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LENGTH: About
8 miles. CLOSED to the public.
PRESENT STATUS: The official word from Dutchess County
is that construction of this section will be done 2007
to early 2008. The County secured federal funds for this
work in 2002.
STATUS DETAILS: The Harlem Valley Rail Trail Association
is continually inquiring to ascertain the most current
information about design and construction schedules.
NATURAL FEATURES, FLORA & FAUNA:
Wetlands are the
dominant feature of this portion of the trail. It travels
through
a valley considered by many to be the most beautiful
valley in eastern New York. The trail will run along
the Taconic
Hills to the west and the Taconic Range of the Berkshires
to the east. The long-term goal for this section includes
a side trail to Rudd Pond State Park and a walkway
looping off the trail into the wetlands. There are
several hiking
trails nearby that ascend the 2,000-foot peaks of the
Taconics. One of these trails is the Alander Mountain
Trail about
a half-mile east of the rail trail's Under Mountain
Road parking lot.. The Appalachian Trail also traverses
the
Taconic Range.
LOCAL HISTORY
 The
trail will parallel Route 22 which is to the west,
however the trail is only near the highway
briefly
near Millerton. The very northern end of Section
4 is in Boston
Corners, once a busy railroad junction for three
railroads: the Harlem Division, the Central New
England Railroad,
and the Poughkeepsie & Eastern Railroad. Near
the Eddie Collins ball field between Millerton
and Irondale
along Route 22 was the crossing of the
Newburgh,
Dutchess & Connecticut Railroad (ND&C),
later part of the Central New England Railroad.
A connecting
track
allowed the interchange of railroad cars between
the Harlem Division and the ND&C Railroad which
ran west from Millerton to Pine Plains and Beacon,
NY.
Hall of Fame
baseball legend Eddie Collins was born in Millerton
on May 2, 1887.
Irondale: Located just north of Millerton along Route 22,
this was the site of the Millerton Iron Works furnace.
It shipped pig iron to regional foundries and forges via
the Harlem Division and connections with the Central New
England Railroad.
Mount Riga Station: From Mount Riga Station, located about
four miles north of Millerton, to Boston Corners a few
miles further north, the Harlem Division and the Central
New England Railroad (CNE) ran side by side. The CNE right-of-way
is clearly visible on the east side of the rail trail.
The CNE ran east-west from Hartford, Connecticut to Campbell
Hall, New York via the Poughkeepsie Railroad Bridge.
Boston Corners: This area has a very interesting political
and social history. It was the site of a world championship
heavyweight bare knuckles boxing match on October 12, 1853.
A few hundred feet north after Dutchess County Route 63
becomes Under Mountain Road, there is an historical marker
(a blue metal sign) on the west side of the road describing
the thirty-seven round fight. The fight was witnessed by
3000 people, evidence that Boston Corners was a hub of
activity more than one hundred years ago.
At Boston Corners, the Harlem Division and the
Central New England Railroad crossed each other
and shared
one station. Until the 1930's, it was possible
to transfer from a Harlem Division train to a CNE
train
to go east
through Connecticut or west to Poughkeepsie and
Middletown, New York. At an earlier time, the Poughkeepsie & Eastern
Railroad also passed through Boston Corners on its way
to the Ancram lead mines near Ancramdale, and then on to
Pine Plains. The Poughkeepsie & Eastern Railroad
became part of the CNE after 1900.
DIRECTIONS:
Parking and
access will be in the village of Millerton and other
places yet to be determined. |
