Rhinebeck is a

village A village is a human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand. Although villages are often located in rural areas, the term urban v ...

in the town of Rhinebeck in

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 2,657 at the 2010 census. 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 postal ZIP code is 12572. U.S. Route 9 passes through the village.

History

Native American presence

The Sepasco band of Native Americans lived in the area of today's Rhinebeck at the time white colonists arrived. Sepasco/Sepascot is derived from the word ''sepuus,'' which means little river or stream, and refers to the Landman's Kill stream whose ''cot'' or ''coot'', meaning mouth, opens onto the southwestern shoreline of present-day Rhinebeck. This was the watershed of the Sepascos. The Sepasco tribe had established a fertile stretch of land as a trail or tract leading from what is currently White School House Road to what later became the Rock City Community, east of where the village of Rhinebeck is now. A stopping point on the trail must have been a spring located there, that then led to the Landman's Kill stream and followed it to the east, along the north bank. The trail continued to a native village at what is currently known as Lake Sepasco, close in proximity to the cave later called Welch's Cave.

Colonial settlement

European settlement in the Rhinebeck area dates to 1686, when a group of Dutch crossed the river from Kingston and bought of land from three members of the local Sepasco tribe. Later, Henry Beekman obtained a patent for the land and saw a need for development to begin. He brought into the area Casper Landsman, a miller, and William Traphagen, a builder. In 1703, the New York colonial assembly approved money for the construction of the King's Highway, later known as the

Albany Post Road The Albany Post Road was a post road – a road used for mail delivery – in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It connected New York City and Albany (NY), Albany along the east side of the Hudson River, a service now performed by U.S ...

and today most of Route 9. Three years later Traphagen bought a tract of land in Beekman's patent where the King's Highway intersected the Sepasco Indian Trail, the route today followed by Market Street. He built a house and tavern on the trail a short distance west of the King's Highway. This was the beginning of Rhinebeck. A decade later, in 1715, Beekman's son brought in 35

German Palatines Palatines () were the citizens and Prince of the Holy Roman Empire, princes of the List of states in the Holy Roman Empire, Palatinates, Holy Roman States that served as Kaiserpfalz, capitals for the Holy Roman Emperor. After the fall of the Holy ...

who had fled religious persecution at home and had just concluded an attempt to produce naval stores for the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

government on the lands of Robert Livingston to the north in what is now Columbia County. The village grew with the new arrivals. New trades established themselves, and in 1733 the Reformed Dutch Church was built. Its first building was on the site of its current one at Mill and South streets. In 1766 the beginnings of the current Beekman Inn were erected. It has remained in operation as a hotel ever since. In the mid-1770s, a former soldier named

Richard Montgomery Richard Montgomery (2 December 1738 – 31 December 1775) was an Irish-born American military officer who first served in the British Army. He later became a major general in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War, and ...

moved from Knight's Bridge (now

the Bronx The Bronx ( ) is the northernmost of the five Boroughs of New York City, boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It shares a land border with Westchester County, New York, West ...

) into the Rhinebeck village with his new wife, a member of the Livingston family. He had just begun to settle into life as a farmer when the

American Revolution The American Revolution (1765–1783) was a colonial rebellion and war of independence in which the Thirteen Colonies broke from British America, British rule to form the United States of America. The revolution culminated in the American ...

began. After being elected to the New York Provincial Congress, he was commissioned a general in the

Continental Army The Continental Army was the army of the United Colonies representing the Thirteen Colonies and later the United States during the American Revolutionary War. It was formed on June 14, 1775, by a resolution passed by the Second Continental Co ...

, and died at the end of 1775 in the Battle of Quebec. Montgomery's cottage still stands, although it was moved to 77 Livingston Street, where it houses the local

Daughters of the American Revolution The National Society Daughters of the American Revolution (often abbreviated as DAR or NSDAR) is a lineage-based membership service organization for women who are directly descended from a patriot of the American Revolutionary War. A non-p ...

chapter; the street it was on was later named in his honor. After independence from Britain the village continued to grow. The town of Rhinebeck, which contains the village, was organized in 1788. The current

Dutch Reformed Church The Dutch Reformed Church (, , abbreviated NHK ) was the largest Christian denomination in the Netherlands from the onset of the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century until 1930. It was the traditional denomination of the Dutch royal famil ...

was built in 1802, making it the oldest church in the village. The current route of East Market Street was laid out the same year during construction of the Ulster-Saulsbury Turnpike, later to become Route 308. Rhinebeck continued to attract politicians.

George Washington George Washington (, 1799) was a Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the first president of the United States, serving from 1789 to 1797. As commander of the Continental Army, Washington led Patriot (American Revoluti ...

visited in 1796, dining at Bogardus's, the second Traphagen Tavern, when he stayed at a nearby friend's house. During the 1804 gubernatorial election, both

Aaron Burr Aaron Burr Jr. (February 6, 1756 – September 14, 1836) was an American politician, businessman, lawyer, and Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father who served as the third vice president of the United States from 1801 to 1805 d ...

and Morgan Lewis used taverns in Rhinebeck as campaign headquarters. The village was incorporated in 1834. Ten years later, Alexander Jackson Davis built the Henry Delamater House at 44 Montgomery Street. It still stands today, one of the best examples in the area of the early use of the Gothic Revival style in American residential architecture. By the 1850s, Rhinebeck had grown even further and acquired a reputation as a woodworking center. The town's name on milled products was a symbol of quality, and its furniture was shipped as far away as

South Carolina South Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...

