Historical Markers in
Dutchess County, New York

1754 Homesite 1820 Schoolhouse 1845 Carriage Barn 5th Ward Honor Roll A Tribute and a Gift / Un tributo ed Un Regalo A Wing and a Prayer / La Chiesa delle Grazie A World of Information / Un Mondo di Informazioni Akin Hall All Aboard! / Tutti a Bord! Amenia Amenia Veterans Memorial American Revolution Bicentennial Memorial Applachian Trail Athletics and Community / Sport e Comunità Attlebury School Attlebury School House Back on Track Battery Beacon War Memorial Bear Market Bennett Gate Bicentennial Washington Bloomvale Bloom’s Mill Blown Away / Volatilizzata Bogardus Land Brinckerhoff – Van Voorhees House Brush House Building the Bridge Built to Last Burial Site Burying Ground Carman Mill Carmen Ramputi Marine Corps League Carnwath Farms Catskill Mountains City Downtown City of Beacon City of Beacon Veterans Memorial Clermont Clove Road Camp Cole’s Mill Colonial Inn Community Band Shell Constitution Ratification Site Continental Army Crossroads Creek Meeting House Cristoforo Colombo Daniel Nimham David Van Ness Dover Stone Church Down by the River Dr. H.C. Wilber Drill Ground Dutch Church Dutchess County Dutchess County Dutchess County Dutchess County War Memorial Dutchess-Columbia County Line Elmendorph Inn Emergency Responders Clock Enoch Crosby Firefighter Paul Tegtmeier First Academy First Settler Fishkill in the American Revolution Fishkill Landing Fishkill Tea Party Former New York State Champion Tree Founding Families / I Primi Residenti Franklin D. Roosevelt Mid-Hudson Bridge Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library Fredericksburg 1778 Freedom Square Park From Primary School to Town Hall / Da Scuola Elementare a Municipio Fulton Homestead Gen. Swartwout Home General Casimir Pulaski Grange Hall Great Indian Warrior Trading Path Greater Ambitions Griffin’s Tavern Grinding Works Halstead Berry Harris Scythe Works Hendrick Kip Hendricks House Historic Carnwath Farms Historic Freedom Plains Church Holmes Methodist Church Home by the Hudson Home of Capt. George Brinckerhoff Home of Madam Catharyna Brett Hopewell Hamlet Howland Center Hubbell Spring Hudson River National Historic Landmark District Hyde Park RR Station Hyde Park Train Station Hyde Park Vietnam War Monument Hyde Park World War I Monument Hyde Park World War II Korean War Monument In Affectionate Memory In Memory In memory of General George Washington In Stock and For Sale / In Magazzino ed in Vendita Intercollegiate Rowing Association Irish and Italian Immigrants / Immigranti Irlandesi ed Italiani Iron Mine Pond Irondale Cemetery Irondale School Isaac Huntting Homestead J. Robert Cramer Jacob Willetts   Deborah Willetts James S. Hare John Kane House John L. Worden Lafayette House Lakeside Park Landsman’s Kill Lange Rack Lewis Tompkins Hose Company Life's Little Pleasures / I Piccoli Piaceri della Vita Little Italy Living Memorial Livingston Manor Lucille P. Pattison Main Building Main Street Ferry Landing Maj. Genl. Marquis de Lafayette Mannessah Home Margaret Fuller Masiero – Winship Post 1811 Veterans Monument Matteawan Train Station Matthew Vassar May 8th, 1974 Meeting House Memorial Trees Mesier Park Mesier Park Methodist Church Mid-Hudson Bridge Mid-Hudson Bridge Mid-Hudson Bridge Suspension Cables Milan Christian Church Millbrook Bicentennial Millbrook Veterans Memorial Millbrook Veterans Monument Millbrook, New York Mills Gate Mizzen Top Hotel Mount Gulian Mount Gulian Mount Ross Murrow Park My Own Home Named for Englishman Henry Hudson Nearly 3000 Men New Guinea Community Site New York State Nine Partners School Nobletown Road North East Center Burying Ground North River Steamboat of Clermont Oblong Meeting House Old Firehouse / I Vigili del Fuoco Old Moravian Church Old Pine Trees Old Rhinebeck Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome Old Tavern Old Turnpike On This Site Pawling Beekman Turnpike Pawling School 1907 Pawling Veterans Memorial Pawling World War I and Civil War Memorial Pine Plains Pine Plains Northeast Line Pine Plains Northeast Line Pine Plains-Stanford Line Pleasant Valley Veterans War Memorial Poolside Diplomacy Potters Corners Burying Ground Poughkeepsie Poughkeepsie Civil War Memorial Poughkeepsie Railroad Bridge Poughkeepsie Railroad Bridge Construction Poughkeepsie Railroad Bridge Construction Poughkeepsie Railroad Bridge: Eastern Overland Approach Poughkeepsie Vietnam Veterans Memorial Poughkeepsie Waterfront Poughkeepsie-Highland Bridge Poughkeepsie's Little Italy Poughkeepsie's Waterfront Preserving a President’s View Purgatory Hill Red Church Reformed Church Reformed Dutch Reformed Dutch Church Hyde Park Revolutionary War Dead River That Flows Both Ways Roll of Honor Roll of Honor Ron & Ronnie Sauers Bridge Rudd Pond Scenic Splendor Unsurpassed Anywhere Schoolhouse Bell Tower Second Baptist Church Seymour Smith Academy Signal Towers Site of Beekman Furnace Site of James K. Paulding House Site of Zion Pilgrim M.E. Church Soldiers Memorial Fountain Southside Historic District Spanish Pentecostal Church / Rothery File Factory Speck Zyn Kill Spencer's Corners Springwood St. James Church St. Joseph’s Church / La Chiesa di San Giuseppe St. Margaret's Star Mills Steamboat & Ferry Landing Storm – Adriance - Brinckerhoff Stoutenburgh House Strike Up the Band! / La Banda Musicale Tents and Togas / Tende e Toghe The Bridge Engineers The Clearwater The Eastern Border The Fall Kill The First Oblong Friends Meeting House The Glebe House The Great Barbecue The Great Barbecue The Great Connector The Great Fire of 1916 / Il Grande Incendio del 1916 The heart of Franklin Roosevelt The Hudson River Day Line The Mill House The New York State Bridge Authority The Oblong The Old Upper Road The Path to Victory The Poughkeepsie Whaling Company The Queen City of the Hudson The River that Flows Both Ways The School That Launched a Village / La Scuola Chester Creò il Villaggio The West Mountain Mission The World Mourns Thomas Dongan Those Who Served Three Batteries To Honor All Those Who Served Town and County Line Town and County Line Town and County Line Town of North East War Memorial Tribute Garden Trinity Church Troutbeck Union Library of Pine Plains Union Street Historic Neighborhood United States Post Office Poughkeepsie New York Uppuqui-ipis-ing Van Kleeck House Site Van Wyck Family Van Wyck Homestead Van Wyck Homestead Museum Vassar Brothers Institute Vassar Residence Veterans of the Fishkill Supply Depot Victor C. Waryas Memorial Park Violet Capital Walkway Loop Trail Walkway Over the Hudson Walkway Over the Hudson State Historic Park Wappinger 9/11 Memorial Wappinger War Memorial Washington’s Sword Wassaic Iron Watts De Peyster Firemens Hall Welcome to Beacon Welcome to Beacon Welcome to Beacon Westward on the Right White Corner Wilderstein Wilderstein's Boathouse William Few World War II World War II Memorial "Aren’t We Dressed Up Fine?" / "Come Siamo Eleganti!" "Downstreet" / Centro Città "Gandy Dancers" / I Construttori della Ferrovia "Perfect Service and Perfect Food" / "Servizio e Cibo Perfetti" "Rough Stonework a Specialty" / "Construzioni in Pietra una Specialità" "Up to Date in Every Respect" / "Aggiornata in Ogni Aspetto" “Historic Diner”
The Erie Canal, which opened in 1825 and connects the Hudson River to the Great Lakes, was originally mocked as "Clinton's Folly" after Governor DeWitt Clinton, who championed the project. However, the canal became an economic boon for New York and helped turn the state into a major commercial center.
Dutchess County, located in the Hudson Valley region of New York State, has a rich and diverse history that dates back centuries. The area was originally inhabited by Native American tribes, including the Wappinger and Mahican tribes, who lived off the land through farming and hunting.

