About the Village

In 1851 there was an industrial revolution taking place in America. With the invention of the Iron Horse, transportation to land locked areas was now moving at a fast pace. As goods and services were needed by the major cities, train lines were being built to connect outlying areas of the country to the metropolitan areas. The Town of North East was no exception. With the Iron Foundries in our area and the need for farm goods in New York City, a train line was extended North.

The founding fathers, realizing the importance of what was taking place in the country, knew that with the train line coming north that changes were in the future for the Town of North East. They met at the Wakeman House to discuss the impact on the community and how it would improve life in the area. Alexander Trowbridge, John Winchell, Walter Wakeman and Gov. Alexander Holly discussed the founding of the Village. A plan was made as to the layout of the main roads for the Village and the expansion that would follow.

At one of the meetings a name was chosen for the new town that was on the horizon. The civil engineer on the construction of the train line was Sidney Miller. The founding fathers were so impressed with this gentleman that they decided to name the new town after him, so Millerton was born.

Over the next twenty-five years their dreams became a reality. The Village of Millerton became a commercial center. Two additional train lines came to Millerton, the Poughkeepsie Train connected the Village to the Hudson River and the Central New England connected us to points East through Connecticut. In the village, hotels were built to accommodate the travelers and salesmen, shops opened to sell all the wares that were available in the cities, Churches were built and schools expanded. Millerton had come to life.