Mileage between sites is bracketed, in bold and given in miles and tenths of miles, e.g. (2.6) for two and six tenths, or (0.1) for one tenth of a mile. The exception to this rule is the mileage for the full extent of SIDE TRIPS, which is neither bracketed nor bolded.

Municipalities are listed by letters in the guide and on markers; sites and historic areas are identified by numbers.

Sites visible from the Routes are in caps within the text.

Side Trips and other Off Route attractions are suggested at points marked by an asterisk (*) and italics. Directions to these sites are at the end of each tour. Because basic tours take several hours each, we suggest return visits to explore these additional sites. Dutchess County Farm Produce Maps and winery brochures are available at Tourism Information Centers county-wide.

Telephone numbers in Dutchess County are primarily in the 845 area code, with the exception of Millerton and Pine Plains, where some numbers are in the 518 area. Check the telephone directory for assistance.

Where the map indicates "Start" set your trip meter at "0" and begin. (Note that individual trip meters may vary slightly from mileage indicated.)

<---------------- TOUR 6 BEGINS HERE ---------------->

(54 Miles, 3 Hours) START.
The tour starts at the (I) of the Taconic Parkway and Route 55 East.

Drive 1.4 miles to Rt. 82 North. Turn left and drive 5.6 miles to Verbank Village Rd.

1 VERBANK METHODIST CHURCH AND CEMETERY (R), the former Vail burying ground, est. in the 1870s.

Turn left on Verbank Village Rd. Drive 0.6 mile to Milewood Rd.

VERBANK VILLAGE hamlet grew around George Ellsworth’s mill, ca. 1742, on the Sprout Creek. Houses bordering the road date from the 18th and 19th c. The intersection has been the town’s business center since the earliest years, boasting a hotel/inn, general store, several mills and a blacksmith shop.

Turn left and drive 0.1 mile to Rt. 82. Turn right on Rt. 82. Drive 0.4 mile to Tompkins Rd. Turn left on Tompkins Rd. and drive 0.5 mile to N. Smith Rd. Turn right on N. Smith Rd. Drive 1.3 miles to Rickes Rd.

2 SKY ACRES AIRPORT (R). A favorite stop for small, private plane owners was opened in 1965 on a former farm.

3 OSWEGO MEETING HOUSE AND CEMETERY (L) (NR). The building dates from ca.1828, but the first meeting, an offshoot of the Oblong Meeting in Pawling, was held in 1758. The cemetery, in early Quaker tradition, contains many unmarked graves as well as simple stones. 19th c. maps show a number of houses and a Friends boarding school nearby. (Marker).

Turn left on Rickes Road. Drive 0.7 mile and bear left on CR 89.

4 SCENIC VIEW (pull-off) on Rickes Road for scenic view. Rural eastern Dutchess lures hunters and fishermen. Well-kept barns are a clue to farms mainly devoted to dairy farming, stock breeding and feed raising.

Drive 1.4 miles to North Clove Rd., CR 9 Turn right and drive 3.2 miles to (I) of CR9 & CR 24.

5 ABEL TREE FARM (PVT) (both sides of road) at Abel Pond grows Christmas trees.

6 UNION VALE GRANGE #887 (L). Active since 1900. The TOWN GARAGE (R) was a WPA project. North Clove at the northern end of the valley is a tiny farming community.

Turn right on CR 9. Drive 3.0 miles to CR 21.

7 THE CLOVE SIGN marks the earliest settled portion of the valley, ca. 1738. Clove Spring, source of the Fishkill Creek, iron deposits, and good farmland attracted settlers, creating a busy hamlet in the 19th c. that served local iron mines and furnaces. Many early farms are now within the property of the neighboring Clove Valley Rod and Gun Club.

8 SCHOOLHOUSE (L). A split rail fence (R) marks the stone house built by Palatine Nicholas Emigh ca. 1740, lovingly restored in its original setting near the spring.

9 CLOVE CEMETERY (L), est. 1858, is opposite VALLEY BIBLE FELLOWSHIP CHURCH (R), ca.1871, near CHRISTIE POND (L).

At traffic circle bear right on CR 21. Drive 1.1 miles to Duncan Rd.

