Love Road, Poughkeepsie, NY

This 4.50-acre site is currently identified as tax parcel Section 6261, Block 01, Lot 187898 on both sides (east and west) of Love Road in Poughkeepsie, NY. The site is bounded on the south by US Route 44 (Dutchess Turnpike), the abandoned railroad (now a rail trail) to the east, and commercial properties to the north and west. The site is currently identified as 20-50 Love Road, but in older documentation (circa 2005) it was referred to as 2 Love Road and was divided into three tax parcels (lots 173893, 188903, and 205886 – from west to east). Even earlier, the lots were known as 83-85 Dutchess Tpke (lot 173893), 87-91 Dutchess Tpke (lot 188903), 93, 95, and 97 Dutchess Tpke.

The property was formerly occupied by a gasoline service station, a petroleum bulk storage facility, and a lumber/building supply yard – not necessarily in that order. This area of Route 44 is known as Brickyard Hill.

The results of more detailed research can be found below:

The property card for 83 Dutchess Tpke lists the presence of a lumber yard in 1929. A 1936 map shows E.R. Davis as a property owner of the area, possibly the westernmost portion of the three lots. The 1938 city directory indicates Everett R. Davis (lumber and building supplies) occupied the property at that time and that was the occupant until 1972 (at 85 Dutchess Turnpike). A photograph taken in the 1970s of Brickyard Hill shows a sign on the property, along Route 44, advertises “Davis Lumber”. From 1973 to 1977, city directories list this address as occupied by Jim Waters Corp (building materials). The company “44 Lumber” was present on the site circa 1991. A large warehouse with an attached office/residence, along with a 3-sided open shed (possibly constructed in 1975), were present in what appears to be the lumberyard section of the property.

1929 and 1930 maps identify the property as owned by Paramount Oil Company and contained a filling station building and a gas pump island. According to a city directory, Cornelius H. Otto owned a gas station at the property in 1941 along with Dutchess Oil Corp. The center of the site (93 Dutchess Tpke) was owned and operated by E. A. Urlich (or Aldrich) from the 1940s through the late 1950s as a gas station. When Route 44 was widened and elevated around 1978, 10-15 feet of the southern portion of the property was purchased through eminent domain by the State which required the gas station to be closed. Love/Effron Oil purchased the property around 1975 and operated a petroleum bulk oil storage facility on the lot until the late 1980s. The gas station building was converted to use as an office.

According to a city directory, Dutchess Oil Corp occupied the property from 1938 to 1955 (95 Dutchess Tpke). City directories from 1958 to 1977 list the operator as Love Oil Corp and also Texaco Fuel Oil from 1972 to 1977. The property card listed Frances R. Finnerman as the owner in 1969 and then purchased by Love Oil Corp. in 1975, and a railtrail easement taken in 2008. From 1979 to 1982, Love Oil Corp and Texaco Fuel Oil are listed as being at 2 Love Road, which is when the road was constructed and addresses were reorganized. The address is vacant in the 1985 directory and then listed as occupied by Advanced Heating & Cooling from 1988 to 1992 (when the city directories end).

Very large oil tanks were located on the site, along with several buildings. One of the large tanks was located in a diked storage area to the north of a foundation of a building that was likely used as a garage and/or loading facility. Three tanks were located on a concrete pad along the fence in the central portion of the property, near what is believed to be a former truck loading facility. Two other tanks were located on cradles between the former garage and fenced area. 83-85 Dutchess Tpke (lot 173893) contained five oil tanks: two 25,000-gal and three 18,000-gal; these tanks were removed in 1990. 87-91 Dutchess Tpke contained a 2,530,000-gallon oil tank (100’ in diameter and 40’ in height); this tank was removed in 1989.

The easternmost lot (formerly lot 205886) was identified in a 1929 and 1930 map as owned by Fred Cleavaland of 12 Garfield Place, Poughkeepsie and had at least one building near the intersection of Dutchess Tpke (Route 44) and the railroad. According to a city directory, Arlington Mill was at the property in 1938 and 1941, and the lot was vacant from 1943 until 1950. (Photographs from 2004 by Tom Rinaldi show the building on the easternmost lot with its siding removed and an old sign for Arlington Mill uncovered, still painted on the old wood siding.) Starting in 1950, the city directories list Adirondack Bottled Gas Corp as the occupant of the lot (97 Dutchess Tpke) until 1977. After 1977, Adirondack Bottled Gas Corp is listed as being at 1 Love Road, which is when the road was constructed and addresses were reorganized. Adirondack Bottled Gas Corp is listed at 1 Love Road until 1980, and then the address becomes vacant until 1988. In 1988, Forty-Four Lumber is listed at the address. The next sequential city directory, from 1992, lists the address as vacant.

