America Illustrated—1877

Poughkeepsie is one of the most beautiful and thriving cities in the State. It is charmingly situated on the eastern bank of The HudsonRiver, on a high level plateau overlooking the country along the river from the Catskills to the Highlands, and has a population of twenty-five thousand inhabitants, among whom are a large number of distinguished professional and literary gentlemen and many eminent retired merchants. It was first settled by the Dutch toward the close of the seventeenth century. The building erected by Baltus Van Kleek, in the year 1705, remained standing until 1835. Poughkeepsie is famous for her schools, having eighteen private institutions of learning. Among these are the celebrated Vassar Female College and the Eastman Business College. The Great Bridge to span the river here for a direct East and West Railroad line will be a magnificent structure. To the enterprise and foresight of Mr. EASTMAN is due the inception of the bridge idea. When this great work of internal improvement is finished, a complete revolution will be effected in the transportation of the products of the great manufacturing centres of the East and the mineral regions of Pennsylvania. Those can be exchanged without the necessity of the roundabout and expensive journey by way of New York.