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Tivoli, New York

Tivoli is a village in Dutchess County, New York, United States. The population is 1,012, according to the 2020 census. The village, which was incorporated in 1872 from parts of Upper Red Hook Landing and Madalin, is the northernmost settlement in the county, located in the northwestern part of the town of Red Hook. It is part of the Poughkeepsie–Newburgh–Middletown, NY Metropolitan Statistical Area as well as the larger New York–Newark–Bridgeport, NY-NJ-CT-PA Combined Statistical Area. It is entirely within the Hudson River Historic District, a National Historic Landmark. The village is accessible via New York State Route 9G at an intersection with Dutchess County Route 78.

The Kaatsbaan Cultural Center is located within the village boundaries. It was once known as the Kaatsbaan International Dance Center.

History
For thousands of years, indigenous peoples had lived in this area. The historic Mohican Native American tribe was living in the area now known as Tivoli at the time Dutch colonists arrived in the 1600s. The Mohican derive from Lenni Lenape people who moved North from the coastal areas and settled in today’s Hudson Valley. They lived along the Hudson River which they named Mahicannituck. They originally called themselves the Muh-he-con-neok (The People of the Waters That Are Never Still). Based on their location, they were often referred to as the River Indians. Their name evolved in spelling over the years, including the name “Mahikan”, until it became today’s Mohican. A deed to land purchased by Robert Livingston from several Mahican Indians in July 1683, is the strongest evidence that the Roeliff Jansen Kill is considered to mark the downriver boundary of Mahican territory on the East side of the Hudson Valley. This land purchased would form the majority of the manor and lordship of Livingston. Historical accounts state that the settled land of Tivoli was purchased from Native American communities “legitimately” by Colonel David Schuyler on June 2, 1688, although no records of this transaction exist today. There is speculation as to whether or not the Mohican Tribe “fully understood European notions of land ownership." This transaction would have been a trade of goods in exchange for land. This deal was part of the Schuyler Patent, a June 1688 patent defining some of the towns and villages in Dutchess County and the Poughkeepsie regional area. The patent was obtained for land in the far North-West corner of Dutchess County, lying to the East of Magdalen Island (present-day Cruger Island). The North boundary of the patent abutted the Livingston Purchase of 1683.

The village was formerly known as "Upper Red Hook Landing". An adjacent community, "Madalin", was contiguous to Upper Red Hook Landing.

Peter Delabegarre – also known as Pierre de la Bigarre – purchased land along the Hudson River in the 1790s south of Chancellor Robert R. Livingston's estate Clermont, in order to build a village he called "Tivoli"; the name was taken from the location of the Roman resort. His planned settlement was never built as he conceived it before he went bankrupt, but the name of Tivoli remained attached to the area.

The village of Tivoli was incorporated in 1872, consolidating Madalin and Upper Red Hook Landing. The population at the time was 1,081.

Rose Hill
Rose Hill, located on Rose Hill Lane off Woods Road in Tivoli, New York, is an estate with a villa built in the Tuscan style in 1843 by John Watts de Peyster. The name Rose Hill comes from the summer home in Upper Manhattan of de Peyster's grandfather, Watts, which in turn was named after the grandfather's estate near Edinburgh. After his death, it became the Leake and Watts Orphan House. The estate was bought in 1964 by Dorothy Day of the Catholic Worker Movement, which operated it as a farm until 1978. As of 2017, it was the home of painters Brice and Helen Marden, owners of the Hotel Tivoli.

John Cranch's sister spent a much-enjoyed summer at Rose Hill.

Geography
Tivoli is located in the northwest corner of Dutchess County at 42.05944°N, -73.91056°W (42.059370, −73.910663). The Tivoli Landing, where Tivoli meets the Hudson River, offers natural advantages that have led members of the Dutchess County Historical Society to assert that there were sporadic American Indian encampments there. The two islands nearby provided a measure of safety.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 4.24 km2, of which 4.17 km2 is land and .07 km2, or 1.69%, is water.

Major roads
Several two-lane highways traverse Tivoli. County Route 78—formerly New York State Route 402—is known as Broadway within the village. CR 78 ends at the Hudson River. At one time, a ferry crossed the Hudson from there to Saugerties in Ulster County.

The second highway, New York State Route 9G, runs along the eastern village border and has an intersection with CR 78. Route 9G leads north 19 mi to the city of Hudson and south 27 mi to Poughkeepsie, the Dutchess County seat.

Public transportation
Tivoli is provided with the services of the Bard College intracampus shuttle.

Tivoli is served by the route "C" bus run by Dutchess County Public Transit.

Transportation from New York City is available by train from Amtrak. which serves Rhinecliff, approximately 12 minutes away from Tivoli by car. The closest Metro-North station is in Poughkeepsie, New York, which is 45 minutes away.

Transportation to New York City is also available by bus from Trailways, which departs from Kingston, about 20 minutes away from Tivoli by car.

Government
The government of Tivoli is made up of five elected officials, who meet at the Watts De Peyster Fireman's Hall. The hall is part of the village municipal campus, and contains the village offices. The current elected officials in Tivoli are:

Schools
Tivoli's schoolhouse, located at 71 Broadway, was established c. 1820. The "Little Red School House" was replaced in 1915 by the building currently at that site which, by 1921, served 150 students through the high school level. The building has been converted to apartments.

Children from Tivoli attend public schools in Red Hook, including:

 * Mill Road Elementary School (pre-K - 5th grade) - approximately 800 students
 * Linden Avenue Middle School (6 - 8) - 481 students
 * Red Hook Senior High School (9 - 12) - 677 students

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 1,163 people, 487 households, and 261 families residing in the village. The population density was 662.1 PD/sqmi. There were 531 housing units at an average density of 302.3 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the village was 95.7% white, 0.43% African American, 0.17% Native American, 0.95% Asian, 0.69% from other races, and 2.06% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.92% of the population.

There were 487 households, out of which 30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.7% were married couples living together, 9.4% had a female householder with no spouse present, and 46.4% were non-families. Of all households 31.4% were made up of individuals, and 8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.38 and the average family size was 3.10.

In the village, the population was spread out, with 23.8% under the age of 18, 16.8% from 18 to 24, 28.7% from 25 to 44, 20.5% from 45 to 64, and 10.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 84.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 79.4 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $40,536, and the median income for a family was $53,393. Males had a median income of $41,375 versus $26,000 for females. The per capita income for the village was $20,478. About 6.2% of families and 17.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.9% of those under age 18 and 3.8% of those age 65 or over.

Kaatsbaan International Dance Center
The Kaatsbaan International Dance Center, located at 120 Broadway in Tivoli, New York, is described as a "cultural park for dance". It is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization which provides a retreat for residencies of dance companies to create or develop new works. Founded in 1990 by Gregory Cary (dancer), Bentley Roton (Broadway dancer), Martine van Hamel and Kevin McKenzie, it is located on the former 153-acre Tivoli Farms, purchased in 1997, which was once the "equestrian playground" for Eleanor Roosevelt. The grounds include a "music barn" designed by Stanford White which is designated for restoration and renovation.

In popular culture

 * The first season of the USA Network series Eyewitness is set in Tivoli.
 * In the series finale of the HBO series Girls, Marnie mentions wanting to go to a bar in Tivoli to learn about wine and hear a jazz trio.

title: Tivoli, New York


text:
Union Vale, New York

Union Vale is a town in Dutchess County, New York, United States. The population was 4,558 at the 2020 census.

The town is in the south-central part of the county. It is part of the Poughkeepsie–Newburgh–Middletown, NY Metropolitan Statistical Area as well as the larger New York–Newark–Bridgeport, NY-NJ-CT-PA Combined Statistical Area. The town is 15 mi east of the city of Poughkeepsie and 70 mi north of New York City.

History
The region was originally part of the Beekman Patent. The town was first settled circa 1716, and was formed in 1827 from the towns of Beekman and LaGrange.

Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town of Union Vale has a total area of 97.9 km2, of which 97.1 km2 is land and 0.8 km2, or 0.86%, is water. The highest point is atop Clove Mountain, at 1400 ft above sea level.

The towns adjacent to Union Vale are Beekman to the south, LaGrange to the west, Washington to the north, and Dover to the east.

New York State Route 55 runs through the southwestern part of the town.

Sky Acres Airport, a general aviation facility, is located in the northwestern part of the town.

The Young Judaea Camp Sprout Lake is located in Verbank, which was established in 1976 as a camp for children grades 2–8, focused on Zionist and Jewish education.

Parks and recreation
Union Vale has two town parks, Tymor Park and Frederick E. Godfrey Memorial Park.

The larger of these is Tymor Park, which encompasses nearly 500 acre and is the largest municipal park in the state of New York. It has various recreational facilities such as sports fields, an outdoor pool, playground, pavilions, a senior center, rental halls, equestrian center, camping areas, a fishing pond, tennis courts, basketball courts, volleyball courts, historical sites, and over 12 mi of hiking/biking/equestrian trails.

Frederick E. Godfrey Memorial Park (Godfrey Park) is 12 acre and includes hiking trails, a playground, basketball court, volleyball court, restrooms, and a baseball/softball field.

There is a private golf course, The Links at Union Vale, on the western side of the town.

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 4,546 people, 1,359 households, and 1,141 families residing in the town. The population density was 120.6 PD/sqmi. There were 1,464 housing units at an average density of 38.8 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the town was 94.24% white, 2.35% African American, 0.11% Native American, 1.19% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 1.03% from other races, and 1.03% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.43% of the population.

There were 1,359 households, out of which 47.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 75.9% were married couples living together, 5.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 16.0% were non-families. 12.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 4.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.10 and the average family size was 3.40.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 28.9% under the age of 18, 5.5% from 18 to 24, 30.1% from 25 to 44, 25.6% from 45 to 64, and 9.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 100.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.3 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $70,500, and the median income for a family was $72,697. Males had a median income of $51,382 versus $29,643 for females. The per capita income for the town was $24,535. About 0.8% of families and 2.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.7% of those under age 18 and none of those age 65 or over.