The property along Route 44 was mapped in a 1977 NYSDOT contract plan sheet showing numerous buildings and tanks of various sizes. The properties were identified as being owned by Love Oil Corporation, Edwin A. Ulrich, and Poughkeepsie Gas Company – from east to west.

A 0.1-acre pond was located in the center of the property, north of a building foundation, which may have been part of a storm water retention system.

The site was completely abandoned in the 1990s. In 1993, 83-85 Dutchess Tpke (lot 173893) was owned by Robert Reed and he applied for a permit to demolish 44 Lumber at 1 Love Road/83 Dutchess Tpke. During the demolition, “an unexpected amount of debris was found buried on the site”. Multiple demolition permits were pulled for the property in 2004. Also in 2004 the site was entered into the Brownfield Cleanup Program and remediation efforts were completed in 2017.

Sources of information:
1929 NYSDOT Record Plan – PSC 5203
1930 NYSDOT Record Plan – RC 1953A
1936 Dolph-Stewart Street, Road and Property Ownership: Map of Dutchess County New York
1977 NYSDOT Record Plan – D95633
1970s photograph by Sal Antonelli
July 2006 Site Characterization and Remedial Investigation Summary Report
July 2012 Alternatives Analysis and Remedial Work Plan
November 2017 Final Engineering and Construction Completion Report
Poughkeepsie City Directories – 1938-1992
Tom Rinaldi
Town of Poughkeepsie Property Card and Building Department records for Lot 187898 (accessed December 2018)

Location:
Concrete building- Google Maps (41.697698, -73.886719)
Brick building- Google Maps (41.697788, -73.885823)

St. Elmo, CO

According to this website, “St. Elmo Colorado was officially founded in 1880. Gold and Silver Mining brought many people to the area. There were over 150 Patented mine claims in the St. Elmo area. Populations reached a high of nearly 2000 people. The DSP&P laid their tracks up to St. Elmo and continued the line through Romley then to Hancock and through the Historic Alpine Tunnel. St. Elmo was considered a Hub town for supplies arriving by train. The tracks were abandoned in 1922. It is said that St. Elmo’s Population rode the last train out of town and never came back.”

Several buildings remain abandoned in the town (although they are being preserved and stabilized by a historical society), and you can visit them and also feed the abundant chipmunks living in the town.

More information: St. Elmo General Store

Location: Google Maps (38.703389, -106.346090)

Gothic Revival House at 3700 Albany Post Road, Hyde Park, NY

This beautiful gothic-style house is located on the east side of Route 9 at 3700 Albany Post Road in Hyde Park, NY (parcel #133200-6063-04-986483-0000). The address was formerly known as 422 US Route 9. When I photographed it in May 2018, the roof and house was mostly split in half. Clearly the house had been unoccupied for some time. The back lawn was littered with household debris, and the detached garage still contained many household items. A wide and deep brick-lined hole in the ground was possibly an old water well. A previous owner must have had a green thumb, though, because some beautiful flowers, shrubs, and trees were located on the front and north sides of the house.

As far as the history of the house is concerned, the online property card claims the house was built in 1930 but, as described later, it was more likely built in the 1840s. According to the paper copy of the property card, Howard & Alice Traver purchased the house in 1950 (deed book 745 page 393) from Ellen C. Roosevelt. The deed indicates the property was a “portion of the premises of which John A. Roosevelt died seized [sic] on March 10, 1909, and which by the terms of his will he devisted [sic] to Grace W. R. Clark and Ellen C. Roosevelt”. Gerald A. Traver purchased the house around April 29, 1997 (deed 1993-248). The house was then owned by Dutchess County, when it was then sold to Munther Nishiewat (aka Munther Nesheiwat) around December 1, 2016 (deed 22016-08392). On March 11, 2017, the property was sold to Four Seasons Deli & Groceries, Inc. as one of several disparate parcels in the sale.

