The Dutchess County Agricultural Society (DCAS) and The Century Museum Village & Collectors Association are working together to fulfill a vision – the Pleasant Valley Rail Road Station – and make it fully accessible to visitors annually at the Dutchess County Fairgrounds.

1. The Pleasant Valley
Rail Road Station
Dutchess County Agricultural Society
Relocation Project: 2014-2015

2. Architect rendering of the Historic Pleasant Valley Rail Road Station (right)
situated to the south of the existing Historic Bentley Memorial One Room School
from Pine Plains. The project will be landscaped with period-style lighting,
benches, and walkways, and will be connected via a walking path to the Century
Museum Village Exhibit Building located behind the school at the base of the hill.

3. Dutchess County Agricultural Society
 The Dutchess County Agricultural Society, Inc. (DCAS),
which secured its 501(c)(3) status in 2013, is an 80-
member organization of individuals that focus on
agriculture, horticulture, education, historic preservation
and maintenance of a safe and friendly event facility for
families and children.
 Vision Statement: a society actively engaged in the
pursuit and promotion of our rural and agricultural
heritage, from neighborhood back yards to family farms
and commercial enterprises.
 Mission Statement: showcase, promote and sustain
agriculture through education, display, competition and
community involvement.

4. History of Railroads in Dutchess County
 Nearly 300 miles of iron or steel rails snaked a path
through the rolling farmland of Dutchess County by 1892.
Few other counties in New York State had as many miles
of track. So extensive was railroad trackage that it
touched each of the county's 20 townships at least once.
When the final spike of new railroad construction was
hammered in place, Dutchess County had nine individual
lines within its borders, ranging in length from 4 miles to
59 miles.

5. History of Railroads in Dutchess County
 Midway between New York City and Albany and adjoining
the New England states, Dutchess County was an
important north-south and east-west traffic corridor.
Railroads east of the Hudson River which originated
beyond Dutchess County borders passed through the
county on their way to their destinations. Even railroads
which originated within Dutchess County positioned their
lines to be part of that corridor through the county.
Connecting with inter-county rail lines was a primary goal.
However, additional revenue from within county traffic
was anticipated from the export of agricultural and
industrial products.

6. Historic Railroad Lines in
Dutchess County

7. 1870 saw a flurry of activity as tracks were laid and the first locomotive,
the cab of which was made of polished black walnut and trimmed in
gold, was delivered. Even the tender had a fine appearance dressed with
gilt stripes and neatly lettered in gold, "P.& E.R.R. No. I."
In October a successful test run from Smith St. in Poughkeepsie to the
first crossing of the Fallkill Creek buoyed the spirits of the builders, as
did the arrival of a second locomotive at the end of the month.
Passenger service to Salt Point was running by December.
All else went as planned and on January 24, 1871 a celebration party
with a band playing “Hail Columbia” preceded the P.& E.'s first official
trip. At 9:55 AM on that cold, stormy morning Engineer N. B. Cash and
Fireman Robert Lester piloted three box cars fitted with seats and
flooring covered with straw, one platform car and two new and elegant
cars, all decked out with flags and banners left on a non-stop trip to
Stissing. Locomotive No. l with Engineer George Carswell at the throttle
had left shortly before to pick up passengers from stations along the line.

8. Impact on Agriculture
 Dutchess County's internal rail network provided a valuable service to
industrial businesses and farmers. Prior to the arrival of railroads, products
had been exported beyond county borders on the Hudson River. But river
traffic was relatively slow. Furthermore, river shipping was not year round -
winter ice closed the Hudson to shipping. Railroad shipments were year round
and more frequent.
 Some products such as milk, not marketable because of spoilage during a trip
on the Hudson, became an exportable commodity. As a result farmers
produced more milk. In 1865, before the arrival of the internal rail network,
towns along its lines(D&C & P&E) sold a total of401,000 gallons of milk. Ten
years later, after these rail lines were constructed, these towns sold
1,400,000 gallons of milk, most of it shipped by rail.
 Farmers, who had prior to the arrival of these rail lines made the labor
intensive dairy products, butter and cheese, switched to shipping raw milk.
The development in the 1870s of the insulated ice cooled refrigerator rail car
made this possible. As a result farmers, able to dispose of their milk quickly,
increased the size of their herds to increase income.

9. Impact on Education
 Educational opportunity increased as a result of Dutchess
County’s internal rail system. Small towns provided only
elementary education in one room school houses. Children
had to travel to larger centers such as Poughkeepsie,
Rhinebeck, Millbrook, etc. to attend high school.
 Before the railroads children either stayed with family or
friends in these larger centers during the school year or
did not go to high school at all. But when the railroads
arrived children could commute on a daily schedule,
thereby continuing their education.

