Colonel Henry Beekman
Gristmill Reconstruction Project
A [pending] 501(c)(3) non-profit public trust established to research, fund raise, seek public input & support, then design, build, operate, and maintain a working 18th century gristmill on the site of the original circa 1719/30 Colonel Henry Beekman Gristmill Located in Rhinebeck, NY
The Village of Rhinebeck, NY
As you drive up the old Albany Post Road (Rt.9) from NYC to Albany, you eventually reach Dutchess Co. and the quaint little village of Rhinebeck, NY. Just before the village center you cross over a small shallow creek. The creek flows along almost unnoticed today, as overgrowth impedes just about every view. The once interesting bridge that spanned the creek was paved over long ago and complemented with unflattering highway guardrails.
It wasn’t always this way…
For a century and a half (~1710 to 1870), this small stream, known as the Landsman Kill (“kill” is early Dutch for creek), powered the industry that sustained life in the area. Twelve waterfalls and by the most detailed count, fifteen mills, along its short course once provided the community’s lumber, grains/flour, cornmeal, oil, plaster, textiles, and later, paper. Milled goods likely also found their way to points up and down the Hudson River aboard the ever-present river sloops. Later, after 1807, steamboats would transport these goods.
By the mid 1700’s, two large gristmills stood on both sides of the stream crossing. Impressive as they likely were, little to nothing remains of them today. All we have left to get any sense of what they may have looked like are symbols on a handful of old maps. (The three most notable are shown below (1798 map, c1776 map, 1803 map, where the mill is by now decades old)). As far as anyone knows, no actual drawings or photos exist. That’s quite surprising, in fact, there’s nothing on ANY of the Landsman Kill mills except for one – the later built, and further downstream, Van Steenbergh mill (and there’s not much on that one either). 15 mills over 150 years of existence and no one thought to pick up a pencil even once to sketch! It’s impossible to know why. Maybe the great Rhinebeck in 1864 burned whatever existed. Maybe a drawing exists but it’s buried in someone’s attic just waiting to be discovered. Maybe everyone just thought the mills were so important that they would naturally stand forever – then when they got old and tired, perhaps no one cared anymore. The millers presumably were just too busy working to be thinking about art or posterity. The symbols, though not entirely reliable, give us at least some clue as to what was there nearly 300 years ago.
The top mill in the first map excerpt below is the Col. Henry Beekman mill that is the subject of this restoration effort. It appears to be three stories, with the front facing the post road:
1798 Thompson Map, NYS Archives (one of 4 versions of this map. For this specific mill area, they are all very similar. The NYSA one is the cleanest). Shows two gristmills now owned by Margaret Livingston (1724-1800), daughter of Col. Henry Beekman (see tab Beekman/Livingston). The village is to the left. Janet Montgomery’s home (Margaret’s daughter), Grasmere, is to the right. The “upper mill,” which is the older of these two mills, is the subject of this mill proposal.
Above, excerpt from a large map/property description in the Princeton University Library (they hold the Edward Livingston Collection, which includes the Beekman records). This map shows the lands held by the “Decd” (deceased) Col. Henry Beekman. A date of 1769 is found on the map in a torn, illegible corner. Henry Beekman died January 3, 1776, so it must have been prepared around this later time period. Initially it was assumed this was the “upper” of the two mills (It may very well be), but an old (early/mid) 1700’s map found shows the post road crossing the Landsman Kill west/south of the lower mill. (On map above, west is to the top.) The crook in the Kill also makes us think it could be the lower mill (built in 1750), as does the miller’s house (a photo does exist of the lower mill’s miller house). Do note the large store house which also existed here. Perhaps the upper, now much older, mill was less substantial of a business operation by this point or perhaps it was beyond the boundaries of this map. There still is a chance this is the upper mill but either way, you must wonder where’s the other one. Maybe the second mill wheel illustrated (which is odd to have at a mill) is meant to imply multiple mills here.