In November 1986, the house was photographed and recorded as part of a Cultural Resource Survey Report of Route 9 prepared by SUNY at Albany, commissioned by NYSDOT in preparation of widening the road. The house was in good condition at that time. The house was determined to initially be constructed in the 1840s and show up on a map of Dutchess County from 1850. It was described as “a largely unaltered gothic revival type residence, as evidenced by such elements as finials and pendants on the gables and dormers, and by the pointed hoods on the second floor windows.” The area was described as “an area of open woodland except for a Hess gas station immediately to the south.” Also, it was “one of a small handful of 19th century farm homesteads that typify the farming economy of this area during that period.”

When I passed the house in September 2018, I saw that the house had been demolished. I guess I photographed it just in time. The detached garage was still present. I do not know the future of the property.

Location: Google Maps (41.741946, -73.930529)

Cripple Creek and Victor Narrow Gauge Railroad, Cripple Creek, CO

In 1965, Dr. John M. Birmingham purchased two locomotives from the Climax Molybdenum mine of Colorado. In 1967, he opened the Cripple Creek and Victor Narrow Gauge Railroad (CC&V RR) for business.

Location: Google Maps (38.747449, -105.172025)

More information: Cripple Creek Railroad; Colorado Encyclopedia entry on Cripple Creek

Cripple Creek, CO

Cripple Creek was the site of the last and greatest mining boom in Colorado, attracting tens of thousands of people to the western flank of Pikes Peak in the 1890s. Throughout 1892 the towns of Fremont and Hayden Placer — soon renamed Cripple Creek — developed and grew.

Cripple Creek was thriving in 1896, but two fires that April left it a smoldering ruin. Much of the town was flattened, especially the downtown business district, and half of the residents lost their homes. After the fires, the town council banned wood construction for new downtown businesses. The town rebuilt quickly, and soon there were 170 new businesses under construction. When you walk down the main street, the dates on all of the buildings are 1896.

After the town was destroyed by fire in 1896, the town and surrounding mining district reached peak production and population in the early twentieth century before experiencing a long decline. After World War II, the town turned to tourism as its primary economic engine, but since the 1970s the giant Cripple Creek & Victor Gold Mine has also provided steady production and employment. In 1990, Colorado voters approved an amendment that allowed Cripple Creek to build casinos. Any buildings that are not dated from the 1890s are instead dated from the 1990s, reflecting the growth that occurred to build casinos.

Location: Google Maps (38.747531, -105.179794)

More information: Colorado Encyclopedia entry on Cripple Creek

House at 141 North Water Street, Poughkeepsie, NY

This house is located on a bluff overlooking the Hudson River. I reviewed various historic maps and deeds, which are described below and included in the slideshow. The online property card for the property claims the house was built in 1850, but these dates are often guesses/approximate.

1867 (Beer’s map)- The house (if it is the same building) is present at the intersection of Hoffman Street and North Hudson Street (a street that no longer exists).

1874 (bird’s eye drawing)- The house looks as it does presently with a 1.5-story main section and a 1-story addition on the south side. A 2.5-story building is located just to the east (and north). Hoffman Street is located north of the house. And west of the house is a large L-shaped factory building at least 3 stories tall.

1876 (map)- The house (if it is the same building) is on a property identified as being owned by the Fallkill Iron Company. East of the property is a vacant property owned by C. Murphy, south are houses/buildings owned by several people, north is Hoffman Street, and west is Hudson Street with a property on the other side of the street labled as “F&N National Bank” and “Wooden Ware Manufactory”.

1887 (Sanborn)- The house is surrounded on the east by a 3-story tenement building, south by another house, north by Hoffman Street at the base of a steep bank, and west by an industrial complex of the Poughkeepsie Glass Works.

1895 (Sanborn)- The house is surrounded on the east by a 3.5-story storage building (the same building as earlier), south by another house, north by Hoffman Street, and west by an industrial complex of the Poughkeepsie Glass Works.

1/9/1911: Liber 368 Page 535 – Parcel transferred from Edward S. Atwater to James and Edward Kelly. Edward S. Atwater was the Received of the Poughkeepsie Iron Company, formerly called the Fallkill Iron Company, which dissolved in August 1908 so Mr. Atwater was selling the parcel. James and Edward Kelly both died and the parcel was passed to their heirs (and their heirs).

1913 (Sanborn)- The house is surrounded on the east by a “vacant dilapidated” 3.5-story building, south by another house, north by Hoffman Street at the base of a retaining wall, and west by an industrial complex of the Poughkeepsie Glass Works at the base of a slope.

