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Millerton’s Fire Company exemplifies long history of community volunteerism
Nathan Miller
Apr 29, 2026
An historic photograph from the Millerton News shows a blaze consuming the former Brown Cup Diner on Route 22 south of Millerton in the early 1970s. The Brown Cup Diner fire was one of a series of fires in the 1970s that received major coverage in local news outlets. The building was fully engulfed in flames, forcing fire crews to simply watch and wait until an appropriate time came to begin smothering the blaze.
Photo Courtesy North East Historical Society
MILLERTON — Millerton’s volunteer fire department has been battling blazes in the area for more than 130 years, charting a history of heroism in the village that began with a failed attempt to save a prominent hotel in 1891.
North East Fire District Commissioner Dave Vandebogart, who serves as the fire company’s historian, is himself a third-generation member of the Millerton Fire Company. He said Millerton’s rapid growth after the arrival of the railroad spurred the need for an organized fire department.
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.
Calls for a fire department grew over the course of 1891, strengthening support for a common water works system for the village that would be necessary for a proper municipal firefighting force.
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.
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.
In the 1890s, only Fire Chief Mintline Morgan and his Assistant Chief wore helmets or uniforms. Regular company members wouldn’t get their own hats and uniforms until 1901.
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 built in 1902 and named the E.H. Thompson Fire House to further honor the Millerton National Bank’s president.
Firefighters would continue to battle blazes with the horse-drawn hose cart for another 20 years until the company purchased the Brockway fire engine in 1922. The truck, described as a “chemical apparatus” in a 2017 recounting of the fire company’s history written by Vandebogart, was used for 25 years and then sold in 1948 for $100.
The 1920s were a time of change for the fire company. Company leaders and village officials voted to drop E.H. Thompson’s name in favor of the modern “Millerton Fire Company” moniker in 1924, to reflect the company’s presence in Millerton and recent access to modern firefighting technology like motorized trucks and pumps.
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 man 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 local churches and 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.
That snowstorm is just one of the many catastrophes that Millerton firefighters have responded to. Vandebogart described a fire at Suburban Propane in 1965 that set a record for the largest response to a fire in Dutchess County History.
“That was three days and three nights,” Vandebogart said. He said the fire started when a propane tanker truck’s brakes failed, causing it to roll into a storage tank at the Millerton propane facility and explode.
Firefighters responded to the explosion quickly, dousing nearby propane tanks with water to keep temperatures down and prevent further explosions while simultaneously dousing active flames.
“I was five years old at the time,” Vandebogart said. “I remember looking out the back door at one of the explosions that had just taken place.”
That record stood until Jan. 1, 1996, when a fire at Polytech Corporation in Dover, New York, triggered a larger response.
Over the past 34 years, the fire company has expanded to a brand new garage across Century Boulevard from the current firehouse.
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.
“When I started in 1986 we had the ‘Essentials of Firemanship,’” Vandebogart said. “It was 39 hours and you learned a lot.” Today, firefighters are required to complete more than 100 hours of training and education to qualify for service.
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 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 fixers
Nathan Miller
Apr 29, 2026
Nathan Miller
Local volunteers provide repair assistance at a Repair Café in the NorthEast-Millerton Library Annex on Saturday, April 25. The initiative, sponsored by the Millerton/North East Climate Smart Task Force, provided repairs to small electronics and appliances, furniture and textiles for up to two items per person for free.
Webutuck Elementary extends registration for free Pre-K, kindergarten
Graham Corrigan
Apr 29, 2026
Webutuck Pre-K students enjoy quiet reading time together at Webutuck Elementary School.
Photo Provided
AMENIA — Webutuck Elementary School has extended registration for its free Pre-K and kindergarten programs, opening enrollment until all remaining spots are filled as demand for early childhood education continues to rise.
The program is open to children who will be 3 or 4 years old on or before Dec. 1, 2026.