Excerpt from 1803 John Wigram (surveyor) map showing lands held by Janet Livingston. Produced (copied) by John Cox in 1804. Map held in the Edward Livingston Collection. Shows the original Reformed Dutch Church on top (north), mill with its long side and millwheel facing the Landsman Kill.
There are only two tangible reminders left of this earlier age at the upper mill– the milldam holding back the waters of the Landsman Kill in what is called Crystal Lake (which was long ago known as Asher’s Pond, and before that, simply “the millpond”), and a small blue NYS historical marker near the stream crossing, placed there over 85 years ago. Scattered stones from the old tailrace are also on the site and in the creek.
Falls from Crystal Lake (there is really no name to these falls. In the past, this was called Asher Dam, but that name is seldom used today. This dam was reconstructed for $185k in 2014/15 after Hurricane Irene wiped out the old one in 2011. It has roughly a 10-foot vertical head at this point. Below the ladder is a new set of valves the town hopes it can use to drain Crystal Lake prior to any other major weather occurrence. The blue sign by the way should have the name “Beekman” on it before any other name appears, and “Morgan” should not even be on it. This most certainly refers to Morgan Lewis (Statesmen & husband of Gertrude Livingston). It should simply just show “Lewis” to follow suit. As an aside, the marker near the Beekman Arms with the heading “Bogardus Land” stating the land belonged to William Traphagen is also in erroneous. It belonged to Henry Beekman who latter exchanged it with William’s son, Arent.
Across the street buried beneath the weeds, if you search hard, you’ll also see a small, round, partial foundation of some sort. That’s all that’s left of the lower mill at this site (see the Legion Park gallery). One of the lower mill’s millstones fortunately was recovered from the creek bed years ago and was placed in the ground near the Quitman House (the home of the Museum of Rhinebeck History (MRH)).
The Beekman Era (1710-1776)*
See the “history” tab for the full story, but briefly, Col. Henry Beekman inherited these lands from his father, Judge Henry Beekman of Kingston, in May 1713. Deed research seems to indicate Judge Beekman started building mills around 1710 on the Landsman Kill, the first at the falls near the outlet to the Hudson River (at present day Vanderburgh Cove). In 1705, Judge Beekman also sold to William Traphagen, an early Dutch pioneer, 281 acres, the land which most of the west side of the village sits upon including this mill area. In 1719 (after Judge Beekman passed away in 1716), his son, [later Col.] Henry Beekman, negotiated back from William a corner of this acreage to build “mills” at this “fall of water.” It’s possible when he got title back to the land, it may have had the beginnings of a mill or dam on it (it came with all “Comoditys privileges, hereditaments & appurtenances”). If not, it is likely William was employed to build the mill, as he was a craftsman (technically a “wheelwright” according to old deeds listing his status), but it’s not known for sure. (Howard Morse in his 1908 “Historic Old Rhinebeck” claims he did, but Morse offers no evidence, and he writes almost 200 years after events happened. You have to question how he knew that and wonder whether or not he just created a romantic story based on names found in old deeds.) Nevertheless, sometime between ~1719 and 1730, where 1730 was the first documented mention of a mill at this site, Col. Henry Beekman built “his” mill upon the “Flatts” (the village). From the time it was built it seemed to be in constant productive use. Many of Col. Beekman’s account books exist showing endless lists of his transactions, including citations where milled goods were exchanged for payment of rents. It is this mill, an important part of early Rhinebeck, that this project hopes to reconstruct. (Again, the history tab should be referenced. It includes a much more detailed telling of the story with maps, facts, photos, and historical references.)
Col. Henry Beekman notes he has about 140 families to come to mills. Taken from what looks like a journal of some type, Uncategorized in the Edward Livingston Collection. Has a date near it of 1751. *Beekman era technically ends 1776, but his daughter Margaret Livingston (nee Beekman), then his grandchildren, would come to own the mill.
