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Matteawan, New York

Beacon
City
Beaconpic.jpg
Flag of Beacon
Flag
Official seal of Beacon
Seal
Nickname(s): Tree City
Location of Beacon, New York
Location of Beacon, New York
Coordinates: 41°30′15″N 73°57′56″W / 41.50417°N 73.96556°W / 41.50417; -73.96556Coordinates: 41°30′15″N 73°57′56″W / 41.50417°N 73.96556°W / 41.50417; -73.96556
Country United States
State New York
County Dutchess
Government
 • Type Mayor-Council
 • Mayor Randy J. Casale (R)
 • City Council
Area
 • Total 4.9 sq mi (12.7 km2)
 • Land 4.8 sq mi (12.4 km2)
 • Water 0.1 sq mi (0.3 km2)
Elevation 138 ft (42 m)
Population (2010)
 • Total 15,541
 • Estimate (2016) 14,271
 • Density 3,200/sq mi (1,200/km2)
Time zone EST (UTC-5)
 • Summer (DST) EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code 12508
Area code(s) 845
FIPS code 36-05100
GNIS feature ID 0977521
Website City of Beacon

Beacon is a city located in Dutchess County, New York, United States. The 2010 census placed the city total population at 15,541. Beacon is part of the PoughkeepsieNewburghMiddletown, New York Metropolitan Statistical Area as well as the larger New YorkNewarkBridgeport, New York–New JerseyConnecticutPennsylvania Combined Statistical Area. It was named to commemorate the historic beacon fires that blazed forth from the summit of the Fishkill Mountains to alert the Continental Army about British troop movements.

The area known as Beacon was settled by Europeans as the villages of Matteawan and Fishkill Landing in A.D. 1709. They were among the first colonial communities in the county. Beacon is located in the southwest corner of Dutchess County in the Mid-Hudson Region, approximately 90 miles (140 km) south of Albany, New York, and approximately 60 miles (97 km) north of New York City.

In 1683, the land that would come to include the City of Beacon was purchased from the Wappinger tribe by Francis Rombout and Gulian Verplanck, merchant-fur traders from New York City. The sale was confirmed, in 1685 by royal patent issued in the names of Rombout, Jacobus Kipp (as successor to the deceased Verplanck, and Stephanus Van Cortlandt. Rombout died in 1691, leaving his share to his daughter, Catharyna, who later married Roger Brett, an officer in the Royal Navy. The Rombout Patent was partitioned in 1706 with Catharyna Brett receiving about 28,000 acres along the Vis Kill. In 1708 the Bretts re-located upriver from the family home on Broadway to an area near the mouth of the Fishkill Creek and built a grist mill on the lower creek. In June 1718, Roger Brett was drowned when his sloop encountered a fierce squall near Fishkill Landing while returning from New York with supplies. Thereafter Catharyna Brett continued to manage her holdings, becoming a well-respected businesswoman.


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