Beekman 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. It is part of the

Kiryas Joel–Poughkeepsie–Newburgh metropolitan area The Kiryas Joel–Poughkeepsie–Newburgh, NY Metropolitan Statistical Area, as defined by the United States Office of Management and Budget, is an area consisting of two counties in New York (state), New York's Hudson Valley, with the municipalit ...

as well as the larger

New York metropolitan area The New York metropolitan area, also called the Tri-State area and sometimes referred to as Greater New York, is the List of cities by GDP, largest metropolitan economy in the world, with a List of U.S. metropolitan areas by GDP, gross metropo ...

. The population was 14,172 at the 2020 census.United States Census Bureau, 2020 Report, Beekman town, New York The town was named after Henry Beekman, a 17th-century land owner.

History

The "Beekman" name became attached to the area in 1697, from Henry Beekman, a

Kingston Kingston may refer to: Places * List of places called Kingston, including the six most populated: ** Kingston, Jamaica ** Kingston upon Hull, England ** City of Kingston, Victoria, Australia ** Kingston, Ontario, Canada ** Kingston upon Thames, ...

native, who had a large land stake in Dutchess County. In 1697, while serving as a judge, "Beekman obtained a grant from the British crown for what was to be named the Beekman Patent," which included the present towns of Beekman, Pawling,

Dover Dover ( ) is a town and major ferry port in Kent, southeast England. It faces France across the Strait of Dover, the narrowest part of the English Channel at from Cap Gris Nez in France. It lies southeast of Canterbury and east of Maidstone. ...

, Union Vale and "part of

LaGrange Joseph-Louis Lagrange (born Giuseppe Luigi Lagrangia Henry was the son of Deputy Mayor of New York City Wilhemus Beekman, and also served as a delegate in the

New York General Assembly The General Assembly of New York, commonly known internationally as the New York General Assembly, and domestically simply as General Assembly, was the Parliamentary sovereignty, supreme Legislature, legislative body of the Province of New York d ...

beginning in 1691. Wappinger Indians were reportedly the town's original residents before the first European settlers arrived around 1710. The Beekman Patent, granted to Beekman in 1697, was the second largest land holding in Dutchess County. In 1737, Beekman became an official precinct, and local government was established. 1788 was the initial period of establishing towns and counties in the newly independent state of New York, but parts were removed subsequently to form other towns. Beekman contributed part of its territory to the newer towns of

LaGrange Joseph-Louis Lagrange (born Giuseppe Luigi LagrangiaUnion Vale (1827). Iron ore extraction and smelting were important in the early economy. The Beekman Patent was a manor until after 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 ...

. Residents could only lease the land and pay rent in wheat, fat fowls and work on roads. The series ''Settlers of the Beekman Patent'' chronicles the lives of all residents there in the 18th century. A

Lutheran church Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched the Reformation in 15 ...

, located off Beach Road, was "probably the first house of worship" in the town. The church is "on the records from 1749" and "served the German settlers who came from the Palatine immigration." A

Quaker Quakers are people who belong to the Religious Society of Friends, a historically Protestant Christian set of denominations. Members refer to each other as Friends after in the Bible, and originally, others referred to them as Quakers ...

meeting house was built in 1771 in Gardner Hollow, and was named the "Apoquague Preparative Meeting." St. Denis Church, a

Catholic church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

located just beyond the East Fishkill line, also attracted worshipers from Beekman.

Late 19th century

Beekman began its "boom" in the late 19th and early 20th centuries as the communities of Sylvan Lake, Beekmanville, and Clove Valley were in the active

mining Mining is the Resource extraction, extraction of valuable geological materials and minerals from the surface of the Earth. Mining is required to obtain most materials that cannot be grown through agriculture, agricultural processes, or feasib ...

business. Many townsfolk that settled in town during this time were Irish men, escaping the Great Famine, and sent their families to Beekman as well. However, the mining industry died out in the late 19th century, with very few remains today. The most notable one, the "Beekman Furnace", is still intact on Furnace Road, just off Clove Valley Road.

Beekman in the 20th century

After the demise of the mining business in the late 19th century, Beekman saw another boom in the 20th century, with housing developments such as Dalton Farm, the first gas stations, and construction of the first supermarket in town and other stores signalling the beginning of suburban development. Today Beekman has a total population of 14,000. Comparatively few farms remain, and commerce and industry increasingly shape the non-residential areas of the town.