1950 (Sanborn)- The house is surrounded on the east by A.C. Dutton Lumber Company property, south by another house, north by Hoffman Street at the base of a retaining wall, and west by various A.C. Dutton buildings (lumber warehouse #1, shop, garage) at the base of a slope.

6/24/1954: Liber 865 Page 14 – Parcel transferred from John A. Kelly, Katherine M. Edegeld, Elizabeth M. Truntner, Frank J. Kelly, Ella Kelly, Arthur E. Kelly, and John J. Kelly to William E. and Mary E. Nicalek. The parcel is described as being adjacent to Poughkeepsie Glass Works and a remaining portion of the Poughkeepsie Iron Company.

1/13/1981: Liber 1550 Page 663 – Parcel transferred from Mae E. Nicalek (of 378 Mainson St) to Donald J. and Anna M. Morrison (of 1 Hoffman St). The parcel is described as being adjacent to Poughkeepsie Glass Works and a remaining portion of the Poughkeepsie Iron Company.

5/15/2014: Parcel transferred from Anna Morrison to Water Street Development Co., LLC.

If you know anything else about the property, please let me know!

Location: Google Maps 41.712355, -73.938380

Old Dixie Highway, Espanola, FL

These photos are of a ~10-mile section of the Old Dixie Highway (also known as “Old Brick Road”) that remains single-lane and lined by brick and starts in Espanola, FL (a small town northwest of Bunnell) and continues north to CR-204. The road is about 9 feet wide and flanked on either side by a concrete curb. There are wide shoulders on either side that also appear to be made of concrete. The lands on either side of the road are tree farms, and you will see various gated logging roads on either side.

These photos were taken May 2018, after several rain storms. Sections of the road were mostly covered by sand. I was able to traverse it in a 2-wheel-drive Ford Fusion, just as long as you are careful about the potholes and sandy areas. You cannot really travel faster than 10 mph, so expect it to take 1 hour to traverse the entire route.

More information about the road can be found at the Florida Backroads Travel website, and is summarized here:

This red brick is the original pavement of the Dixie Highway. Construction began in 1915 on the highway. Many of the bricks were manufactured by the Graves Company of Birmingham, Alabama.

The Dixie Highway was a system that connected Chicago to Miami. You can see vestiges of this system all over the eastern part of Florida in the name “Old Dixie Highway”.

This segment was part of a road designed to connect Jacksonville with the area around Flagler Beach east of Bunnell. Most of Old Dixie Highway was torn out and paved over with asphalt in the 1920s and 1930s. The old brick road that ran from Bunnell to Flagler Beach was torn out and repaved and became State Road 100. A lot of bricks from the old road were given to local settlers who used them for their own paving projects, fireplaces or patios.

Espanola’s heyday was a long time ago. When the highway was new, the little town boasted of a hotel, restaurant, barber shop and post office. When what is now U.S. Highway 1 was completed from St. Augustine to Bunnell in 1926, people stopped using the Old Brick Road and Espanola faded away to its present condition of a few old homes and small farms.

Southern entrance: 29.517923, -81.312343
Northern entrance: 29.651671, -81.379915

Lewis Country Farms, LaGrange, NY (interior photos)

Located at the intersection of Overlook Road and DeGarmo Road in LaGrange, NY, Lewis Country Farms was a local lawn & garden center. The original structure apparently dates to the 1840s. A historic building inventory form from 1986 identifies the site as the Ayrault Place and built in the mid-to-late 1800s and mid-1900s. Bill Lewis opened the business as Lewis Country Farms in 1989 and it closed in the 2000s.

These photos are of the interior of the main barn. I was given permission by the property owners to photograph the interior. Photos of the exterior can be found here. Work has begun to clean up the site and turn it into luxury apartments.

More information: Building Inventory Form

Location: Google Maps (41.694541, -73.861096)

Frank Brothers Farm, Poughkeepsie, NY

This former dairy farm is located on Dutchess Turnpike/Route 44 in Poughkeepsie, NY. These photographs were taken in 2014. Since then, a portion of the roof of the dairy barn has stripped away. The decorative barn was a horse barn; in general horse barns were fancier than cow barns.

According to “Poughkeepsie: Halfway Up the Hudson” by Joyce C. Ghee, the Frank Farm was started in 1929 when they purchased the property and Otto Frank “turned the land into a successful cattle farm providing both dairy products and beef for local meat-packing plants”.

More information: Poughkeepsie: Halfway Up the Hudson (page 54)

Location: Google Maps (41.710642, -73.866124)