Disbrow Burial Ground
Kent, NY This small burial ground sits at the intersection of Church Hill Road and Peckslip Road. I’m not sure why, but this is one of my favorite cemeteries in the area.
Hawk Rock
Kent, NY SYNOPSIS: This is a great hike in every season. In the cold weather its quiet and crisp, and the mountain laurel patches and the hemlock grove at the far end of the loop...
Gregory Cemetery
Carmel, NY Peaceful and secluded Gregory Cemetery sits on a peninsula that sticks out into the Croton Falls Reservoir. Containing only a few stones, the cemetery includes the headstone of Revolutionary War Veteran Daniel Gregory....
Why I Think Our Local History Books are Wrong
The “Triangle House” sits on an island of land in the middle of the three way intersection of Brewster Hill Rd and Tonetta Lake Rd in the town of Southeast, NY. Outside the house is...
Pleasure Beach in Bridgeport CT
Just off the coast of the city of Bridgeport is a place called Pleasure Beach. As far back as 1892, it held an amusement park, but the last few decades it has been difficult to...
Durand Preserve Behind the North Salem Library
A few weeks ago…okay, actually a few days before Christmas…I was looking for a short, easy hike to take the kids on while our house was being readied for company and food was being...
Squantz Pond State Park Hike
I have a Putnam-centric view in running this website. What that means is not all the destinations showcased on this website are IN Putnam, but they are all conveniently located for someone that lives in...
Early U.N. Leader summered in Southeast
Dag Hammarskjold, the second Secretary General of the United Nations, was from Sweden, but for a while he spent his weekends at his home on Foggintown Rd in Brewster. It’s a white house, on a...
Ice Pond Conservation Area
SYNOPSIS: The trail follows an old dirt road down to the ruins of the Knickerbocker ice harvesting compound that sits along the edge of Ice Pond. The trail is easy to follow, and after exploring...
Fanny Crosby Birthplace Historical Marker
Fanny Crosby was was born on Foggintown Road in Southeast on March 24, 1820. If you are driving west on Foggintown (from Rt 22 towards Farm-to-Market), just up the hill from the Bog Brook Multiple...
Sgt. Michael Sheerin Memorial Bench
The bench, dedicated to Sgt. Michael Sheerin, sits outside the entrance to JFK Elementary School.
Joanne Imbro Memorial Garden Bench
Cool idea by the kids at JFK Elementary School in Southeast, utilizing the Joanne Imbro Memorial Garden bench at the entrance to the school. Nearby is the bench dedicated to Sgt. Michael Sheerin.
Old Toll House on Route 301 in Nelsonville
This tiny 722 square foot building was originally a toll house on the Cold Spring and Patterson Turnpike. It was built in 1890 and was operated by one Caleb Hustis.
Who was this guy?
The section of the Route 301 between NY 9D and US 9 is designated as the Sergeant Albert Ireland Memorial Highway. In 2015, one of four Putnam County Sheriff Patrol Boats was names after him....
Christopher Columbus Statue at Carmel Town Hall
I was recently at the Carmel Town Hall at one of those medication take-back days. While there, I stopped at the memorials on the property, including this statue of Christopher Columbus.
Vietnam Memorial at Carmel Town Hall
I was recently at the Carmel Town Hall to drop off some old medications during one of those medication take-back days. While I was there, I stopped at the memorials in the property, including this...
September 11th Memorial at Carmel Town Hall
I was recently at the Carmel Town Hall to drop off some old medications during one of those medication take-back days. While I was there, I stopped at the memorials in the property, including this...
Mead Memorial Chapel – Waccabuc, NY
Just across the street from the Long Pond Preserve in Waccabuc, NY, Mead Memorial Chapel was built between 1905 and 1907 in the late Gothic Revival style. It was build as a memorial to George...
Long Pond Preserve – Waccabuc, NY
SYNOPSIS: Long Pond Preserve is a short walk that takes you along the edge of a field, then through the woods along the shore of the western tip of Lake Waccabuc in Northern Westchester. APPROXIMATE...
Nelsonville Sesquicentennial book
I recently read The Sesquicentennial Anniversary of Nelsonville, a small book put together in 2005 by the Nelsonville 150 Committee. I am teaching a 10 week class through the Brewster Community Learning Center on Putnam’s...
Of Greenville, Gettysburg & Hilton Head
So I recently visited three places that had me thinking about Putnam County. I visited Greenville SC, Hilton Head SC and Gettysburg PA. Each of these towns made me think about how to make Brewster...
Searching for Jedediah Wood’s Gravestone
Searching for Jedediah: The Search for Revolutionary-Era Brewster Ancestor Jedediah Wood Exploring the outdoors and exploring local history are two of my favorite obsessions. I find them both interesting, and it lets me get my...
