hang their green foliage, which, ever rustling and trembling, form a trellis-work with the blue sky, while the spray rising from behind the rock-worn altar seems like the sprinkling of holy incense. After all these years I still hear the voice of those dashing waters and dream again, as I did that day, of the brook of Cherith where ravens fed the prophet of old. It is said by Lossing, in his booklet on the Dover Stone Church, that Sacassas, the mighty sachem of the Pequoid and emperor over many tribes between the Thames and the Hudson River, was compelled after a disastrous battle which annihilated his warriors, to fly for safety, and, driven from point to point, he at last found refuge in this cave, where undiscovered he subsisted for a few days on berries, until at last he made his way through the territory of his enemies, the Mahican, to the land of the Mohawks.