10 SKIDMORE HOUSE (R) (PVT) was built ca.1838 by a prosperous mill owner. In this era it was owned by Jean Webster, (Mrs. Glenn Ford McKinney) Mark Twain’s niece, who created the “Daddy Long Legs” book and film.

Turn left on Duncan Rd.

11 TYMOR PARK AND TYMOR FOREST consisting of 500 acres, were deeded to the Town of Union Vale by Mr. and Mrs. Ralph Connor in 1971 as a town park and recreation center. Limited use is provided outside groups by special permit. Contact Park Manager 845/724-5460 for (?).

Drive 1.4 miles to Dorn Rd. Turn left on Dorn Rd. Drive 0.8 mile to Furnace Rd. Turn right and drive 0.4 mile to stop sign at CR9 (unmarked).

12 BEEKMAN FURNACE (L) in the 19th c. processed 700 tons of ore annually from Union Vale mines. The impressive remains of the CLOVE SPRINGS IRON WORKS (L) or (R) (PVT) identify recent development as part of an early industrial site.

Turn right, drive 0.4 mile to Recreation Rd. Turn left on Recreation Rd. Drive 1.2 miles to Beekman-Poughquag Rd., CR 7.

13 TOWN OF BEEKMAN RECREATION PARK (R).

14 DALTON FARMS (L), a housing development, formerly part of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Jr. estate.

Turn right on Beekman-Poughquag Rd., CR 7. Drive 0.6 mile to Beekman Rd., CR9.

15 BARTON ORCHARDS (L) is one of many farms in the area that offers an opportunity to pick the best of the crop at the moment it is ripe.

Turn left on Beekman Rd., CR 9. Drive 0.6 mile to Green Haven Rd., CR 8.

BEEKMANVILLE HAMLET was settled ca. 1710. The HOTEL (R), a stage stop on the road to Fishkill, in recent years has become an arts center. 18th and 19th c. buildings, now private homes, were once a forge, a former MEETING HOUSE (L) and SCHOOLHOUSE (R).

Turn left on Green Haven Rd., CR 8. Drive 1.8 miles to Rt. 216.
16 GREEN HAVEN CORRECTIONAL FACILITY (R). Visible across the fields, the facility was constructed by New York State just prior to WWI, when it was used by the federal government during the war.

Turn right on Rt. 216. Drive less than 0.1 mile to Green Haven Rd. Turn left on Green Haven Rd. Drive 0.1 mile to entrance of church. Enter church driveway and turn around.

17 MT. ZION BAPTIST CHURCH (R), built ca. 1902 on land near the school donated by the Shelton family.

Return to the (I) of Rt. 216 and Green Haven Rd. Turn right on Rt. 216. Drive 2.6 miles to CR 7.

18 SUGAR MAPLE FARMS (L) breeds champion thoroughbreds. Miles of white fencing mark its boundaries underscoring gorgeous scenic views. The farm made its mark in the world of racehorse breeding with Champagneforashley, named for one of the owner’s daughters and a favorite to win the 1990 Kentucky Derby. A last minute injury ended his meteoric career.

Turn left on CR 7. Drive 0.3 mile to stop sign. Continue straight on Church St. and drive 0.3 mile to Rt. 55 East.

The HAMLET OF POUGHQUAG is a charming community dating from the late 18th c. The Whaley Creek powered saw, grist and fulling mills during the 19th c. The main street, the Beekmanville-Poughquag Rd., is graced with small Federal Era residences showing Victorian touches. Note the Greek Revival style of the POUGHQUAG UNITED METHODIST CHURCH AND CEMETERY(L), est. 1840. Beekman’s Revolutionary War hero was Col. James Vanderburgh, whose homesite is marked.

Turn right on Rt. 55 and drive 0.7 mile to Pleasant Ridge Rd. Turn left on Pleasant Ridge Rd. Drive 1.2 miles to Quaker Cemetery. Turn around and return to Rt. 55.

19 QUAKER CEMETERY (R). The cemetery of the Apoquague Preparative Meeting, est. 1771, is visible behind a low stone wall.

