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THE HILLS & DALES TOUR
This tour will take you down some of the oldest roads in the County. Your going to start at Meads Corners in the town of Kent (Route 301 and Farmers Mills Road).
1. STONE CHAMBER ~ To your right there is a stone chamber preserved by the State. Some of these chambers might have been used as ceremonial temples by the Druids, others believe that they are root cellars built by settlers in the 18th & 19th centuries.
2. CHIEF NINHAM HISTORICAL MARKER ~ On your left in front of the Kent Volunteer Fire Department you'll see a NYS historical marker commemorating Daniel Ninham (1700-1778). Daniel Ninham was a sachem/chief of the Wappingers. He fought in the French and Indian wars under Sir William Johnson against the French. He died at the Battle of King's Bridge in 1778.
3. BOYDS RESERVOIR ~ Boyds Reservoir was made in 1870, by damming the West Branch of the Croton River and its feeders. It is more than 300 acres in size. A hamlet of farms and a cemetery lies buried under the water.
4. KENT CLIFFS ~ The hamlet of Kent Cliffs was rebuilt on higher ground when the original Boyds Corners (Boydsville) was flooded. There's a general store, an abandoned church and cemetery, an antiques shop an old inn, and a couple of homesteads.
5. PEEKSKILL HOLLOW ROAD ~ Leaving Route 301 and turning onto Peekskill Hollow Road. This road was a very old Indian trail that was latter used by the settlers. It was improved in 1810 as a toll road by the Westchester & Dutchess Turnpike Company, and became a major thoroughfare for Putnam County's interior connecting it to Peekskill.
6. TACONIC STATE PARKWAY ~ Peekskill Hollow Road goes under the Taconic State Parkway, which was dedicated by Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1931.
7. TOMPKINS CORNERS ~ Here you can step back into time and see the Methodist Church, which is on the National Register. On the corner is the General Store that dates back 150 years or better. Across the street there is a house that was built in the 18th century. This is where Franklin D. Roosevelt spoke when he was a candidate for Governor.
8. BRYANT POND ROAD ~ On your left just before Bryant Pond Road there is a small burial ground where Titus Travis, a Revolutionary War soldier is buried. Bryant Pond Road is one of the oldest roads in Putnam Valley. You can pick up the "Hamlets & Farms Tour" here.
9. PERRY FARM ~ Going down Peekskill Hollow Road on the right you'll pass another historic home, the Perry Farm. The house, its original barns and the open grazing fields provide a most pleasant into the past rural settings in Putnam Valley.
10. ADAMS CORNERS ~ Continuing on Peekskill Hollow Road, you'll pass lovely old homes and Grace Methodist Church, you'll see the Old Methodist Cemetery on your right. Just past Quincy Road is Adams Corners, this is one of several corners that constitute Putnam Valley's commercial centers. At the traffic light you will see the (#11) Schoolhouse Museum of Putnam Valley Historical Society. It was built in the mid 19th century, this school served an area of a mile radius from the school. Opposite the schoolhouse you'll find Grange Hall and the (#12) King David Cemeteries, take a ride to the top of the cemetery hill to get an exceptional view of the surrounding hills.
RUNDLE MILL ~ A side trip south on Mill Street will take you to an open exhibit at the site of the Rundle Mill, a cider mill that lasted till the 1930's
13. OREGON CORNERS ~ Just before Peekskill Hollow Road crosses Hollow Brook the old turnpike branches off to Peekskill. In the 19th century this hamlet was known as Oregon, The Putnam Valley part is now known as Oregon Corners. It had a general store, blacksmith shop, and a toothpick factory.
14. CHURCH OF THE NORTH AMERICAN MARTYRS ~ Make a right at the light and a quarter of a mile on your left is the Indian Church, built in 1937 its architecture and design is very unusual.
15. DOUBLE STONE CHAMBERS ~ Can be found right after you pass the Putnam Valley Elementary School, if the trees are bare you can see an unusual double stone chamber. You decide ~ Druid structure or a farmer's root cellar?
16. CROFTS CORNERS ~ Going north you will come to Crofts Corners, once known as Sodom. There's a cluster of 19th century buildings here, the house with the half moon windows was once a tavern.
17. CANOPUS HOLLOW ~ At Crofts Corners make the second left onto Canopus Hollow Road. It is one of the oldest roads in Putnam Valley.
18. CANOPUS HILL ROAD ~ Continue on Canopus Hollow Road and turn up Canopus Hill Road. Its connection is to the most important road in the area, Old Albany Post Road. Revolutionary War Soldiers from Hempstead camped here. The whole area was once striped of trees and farmed. The stone walls along this road were made by the settlers in clearing there fields and fencing in the livestock. When you see the white marks on the trees you know that you have just passed the Appalachian Trail.
19. OLD ALBANY POST ROAD ~ Now on the National Register of Historic Places, it remains unpaved and has not really changed appearance. In the 18th & 19th centuries, this was a very important stage coach and mail route from New York to Albany. If you detour south you will reach Continental Village, the site of a Revolutionary encampment of the Continental Army and a major part of the defense of the Hudson Highlands.
20. BIRD & BOTTLE INN ~ Traveling north, you will pass through Travis Corners and at the end of a long hill, you will come to the Bird and Bottle Inn and restaurant. Built in 1761 and known as John Warren's Tavern, the Inn was a notable stage coach stop and post office for the settlers.