Upstate NY – Keeping NY History Alive

Beacon, Dutchess County, NY

The exhibit “Whispers of the Castle Keep” from the Bannerman Castle Trust intrigues me; the suspense builds as I wait until Spring to visit Bannerman Island.

Vintage Photo of Working Men in Beacon

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Beacon Historical Society ; I Hear America Singing

Bricks made from clay dug from the banks of the Hudson River

Beacon Historical Society holds an ever-expanding collection of interest to local history buffs and family history aficionados. From a reel manufactured by Toy Krofters, a Bookie Blox collection and bricks from local brickyards to business directories and family history files, BHS is a must-visit Hudson Valley site.

The exhibit “Whispers of the Castle Keep” from the Bannerman Castle Trust intrigues me; the suspense builds as I wait until Spring to visit Bannerman Island. From a shield and rifle to a romance which includes illustrations depicting how the bridegroom won his young bride from her intended the Reverend, the collection is well-executed. The docent presents captivating vignettes of selected artifacts. He not only sparks interest in the local history surrounding the Castle but also plays his part in “Keeping NY History Alive”.

Bannerman’s Catalogue of Military Goods

Bannerman, Francis. “Catalogue of Military Goods”. 1907. From the New York Public Library

Contrary to being a weekend getaway, the castle in “the mighty Hudson” was an arsenal, a storage facility for Francis Bannerman’s military surplus business in New York City. This does not deter me; I will visit Bannerman Island! Stone walls built centuries ago and abandoned buildings lure me as gold mines captured the imaginations of our ancestors.

The treasure is the story yet to be discovered.

Image in header:

Barn at Trail’s End Farm in Shookville, NY. Built in ~ 1865. In 1939, Burton Barker Coon described his father William’s building of the barn, “The land had to be cleaned and cleared of stumps and stones and some of it ditched and drained. The stones were dumped into ditches, or laid into stone walls, and what could not be used that way were piled into great heaps on rocks or some out of the way place. These heaps of stones are in evidence today and are mute witnesses to the industry and perseverance of the pioneer. The basement wall of the barn at Trail’s End is 9 feet high and 100 feet long. That represents a lot of labor, besides the unnumbered loads of stones which it took to fill in behind it – perhaps a thousand in all. Where did they all come from? Who picked them up? How were they conveyed to their last resting place? All I know is that my father laid the wall and it stands today in almost perfect alignment. That was 75 years ago.”

Milan 50 Years Ago

In our mission to keep local history alive, we are posting each volume of the Milan Community Association Newsletter dating from 50 years ago in its entirety.

Bonnie Wood supplements these original MCA newsletters with her “More About History” column.

“More About History” Excerpts

Supplement to 11/1968 issue:

Shookville Church on Shookville Road remains a Milan landmark. For photos, Burton Coon’s history of the church, and additional details see Shookville Church on our local churches page.

In Stone By Stone, I reminisced in the Foreword …

As I walked from the Shookville Methodist Church along the stone wall erected from the surrounding fields, I paused to reflect on how this wall stood as a testament to my ancestors’ tenacity. As I stood beside it, I found a place to contemplate how the land might have appeared before any inhabitants. I imagined how my ancestors, descendants of Palatine immigrants, first stood here on soil that seemingly only grew rocks. Yet, they began by moving one stone. Stone by stone, these mighty souls persevered. Stone by stone, they overcame each burden. Stone by stone, they cleared the land. Stone by stone, they built a farm and a family.

and included Burton Coon’s paraphrasing of his father William Coon’s heart-wrenching diary entry:

The next year (1865), in September, diptheria invaded this quiet hamlet. The little daughter of Philip and Charlotte Coopernail was taken with it. She was about five years old and a great favorite with my father’s daughter, Jemima, who went down to see her. There was no quarantine in those days and disease must have been of a malignant type, for they both died, one on the 4th and the other on the 7th of September.

And they are buried inside the iron fence in the old Shookville cemetery, the little one at the feet of the older one. So they are together there in death. At the top of the little one’s stone is the figure of a broken rosebud, and underneath her name and age are the words: “Go with me.” Her friend went…

Supplement to 1/1969 issue:

Can You Identify?
Local musician, Ferris Jackson (far left) and local writer, Burton Coon (second from left)…? Who are the other men in the photo?

Ferris Jackson, an African American who lived with his sister Emma, served as organist of the Church and would arrive early every Sunday to provide beautiful music as the congregants arrived. Ferris also served as Church Treasurer and sang in the choir with his rich bass voice. Ferris and Emma were strict observers of the Sabbath. They walked to Church every Sunday so the horse could rest. At Church dinners, he would be the last to sit down – he would wait until he was sure everyone else had a seat. Ferris Jackson died in February 1940. His funeral was held in this Church on a day with a heavy snowstorm. Even with the storm, so many people attended his funeral that the Church was standing room only.

From Ryan Orton’s History of the Rowe United Methodist Church – Written for the 175th Anniversary Celebration 1838-2013

Check out “More About History” in the Milan 50 Years Ago blogs.

	Bonnie's Research on Stories of the Past: Shookvill…
	Bonnie's Research on Stories of the Past: Shookvill…
	BONNIE ODELL FULMER on Stories of the Past: Shookvill…
	Jeff Shook on Stories of the Past: Shookvill…
	Jeff Shook on Stories of the Past: Shookvill…
	Bonnie's Research on Stories of the Past: Shookvill…
	Bonnie Odell Fulmer on Stories of the Past: Shookvill…
	Bonnie's Research on Stories of the Past: Shookvill…
	Johnny Walsh on Stories of the Past: Shookvill…
	Bonnie's Research on Vintage Recipes: From a Farm S…
	Mary Emma Allen on Vintage Recipes: From a Farm S…
	Bonnie's Research on Vintage Recipes: From Auntie…
	John Kelleher on Vintage Recipes: From Auntie…
	Dave S on Research
	Dave on Research

Tag: Upstate NY

Research Destinations~ Beacon Historical Society

Beacon, Dutchess County, NY

Vintage Photo of Working Men in Beacon

Bricks made from clay dug from the banks of the Hudson River

Bannerman’s Catalogue of Military Goods