Walden, New York

Coordinates: 41°33′36″N 74°11′23″W / 41.56000°N 74.18972°W / 41.56000; -74.18972
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Walden
Village
Central Walden, with memorials and St. Andrew's Episcopal Church, in 2007
Central Walden, with memorials and
St. Andrew's Episcopal Church
, in 2007
FIPS code
36-77849
Websitehttp://www.villageofwalden.org/

Walden is the largest of three

.

The precursor to the village began in the early 18th century as a mill town along the Wallkill River. One miller, Jacob Walden, was so successful the village that incorporated in the mid-19th century took its name from him. Later, it would be the village's three knife manufacturers that brought it growth and prosperity. They are gone today, but other industrial concerns remain.

History

18th-century stone house Jacob Walden later lived in.

The area around present-day Walden was purchased in 1736 by Alexander Kidd, and

German
descent started arriving not long afterwards. It was the first settlement west of the Wallkill River, known at the time as Kidd's Town. In the 1820s, a successful
railroad connections at nearby Maybrook
. He dammed the Wallkill above the falls, creating a power station that remains in use today, and his mill was a success.

Other wool-makers followed as the Industrial Revolution picked up steam and the growing population center became known instead as Walden's Mills. Most of them failed a few decades later, but their influence was such that the village incorporated in 1855 as Walden.

The village fathers needed to replace the mills as a source of employment, and began encouraging

U.S. Civil War
.

After the war, other knifemakers came to Walden, too, and the village became colloquially known as Knifetown. Other industrial concerns, making products as diverse as

engines and women's underwear
, also set up shop.

In the early 1890s, President Grover Cleveland lowered tariffs on many imported goods, including knives. Competitively priced German cutlery began to flood the American market, and together with the Panic of 1893 and the economic slowdown that followed for several years, the knife companies and their owners went heavily into debt and it looked for a while as if they might not survive.

Statue of President McKinley in downtown Walden

But in 1897

Dingley Tariff that restored the status quo ante
. The knifemakers returned to profitability and were able to pay off their debts; and in gratitude Bradley had a statue of McKinley erected that remains in Walden today.

In the 1910s the facilities at the dam began to be primarily used for power and less for industry.

Walden's Main Street was the site of an active retail trade which included Millspaugh's Furniture as well as Roosa's Jewelers, both still in business. Lustig's Department Store, established by Carl Lustig in 1883, was the mainstay of Main Street until its closing in 1986.

The

Interstate Highways. The last company making knives in the village, Imperial Schrade, closed down its factory after a 1957 fire and moved to nearby Ellenville afterwards, where it lasted until 2004. The ruins of the factory still stand behind Walden's most visible economic giant, the Thruway Markets hypermarket
.

Walden retains some light industry and much of its working-class feel, enough for village residents to have gotten into a spat with WPDH-FM disc jockey the "Wolf" in the late 1990s over his constant on- and off-air joking about Walden as a redneck town.

From 1995 until 2016, Walden was the headquarters of the Big Apple Circus.[4][5][6][7]

Geography

A view of Walden toward the northeast. Wallkill River is visible at right, with downtown in the center.


According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 2.0 square miles (5.2 km2), of which 2.0 square miles (5.2 km2) is land and 0.1 square miles (0.26 km2) (3.9%) is water.

The village's most notable geographical feature is the Wallkill River, which flows from the south to the north across the village and divides one-third of it from the rest. Within the eastern portion, Tin Brook, the Wallkill's major right tributary in New York, meanders across as well, forming part of the northern village boundary. There are two waterfalls and dams on the river within the village limits, known as the Great and Little Falls; and two auto bridges, the "high" (formally, the Walden Veterans' Memorial Bridge, which carries NY 52 through the village as West Main Street) and "low" (Oak Street) bridges).

The Wallkill passes through a small gorge between the two dams and loses approximately 60 feet (18 m) of elevation in the process. The surrounding topography in the village is, correspondingly, gentle rolling hills of this section of the Great Appalachian Valley between the higher rises of the Shawangunk Ridge, visible to the west from some sections of the village, and the Hudson Highlands to the southwest. The highest elevation is roughly 520 feet (160 m) above sea level along Overlook Road at the village's western boundary; the lowest is 260 feet (79 m) along the Wallkill at the northern village line.

