With so many changes taking place in the world today, including in our local business communities, The Millerton News has been taking a closer look at how the village of Millerton has evolved in the years leading up to the present day. The paper has been running a multi-part series on the many alterations that have taken place in the Millerton business district since it was first established in the late 1800s. This is the third and last part in that series.
Part III
MILLERTON — Today, of course, the hip village of Millerton offers many amenities and resources for locals and visitors alike — from the scenic Harlem Valley Rail Trail (HVRT) just steps from the Main Street shopping district to the oodles of antiques shops to the trendy spots where one can pick up anything from a 100% natural Pyrenean Duck Down duvet cover for a mere $1,533 at Westerlind to an 8 oz. jar of Meyer Lemon Rosemary Jelly from Les Collines at The Dig for a more reasonable $16 to a catnip seed packet from the Hudson Valley Seed Co. at Oblong Books & Music for an affordable $3.99 — but the one thing shoppers won’t find in Millerton these days is a grocery store.
Sans supermarket & sewer
In 1971 brothers Skip and Robert Trotta, who own the Millerton Square Plaza on Route 44 heading east toward the Connecticut border, opened the Millerton Super grocery store at the plaza; it later became the Great American, then Grand Union, and lastly, the space was leased by the owners of the successful Sharon Farm Market in neighboring Connecticut who opened it as the Millerton Fresh Market in 2017. However, the store’s model did not do well in New York and it closed in 2019.
Millerton has been without a supermarket- ever since — creating a huge void in its ability to remain self sufficient and forcing local residents to rely on convenience stores, farmers markets, food delivery services, specialty shops and food pantries for sustenance. None of these are practical for a community that wants to be 100% independent and build up its reputation as a place where economic development can thrive.
The village is also without a sewer system, which the Village and Town Boards have been actively pursuing; the Millerton Business Alliance (MBA) just launched a petition drive during the weekend of April 17, “to build support for the creation of a wastewater disposal system” in the business district.
Oblong Books & Music co-owner and HVRT Association President Dick Hermans, who was recently tapped to be on the town’s Economic Development Committee, said he’s confident a “grocery store will be on the top of their agenda,” words the town supervisor has himself confirmed to this newspaper. Hermans, who is also active with the Millerton Business Alliance, said he firmly believes a wastewater solution is essential for future economic development.
“I would just like to see the septic water disposal happen because it really would inspire people to fix our properties a little more and to fix up older buildings in town,” he said.
Hermans owns the Oblong property at 26 Main St. and has invested in his building over the years, making regular repairs to the older structure and improving property values in the village’s business district as a result.
Other Main Street upgrades and additions
Improvements are also being made right now at The Moviehouse, which was just sold on March 15 by longtime owner Carol Sadlon. Sadlon founded the theater and arts space with her late husband, Robert, in 1978. She sold the iconic entertainment venue to Connecticut buyers David Maltby and Chelsea Altman. The pair has big plans, which will keep the theater as an anchor in the business district and as a draw for residents from around the Tri-state region.
It’s one of the many reasons why Gillian Osnato, who is also from over the border but now lives in Millerton, said she decided to open a confectionery and ice-cream shop on Main Street — smack in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic. Osnato named her shop Candy-O’s; it’s located at 28 Main St. She spoke of the village’s other attractions.
“I definitely think the Rail Trail is a really unique and exciting feature that draws people to the town, and then there’s The Moviehouse,” she said, “when it opens up again it will be a really fun and exciting thing to have, especially because as a kid that’s what we did, you would go to the movies and you would get excited to do that. Otherwise you had to travel so far.
“This really is a tourist town, even before the pandemic. You can’t go over the border to Lakeville or to Salisbury or Sharon even. The closest tourist hub is Great Barrington, Mass.,” she said. “This has become the spot, and it’s the kind of place where having grown up here and seeing it evolve is kind of amazing.”
Osnato’s father, Sal, owns the T-Shirt Farm, just a few stores down, at the corner of South Center Street and Main, where he sells all sorts of T-shirts that can be customized with graphic iron-on images along with sweatshirts and mugs and other novelty items. He’s been a Millerton merchant for years and encouraged his daughter to open, even though it was an unusual business climate. The risk was well worth it, she said.
