New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-11-14
A LITTLE INLAND PARADISE.
BEAUTIES OF AMENA UNION VALLEY.
SKETCH OF TYPICAL RURAL AMERICAN COM
MuSIry-THE OLD STEEL WORKS.

Armenia Union. N Y, Oct. 1.-the tide Of sum-
MGR travel that flows northward from New-iork
City over the Harlem Railroad increases at an
astonishing rate every year. Last year. accord
ing to Mr. Richards, the assistant general passen-
ger agent of the New-York Central system, the
Harlem transported $4,000 more passengers than
it did in the previous twelvemOnth. These
statistics show better than anything else the In.
crcasing popularity. of the summer resorts, 'espe-
cially the BerlSshres, that reached directly Dy
this iron highway of travel Comparatively
Speaking, few summer tourists, however, ever
alght at any of the stations of the road between
Dover Plains and Milerton and yet the country
between these stations is not less beautiful than
the most attractive scenes in the famous Bcrk-
shires In fact, the traveller going northward
after leaving Dover Plains will find himself among
rolling uplands and bold ridges of mountains that
are the beginning and part of the Berkshire
Hills. The little serpentine valleys that lie be-
tween these swelling hills, broadening out into
bays Of rich meadowland in places, and anon mar.
rowed into gorges where the mountains approach
each other more closely, form some Of the most
picturesque country to be found in America.
What it lacks of the sublimity seen in the barren
chain OF the Rocky Mountains with it's lofty
snow-clad peaks is more than made up in the de-
lightful views of mountain and valley, of lake and
river, of meadow and woodland, with pure bracing
air. water of crystal purity and gravelly roads that
make riding a pleasure indeed. And all the
smiling landscape is dotted with the cosey homes
of typical rural Americans.
OF all these lovely valleys of Eastern Dutchess
County probably the loveest and the least
known is the valley of which this little town is
the central point A broad and well.kept road
IL IL %
Sharon Station, through gap in the mountains,
and after following the elevated land along the
winding Webutoos Rive, it goes out Of the val.
ley eight miles below, wee Wassaic Brook comes
in from the westward and the mountains come
together again. That SO little is known of this
little inland paradise is not due to the fact that
it is of recent discovery, for it was settled first OF
all the country hereabout and the homes and
graves of the pioneers who bought the land from
the Indians are still conspicuous features Of the
landscape. 1t is due rather to the circumstance
that the engineers who surveyed the route Of the
Harlem Railroad went to the westward instead
of the eastward of Oblong Mountain. While the
substantial and progressive town of Armenia, with
its 500 inhabitants has been built where the
railroad made a station on the west side of the
mountain, the solitude Of the Armenia Union Val
ley still remains unbroken by sounds of human
toll save by the call Of the farmer to his patient
ox-teain or the sound Of the axes of the charcoal
burners at work upon the eastern slope OF the
Oblong Mountain. Thus the northbound tourist,
whirling along the western slope of the Oblong
passes by without knowing it one Of the most
unique and attractive spots to be found anywhere.
The village of Armenia Union is only rambling
collection Of score of old-fashioned farmhouses,
built at the crossing of two roads, with churches,
a mill, store or two and postoflicc. All the
houses have ample yards, shaded with thick
ungles Of greenery and rosebushes that have borne
their annual crop of flowers for the delight Of
many generations, and with ancient shadetrees
that were planted when the red men were not
infrequent visitors TO Armenia Union. In the
centre of this picturesque village, where the roads
cross, stands the inevitable liberty POLE and near
by the tall staff white stone flashes, which
marks the division line between New-York and
Connecticut As a matter Of fact, the village
stands partly in Connecticut and formerly the
entire Oblong Valley, as it was called, 61,44O
acres, belonged to Connecticut, and was coded to
New-YOrk, after years of controversy, in 1881.
The history of this controversy is this In
1864 it was agreed between the two colonies
New-York and Connectcut-that the boundary
line should run from a certain point on Long
sets line, both parties then understanding that
this line would be parallel to the Hudson River
and twenty miles from 1t, which was the acknow-
edged limit OF the two colonies. This was when
the whole country north of Long Island Sound
was comparatively unknown land, and there
was great misconcepton of the points of the
compass. When the surveyors tried to run the
division line in accordance with this agreement
they discovered that their line led them to the
Hudson River below West Point. When this
error, which both parties recognized. was made
apparent, it was agreed TO rectify il. But the
people who had settled on lands defined under
the first agreement earnestly desired to retain
their civil connection with the Connecticut Colony
it was therefore agreed by Connecticut to ccde
to New-York equivalent in territorial extent
equal to the present towns of Greenwich Stam-
ford, New Canaan and Daren-an area IL miles
by 8, or ,440 acres. This agreement was COM
pleted and subscribed to by the Commissioners at
Dover on May IA, 1871. The land coded was
this beautiful valley, and from the shape of the
survey and its history it was styled the "Oblongp
or Equivalent Valley"
Travellers on the Harlem Railroad at the south
ern end OF this valley where the road first crosses
Wassaic Brook, can see n small group of build
ings, weatherbeaten and crumblng with age
This place is now known as the Steel Works. On
this spot was built the dwelling Of the first settler
Richard Sackett, a resident Of New-York City,
who secured grant of 1900 acres of land and
built his home at the site Of the future steel
works. In the old Colonial records is this entry
March II, 1903, Richard Sackett pctitIoned Govern
mont for license 10 purchase Of the Indians tract OF
land In Duchess County, east Of Hudson's River
called Washiack '
It is probable that If Mr.. Sackett who died
in TAG and was buried on the Hill not for fro,r
his home to revisit the scenes of his earthly
activity and could stand in the front door of
his home fand the "Pittsfield special, with
its magnificent Wagner parlor cars fash past
within few yards of him he would doubtless
think he was in another world, or else had lived
two centuries too soon. A tree planted by this
s+o1,4 ,ionenr il Still standing mar Tia Staol