Inevitable Change
After Col. Henry’s ownership, the mill passed to his daughter, Margaret, then to her son, Henry B. Livingston. Another sibling, daughter Joanna and husband Peter Livingston (she married a cousin), also had ownership at one point. After their ownership, it was sold to a string of several owners who tried to make a go of it. In all, from ~1719 to 1868 (when it burned down, it was last used as a paper mill), it operated almost continuously for 149 years. Inevitably, as in all things, better, cheaper, and faster places to mill product came about.
It’s worth noting that for at least 30 years after the mill was destroyed, vestiges of the old mill were still around. This photo in the MRH collection is circa 1905 showing the remains of the last mill wheel on the stream (the paper mill operated here roughly from 1840-1868). It’s somewhat remarkable that the wheel still existed. A Rhinebeck Gazette articled from that era noted the shaft was made of white oak.
An iconic image. A picture of this wheel was also used on the cover of Howard Morse’s 1908 book. (A mill wheel is also on the town’s official seal.) Note the stone tail race which is partially still in existence. The bridge in the back was a c.1893 horse cart bridge made of iron, but it was not suited for heavy loads. What exists today barely gets noticed, but once upon a time, it was a clearly visible and well-designed fabricated concrete structure donated to the town in 1911 by John Jacob Astor. It was known for years as the Astor Bridge (see history tab). Also note in the picture above the lower pedestrian bridge crossing the stream in 1905. It no longer exists, but the iron rail on the cart bridge above it still remains as the handrail for the current walkway. Renovating all of this will hopefully be included in the overall project being proposed. Photo MRH.
Rhinebeck Through the Ages
Rhinebeck has been remarkably preserved, owing much to a long history of civically conscious and benevolent citizens. The Beekman’s, Livingston’s, Astor’s, Dows’, Miller’s, Thompson’s, and Frost’s, to name but a few of the large influential landowners and benefactors, – plus the likes of other strong-willed citizens such as President Roosevelt, Jacob Strong (editor of the old Rhinebeck Gazette), Halleck Welles, Wally Foster, and Chuck LaForge (as well as other former owners of the Beekman Arms), Dewitt Gurnell (the former town historian), Kay Verrilli, and a long list of other hardworking individuals,¹ all contributed to the unique way the town developed.
History has always been a large part of Rhinebeck’s allure – from the native settlement to early Dutch exploration, to the Palatines and the early village(s) here, to the Beekman’s & Livingston’s, to the British movements up the river during the Revolutionary War, to the stagecoaches, sloops and steam ships, to the grand estates, to the violet industry, to FDR and the great wars, to horse racing and the fair, to the aerodrome, to the taverns, and to Rhinebeck’s grand dame itself – the Beekman Arm’s (once called the “Oldest hotel in America”).
That pioneering spirit that created Rhinebeck and other Hudson Valley villages continues on through all of us, we just occasionally need to be reminded of it. Unfortunately, we have nothing today to really help tell the story. As nice and as old looking the Beekman Arms is, we all know it’s a business. The RHS and MRH do a commendable job preserving the town’s history and making it available to any who ask (the RHS newsletter is always particularly good, it’s worth joining just to read and stay informed). Their archives however are not browsing collections and they are not located in the village where visitors can easily walk to them. There’s an actual Museum of Rhinebeck history, but it’s quite a distance from the village. It’s good that it exists, but it mainly hosts special exhibits and is infrequently open given that it has space & volunteer constraints. There really is no accessible history museum in Rhinebeck, which is quite a shame.
1. We cannot fail to also mention all the contributions Nancy Kelly, David Miller, and Michael Frazier have made to the preservation, interpretation, and sharing of the town’s history over at least the past two decades. This project concept, the research, and this website would not even be possible without their past efforts.
