Amenia is a

town A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...

Dutchess County, New York Dutchess County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 295,911. The county seat is the city of Poughkeepsie. The county was created in 1683, one of New York's first twelve counties, and later o ...

, United States. The population was 3,769 at the 2020 census, down from 4,436 at the 2010 census. The town is on the eastern border of the county.

History

Amenia is one of the original towns formed by act of March 7, 1788. It comprises the width of the Oblong Tract, and the east tier of lots in the

Great Nine Partners Patent The Great Nine Partners Patent, also known as the "Lower Nine Partners Patent," was a land grant in Dutchess County, New York, made on May 27, 1697, by New York governor Benjamin Fletcher. The parcel included about along the Hudson River and wa ...

. Inhabitants prior to European incursion were

Pequot The Pequot ( ) are a Native Americans in the United States, Native American people of Connecticut. The modern Pequot are members of the federally recognized Mashantucket Pequot Tribe, four other state-recognized groups in Connecticut includin ...

, in a village on the west side of a pond they called Wequagnoch. Along with related Native Americans from

Connecticut Connecticut ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. ...

, they held

Pow Wow A powwow (also pow wow or pow-wow) is a gathering with dances held by many Native American and First Nations communities. Inaugurated in 1923, powwows today are an opportunity for Indigenous people to socialize, dance, sing, and honor their ...

s on land both before and after the incorporation of the town.Reed, Newton. ''Early History of Amenia'', De Lace & Wiley, Amenia, NY, 1875
/ref> In 1703 Richard Sackett was granted a patent for land along Wassaic Creek. As this land was already included in the previous Great Nine Partners Patent, Sackett's title was invalid. Sackett was also one of the partners in the

Little Nine Partners Patent The Little Nine Partners Patent was a land patent granted in 1706 in Dutchess County, New York, United States. It was the last of Dutchess County, New York#The Patents, fourteen patents granted between 1685 and 1706 which came to cover the entir ...

. He settled about one mile south of Wassaic at a site that was later called the "Steel Works", as furnace and foundry were established there during the

Revolution In political science, a revolution (, 'a turn around') is a rapid, fundamental transformation of a society's class, state, ethnic or religious structures. According to sociologist Jack Goldstone, all revolutions contain "a common set of elements ...

to manufacture steel for the use of the army. There was a forge at that location as early as 1770.Smith, Philip H., "History of Amenia, NY", ''General History of Dutchess County'', 1877
/ref> In 1724 Captain Garret Winegar (Winnegar) came to Amenia Union from

East Camp East Camp is an Ex-MOD housing estate opposite the MOD St Athan main east entrance within St Athan. The housing estate sits between the village of St Athan and Flemingston but does not constitute a village itself. It falls under the Flemingston ...

in Columbia County, New York. The Winegars were among the

Palatine A palatine or palatinus (Latin; : ''palatini''; cf. derivative spellings below) is a high-level official attached to imperial or royal courts in Europe since Roman Empire, Roman times.

families from the Middle Rhine that had settled in the

Province of New York The Province of New York was a British proprietary colony and later a royal colony on the northeast coast of North America from 1664 to 1783. It extended from Long Island on the Atlantic, up the Hudson River and Mohawk River valleys to ...

in 1710 under the sponsorship of Queen Anne. A second Palatine family, that of Johannes Rouh (Rowe), came to Hitchcock's Corner (Amenia Union) sometime prior to 1731. Samuel Hitchcock, for whom the hamlet was named, arrived in about 1757. Dr. Thomas Young lived at the "Corner" for several years and married a daughter of Captain Winegar. The town was named by Young,Smith, James H. "Town of Amenia", ''History of Dutchess County'', D. Mason & Company, Syracuse, 1882
/ref> derived from

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

and meaning "pleasant to the eye". The house of worship known as the "Red Meeting House" was built in 1758, and stood about a mile northeast of the village of Amenia.

George Whitefield George Whitefield (; 30 September 1770), also known as George Whitfield, was an English Anglican minister and preacher who was one of the founders of Methodism and the evangelical movement. Born in Gloucester, he matriculated at Pembroke Coll ...

preached there in the summer of 1770. The Precinct of Amenia was established by act of the colonial legislature in 1762. In the summer of 1778, a large number of prisoners - mostly Hessians, taken at the

battle of Saratoga The Battles of Saratoga (September 19 and October 7, 1777) were two battles between the American Continental Army and the British Army fought near Saratoga, New York, concluding the Saratoga campaign in the American Revolutionary War. The Battle ...

the year before - were marched through the town on their way to

Fishkill Landing Beacon is a city located on the Hudson River in Dutchess County, New York, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city's population was 13,769. Beacon is part of the Kiryas Joel–Poughkeepsie–Newburgh metropolitan area as well as the large ...