A surprisingly good time to start a business
“There wasn’t anything like it,” said Osnato of her candy store. “We knew it would be a good fit… having sweets and everybody loves ice cream… Go to any destination town and there will be a shop like mine.”
In fact, Osnato has been so successful since opening on March 19, mainly catering to families with children after 3 p.m. on weekends, that some days she serves 100 people or more.
“I think people are ready to just indulge, in the best sense of the word,” said the new businesswoman, who praised her fellow Main Street merchants for being so supportive.
She also said, while realizing that business today is not like in the old days when everybody knew their neighbors and shopkeepers, she is getting acquainted with her regulars.
“I know a lot of them… and track new and returning customers; I’m getting a lot of returning customers and have my regulars already,” she said. “I already know what they’re going to get before they walk in the door. I have one gentleman who gets two scoops of vanilla with hot fudge and whipped cream. It’s great, it’s kind of really cool to see them; you get to know your customer by what they like and what they’re excited about. If they like a special candy I’ll order it for them.”
Shopping local
Osnato said she also makes it a point to shop locally herself, and support her fellow merchants.
“I just bought a birthday present for my sister at Demitasse next door, then I went to The Dig. I love the bakery, and obviously I love my dad’s shop; I love shopping locally,” she said. “Obviously there are things you can’t get locally but people are starting to fill the void. You can go into The Dig or Demitasse and get a toothbrush made of wood or recycled materials that is eco-friendly, and that’s good. Then there’s the bookstore, which I love. The only thing we really need is a grocery store. I get my lunches all the time at Irving Farm or the diner, and get dinner take-out. It’s nice to get to know the people in the community.”
Part of the next generation, having just turned 32 on May 4, Osnato said shopping locally is incredibly important to her.
“The idea of supporting businesses locally that need our support is great; instead of shopping on Amazon I said I’ll go see what I can get in town and support merchants locally,” she said. “I think that empowered me in a way, and I saw how everyone was successful.”
One thing she would really like to see added to the business community besides a grocery store? A shoe store.
“Just the other day I thought I need a pair of shoes and wished we had a cool small shoe store,” said Osnato. “We need something like that. We need to bring back all those small merchants that you see in those busy popular towns because locals shop there as well as people visiting and people like to see that uniqueness.”’
Which is the ultimate balance long-time residents, business owners and their workers, as well as the newcomers who fall into those categories seemingly want to strike — to create a community that provides for everyone — all of whom seem to fall into the broad definition of “locals” and all of whom clearly feel an ownership and a love for the village of Millerton.
Aly Morrissey
If you’ve driven down Main Street in Millerton, you’ve passed the former home and shop of one of the village’s earliest female entrepreneurs. At a time when most businesses were owned by men, Mary Kisselbrack made a name for herself in the late 1800s as a well-respected milliner and dressmaker.
On April 11, 1891, train conductor George Kisselbrack purchased a 124-by-232-foot vacant lot at 54 Main St. and hired locally renowned builders Beers and Trafford to design what would become their home and Mary’s business.
In a historical document, “A Beckon Call to a Village,” the house was referred to as “one of the handsomest, architecturally, in the village.” With gables, pointed roof lines and delicate shades of colors on its exterior ornamentation, the document noted that “no stranger passes it without an admiring glance.”
Today, the home still stands, and recently operated as a restaurant called Manna Dew Cafe, which closed its doors in 2023.
Mary Kisselbrack operated her business out of the west side of her home and developed a reputation for her skill, style, and business acumen.
“Mrs. Kisselbrack spares no pains in satisfying her patrons,” an 1890s Telegram article, the village’s newspaper at the time, said.
Kisselbrack’s reputation earned her customers from different parts of the country — some as far away as Florida — in addition to regular clients from Salisbury, Lakeville, Sharon, Amenia, Pine Plains, Copake and Hillsdale.
“With a woman of the long experience and exquisite taste of Mrs. Kisselbrack at the head of the millinery and dressmaking business, we may be sure that our wives and daughters will be reasonably supplied with the most stylish bonnets and dresses,” the article said.
In her 1905 obituary, Kisselbrack was described as a “self-made woman” who possessed “more than ordinary ability.”