Project Vision
Mock-up, for illustration only
Shopping and restaurants draw people to town today, but people also come just to relax and walk around. If you think about it, where is there really to walk to? The Delamater House is kind of the end of the block going north. South, maybe you go as far as the Post office or church. East Market ends just past the second parking lot. West Market you can stroll to Garden St and the antique barn, but that’s about it. It’s all very nice, but quite limited. The walkable village arguably has also been trending more and more towards the expensive/commercial side of things (as far as new businesses go), which isn’t for everyone. Walking to an “old” romantic mill would certainly add to everyone’s enjoyment. Hearing the story of the grit, perseverance, and hopefulness it could tell would leave a lasting impression.
This project is about turning the little-used and long-overlooked Legion Park site into something far more useful.
It would be a place to stroll to after dinner. A place for community events, social gatherings, and outdoor concerts. It will be a place to bring your date, your wedding party, or your kids. It would be a real reminder of Rhinebeck’s rich history – the Beekman’s, the Traphagen’s, and the early mills on this ‘kill that were the force behind the settlement here and its prosperity. The mill would bring in new visitors, and those that come will have a reason to linger longer. For educational purposes, there is nothing else even remotely close to what a site like this could offer to kids K-12. The vision is to include a small museum to house some of the more interesting artifacts in the town/historical society’s collection.
For economic development in town, we’d have new visitors coming and we’ll have opened up a whole new corridor of commerce heading south on Mill Street. (With this, the big issue of course is potential crowds and parking. Planning for these will be a large part of this effort.)
The site will need to be self-sustaining, so some unobtrusive means of generating a little income will be planned in, such as a Dutch coffee/poffertjes stand, or maybe a “Beekman Ale House.” (The mill site in Mt. Vernon has a reconstructed distillery at it.) All of this is to be discussed. Nothing will happen here without the full participation of the Village and Town. In the end, this will be a project for the public to enjoy for generations to come.
Below are SIMPLE mock-ups of the site just to help you get some sense of what we very broadly and directionally have in mind. Putting the mill on/near the original location would intuitively seem like the the best way to develop this, but any identified site engineering or wetland constraints will have to be considered. In the end, the mill to be built and the entire surrounding park will be designed by a preservation architect and based on many thousands of collective hours of research to determine what is most appropriate and historically accurate for the site. The public will have full input into this process. (Note in below, the mill images are likely larger than how it will look for this perspective. These are best efforts for now.)
The site as it looks today. Quite a bit overgrown, time worn, and underutilized. We’ll need to think about the sycamore trees as they are quite nice. We’ll also endeavor to get the power lines buried and rework this entire park (not just where the mill would go.) Perhaps we’ll see a hand-hewn split rail fence running down the road frontage.
The site with the Wayside Inn mill superimposed in one possible location. The original mill’s wheel was on the other side, but we’ll need to consider various design options. (This works better for those walking from town.)
The site with the c.1690 Philipsburg Manor style house, adapted for illustration with a gristmill. Possibly a more period-correct design. The space in front, utilizing the hill behind it, would make for an interesting outdoor entertainment area.
Above, showing a smaller scale drawing. We’ll need an architect to show us the proper scale from this perspective.
Another stone mill design (Nathan Cooper Mill, NJ, 1826) just to give another conceptual idea. It’s a mill design 100 years past the original that was here, but stone is kind of timeless.)
Stone and wood, (Burwell-Morgan Mill, VA, 1782). It’s quite possible the original may have looked something like this one.
Below gives some sense of what it may look like driving into town from the south. Again, we don’t yet know how it will look or where it will be placed. It will likely be set back a bit further. Shown with the power lines buried.
Encouraging Signs
The Perfect Site, Creative Talent, and Resources
Rhinebeck is remarkably blessed with the perfect site – it’s a real mill site, near the center of town, in a park that needs work, that is strongly connected to Rhinebeck’s founding history, and one which is not in private hands (it’s owned by the Village/public). Rhinebeck also has plenty of creative, smart, and accomplished people in it that presumbably will want to contribute to the beauty and uniqueness of the community.
