Millbrook Park

Wasn’t Millbrook Park once farmland? Yes it was. Imagine the old Isaac Haight farm. That’s where the village of Millbrook began. Franklin Merritt laid out the village in the 1860s. He cleverly named two main roads Franklin Avenue and Merritt Avenue. Millbrook officially became a village in 1895. This was to accept a gift. The Thorne family donated the Thorne Memorial School. The Thornes were early settlers. They also gave land for the Tribute Garden. They even created a foundation for scholarships and community projects. Millbrook’s early settlers were mainly Quakers. Later immigrants from Ireland and Italy arrived. Religion has always been a key part of Millbrook. Methodists Episcopalians and Catholics soon joined the Quakers. All remain represented in town. Many early Millbrook residents worked on the nearby railroad. Others farmed. They shipped produce by rail. Some transported goods via roads and turnpikes. They brought products to Poughkeepsie for Hudson River markets. Butchers grocers farmers and lumberers were also common occupations. Realtors worked at inns and antique shops. They also provided landscaping farming and animal husbandry services for nearby estates. Teaching was another job. The Nine Partners Boarding School opened in 1796. It was a famous Quaker academy. It was unusual as it was co-ed. The school moved to Union Springs in 1864. One-room schoolhouses were common in the area. In 1896 the Thorne Memorial School opened. This offered academic and occupational classes. Blacksmithing carpentry sewing and home economics were some of the subjects. These made school more attractive and stopped dropouts. Bennett College was once Halcyon Hall a luxury hotel. Mae Bennett bought it in 1907. She turned it into a young ladies’ finishing school. It later became Bennett College but closed in the 1970s. Millbrook residents enjoyed various hobbies. Sporting activities were popular. The Millbrook Hunt a foxhunt on horseback was founded in the 1890s. The Sandanona Hare Hounds used beagles and bassets. They were at the Thorndale estate. Fishing and shooting clubs were popular. Orvis Sandanona Shooting Grounds and Tamarack Preserve were nearby. Mabbettsville had a town park. The town Recreation Commission sponsored sports and activities. The Tribute Garden on Franklin Avenue is another popular spot. It was dedicated to those who served and died in World War I. Veterans Green remembers those from later wars. The railroad’s disbandment was a key event in this. The railroad’s influence on Millbrook’s architecture is clear. Early buildings reflect its 19th-century origins. The Bank of Millbrook was once the railroad’s headquarters. Merritt Books was a freight building. The Thorne Memorial School building is now for community events. Millbrook today retains its early roots. A walking tour shows how little it’s changed. It remains a small village. It’s surrounded by open countryside farms horses and walking trails. Millbrook’s history is a rich tapestry. It’s woven with Quaker beginnings. It includes railroad expansion. It’s marked by the influence of wealthy families. Visiting Millbrook is a journey through time.