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Dutchess County Historical
Information
Henry Hudson sailed up what was not yet the Hudson River in
about 1609, and in so doing, laid claim to the entire valley
for the Dutch.
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The eastern banks of the river had been home to the Native
Americans for literally centuries and the Algonquins had
called one of the encampments there Poughkeepsie, which
meant, "Lodge by the little water Place".
Dutchess, county was named during this time span, for the
future queen, Mary, and not after the Dutch, as many people
think, as they relinquished all claim to the entire area in
about 1683. |
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The very dense woodlands and the rolling hillsides were
wonderful for both farmer and trapper who immigrated to the
area in literally droves, and Europeans who came for
religious and political freedom.
The small trading posts turning quickly into settlements and
inns springing up along what was then "king's Highway" made
the area grow and prosper, and from Manhattan to Albany the
entire area grew. Kings Highway is now Route 9.
The Revolutionary war say the Village of Fishkill serving as
an encampment for the General, George Washington and his
troops and was for a short time, the capital of New York.
In 1788, Poughkeepsie became the capital and at that time
the US constitution was ratified.
All through the 19th century the area grew and industry
continue to build in Dutchess, and immigrants continued to
flock to the area.
Later, as the railroads brought this beautiful county into
reach of the wealthy from New York, many very wealthy and
famed families made their way here and built huge estates as
vacation homes. Among them, the Astors, Rogers, and
Vanderbilts had vast tracts of land and a great deal of
leisure. This created literary and historical societies,
libraries and institutes of higher learning that remain
intact today.
Dutchess County also served as an experimental area for some
of the New Deal ideas of Franklin Roosevelt.
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