On Oct. 5, 1905 — just over two months shy of her 56th birthday — Kisselbrack died following a severe, three-week illness. According to an obituary that appeared in the Millerton Telegram, she suffered a fibrous tumor and peritonitis.
“While she was not afraid to die, she lamented leaving home and loved ones,” the obituary said. “She talked of dying and of her funeral arrangements as calmly as if going away on a visit.”
Nathan Miller
Millerton’s business community will soon see the completion of a public wastewater system, addressing what local officials and business owners have called a major constraint on commercial development in the community for decades.
The $13.8 million project, which is expected to serve the core of the Village of Millerton and a commercial stretch of the Town of North East along U.S. Route 44, represents one of the largest infrastructure investments in the community in decades, and brings an end to calls for a sewer system that stretch back to World War II. Officials say the system will safeguard local waterways while creating a foundation for long-term economic stability.
Millerton trustee Matt Soleau, who has been working closely on the wastewater project and also operates a local full-service custom building firm, said in February that both residents and businesses are constrained by outdated septic systems, particularly on smaller lots where upgrades cannot meet modern health standards.
The proposed wastewater district aims to serve the core of the village, including its business district, as well as the commercial section of the Town of North East along Route 44 extending from Cumberland Farms to the New York-Connecticut border. Properties within the proposed service area currently rely on individual septic systems, including tanks with leach fields, and outdated systems like seepage pits, cesspools and holding tanks.
Village officials said many properties are limited not by zoning alone, but by septic constraints.
“As a result, many homes cannot legally add bedrooms, create accessory dwelling units or convert existing structures,” Soleau said.
Under the proposed system, most properties would retain their existing septic tanks if they are code-compliant and in good working condition. If a tank does not meet current standards, a new one would be installed as part of the project.
The existing tanks will still be used to collect solid waste, but liquid waste will travel through the municipal system to a treatment center. Treated wastewater will then be returned to Webatuck Creek.
Existing leach fields would be taken out of service and left in place, allowing property owners to reclaim that land for landscaping, driveways or ADUs.
For businesses, many commercial properties rely on old septic systems that are already maxed out, which makes it difficult or impossible to open water-heavy businesses like restaurants, cafes, salons or fitness studios.
Officials also emphasize the environmental benefits. A modern, up-to-date wastewater system will protect the natural environment, including the Webatuck Creek that flows right through the village.
Village officials say the construction phase will aim to limit disruption throughout the village and town, proceeding in targeted segments, with defined areas opened for installation, restored, and then closed before crews move on. The goal, Soleau said, is to allow normal activity to continue as much as possible throughout the process.
“Protecting the safety of our residents and visitors, preserving continuity of local businesses, maintaining access, and retaining residents’ quality of life throughout construction are non-negotiable priorities,” Soleau added.
The project hit major milestones this year, with village officials securing needed funding from a congressionally-directed spending grant of just under $4 million announced in February. That additional federal funding represented the last chunk of money needed to move the project forward.
Officials expect to begin construction on the system next year, with a tentative completion date targeting 2028.
Additional reporting provided by Aly Morrissey.
Graham Corrigan
Wooden beams made from tree trunks comprise the load-bearing structure under Millerton’s Moviehouse.
There are a handful of buildings that have stood the test of time over Millerton’s 175-year history. But if there’s one that stands out as a singular representation of the town, it’s the Millerton Moviehouse and its iconic clock tower.
Built in 1903 as a grange hall, it was soon converted into a movie theater with a second-floor ballroom. It was one of a handful of buildings that came to define the town in the following decades, standing tall across the street from the Episcopal Church and Millerton Inn, next to Terni’s, and up the hill from Millerton’s train station.
When a fire destroyed the local department store and other storefronts on the north side of Main Street in 1955, the Moviehouse became a landmark that represented the village’s early history.
It fell into disrepair in the 1970s and was briefly run as an adult theater. Marian and Carr Ferguson bought the theater in 1974, hoping to revive its status as a first-run theater and remove the pornographic element. Their four teenage daughters ran the theater for two years before the Fergusons sold the Moviehouse to Carol and Robert Sadlon in 1978.