Communities and locations in Union Vale

 * Camby – A location in the northeastern part of the town.
 * Chestnut Ridge – A location at the eastern town line.
 * Clove – A hamlet near the town center.
 * Clove Mountain – An elevation west of Clove village.
 * Crouses Store – A location in the southwestern section of the town.
 * LaGrangeville or (La Grangeville) – A hamlet in the southwestern corner of the town that Union Vale shares with the towns of LaGrange and Beekman. With the zip code of 12540.
 * Hoxie Corner – A location southwest of Verbank.
 * North Clove – A location northeast of Clove.
 * Pleasant Ridge – A location in the southeastern part of the town.
 * Verbank – A hamlet near the northern town line.
 * Verbank Village – A hamlet west of Verbank.

Oswego
Oswego is a former hamlet, later a ghost town, in the northwestern part of the town, north of Lagrangeville and south of Verbank, now part of the hamlet of Moores Mills, shared with the town of LaGrange. It is located directly southeast of Sky Acres airport. A historic marker set by the state government marks the spot of the former hamlet. The Oswego Meeting House and Friends' Cemetery was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1989.

This ghost town shares a name with a city in the northern part of the state, Oswego.

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: Union Vale, New York


text:
Wappinger, New York

Wappinger is a town in Dutchess County, New York, United States. The town is located in the Hudson River Valley region, on the eastern bank of the Hudson River. The population was 28,216 at the 2020 census. The name is derived from the Wappinger Native Americans who inhabited the area. Wappinger comprises three-fourths of the incorporated village of Wappingers Falls, several unincorporated hamlets such as Chelsea, Diddell, Hughsonville, Middlebush, Myers Corners, New Hackensack, and Swartwoutville, and a number of neighborhoods.

History
The Wappinger were a confederacy of Native Americans whose territory, in the 17th century, was spread along the eastern shore of the Hudson River. Primarily based in what is now Dutchess County, their territory bordered Manhattan Island to the south, the Mahican territory bounded by the Roeliff Jansen Kill to the north, and extended east into parts of Connecticut.

They spoke an eastern-Algonkian language. Culturally they were closely related to the Lenape people (Delaware Indians) to the west and south of Wappinger lands, and also related to the Mahican people to their immediate north and to the Metoac peoples of Long Island. Wappinger means "easterner" in most Algonkian languages.

The town of Wappinger, originally a part of the town of Fishkill, was formed on May 20, 1875, and lies wholly within the limits of the historic Rombout Patent, granted in 1685. The geographical area of Wappinger was first illegally settled in 1659 by members of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Seeking religious freedom, they settled near the mouth of the Wappinger Creek until Dutch Authorities removed them months later. It wasn't until 1685 when Francis Rombout and Gulian Verplanck were the first to legally purchase 85,000 acres from the Wappinger This would later be known as the Rombout Patent. The patent covered the towns of Fishkill, East Fishkill, Wappinger, the City of Beacon, and parts of LaGrange and Poughkeepsie, these municipalities were once all a part of the Town of Fishkill. Following the Rombout Patent, the first legal land purchase within the Town of Wappinger was in 1714 when Elias Van Benschoten purchased land and settled in the hamlet of New Hackensack. Following him were other families from Hackensack, New Jersey. The Town of Wappinger is made up of many small hamlets and communities and was primarily agricultural, while mills lined the creek in the Village of Wappingers Falls. Once the Town of Wappinger was officially created from the Town of Fishkill on May 20, 1875, it took another year to elect officials. The first meeting was held at the Brower Brother's Wagon Shop on Mill Street. The meetings of Town officials took place in the homes of the elected officials, whose jobs were mostly to maintain roadways and bridges.

Historic districts

 * Wheeler Hill Historic District includes 49 contributing buildings, 15 contributing sites, and four contributing structures. It encompasses the estates of Obercreek, Elmhurst, Edge Hill, the former estates of Henry Suydam and William Crosby, and Carnwath Farms that were developed between 1740 and 1940. Also included are two 18th century riverfront commercial structures, the Lent / Waldron Store, and Stone House at Farmer's Landing. Within this district, Wheeler Hill Road was once known as Rives Avenue or Hill, after Francis Rives who purchased the former Willis estate (Carnwath Farms) in 1870.
 * The Wappingers Falls Historic District is in the center of the village of Wappingers Falls, and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1984. It is roughly centered along South Avenue, West Main Street and Wappinger Creek. It includes Mesier Park and many adjacent residential neighborhoods, roughly bounded by Elm, Park, Walker, Market and McKinley streets. Much of the district was built in the wake of the industrialization of Wappingers Falls in the 19th century, and its styles represent a cross-section of that century. The east and west sides of the village are connected by an 1884 stone arch bridge over the falls that replaced earlier wooden structures.

Hamlets

 * Chelsea – A hamlet in the southwestern part of the town near the Hudson River, primarily residential. A marina is located on the river. In the northern section of the hamlet, there is a large pumping station used by the Delaware Aqueduct New York City water supply system during droughts to take water directly from the river. Chelsea was originally known as Low Point and derived its name from a low point of land extending into the river. It also served to distinguish it from the next hamlet north on the east bank of the river, once known as High Point, now New Hamburg. The hamlet was called Low Point until the completion of the Hudson River Railroad. At that time it was named Carthage. However, as mail was being misdirected to another Carthage in Jefferson County, it was renamed Carthage Landing. In 1901, when the railroad built a new station, the name became Chelsea. The hamlet's post office was established in 1840 as Low Point. The current post office was the former 1875 district school.
 * Diddell was a hamlet in the northeastern section of the town, just east of New Hackensack. By the 1800s the Maybrook Railroad, which ran from Pawling to Poughkeepsie, established a station here. This rail line has since become the William R. Steinhaus Dutchess Rail Trail, with a trail-head at Diddell. In 2017 Governor Andrew Cuomo announced the creation of the 750-mile Empire State Trail that runs from Manhattan to Buffalo, which passes through the Diddell hamlet of Wappinger.
 * Hughsonville – A hamlet situated one mile south of Wappingers Falls and which derives its name from William Hughson, one of four brothers who emigrated from England. Dr. Walter Hughson was born in Hughsonville on October 31, 1816. He became a successful surgeon in the county and died of consumption on December 9, 1857. The Presbyterian Church of Hughsonville was erected in 1840. A post office was established there in 1847. The Hughsonville Fire Company traces its date of establishment to 1912.
 * Middlebush, situated approximately one mile south-east of Wappingers Falls, was an early business center. A post office was located there in 1824 that also served residents of Chelsea. The first Baptist church in the town was organized there in 1782. Abm. Van Wyck deeded the Society a piece of land for a site for a church and burying ground. The old cemetery remains, southeast of the intersection of Middlebush Road and Sgt. Palmateer Way (Old Route 9). In 1830, that meeting house became the property of the Methodist church, and was used by them as a house of worship until the present Methodist church in Wappingers Falls was erected in 1869, when it was taken down and the material used in the construction of the barn and sheds connected with that church. During the mid to late 19th century, Middlebush was known as Fowler House, named after Dr. Orson Fowler's octagon house that once stood on Route 9. This hamlet has two schools, businesses, housing, and the Wappinger Town Hall.
 * Myers Corners, at the intersection of Myers Corners Road and All Angels Hill Road was named after John Myers of Holland and was mostly farm land but had a doctor, a school and a tavern.
 * New Hackensack – Johannes Schurrie was an early settler in the town. He came from Hackensack, New Jersey, circa 1740, from which the hamlet derives its name. Most of the early settlers were of Dutch and German descent. A portion of NYS route 376 is known locally as New Hackensack Road. The Main Street was present day N.Y.S. Route 376 and had a post office and several stores until the widening of the Hudson Valley Regional Airport in the early-mid-1900s.
 * Swartwoutville is located at the southeastern section of town. Named after General Jacobus Swartwout. Historically important meeting place during the American Revolution. In 1760, Swartwout purchased 3,000 acres of land from Madam Brett and built his first home after his wedding to Aaltje Brinkerhoff, of Brinkerhoff, New York.[11] General George Washington was staying in Fishkill in October 1778. The headquarters of the commander-in-chief was then in the home of Captain John Brinkerhoff, father-in-law to Jacobus Swartwout, in a low stone home about midway on the highway between the settlement of Brinkerhoff and Swartwoutville. During this period Prussian-American General, Baron Frederick William Augustus de Steuben, had his headquarters at the neighboring homestead of Colonel Jacobus Swartwout, standing immediately south of his later residence at Swartwoutville. Others who visited and quartered at Jacobus Swartwout's homestead along with General Washington and Baron Von Stueben were, Marquis de Lafayette and, Israel Putnam.

Toponyms

 * All Angels' Hill – originally known as Mount Hope and then Underhill Road. In the 1850s, farmer William Marvin owned about 200 acre between the present Pye Lane and Myers Corners. His daughter Charlotte married New York doctor Anthony Underhill. In the mid-1800s, the Underhill family built a house on her father's land. Dr. Underhill died September 5, 1889. In 1903 the property was purchased by All Angels Episcopal Church in Manhattan as part of its ministry to the poor. The church maintained All Angels' Farm, a forerunner of the Fresh Air Fund.

Government

Wappinger is the second largest populated town in Dutchess County and is governed by a five-member Town Board. The Town of Wappinger has an elected Town Supervisor, who presides over Town Board meetings and is the chief financial and operating officer of the Town. The town is structured as a ward system with Town Council-members representing each of four wards.
 * Ward 1 includes the Village of Wappingers Falls, northern US Route 9 corridor, Hughsonville hamlet, and Middlebush hamlet.
 * Ward 2 consists of Chelsea hamlet, Swartwoutville hamlet, and the southern part of the U.S. 9 corridor.
 * Ward 3 includes the middle of the town, including part of Myers Corners hamlet, Rockingham Farms, Quiet Acres, Wildwood, and Shamrock Hills subdivisions.
 * Ward 4, which consists of New Hackensack hamlet, Myers Corners hamlet, Hudson Valley Regional Airport, and Edgehill Manor subdivision.

The Town of Wappinger has an elected Town Clerk, tasked with maintaining town records and taking minutes of Town Board meetings. The Highway Department is overseen by the elected Superintendent of Highways. The town has two Town Justices.

Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 73.9 km2, of which 70.1 km2 is land and 3.8 km2, or 5.18%, is water. Part of the western town line is located at the Hudson River and borders Orange County.