Geography

Beekman is located in the southeastern part of

Dutchess County 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 org ...

, about north of

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 ...

. 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 1.45%, is water. Beekman is bordered by the towns of East Fishkill to the southwest,

LaGrange Joseph-Louis Lagrange (born Giuseppe Luigi LagrangiaUnion Vale to the north,

to the east and Pawling to the southeast. Most of the town is drained by

Fishkill Creek Fishkill Creek (also Fish Kill, from the Dutch ''vis kille'', for "fish creek") is a tributary of the Hudson River in Dutchess County, New York, United States. At U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dat ...

, which flows west to the

Hudson River The Hudson River, historically the North River, is a river that flows from north to south largely through eastern New York (state), New York state. It originates in the Adirondack Mountains at Henderson Lake (New York), Henderson Lake in the ...

Beacon A beacon is an intentionally conspicuous device designed to attract attention to a specific location. A common example is the lighthouse, which draws attention to a fixed point that can be used to navigate around obstacles or into port. More mode ...

. The southern corner of the town is drained by Stump Pond Creek, part of the

Croton River The Croton River ( ) is a river in southern New York with a watershed area of , and three principal tributaries: the West Branch, Middle Branch, and East Branch. Their waters, all part of the New York City water supply system, join downstr ...

watershed that flows to the Hudson at Croton-on-Hudson.

Government and emergency services

Government

Since 1907 Beekman has operated under a Council-Manager form of government. The Town Supervisor is the chief administrative officer of the city selected to carry out the directives of the Council. The Manager monitors the city's fiscal condition and enforces its ordinances and

laws Law is a set of rules that are created and are law enforcement, enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior, with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been variously described as a Socia ...

. The Town Supervisor is also involved in the discussion of all matters coming before Council yet has no final vote. The Town Board is the legislative body consisting of the Town Supervisor and four council members. The Town Supervisor serves as the presiding officer of the Council. The Council functions to set policy, approve the annual

budget A budget is a calculation plan, usually but not always financial plan, financial, for a defined accounting period, period, often one year or a month. A budget may include anticipated sales volumes and revenues, resource quantities including tim ...

, appoint the Town Supervisor and Town Clerk, and enact local

, resolutions & ordinances.

Fire

The Beekman Fire District serves the town of Beekman with the sole

fire station __NOTOC__ A fire station (also called a fire house, fire hall, firemen's hall, or engine house) is a structure or other area for storing firefighting apparatuses such as fire apparatus, fire engines and related vehicles, personal protective equ ...

located in the hamlet of Poughquag at 316 Beekman Poughquag Road. Beekman has been assigned a department ID number of "34". Firefighters in Beekman get alerted via paging through the Dutchess County Department Of Emergency Response, which is located in

Poughkeepsie Poughkeepsie ( ) is a city within the Town of Poughkeepsie, New York. It is the county seat of Dutchess County, with a 2020 census population of 31,577. Poughkeepsie is in the Hudson River Valley region, midway between the core of the New ...

. Beekman Fire District was the first fire district in Southern

, originating in 1937. Beekman was the first fire company formed within Dutchess County's 8 original towns in 1937, following East Fishkill Fire Department was formed, followed by Pawling. In 1977, Beekman was one of the first volunteer fire departments in the area to acquire the Hurst Tool. The fire department received the United States Life Safety Achievement Award for five consecutive years in 2003. The award recognizes local fire prevention that contribute to reducing the number of lives lost in

Residential A residential area is a land used in which houses, housing predominates, as opposed to industrial district, industrial and Commercial Area, commercial areas. Housing may vary significantly between, and through, residential areas. These include ...

House Fires each year.

Police

Police protection to the Town of Beekman is provided by the Dutchess County Sheriff's Office and

New York State Police The New York State Police (NYSP) is the state police of the U.S. state of New York; it is part of the New York State Executive Department and employs over 5,000 sworn state troopers and 711 non-sworn members. The New York State Police are re ...