“We’re seeing the need for this in the community,” said Webutuck Elementary principal Amanda Coppola.
Affordable childcare is a pressing concern for Dutchess County. The number of county-wide early learning centers has dipped sharply, including the closure of North East Community Center’s Early Learning Program in December 2025.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul has made universal childcare a priority, earmarking $4.5 billion for a statewide program. A pilot program of $60 million for Dutchess, Monroe and Broome Counties was announced in January.
But that money isn’t available until 2027. Webutuck Elementary is one of the local schools trying to bridge the gap — this is the first year the school is including 3-year-olds in their Pre-K programming.
Previously, only 4-year-olds were eligible to participate. “It’s a start into socialization,” Coppola said. “We encourage a lot of outdoor activities, and the kids learn how to deal with different personalities.”
Pre-K also allows teachers to identify children who may struggle with the transition to school and provide support they might not otherwise receive.
To participate in the Pre-K 3 program, parents can call the school’s main office and set up a screening appointment. They’ll be asked to provide proof of residency and documents verifying their child’s age. To sign up, parents can call the school at 845-373-4100, ext. 1111. An orientation for registered students is scheduled for May 8.
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Amenia artist repurposes discarded glassware for sustainable candles
Leila Hawken
Apr 29, 2026
Emma Berley has recently launched her mostly on-line endeavor called Underdog’s Revival Candle in her Amenia home.
Photo by Leila Hawken
AMENIA — A local artist is repurposing discarded glassware as vessels for handcrafted candles, blending sustainability with creative expression through her small business, Underdog’s Revival Candle.
Underdog’s Revival Candle is the home-based workshop of Emma Berley, an artist who has expanded her practice into candle-making using natural ingredients and repurposed vessels.
“I became obsessed with making candles,” Berley said during a studio tour on Wednesday, April 22. She began the learning process in 2020, she recalled, before moving with her family to Amenia in 2023.
What sets the candle company apart is devotion to artistic expression that also sees possibilities in items that have been devalued or discarded, returning them to usefulness in the form of candles.
“The first step is to collect the glassware,” Berley explained, citing likely sources such as thrift shops, yard sales and auction sites.
“There are tons of vessels out there in the world,” Berley said, adding that intriguing containers can also be created using a glass cutter on wine and beer bottles. She also repurposes vintage china, pressed glass and cut glass — items no longer widely used in modern homes.
Beyond the containers, candle colors and fragrances are natural. Berley said that she avoids synthetic fragrances, often handcrafting her own using lavender, citrus and vanilla beans, having learned early on that commercial vanilla extract cannot be used in wax because of its flammable alcohol content.
Berley grows many of the herbs used for her candles in her home garden.
“I want local people to come and pick up the candles,” Berley said, offering a 20% discount for customers who order online and choose pickup.
“I want to get the marketing and business side going,” Berley said. “I could sit and make candles, but how do I market them?”
Plans for the future may include teaching the art, especially around holidays, she said.
“Making candles is not that simple,” Berley said. “You have to know what wick goes with what container,” she added as something learned from experience. Also, she has learned that wax with added fragrance does not reheat well.
“Sometimes, I just need to discard rather than re-melt,” she said.
Berley’s workshop studio is located at 4942 Route 22, next to the former location of Tent. Berley resides on site, along with her husband, Joe, and their daughter Raina.
To learn more about Underdog’s Revival Candle and see the offerings, visit www.underdogcandles.store or on Instagram @underdogsrevivalcandles.
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Alden Place students get dirty for Arbor Day
Leila Hawken
Apr 29, 2026
In observance of Arbor Day on Friday, April 24, third grade students at Alden Place School took turns shoveling soil around a newly planted sweetgum tree, helping give it a strong start.
Leila Hawken
MILLBROOK — Nothing says Arbor Day like planting a tree.
The third grade class at Alden Place School gathered on school grounds Friday, April 24, for a ceremony that included a proclamation reading and the planting of a young sweetgum tree.