, where they crossed the

Hudson Hudson may refer to: People * Hudson (given name) * Hudson (surname) * Hudson (footballer, born 1986), Hudson Fernando Tobias de Carvalho, Brazilian football right-back * Hudson (footballer, born 1988), Hudson Rodrigues dos Santos, Brazilian f ...

. It is said that some of the Hessian soldiers solicited the people to aid them in escaping; a few succeeded, and remained in this country. Jacob Bockee, a captain in the company in Col. Willet's Regiment, was a member of the Assembly in 1795 and 1797, where he introduced a bill for the abolition of

slavery Slavery is the ownership of a person as property, especially in regards to their labour. Slavery typically involves compulsory work, with the slave's location of work and residence dictated by the party that holds them in bondage. Enslavemen ...

in the state. Most of the slaves in the town were

manumitted Manumission, or enfranchisement, is the act of freeing slaves Slavery is the ownership of a person as property, especially in regards to their labour. Slavery typically involves compulsory work, with the slave's location of work and ...

in the manner and under the conditions prescribed by law. Owners were not permitted to make free and cast off any slave who was not capable of providing for himself. In 1824, three years before the institutional

abolition of slavery Abolitionism, or the abolitionist movement, is the political movement to end slavery and liberate enslaved individuals around the world. The first country to fully outlaw slavery was France in 1315, but it was later used in its colonies. T ...

in the state, there were 32 slaves in Amenia. About the year 1812, a company was organized in this town for the manufacture of woolen goods, styled as the "Amenia Manufacturing Company" and owned by the Barker, Benton, Ingraham, Park, and Canfield families. Its factory was located on the banks of Webatuck Creek at Leedsville. Amenia was officially named a town, in separation from the eponymous precinct, in 1788.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the town has a total area of , of which is land and , or 0.91%, is water. The town is drained by the Ten Mile River, a tributary of the

Housatonic River The Housatonic River ( ) is a river, approximately long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map , accessed April 1, 2011 in western Massachusetts and western Connecticut in the United ...

. The Ten Mile River is formed in the southern part of the town by the confluence of Wassaic Creek (draining the western part of the town) and Webatuck Creek (draining the eastern part). The eastern town line is the border of

U.S. Route 44 U.S. Route 44 (US 44) is an east–west United States Numbered Highway that runs for through four states in the Northeastern United States. The western terminus is at US 209 and New York State Route 55 (NY 55) in Kerhonks ...

crosses the northern part of the town.

Demographics

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2000, there were 4,048 people, 1,625 households, and 1,074 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 1,814 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 93.40%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 2.94%

Black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.59% Native American, 0.47% Asian, 0.77% from other races, and 1.83% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 3.36% of the population. Silo Ridge Country Club

There were 1,625 households, out of which 29.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.4% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 9.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.9% were non-families. 27.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 2.97. In the town, the population was spread out, with 23.7% under the age of 18, 6.5% from 18 to 24, 27.6% from 25 to 44, 25.0% from 45 to 64, and 17.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.6 males. The median income for a household in the town was $39,231, and the median income for a family was $51,294. Males had a median income of $32,038 versus $28,769 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the town was $22,095. About 3.4% of families and 8.1% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 2.0% of those under age 18 and 12.7% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Primary and secondary schools

The Webutuck Central Schools District serves the town of Amenia. The district serves pre-kindergarten to twelfth grade. Schools include Webutuck Elementary School, Eugene Brooks Intermediate School and Webutuck High School. A private school serving the town is

Maplebrook School Maplebrook School is a small boarding school in Amenia, New York, that serves adolescents and young adults with learning differences. History and goals Maplebrook School was founded in 1945 by Serena Merck, Marjorie Finger, and Sunny Barlow. Th ...

. Maplebrook School is a small boarding school serving adolescents and young adults with

learning differences Learning disability, learning disorder, or learning difficulty (British English) is a condition in the brain that causes difficulties comprehending or processing information and can be caused by several different factors. Given the "difficulty ...

Library

The Amenia Free Library serves Amenia. The library was founded in 1938 and has a collection of rare historical books.

