Original settlement dates from at least 1713. Even before formal creation of the Town, the area had thriving mills and farms from the hamlet on the Hudson to what became the settlements of Medway, Grapeville, Stanton Hill, Staco, and their surroundings. Farming continued to grow in subsequent years and continues on a smaller scale today. By 1875, there were 248 farms with 33, 882 acres under cultivation. By the period between World Wars I and II, the Town was second in the County behind in Cairo in acreage devoted to fruit growing and had the largest individual orchards.
New Baltimore has been closely associated economically with the Hudson. The natural little bay on the Rivers west shore made a ready spot for handling cargo and passengers, with farmers and millers forming long lines to unload their goods. Shipbuilding and repair reached its peak in the mid-nineteenth century when the Baldwin family took charge and built over 150 barges, tugboats, ferries, and other craft. Because of business demands, the hamlet and other parts of Town had hotels and stores of various types, which lasted well into this century.
New Historicism In Hamlet Pdf 15
In 1896, property belonging to a local tailor burned in the hamlet. As a result, several prominent businessmen organized the Cornell Hook and Ladder Company, named in honor of a primary benefactor of the Company. As the population grew toward the western part of Town, local citizens were motivated to establish another company. Previously relying on Greenville or Coxsackie for fire coverage, they established the Medway-Grapeville Fire Company, which was formally incorporated in 1947. 2ff7e9595c
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