Pawling Village

Dutchess County, New York

Pawling Village Hall is located at 9 Memorial Avenue, Pawling NY 12564.
Phone: 845‑855‑1122.

Beginnings [1]

With the encouragement of the chairman of the New York Central Railroad, Albert J. Aikin created the village of Pawling by establishing a commuter train station at the site of the future community; a dwelling was moved and converted to a restaurant and train station. Located one and one-half hours from New York City, Pawling developed with the building of country estates for wealthy families, and the construction of the Dutcher Hall hotel. A new class of wealthy individuals emerged with the dynamic industrial growth and resulting prosperity of late 19th century America. With this wealth families in the mid and lower Hudson Valley region constructed rural residences in areas near commuter towns such as Pawling; this development at the local level provided the impetus for the growth and development of Quaker Hill as a nearby retreat for the affluent. Also, in 1849, Akin founded and organized the Pawling National Bank, a major local bank with branches throughout Dutchess County, and was elected president of the bank, a position he would hold until 1895.

1. Kuhn, Robert D., New York State Office of Parks, Recreation & Historic Preservation, Akin Free Library, nomination document, 1991, National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places, Washington, D.C.

Nearby Towns: Pawling Town •