Eleanor Roosevelt s character was shaped by the history and culture of the Hudson Valley. More than that, Eleanor Roosevelt loved the Hudson Valley. A woman who knew and cared for the whole world chose this place, Val-Kill, as her home in a cottage by a stream. Eleanor Roosevelt: A Hudson Valley Remembrance reflects her unaffected simplicity and caring interest in her neighbors concerns. Remembered by friends, colleagues, neighbors, and young people, these qualities inspired a community-based group to lead efforts to save her home in 1977 as the country s first national historic site...

One hundred years ago, the city of Poughkeepsie was
a bustling marketplace for the mid-Hudson Valley,
while the town of Poughkeepsie was essentially rural and substantially smaller than the city. Two world wars and the arrival of IBM reversed the roles, at least in part. The town grew larger than the city and soon became the center of retail business for the county. Four- and six-lane highways replaced
trolleys and trains. The city, however, remained the center of county government. Poughkeepsie 1898-1998: A Century of Change explores not only how South Road became the new main...

From the colonial period, the Poughkeepsie area has been a prime location on the Hudson, midway between Albany and New York City. Accessibility, scenic beauty, and a dynamic economic and cultural environment have made both city and town of Poughkeepsie excellent communities in which to live, work, and play. Numerous Americans have left their mark here, including the Livingstons, S.F.B. Morse, the Smith Brothers (of cough drop fame), Matthew Vassar, Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt, and Thomas Watson Sr. Poughkeepsie has also been enhanced by the contributions of its African American community...