by Shannon Butler Everyone gets excited when they hear mention of a whale spotted swimming up the Hudson River. It doesn’t happen that frequently since the river is a mix of freshwater and salty ocean water. The salt line generally moves between Newburgh and Poughkeepsie, depending on things like the seasons, weather, and snowmelt. So when you read a title like "Whaling in Poughkeepsie," it makes one wonder: just how many whales did they catch around here? Well, none, actually. In the 18th and early 19th centuries, whaling was a big business, and one could easily find several ships on the Atlantic and Pacific oceans from major ports all over the world. Whale oil was used for making soaps, paints, textiles, and fuel for lamplight, while whale bones were used in the fashion world for things like hoop skirts and corsets. The major ports in the U.S. that saw the most action, and therefore the most profit, were places like New Bedford and Nantucket, Massachusetts, and New London, Connecticut. Those places were also home to the most experienced sailors and whalers. The idea of a place like Poughkeepsie (where the economy was mainly focused on agricultural goods) becoming a major whaling [...]

by Shannon Butler It may be a little cold to think about baseball, but last night the classic film A League of Their Own was on TV, so why not? It reminded us of some photos that we have in our collections of the Riverview Baseball team from the 1890s (see image on right). Of course, it is very common to see organized teams of men in sports in the 19th century, but it is much rarer to see images of women, especially in baseball, from that time. It was even more rare to see a woman so concerned with women's place in baseball (but we’ve got a few pictures of her too!). Helen Worthing was born in Boston in 1837, and after studying at the New England Female Medical College, she became a doctor by the age of 25, one of the first female doctors. She ended up serving during the American Civil War, which is when she met and married another doctor, William Webster. Dr. Helen Webster eventually made her way to Poughkeepsie, where she was asked to serve as the Resident Physician and Professor of Physiology and Hygiene at Vassar College in 1874 (check out the images of [...]

by Shannon Butler This week’s blog post is basically a cheap advertisement for our upcoming virtual program, "Local History Discussion: Vail Photography Studios." For several months now, we've been working on transcribing the ledgers that once belonged to the Vail Brothers studios. In that time, we learned the identities of well over 7,000 people in our collection of Vail photographs. Every once in a while, we got the urge to look into some of these individuals in order to learn something about their lives. (Oh, the rabbit holes!) On Wednesday January 13, beginning at 7:00 PM, we will dive into some of the stories we have uncovered. Some of them you've read about in previous blog posts, and some are brand new! We will cover the history of the company, which began in 1868 and ran until 1900, right on Main Street in Poughkeepsie. They photographed everyone, from the wealthy to traveling hobos, from incoming college students to Vassar professors. We are going to share with you some of the faces of the past, some of which we still haven’t been able to identify, but these faces are still fascinating to look at and it’s fun to ponder what was going [...]

by Shannon Butler Most of us have come to the conclusion that 2020 was a year for the books. For some of us, that book would be in the genre of horror, tragedy, and maybe even dystopian? Either way, the history books that will eventually be written about this year will be mostly hard to read. So we are all looking forward (perhaps nervously) to the new year and what possibilities 2021 might bring. Most of the celebrations for the coming of the new year are going to be cut-down versions of their former selves. So how have we celebrated New Year's Eve in the past? Big parties, dances, dinners, and a bit of drinking, right? As seen by the two newspaper articles on the right, it was a wild night on December 31, 1921, when everyone welcomed the new year here in Poughkeepsie. There were parties at various clubs, restaurants, theaters, and private gatherings. It should be noted that in 1921, the U.S. witnessed the beginning of the Prohibition era. This means that when people did manage to get their hands on some liquor, it was both illegal and not necessarily safe for consumption. Both of these articles are on [...]

by Shannon Butler It’s that time of year again, folks. Of course, this year has certainly been one for the books. It will be interesting to see what future historians have to say about the things we've done, or didn’t do. Some of our holiday traditions (like big family gatherings) will be put on hold for the sake of our own heath. However, there is one thing we can do (and clearly many of us have done) that will bring us some holiday cheer, and that is... decorating! Are you one of the many who decided to learn how to bake while on quarantine? Maybe you got super fancy with the sugar cookie designs? Or perhaps you decided to learn how to make your own ornaments, or take some extra time to wrap things up in order to make them look super pretty? Did you finally master the art of making a gingerbread house? Where does the desire to deck the halls and Christmas trees in our living room come from? It can be argued that the trend setter for this was none other than Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, who first showcased their decorated tree in 1848. At first, decorations [...]