Wappinger's boundaries are Fishkill to the south, East Fishkill across Sprout Creek to the east, the town of Newburgh across the Hudson River to the west, Wappinger Creek to the northwest, and LaGrange to the northeast. The town of Wappinger contains part of the village of Wappingers Falls, the other section of which is across Wappinger Creek in the town of Poughkeepsie.

The highest point in Wappinger is 545 ft above sea level on a hilltop between Smithtown Road and Cedar Hill Road in the southern part of the town, and the lowest point is sea level, along the Hudson River.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 26,274 people, 9,793 households, and 6,992 families residing in the town. The population density was 963.3 PD/sqmi. There were 10,144 housing units at an average density of 371.9 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the town was 86.18% White, 4.96% African American, 0.24% Native American, 4.29% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 2.44% from other races, and 1.88% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 7.87% of the population.

There were 9,793 households, out of which 34.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.1% were married couples living together, 9.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.6% were non-families. 23.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.67 and the average family size was 3.17.

In the town 25.4% of the population was under the age of 18, 7.6% from 18 to 24, 32.5% from 25 to 44, 24.1% from 45 to 64, and 10.4% were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.2 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $58,079, and the median income for a family was $66,273. Males had a median income of $49,007 versus $31,444 for females. The per capita income for the town was $25,817. About 3.2% of families and 4.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.1% of those under age 18 and 4.9% of those age 65 or over.

Education
The Wappingers Central School District was formed in 1937 and is the second largest school district in the state. It was decided to close all of the one room school houses in the area and condense them into one centralized school. The first school in the Wappingers Central School District was the Wappingers Falls Junior High School, which was a K-12 school with students from the towns of Wappinger, Fishkill, Philipstown, Kent, East Fishkill, Lagrange, and Poughkeepsie. There are now 14 schools under the district's control: 9 primary, 2 junior high, and 3 high schools. Within Wappinger there are Myers Corners Elementary School, James S. Evans Elementary School, Wappingers Falls Junior High School, and Roy C. Ketcham Senior High School. The Randolph School is a private school and educates children grades K-6.

Transportation
U.S. Route 9, NY 9D, New York State Route 82 and NY 376 pass through the town. Hudson Valley Regional Airport is located in Wappinger's New Hackensack hamlet. Dutchess County Public Transit buses also run through the town. Metro-North's Hudson Line tracks go through Wappinger, with the nearest stop being at New Hamburg.

Notable people

 * Tyler Adams, American soccer player for AFC Bournemouth in the English Premier League and the United States men's national soccer team. From the Swartwoutville area.
 * Big Dan Brouthers, one of the first baseball sluggers, is in the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York. He was from the village.
 * Samuel Cooper, U.S. Army adjutant general; Confederate general during the American Civil War. From the New Hackensack area
 * Alex Grey, artist. Lives in the Wheeler Hill Historic District
 * Ryan Murphy, San Francisco Giants, fifth round draft pick in the 2020 MLB Draft. Lives in the Fowler House area
 * George Lockhart Rives, United States Assistant Secretary of State, grew up at his parents' home Carnwath Farms
 * Jacobus Swartwout, highest-ranking Revolutionary War general in Dutchess County
 * Baron Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben, lived and had a headquarters at Swartwoutville for a time during the Revolutionary War
 * John Lorimer Worden, in charge of the ironclad ship Monitor during the American Civil War, lived in Swartwoutville from 1827 to the beginning of the war
 * Wallace Worsley, actor and director during the Silent film era.

title: Wappinger, New York


text:
Wappingers Falls, New York

Wappingers Falls is a village in the towns of Poughkeepsie and Wappinger, in Dutchess County, New York, United States. As of the 2010 census it had a population of 5,522. The community was named for the cascade in Wappinger Creek. The Wappingers Falls post office covers areas in the towns of Wappinger, Poughkeepsie, Fishkill, East Fishkill, and LaGrange. This can result in some confusion when residents of the outlying towns, who do not live in the village, give their address as "Wappingers Falls".

Grinnell Library, located in the village, is the sixth-oldest library in the state.

History
The Wappinger were an Algonquian-speaking confederacy of Native Americans whose territory in the 17th century extended along the eastern bank of the Hudson River. Primarily based in what is now Dutchess County, their territory was bordered by Manhattan Island to the south, the Mahican territory bounded by the Roeliff Jansen Kill to the north, and extended east into parts of Connecticut. Wappinger means "easterner" in most Algonquian languages.

The area was part of the Rombout Patent. In 1741, two Dutchmen, Nicholas and Adolphus Brewer, purchased 750 acre of land around the falls and built the first stone house in the village near the present Mill Street. In 1742, the Brewers built a mill on the east side of Wappinger Creek. Nicholas Brewer built the Mesier Homestead, which he sold in 1777 to Matthew VanBenschoten, who, in turn, sold it to Peter Mesier Sr., a merchant from New York City.

In May 1777, soldiers and local residents attacked Peter Mesier's house in Wappingers Falls, disputing the price of tea for sale in a small store inside his home. Mesier was a merchant from New York City and a Loyalist. The angry mob struck Mesier, beat his slaves, and drank wine stored in the cellar. They also took the tea and left a small amount of money behind.

The local waterfall was important for early industrial development. In 1819 a small cotton mill was built in the hollow created by the creek as it descends from Wappinger Lake to drain into the Hudson River. By 1856 it had become one of the largest printworks in the country. A fire that year destroyed the original buildings completely, but they were immediately rebuilt and continued in operation until 1931. The streets on the hillside opposite the mill are lined with frame houses, mostly duplexes, built by the mill for its workers. The two halves of the village are connected by an 1884 stone arch bridge that replaced earlier wooden structures.

The village of Wappingers Falls was incorporated in 1871 and included the adjacent community on the west side of the Wappinger Creek, by then called Channingville. The east side was known as Franklindale. In 1885 the Franklindale Cotton Mill, which employed about 130 people, was destroyed by fire. During President Grover Cleveland’s second administration, the Independent Comb Factory on the corner of Fulton and Prospect streets was forced to close. The repeal of the tariff made it impossible for the company to compete with German-made combs. In 1909, the Garner Print Works were sold and became the Dutchess Bleachery. The plant, which at times employed as many as 1,150 people, stopped printing calico but continued as a bleachery and dye works.

On June 3, 2017, downtown Wappingers Falls had a devastating structure fire that left more than 30 people displaced and six businesses temporarily closed. No one was injured during the fire, which spread through a strip of buildings in the East Main Street corridor on Saturday afternoon.

Channingville
That portion of the village lying north of the creek, in the town of Poughkeepsie, was originally known as "Ednam". It later became known as Channingville (sometimes rendered "Chiningville"), which name is derived from the Channing family, who owned the farm on which it mostly lies.

The first merchant in this part of the village was a cooper, John Crilley, from Ireland by way of Glenham. In 1842 he built the first brick building erected on either side of the creek. By 1836, Ednam had about thirty dwellings and a cotton factory with 2,400 spindles and 90 looms, making 500,000 yards of cloth per annum.

J.J. O'Riley's North American Hotel and Eagan's Opera House (built in 1876 by John Eagan, with a seating capacity for five hundred people) were located here. The village's first post office was established here in 1840. The post office bore the name of the creek.

The Bain Commercial Building is located at the corner of Church and West Main (NY 9D) streets. The Bain family is believed to have built the building in 1875, shortly after Channingville became part of the village. It was both their residence and their place of business. It is a late 19th-century brick building that was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984.

Historic places
The Wappingers Falls Historic District includes downtown, several adjacent residential neighborhoods, and Mesier Park & Homestead. Mesier Park has been a public park since ca. 1891, and hosts many annual events that focus around the bandstand and tree-lined paths of the park. In 1984 the district was added to the National Register of Historic Places.

The Dutchess Company Superintendent's House is located on Market Street in the western corner of the village. It is a large brick residence that was built as housing for the manager of the Dutchess Company, a large local printing works, shortly after the plant was built in 1848. It remained in company ownership until the company failed in the 20th century. In 1984 it was added to the National Register of Historic Places.

The Police Station is located at the corner of South Avenue (NY 9D) and East Main Street. It was originally built in 1940 as the village's new post office, a WPA project. President Franklin D. Roosevelt took a personal interest in the project, as he had with other new post offices in Dutchess County. He wanted it to be built of fieldstone in the style of many Dutch colonial houses in the area, and chose the Brewer-Mesier House in the village as the model for its design. The old post office contains two Treasury Section of Fine Arts murals by Henry Billings. The paintings show two views of the town's waterfall at different points in time, one from 1780 and the other from 1880, facing each other from opposite ends of the small building.

Zion Episcopal Church
Zion Episcopal Church began in 1820 under the shade of an apple tree when Joanna Mesier, wife of Matthew Mesier, began a Sunday school. There were only seven or eight families living in the area at the time. The class was subsequently moved to a corn barn near the Mesier homestead where the village flagpole now stands. The Mesiers attended Trinity Church in Fishkill, the nearest Episcopal church, but felt the need for a church less distant for the farmers of the area and their families. In 1833, the Reverend Doctor George B. Andrews moved to a farm, "Highmount", between Hughsonville and New Hamburg. On July 14 of that year he conducted the first official service of the Episcopal Church somewhere on the north side of Wappingers Creek. He continued to be driven up from his farm with his family and servants to spend Sundays near the falls. In December 1833, Matthew Mesier gave a small tract of land between the burial ground and the turnpike (now Main Street) in front of what was then Mr. Givens' place. One month later plans were made to construct a church. The stone for the church came from the property of Benjamin Clapp, much of which he hauled himself. Zion Protestant Episcopal Church was dedicated by Bishop Onderdonk on May 6, 1836. Mr. Andrews served as pastor, not only to the church in Wappingers, but often found time to row across the Hudson to conduct services in Marlboro. The church's most notable pastor was Henry Yates Satterlee, assistant rector 1865-75 and senior rector 1875–83, who was elected the first bishop of the Washington Diocese in 1896 and there established the Cathedral Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, popularly known as Washington National Cathedral.

