Program

NYS Historic

Subject

Site

Location

59 Church St, Beacon, NY 12508, USA

Lat/Long

41.505548221708, -73.969062591898

Grant Recipient

Beacon Historical Society

The City of Beacon, New York, an area located in the middle of the Hudson River Valley, stems from a land purchase between the Wappinger tribe and merchant fur traders from New Amsterdam (New York City). In the early 18^th century, European settlers divided this plot of land to form the villages of Fishkill Landing and Matteawan. The village of Fishkill Landing, also called “Fishkill on the Hudson” was a prime location for river freighting. This prominent Hudson River port was incorporated in 1864. In contrast, Matteawan served as a manufacturing center powered by the Fishkill Creek. The area was known as the “hatmaking capital of New York State”, since it hosted several factories devoted to the hat production industry (Platt & Platt, 2019). Matteawan was incorporated as the result of a town election on July 1^st, 1886. The villages were historically divided along Chestnut Street and shared a contiguous Main Street.

The region flourished in the late 19^th century, as local businesses prospered and new residents flocked into the area. The force of industrialization compelled town officials to merge the two villages into the City of Beacon in 1913. The city’s name references signal fires that were once burned atop Mount Beacon to warn local militias of approaching British ships during the Revolutionary War (Musso, 2021).

Sources:

Musso, A. P. (2021, February 23). How did Beacon get its name? It all goes back to George Washington. Poughkeepsie Journal. https://www.poughkeepsiejournal.com/story/news/local/2021/02/23/how-did-beacon-gets-its-name-thank-gen-george-washington/4538677001/

Platt, F. M., & Platt, F. M. (2019, June 7). Beacon’s hatmaking history – Hudson Valley One. Hudson Valley One – Independent news & entertainment of the Hudson Valley. https://hudsonvalleyone.com/2019/05/28/beacons-hatmaking-history/