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Poughkeepsie, NY 12601
Poughkeepsie and its surrounding area have been home to many prominent families in history including the Astor’s, Rogers, and Vanderbilt’s. Many of these weekend and summer retreats are now historic sites open to the public. Of them, the most popular are the Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site in Hyde Park, which includes the 32nd president’s ancestral home, library, and museum; the Eleanor Roosevelt National Historic Site, the only national historic site dedicated to a first lady; and the Vanderbilt Mansion. The Vanderbilt Mansion is an Italian renaissance estate that was built for Frederick W. Vanderbilt at the turn of the last century. Locust Grove, the former home of inventor Samuel F. B. Morse, and Clinton House, named for the state’s first governor, George Clinton are also frequented by visitors to the Poughkeepsie area.
The combined interests of wealthy merchant-industrialists snd leisure class gave birth to the rich cultural and educational atmosphere that still flourishes today in Dutchess County. The legacy set forth by these families is evident in some of the oldest institutions in the county. Vassar College, established by Poughkeepsie brewer and philanthropist Matthew Vassar is consistently ranked among the top liberal arts colleges in the country. The Bardavon 1969 Opera house is the oldest in New York State. Founded by coal magnate James Collingwood, the Bardavon continues to entertain the Hudson Valley Region.
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