Bethel Missionary Baptist Church
The Franklindale Baptist Church was organized in 1838. Benjamin Clapp, former warden of Zion Episcopal, converted to the Baptist faith and donated land on the corner of Prospect Street and South Avenue. The church building was dedicated on December 5, 1847. In 1967 the Bethel Baptist community purchased Franklindale Baptist, which was dedicated as Bethel Missionary Baptist Church on October 15, 1967. In 1997 the need for additional space brought the purchase of the house across Prospect Street, which had belonged to Dr. Kerrigan. Referred to as "Bethel Annex", the 1830s building provided space for the church school and events. In the mid-2000s, the Kerrigan House was sold and transported across South Avenue to be replaced by a new church building.

First Presbyterian Church
The Presbyterian Church at Wappingers Falls owed it existence to Mrs. John Fisher Sheafe, whose country seat was near New Hamburg. She asked the Rev. John D. Wells, who was then preaching at Ellessdie Chapel, situated two miles north of New Hamburg on the river road, to see if there was a need for a church in Wappingers. This resulted in the organization of the Presbyterian Society in 1848, and the same year a church edifice and parsonage were built by Mrs. Sheafe on Fulton Street. During the pastorate of Rev. O.A. Kingsbury (1879-1883) the Fulton Street property was sold and the present brick structure on South Avenue erected. The new church was dedicated July 23, 1872. The church lasted for just over 150 years before it closed, holding its final service on January 13, 2023.

United Methodist Church of Wappingers Falls
The first Methodist Episcopal Church in the area of Wappingers Falls was started by noted circuit riding preacher Freeborn Garrettson in 1788. By 1824, services were held in the home of Joseph C. Smith at Middlebush, before moving to a schoolhouse. In 1827, the Methodist Society purchased the former Baptist meeting house, also at Middlebush. In 1841 it became part of the Johnsville circuit. John Given donated land in the then village of Ednam, at the falls west of the Wappingers Creek. Ednamville was established as a mission church served by preachers who rode circuit to Middlebush and New Hamburg. In 1845, a church was built at the corner of West Main and Church Streets. In the spring of 1868, with the idea of merging the Wappingers Falls and Middlebush congregations, land was purchased from the estate of Margaret Reese. The old Middlebush church was taken down and the materials used to construct a barn on the new church property on Mesier Avenue. The church was known as the Methodist Episcopal Church until 1939 when the name was changed to The Methodist Church. In 1968, it was changed to the United Methodist Church. In 1974, with the merger with the New Hamburg Methodist Church it became known as The United Methodist Church of Wappingers. In early 2020 the church merged with the Poughkeepsie United Methodist Church and the building was sold.

St. Mary's Church
Roman Catholics of what is now Wappingers Falls were cared for by priests from St. Peter's Church in Poughkeepsie until 1845 when the parish was founded to serve southern Dutchess County. In 1850, the first pastor took up residence. Masses were offered in local homes until a church was constructed on Clinton Street. The current church building was consecrated in 1879, although the interior has been renovated a number of times, the last being in the early 2000's. The parish also has a cemetery which is still in operation and a school which closed in 2019.

Mount Alvernia and the Monastery of St. Clare
Mount Alvernia Retreat Center sits on 204 acres overlooking the Hudson Valley and is run by the Franciscan Friars of the New York Province of the Immaculate Conception. It was built in 1950 and until 1967 served as a seminary to train Franciscan friars for the Roman Catholic priesthood. Its chapel offers daily Mass while the former seminary building hosts retreats and other events. On the property of the Retreat Center is the Monastery of St. Clare built in 2004 for the Poor Clares, Franciscan nuns who moved to Wappingers Falls from Throgs Neck in the Bronx.

Geography
Wappingers Falls is situated at the head of navigation on Wappinger Creek, about 2 mi above (northeast of) its confluence with the Hudson River. According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 3.1 km2, of which 2.9 km2 is land and 0.2 km2, or 6.45%, is water.

Wappinger Creek flows through the village. The Wappingers Falls post office serves both the village of Wappingers Falls and the town of Wappinger (as well as portions of Fishkill, East Fishkill, Poughkeepsie and LaGrange) under the ZIP code "Wappingers Falls, NY 12590". US 9 passes through the village, as well as NY 9D.

Demographics
As of the 2010 census, the total population of the village was 5,522. The racial makeup of the village was 72.5% white, 7.4% African American, .03% Native American, 4.8% Asian, 10.2% from other races, and 4.9% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 26.2% of the population. The median age was 35.5 years.

The median income for a household in the village was $39,123, and the median income for a family was $50,000. Males had a median income of $38,147 versus $26,607 for females. The per capita income for the village was $20,491. About 10.4% of families and 12.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.1% of those under age 18 and 14.3% of those age 65 or over.

It is part of the Poughkeepsie–Newburgh–Middletown, NY Metropolitan Statistical Area as well as the larger New York–Newark–Bridgeport, NY-NJ-CT-PA Combined Statistical Area.

Entertainment and the arts
County Players Falls Theatre, a volunteer, non-profit community theatre is located on West Main Street in the village, in the former Academy Theatre building.

TV stations (with antenna pointed south) WCBS-TV-2, WNBC-TV-4, WNYW-TV-5, WABC-TV-7, WWOR-TV-9, WPIX-TV-11, WNET-13

TV stations, with antenna pointed north to Albany, include WRGB-TV-6, WTEN-TV-10, WMHT-TV-17 and WCWN-45.

These stations are also delivered by cablevision.

Education
St. Mary Elementary School was a Catholic K-8 school of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York in Wappingers Falls that opened in September 1893 and closed in June 2019. It had 118 students when it closed.

The Village of Wappingers Falls is part of the Wappingers Central School District. Since the closing of St. Mary's Elementary School there are no schools within the village, although James S. Evans Elementary School and Wappingers Junior High School border the village.

Transportation
The New Hamburg station on Metro-North Railroad's Hudson Line serves Wappinger's Falls. Stewart International Airport is located just over the Newburgh–Beacon Bridge, and offers domestic and international flights.

Notable people

 * Dan Brouthers, One of the baseball's first early sluggers, was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York in 1945. Dan lived in the village and is buried in St. Mary's Cemetery.
 * Jack Mulhall, Silent film actor, was born in Wappingers Falls.
 * John Regan, Highly-acclaimed bass guitar player
 * Frederick W. Rowe, U.S. Representative
 * Wallace Worsley, Actor
 * Tyler Adams, U.S. Men's National Team, Professional soccer player for AFC Bournemouth
 * Jeh Johnson, 4th United States Secretary of Homeland Security

Books

 * Ward Moore's 1953 alternate history novel Bring the Jubilee is partially set in Wappingers Falls.

title: Wappingers Falls, New York


text:
Paul is dead

"Paul is dead" is an urban legend and conspiracy theory alleging that English musician Paul McCartney of the Beatles died in 1966 and was secretly replaced by a look-alike. The rumour began circulating in 1966, gaining broad popularity in September 1969 following reports on American college campuses.

According to the theory, McCartney died in a car crash, and to spare the public from grief, the surviving Beatles, aided by Britain's MI5, replaced him with a McCartney look-alike, subsequently communicating this secret through subtle details of their albums. Proponents perceived clues among elements of Beatles songs and cover artwork; clue-hunting proved infectious, and by October 1969 had become an international phenomenon. Rumours declined after Life published an interview with McCartney in November 1969.

The phenomenon was the subject of analysis in the fields of sociology, psychology and communications during the 1970s. McCartney parodied the hoax with the title and cover art of his 1993 live album, Paul Is Live. The legend was among ten of "the world's most enduring conspiracy theories" according to Time in 2009.

Beginnings
Although rumours that Paul McCartney's health was deteriorating existed since early 1966, reports that McCartney had died only started circulating in September of that year. The Beatles' press officer, Tony Barrow, recounted this in his book, John, Paul, George, Ringo and Me. Fleet Street reporters started phoning Barrow one day early that month, to confirm rumours regarding the Beatle's health and even a possible death, to which he replied that he had recently spoken with McCartney. According to the February 1987 issue of the Beatles Monthly magazine, it is possible the rumour might have been sparked by a minor road accident McCartney was involved in, several months before John Lennon had his own car crash in January 1967.

For the rest of 1966, the rumour was eclipsed by similar reports that Paul McCartney was working on a solo project and that the Beatles were splitting up, which were backed by their disappearance from the public eye and the postponement of their scheduled tours in late 1966.

In early 1967, the rumour resurfaced in London, this time claiming that Paul McCartney had been killed in a traffic accident while driving along the M1 motorway on the 7th of January of that year. The rumour was acknowledged and rebutted in the February issue of The Beatles Book. McCartney then alluded to the rumour during a press conference held around the release of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band in May.

The Beatles' producer George Martin once claimed that, during the Beatles’ visit to Denver, Colorado, "a number of people pretending to be Beatles" were employed by the promoters of the band's concerts in order to distract the crowds of fans from the real Beatles, while they were exiting a hotel. According to journalist Maureen O'Grady, who wrote about it in the May 1966 issue of RAVE Magazine, such a tactic was used when the Beatles first played in Baltimore, in 1964. As a result, stories began to circulate that the Beatles had sent four lookalikes to perform on stage on one of their American tours. Both Paul McCartney and George Harrison later refuted these claims.

Despite the Beatles dismissing such accusations, they soon began accompanying the notion that Paul had died. By late 1967, it was further stated that the Beatles covered up Paul's death by employing a Paul McCartney impersonator to stand in for him. For example, journalist Jay Marks was attending Paul's engagement party in 1967 when a friend of the band told him that Paul McCartney had been replaced.

By the mid-1960s, the Beatles were known for sometimes including backmasking in their music. Analysing their lyrics for hidden meaning had also become a popular trend in the US. In November 1968, their self-titled double LP (also known as the "White Album") was released containing the track "Glass Onion". John Lennon wrote the song in response to "gobbledygook" said about Sgt. Pepper. In a later interview, he said that he was purposely confusing listeners with lines such as "the Walrus was Paul" – a reference to his song "I Am the Walrus" from the 1967 EP and album Magical Mystery Tour.