“It was a single theater with 300 seats. There was no heat, no air conditioning,” said Carol Sadlon when asked about the state of the theater when she and her husband purchased it.
The Sadlons worked hard to improve the facilities over their nearly 50-year tenure. They added heat, air conditioning, and a second screening room. In 2012, they replaced the 35mm projection systems with a digital system.
But when COVID hit in 2020, the Moviehouse was an early casualty. By November 2020, the property was on the market, and the whole concept of movie theaters was in question.
Vaccines arrived in early 2021 — and a buyer for the Moviehouse followed soon after. The new co-chairs, David Maltby and Chelsea Altman, made the purchase in February 2021 and reopened the theater as a non-profit.
Its new non-profit status allowed the Moviehouse’s operators to seek grant funding. They initiated a massive renovation campaign that included redesigning both floors and adding an elevator. They also replaced the signage, and upgraded the seating this past April.
This past month, the Moviehouse received $99,000 as part of a grant provided by the New York State Council on the Arts that will pay to renovate and stabilize the 120-year-old building.
Looking forward, general manager Jeremy Boviard has big plans for the Moviehouse’s future. “What excites me about the possibilities looking forward is that we continue our positive trajectory as a regional arts center,” Boviard said. “We want to reach a wide variety of demographics, and continue to grow in lockstep with the needs of our community.”
Want more of our stories on Google? Click here to make us a Preferred Source.
Aly Morrissey
Ralph Fedele sits at a desk in the historic Irondale Schoolhouse, which he led the effort to relocate to downtown Millerton.
“It was in dire straits. Right on the road, but beautiful. I remember thinking, ‘Wouldn’t that be a great building to move into the village?’” —Ralph Fedele
A one-room schoolhouse sits on Main Street along the Harlem Valley Rail Trail, offering an opportunity for locals and visitors to step inside a piece of living history.
The Irondale Schoolhouse that now sits in downtown Millerton was not originally located on Main Street. The building was first constructed in 1858 along what is now Route 22 in the Irondale section of town, defined by Irondale road and the Old Mill that still sits along Webatuck Creek. At the time, the schoolhouse was one of 14 that served the Town of North East’s children.
Starting in 2015, the building was disassembled and moved — piece-by-piece — thanks to the efforts of a local organization called the Friends of the Irondale Schoolhouse and a Millerton resident that has dedicated much of his life to the community and preserving local landmarks.
That man is Ralph Fedele, a revered figure in the community both for his efforts to restore, maintain and educate people about the former schoolhouse and for more than a decade serving on the North East Town Board.
Fedele moved to Millerton from New York City 37 years ago, in 1988, and has since worn many hats – volunteer, historian, advocate, elected official – yet he still doesn’t believe he’s earned that title.
“I’m a transplant,” he said matter of factly. “I’m from the city.”
Years after settling in Millerton full time, Fedele was driving north on Route 22 when he spotted an old, classic building and couldn’t stop thinking about it.
“It was in dire straits,” he recalled. “Right on the road, but beautiful. I remember thinking, ‘Wouldn’t that be a great building to move into the village?’”
That moment would eventually turn into Fedele’s lasting legacy.
Fedele joked that people may have thought he was crazy during the lengthy restoration. “I was a tyrant,” he said with a laugh. “I really made sure that we were able to get it done.” The effort required coordination with the state, the county, village and town officials, and his newly assembled nonprofit board.
As a self-proclaimed history buff, Fedele didn’t stop at the restoration. He found a list of students in old records and did what any determined historian would do. He opened the telephone book and started making calls.
Eventually, he tracked down one of the schoolhouse’s original students – Mary (Mechare) Leitch – who, at the age of 101, returned to the building after renovations were complete.
“It was a marvelous time,” smiled Fedele. “I was so happy to see her.”
North East Town Supervisor Chris Kennan, left, and Mary Leitch, who was the last living Irondale Schoolhouse student until her death in 2025.Provided
Leitch died on Dec. 24, 2025, at the age of 103.
Leitch was born in Millerton in 1922 and grew up on Winchell Mountain in the hamlet of Irondale. Her early schooling was at Irondale’s 1858 one-room schoolhouse until it closed in 1930. She was proud of having been the last person to attend the school. From the third grade onward, she attended school in the Millerton school district.
