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New York - Poughkeepsie Poughkeepsie, (175 alt.,29,871 pop.), on the east bank of the Hudson River midway between Albany and New York City, is the seat of Dutchess County and of Vassar College, and the scene of the annual Intercollegiate Regatta. The railroad bridge, of cantilever construction, and the Mid-Hudson Bridge, of the long suspension type, dominate the river front. The city pattern is set by the long Main Street, which climbs the steep slope from the river and, lined with offices, shops, homes, and public buildings, extends eastward for about two miles. At the crest of the slope up from the river, where Main Street intersects with north-south Market Street, is the center of the downtown district. As in other cities feeding on industry and a large agricultural hinterland, the streets and stores are busiest on Saturday evening, with Main Street east of Market Street carrying the heaviest burden. Downtown Poughkeepsie is composed of crowded brick and frame structures of varied heights. An occasional old residence has kept its foothold, the lower floor pressed into commercial service. The residential districts reflect the tastes and styles of their periods. The finest dwellings of the preCivil War era have almost all been destroyed or have fallen into ruin. Along the water front, where the largest industries have occupied what was once the most pretentious residential section, the scene. is a mixture of activity and dilapidation. The economic life of Poughkeepsie is about evenly divided beiween industry and commerce, with no one trade or product predominating. It is an important retail shopping and lumber distribution center, and manufactures cream separators and oil clarifiers, ball bearings, clothing, and cough drops. Clothes for men and women are made in small but numerous establishments employing women almost exclusively. The Intercollegiate Regatta, most famous of American shell races, has familiarized the Nation with the name of Poughkeepsie. For two days in late June the city is host to a multitude of visitors from all corners of the continent, come to witness this pageant of rhythm and color. The three races—Freshman, Junior Varsity, and Varsity—are scheduled at one-hour intervals late in the afternoon, the exact time determined by the tide. The race course, on the imposing 'Long Reach' of the Hudson, is bordered by flag-flying yachts, launches, and rowboats, and the shores are crowded with thousands of people on foot and in cars. A bomb, fired from the MidHudson Bridge, signals the start. Followed by the boats of referees and coaches and by an observation train that skirts the base of the west shore bluff, the shells glide smoothly down the channel to the finish line. Three times the spectacle is repeated, lasting, in all, about three hours. Then bets are paid, and the exodus begins; within a few hours the river scene is quiet, and by morning Poughkeepsie has resumed its normal routine. The date given for the first modern intercollegiate regatta at Poughkeepsie is 1895. But the local history of rowing and allied sports goes back more than a century. The first recorded rowing regatta was held in 1839. Ice yachting began in Poughkeepsie in 1807; it came to an end about 1920, when icebreakers were introduced on the Hudson; in recent years the river has been kept open for ships plying to the Port of Albany. Poughkeepsie is a modified Indian name, the original probably meaning reed-covered lodge by the little water place.' The first record of white settlement within the city limits is a deed of 1683 conveying land from an Indian, Massany, to two Hollanders. Growth in the eighteenth century was slow. Of the 170 inhabitants in 1714, all were Dutch save 15 slaves and a dozen French Huguenots and Englishmen. Public.records, however, were written in a hybrid phonetic English. Poughkeepsie was not involved in Revolutionary activities. In 1777 it was made the capital of the State and Governor George Clinton made his residence here. The chief event in the history of the town was the ratification of the Federal Constitution by the State on July 26, 1788. Early in the nineteenth century the increased cultivation of the hinterland and the establishment of local factories brought Poughkeepsie into prominence as a river port. Eight large sloops sailed weekly to New York, transporting Dutchess County grain to the metropolis and bringing back supplies and settlers for the provinces. With the opening of the Erie Canal in 1825, however, western competition caused a decline in the value of Dutchess County produce, from which it has never recovered; and Poughkeepsie turned to industry and trade. In the 1830's Poughkeepsie acquired a reputation as an educational center as a result of the establishment of more than a dozen private schools, but the most important educational advance came in 1861 with the founding of Vassar College. In 1854, the year Poughkeepsie was granted a city charter, Henry Wheeler Shaw, the 'Josh Billings' of Yankee humor, took up his residence here and began his career as a writer under the pen name 'Efrem Billings,' which he soon changed to its classic form. Shaw contributed to local newspapers, took an active interest in civic affairs, and in 1858 was elected city alderman. After the Civil War Poughkeepsie experienced a period of rapid industrial expansion, with a corresponding increase in population. Factories sprang up along the river front, displacing eighteenth-century wharves, warehouses, and residences. Families of wealth and social position, whose homes had occupied the picturesque slopes overlooking the Hudson, removed to the southeastern section of the city and developed residential areas on the eminences of Academy Street and along Hooker Avenue. With the passing of the years many of the new enterprises expired, but some of the wealth they created had gone into philanthropic institutions housed in various sections of the city. The most important economic development of recent years has been the establishment of numerous small garment factories. Bridge, Poughkeepsie, New York Art Print Buy at AllPosters.com Bridge, Poughkeepsie, New York Art Print Buy at AllPosters.com Memorial Fountain, Poughkeepsie, New York Art Print Buy at AllPosters.com Bridge, Poughkeepsie, New York Art Print Buy at AllPosters.com