It’s not an insurmountable task to achieve our goal. Henry Ford built a mill from a pure concept at the Wayside Inn back in 1929. The George Washington Gristmill in Mt. Vernon was built from stones found buried in the ground in 1933. The mill in Sturbridge Village is a full reconstruction. Friends of the Peirce Mill near DC rebuilt that mill. There is actually a restoration going on currently of an old mill – see the “Other Resources” tab above on the Roslyn, NY mill (and do note all the public enthusiasm for that one). We undoubtedly will have more challenges as nothing at all exists to work from, but it can be done. Something like this just needs a spark to get going and the general consensus of the people to proceed.
There are challenges. Fund raising, wetlands (see the wetlands tab), flooding, parking/crowds/traffic, long term maintenance, finding a capable millwright, security, septic, etc. etc. will all need to be addressed.
We’re also cognizant of the work the RHS is doing (most recently at the old stone church) and we don’t want to interfere with their funding needs (or the Aerodrome’s, another Rhinebeck treasure). Hopefully it will all work itself out.
To be absolutely clear, this is a multi-stage project. Our goal today is NOT to push this through and build it tomorrow. All we want to do for the moment is to do a feasibility study, then have people read it, think about it, and discuss it in a public forum.
Our Organization
Organization:
The Beekman Mill project is a [pending] 501(c)(3) non-profit public trust established to research, fund raise, communicate/seek public support, and then design, build, operate, and maintain a working 18th century gristmill on the site of the original circa 1719/30 Colonel Henry Beekman Gristmill. It is separate organization from the Rhinebeck Historical Society, although it’s anticipated members of the RHS will just naturally be part of this effort.
Directors:
Selection process underway. If you have something you can bring to the table to help this move forward, let us hear from you.
Inquire about Donating:
The initial objective is to raise enough funds to conduct a preliminary analysis. This analysis will provide initial design options, costs, guidance on permits and approvals, an initial assessment of the challenges (such as building in a flood zone, we saw what happened to the area during Hurricane Irene in 2011), and a better idea of timing. It is anticipated this study will cost between $25-$45k.
Once this analysis is complete, it will be shared with the public and the Village Board. Upon obtaining the necessary support and approvals to continue, we will engage in a major fund-raising effort in the form of seeking grants and requesting private and corporate donations to raise enough funds to begin construction and complete the project. A rough estimate of costs is between $3-$5M, depending on the flood zone planning and scope of the project. Those willing to step up and become a benefactor to this project will certainly be recognized in some major way (in perpetuity). Please join (or contact) the board through the contact page to make an inquiry and learn more. This is a substantial project; bake sales and selling bumper stickers won’t get us to our goal. Nothing can be done without the greater community’s help.
Inquire about getting Involved:
As this project develops, we’ll need help in many areas. Fund raising will be very important, but we’ll also require the skills of historians, architects, archeologists, millwrights, engineers, graphic designers, event producers, and even just manual laborers. Those interested in participating very actively and who may wish to serve as a board member should contact us through the contact form as soon as possible. Whatever skills we get donated are services we won’t have to fundraise for.
Please download our presentation to learn the site’s history, and what’s likely involved in all this. The goal (likely a bit unrealistic today) is to have this completed by our “semiquincentennial” in 2026 (the 250th anniversary of the founding of America).
Location:
The combined village and greater surrounding town of roughly 10k inhabitants is located 107 miles north of the Dutch new world capital, New Amsterdam (renamed New York [City] by the English in 1664) and across the river from the 3rd largest Dutch settlement, Esopus (Kingston). It’s an easy car ride or 1½ hour Amtrak ride north from Manhattan (to the Rhinecliff station just past Poughkeepsie, then a quick 2.3-mile Uber or taxi ride into the village.)
“Thank you and we look forward to your involvement and support!”
Please visit the other menu tabs to learn more about the mill history, the Beekman family, the park, and this project.