. It was said to have no better in making carriages, coaches and sleighs. Some makers of clothing also achieved national prestige. The area was also acquiring a cachet as a location for the country estates of the

Gilded Age In History of the United States, United States history, the Gilded Age is the period from about the late 1870s to the late 1890s, which occurred between the Reconstruction era and the Progressive Era. It was named by 1920s historians after Mar ...

wealthy, and those people could frequently be seen in town during the summer and on weekends. In 1885, former congressman and ambassador to France

Levi P. Morton Levi Parsons Morton (May 16, 1824 – May 16, 1920) was the 22nd vice president of the United States from 1889 to 1893. He also served as List of ambassadors of the United States to France, United States ambassador to France, as a United States H ...

settled in Bois Dore on Mill Street.

Benjamin Harrison Benjamin Harrison (August 20, 1833March 13, 1901) was the 23rd president of the United States, serving from 1889 to 1893. He was a member of the Harrison family of Virginia—a grandson of the ninth president, William Henry Harrison, and a ...

chose him to be his running mate on the 1888 Republican ticket. Harrison was visiting him in Rhinebeck later that year when word came to them that they had just been elected. Later, Morton would serve as governor of the state. He died there in 1920 and is buried in Rhinebeck Cemetery. The end of the 19th century saw a new industry center on Rhinebeck: the cultivation of violets. Roughly 20% of the village's population during the

Gay Nineties The Gay Nineties is an American nostalgic term and a periodization of the history of the United States referring to the decade of the 1890s. It is known in the United Kingdom as the Naughty Nineties, and refers there to the decade of supposedl ...

was in this business in some way, and the total crop was later estimated to have exceeded a million dollars in value some years. Several of the "violet houses" built during this era survive and are located in the district. An 1890 map of the village shows it as nearly coterminous with today's historic district. That area has remained mostly as it was at that time. A third president,

Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), also known as FDR, was the 32nd president of the United States, serving from 1933 until his death in 1945. He is the longest-serving U.S. president, and the only one to have served ...

, himself a native of nearby Hyde Park, would play a role in the town's history during the later years of the

Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...

when he oversaw the design process for the new post office. He had long promoted Dutch-style

fieldstone Fieldstone is a naturally occurring type of stone, which lies at or near the surface of the Earth. Fieldstone is a nuisance for farmers seeking to expand their land under cultivation, but at some point it began to be used as a construction mate ...

as a material for public buildings in the area, and told the architects to use Henry Beekman's house (burned in a 1910 fire) as their model and some of its remaining stones for the post office. He spoke at the dedication ceremony and helped lay the cornerstone. The oldest building in the village is the Benner House, built in 1739. The Wilderstein mansion, a current historical site on the Hudson River, features both colonial and archaeological history dating from June 1853. "Wilderstein", named by Thomas Suckley and his wife Catherine Murray Bowne and which translates to "wild man's stone", references a petroglyph from local Sepasco or Esopus peoples on the property, serving as a historical reminder of pre-European settlement.

Geography

According to the

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

, the village has a total area of , of which , or 1.31%, is water. Via U.S. Route 9 it is south to Poughkeepsie, the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

, north to Red Hook, and north to

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 ...

. Rhinecliff, with its Amtrak station, is to the west, along 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 ...

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 3,077 people, 1,376 households, and 690 families residing in the village. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

was . There were 1,463 housing units at an average density of . There were 1,376 households, out of which 19.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.7% 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, 7.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 49.8% were non-families. 43.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 22.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.00 and the average family size was 2.78. In the village, the population was spread out, with 18.9% under the age of 18, 4.8% from 18 to 24, 23.3% from 25 to 44, 24.2% from 45 to 64, and 28.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 47 years. For every 100 women there were 80.6 men. For every 100 women age 18 and over, there were 70.5 men. The median income for a household in the village was $41,639, and the median income for a family was $57,000. Males had a median income of $46,653 versus $40,058 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 village was $28,773. About 3.4% of families and 9.2% 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 10.7% of those under age 18 and 6.4% of those age 65 or over.

Racial demographics

As of 2017, the residents of Dutchess County were reported as the following: American Indian and Alaska native (.04%), Asian (4%), black or African American (8.5%), Hispanic or Latino (12.5%), native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander (.016%), some other race (.35%), two or more races (3%), White (71%). Dutchess County Racial Demographics Chart

Education

It is within the Rhinebeck Central School District.

Notable people

John Alvin John Henry Alvin (November 24, 1948 – February 6, 2008) was an American cinematic artist and painter who illustrated many movie posters. Alvin created posters and key art for more than 135 films, beginning with the poster for Mel Brooks's '' ...