by Shannon Butler Growing up in the 19th century could be tough if your family didn’t have any money. It was even harder for those children who lost their parents either through death or just plain old abandonment. Before 1850, there was almost no place for an orphan to go to for safety, shelter, and food. Generally, they would end up in an almshouse (also known as the poorhouse) with adults who had also fallen on hard times. Ending up in a poorhouse meant no schooling or any kind of a proper education, at least until a group of concerned well-to-do women from the area decided to create an institution to house and care for children and homeless women (a.k.a. the friendless). It was in January of 1847 when a group of women - including local names like Adriance, Wilkinson, and Bartlett - got together and formed a society known as the Female Guardian Society. Their goal was to house, feed, educate, and care for children and women who were destitute. There was no real money to work with at first, other than what the ladies managed to contribute through donations, which remained the main source of income throughout their work. [...]

by Shannon Butler If you've been reading this blog since the beginning, you know that when we use the term "History Nerd," we mean it with the highest possible respect. To be a true history nerd, you must love the study of history. You read about it all the time, you brake for historic site signs along the road, you partake in watching documentaries on TV (love me some Ken Burns!), you might even volunteer some of your time and/or money to a local historical society. One of the area’s earliest history nerds would go on to become a nationally known historian and illustrator, a man of many talents: Benson John Lossing. Lossing was born in Beekman in 1813 and was orphaned at a young age. He did not receive much of a formal education (unlike modern-day historians), but instead, he was a quick learner and eager to take on different projects and skills. At the age of 13, he made his way to Poughkeepsie and began an apprenticeship with Adam Henderson making jewelry and watches. He entered into a partnership with Henderson within a few years. He then moved on to the printing business under the guidance of E.B. Killey, [...]

by Shannon Butler Historians have a habit of randomly researching something that sparks our interest. You discover something you didn’t know and soon find yourself going down a rabbit hole, searching for clues that give us answers which only lead to more questions, and finding lots of dead-ends. This leads us to this week’s Local History Blog post and a maddening series of discoveries and mysteries (ah! the joys of being a historian). Walking down Main Street in Poughkeepsie today, one would never know that a massive factory once stood on the northeast corner of Main and Cherry Street. Well over a century ago, the building you see on the right (image from the collection of the Library of Congress) was the workplace of over 400 men, and almost everyone in the city would own a pair of shoes or boots made by J.O. Whitehouse and Company. John Osborne Whitehouse was born in Rochester New Hampshire in 1817 and worked on a modest farm until he was 18 years old. He then made his way into Brooklyn to begin his business career and he appears to have succeeded rather quickly. By the early 1860s he began the firm of J.O. Whitehouse [...]

by Shannon Butler Do you enjoy cooking and baking? Are you getting ready to make some old favorites for Thanksgiving? Or are you looking to try something new this year? Many of us are rethinking the way we celebrate this old holiday in a new way because, well... 2020 (need we say more?). Here in the Local History room, we decided to dig into some of our collections of cookbooks and menus to see if we could find some inspiration. The cookbooks that we have stretch back to the early 19th century and some of the recipes sound quite familiar, while others have fallen out of fashion. Typical items on a Thanksgiving menu included turkey or ham, potatoes, green beans, rolls, and pies. The first menu on the right from the book Recipes of Yesteryear, compiled by the Antique Study Club of Poughkeepsie, shows a pretty standard Thanksgiving in the early 20th century. Flipping through a cookbook from 1913 published by the Ladies Aid Society of the First Baptist Church of Poughkeepsie, we find how to properly roast a turkey and a recipe for Oyster Dressing (see right). Interested in trying something new (but actually old?). In our collection is the [...]

by Shannon Butler Is it safe to say that we all miss going out to the theater? Whether it's going to see the latest blockbuster adventure film or that big hit musical, we are all looking forward to the day when we can buy a ticket to some sort of show. Americans have enjoyed the theater since the first one popped up in Philadelphia in 1809 (there were certainly plays being performed before that, but the Walnut Street Theater is the oldest structure meant for just that purpose). Here in Poughkeepsie, we have one of the longest running theaters in the country and the oldest continuously run theater in New York State. The Bardavon 1869 Opera House, once known as the Collingwood Theater, has a long history with some pretty famous performers in attendance. The Collingwood was originally the idea of Mr. James Collingwood, a Poughkeepsie merchant who made a good deal of wealth in the businesses of coal and lumber. The theater came of age when Poughkeepsie itself was in the process of morphing into a major hub for cultural activities. As most of us know, Poughkeepsie would soon be the home of several industries, as well as some prominent [...]

by Shannon Butler It's 8:30 AM, and you are trying to merge into the bottleneck that makes up the eastbound side of the Mid-Hudson Bridge. From the toll booths of four lanes, you manage to make your way into one of the two lanes that are open for the morning rush hour into Poughkeepsie. But along the way, you may find yourself saying things like, “Where did you learn to drive?” or “Get out of the way, grandpa!” or “It’s the pedal on the right!” You get the picture. When we are stuck in traffic in the middle of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Bridge, do we ever take the time to consider its history? The bridge is 90 years old, after all, and its construction is a work of considerable ingenuity. Even as automobiles became popular in the early 1900s, there were no bridge crossings over the Hudson between Manhattan and Albany, though there had always been a desire for such a project. In 1888, the Poughkeepsie Railroad bridge was finally completed, but it quickly became clear that this would not be used by the public, only for train crossings. As early as 1913, there were efforts led by politicians as [...]

