The Pleasant Valley

Rail Road Station

Dutchess County Agricultural Society

Relocation Project: 2014-2015

Architect rendering of the Historic Pleasant Valley Rail Road Station (right)

situated to the south of the existing Historic Bentley Memorial One Room School

from Pine Plains. The project will be landscaped with period-style lighting,

benches, and walkways, and will be connected via a walking path to the Century

Museum Village Exhibit Building located behind the school at the base of the hill.

Dutchess County Agricultural Society

The Dutchess County Agricultural Society, Inc. (DCAS),

which secured its 501(c)(3) status in 2013, is an 80-

member organization of individuals that focus on

agriculture, horticulture, education, historic preservation

and maintenance of a safe and friendly event facility for

families and children.

Vision Statement: a society actively engaged in the

pursuit and promotion of our rural and agricultural

heritage, from neighborhood back yards to family farms

and commercial enterprises.

Mission Statement: showcase, promote and sustain

agriculture through education, display, competition and

community involvement.

History of Railroads in Dutchess County

Nearly 300 miles of iron or steel rails snaked a path

through the rolling farmland of Dutchess County by 1892.

Few other counties in New York State had as many miles

of track. So extensive was railroad trackage that it

touched each of the county's 20 townships at least once.

When the final spike of new railroad construction was

hammered in place, Dutchess County had nine individual

lines within its borders, ranging in length from 4 miles to

59 miles.

History of Railroads in Dutchess County

Midway between New York City and Albany and adjoining

the New England states, Dutchess County was an

important north-south and east-west traffic corridor.

Railroads east of the Hudson River which originated

beyond Dutchess County borders passed through the

county on their way to their destinations. Even railroads

which originated within Dutchess County positioned their

lines to be part of that corridor through the county.

Connecting with inter-county rail lines was a primary goal.

However, additional revenue from within county traffic

was anticipated from the export of agricultural and

industrial products.

Historic Railroad Lines in

Dutchess County

1870 saw a flurry of activity as tracks were laid and the first locomotive,

the cab of which was made of polished black walnut and trimmed in

gold, was delivered. Even the tender had a fine appearance dressed with

gilt stripes and neatly lettered in gold, "P.& E.R.R. No. I."

In October a successful test run from Smith St. in Poughkeepsie to the

first crossing of the Fallkill Creek buoyed the spirits of the builders, as

did the arrival of a second locomotive at the end of the month.

Passenger service to Salt Point was running by December.

All else went as planned and on January 24, 1871 a celebration party

with a band playing “Hail Columbia” preceded the P.& E.'s first official

trip. At 9:55 AM on that cold, stormy morning Engineer N. B. Cash and

Fireman Robert Lester piloted three box cars fitted with seats and

flooring covered with straw, one platform car and two new and elegant

cars, all decked out with flags and banners left on a non-stop trip to

Stissing. Locomotive No. l with Engineer George Carswell at the throttle

had left shortly before to pick up passengers from stations along the line.

Impact on Agriculture Dutchess County's internal rail network provided a valuable service to

industrial businesses and farmers. Prior to the arrival of railroads, products

had been exported beyond county borders on the Hudson River. But river

traffic was relatively slow. Furthermore, river shipping was not year round -

winter ice closed the Hudson to shipping. Railroad shipments were year round

and more frequent.

Some products such as milk, not marketable because of spoilage during a trip

on the Hudson, became an exportable commodity. As a result farmers

produced more milk. In 1865, before the arrival of the internal rail network,

towns along its lines(D&C & P&E) sold a total of401,000 gallons of milk. Ten

years later, after these rail lines were constructed, these towns sold

1,400,000 gallons of milk, most of it shipped by rail.

Farmers, who had prior to the arrival of these rail lines made the labor

intensive dairy products, butter and cheese, switched to shipping raw milk.

The development in the 1870s of the insulated ice cooled refrigerator rail car

made this possible. As a result farmers, able to dispose of their milk quickly,

increased the size of their herds to increase income.

Impact on Education Educational opportunity increased as a result of Dutchess

County’s internal rail system. Small towns provided only

elementary education in one room school houses. Children

had to travel to larger centers such as Poughkeepsie,

Rhinebeck, Millbrook, etc. to attend high school.

Before the railroads children either stayed with family or

friends in these larger centers during the school year or

did not go to high school at all. But when the railroads

arrived children could commute on a daily schedule,

thereby continuing their education.

