Quaker Hill, New York facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Quaker Hill, New York
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Unincorporated
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 Quaker Hill, New York
Location in New York
Quaker Hill, New York
Location in the United States
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| Country |  United States |
| U.S. state |  New York |
| County | Dutchess |
| Region | Hudson Valley |
| Town | Pawling |
Quaker Hill is a small community, also called a hamlet, in Dutchess County, New York. It is part of the town of Pawling. The community is named after the long ridge it sits on, which is about twelve miles long. This ridge is very close to the border of Connecticut.
Quaker Hill is in the southern part of an area known as the "Oblong." This area was officially set up by a special agreement called the Treaty of Dover in 1731. Even before the American Revolution, Quaker Hill was well-known. In colonial times, it was a place that separated the English settlers from New England and the Dutch people living in the Hudson Valley.
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A Place with History
Quaker Hill is home to the Oblong Friends Meetinghouse, which was built in 1764. This building is very important in history. In 1767, the first meeting in North America to protest slavery happened right here. This event took place at the Oblong Friends Meetinghouse.
Another important building connected to the Meetinghouse is the Akin Free Library. This library is so special that it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. This list includes places that are important to the history of the United States.
Lowell Thomas and Quaker Hill
In 1926, a famous radio broadcaster and reporter named Lowell Thomas bought a large farm on Quaker Hill. He was well-known for making "Lawrence of Arabia" famous. His farm started at 350 acres but grew to 2,000 acres. He called it "Clover Brook Farm."
Lowell Thomas helped make Quaker Hill a popular place for many successful people. These included business leaders, news reporters, politicians, and lawyers. He wanted to keep the area rural and natural. So, he did not allow shopping centers, big businesses, factories, or huge housing projects to be built there. Instead, he sold land and existing farms to families he approved of. About one hundred families moved to Quaker Hill, often with his help.
Famous Residents
From the 1930s to the 1970s, many famous people lived on Quaker Hill. These included:
- Thomas E. Dewey: He was the Governor of New York and ran for president twice.
- The Reverend Norman Vincent Peale: A well-known minister and author.
- Edward R. Murrow: A famous CBS News journalist.
- Casey Hogate: The publisher of The Wall Street Journal.
In 1953, Lowell Thomas moved to an even bigger home he built on Quaker Hill. He named this new estate Hammersley Hill.
Fun Activities on the Hill
Lowell Thomas also added many fun things to Quaker Hill while he lived there. He convinced professional golfer Gene Sarazen and golf course designer Robert Trent Jones to build a country club and golf course. This was built on the northern part of the hill. Thomas also created ski slopes and ski lifts for winter fun.
He built a community center called "The Barn." Here, he held regular Saturday evening parties and dances for the people living on Quaker Hill. Inside its fireplace, he placed special stones from famous places around the world. These included stones from the Great Pyramid of Cheops, the Parthenon, St. Peter's Cathedral, China's Great Wall, and Mount Vernon.
Thomas also changed a stone library on the hill, called Akin Hall. He turned it into a place of worship for all faiths, designed in the style of Christopher Wren. Lowell Thomas loved horses. He created more than 200 miles of paths for horseback riding all across Quaker Hill.