On 17 September 1969, Tim Harper, an editor of the Drake Times-Delphic, the student newspaper of Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, published an article titled "Is Beatle Paul McCartney Dead?" The article addressed a rumour being circulated on campus that cited clues from recent Beatles albums, including a message interpreted as "Turn me on, dead man", heard when the White Album track "Revolution 9" is played backwards. Also referenced was the back cover of Sgt. Pepper, where every Beatle except McCartney is photographed facing the viewer, and the front cover of Magical Mystery Tour, which depicts one unidentified band member in a differently coloured suit from the other three. According to music journalist Merrell Noden, Harper's Drake Times-Delphic was the first to publish an article on the "Paul is dead" theory. Harper later said that it had become the subject of discussion among students at the start of the new academic year, and he added: "A lot of us, because of Vietnam and the so-called Establishment, were ready, willing and able to believe just about any sort of conspiracy."

In late September 1969, the Beatles released the album Abbey Road as they were in the process of disbanding. On 10 October, the Beatles' press officer, Derek Taylor, responded to the rumour stating: Recently we've been getting a flood of inquiries asking about reports that Paul is dead. We've been getting questions like that for years, of course, but in the past few weeks we've been getting them at the office and home night and day. I'm even getting telephone calls from disc jockeys and others in the United States.

Throughout this period, McCartney felt isolated from his bandmates in his opposition to their choice of business manager, Allen Klein, and distraught at Lennon's private announcement that he was leaving the group. With the birth of his daughter Mary in late August, McCartney had withdrawn to focus on his family life. On 22 October, the day that the "Paul is dead" rumour became an international news story, McCartney, his wife Linda and their two daughters travelled to Scotland to spend time at his farm near Campbeltown.

Growth
On 12 October 1969, a caller to Detroit radio station WKNR-FM told disc jockey Russ Gibb about the rumour and its clues. Gibb and other callers then discussed the rumour on air for the next hour, during which Gibb offered further potential clues. Two days later, The Michigan Daily published a satirical review of Abbey Road by University of Michigan student Fred LaBour, who had listened to the exchange on Gibb's show, under the headline "McCartney Dead; New Evidence Brought to Light". It identified various clues to McCartney's alleged death on Beatles album covers, particularly on the Abbey Road sleeve. LaBour later said he had invented many of the clues and was astonished when the story was picked up by newspapers across the United States. Noden writes that "Very soon, every college campus, every radio station, had a resident expert." WKNR fuelled the rumour further with its two-hour programme The Beatle Plot, which first aired on 19 October. The show – which has been called "infamous", a "fraud" and a "mockumentary" – brought enormous worldwide publicity to Gibb and WKNR.

The story was soon taken up by more mainstream radio stations in the New York area, WMCA and WABC. In the early hours of 21 October, WABC disc jockey Roby Yonge discussed the rumour on-air for over an hour before being pulled off the air for breaking format. At that time of night, WABC's signal covered a wide listening area and could be heard in 38 US states and, at times, in other countries. Although the Beatles' press office denied the rumour, McCartney's atypical withdrawal from public life contributed to its escalation. Vin Scelsa, a student broadcaster in 1969, later said that the escalation was indicative of the countercultural influence of Bob Dylan, the Beatles and the Rolling Stones, since: "Every song from them – starting about late 1966 – became a personal message, worthy of endless scrutiny ... they were guidelines on how to live your life."

WMCA dispatched Alex Bennett to the Beatles' Apple Corps headquarters in London on 23 October, to further his extended coverage of the "Paul is dead" theory. There, Ringo Starr told Bennett: "If people are gonna believe it, they're gonna believe it. I can only say it's not true." In a radio interview with John Small of WKNR, Lennon said that the rumour was "insane" but good publicity for Abbey Road. On Halloween night 1969, WKBW in Buffalo, New York, broadcast a program titled Paul McCartney Is Alive and Well – Maybe, which analysed Beatles lyrics and other clues. The WKBW DJs concluded that the "Paul is dead" hoax was fabricated by Lennon.

Before the end of October 1969, several record releases had exploited the phenomenon of McCartney's alleged demise. These included "The Ballad of Paul" by the Mystery Tour; "Brother Paul" by Billy Shears and the All Americans; "So Long Paul" by Werbley Finster, a pseudonym for José Feliciano; and Zacharias and His Tree People's "We're All Paul Bearers (Parts One and Two)". Another song was Terry Knight's "Saint Paul", which had been a minor hit in June that year and was subsequently adopted by radio stations as a tribute to "the late Paul McCartney". A cover version of "Saint Paul" by New Zealand singer Shane reached the top of that nation's singles charts. According to a report in Billboard magazine in early November, Shelby Singleton Productions planned to issue a documentary LP of radio segments discussing the phenomenon. In Canada, Polydor Records exploited the rumour in their artwork for Very Together, a repackaging of the Beatles' pre-fame recordings with Tony Sheridan, using a cover that showed four candles, one of which had just been snuffed out.

Premise

Many versions of this theory have arisen since its initial exposure to the public, but most proponents of the theory maintain that, on 9 November 1966 (alternatively, the 11th of September of the same year), McCartney had an argument with his bandmates during a Sgt. Pepper recording session and drove off angrily in his car, distracted by a meter maid ("Lovely Rita"), not noticing that the traffic lights had changed ("A Day In The Life"), crashed, and was decapitated ("Don't Pass Me By"). A funeral service for Paul was held, with eulogies by George ("Blue Jay Way") and Ringo ("Don't Pass Me By"), followed by a procession (Abbey Road's front cover), with Lennon as the priest officiating his funeral and burying him (the alleged "I Buried Paul" statement in "Strawberry Fields Forever"). To spare the public from grief, or simply as a joke, the surviving Beatles replaced him with the winner of a McCartney look-alike contest. This scenario was facilitated by the Beatles' recent retirement from live performance and by their choosing to present themselves with a new image for their next album, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (which began recording later that month).

In LaBour's telling, the stand-in was an "orphan from Edinburgh named William Campbell" whom the Beatles then trained to impersonate McCartney. Others contended that the man's name was Bill Shepherd, later abbreviated to Billy Shears, and the replacement was instigated by Britain's MI5 out of concern for the severe distress McCartney's death would cause the Beatles' audience. In this latter telling, the surviving Beatles were said to be wracked with guilt over their actions, and therefore left messages in their music and album artwork to communicate the truth to their fans.

Dozens of supposed clues to McCartney's death have been identified by fans and followers of the legend. These include messages perceived when listening to songs being played backwards and symbolic interpretations of both lyrics and album cover imagery. Two frequently cited examples are the suggestions that the words "I buried Paul" are spoken by Lennon in the final section of the song "Strawberry Fields Forever", which the Beatles recorded in November and December 1966 (Lennon later said that the words were actually "Cranberry sauce"), and that the words "number nine, number nine" in "Revolution 9" (from the "White Album") became "turn me on, dead man, turn me on, dead man" when played backwards. A similar reversal at the end of "I'm So Tired" (another "White Album" track) yielded "Paul is dead man, miss him, miss him, miss him…".

Another example is the interpretation of the Abbey Road album cover as depicting a funeral procession: Lennon, dressed in white, is said to symbolise the heavenly figure; Starr, dressed in black, symbolises the undertaker; George Harrison, in denim, represents the gravedigger; and McCartney, barefoot and out of step with the others, symbolises the corpse. The number plate of the white Volkswagen Beetle in the photo – containing the characters LMW 281F (mistakenly read as "28IF") – was identified as further "evidence". "28IF" represented McCartney's age "if" he had still been alive (although McCartney was 27 when the album was recorded and released) while "LMW" stood for "Linda McCartney weeps" or "Linda McCartney, widow" (although McCartney and the then-Linda Eastman had not yet met in 1966, the year of Paul's alleged death). That the left-handed McCartney held a cigarette in his right hand was also said to support the idea that he was an impostor.

Rebuttal

On 21 October 1969, the Beatles' press office again issued statements denying the rumour, deeming it "a load of old rubbish" and saying that "the story has been circulating for about two years – we get letters from all sorts of nuts but Paul is still very much with us". On 24 October, BBC Radio reporter Chris Drake was granted an interview with McCartney at his farm. McCartney said that the speculation was understandable, given that he normally did "an interview a week" to ensure he remained in the news. Part of the interview was first broadcast on Radio 4, on 26 October, and subsequently on WMCA in the US. According to author John Winn, McCartney had conceded to the interview "in hopes that people hearing his voice would see the light", but the ploy failed.

McCartney was secretly filmed by a CBS News crew as he worked on his farm. As in his and Linda's segment in the Beatles' promotional clip for "Something", which the couple filmed privately around this time, McCartney was unshaven and unusually scruffy-looking in his appearance. His next visitors were a reporter and photographer from Life magazine. Irate at the intrusion, he swore at the pair, threw a bucket of water over them and was captured on film attempting to hit the photographer. Fearing that the photos would damage his image, McCartney then approached the pair and agreed to pose for a photo with his family and answer the reporter's questions, in exchange for the roll of film containing the offending pictures. In Winn's description, the family portrait used for Life's cover shows McCartney no longer "shabbily attired", but "clean-shaven and casually but smartly dressed".

Following the publication of the article and the photo, in the issue dated 7 November, the rumour started to decline. In the interview, McCartney said the rumor was "bloody stupid" and went on to say:

"Perhaps the rumour started because I haven't been much in the press lately. I have done enough press for a lifetime, and I don't have anything to say these days. I am happy to be with my family and I will work when I work. I was switched on for ten years and I never switched off. Now I am switching off whenever I can. I would rather be a little less famous these days."

Aftermath
In November 1969, Capitol Records sales managers reported a significant increase in sales of Beatles catalogue albums, attributed to the rumour. Rocco Catena, Capitol's vice-president of national merchandising, estimated that "this is going to be the biggest month in history in terms of Beatles sales". The rumour benefited the commercial performance of Abbey Road in the US, where it comfortably outsold all of the band's previous albums. Sgt. Pepper and Magical Mystery Tour, both of which had been off the charts since February, re-entered the Billboard Top LPs chart, peaking at number 101 and number 109, respectively.

A television special dedicated to "Paul is dead" was broadcast on WOR in New York on 30 November. Titled Paul McCartney: The Complete Story, Told for the First and Last Time, it was set in a courtroom and hosted by celebrity lawyer F. Lee Bailey, who cross-examined LaBour, Gibb and other proponents of the theory, and heard opposing views from "witnesses" such as McCartney's friend Peter Asher, brother Mike McCartney and Allen Klein. Bailey left it to the viewer to determine a conclusion. Before the recording, LaBour told Bailey that his article had been intended as a joke, to which Bailey sighed and replied, "Well, we have an hour of television to do; you're going to have to go along with this."