In the early 17th century, the Dutch settled in the area and established trading posts along the Hudson River. The Dutch West India Company, seeking to establish a fur trade network, claimed the area as New Netherland. The name "Dutchess" itself is believed to be derived from the word "duchesa," meaning duchess, as a tribute to the Duchess of York, wife of James II, who was the future King of England.

During the American Revolution, Dutchess County played a significant role as a strategic base for both the British and Continental armies. The area witnessed several important military engagements, including the Battle of White Plains and the burning of Kingston by the British. The establishment of the New York State constitution in 1777 further solidified the county's importance.

In the 19th century, Dutchess County experienced a period of industrial growth, fueled by the construction of canals and railroads. The county became a major hub for manufacturing, with industries such as textiles, milling, and ironworks thriving. Poughkeepsie, the county seat, became a center for commerce and industry, boasting a bustling waterfront and a diverse population.

Today, Dutchess County is known for its picturesque landscapes, historic architecture, and vibrant cultural scene. It is home to several colleges and universities, including Vassar College and Marist College. The county also offers a wide range of recreational activities, such as hiking, boating, and exploring the numerous historical sites and landmarks that pay homage to its rich history.

This timeline provides a glimpse into the major events and milestones that have shaped the history of Dutchess County, New York.

  • 1683 - Dutchess County is established as one of the original 12 counties of New York province.
  • 1720 - The Beekman Patent is granted, leading to the settlement of the area.
  • 1775-1783 - Dutchess County plays a significant role in the American Revolutionary War.
  • 1785 - Poughkeepsie becomes the county seat.
  • 1800s - Dutchess County experiences industrial growth with the development of mills, factories, and the railroad.
  • 1900s - The county expands as more suburban communities are created.
  • 1930s - Franklin D. Roosevelt, a resident of Dutchess County, begins his political career and eventually becomes the 32nd President of the United States.
  • 1963 - The Taconic State Parkway is opened, providing easier access to and from Dutchess County.
  • Present - Dutchess County continues to thrive as a mix of suburban and rural communities, known for its scenic beauty and historical significance.