Infrastructure

Transportation

The main thoroughfare of Amenia is

New York State Route 22 New York State Route 22 (NY 22) is a north–south state highway that parallels the eastern border of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, from the outskirts of New York City to the hamlet of Mooers (CDP), New York, Mooers i ...

. State Route 22 runs through every town on the east side of Dutchess County.

also passes through Amenia, intersecting Route 22 within the hamlet of Amenia.

Metro-North Railroad The Metro-North Commuter Railroad Company , also branded as MTA Metro-North Railroad and commonly called simply Metro-North, is a suburban commuter rail service operated by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), a New York State publ ...

has two rail commuter rail stations in Amenia, with service to

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

via the

Harlem Line The Harlem Line is an commuter rail line owned and operated by the Metro-North Railroad in the U.S. state of New York. It runs north from New York City to Wassaic, in eastern Dutchess County. The lower from Grand Central Terminal to Southea ...

. The Tenmile River station is off Sinpatch Road east of Route 22, and the

Wassaic station Wassaic station is a commuter rail stop on the Metro-North Railroad's Harlem Line, located in the town of Amenia, New York. It is the northern terminal of the Harlem Line. The station is located on New York State Routes 22 and 343 just nort ...

is north of Tenmile River. Trains leave every two hours during midday, evenings and weekends. In rush hour, peak-direction trains leave about every 30 minutes. There is no train service into or out of Amenia after midnight. In 2006, the NYSDOT administered the repaving of Route 22 through the town of Dover, New York. The prime contractor was Callanan Industries, Inc., an Albany, New York based contractor. In 2007, repaving continued north from the town line into Amenia, New York with two other contractors - Peckham Road Corp. for paving in Wassaic and A. Colarusso & Son Inc., a Hudson, New York based contractor for the portion north of Wassaic.

Notable people

* John Barlow (1872–1944), entomologist and college administrator * Joel Benton (1832–1911), poet, resided in Amenia * Catharine Paine Blaine (1829-1908), suffragist and teacher *

Gail Borden Gail Borden Jr. (November 9, 1801 – January 11, 1874) was an American inventor and manufacturing pioneer. He was born in New York state and settled in Texas in 1829 (then part of Mexico), where he worked as a land surveyor, newspaper publish ...

(1801-1874), inventor of

condensed milk Condensed milk is Milk#Cow, cow's milk from which water has been removed (roughly 60% of it). It is most often found with sugar added, in the form of sweetened condensed milk, to the extent that the terms "condensed milk" and "sweetened condensed m ...

, established his first factory in Amenia *

Tom Brady Thomas Edward Patrick Brady Jr. (born August 3, 1977) is an American former professional American football, football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 23 seasons. He spent his first 20 seasons with the New Engla ...

and

Gisele Bündchen Gisele Caroline Bündchen (, , born 20 July 1980) is a Brazilian fashion model. Since 2001, she has been one of the highest-paid models in the world. In 2007, Bündchen was the 16th-richest woman in the entertainment industry and earned the ...

; the couple built a home in Silo Ridge, located in Amenia. * Michael Cole (born 1966), television broadcaster for World Wrestling Entertainment *

Joseph Cummings Joseph Cummings (March 3, 1817 – May 7, 1890) was an American academic who served as the 5th president of Wesleyan University from 1857 to 1875, the 5th president of Northwestern University from 1881 to 1890, and the president of Genesee Coll ...

(1817-1890), president of

Wesleyan University Wesleyan University ( ) is a Private university, private liberal arts college, liberal arts university in Middletown, Connecticut, United States. It was founded in 1831 as a Men's colleges in the United States, men's college under the Methodi ...

(1857-1875), president of

Northwestern University Northwestern University (NU) is a Private university, private research university in Evanston, Illinois, United States. Established in 1851 to serve the historic Northwest Territory, it is the oldest University charter, chartered university in ...

(1881-1890) *

Obadiah German Obadiah German (April 22, 1766September 24, 1842) was an American lawyer and politician. He was most notable for his service as a U.S. Senator from New York (1809-1815) and Speaker of the New York State Assembly in 1819. Life He was born on Apr ...

(1766–1842), born in Amenia,

United States senator The United States Senate consists of 100 members, two from each of the 50 U.S. state, states. This list includes all senators serving in the 119th United States Congress. Party affiliation Independent Senators Angus King of Maine and Berni ...