“I am an arborist and this is my favorite day,” Dennis Gendron of Twin Brooks Farm told the students. His farm had donated and prepared the spot where the 8-year-old tree would grow. He pointed out that the young tree was about the same age as the students. Then he pointed out a 25-year-old Sweetgum tree providing ample shade for the school’s entrance. The youngsters marveled at the size difference.
To mark the occasion, Village Trustee Julia Bucklin read an official proclamation issued by Mayor Peter Doro. The 45 students then lined up each to take a turn at shoveling one spadeful of soil onto the roots.
“This is a great opportunity for our students to learn about the role that trees play in our community,” said Alden Place’s Principal Andrew Cedermark, noting that trees provide animal habitat, clean fresh air and beauty within view of the classroom windows.
A similar Arbor Day observance and tree planting was held a short time later at Elm Drive Elementary School.
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Annual radio play brings vintage vibe to The Fountains
Leila Hawken
Apr 29, 2026
The cast took a well-earned bow following their performance at the annual Fountains Radio Play presentation of “The Speakeasy’s Secret” on Friday, April 24.
Leila Hawken
MILLBROOK — A capacity audience filled seats at The Fountains assisted living facility on Friday, April 24, for another production by the Radio Workshop.
Now a regular feature of The Fountains’ entertainment lineup, the Radio Workshop — a resident-led group that produces live, old-time-style radio plays — returned with an original mystery, continuing a tradition that began in 2024.
“Each year the group grows in numbers,” said Marge Wardrop, playwright, project director, play narrator and The Fountains resident who leads the Radio Workshop venture.
This year’s production,“The Speakeasy’s Secret,” moved between 1929 and 2026, with a brief stop in 1949, all kept straight by Wardrop’s narration. A third of the stage held the 1929 action, while the remaining two-thirds represented present day life at The Fountains. A piano situated between the two eras and played by Judy Handman and Arline Wood provided musical interlude before and during the performance.
Additional fun spots were provided by familiar old-time radio commercials presented by the cast and giggled over by the audience.
Live sound effects were in the hands of Shelia Attlesey and Pat Carr, while Wayne Chadwell managed the audio equipment.
The 11-scene story begins in 1929, when speakeasies operated in secret under Prohibition and backroom bookmaking was common. At Harry’s Place, business is faltering and a raid appears imminent. Harry, along with two associates and his wife Velma, decides to hide $100,000 in a location in upstate New York before authorities close in. Think Millbrook.
Harry is eventually imprisoned for 20 years, but the cash is said to have made it to Millbrook undetected and hidden somewhere. Harry’s granddaughter, Mabel, in 2026, is determined to find it, so she moves into The Fountains, along with her disagreeable, alienating personality.
Mabel’s behavior raises the suspicions of The Fountains residents, many of whom are into detective work.
The single clue that Mabel carries with her from her grandfather, Harry, is: “You’ll find the money if you change your ways.”
As residents reach out in friendship, Mabel gradually softens and shares the clue, having been assured that they just want to help her and don’t want a share of the cash.
Friendship wins out. Mabel changes her ways and her rough demeanor, and in short order, the cash is found in The Fountains’ chapel basement. That building did exist in 1929.
Mabel is so changed that she decides, along with her new friends, that money is no longer important and donates the funds to the chapel renovation fund. Mabel announces that she will move permanently to The Fountains.
The final scene takes care of the loose end of Harry’s release from prison in 1949, as his wife and cohorts are there to pick him up. They show interest in driving to Millbrook to reconnect with the money stash, but Harry reports that he has gone straight, no longer interested in the money, having turned over a new leaf thanks to the excellence of a prison program.
This final scene was clearly critical to seeing that the stash remained in place until 2026 for Mabel to find.
Judging from the hearty audience approval, The Fountains Radio Workshop will likely be encouraged to create more radio adventures for residents and visitors.
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