Millbrook, New York

, Welcome to Millbrook , In 1697, when this area was thickly forested and unexplored, nine men formed a partnership and were granted a royal charter to a huge tract of land that stretched from the Hudson River to what would become the Connecticut border. Soon known as the Nine Partners Patent, it was eventually divided and developed, and now encompasses several townships, including our Town of Washington, within which the Village of Millbrook is located. , Early settlers were attracted by the abundant hardwood forests covering the rolling hills and valleys. Swiftly moving streams were soon dammed, supporting successful mill sites. Connecting trails evolved from footpaths to wagon ways. The east branch of the Wappinger Creek was first bridged in 1736. As hauling goods to Hudson River docks for shipment to New York became easier, settlements grew near mills and at key crossroads. Each tended to attract a different religious group: Presbyterians settled in present-day Washington Hollow; Episcopalians in Lithgow; and the Society of Friends (Quakers) in the hamlets of Nine Partners and Harts Village. , Nine Partners soon became known as Mechanic because of its mills, forges, clockmaker, smiths, and active trading post. Virtually all were owned by Quakers, who built a log Meeting House there. its 1780 brick replacement (stop 28) still stands virtually unaltered. In addition to a mill site, Harts Village was home to blacksmith Beriah Swift’s factory for mass-produced coffee grinders, which were sold worldwide. , Other early communities also thrived through the mid-19th century. Most had their own post offices, as did Washington Four Corners (today's South Millbrook). When the address was written as Washington DC (for Dutchess County), mail was frequently misdirected to both the hamlet and the nation's capital! , Neighboring farmsteads evolved into large estates. Improved roadways and wagon-friendly turnpikes gave rise to prosperous horse, cattle, and dairy farms, and orchards with their cider mills. An 1869 railway eased transport to New England and New York City and prompted the creation of a new community called Millbrook, with its own station and post office. It soon eclipsed the earlier hamlets and became a preferred destination, absorbing nearby settlements. , The Village of Millbrook was officially incorporated in 1895 for the express purpose of accepting a memorial school building (stop 19) donated to the community by one the area's prominent families. Our seemingly arbitrary village boundaries were actually designed to include parts of neighboring estates whose owners , among them the Thorne, Wing, and Dieterich families , wanted to have a vote in village affairs. (See stops 2, 18, and 27.) Historically, these large estates have supported the local economy, insulating it from fluctuations affecting other parts of the county. , Existing estates drew the socially prominent to Millbrook, resulting in new large country residences and a thriving summer community. Although the railroad no longer exists, the village continues to prosper. The name "Millbrook" gradually came to define a larger rural area, leading one town historian famously to conclude: "Millbrook is a frame of mind.” , For 70 years, young women were educated at Millbrook's Bennett College (stop 29). When it closed in 1977, the community suffered a great loss, felt for decades. , In the 1960s, Millbrook gained a certain notoriety due to the presence of Timothy Leary, a former Harvard professor who briefly lived on one of the local estates and experimented with LSD , until the police chased him away. , The beautiful countryside around Millbrook has always been one of our community's greatest assets. Here, where the traditions of the field and the hunt are held in the highest regard, we have the Millbrook Hunt, the Sandanona Harehounds, several private shooting clubs, and a public town park. The Dutchess Land Conservancy, based in Millbrook, was founded in the early 1980s to preserve the rural character of our area. , The sciences are also part of Millbrook's identity. Near the village is the Cary Institute, a world-renowned independent environmental research organization, offering well-attended public programs. Rockefeller University's Center for Field Research in Ethology and Ecology is recognized internationally. Good public and private schools are also important assets, including the Dutchess Day School (pre-K-8) and Millbrook School (9-12), with its Trevor Zoo for endangered species. , Millbrook Vineyards and Winery has been recognized by the New York Times as “the Hudson Valley's Flagship Winery.” And slightly west of the village is Innisfree, a public garden combining Modernist and Asian influences, an icon of 20th-century American landscape design. , Millbrook continues to reflect the sense of community characterized by its 19th-century roots. Shopkeepers still wave to passers-by. People say hello on the street. "In Flanders Fields" and the "Gettysburg Address" are still recited during the village's annual Memorial Day services. All of this in a bucolic setting within two hours of New York City. , ,