by Shannon Butler Here in the Local History room we have some original letters from a soldier who saw action during the Civil War. Not only did he witness men fighting and dying but he also witnessed the breaking down of racial barriers for the benefit of the war effort. Robert Newlin Verplanck was born at Mount Gulian on November 18th 1842. Of course all of you local history nerds will know that Mount Gulian is a fabulous historic site located in Fishkill and well worth a visit (when the Covid 19 crisis is over that is). Verplanck was fortunate enough to be the son of William Verplanck and Anne Newlin Verplanck and was therefore a descendent of Gulian Verplanck, one of the Rombout Patent owners (in other words, they had some money). Young Robert was first educated at the Poughkeepsie Collegiate school before heading off to Harvard in 1858. During his time in college the Civil War broke out and he stayed long enough to graduate in 1863. Soon after leaving Harvard, he volunteered to join the 22nd Regiment of the New York State Militia but quickly made his way into a new and eye opening role. Just before Verplanck [...]

by Shannon Butler Franklin Delano Roosevelt was a true history nerd. Not only did he focus on the history of his family while studying at Harvard, but soon thereafter he was one of the creators of the Dutchess County Historical Society. By the 1920’s he was serving as the appointed historian of the Town of Hyde Park and collecting as many early records of the area as he could find. This passion for history carried into his most important role as the 32nd President of the United States. What’s interesting to note is that during his twelve years in office he still remained the town historian and even though he was President of the country, he was still only Vice President (one of many) of the Dutchess County Historical Society. We can see through a series of letters that one of the most powerful men in the world was still capable of geeking-out over historical facts that concerned his beloved Hyde Park. Located in the Local History room here at Adriance Library is a box of letters from FDR to his friend and fellow history nerd, Helen Wilkinson Reynolds. Both had grown up in the Dutchess county area during the late [...]