McCartney returned to London in December. Bolstered by Linda's support, he began recording his debut solo album at his home in St John's Wood. Titled McCartney, and recorded without his bandmates' knowledge, it was "one of the best-kept secrets in rock history" until shortly before its release in April 1970, according to author Nicholas Schaffner, and led to the announcement of the Beatles' break-up. In his 1971 song "How Do You Sleep?", in which he attacked McCartney's character, Lennon described the theorists as "freaks" who “was right when they said you was dead". The rumour was also cited in the hoax surrounding the Canadian band Klaatu, after a January 1977 review of their debut album 3:47 EST sparked rumours that the group were in fact the Beatles. In one telling, this theory contended that the album had been recorded in late 1966 but then mislaid until 1975, at which point Lennon, Harrison and Starr elected to issue it in McCartney's memory.

LaBour later became notable as the bassist for the western swing group Riders in the Sky, which he co-founded in 1977. In 2008, he joked that his success as a musician had extended his fifteen minutes of fame for his part in the rumour to "seventeen minutes". In 2015, he told The Detroit News that he is still periodically contacted by conspiracy theorists who have attempted to present him with supposed new developments on the McCartney rumours.

Analysis and legacy
Author Peter Doggett writes that, while he thinks the theory behind "Paul is dead" defied logic, its popularity was understandable in a climate where citizens were faced with conspiracy theories insisting that the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in 1963 was in fact a coup d'état. Schaffner said that, given its origins as an item of gossip and intrigue generated by a select group in the "Beatles cult", "Paul is dead" serves as "a genuine folk tale of the mass communications era". He also described it as "the most monumental hoax since Orson Welles' War of the Worlds broadcast persuaded thousands of panicky New Jerseyites that Martian invaders were in the vicinity".

In his book Revolution in the Head, Ian MacDonald says that the Beatles were partly responsible for the phenomenon due to their incorporation of "random lyrics and effects", particularly in the White Album track "Glass Onion" in which Lennon invited clue-hunting by including references to other Beatles songs. MacDonald groups it with the "psychic epidemics" that were encouraged by the rock audience's use of hallucinogenic drugs and which escalated with Charles Manson's homicidal interpretation of the White Album and Mark David Chapman's religion-motivated murder of Lennon in 1980.

During the 1970s, the phenomenon became a subject of academic study in America in the fields of sociology, psychology and communications. Among sociological studies, Barbara Suczek recognised it as, in Schaffner's description, a contemporary reading of the "archetypal myth wherein the beautiful youth dies and is resurrected as a god". Psychologists Ralph Rosnow and Gary Fine attributed its popularity partly to the shared, vicarious experience of searching for clues without consequence for the participants. They also said that for a generation distrustful of the media following the Warren Commission's report, it was able to thrive amid a climate informed by "The credibility gap of Lyndon Johnson's presidency, the widely circulated rumors after the Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy assassinations, as well as attacks on the leading media sources by the yippies and Spiro Agnew".

American social critic Camille Paglia locates the "Paul is dead" phenomenon to the Ancient Greek tradition symbolised by Adonis and Antinous, as represented in the cult of rock music's "pretty, long-haired boys who mesmerize both sexes", and she adds: "It's no coincidence that it was Paul McCartney, the 'cutest' and most girlish of the Beatles, who inspired a false rumor that swept the world in 1969 that he was dead."

"Paul is dead" has continued to inspire analysis into the 21st century, with published studies by Andru J. Reeve, Nick Kollerstrom and Brian Moriarty, among others, and exploitative works in the mediums of mockumentary and documentary film. Writing in 2016, Beatles biographer Steve Turner said, "the theory still has the power to flare back into life." He cited a 2009 Wired Italia magazine article that featured an analysis by two forensic research consultants who compared selected photographs of McCartney taken before and after his alleged death by measuring features of the skull. According to the scientists' findings, the man shown in the post-November 1966 images was not the same.

Similar rumours concerning other celebrities have been circulated, including the unsubstantiated allegation that Canadian singer Avril Lavigne died in 2003 and was replaced by a person named Melissa Vandella. In an article on the latter phenomenon, The Guardian described the 1969 McCartney hoax as "Possibly the best known example" of a celebrity being the focus of "a (completely unverified) cloning conspiracy theory". In 2009, Time magazine included "Paul is dead" in its feature on ten of "the world's most enduring conspiracy theories".

In popular culture
There have been many references to the legend in popular culture, including the following examples.

 * The June 1970 issue of the DC Comics title Batman (#222) had a story titled "Dead ... Till Proven Alive" in which it was rumoured that Saul from the band the Oliver Twists was deceased and replaced with a double. On the cover of the comic book, Robin is holding an album that mimics the back of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.
 * The 1972 National Lampoon comedy album Radio Dinner has several announced "clues" placed throughout, including backmasked segments and notes in the album's gatefold, all parodying the hoax.
 * In the Rutles' 1978 television film satirising the Beatles' history, All You Need Is Cash, the identity of the alleged dead band member was transferred to the George Harrison character, Stig O'Hara, who was supposed to have died "in a flash fire at a water bed shop" and been replaced by a Madame Tussauds wax model. Building on Harrison's reputation as the "Quiet Beatle", the "Stig is dead" theory was supported by his lack of dialogue in the film and clues such as his trouser-less appearance on the cover of the Rutles' Shabby Road album.
 * On the February 13, 1993, episode of Saturday Night Live, Paul McCartney was interviewed on The Chris Farley Show, a recurring sketch where Chris Farley nervously asked questions of his guests, usually on if they remembered parts of their career. Regarding the "Paul Is Dead" rumours, Farley outlined the urban legend, then asked "That was, um, a hoax, right?" Paul responded by saying "Yeah. I wasn't really dead."
 * McCartney titled his 1993 live album Paul Is Live in reference to the hoax. He also presented it in a sleeve that parodied the Abbey Road cover and its clues.
 * The 1995 video for "Free as a Bird" – a song recorded by Lennon in the late 1970s and completed by McCartney, Harrison and Starr for the band's Anthology project – references "Paul is dead", among other myths relating to the Beatles' impact during the 1960s. According to author Gary Burns, the video indulges in the same "semiological excess" as the 1969 hoax and thereby "spoof[s]" obsessive clue-hunting.
 * In the 1995 episode of The Simpsons, "Lisa the Vegetarian", Paul McCartney guest stars and mentions that if his song "Maybe I'm Amazed" is played backwards, it contains a recipe for lentil soup. The song plays over the end credits, and, if played backwards, it not only contains the aforementioned recipe, but also Paul himself saying "oh, and by the way, I'm alive".
 * In 2010, American author Alan Goldsher published the mashup novel Paul Is Undead: The British Zombie Invasion, which depicts all of the Beatles as zombies except Ringo Starr.
 * Paul McCartney Really Is Dead: The Last Testament of George Harrison is a 2010 mockumentary directed by Joel Gilbert that purports to tell the story of George Harrison, believing himself to be on his deathbed after being stabbed on December 30, 1999, revealing that Paul had died in a car crash with a girl named Rita and that British intelligence agencies had orchestrated a coverup through which Paul was replaced by a lookalike. The film is narrated by a voice actor purporting to be George Harrison, describing over archival footage and reenactment the clues left behind in songs and album art that Paul was dead.
 * In 2015, the indie rock band EL VY released a song called "Paul Is Alive", which contains lyrics referencing Beatlemania and partly addresses the 1969 rumour.
 * A 2018 comedy short film, Paul Is Dead, depicts a version of events where McCartney dies during a musical retreat and is replaced by a look-alike named Billy Shears.
 * A graphic novel co-created by Paolo Baron and Ernesto Carbonetti called Paul is Dead was published in English by Image Comics in 2020.
 * In 2023 the American supergroup Boygenius released the song called "Revolution 0" which was originally going to be called "Paul is Dead".

title: Paul is dead


text:
Washington, New York

Washington is a town in Dutchess County, New York, United States. The population was 4,522 at the 2020 census. The town is named after George Washington, who passed through the town during the Revolution.

Washington is in the central part of the county, northeast of the city of Poughkeepsie. U.S. Route 44 passes across the town.

History
Prior to the arrival of European settlers, the area was the abode of the sedentary Wappinger Indians.

Although some Dutch had settled in the area, it was the British grant of the Great Nine Partners Patent in 1697 that spurred growth. Lt. Col. Henry Filkins was the largest landowner and his family continued in leadership until forced to flee at the start of the American Revolution.

When Dutchess County was first organized in 1683, it was subdivided into twelve precincts. What is now the towns of Stanford, Clinton, Pleasant Valley, and Washington constituted Charlotte Precinct, later named after Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. The town was formed as part of the county reorganization in 1788 as one of the original twelve towns, with the towns of Poughkeepsie and Clinton to the west. The town lost territory in 1793 to form the new town of Stanford.

The Newburgh, Dutchess and Connecticut Railroad (formerly the Dutchess and Columbia Railroad ) came through in 1869 cutting north-south across the town, with a station between Mechanic and Hart's Village.

Notable people

 * Charles Erwin Booth, Wisconsin State Assemblyman
 * Mary Tyler Moore, American actress, producer
 * Liam Neeson, actor
 * Ric Ocasek, founder of The Cars and music producer
 * Melancton Smith, delegate to the Continental Congress

Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 152.5 km2, of which 150.7 km2 is land and 1.8 km2, or 1.21%, is water. Washington is bordered by Pleasant Valley and Clinton to the west, Stanford to the north, Amenia to the east, and Dover and Union Vale to the south. A small part of LaGrange also borders the town.

The main channel of Wappinger Creek flows through the northeast corner of the town, and its East Branch flows through the center of the town.

The Canoe Hills are located on the 2,000 acre Cary Arboretum in the Town of Washington.

