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Beekman
Inns and Customs, Pages 140 - 142
Transcribed by Debbie Axtman
It was custom in early times, in New England
and New York, for the inns to be kept by the citizens who were the most wealthy and
respectable of the people, very often by men who had large farms and possessed the means
of providing ample accommodations. The public houses were then not always located at the
intersection of highways, and there was seldom any village to give local attraction to a
tavern. An old resident pointed out the location of an ancient tavern, some yards
southwest of the residence of Daniel Thomas, Esq., now near the centre of a meadow. He
recollected the sign, which hung on an apple tree, near to the inn. The road at that time
ran close to the house, but has since been changed.
Sixty or seventy years ago, the Doughty Tavern, located between Po'quag and Beekman, was a
noted inn. That and the mill opposite was once owned and managed by a Widow Dennis, who
afterward married N. Doughty, ancestor of the present families of that name. Doughty's
Tavern was celebrated for its good board, excellent beds, and ample accommodations; its
fame was in the mouth of every traveler journeying that way. At that time emigration from
the Eastern States was quite extensive. Peopel travelled in wagons, usually in trains. As
many as twenty or thirty wagons were frequentlyl on one train. The custom these emigrants
brought to the taverns along their route proved no small source of their income.
The Vanderburgh mansion, a subjoined cut of which is given, from a pencil sketch in the
possession of the family, built some time previous to the Revolution, and razed in 1860,
stood about one-fourth of a mile northeast of the village of Poughquag. It was one of the
first substantial dwellings erected within the limits of the town, and was a fine specimen
of the Better class of dwellings of those early times. It was constructed partly of stone
and partly of wood, with a broad covered piazza extending the whole length in front, and a
roomy, well-lighted basement, which was set apart for the use of the slaves. In this
mansion, Col. Jas. Vanderburgh had eighteen children born to him, all of whom reached the
age of maturity, and whose descendants are new reckoned among the most esteemed and
influential in the county, and elsewhere.
Col. Vanderburgh was an officer of note in the War of the Revolution. At one time, having
returned home sick, the Tories of the neighborhood deemed it a favorite opportunity to
attack him. Knowing the location of the bed he occupied, they approached during the night
and discharged a volley at the house, hoping that some of the balls might penetrate the
siding and hit his person; but his wife, having an inkling of the matter, had secured his
safety by placing a bulwark of pillows about him. It is stated that General Washington was
once the guest of Col. Vanderburgh at this house, having occasion to stop there when
passing between Fishkill and some eastern point.
On one occasion, his children in company with some of their youthful neighbors were
playing with the young slaves in the basement. Among their playthings was an old musket,
which they amused themselves by pointing at each other and pulling the trigger. The piece
contained a charge which had been in time immemorial. It, however, had long been used by
the children in their play, so long that it was deemed impracticable to make it
"shoot." But, on that day, one of the boys, nicknamed "Lud, " we
believe caught up the gun, and aiming at one of the little darkies, cried out, "shee
me shoot a black crow," and pulled the trigger. By some means the gun went off, and
the little fellow was blown to atoms.
Another relic which some of our older readers may remember, was the house occupied by
Joshua Burch, which stood west of the road, nearly opposite the residence of Thomas Brill,
Esq. It was built after the old Dutch style, with long rafters, steep roof, with eaves
nearly reaching the ground, and stone chimney at one end, with a fire-place of sufficient
capacity to hold a saw log of moderate size. Burch, it will be remembered, was an early
settler and large land-holder, from which some of the finest farm land of Beekman have
been handed down.
The old Poughquag Tavern, (now the residence of Daniel Thomas, Esq.) though of not so
ancient origin as those just mentioned, yet may well claim mention here. It was built
about the year 1800, by Henry Brill. It was afterwards considerably remodeled, but the
front appearance is much the same as it was originally. This was the "half-way
house" for the line of stages, running between New Mildorf and Poughkeepsie, and was
well patronized by travelers and drovers. It's upper room has often resounded to the tread
of the "light fantastic toe," and the loungers of the bar-room as often regaled
with travelers' stories, for which the hardy adventurous life of those early times
afforded abundant material. The Noxon house, built about the same time, possesses little
historical interest. It was erected by Benjamin Noxon; and a portion of the brick of which
it is constructed was manufactured on the farm on which it stands. It is rapidly falling
into decay, and will soon be numbered among the things that were.
The Beekman Cemetery is pleasantly located on the southern and western slope of a gentle
eminence, north of the village of Poughquag. It is tastefully laid out, and decorated with
evergreens, which mingling with the pure white marble of the numerous monuments and
headstones, produce a pleasing effect. From:
General History of Duchess County, From 1609 to 1876, Inclusive,
Philip H. Smith, Pawling, NY, Published by the Author, 1877.
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