Documentary film about railroad resurfaces after 40 years
Filmmaker Philip Milano of Dover Plains holds the Scotch U-matic cassette containing his original 1970s documentary about the Harlem Valley Transportation Association.
Aly Morrissey
Aly Morrissey
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Millerton Fire Co. members monitor a fire at the Brown Cup Diner on Route 22. The diner would later be completely destroyed by the fire.
Archive photo
At the time, building codes didn’t exist and materials were much more flammable. Densely populated communities like the newly-formed Millerton could face devastation if a fire broke out and spread through the community.
That fear materialized in January 1891, Vandebogart said, when the Millerton Hotel near the intersection of John Street and Center Street caught fire. Village residents banded together with buckets to try to douse the flames, but the effort wasn’t enough to save the building. The incident highlighted a need for an organized fire company with proper firefighting equipment.
The fire company officially formed in January 1892, after village trustees met at the Millerton National Bank and voted to create a local fire company. Trustees later elected to name the company the E.H. Thompson Hose Company in honor of the bank’s president, who provided the venue for the trustees’ early meetings.
A truck lies on its side after losing control and striking the barrier at the “checkerboard corner” on Route 22 south of the intersection with Route 44. Archive photo
The newly-formed hose company soon purchased a horse-drawn hose cart, complete with a 500-foot hose, wrenches and 28 pails for carrying water. An additional horse-driven cart carried nine ladders.
The fire company’s first official home was a building that still stands at the corner of Dutchess Avenue and Century Boulevard in Millerton, neighboring the building that houses EcoBuilders and Moore & Moore Printing. That building was constructed in 1902 and named the E.H. Thompson Fire House to further honor the Millerton National Bank’s president.
Millerton’s fire department slowly grew, expanding its equipment collection until a new firehouse was necessary and constructed in 1962. That building on Century Boulevard still serves as the company’s main firehouse today and is currently undergoing renovations to its exterior.
Firefighters have had to staff the firehouse 24/7 on multiple occasions during the village’s history — including in 1969 when a massive snowstorm shut down Route 22 for two days and two nights.
People crowded the firehouse for a warm place to stay as the snowstorm stranded travelers and forced some locals out of their homes. Everyone was stuck until large snow blowers arrived from Poughkeepsie to clear Route 22.
But Vandebogart said the fire company faces more profound challenges than just fighting fires. Changing demographics in the area and increased training standards have created challenges for the volunteer organization.
“Everything is modeled for career,” Vandebogart said, highlighting a shift over recent decades toward professional emergency medical services and firefighters nationwide. As that shift has occurred, safety standards and training requirements have risen across the board, placing a larger burden on volunteers.
A volunteer firefighter monitors an active blaze.Archive photo
Another challenge is attracting new members. In 2017, the Millerton Fire Company ran a program known as “Explorers,” which allowed teenagers from 14 and up to participate in volunteer work at the firehouse.
But that program folded due to staffing issues, and the North East Fire District Board of Commissioners has proposed a policy limiting volunteer participation to those no younger than 16 at its regular meeting on Tuesday, April 21.
Vandebogart said the rising cost of living in the region further exacerbates recruitment challenges. As costs increase, younger generations of Millertonians have become less likely to stay in the community to build a life.
“Membership kind of ebbs and flows,” Vandebogart said. “It is hard to keep young people around here.”
Looking toward the future, Vandebogart said the fire company hopes to avoid having to transition to professional firefighting for as long as possible.
“We’re just trying to keep it volunteer,” Vandebogart said.
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Millerton’s early days brought huge change to the community
Courtesy U.S. Library of Congress
According to “A Beckon Call to a Village,” a 2001 history compiled by former North East Historical Society president Diane Thompson, leaders in the already-established Town of North East understood the opportunity a rail line could bring.
A meeting was held at the Wakeman House, home of local farmer Walter Wakeman, where a small group of men began laying out plans for a village that did not yet exist.
Wakeman himself played a crucial role, selling a 66-foot strip of his farm – nearly half a mile long – to the railroad. Additional acreage followed to accommodate a depot, engine house, sheds and extra track.
Civil engineer Sidney Miller is credited with bringing the railroad to what would later be known as Millerton in 1851. According to historical documents, he was so well regarded that the village was named in his honor.
On Sept. 1, 1851, the first train rolled into Millerton.
Two men pose with a mile marker noting the distance from Millerton to New York City.Courtesy U.S. Library of Congress
Iron production also played a key role in Millerton’s early growth. In 1854, the Millerton Iron Company established a major foundry in the area known as Irondale.
By 1882, the plant employed about 150 workers and by 1890 it was producing up to 12,000 tons of pig iron annually. The raw iron was used to manufacture cast-iron products, including railroad car wheels.
Irondale grew into a small industrial hamlet with a general store, grist mill and post office.
With the railroad established, Millerton quickly expanded. In 1852, just one year after the first train arrived, the Millerton Hotel was erected on North Center Street behind what is now the Oakhurst Diner. Built by Alexander Hawley, Alexander Trowbridge and James Winchell, the two-story building catered to rail passengers and visitors.
The hotel was later acquired by A.J. Pulver, who modernized it. For roughly 50 years, it stood as a symbol of Millerton’s growth before being dismantled in 1936. Its materials were salvaged during the Great Depression.
That early period saw the construction of a Greek Revival-style commercial building that housed E.W. Simmons & Co., Millerton’s first general store. Opened in partnership with Harvey Roe of Spencer’s Corners, the store sold groceries, lumber and building supplies.
A historical photograph depicts Millerton’s Methodist church on Main Street ca. 1910.Courtesy U.S. Library of Congress
By the mid-1860s, Millerton’s commercial district continued to expand. In 1865, prominent builder Ambrose Beers constructed an Italianate-style carpenter shop that would later become home to Dewitt “Dewey” Husted and his wife. For 18 years, it operated as a confectionery and bakery. It later served as a sporting goods and furniture store, and after a 2008 renovation is now home to Elyse Harney Real Estate.
By 1875, Millerton was formally incorporated and recognized as a municipality. Kneeland J. Munson became the village’s first mayor.
In just 24 years, Millerton had transformed from farmland to railroad outpost to incorporated village, with even greater expansion waiting in the decades to come.
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