POUGHKEEPSIE – A Main Street building that once served as Poughkeepsie Village Hall has received a new historical marker, the result of a project by Arlington High School (AHS) students and a grant from the . The historical marker identifies the building on Main Street that served as the Poughkeepsie Village Hall before the area became the city as it is known today.
The building, now home to the Dutchess County Commissioner of Jurors, is located on Main Street between Market Street and Columbus Drive. The new marker notes the building’s history as the village hall and market from 1832 to 1854, its service as city hall from 1854 until 1969, and its years as the U.S. Post Office from 1865 to 1888, according to Dutchess County Historian Dr. Will Tatum.
Arlington High School students secured the Pomeroy Foundation grant under the guidance of social studies teacher Robert McHugh. Using the Pomeroy curriculum, students researched the building’s history with additional information provided by Dr. Tatum.
During the unveiling, Dutchess County Commissioner of Jurors Allison Montvidas spoke to students about the jury system and jury duty in New York.
AHS students, their families, staff, and county officials attended the ceremony. The marker is the eleventh placed in Dutchess County by Arlington High students, with five more in progress. Another marker is scheduled to be unveiled April 11 at the Poughkeepsie home of attorney Gaius Bolin, the first Black graduate of and the city’s first Black attorney.
Dutchess County Clerk Brad Kendall noted his connection to Bolin, as both are Williams College alumni, Dover residents, and longtime business ties to Poughkeepsie.
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