“If you sit still, you will rust,” was a favorite Leitch saying, perhaps inspired by the Irondale district and the area’s iron industry.
Leitch delighted in the outdoors and in the company of animals and people, caring for many dogs—especially Jack Russells—and cherishing the horses that were part of her long, vibrant life. An avid sportswoman, she enjoyed deer hunting and fishing, keeping her licenses current right up until her passing. She was a longtime member of both the Jack Russell Club of America and the Dutchess County Professional Horsemen’s Association.
In 1958, she married William “Billy” Leitch of Millbrook, a professional horseman, sharing a love of the sporting life and enjoying active membership in the Millbrook Hunt Club. Billy pre-deceased her in 2015.
Nathan Miller
Millerton’s former Water Department building, ravaged by fire, as it awaited demolition in summer 2025.
Nearly 18 months after a fire destroyed Millerton’s Public Works building, which housed the Highway Department and Water Department, construction is expected to begin within weeks on a new Water Department facility and pumphouse.
The new building would restore the village’s full water pumping capacity and allow officials to end the state of emergency declared after the fire. Village officials are also planning a separate Highway garage, with details of that project still being finalized.
Fire project manager Caroline Farr-Killmer has been in charge of replacing the building since the fire destroyed it. In June, she said construction could begin on the new Water Department and pumphouse once the plan is approved by the Dutchess County Department of Health.
Millerton Mayor Jenn Najdek said she expects construction to start as soon as the designs get approval from the health department.
Officials described the new Water Department building as an urgent need. Farr-Killmer explained the village’s water system has been functioning with just one operational well, causing concerns about potential water shortages at that wellhead and its longevity. The village cannot operate the second well until it is enclosed in a structure, Farr-Killmer said.
Najdek originally expected Board of Health approval to come in early June, but as of Thursday, July 9, the plans are stalled as health officials deliberate the plans.
Despite the stall, Najdek doesn’t expect the project to affect Millerton’s plans for the week-long celebration of Millerton’s 175th birthday set for July 11 to 19.
Since the fire last winter, property restoration firm BELFOR has been working to clear and prep the site for a brand new set of buildings.
Farr-Killmer explained the Water Department building, which will house one of Millerton’s municipal wells, must now be a separate structure from the Highway Department building due to environmental and health regulations. Municipal wells require up to a 200-foot buffer from other structures to prevent drinking water contamination.
In the weeks after the fire, Farr-Killmer visited the charred building almost daily and documented damage to the structure and inventory. She said the fire itself was only the beginning, and pointed out that navigating insurance, rebuilding plans and deadlines have been hidden challenges.
Graham Corrigan
NorthEast-Millerton Library
A new initiative at the NorthEast-Millerton Library aims to digitize a collection of photographs, newspapers and other historical materials documenting the community’s early history.
Once completed, the collection will be available online and will include photographs, yearbooks, newspaper microfilm and slides reflecting the area’s past. The materials come from personal collections as well as archives from the Millerton News and its predecessor, the Millerton Telegraph.
Library Director Rhiannon Leo-Jameson has been overseeing the project. “It’s fascinating to see what makes it in,” she said. “There’s lots of landscapes and scenery, and little moments from town, like children jumping rope. Those sometimes have a hand-written caption, like, ‘having fun on the first nice day of the year.’”
Momentous occasions are also included — politician Robert Moses pops up during a campaign tour through the region, and Hudson Valley native Franklin Delano Roosevelt is a recurring figure. A member of his security detail was from Millerton.
The selection of what is being posted online involves a process that still relies on the discernment of the human eye. “I was surprised at how manual it still is,” Leo-Jameson said. “They spot check a reel to determine the image quality and aperture, then they scan the whole reel, then they send it to a second company who will manually segment the news articles.
Once the images are fully digitized, they’ll be available on the Hudson River Valley Heritage website at hrvh.org. Yearbooks dating back to 1951 from Webutuck School District and Millerton Union Free High School are already available. “There are so many names I know from working in the community,” said Leo-Jameson, “and it’s amazing to see how young they were.”
Want more of our stories on Google? Click here to make us a Preferred Source.
Want more of our stories on Google? Click here to make us a Preferred Source.