Communities and locations in Washington

 * Bloomvale Historic District – A former hamlet, north of Washington's Hollow
 * Lithgow – A location in the northeastern corner of the town.
 * Littlerest – A location south of Mabbettsville.
 * Mabbettsville – A hamlet east of Millbrook.
 * Millbrook – The Village of Millbrook is near the center of the town.
 * South Millbrook – A location south of Millbrook bordering the town of Union Vale.
 * Shunpike – A location north of Millbrook.
 * Washington's Hollow – A location by the western town line, where Washington camped.
 * Oak Summit

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 4,742 people, 1,914 households, and 1,244 families residing in the town. The population density was 80.3 PD/sqmi. There were 2,192 housing units at an average density of 37.1 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the town was 94.69% White, 2.83% African American, 0.06% Native American, 0.65% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.78% from other races, and 0.97% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.58% of the population.

There were 1,914 households, out of which 28.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.1% were married couples living together, 7.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.0% were non-families. 29.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 2.95.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 24.4% under the age of 18, 5.8% from 18 to 24, 26.1% from 25 to 44, 27.2% from 45 to 64, and 16.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.7 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $52,104, and the median income for a family was $69,074. Males had a median income of $45,938 versus $31,411 for females. The per capita income for the town was $32,561. About 2.7% of families and 7.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.5% of those under age 18 and 6.1% of those age 65 or over.

title: Washington, New York


text:
Akron, New York

Akron is a village in Erie County, New York, United States. The population was 2,868 at the 2010 census. The name derives from the Greek word ἄκρον signifying a summit or high point. It is part of the Buffalo–Niagara Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area. Akron is located in the town of Newstead on the west and north slopes of a hill. NY 93 passes through the village.

History
The village was developed after land was purchased from local Native Americans. The site of the village was first settled circa 1829, centered on Akron Falls, which provided water power. Akron became an incorporated village in 1849. The village absorbed the community of Fallkirk in its growth. In 1880, the population of Akron was about 1,050. It was then an important cement-producing center, due to local deposits of gypsum. Besides production of cement, the village also produced cigars.

Geography
Akron is located at 43.01944°N, -78.49472°W (43.019309, -78.494644). The village is northeast of Buffalo.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 2.0 sqmi, all land.

Akron is adjacent to the Tonawanda Reservation of the Seneca, but most of the reservation is in Genesee County. A small general aviation airport, Akron Airport, is on high ground on the eastern side of the village. Much of Akron Falls County Park is within the village. The falls are a feature of Murder Creek, which passes through the park and the village flowing in a northwesterly direction.

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 3,085 people, 1,313 households, and 839 families residing in the village. The population density was 1,571.3 PD/sqmi. There were 1,373 housing units at an average density of 699.3 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the village was 97.57% White, 0.39% African American, 1.39% Native American, 0.03% Asian, 0.13% from other races, and 0.49% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.65% of the population.

There were 1,313 households, out of which 28.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.8% were married couples living together, 11.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.1% were non-families. 31.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 18.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.34 and the average family size was 2.94.

In the village, the population was spread out, with 23.7% under the age of 18, 7.6% from 18 to 24, 27.4% from 25 to 44, 22.9% from 45 to 64, and 18.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 87.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.9 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $35,313, and the median income for a family was $48,083. Males had a median income of $33,250 versus $24,327 for females. The per capita income for the village was $17,712. About 4.9% of families and 8.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.0% of those under age 18 and 8.8% of those age 65 or over.

Attractions

 * The Rich-Twinn Octagon House, an example of this unusual style of architecture, is open to the public. The Newstead Historical Society also operates the Knight-Sutton Museum with exhibits of local history and culture.
 * A popular spot for social gathering in Akron is Russell Park, which was put in an Akron's founder's will to be a park forever or returned to his next of kin. At one point in time, where the gazebo is now, there used to be a fountain. Due to the cost of upkeep, the fountain was removed and replaced with the Akron gazebo.
 * Akron is home to one school, Akron Central School, which includes all students, pre-K to 12 in its one building.
 * U.S. Post Office (Akron, New York), a historic post office building, contains a WPA tempera mural,   Early Mail Route to Akron, completed in 1941 by artist Elizabeth Logan.
 * Akron Fire Company serves the Village of Akron, and parts of the Town of Newstead in conjunction with the Newstead Fire Company.
 * The first park golf course in the United States was opened in Akron in July 2013. The sport, brought to America by Akron native Dick "The Destroyer" Beyer, originated in Japan, where Beyer spent several years as a professional wrestler.

title: Akron, New York


text:
Amherst, New York

Amherst is a town in Erie County, New York, United States. It is a suburb of Buffalo. As of 2020, the town had a total population of 129,595. This represents an increase from 122,366 as reported in the 2010 census. It is the 14th most populated municipality in New York.

The second-largest in area and the most populous suburb of Buffalo, the town of Amherst encompasses the village of Williamsville as well as the hamlets of Eggertsville, Getzville, Snyder, Swormville, and East Amherst. The town is in the northern part of Erie County and borders a section of the Erie Canal.

Amherst is home to the north campus of the University at Buffalo, a campus of Erie Community College, a satellite campus of Bryant & Stratton College, and Daemen University.

History
Amherst was created by the State of New York on April 10, 1818, from part of the town of Buffalo (later the city of Buffalo), which itself had previously been created from the town of Clarence. Amherst was named after Lord Jeffrey Amherst, commander-in-chief of the British army in North America from 1758 to 1763. Timothy S. Hopkins was elected the first supervisor of the town in 1819. Part of Amherst was later separated to form the town of Cheektowaga on March 22, 1839.

The opening of the Erie Canal in 1825 spurred Amherst's growth, bringing with it with new settlers and increased commerce. German immigrants settled in the northern part of the town as farmers, attracted by the fertile land in the area. The town's water resources encouraged the development of grist mills, saw mills, and other factories along Ellicott Creek. Several communities and hamlets started to develop around this time, such as Williamsville (1810s), Eggertsville and Snyder (1830s), East Amherst and Swormville (1850s), and Getzville (1860s).

Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 138.8 km2, of which 137.8 km2 is land and 1.0 km2, or 0.73%, is water.

Much of Amherst was originally floodplain and marshland, portions of which have been drained in recent years to facilitate development of new homes and businesses. The central and southern parts of the town are heavily suburbanized. Despite this development, the hamlets of Eggertsville and Snyder and the village of Williamsville have managed to retain much of their original character. The northern part of the town is still relatively undeveloped, with the prominent exception of the portions along Niagara Falls Boulevard (U.S. Route 62) bordering the towns of Tonawanda and Wheatfield. Some sections of northern and eastern Amherst have experienced problems with collapsing residential foundations as a result of unstable soil conditions. A few active farms may still be found in the northern part of the town.

Amherst is bordered on the north by Tonawanda Creek and Niagara County. Ellicott Creek flows through the town.

Adjacent cities and towns

 * Niagara County, Town of Pendleton - north
 * Niagara County, City of North Tonawanda - northwest
 * Town of Tonawanda - west
 * City of Buffalo - southwest
 * Town of Lancaster - southeast
 * Town of Cheektowaga - south
 * Town of Clarence - east

Neighborhoods
Areas within Amherst are referred to by the former post office station names and are not legally incorporated. During the 1990s, many of these regional post offices were closed and consolidated into the central Amherst 14226 post office on Bailey Avenue, leaving only a Williamsville (14221) post office on Sheridan Drive, a Getzville (14068) post office on Millersport Highway, and an East Amherst (14051) post office on Transit Road. Mailing addresses to areas within the town are Amherst, East Amherst, Eggertsville, Getzville, Snyder, and Williamsville. These postal districts are still recognized by the post office and widely referred to by citizens.

Some of these mailing addresses overlap: some areas of Clarence directly east of Transit Road have Williamsville addresses, although for the purposes of taxes, schools and community resources, these people are residents of the Town of Clarence.

The areas listed below are governed and run by the Town of Amherst except for the Village of Williamsville, an independent political entity.

 * Eggertsville -- a hamlet in the southwest part of the town, bordering on Buffalo and centered around Eggert Road. Daemen College is located on Main Street (Route 5). The community is named after early postmaster Christian Eggert.
 * Getzville -- a location near the center of the town adjacent to Campbell Boulevard (Route 270) and Dodge Road. The name comes from early resident Joseph Getz.
 * Audubon - A location in the center of the town situated around John James Audubon Parkway. The town police, courthouse, and main library are located here.
 * East Amherst (formerly Transit Station) -- An unincorporated community, or hamlet, in the eastern part of the town, shared with the Town of Clarence.
 * North Bailey -- A location at the junction of Bailey Avenue and Maple Road.
 * Snyder (originally Snyderville after postmaster Michael Snyder) -- A suburban community located between Eggertsville and the village of Williamsville.
 * Swormville - A hamlet in the eastern part of the town, shared with the Town of Clarence. Named for Adam Schworm, prominent landowner and businessman.
 * Williamsville - an incorporated village within Amherst, located in the southern part of the town.

Climate
Average high temperatures from May through October range from 60 to 81 degrees. Average high temperatures from November through March range from 31 to 47 degrees.

Demographics
As of the census of 2010, there were 122,366 people, 48,894 households, and 29,840 families residing in the town. There were 51,179 housing units. The racial makeup of the town was 83.8% White, 5.7% African American, 0.2% Native American, 7.9% Asian, 0.0% Pacific Islander, 0.5% from other races, and 1.8% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.3% of the population.

There were 48,894 households, out of which 26.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.4% were married couples living together, 8.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.0% were non-families. 27.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 31.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.33 and the average family size was 2.98.

The median income for a household in the town was $55,427, and the median income for a family was $68,951. Males had a median income of $51,667 versus $32,030 for females. The per capita income for the town was $27,647. About 4.2% of families and 6.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.6% of those under age 18 and 5.4% of those age 65 or over.

51.7% of residents (aged 25 and over) have obtained a Bachelor's degree or higher, including 26.7% with a Graduate or professional degree.

Economy
In July 2010, CNNMoney ranked Amherst 42nd in a list of the Top 100 Best Places to Live in America. In 2012, CNNMoney.com ranked Amherst 50th. In 2011 and 2012, Amherst was selected as one of America's 100 Best Communities for Young People by America's Promise Alliance.

National Fuel and Life Storage are headquartered in Williamsville.

Arts and culture
Many festivals are celebrated in Amherst throughout the year. The town is home to the Buffalo Niagara Heritage Village.