. The DCSO have a substation located in the middle of town. When someone calls 911, the call is routed to the Dutchess 911 center in

Poughkeepsie, New York Poughkeepsie ( ) is a city within the Poughkeepsie (town), New York, Town of Poughkeepsie, New York (state), New York. It is the county seat of Dutchess County, New York, Dutchess County, with a 2020 census population of 31,577. Poughkeepsie i ...

and then police are polled for, and the closest unit responds. The MTA Police also cover the Depot Hill section of Beekman as the

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 ...

Beacon Line passes through town with a grade crossing on Depot Hill Road.

Medical

Beekman has no medical facilities, but within a short distance from Beekman are three medical centers. Westchester Medical Center, Saint Francis Hospital and Vassar Brothers Medical Center are located in nearby

. Putnam Hospital is located in Carmel, New York in Putnam County.

State facilities

Green Haven Correctional Facility of the

New York State Department of Corrections New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 ** "New" (Paul McCartney song), 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, 1995 * "New" (Daya song), 2017 * "New" (No Doubt song), 1 ...

is in 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 11,452 people, 3,751 households, and 3,034 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 4,180 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 93.24%

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 ...

, 2.42%

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 ...

, 1.73% Asian, .18% Native American, .03%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, .94% from other races, and 1.46% 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 5.38% of the population. There were 3,751 households, out of which 46.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 70.0% 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, 7.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 19.1% were non-families. 14.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 3.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.04 and the average family size was 3.41. In the town, the population was spread out, with 30.9% under the age of 18, 6.1% from 18 to 24, 33.2% from 25 to 44, 22.3% from 45 to 64, and 7.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 100.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.1 males. The median income for a household in the town was $65,610, and the median income for a family was $72,066. Males had a median income of $51,739 versus $32,119 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 $26,437. About 3.6% of families and 4.7% 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 5.3% of those under age 18 and 5.4% of those age 65 or over.

Transportation

Road

Although Beekman has no major highways, it does have two major thoroughfares. New York State Route 55 crosses from the Pawling town line to the Union Vale town line and is a direct route northwest into the city of

. Route 216 goes from Route 55 into the town of East Fishkill where it meets Route 52.

Rail

's Beacon Line runs through the south end of town along Greenhaven Road and Depot Hill Road. It is currently a non-revenue line with no station stops, but is used for equipment moves between

Southeast The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, Radius, radially arrayed compass directions (or Azimuth#In navigation, azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A ''compass rose'' is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, ...

and Danbury.

Notable person

Dan Brouthers Dennis Joseph "Dan" Brouthers (; May 8, 1858 – August 2, 1932) was an American first baseman in Major League Baseball whose career spanned the period from to , with a brief return in . Nicknamed "Big Dan" for his size, he was and weighed , w ...

, former Major League Baseball player, was born in Sylvan Lake

Communities and locations in Beekman

*Beekman – The

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 ...

of Beekman is near the town center on Route 216 with the intersection of Routes 216 and 55 its east boundary. It was formerly known as "Beekmanville." *Clove Valley – A hamlet in the northeastern part of the town on Route 216. * Chelsea Cove – 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 ...

in the western part of town on Sylvan Lake. *Green Haven – A hamlet south of Beekman village. * Green Haven Correctional Facility – A state prison near the community of Green Haven. *Poughquag – A hamlet east of Beekman village, running along Route 55 with that road's intersection with Route 216 its boundary with Beekman and Clove Valley. It is the main business district of the town and home of Beekman town hall. Murphy Grist Mill was added to 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 ...

in 2015. *Sylvan Lake – A hamlet by the western town line. It is named after Sylvan Lake, which was formed during the ice age. The early Indians originally named it ''Poughquag'', which means "round body of water". A smaller lake known as Hidden Lake is where Mr. Daniel Delany, in the late 19th century, discovered iron ore and made his fortune. He eventually bought the adjacent property, which was the entire shoreline of Sylvan Lake, and rebuilt St. Denis church for the town. Some iron ore mining also took place along the shores of Sylvan Lake in the early 1930s, and some of these retainer wall pilings are still standing and can be clearly seen from a boat. When the mine was filled with water, construction equipment and mining tools were left on the bottom, and are present today.

References

External links

Town of Beekman official websiteBeekman Library
{{authority control Kiryas Joel–Poughkeepsie–Newburgh metropolitan area Towns in Dutchess County, New York Towns in New York (state) Towns in the New York metropolitan area