Economic Impact Railroads changed the economy of the county.

New businesses could emerge as a result of the

availability of transportation to export their products.

Employment opportunities shifted as the primarily

agriculturally based economy shifted to accommodate

factory jobs.

One measure of economic impact is the taxable real

estate of the railroads. Real estate taxes paid by railroad

corporations were a source of income to every town in the

county. By 1894, the year after all new railroad building

had been completed, railroad real estate accounted for

14% of all taxable real estate in the county.

The Pleasant Valley Rail Road Station

History of the Station

The Pleasant Valley Rail Road Station was originally the

Poughkeepsie & Eastern, a CNE predecessor. For the last

25 years, it sat at the Joseph D'Aquanni West Road

Intermediate School, not far from where it originally

stood. As one of the only remaining structures associated

with the P&E Railroad, it is a unique educational and

cultural resource.

At its peak, the Pleasant Valley Railroad Station had more

than 10 trains stopping every day with hundreds of

passengers boarding and disembarking. The station also

served as an important facility for freight shipments.

Service at the station was discontinued in 1939.

History of the Station For the next two decades, the building was used only for storage,

ultimately falling into disrepair. Thanks to the efforts of the town

historian and a team of volunteers, the building was relocated,

restored, and made available as an educational resource for school

children. Due to its isolated location, however, the building remained

largely unused.

The station was given to the town and moved to the school property

25 years ago when the car dealership that owned the original property

needed the space for expansion. Moving it once saved it from

demolition; moving it a second time allows for a second restoration,

particularly important since it has been sitting untouched for the last

25 years. Relocation to a permanent location with over 500,000

people annually provides direct access for residents of and visitors to

Dutchess County.

14 Decades LaterWhat has become of the miles and miles of railroads in

Dutchess County?

Little remains. Only trackless beds, ghosts of busy rail lines,

are visible from late fall to early spring. Stone culverts,

bridge abutments, cinder paths, rock cuts and rail bridges

far from any existing rail lines remain.

A few stations, now converted to homes or businesses or in

some instances simply decaying, remain. These and the

ghost tracks remain as silent reminders of a once active rail

network in Dutchess County.

The Hopewell Depot Train Station is one of the few that has

been saved and is now open to the public; the Pleasant

Valley Rail Road Station will now become accessible, too.

The restored

Pleasant Valley Rail Road Station

The Museum Village

The DCAS hopes to fulfill a vision for Hudson Valley historic landmarks by

bringing buildings that would be lost and displays of artifacts to the

Fairgrounds where they are preserved, maintained and fully accessible to

over 500,000 visitors annually.

The relocation of the Historic Pleasant Valley Rail Road Station will bring a

second important Dutchess County historic building to the Museum Village.

Project Committee

Dick Whalen, Chair

Bob Beckman

Bucky Coon

Mark Germond

Andy Imperati

Ingrid Kulick

Project Timeline

The Fairgrounds has secured the Building Permit from the

Village of Rhinebeck, and deconstruction at the old site

was completed in August 2014. This work included:

Disassembly at current location

Numbering/labeling all parts

Loading and transportation

Project Timeline

Site preparation at the Fairgrounds commenced in September 2014, with

completion of the entire project planned for August 1, 2015. This work

includes:

Site preparation, including foundation construction

Reconstruction and finish work

Utilities hookup

Site access and safety, including lighting, signage, and a connecting

pathway to the Antique Museum Village

Interpretive displays and exhibits

Landscaping

Site Preparation and Foundation Work

The Pleasant Valley Rail Road Station,

ready for assembly at the Fairgrounds!

Funding The Project Committee is working to raise all of the funds necessary to fund

the project budget of $263,055; all contributions are tax deductible.

Funding to date:

Dyson Foundation Challenge Grant $115,000

Thomas Thompson Trust $ 5,000

Frost Foundation $ 5,000

DCAS Board of Directors $ 25,000

Individual Donors $ 6,000

Raised to date $156,000

Fund raising continues to raise the balance of $107,055 – please join the

effort with your contribution now!

Bringing History Alive

DCAS Commitment

Every dollar of every donation will count toward

the challenge and will guarantee the grand

opening of the Pleasant Valley Rail Road Station

at the Fairgrounds Antique Museum Village for

the 170th Dutchess County Fair in August of 2015!

All Aboard!