Fishkill (town), New York

Fishkill is a town in Dutchess County, New York, USA. The population was 20,258 at the 2000 census. The name means "fish creek" in Dutch.

The town of Fishkill also contains a village named Fishkill. The town is in the southwest part of the county, partly surrounding the city of Beacon.

History

In 1683, nineteen years after the Dutch sold New Amsterdam to the English for what is now called the Netherlands Antilles and Suriname, the New York City merchants, Frances Rombout and Gulian Verplanck, purchased in Dutchess County from the Wappinger Indians for a quantity of rum, powder, cloth, hatchets, shirts, knives, bottles, white wampum, earthen jugs and 80 pounds of tobacco. Rombout and Verplanck never lived on their land, intending to use it only for fur trading. The first white settlers were Rombout's daughter, Catharyna and her husband, Roger Brett, who built a mill at the mouth of the Fishkill Creek as it flows into the Hudson. Their house, built about 1709, still stands in Beacon, and is the oldest continuous residence in Dutchess County. The name Fishkill is derived from two Dutch words: Vis (fish) and Kill (creek or stream).

Fishkill played an important role in the Revolutionary War when a vast military encampment was established one mile (1.6 km) below the village to guard the mountain pass to the south. Signal fires lay in readiness on tops of the surrounding mountains. The Fishkill encampment became the main supply depot for the northern division of the Continental Army. The first 1,000 copies of the New York State Constitution were turned out on Samuel Loudon's press at Fishkill in 1777. Trinity Episcopal Church became a hospital for soldiers recovering from smallpox, and the Dutch Reformed Church was used as a military prison.

The town of Fishkill was created in 1788 as part of a general formation of towns in Dutchess County. Fishkill was reduced by the formation of the towns of LaGrange (1821} and East Fishkill (1849).

Historic Places (Revolutionary War): Fishkill Upper Barracks, Fishkill Battery, Fishkill Supply Depot, Fishkill--Col. John Brinckerhoff House, Fishkill--Dutch Reformed Church, Fishkill--Trinity Church, Fishkill--Van Wyck Homestead (Fishkill Supply Depot Headquarters)

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 32.0 square miles (82.8 km²), of which, 27.4 square miles (71.0 km²) of it is land and 4.6 square miles (11.8 km²) of it (14.26%) is water.

The southern town line is the county line between Dutchess and Putnam Counties. The western town line is defined by the Hudson River and the City of Beacon. To the north is the town of Wappinger.

Fishkill Creek gives the town its name and empties into the Hudson River. Interstate 84 passes through the town, and US Route 9 passes through both the town and Village of Fishkill.

Dutchess Stadium, home of the Class A Minor League Baseball Team, the Hudson Valley Renegades is in the Town.

Beginning in 2004, Team Joff is also based out of the Town of Fishkill.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 20,258 people, 6,856 households, and 4,264 families residing in the town. The population density was 738.9 people per square mile (285.3/km²). There were 7,040 housing units at an average density of 99.1 persons/km² (256.8 persons/sq mi). The racial makeup of the town was 77.19% White, 14.13% African American, 0.19% Native American, 2.99% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 4.49% from other races, and 0.99% from two or more races. 10.47% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There are 6,856 households out of which 27.7% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.0% were married couples living together, 8.1% have a woman whose husband does not live with her, and 37.8% were non-families. 32.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 3.02.

In the town the population was spread out with 18.3% under the age of 18, 7.1% from 18 to 24, 38.1% from 25 to 44, 22.3% from 45 to 64, and 14.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 135.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 142.6 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $52,745, and the median income for a family was $63,574. Males had a median income of $42,106 versus $32,198 for females. The per capita income for the town was $22,662. 5.4% of the population and 3.4% of families were below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 6.2% are under the age of 18 and 7.5% are 65 or older.

Communities and locations in the Town of Fishkill

• Beacon Hills -- A hamlet southwest of Fishkill village and suburb of Beacon.
• Brinckerhoff -- A hamlet northeast of Fishkill village.
• Brockway -- A hamlet adjacent to the Hudson River, north of Beacon.
• Castle Point -- A location at the north town line.
• Dutchess Junction -- A hamlet south of the city of Beacon.
• Fishkill -- The village of Fishkill on Route 9.
• Fishkill Correctional Facility -- A New York prison near the City of Beacon.
• Glenham -- A hamlet southwest of Fishkill village.
• Groveville -- A hamlet southwest of Fishkill village, a suburb of Beacon.
• Hudson Highlands State Park -- The north part of the state park is in the southwest part of the town.
• Maurerbrook -- A hamlet west of Fishkill village and location of the annual Maurerbrook luminaries.

External links

• Town of Fishkill
• Village of Fishkill
• Fishkill area information
• Blodgett Memorial Library (Fishkill)
• Fishkill Creek Watershed Committee
• Rombout Fire Company
• Trinity Fishkill
• Fishkill Reformed Church
• "Fish Kill Flea," a 2007 documentary about the Dutchess Mall flea market in Fishkill