This week in HVNY history
MARCH 4: On March 4, 1933, Franklin Delano Roosevelt was inaugurated as the 32nd president of the United States. His infamous line – “the only thing we have to fear is fear itself” – was a key moment in his address that outlined his New Deal plans during the height of the Great Depression. This date is also the last time a U.S. Presidential inauguration took place; FDR’s second inauguration in 1936 took place on January 20 as per the 20th Amendment.
MARCH 6: The Town of Milan was established on March 6, 1818. “During the Civil War, Milan’s young men volunteered for the Union army in one of the highest numbers in the county proportionate to population,” according to Dutchess County History.
The Town of Union Vale was formed on March 6, 1827.. Union Vale is the source of the Fishkill Creek and Clove Mountain is part of the Taconic Range of the Appalachian Mountains, with an elevation of 1368 feet.
MARCH 7: Nine towns formed on March 7, 1788: Amenia, Beekman, Clinton, Fishkill, North East, Pawling, Poughkeepsie, Rhinebeck and Washington. New York State Assembly passed a general law granting town status to all of the existing precincts in the state.
FUN FACT: Amenia, derived from the Latin word amoena, means “pleasant to the eye.” Amenia also had a baseball team as early as 1899. Members from that team formed the Amenia Club and played games at the Amenia Diamond in town. According to league history: “Hundreds of spectators ringed the local field at the Sunday games, which had to finish in time for the farm boys on the team to hustle home and milk their cows.” Former Yankees hurler Jim Bouton would even show up – wearing shorts and a straw hat – to throw batting practice once in a while. [ Source ]
