Beacon

History

In 1683 Francis Rombout and Gulian Verplanck, merchant-fur traders from New York City, purchased the land that would come to include the City of Beacon from the Wappinger tribe. The sale was sanctioned by James II of England in 1685 in the Rombout Patent. Rombout died in 1691, leaving his share to his daughter, Catheryna Brett. The Rombout Patent was partitioned in 1706, and Brett received and maintained approximately along the Vis Kill. Brett sold some of her land to other settlers, often retaining the right to build a flour mill on the property. During the first third of the nineteenth century, Dutchess County ranked first among New York State counties in wheat production. Mills on Brett's property attracted farmers from both sides of the river. In 1748 Brett and a group of other settlers agreed to build the Frankfort Store House near the water at the "Lower Landing" north of Dennings Point. This store marked the beginning of river freighting in the area, and Fishkill Landing developed into a river port. As early as 1780 two dozen vessels operated out of Fishkill Landing. John Peter DeWint, owner of 2,000 acres at Fishkill Landing, helped further raise its status as a port by building the Long Dock in 1815. The village of Fishkill Landing was incorporated in 1864. Matteawan was situated on the Fishkill Creek about a mile and a half east of Fishkill Landing, and a like distance above the mouth of the creek, whose hydraulic properties contributed to its development as a manufacturing center. It lay at the foot of the Fishkill Mountains, and was a station on both the Newburgh, Dutchess & Connecticut, and the New York & New England Railroads, and was connected with the Fishkill Landing by stage, and rail. The city served a variety of roles during the Revolutionary…

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water. The total area is 2.25% water, which includes the Beacon Reservoir. Located on the eastern shore of the Hudson River, Beacon is noted for its proximity to numerous historic sites and large cities. It is located minutes away from Bannerman's Castle and West Point. Beacon also sits with the famous Mount Beacon as its backdrop and the Hudson River as its front door. The city also is located across the river from its larger sister city, Newburgh. Beacon is just 20 minutes south of the Hudson Valley Region capital city, Poughkeepsie. Danbury, Connecticut, lies approximately 30 miles to the east, while New York City is 55 miles to the south. The city includes the following neighborhoods: ;Main neighborhoods * Riverside section * Mountainside section ;Secondary neighborhoods * North tree streets * South tree streets * Business district (Main Street area)—revitalized over the last decade with artists' studios, shops and restaurants * "Davies" or "the apartments" (section of city with a concentrated area of public housing on South Avenue) * "Forrestal Heights"—this also is partially populated by elderly fixed-income persons in the one high-rise building in the complex and welfare recipients in the two-story apartments in the surrounding neighborhood. * "The Derk" (neighborhood east of Fishkill Creek along East Main; generally, the environs of Beacon Fire Station 1.) Byrnsville, or Tioronda, was a hamlet near the mouth of the Fishkill creek, about a mile south of Fishkill Landing, and contained the Tioronda Hat Works. In 1880 it had a population of two hundred and seventeen. The Hat Works occupied the site of an old cotton-mill at this place which failed before 1850.…

Race & ethnicity

Largest nearby schools

• JOHN JAY SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL
  High · HOPEWELL JUNCTION · 1,837 students · 14.2:1 ratio
• ROY C KETCHAM SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL
  High · WAPPINGERS FALLS · 1,612 students · 13.9:1 ratio
• GAYHEAD SCHOOL
  Elementary · HOPEWELL JUNCTION · 835 students · 15.2:1 ratio
• BEACON HIGH SCHOOL
  High · BEACON · 830 students · 10.6:1 ratio
• MYERS CORNERS SCHOOL
  Elementary · WAPPINGERS FALLS · 825 students · 16.2:1 ratio
• WAPPINGERS JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL
  Middle · WAPPINGERS FALLS · 735 students · 11:1 ratio
• ROMBOUT MIDDLE SCHOOL
  Middle · BEACON · 615 students · 10.1:1 ratio
• SHEAFE ROAD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
  Elementary · WAPPINGERS FALLS · 575 students · 15.1:1 ratio