by Shannon Butler
Once in a while a historic house will suddenly pop up in the news and remind us all of just how much history we have in Dutchess County and right here in Poughkeepsie. There have been recent debates and discussions as to what should be done with the old house and grounds at Wheaton Park. There are plans for building several units for apartments that would have easy access to the train station. Even talk of keeping the old mansion and renovating it to also serve as housing. But what was the original use of this property? And what other purposes did it serve?
What we now know as Wheaton Park today was once the formal grounds and mansion of the Pelton Family. Built around 1860, this home was lived in by brothers Charles and George Pelton. It sits high on a hill just across the Fallkill creek where their factory was located. The brothers operated their factory on Mill street that produced carpets and pins (the factory still stands today!). They did quite well for themselves despite suffering a massive fire in their factory in 1854 (seen in a newspaper article to the right). During the Civil War, they were producing 60,000 yards of carpet a year. Both Pelton brothers had worked their way into the respectable circles of Poughkeepsie society, particularly George, who was a major supporter of the Democratic party in the area and was appointed by President James Buchanan to serve as the Postmaster in Poughkeepsie in 1856. The house was lived in by Charles and his wife Parthenia, and George (who never married) until 1895 when George (who was 16 years younger than his brother Charles) passed away.
The house was then used for a few years as a temporary home for the deaf. The Rev. Thomas Gallaudet was in the process of moving his operations from New York City to Dutchess County. As an Episcopal priest whose mother was deaf, Gallaudet’s mission was to create a home that focused on the needs of deaf mutes. While he was waiting for the construction of his new facility in Wappingers, Gallaudet used the old Pelton house until 1903. Surprisingly, the land that had once been the Pelton’s formal grounds had remained intact even as Poughkeepsie grew up around it, and this is what attracted the attention of local residents who wanted more park space for the city’s children at the start of the 20th century.
Caroline Wheaton, a wealthy philanthropist from right here in Poughkeepsie, decided to leave the city $4,000 at her death in 1908. Her son Isaac was the one who suggested it be used to create a park which is exactly what Mayor John Sague did in 1910. Not only were the grounds preserved and turned into Wheaton Park, but the house soon became a nursery and by 1916, the house was fully operational as a day nursery while the park grounds continued to be enjoyed (as seen in this old postcard to the right). The Poughkeepsie Day Nursery served the city and thousands of children within it for a century, closing up in 2014. The house is listed on the National and State register of Historic Places. What does the future hold for this house and park? Time will tell.
Resources:
Local Register Nomination 36 N. Clover St. – Statement of Significance by Holly Wahlberg, 2010
Poughkeepsie Journal, 1 Jun 1850
Poughkeepsie Journal, 5 Aug 1854
Poughkeepsie Journal, 19 Aug 1854
Poughkeepsie Journal, 7 Jul 1860
Poughkeepsie Journal, 22 Mar 2016, Anthony P. Musso
