Milton, Ulster County, New York facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Milton
CDP and hamlet
Main Street
Location in Ulster County and the state of New York.
Country	United States
State	New York
Region	Hudson Valley
County	Ulster
Area
• Total	2.8 sq mi (7 km2)
• Land	2.08 sq mi (5.4 km2)
• Water	0.35 sq mi (0.9 km2)
Elevation	180 ft (50 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	1,650
• Density	589/sq mi (228/km2)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (Eastern Daylight Time)
ZIP Code	12547
Area code(s)	845
Website	Milton & Marlboro

Milton is a small community in Ulster County, New York. It is known as a hamlet and a census-designated place. In 2020, about 1,650 people lived here. The name Milton comes from John Milton, a famous English poet.

Milton is located in the northeastern part of the town of Marlborough. It sits right on the west bank of the Hudson River.

The Milton Post Office, a local landmark.

History of Milton

Early Settlers and Businesses

The first known settler in the Milton area was Captain William Bond. He received land from Queen Anne in 1712. This land grant allowed the Queen to claim any trees suitable for building ships.

Edward Hallock, a sailor, moved to Milton in 1760. He bought land from Captain Bond's daughter. Hallock was also a preacher for the Society of Friends.

In 1770, Captain Anning Smith built a small dock and a wooden mill on the river. The road leading to it was one of the first roads for settlers living further inland. Later, around 1845, investors from Poughkeepsie bought the "old dock." They started a factory there to make pins.

Other businesses also grew in Milton. In 1844, Sumner Colman opened a wheelbarrow factory near the pin factory. In 1880, Henry H. Bell started a factory that made plush fabrics and glove linings. This factory later grew to include the site of the old wheelbarrow factory.

Charles Millard had two sawmills in 1802. They specialized in white pine wood. In the summer, timber arrived on rafts from places like Glens Falls. In winter, lumber was brought over the ice from the east side of the river. Millard and Mills also had a steamboat called Splendid that sailed daily from the Milton dock.

Early Milton also had other businesses. James Hall and Jacob Rowley ran factories that made augers (a tool for drilling holes). In 1822, Moses Birdsall had a hat factory. Jesse I. Conklin owned one of the village's three general stores. A newspaper called the National Pioneer was published in Milton in 1830. Sands and Lockwood ran a freight line that transported goods to New York City.

William Carpenter, whose family came from Wales, moved to Milton around 1853. He worked as a surveyor and owned a fruit farm. In 1863, L. Harrison Smith opened a coal and lumber yard at Milton landing.

The Milton Railroad Station is an important historical building. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2007.

Milton's Churches

United Methodist Church

Methodists have been meeting in Milton since 1786. They first gathered in the home of James Perry. The Milton M.E. Society was officially formed on November 16, 1812. A church building was built on what used to be the Sands property. The Milton Methodist Church is the oldest Methodist building in all of Ulster County.

In 1982, the Methodists from Marlboro joined the Milton Methodists. Together, they formed one church community. In 2012, the church celebrated its 200th anniversary.

St. James Roman Catholic Church

Irish Catholic families started arriving in Milton around 1850. To attend Mass, they had to travel by boat to other towns. In 1865, Milton became a "mission" of Rosendale. This meant a priest from Rosendale would visit Milton every few weeks to hold Mass.

In 1867, Father Michael Phelan bought an old Methodist meeting house in Marlboro. Mass was then held there for Catholics from both Marlboro and Milton. In 1874, Father James Francis Mee became the first full-time priest in Milton. He also looked after the Catholic communities in Marlboro and Ireland Corners.

Father Mee bought land for a Catholic cemetery in Lattintown in 1882. Before this, people were buried in a cemetery near Poughkeepsie. Father Richard B. Cushion served the church from 1909 to 1913. He was especially helpful to the Italian members of the church. Many of these families first came to the area to work as farm laborers. Later, many became permanent farmers and fruit sellers.

In August 2015, the St. James parish joined with St. Mary's in Marlboro.

Milton's Geography

Milton is located at coordinates 41°39′32″N 73°57′36″W / 41.65889°N 73.96000°W / 41.65889; -73.96000.

The community covers a total area of 2.8 square miles (7.3 square kilometers). Most of this area, 2.08 square miles (5.4 square kilometers), is land. The rest, 0.35 square miles (0.91 square kilometers), is water.

Population and People

In 2000, there were 1,251 people living in Milton. By 2020, the population had grown to 1,650 people.

The median age in Milton in 2000 was 38 years old. This means half the people were younger than 38, and half were older. About 26.8% of the population was under 18 years old.

Education

Students in Milton attend schools within the Marlboro Central School District.

The Fugitive Kind Film

In 1959, a movie called The Fugitive Kind was filmed in Milton. It starred famous actors like Marlon Brando and Anna Magnani. The main street of Milton was changed to look like an old town in the southern United States for the movie. The film was based on a play by Tennessee Williams and directed by Sidney Lumet.

Notable People from Milton

• Mary Hallock Foote (1847–1938), an author and illustrator known for stories about the American West.
• Frank Skartados (1956–2018), who served as a New York state assemblyman.
• Warren White (1844–1890), a Civil War veteran and an early Major League Baseball player.
• Connie Ray (born 1956), an actor who has appeared in television shows, films, and on stage.

See also

In Spanish: Milton (condado de Ulster) para niños