Advocating Initiatives Promoting Preservation, Stringent Archaeological Review,
and Proper Interpretation of the Fishkill Encampment and Supply Depot
Advocating Initiatives Promoting Preservation,
Stringent Archaeological Review,
and Proper Interpretation
of the Fishkill Encampment and Supply Depot
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Sheet | A Treasure to be Kept: Public Comments
Fishkill
Town Board & Planning Board Meetings & Agendas
Contact: info@fishkill-historical-focus.org
Named over three decades ago as "the last of the important Revolutionary War sites yet to be properly explored," the Fishkill Supply Depot remains so today: a one-of-a-kind site of national importance that has never gotten its due. Fishkill, New York, contains a key strategic center of the American Revolution, established and visited repeatedly by George Washington. Hallowed history happened here - hundreds of the original soldiers who fought to found the nation died and were buried here in unknown graves. The Fishkill Encampment and Supply Depot was larger and operated longer than the better known Valley Forge. Central to the outcome of key battles like Saratoga, the encampment played an important role in the founding of the United States, and its significance in American history cannot be overemphasized.
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19th-century view of
the area that had housed the Fishkill Supply Depot encampment |
Yet today in Fishkill, New York, the National Register Fishkill Encampment and Supply Depot is under threat of development. A large part of the historic site was covered by the Dutchess Mall in the early 1970s, followed by the Hess Gasoline Station in the 1990s.
Reflection, reverence and restraint are the responses such sacred ground calls forth. Rigorous historic preservation and a well-supported plan to share this legacy with future generations are long overdue. The opportunity has now arrived.
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Priceless Heritage at Risk as Development Threatens a Major Historic and Archaeological Site Time is running out for preserving a priceless heritage, a key historic and archaeological site in the town of Fishkill, dating from the American Revolution. The site, the Fishkill Encampment and Supply Depot, has been listed for decades in the National Register of Historic Places and consists of more than 70 acres on the East and West sides of southern Route 9. Here more than two centuries ago, thousands of Continental Army soldiers weathered the winters of 1776 to 1783 and blocked the British strategy of advancing unopposed up both sides of the Hudson to secure a line of communication from New York City to Canada. If the patriot forces had failed in this effort, it could have spelled defeat for the patriots and assured the ultimate victory of the Royalist cause in North America. At its peak, the Encampment, built under orders from George Washington, was a small city which included extensive barracks, a guard house and palisade, a prison, major hospital, artillery placements, and a powder magazine which supplied all Northern Patriot forces . Today, the only maintained structure is the Van Wyck Homestead, a farmhouse which served as a headquarters for military operations. Reflecting the site's importance, the Fishkill Encampment and Supply Depot was placed on the National Register for Historic Places in 1974. But subsequently, at that time, plans were thwarted to make the Encampment a national park and open it up to serious archaeological investigation. Now, once more, land belonging to the encampment and supply depot, which has never been properly assessed by experts in the field of military archaeology, is being seriously threatened by a new round of commercial development on land East of the highway. As a result, the archaeological and historical record of what remains of the encampment will be further jeopardized, depriving future generations of a direct link to a remarkable past. |
Historic significance
The Fishkill Depot was critical to the success of the Continental Army during the American Revolution and was central to the founding of the United States. Documents show that its importance to General Washington as an essential military facility cannot be overestimated. The Depot played a vital role in the victory of the Continental Army over British forces during the American Revolution, and is therefore listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It is a highly unusual and significant part of the historical heritage of the Town of Fishkill, of the State of New York and of the United States of America.
The barracks extended along the road, a half-mile south of the village, in close proximity to the house. Near this residence, "by the large black-walnut trees, and east of the road near the base of the mountain, was the soldier's burial ground."... - History of Duchess County, James H. Smith, 1882 |
At its peak, the Depot complex included the Van Wyck House, a cemetery, barracks and huts for thousands of soldiers, storage buildings, armory, a blacksmith's shop, stables, hospital, prison, and other features.
The depot in its time had many more acres in Fishkill than those recognized in the National Register and remained active through seven winters, much longer than Valley Forge.
Read the Marquis
de Chastellux's Account |
“The Fishkill Supply Depot should be preserved and interpreted as a permanent historical and cultural resource for the public. This…is based on the historical significance of the site … the contribution its preservation will make to the betterment of life in Fishkill and its environs, and the potentials the [site] holds for the aggrandizement of the natural scene”. - Belinski, S., 1970
The threat
About 8 acres of 18 acres proposed for development are threatened with construction that will destroy archaeological features and artifacts reported in earlier studies and examinations of the site that have not been thoroughly examined. A significant portion of the 70 acre Supply Depot site to the east of Route 9 remains unexamined for archaeological features and artifacts that may be disturbed or removed without benefit of archaeological study and examination.
Modern structures within the 70 acre site impose visually on land that at the time of the American Revolution included parade grounds, pastures or cultivated fields, stables, hospital, prison, barracks, camps and shops, all within view of the Van Wyck Homestead, the only maintained structure from that period.
Community Significance
The preservation and development of the Fishkill Supply Depot as a historic resource is consistent with the current Comprehensive Plan for the Town of Fishkill in which the southeast quadrant at the intersection of I-84 and US-9 is specifically addressed.
Goals for saving the Site
General Israel Putnam's 1777 permit to pass through the Fishkill Supply Depot encampment.
Home | Research
Documents | Articles & Letters | Fact
Sheet | A Treasure to be Kept: Public Comments
Fishkill
Town Board & Planning Board Meetings & Agendas
Contact: info@fishkill-historical-focus.org