10. Economic Impact
 Railroads changed the economy of the county.
 New businesses could emerge as a result of the
availability of transportation to export their products.
 Employment opportunities shifted as the primarily
agriculturally based economy shifted to accommodate
factory jobs.
 One measure of economic impact is the taxable real
estate of the railroads. Real estate taxes paid by railroad
corporations were a source of income to every town in the
county. By 1894, the year after all new railroad building
had been completed, railroad real estate accounted for
14% of all taxable real estate in the county.

11. The Pleasant Valley Rail Road Station

12. History of the Station
 The Pleasant Valley Rail Road Station was originally the
Poughkeepsie & Eastern, a CNE predecessor. For the last
25 years, it sat at the Joseph D'Aquanni West Road
Intermediate School, not far from where it originally
stood. As one of the only remaining structures associated
with the P&E Railroad, it is a unique educational and
cultural resource.
 At its peak, the Pleasant Valley Railroad Station had more
than 10 trains stopping every day with hundreds of
passengers boarding and disembarking. The station also
served as an important facility for freight shipments.
Service at the station was discontinued in 1939.

13. History of the Station
 For the next two decades, the building was used only for storage,
ultimately falling into disrepair. Thanks to the efforts of the town
historian and a team of volunteers, the building was relocated,
restored, and made available as an educational resource for school
children. Due to its isolated location, however, the building remained
largely unused.
 The station was given to the town and moved to the school property
25 years ago when the car dealership that owned the original property
needed the space for expansion. Moving it once saved it from
demolition; moving it a second time allows for a second restoration,
particularly important since it has been sitting untouched for the last
25 years. Relocation to a permanent location with over 500,000
people annually provides direct access for residents of and visitors to
Dutchess County.

14. 14 Decades Later
What has become of the miles and miles of railroads in
Dutchess County?
Little remains. Only trackless beds, ghosts of busy rail lines,
are visible from late fall to early spring. Stone culverts,
bridge abutments, cinder paths, rock cuts and rail bridges
far from any existing rail lines remain.
A few stations, now converted to homes or businesses or in
some instances simply decaying, remain. These and the
ghost tracks remain as silent reminders of a once active rail
network in Dutchess County.
The Hopewell Depot Train Station is one of the few that has
been saved and is now open to the public; the Pleasant
Valley Rail Road Station will now become accessible, too.

15. The restored
Pleasant Valley Rail Road Station

16. The Museum Village
 The DCAS hopes to fulfill a vision for Hudson Valley historic landmarks by
bringing buildings that would be lost and displays of artifacts to the
Fairgrounds where they are preserved, maintained and fully accessible to
over 500,000 visitors annually.
 The relocation of the Historic Pleasant Valley Rail Road Station will bring a
second important Dutchess County historic building to the Museum Village.

17. Project Committee
 Dick Whalen, Chair
 Bob Beckman
 Bucky Coon
 Mark Germond
 Andy Imperati
 Ingrid Kulick

18. Project Timeline
 The Fairgrounds has secured the Building Permit from the
Village of Rhinebeck, and deconstruction at the old site
was completed in August 2014. This work included:
 Disassembly at current location
 Numbering/labeling all parts
 Loading and transportation

19. Project Timeline
 Site preparation at the Fairgrounds commenced in September 2014, with
completion of the entire project planned for August 1, 2015. This work
includes:
 Site preparation, including foundation construction
 Reconstruction and finish work
 Utilities hookup
 Site access and safety, including lighting, signage, and a connecting
pathway to the Antique Museum Village
 Interpretive displays and exhibits
 Landscaping

20. Site Preparation and Foundation Work

21. The Pleasant Valley Rail Road Station,
ready for assembly at the Fairgrounds!

22. Funding
 The Project Committee is working to raise all of the funds necessary to fund
the project budget of $263,055; all contributions are tax deductible.
 Funding to date:
 Dyson Foundation Challenge Grant $115,000
 Thomas Thompson Trust $ 5,000
 Frost Foundation $ 5,000
 DCAS Board of Directors $ 25,000
 Individual Donors $ 6,000
 Raised to date $156,000
 Fund raising continues to raise the balance of $107,055 – please join the
effort with your contribution now!

23. Bringing History Alive

24. DCAS Commitment
 Every dollar of every donation will count toward
the challenge and will guarantee the grand
opening of the Pleasant Valley Rail Road Station
at the Fairgrounds Antique Museum Village for
the 170th Dutchess County Fair in August of 2015!
 All Aboard!