Erastus Otis Haven Erastus Otis Haven (November 1, 1820 – August 2, 1881) was an Americans, American academic administrator, serving as the 2nd president of the University of Michigan from 1863 to 1869, as the 3rd president of Northwestern University from 1869 to ...

(1820-1881), bishop of the Methodist Church, formerly principal of Amenia Seminary (1846), president of the

University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

(1863-1869), president of

(1869-1872), chancellor of

Syracuse University Syracuse University (informally 'Cuse or SU) is a Private university, private research university in Syracuse, New York, United States. It was established in 1870 with roots in the Methodist Episcopal Church but has been nonsectarian since 1920 ...

(1874-1880) * Samuel Herrick (1779–1852), born in Amenia,

United States congressman The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of the ...

from

Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...

* John Miller (1774–1862), born in Amenia, physician and congressman from New York *

Lewis Mumford Lewis Mumford (October 19, 1895 – January 26, 1990) was an American historian, sociologist, philosopher of technology, and literary critic. Particularly noted for his study of cities and urban architecture, he had a broad career as a ...

(1895-1990), historian of science, lived and died in Amenia * Peter C. Rhodes (1909-1965), reporter and writer *

Joel Elias Spingarn Joel Elias Spingarn (May 17, 1875 – July 26, 1939) was an American educator, literary critic, civil rights activist, military intelligence officer, and horticulturalist. Biography Spingarn was born in New York City to an upper middle-class ...

(1875-1939), educator, literary critic, and civil rights activist, lived in Amenia *

Frank Stella Frank Philip Stella (May 12, 1936 – May 4, 2024) was an American painter, sculptor, and printmaker, noted for his work in the areas of minimalism and post-painterly abstraction. He lived and worked in New York City for much of his career befor ...

(born 1936), painter, resided in Amenia * Benjamin Swift (1781-1847), U.S. congressman and U.S. senator *

Smith Thompson Smith Thompson (January 17, 1768 – December 18, 1843) was a US Secretary of the Navy from 1819 to 1823 and a US Supreme Court Associate Justice from 1823 to his death. Early life and the law Born in Amenia, New York, Thompson graduated ...

(1768-1848), justice on the

US Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all Federal tribunals in the United States, U.S. federal court cases, and over Stat ...

Charles Augustus Wheaton Charles Augustus Wheaton (1809–1882) was a businessman and major figure in the central New York state abolitionist movement and Underground Railroad, as well as other progressive causes. He was one of the founders of the First Congregatio ...

, (1809–1882) Abolitionist * Thomas Young (1731–1777), physician, American Revolutionary patriot, participant in the

Boston Tea Party The Boston Tea Party was a seminal American protest, political and Mercantilism, mercantile protest on December 16, 1773, during the American Revolution. Initiated by Sons of Liberty activists in Boston in Province of Massachusetts Bay, colo ...

Communities and locations in Amenia

* Amenia – A

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counte ...

and

hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play. Set in Denmark, the play (the ...

in the northeastern part of the town. *Amenia Union – A hamlet on the eastern town line on the border with Connecticut. *Leedsville – A location in the northeastern part of the town, east of Amenia (CDP). *Sharon Station – A hamlet at the northern town line. *Silo Ridge– An upscale development with a long development history. *Smithfield – A hamlet on the town line in the northwestern part of the town. *South Amenia – A hamlet at the junction of Routes 2 and 3 in the eastern part of the town. * Wassaic – A hamlet in the south-central part of the town. *Wassaic Creek – A stream on the western side of the town, passing through the community of Wassaic.

Buildings in Amenia listed on the National Register of Historic Places

Buildings in Amenia listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

include: * Beth David Synagogue * Indian Rock Schoolhouse *

Lewis Mumford House The Lewis Mumford House is located on Leedsville Road (Dutchess County, New York, Dutchess County County Route 2 (Dutchess County, New York), Route 2) in the Town of Amenia (town), New York, Amenia, New York, United States. It is a white Federal ...

Hendrik Winegar House Hendrik Winegar House was a historic home located at Amenia in Dutchess County, New York. The structure was demolished after decades of neglect. It was a -story, rectangular house on a high basement built of thick fieldstone and brick walls, b ...

* St. Thomas Episcopal Church

Notes

References

External links

Town of Amenia official website

Amenia Free Library

Webutuck Schools
{{DEFAULTSORT:Amenia (Town), New York Kiryas Joel–Poughkeepsie–Newburgh metropolitan area Towns in Dutchess County, New York Towns in New York (state) Towns in the New York metropolitan area