What is the Fishkill Supply Depot? New York's Valley Forge

Advocating the Preservation, Study, and Proper Interpretation of the Fishkill Supply Depot and Encampment

Research Materials and Historical References | Fact Sheet

What is the Fishkill Supply Depot?

Named over three decades ago as "the last of the important Revolutionary War sites yet to be properly explored," the Fishkill Supply Depot remains so today: a one-of-a-kind site of national importance that has never gotten its due. Fishkill, New York, contains a key strategic center of the American Revolution, established and visited repeatedly by George Washington. Hallowed history happened here - hundreds of the original soldiers who fought to found the nation died and were buried here in unknown graves.

See a visual presentation about the Fishkill Supply Depot! (PDF, 2 MB)

New York's Valley Forge Under Siege

Military nerve center was one of three major encampments of the Continental Army, along with Morristown and Valley Forge

The Fishkill Supply Depot and Encampment was larger and operated longer than the better known Valley Forge. Central to the outcome of key battles like Saratoga, the encampment played an important role in the founding of the United States, and its significance in American history cannot be overemphasized.

Yet today in Fishkill, New York, the National Register Fishkill Supply Depot and Encampment is under threat of development. A large part of the historic site was covered by the Dutchess Mall in the early 1970s, followed by the Hess Gasoline Station in the 1990s. Two remaining open space parcels, one in the vicinity of the Hess Gas Station and the other known as the Oasis Ministries parcel, are currently for sale with development envisioned.

Reflection, reverence and restraint are the responses such sacred ground calls forth. Rigorous historic preservation and a well-supported plan to share this legacy with future generations are long overdue. The opportunity has now arrived.

1778 Erskine map of the Fishkill
Encampment. Click for enlargement

Site from above. (Thanks, Google
Earth!) Click for enlargement

Looking south to Hudson Highlands. (Thanks,
Google Earth!) Click for enlargement

See our Research Materials and Historical References
Read a Fact Sheet about the Fishkill Supply Depot

Priceless Heritage at Risk as Development Threatens a Major Historic and Archaeological Site

Time is running out for preserving a priceless heritage, a key historic and archaeological site in the town of Fishkill, dating from the American Revolution. The site, the Fishkill Supply Depot and Encampment, has been listed for decades in the National Register of Historic Places and consists of more than 70 acres on the East and West sides of southern Route 9. Here more than two centuries ago, thousands of Continental Army soldiers weathered the winters of 1776 to 1783 and blocked the British strategy of advancing unopposed up both sides of the Hudson to secure a line of communication from New York City to Canada. If the patriot forces had failed in this effort, it could have spelled defeat for the patriots and assured the ultimate victory of the Royalist cause in North America.

At its peak, the Encampment, built under orders from George Washington with its headquarters at the Van Wyck Homestead, was a small city which included extensive barracks and officer huts for thousands of soldiers, guard house and palisade, a prison, major hospital, artillery placements, storage buildings, an armory, blacksmith shops, stables, parade grounds, and a powder magazine which supplied all Northern Patriot forces. Today, the only maintained structure is the Van Wyck Homestead, a farmhouse which served as a headquarters for military operations.

Reflecting the site's importance, the Fishkill Supply Depot and Encampment was placed on the National Register for Historic Places in 1974. But subsequently, at that time, plans were thwarted to make the Encampment a national park and open it up to serious archaeological investigation. Now, once more, land belonging to the encampment and supply depot, which has never been properly assessed by experts in the field of military archaeology, is being seriously threatened by a new round of commercial development on land east of the highway. As a result, the archaeological and historical record of what remains of the encampment will be further jeopardized, depriving future generations of a direct link to a remarkable past.

Historic Significance

The Fishkill Supply Depot was critical to the success of the Continental Army during the American Revolution and was central to the founding of the United States. Documents show that its importance to General Washington as an essential military facility cannot be overestimated. The Depot played a vital role in the victory of the Continental Army over British forces during the American Revolution, and is therefore listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It is a highly unusual and significant part of the historical heritage of the Town of Fishkill, of the State of New York and of the United States of America.

The barracks extended along the road, a half-mile south of the village, in close proximity to the house. Near this residence, "by the large black-walnut trees, and east of the road near the base of the mountain, was the soldier's burial ground."...
- History of Duchess County, James H. Smith, 1882

The depot in its time had many more acres in Fishkill than those recognized in the National Register and remained active through seven winters, much longer than Valley Forge.

Read the Marquis de Chastellux's Account
of a Visit to the Fishkill Depot, 1780

“"The Fishkill Supply Depot should be preserved and interpreted as a permanent historical and cultural resource for the public. This…is based on the historical significance of the site … the contribution its preservation will make to the betterment of life in Fishkill and its environs, and the potentials the [site] holds for the aggrandizement of the natural scene." - Belinski, S., 1970

The Threat to a Site of National Significance

The last 20 acres of open space within the National Register-designated site are proposed for development that would destroy archaeological features and artifacts reported in earlier studies. New archeological studies were recently completed in 2009 with striking findings confirming the significance noted here. The two remaining large open space parcels, currently for sale, represent the only remaining intact vestiges of an important part of the nation's founding. We and others strongly encourage the town to consider how it can help preserve and protect this important historic site. The opportunity to achieve this worthy patriotic goal is not likely to ever come again.

The preservation and development of the Fishkill Supply Depot as a historic resource is consistent with the current Comprehensive Plan for the Town of Fishkill in which the southeast quadrant at the intersection of I-84 and US-9 is specifically addressed.

Goals for Saving the Site

Hold off further disturbance and development of the properties within the 70 acre Fishkill Supply Depot site.

Pursue the support of the most suitable entity, whether it be a private organization, the town, state or federal government, to purchase properties within the Depot site which are under the imminent threat of development.

Pursue assistance to develop an appropriate plan to preserve, restore and maintain the Depot as a Revolutionary War site that is central to nearly all the other recognized Revolutionary War sites within the Town of Fishkill as well as Dutchess County.

General Israel Putnam's 1777 permit to pass through the Fishkill Supply Depot encampment.