, film poster artist * Alexander Ahab Arnold, Speaker of the

Wisconsin State Assembly The Wisconsin State Assembly is the lower house of the Wisconsin Legislature. Together with the smaller Wisconsin Senate, the two constitute the legislative branch of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The Assembly is controlled by the Republican ...

John Jacob Astor IV John Jacob Astor IV (July 13, 1864 – April 15, 1912) was an American business magnate, real estate developer, investor, writer, lieutenant colonel in the Spanish–American War, and a prominent member of the Astor family. He was among the most ...

, wealthy author and businessman, famous for being a casualty of the sinking of the RMS ''Titanic'' * Vincent Astor, wealthy businessman and philanthropist * Joan Juliet Buck, writer, editor and style icon * Antonio Delgado, lieutenant governor of New York and former U.S. Congressman * Lacey Schwartz Delgado, filmmaker and wife of the lieutenant governor of New York * Todd Dezago, comic book writer and co-creator of ''

The Perhapanauts ''The Perhapanauts'' is an American comic book series created by writer Todd Dezago and artist Craig Rousseau in 2005. The first two Limited series (comics), mini-series, "First Blood" and "Second Chances", were published by Dark Horse Comics, ...

'' * Amy Goldman Fowler, gardener and horticulturist * KL Going, author * James Gurney, painter and creator of the '' Dinotopia'' series of books * Grayson Hall, film and television actress *

Joseph Mazzello Joseph Francis Mazzello III (born September 21, 1983) is an American actor. He is best known for his roles as Tim Murphy in ''Jurassic Park'', Roarke Hartman in '' The River Wild'', Eugene Sledge in the HBO miniseries '' The Pacific'', Dustin ...

, actor * Alyssa Mastromonaco, Deputy Chief of Staff to

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...

, 22nd

Vice President of the United States The vice president of the United States (VPOTUS) is the second-highest ranking office in the Executive branch of the United States government, executive branch of the U.S. federal government, after the president of the United States, and ranks f ...

, died in Rhinebeck and buried in Rhinebeck Cemetery * Richard Nelson, playwright and librettist * John A. Quitman, 10th and 16th governor of Mississippi, and congressman from Mississippi * Jacob Radcliff, former mayor 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 ...

Emma Roberts Emma Rose Roberts (born February 10, 1991) Additional on October 9, 2016 is an American actress, singer and producer. Known for her performances spanning multiple genres of film and television, her work in the horror film, horror and thriller ...

, actress, daughter of

Eric Roberts Eric Anthony Roberts (born April 18, 1956) is an American actor. He has amassed more than 700 film and television credits since his debut in 1978, making him one of the most prolific English-speaking screen actors of all time. Roberts' career ...

; niece of

Julia Roberts Julia Fiona Roberts (born October 28, 1967) is an American actress. Known for her leading roles across various genres, she has received multiple accolades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, and three Golden Globe Award ...

* Paul Rudd, actor *

Oliver Sacks Oliver Wolf Sacks (9 July 1933 – 30 August 2015) was a British neurology, neurologist, Natural history, naturalist, historian of science, and writer. Born in London, Sacks received his medical degree in 1958 from The Queen's College, Oxford ...

, neurologist and author * Anthony "Fat Tony" Salerno, former head of the

Genovese Crime Family The Genovese crime family (), also sometimes referred to as the Westside, is an Italian Americans, Italian American American Mafia, Mafia crime family and one of the "Five Families" that dominate organized crime activities in New York City and Ne ...

* Ramona Singer, of '' The Real Housewives of New York City'' * Margaret Suckley, cousin of

Franklin Delano Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), also known as FDR, was the 32nd president of the United States, serving from 1933 until his death in 1945. He is the longest-serving U.S. president, and the only one to have served ...

* Elizabeth Weston Timlow, writer and educator *

Rufus Wainwright Rufus McGarrigle Wainwright (born July 22, 1973) is a Canadian and American singer, songwriter, and composer. He has recorded eleven studio albums and numerous tracks on compilations and film soundtracks. He has also written two classical opera ...

, American-Canadian singer-songwriter

Rhinebeck Cemetery

The Rhinebeck Cemetery is in the southwest part of Rhinebeck village, with a portion extending south of the village boundaries. The articles for the following notables indicate that they are buried at the cemetery: * John Armstrong Jr. * Henry B. Cowles * Alice Olin Dows * Lorena Hickok * Helen Huntington Hull *

References

* Nancy Kelly, ''Rhinebeck's Historic Architecture'' * Nancy Kelly, ''A Brief History of Rhinebeck'' * Edward Smith, ''History of Rhinebeck'' * ''Rhinebeck: Echoes of Two Centuries''

External links

*
Franklin D. Roosevelt address at the dedication of the Rhinebeck Post Office

{{authority control Villages in New York (state) Kiryas Joel–Poughkeepsie–Newburgh metropolitan area Villages in Dutchess County, New York 1686 establishments in the Province of New York