Turn left on Rt. 55. Drive 1.7 miles to Old Rt. 55. Turn left on Old Rt. 55. Drive 2.7 miles to Lakeside Drive. Turn left on Lakeside Dr. Drive 1.0 mile to Charles Coleman Blvd.

ARNOLD LARSON INC., www.ArnoldLarsonCollection.com, 845/724-5502. A Scandinavian importer and gift shop founded in 1945. Our company imports Swedish goods and manufactures the Arnold Larson Collection of fine crystal in our on-premise glass-blowing factory.

THE OLD PAWLING/BEEKMAN TURNPIKE over Pawling Mt. was a privately owned toll road from 1824 to 1906. Historic Marker (L) (PVT) indicates the former entrance to WEST MT. MISSION, founded in 1906 to assist the rural poor of West Pawling, closed in 1950.

20 EDWARD R. MURROW MEMORIAL PARK (L). Adjacent to the site of Emery Cole’s Grist Mill, the town park honors the memory of the legendary journalist.

21 TOWN OF PAWLING RECREATION PARK (L) is the site of the former YMCA complex.

Turn right on Charles Coleman Blvd. Drive 0.9 mile to West Main St.

PAWLING CHAMBER, www.pawling.org, 845/855-0500. Take a break and explore, our village of Pawling for shopping, dining and relaxation.

22 DUTCHER HOUSE (R). A former hotel/commercial building built in 1884 by Mayor John Dutcher that still boasts charming shops.

23 VILLAGE OF PAWLING. Park here to view Victorian houses and old trees that line the way of village roads. The coming of the railroad in 1849 turned the rural Pawling Station into a busy manufacturing, dairy transport, and resort center. The Railroad Station of the Metro-North Harlem Line replaced the original that burned in 1989. Visible across the railroad tracks is Memorial Ave., with trees honoring WWII servicemen (Marker), and the PAWLING CHRONICLE office, est. 1870 as “The Pawling Pioneer” by historian Phillip Smith.

Turn left on West Main St. Bear right at (Y) on curve to East Main St., which curves past the Eastlake style PAWLING CENTRAL BAPTIST CHURCH (L) ca. 1879. Drive 0.8 mi. to Rt. 22.

24 PEALE CENTER FOR CHRISTIAN LIVING (L). The Center Museum interprets the lives of world-renowned religious leaders Norman Vincent and Ruth Stafford Peale. Call 845/855-5000 for (?).

25 JOHN KANE HOUSE (NR) (L). This building served as Washington’s headquarters from Sept.-Nov. 1778 over Tory Kane’s objections. The Historical Society of Quaker Hill and Pawling, est. 1910, maintains the house as a local history repository and museum. The Lowell Thomas rooms bring to life the career of a radio pioneer. Call 845/855-9316 for (?).

26 DUTCHESS GOLF COURSE (R). This site was the home of William Prendergast, leader of the Anti-rent War in 1766. Established 1890, this 9 hole public course is one of the oldest in the country. Call 845/855-9845 for (?).

27 SLOCUM CEMETERY (L). Burial ground of the family which acquired the confiscated Kane property after the Revolution.

At light on Rt. 22 go across Rt. 22, which becomes Quaker Hill Rd. Drive 2.7 miles to Church Rd.

28 PURGATORY HILL (L) (Marker), the less celestial part of Quaker Hill, was the site of a Revolutionary War encampment and Great Ox Roast held in 1778 commemorating the anniversary of victory at Saratoga.

29 OBLONG MONUMENT (R). Outlined by locust trees buffering an early cemetery, structure marks the boundary established by Govs. Dongan (NY) and Treat (CT) in 1683, confirmed by the Treaty of Dover in 1731.

Turn right on Church Rd. Drive 0.5 mile to Quaker Hill Rd., CR 66.

This area is noted for its extraordinary scenic views.

30 CHRIST CHURCH AT AKIN HALL/GROUNDS (R). This site memorializes Lowell Thomas and NY Gov. Thomas E. Dewey (1943-55), with monuments and a grove. This pastoral scene frames former Mizzentop Hotel (R) (Marker), a premier resort from 1880-1933.

Turn left on CR 66. Drive 3.0 miles to CR 68.

