Octagon houses date back to ancient Greece, where they were symbols of rebirth and renewal. In the United States they were mostly built during the 1850s and 1860s, many of them in New York State. [Read more…] about Orson Squire Fowler & New York’s Octagon Houses
Fishkill
The 128th NY Regiment & Columbia County Contributions to the Union Army
The 128th New York Infantry Regiment was a volunteer regiment from Columbia and Dutchess Counties during the American Civil War. Formed in Hudson, New York, on September 5, 1862, by Colonel David S. Cowles, the regiment fought at the Siege of Port Hudson, Louisiana and was part of the Shenandoah Valley Campaign.
Over the course of the war, many of the regiment died or were taken prisoner and sent to the infamous Confederate Libby Prison. Colonel Cowles died with many of his men in battle at Port Hudson, while attempting to reopen the Mississippi River to the Union . [Read more…] about The 128th NY Regiment & Columbia County Contributions to the Union Army
‘I Hope You Are of Our Party’: Fidelity and Benedict Arnold’s Betrayal
Shakespeare, of course, wrote acclaimed plays about history. But sometimes history takes the pen from the playwright’s hand and fashions a scenario of such startling tension and originality that the story seems destined for the stage. One of these dramas took place in September 1780. It involved the plot by Benedict Arnold to betray the patriot cause and to help the British prevail in the Revolutionary War. [Read more…] about ‘I Hope You Are of Our Party’: Fidelity and Benedict Arnold’s Betrayal
NYS Nominates 13 Places for State, National Registers of Historic Places
The New York State Board for Historic Preservation has recommended adding 13 properties to the State and National Registers of Historic Places and submitting one request to the Columbia Turnpike East Toll House to the National Park Service.
The nominations include a key site associated with Rochester‘s LGBTQ+ history, a historic synagogue in Manhattan‘s Upper West Side, a public park in Ithaca, a church connected to Yonkers’s civil rights history, a re-built Lustron House in Erie County, the Oneida County History Center, and more. [Read more…] about NYS Nominates 13 Places for State, National Registers of Historic Places
Exotic Animals, The Van Amburgh Circus & The Lion King of Fishkill
The term “exotic pet” refers to wild animals kept in captivity in a domestic setting for the purpose of personal interest or entertainment. With globalization the trade has increased dramatically, although its real scope is difficult to ascertain because for most species there is no registration requirement. Its scale may be a contemporary concern, but the practice itself has a long history. The public has always been obsessed with non-native animals. [Read more…] about Exotic Animals, The Van Amburgh Circus & The Lion King of Fishkill
Ceremonies Set to Mark Mt Beacon Military Airplane Crashes
The Town of Fishkill and the Friends of the Mt. Beacon Eight have announced a ceremony honoring the eight U.S. Navy servicemen who lost their lives in two separate plane crashes on Mount Beacon, in the Hudson Highlands, set for Saturday, November 7th, at Fishkill’s Veterans Park on RT 52 starting at 10:30 am. [Read more…] about Ceremonies Set to Mark Mt Beacon Military Airplane Crashes
Mt Beacon Six Being Commemorated in Fishkill
Two events celebrating the legacy of Dixie Kiefer and the Mt. Beacon Six have been set for Friday, November 9th, and Monday, November 12, in Fishkill. [Read more…] about Mt Beacon Six Being Commemorated in Fishkill
Heroes of Fishkill Day Set for May 26th
The Second Heroes of Fishkill Day has been set for May 26, 2018, from 9 am to 3 pm at the Rombout Rural Cemetery, 1571 Route 52 in Fishkill, NY.
Once a place where Revolutionary War soldiers were treated for injuries in the Middle Presbyterian Church that stood there until the mid-1800’s, the event will honor the 57 Women of the Revolution who are buried in the cemetery. [Read more…] about Heroes of Fishkill Day Set for May 26th
Margaret Fuller Marker Planned For Fishkill Landing
The Pomeroy Foundation has awarded the city of Beacon, New York, a marker grant for the Margaret Fuller marker to be installed and dedicated in the spring of 2016.
Rev. Michael Barnett, representing women’s rights activist Margaret Fuller for the New York Cultural Heritage Tourism Network’s 100th Anniversary of Women’s Right to Vote in NYS 2017 Committee, collaborated with Elizabeth Evans, Assistant to the Mayor, and Robert Murphy, President of the Beacon Historical Society, to provide the primary source documentation. [Read more…] about Margaret Fuller Marker Planned For Fishkill Landing
Plane Crash Wreckage Hike Recalls Mount Beacon 6
On Sunday, November 11, 1945, a Navy Beechcraft twin engine transport plane traveling from Curtis Wright Airport in New Jersey to the Quonset Air Naval Air Station in Rhode Island, crashed near the northwest ridge of Beacon Mountain in the Town of Fishkill, New York.
Among the six men who lost their lives that day was Navy legend Dixie Kiefer, Commander of the Quonset Point Naval Air Station, and one of the World War II Navy’s best known figures. On Saturday June 20, 2015 there will be a hike to the site of the crash on Mt. Beacon, were some wreckage remains. [Read more…] about Plane Crash Wreckage Hike Recalls Mount Beacon 6