Great Falls and dam with power station, viewed from High Bridge after heavy rainfall in October 2005

Walden's growth began near the mills and later the knife-making plants, particularly the New York Knife Company, located on the steep east bank of the river just south of the Veterans' Memorial Bridge; the building's footings are still visible on the slope. The central business district of the village is today a few blocks to the east, along Main Street. Just to its south is the village hall and the main square. East Main Street, the section of 52 from the 208 junction to the village line, has seen many newer businesses locate there, including a small strip mall. There is also some scattered commercial presence along Orange Avenue (208 south of the junction), primarily professional office space. This parallels the village's remaining industrial presence along the railroad line to the east, which at its northern terminus abuts downtown to the southeast. Walden's other major commercial area is the Thruway Markets complex located along the river north of Oak Street, just south of the remains of the Walden Knife Company.

On the southern side of the village is the Fox Hill

Plough Publishing House.[10]

A view of Walden looking southeast toward the Hudson Highlands

There are two schools, public

Most Precious Blood Catholic school
near the northern village line along Ulster Avenue. The village includes public parks and a walking trail.

Much of the remainder of the village is residential, with houses tending from modest and small near downtown, the river and railroad, to more expansive homes (such as the Victorians along the west side of Ulster Avenue) being found on the hills, newer development near the southwestern and eastern borders with the town, and 6 small apartment and townhouse complexes.

A large tract along the river south of the power station had remained undeveloped until very recently. A small area between McKinley Avenue, South Mountgomery Street and the river remains open, used for NYSEG's purposes. On the other end of the village, the

sewage treatment plant
is also in the middle of an undeveloped area.

Climate

Walden has a humid continental climate, and tends to be significantly cooler than Manhattan, especially at night.

Climate data for Walden, New York (1981–2010 normals)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Mean daily maximum °F (°C) 34.0
(1.1)
37.6
(3.1)
46.4
(8.0)
59.0
(15.0)
69.6
(20.9)
78.1
(25.6)
82.5
(28.1)
81.1
(27.3)
73.7
(23.2)
62.3
(16.8)
50.9
(10.5)
38.8
(3.8)
59.5
(15.3)
Mean daily minimum °F (°C) 14.4
(−9.8)
16.9
(−8.4)
25.5
(−3.6)
36.3
(2.4)
46.0
(7.8)
55.5
(13.1)
60.0
(15.6)
58.5
(14.7)
49.9
(9.9)
37.8
(3.2)
30.5
(−0.8)
20.9
(−6.2)
37.7
(3.2)
Average precipitation inches (mm) 2.97
(75)
2.61
(66)
3.65
(93)
3.84
(98)
4.15
(105)
4.42
(112)
4.05
(103)
3.93
(100)
4.09
(104)
4.12
(105)
3.56
(90)
3.43
(87)
44.82
(1,138)
Average snowfall inches (cm) 13.3
(34)
10.6
(27)
8.1
(21)
1.3
(3.3)
0
(0)
0
(0)
0
(0)
0
(0)
0
(0)
0
(0)
1.3
(3.3)
8.9
(23)
43.6
(111)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) 9.6 7.9 9.7 10.8 11.7 10.9 10.0 9.9 8.5 8.8 9.1 9.3 116.2
Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in) 4.9 3.6 2.8 0.5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.6 2.8 15.2
Source: NOAA[11]

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.Note
18701,254
18801,80443.9%
18902,13218.2%
19003,14747.6%
19104,00427.2%
19205,49337.2%
19304,283−22.0%
19404,262−0.5%
19504,5597.0%
19604,8516.4%
19705,2778.8%
19805,6597.2%
19905,8363.1%
20006,1645.6%
20106,97813.2%
20206,818−2.3%
U.S. Decennial Census[12] 2020[3]

As of the

Latino of any race were 23.4 percent of the population.[citation needed
]

There were 2,197 households, out of which 40.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.9% were married couples living together, 14.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.2% were non-families. 22.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.79 and the average family size was 3.29.[citation needed]

In the village, the population was spread out, with 30.2% under the age of 18, 8.1% from 18 to 24, 31.5% from 25 to 44, 20.1% from 45 to 64, and 10.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.4 males.[citation needed]

The median income for a household in the village was $43,507, and the median income for a family was $49,316. Males had a median income of $37,929 versus $25,701 for females. The

poverty line, including 13.1% of those under age 18 and 7.7% of those age 65 or over.[citation needed
]

Economy

Thruway Markets

For 95 years, Walden was the home of Spence Engineering, a steam regulator manufacturer founded by Paulson Spence in 1926. He located his manufacturing facilities in Walden to serve the district steam heating loops in the northeast, especially

ConEd
in New York City. In 2019, Emerson Electric purchased Spence Engineering, ultimately moving it to Mexico in 2021 to improve their profitability.