by Shannon Butler In the mid-19th century, the Adriance family rose to prominence with their mowing and farming tools business. Reapers and mowers made this family one of the wealthiest in all of Poughkeepsie. It all started with John Adriance Sr., who dabbled in everything from the Dutchess Iron Works, to jewelry sales, to working on a mowing machine called the “Forbush.” He did well for himself, but it was his son’s strong sense of business and his ability to see a good idea (and buy up the patents for it) that made the family truly wealthy. John P. Adriance was born in Poughkeepsie in 1825 and educated locally. First, he attended the Dutchess Academy, located at the time on the site of what is now the Vassar-Warner Home on the corner of South Hamilton and Hooker Avenue. Afterward, he attended the Poughkeepsie Collegiate School on College Hill. He started as a young clerk at Storm and Uhl’s hardware store, where he learned the art of running a business as well as understanding the needs of industrialists and farmers alike. Within a few years, he made his way down to New York City, where he became part of Sears, Adriance, and [...]

by Shannon Butler Halloween has become one of the most popular holidays on our calendar. Regardless of the pandemic, Americans are still forging ahead, finding new ways to celebrate an old Celtic tradition. As a nation, we still plan on spending a lot of money (only slightly less than we did before the era of Covid), about 8 billion dollars between the candy, the decorations, and the costumes (that’s more than twice the amount of the yearly budget for the National Park Service, just to give you an idea). We spend almost half a million dollars on costumes just for our pets (guilty). As a lover of Halloween, I personally added another $25 to my budget this year for materials to construct a candy chute on my front porch. This will help with the practice of social distancing for anyone who ventures out for trick or treating. Back at the turn of the last century, there were a lot more tricks going on than treats. If you look through the local newspapers in the 1890s and early 1900s, you will find that most of the articles about Halloween are concerning the local parties and pranks from the younger generations. In 1883 [...]

by Shannon Butler Step back in time for a moment to the 1750s. Poughkeepsie is a rather small village with only a few streets, but it is growing quickly. In this early time there was a Dutch Reformed church and a Quaker meeting house. It would seem that there was a desire from several English speaking residents in the area to establish a congregation on behalf of the Church of England. That is what the Reverend Samuel Seabury (Sr.) said as he traveled by horseback from Long Island into the Dutchess County area in 1755. He was a missionary who baptized several people along the way and wrote down his thoughts on the need for a church somewhere around Poughkeepsie or Fishkill. Though he had his own church to keep watch over in Hempstead Long Island, it does make one wonder what called him on such a long and rigorous journey? He traveled into Dutchess County several times over the next 7 years and preached in private homes in Poughkeepsie and Fishkill. During each visit, he continued to expand the population of baptized members for the Church of England, but never got around to building the foundations of a physical house [...]

by Shannon Butler Living in this Covid era, we are all concerned with sickness and health, perhaps more than usual. So let us take a moment to look at a hospital that has been somewhat forgotten, though it has been repurposed for educational pursuits: the Bowne Memorial Hospital. At the turn of the 20th century, there was another health concern that had no cure, and was transmitted through droplets. This disease was known as Tuberculosis (or if you want the romantic Victorian term, Consumption). Patients with TB who went untreated had a 50% chance of dying within several years of contraction. People tended to avoid those with TB, and there was certainly a need for places to house these patients while continuing to work on therapy and finding a cure. Samuel W. Bowne was a merchant and chemist from New York City, and by the late 19th century, he had managed to make a good deal of money selling Scott’s Emulsion, which was said to help the immune system, amongst other things. When Bowne died in 1910, his wife Nettie wanted to find a cause to contribute some of her husband’s wealth to. Nettie found inspiration from her cousin, prominent member [...]

by Shannon Butler Can you imagine a time in Poughkeepsie when you were more likely to see a horse and carriage go by than a car? That was the case at the turn of the 20th century. Buying an automobile was mostly reserved for the super wealthy, and even many of those individuals were reluctant to move onto the horseless carriage. However, by the early 1900s, a small group of Americans were interested in bringing the automobile to our town. Not just any car, but “The Master Car,” an Italian car, which would somehow be made into something distinctly American, The Fiat. In June of 1909, officials from the Fiat company were looking at property in Poughkeepsie to build their factory. The president of this American venture, Ben J. Eichberg, had been a diamond merchant and he had every intention of catering to the same sort of people who spent money on diamonds (the cheapest American Fiat ever listed was the 1914 Light Thirty at $3,600, that's about $92,000 today). The rest of the team was made up of men who knew a thing or two about cars, but they were certainly all American. “A royalty was paid to Fiat in [...]