The Town of Amherst Archival Research Center is located in the Harlem Road Community Center, 4255 Harlem Road, Amherst NY 14226 (previously housed in the Former Reformed Mennonite Church which was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2003. )

Sports

Amherst is home to the University at Buffalo Stadium, Alumni Arena, and Amherst Audubon Field, all utilized by the University at Buffalo Buffalo Bulls.

The Northtown Center is the town's ice hockey arena. The arena is the home of the Buffalo Beauts of the National Women's Hockey League, the University at Buffalo Bulls men's ice hockey team, and the Buffalo Wings, a professional inline hockey team competing in Major League Roller Hockey.

Crime and public safety

As of 2014, the Amherst Police Department employed 154 officers and 35 full and part-time civilian employees including the Chief, Assistant Chief, and eight captains.

Amherst has been ranked as the "Safest City in America" 1996–1998, 2000–2003, and 2010. In many other years it ranked in the top 5. The ranking is based on annual reports by the FBI, including crime statistics in six categories: murder, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, and auto theft.

In 2006, Amherst was ranked the second safest city in the United States, after Brick Township, New Jersey. In 2011, it ranked 6th safest out of 400 cities. Most recently in 2014, Amherst was ranked the #1 Safest City in America with a population between 100,000 and 500,000.

Higher education
There are five separate higher educational institutions with campuses in the town.
 * The North Campus of the University at Buffalo, a nationally ranked tier 1 research university.
 * All university programs apart from architecture, planning, nursing, dentistry, medicine, pharmacy, and public health reside here.

 * Daemen University
 * One of three campuses of Erie Community College
 * Bryant and Stratton College
 * A satellite campus of Canisius College

Public schools
There are three separate public school districts within the town.
 * Williamsville Central School District
 * The largest district and comprises the eastern half of the town along with portions of the Town of Clarence. The district is ranked #1 out of 97 public school systems in Western New York. Williamsville high schools were awarded Silver rankings according to 2013 U.S. News & World Report Best High Schools, and rank among the top 2-3% out of over 21,000 high schools nationally.

 * Amherst Central School District
 * Covering the southwestern portion of the town with its core in the Eggertsville and Snyder areas.

 * Sweet Home Central School District
 * Covering the northwestern portion of the town along with portions of the Town of Tonawanda with its core in West Amherst and Getzville.

Media
Amherst is served by the Amherst Bee newspaper. In 1969 Paul Kurtz founded the publishing house Prometheus Books in Amherst.

Infrastructure
Millard Filmore Suburban Hospital is located in the center of town on Maple Road.
 * [[Image:I-90.svg|20px]] [[Image:NYS Thruway Sign.svg|20px]] Interstate 90 (New York State Thruway) passes through the southern part of town.
 * [[Image:I-290.svg|22px]] Interstate 290 (Youngmann Memorial Highway) travels through the town diagonally from I-90 to US 62 and beyond to Tonawanda
 * [[Image:I-990.svg|22px]] Interstate 990 (Lockport Expressway), located entirely within the Town of Amherst, runs in a roughly north–south direction through the southwest and central part of Amherst until it ends at Millersport Highway (NY 263).
 * [[Image:US 62.svg|20px]] U.S. Route 62 marks the western town line as Niagara Falls Boulevard as the route heads north, then as Sheridan Drive then Bailey Avenue heading south out of town.
 * [[Image:NY-5.svg|20px]] New York State Route 5 (Main Street) passes through the town.
 * [[Image:NY-78.svg|20px]] New York State Route 78 (Transit Road) marks the eastern town line.
 * [[Image:NY-240.svg|22px]] New York State Route 240 (Harlem Road) is a north–south road from Sheridan Drive (NY 324) south heading out of town.
 * [[Image:NY-263.svg|22px]] New York State Route 263 (Grover Cleveland Highway, Millersport Highway) is a north–south road from Bailey Avenue (US 62) to Transit Road. (NY 78).
 * [[Image:NY-270.svg|22px]] New York State Route 270 (Campbell Boulevard) is a north–south road from Millersport Highway (NY 263) north out of town.
 * [[Image:NY-277.svg|22px]] New York State Route 277 (North Forest Road, Union Road) is a north–south road from Sheridan Drive (NY 324) south out of town.
 * [[Image:NY-324.svg|22px]] New York State Route 324 (Sheridan Drive) is an east–west road through the town from Niagara Falls Boulevard (US 62) east out of town.

Notable people

 * Anita Álvarez, Olympic synchronized swimmer
 * Eric Andersen, singer-songwriter, grew up in the hamlet of Snyder
 * Richard J. Burke, journalist, poet, and playwright
 * Jack Davis, industrialist and politician
 * Al Dekdebrun, former pro football quarterback and Amherst Town Supervisor
 * Dan Gronkowski, former NFL tight end
 * Rob Gronkowski, former NFL tight end for the New England Patriots and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
 * Jeffrey Gundlach, bond manager, graduated from Amherst High School
 * Chris Hajt, former NHL player
 * James P. Hayes, former New York state assemblyman
 * Dan Herbeck, journalist for The Buffalo News
 * Marc Evan Jackson, comedian
 * Bruce Kershner, environmentalist
 * Andy Kulberg, rock and blues bassist
 * Nick Langworthy, chair of the New York Republican State Committee
 * Joe Mack, 2021 1st-round draft pick, playing catcher for the Miami Marlins
 * Wendie Malick, actress
 * Thomas McCollum, professional hockey player
 * Norman McCombs, businessman
 * Joe Mesi, professional boxer, attended Sweet Home High School
 * Ian Murphy, alternative journalist and satirist
 * Harry Neale, hockey broadcaster and former NHL coach
 * Keith O'Neil, former NFL player
 * Brooks Orpik, NHL defenseman
 * Wayne Patrick, former NFL player
 * Michael Ranzenhofer, New York state senator
 * Edward Rath III, New York state senator
 * Mike Robitaille, former NHL player and current Sabres broadcaster
 * Mark Rubin, former NFL player
 * Hugh B. Scott, judge
 * Billy Sheehan, rock bassist
 * Barnett Slepian, physician murdered by anti-abortion terrorist James Charles Kopp
 * John Stevens, 2004 American Idol finalist
 * Satish K. Tripathi, president of the State University of New York at Buffalo
 * James Whitmore, actor, attended Amherst High School
 * Gordon Yaeger, notable pilot of the Bell Rocket Belt

title: Amherst, New York


text:
Angola, New York

Angola is a village in the town of Evans in Erie County, New York, United States. Located 2 mi east of Lake Erie, the village is 22 mi southwest of downtown Buffalo. As of the 2010 Census, Angola had a population of 2,127. An unincorporated community known as Angola on the Lake, with a population of 1,675, lies between Angola village and Lake Erie.

History
The community was previously called "Evans Station". Circa 1854 or 1855, a post office was established there, bearing the name "Angola". The first postmaster was John H. Andrus, who later became county clerk. The new name was apparently chosen because, at that time, local residents (primarily Quakers) were supporting missionary efforts in the Portuguese colony of Angola in Africa. The economy of the village improved with the arrival of a railroad line in 1852.

The Village of Angola was incorporated in 1873. In June 2004, an attempt to dissolve the village was thwarted by a judicial ruling that the petitions for a referendum were invalid. In 2007, the village agreed to dissolve its police department and contract with the Town of Evans for police services. Angola officers would be hired by Evans.

In February 2008, local officials rejected the urging of local politician Kevin Gaughan to reduce the size of the village board, stating that no financial savings would result. Gaughan, a proponent of reducing the number of government entities in Erie County, is also a proponent of metro government. The US Post Office—Angola was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1988.

The Friends of the Village of Angola is a non-profit group of volunteer members whose purpose is to bring more foot traffic to the village. They work to improve and maintain many behind-the-scenes things in Angola. The Friends are responsible for organizing the annual Christmas in the Village, funded by the annual summer Drifters Car Cruise and Donations from individuals and local businesses.

Angola Horror train wreck
On December 18, 1867, just after 3 pm, the last coach of the Buffalo-bound New York Express of the Lake Shore and Michigan Southern railway derailed. It plunged off a truss bridge into Big Sister Creek just after passing Angola. The next car was also pulled from the track and rolled down the far embankment. Stoves set both coaches on fire. Forty-nine people were killed, with an additional forty being injured.

Geography
Angola is located in southwestern Erie County at 42.63917°N, -79.03083°W (42.639109, -79.030709), near the geographic center of the town of Evans. According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 1.4 sqmi, all land.

Angola is 2 mi east of the shore of Lake Erie and is west of the New York State Thruway (Interstate 90). It is on the New York-Buffalo-Chicago Main Line of CSXT and on the Jersey City-Buffalo-Chicago Main Line of the Norfolk Southern Railway. From 1907 to 1932 Angola was on the Buffalo-to-Erie (Pa.) Main Line of the Buffalo & Lake Erie Traction Company (B&LET) and its successor, the Buffalo & Erie Railway (B&E), a high speed interurban electric railway. The B&E was abandoned with the approval of the New York State Public Service Commission to promote the growth and development of highway transportation.

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 2,266 people, 844 households, and 618 families residing in the village. The population density was 1,589.5 PD/sqmi. There were 903 housing units at an average density of 633.4 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the village was 96.60% White, 0.44% African American, 1.32% Native American, 0.35% Asian, 0.40% from other races, and 0.88% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.46% of the population.

There were 844 households, out of which 39.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.2% were married couples living together, 14.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.7% were non-families. 22.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.68 and the average family size was 3.13.

In the village, the population was spread out, with 29.5% under the age of 18, 6.8% from 18 to 24, 29.6% from 25 to 44, 20.6% from 45 to 64, and 13.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.9 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $40,050, and the median income for a family was $48,352. Males had a median income of $37,931 versus $27,298 for females. The per capita income for the village was $17,598. About 7.6% of families and 11.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.8% of those under age 18 and 2.6% of those age 65 or over.

Economy
Goya Foods has its Great Lakes division in Angola.

Notable people

 * Willis Carrier, engineer and inventor of air conditioning
 * Patrick Kaleta, NHL hockey player
 * Christian Laettner, basketball player; 1992 Olympic Gold Medal basketball winner, former NBA basketball player
 * Monroe Salisbury, silent film actor
 * Pius Louis Schwert, former Major League Baseball player and U.S. congressman
 * Patchy Mix, professional MMA fighter and grappler

title: Angola, New York