The knife making plants are also gone, but other light-industrial concerns remain along the rail spur. The growing service sector is most strongly represented by two regional banks, Walden Federal and Walden Savings Bank, are based in the village (though the latter has moved to new headquarters at Scotts Corners, the 17K/208 intersection).

Hannaford
supermarket chain. Building of the new Hannaford supermarket is complete. The Ace hardware store has also since reopened.

While vacant space remains on Main Street, specialty stores and restaurants have managed to thrive there. Millspaugh Furniture, founded in Walden (but with another outlet in

Poughkeepsie), is another popular draw for out-of-town shoppers due to its long history in the area and reputation for quality merchandise. National and regional chain stores once had little presence in Walden beyond two filling stations along the 52/208 section of Main Street, but in the last decade the amount of convenience stores
has doubled.

Outside of jobs at the enterprises in the village, most residents work in the area. The nearby interstate and its associated "Golden Triangle" (with the

Department of Correctional Services, also employ residents. More recently, residents of the newer housing have been commuters traveling to jobs in New York City
or other areas close to it.

Government

Walden's Village Hall, built in 1915. It houses the police department, village court and library in addition to government offices.

As a

village
of the Town of Montgomery, Walden residents are taxpayers and electors in both.

The village has seven elected officials, a village board consisting of the

village manager
, who serves at the board's pleasure.

Walden has had this system of government since 1964. A 1972

strong-mayor
system was defeated.

The village has its own

fire district
by the Walden Fire Department.

The Village Hall, pictured left, housed both the Walden Fire Department and Police Station until 1994 when the Fire District moved to a newly constructed firehouse at 230 Old Orange Avenue, near the edge of the village. Since then, the police station on the ground floor has grown from a tiny office and a few cells to nearly encompassing the entire ground floor. Fire department meeting rooms on the second story have been converted since then to a children's section of the local Josephine-Louise Library.

Infrastructure

Transportation

Two state highways and two county roads serve Walden. Route 52 crosses the town from east to west, providing connections to

Newburgh, 12 miles (19 km) in the former direction and Pine Bush, the Shawangunks and the Catskills in the latter. NY 208 crosses from north to south, with the nearest settlements in each direction being Wallkill and Maybrook, respectively. The two share a brief block in the center of town. Most traffic from outside the area comes in via Route 208 from the south due to its exit on Interstate 84 about five miles (8.0 km) south of the village, as well as its intersection with paralleling NY 17K
at Scotts Corners three miles (4.8 km) to the south. County routes
23 (River Road) and 75 (Coldenham Road) connect to 17K at Montgomery
to the southwest and the hamlet of Coldenham to the southeast, respectively.

The remaining spur of the old

Poughkeepsie, the Hudson Line's northern terminus. The nearest airport to Walden, Orange County Airport, is a general aviation facility just south of Montgomery. Commercial airlines, both freight and passenger, fly out of Stewart International Airport
.

Short Line serves Walden on its route from Newburgh to Middletown.[13][14][15]

References

  1. ^ Eager, Samuel Watkins (1846). An Outline History of Orange County: Together with Local Tradition and Short Biographical Sketches of Early Settlers, Etc. T. E. Henderson. p. 273.
  2. ^ "ArcGIS REST Services Directory". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved September 20, 2022.
  3. ^ a b c "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 11, 2022.
  4. ISSN 0362-4331
    . Retrieved April 10, 2023.
  5. ^ Circus | First of May | Episode 1 | PBS, retrieved April 10, 2023
  6. ^ Writer, MARK KENNEDY AP Entertainment. "Big Apple Circus to leave bankruptcy under new ownership". Times Herald-Record. Retrieved April 10, 2023.
  7. ISSN 0099-9660
    . Retrieved April 10, 2023.
  8. ^ Dreher, Rod (March 20, 2017). "Life Among The Bruderhof". The American Conservative. Retrieved October 9, 2019.
  9. ^ Schiffman, Richard (March 17, 2024). "Few Smartphones, Some Beer: A Christian Village Grapples With Modernity". The New York Times.
  10. ^ "About Us". Plough. Retrieved October 9, 2019.
  11. ^ "NowData - NOAA Online Weather Data". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved March 2, 2012.
  12. ^ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  13. ^ "Getting Here | The Village of Walden". Retrieved January 28, 2020.
  14. ^ Rt, Liberty; Sheldrake, Loch; Sheldrake, Loch; Sheld, Loch; Sheldrake, Loch; Sheld, Loch. "1B Liberty ® Sheldrake ® Fallsburg ® Monticello ®®® DAILY": 2. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  15. ^ "Short Line Bus | Schedule Details". Retrieved January 28, 2020.

External links