Poughkeepsie Journal from Poughkeepsie, New York • A3

POUGHKEEPSIEJOURNAL.COM WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 30, 2020 3A MID-HUDSON 845-635-1667 PLEASANT VALLEY, NY Free Estimates References Insured RENOVATIONS LARGE SMALL 1984 Celebrating 30 Years of Servicing the Hudson Valley COMPLETE BATHROOM REMODELING Expert Tile Marble Setting Tubs Showers Whirlpools Countertops Cabinets Floors Repairs Just Bathrooms -G I0 3 4 7 5 9 9 -0 2 Poughkeepsie Journal Media is seeking nomina- tions for its Richard K. Wager Inclusive Champion Award. The award recognizes those who champion the cause of inclusiveness in our communities. This could be through business practices, community service, education or other The spirit of the award is to advance the cause of equality among people. The award, named after a former Poughkeepsie Journal publisher, is open to individuals, organiza- tions, businesses and government entities.

Aided by a group of community members, the Journal will be selecting one of inclu- from our area. To nominate an organization or business, please send an email of no more than 500 words to Pough- keepsie Journal News Director Mike Benischek, explaining why that organization is worthy of the award and what it does for the community. Please be sure to include your name, phone number and other con- tact information. The deadline for nominations for the Richard K. Wager Inclusive Award was extended by a week, and must be sent by today.

This winner will be honored at the Cathar- ine Street Community Martin Luther King Jr. breakfast in January, which will be held virtually. The event not only celebrates the slain life but embraces diversity and serves as a reminder of the changing face of the mid-Hudson Valley. Last winners were Tim McQueen and his music project Ill Harmonic. The Poughkeepsie man, taught several Poughkeepsie High School students about the music business.

The group was then asked to create a song for Dutchess Path to Promise Initiative. Nominations are sought for Inclusive Champion Award From Staff Reports Poughkeepsie Journal USA TODAY NETWORK As Dutchess County prepares to enter a new year, grip on the region appears to be growing tighter. Entering the week of 2020, the county hit a new high for the number of patients hospitalized with the virus, the number of active cases was on the rise again, and its infection rate was at its high- est point since mid-May. As of Sunday, the most recent day for which data is available on the online COVID-19 dash- board, there were 1,599 active cases among Dutchess residents, 148 more than two days before. Twenty more patients were hospitalized than on Dec.

25, with the tally growing to 124 Monday. And, four more residents were recorded as having died for reasons relating to the virus, bringing that total to 228 for the entirety of the pandemic. On Monday, the seven-day rolling aver- age infection rate reached 7.3%, which is the high- est it has been since May 15. According to the state, 10.1% of all test results in Dutchess returned Mon- day were positive. That mimics a statewide in- crease, which, Gov.

Andrew Cuomo hypothesized on Monday, was a result of fewer residents without symptoms seeking to be tested during a holiday weekend, with the number of tests administered seeing a steep drop. The trend comes in the weeks after the region began administering the COVID-19 vaccine, but also in the wake of the holiday shopping and gathering season. Of the nearly 1,600 active cases, the majority is in southwest Dutchess, though Dover has also seen an increase. According to the county data, the list of where active cases can be found includes: Town of Poughkeepsie 235 East Fishkill 228 City of Poughkeepsie 171 Wappinger 140 Hyde Park 119 Town of Fishkill 117 LaGrange 94 Beacon 72 Beekman 91 Dover 57 Pleasant Valley 49 Red Hook 30 Other areas have fewer than 30 cases; fewer than cases are pending of their home address, according to the dashboard. COVID infection rate in Dutchess jumps, four more deaths recorded Journal staff In 1851, a railroad depot was built in a hamlet in the Town of Rhinebeck, for the new Hud- son River Railroad, which had just arrived in town.

Initially, it was known as the Rhinebeck Station until 1875 when its name was appropriately changed to The railroad was charted on May 12, 1846 to extend the Troy and Greenbush Railroad south to New York City, along the east side of the Hudson River. Three years later, the service ran from lower Manhattan to Peekskill and it eventually reached Poughkeepsie in December 1849. A separate section that originated north in Albany spanned southbound reaching Hudson in June 1851, followed by Tivoli that August, and by October the line was completed. The riverside community of Rhi- was selected for one of the stops. location of the station was chosen because it had already been serving as the eastern terminus of the ferry between Kingston and for more than a said Michael Frazier of the Rhine- beck Historical Society.

While the community station had its name cor- rected, the depot itself came under attack for its modest space and appearance. In 1877, a local news- paper compared it to a (a dense collection of housing, especially in a slum area). In response to that criticism, Cornelius Vanderbilt, acquired the Hudson River Railroad in 1864 and changed its name to the New York Central and Hudson River Railroad, transported a discarded cor- rugated iron station house located in Yonkers north to to replace the inadequate and maligned depot. With the completed line in place, rail passengers had the ability to ride from Chicago to Manhattan. Aside from that attribute, the Rhinebeck area boast- ed a number of high-end country estates that be- longed to wealthy individuals from New York City and the line them as well.

Some, like the Astors, owned their own parlor cars, which could be connected to a northbound train in Manhattan so as to transport the family to the Rhi- Station. There, they would be picked up at the station by a horse and carriage to complete the jour- ney to their property. With transportation activity increasing in Rhine- due to the rail and ferry link, in 1854 architect George Vetch built the a rooming house near the train station, to accommodate travelers. Originally, there was no east-west rail service available but during the early 1870s the and Connecticut Railroad was established and spanned from the river to Boston Corners near the state line, where transfers to a line in Connecticut carried them farther east. Aside from passenger use, the line was also used to carry large supplies of coal into New Eng- land.

The coal was transported from Pennsylvania along the Delaware and Hudson Canal, which had its southern terminus in Kingston. There it came across the river into and was loaded onto rail cars. The railroads also maintained a working round- house in which once stood near the north end of long term parking for the present Am- trak train service. In 1909, drastic changes were made to the Rhine- rail operation when the trackside station was de- molished to make way for two more sets of tracks. A new station was constructed on a overlooking the rails and a single trackside platform enabled pas- sengers to board trains.

stone had to be blasted from the face to allow a widening of the track area below the station and of stairs and an elevator, which still re- main there today, were added to allow access to the train Frazier said. The New York City architectural of Warren and Wetmore, which eight years earlier designed Grand Central Station, was hired to work on the Rhi- station. have been operating the station ever since the day in business, May 1, said Amtrak Public Relations Manager Jason Abrams. Dateline appears Wednesdays. To suggest a topic, email Anthony Musso at A train depot was built in Rhinecliff in 1851.

PATRICK JOURNAL train station was travel hub in 1800s Dateline Anthony Musso Guest columnist.