31 AKIN FREE LIBRARY AND NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM (R), (NR). These eclectic Victorian stone buildings were est. 1898 by Quaker Albert Akin. The Historical Society Quaker materials and Gunnison mineral and natural history collection form the interpretive core. Call 845/855-5099 for (?).

While on CR 66 at 1.6 miles on Meeting House Rd. is Quaker Hill, the area settled by New England Quakers credited with forming the Oblong Meeting ca. 1741 and outlawing slavery before the Revolution. The MEETING HOUSE, est. 1764, was appropriated in 1778 by Washington’s troops as a military hospital. (200 ft. on right on Meeting House Rd. No outlet, park on CR 66). QUAKER HILL CEMETERY (Marker).

Turn left on CR 68. Drive 2.8 miles to Hurd’s Corners Rd. Turn right on Hurd’s Corners Rd. Drive 1.5 miles to Rt. 22/55.

Hurd’s Corners was named for the Hurd family, prominent citizens of the 19th c. hamlet of Campbellsville. Note family monument (R).

32 APPALACHIAN TRAIL. A 2100+ mi. footpath from Maine to Georgia, completed in 1937 and administered by the National Park Service, crosses here. Call 845/454-4936 for (?). The Harlem Line of Metro-North RR offers limited stops at train station due west just across Rt. 22. Call Metro-North 800/METRO-INFO for (?).

Turn right on Rt. 22/55. Drive 2.5 miles to Rt. 55

Historic structures are located at the former Harlem Valley Psychiatric Center (R). Bear right on Rt. 55.

33 FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH (L). Established 1757. Cemetery is opposite church.

Drive 0.9 mile to (I) with CR 6. Turn right
on Rt. 55 and continue 0.9 mile to Webatuck Craft Village.

34 WEBATUCK CRAFT VILLAGE (L). Quaint shops house craft studios, galleries and a 1747 inn/furniture showroom. Food service is available at the Buttonwood Cafe, or picnic along the stream. Call 845/832-6601 for (?).

Turn around and drive 0.9 mile to (I) with CR 6. Turn right on CR 6. Drive 5.6 miles to Rt. 22.

35 TEN MILE RIVER (R), a favorite fishing area, is a meandering stream fed by the Swamp River that empties into the Housatonic. SCENIC VIEWS (L) along Ten Mile River.

36 OLD DROVERS INN (L), a stop for cattle drovers, was opened by John Preston 1750 in the low stone wing. The addition ca. 1805 is noted for the unique barrel vaulted ceiling of the upper long room in which riotous 19th c. public meetings were held. Taproom, award winning restaurant and inn open year round. Call 845/832-9311 for (?).

37 SCENIC VIEW (R). Hudson Valley artist Asher Durand painted a similar view in 1848. The epic “Dover Plains, Dutchess County, New York” is in the collection of the Smithsonian.

Turn right on Rt. 22. Drive 1.0 mile to Mill St. Turn right on Mill St. Drive 0.2 mile to Market St. Park here and walk.

38 DOVER PLAINS HAMLET. Located on “the Great Rd. from NY” was settled in the late 18th c. but experienced its biggest growth ca. 1850 during the era of the railroad. Federal style TABOR WING HOUSE (NR) (R), est. 1815 and owned by the Town of Dover Historical Society, houses the town library and the society collection. The J.H. KETCHAM HOSE CO., opposite, and the Jr. High School, located 3.7 mi. south of hamlet, have remarkable local WPA era art landscape collections. Maple Lane (R) unmarked at the light leads past the SECOND BAPTIST CHURCH, est.1794, to the RAILROAD DEPOT, a stop on the Harlem Line.

Return to Mill St. Drive 0.2 mile to Rt. 22. Turn right on Rt. 22.

39 DOVER STONE CHURCH. Pequot Chief Sassacus is said to have hidden in the cave called Dover Stone Church, escaping English soldiers after the massacre at New London. The site is near the hamlet for future opening. Call Town Hall 845/832-6111 for (?).

Turn right on Rt. 22 to (I) Rt. 343.

<---------------- TOUR 6 ENDS HERE ---------------->