Fred Dill Wildlife Sanctuary
Carmel, NY SYNOPSIS: Years ago this was the site of the Putnam County Fairgrounds and Racetrack. Today, it is a nature sanctuary with well-marked trails, educational info and a picnic pavilion. And though it may...
Breakfast at George’s Place
Carmel, NY I’ve lived in Putnam for about 15 years. For some reason, I never made it over to George’s Place for breakfast. Honestly, it always seemed so crowded and busy. While that is a...
HEARTHSTONE CASTLE IN TARRYWILE PARK
Danbury, CT Castles are one of those things that capture our imagination and curiosity. I have yet to find someone that isn’t at least a little fascinated by them – the permanence of the construction...
NYC DEP to Host Wetlands Walk in Carmel on May 23rd, 2015
Department of Environmental Protection Celebrates American Wetlands Month by Hosting Educational Walk in the Watershed Walk to include a tour of 46-acre wetland in Putnam County with DEP wetlands scientist The New York City...
Kent Historical Society Event on May 18, 2015
Putnam County Historian Sarah Johnson will be speaking at the Kent Historical Society’s Annual Meeting on May 18th.
Diverting Reservoir Trail
Southeast, NY SYNOPSIS: Technically in the town of Southeast, this trail is a stone’s throw from Brewster village. The trail is located on water supply property owned by New York City, and this project represents...
Farrington Woods on the NY/CT Border
SYNOPSIS: Just over the CT border, Farrington Woods is a 192 acre open space that has great (off-road) biking trails, a pond for fishing, canoeing or kayaking (no swimming, though), some old ruins, and plenty...
Park & Museum Tour planned for Kent Historical Society Meeting on April 25th, 2015
Click the below photo for more info…
Get some ideas from ‘Hiking the Road to Ruins’ by David A. Steinberg…
I just finished reading Hiking the Road to Ruins by David A. Steinberg. He is a fellow author who enjoys getting out and about – but he especially loves old ruins and mines. His book...
Read This to Your Kids, Then Take a Roadtrip to NYC…
One of the great things about Putnam, in addition to it’s natural beauty, is its close proximity to so many neat places. For example, Connecticut beaches like Sherwood Island and Jennings Beach are only an...
A book from 1978 with Brewster influence…
The Dingle Ridge Fox. A few months ago I was doing some research for the Town of Southeast’s Historic Sites Committee on the area known as “Dingle Ridge”. Dingle Ridge Road leads from Route 6...
Gristmill Stone in the design of Mahopac National Bank
A few years ago I came across a brochure titled Putnam Rocks: Restoring Our Cultural Kinship, put together by the Putnam County Historical Preservation Advisory Committee. I don’t recall where I found it. But I...
Christopher Caiazzo Garden at Brewster High School
At the northeast corner of Brewster High School, around the back of the school, is a rock formation and small garden that was established in memory of Christopher Caiazzo. Christopher was a 16 year old...
Fundaes Frozen Yogurt Cafe
Despite the recent cold spell(s), we decided it was time for frozen yogurt. We had heard a place in Carmel had opened up in the past year, so off we headed. Fundaes in Carmel offers...
Brewster from Bridge to Bridge
This is a great piece on the history of the village of Brewster. Complete with addresses, drawings and descriptions, take this with you as you take a stroll through the village. Click the link below:...
The Tilly Foster General Store
Just stopped by at the Tilly Foster General Store on Old Route 6 in Southeast. Nice place! The store recently opened and features coffee, candies and other knick-knacks in an ‘old-style’ general store theme. It’s...
Major General Darius Couch of Southeast – Have We Forgotten?
The following article is by guest columnist Robert Bredow of Carmel, NY. As a self-described civil war buff, I thought I knew almost everything about the civil war. However when doing a recent google...
Sermons in Stone
I just finished reading Sermons in Stone by Susan Allport. I was led to it by a Putnam County brochure I found a while ago that talked about Putnam’s stones. In the brochure was a...
North Salem history from a surprising source…
I just finished reading “When Our Town Was Young: Stories of North Salem’s Yesterday”. It was written by three years of seventh graders in the 1940’s. Very impressive! The booklet was sent to North Salem...
New page about one of CT’s beaches…
Check out the new Adventures Around Putnam page for Hammonasset Beach State Park in Madison CT. It’s under the “Outside Putnam” heading.
How Jewelry is Made…
I recently had my wife’s watch repaired at Jewelry Designs in Danbury. I am not a ‘jewelry person’ so I hadn’t been there the 12 years or so I have lived in Putnam. But what...
Aerial Photos of Brewster from the 30s…
You never know where a journey will take you, or what you’ll find along the way. I am doing some research on the area of Southeast that borders North Salem and Connecticut. My search led...
Lake Kenosia Park in Danbury…
We stopped by Lake Kenosia Park last Saturday. We hadn’t been there in a while, and we were in Danbury for some frozen yogurt at Peachwave, so a few minutes at the park seemed like...