Millwood, New York
Encyclopedia
Millwood is a hamlet located in the town of New Castle, New York
in Westchester County
. It was originally settled as Sarlesville. The area now known as Millwood appears on 19th century maps as Merritt's Corners (now the intersection of Rtes. 100 and 120) and Rockdale Mills (close to what is now the Briarcliff Manor border). As of the 2000 census, the community had a population of 1,210.
Miss America 1984
beauty pageant, model, actress and singer Vanessa Williams
currently lives in New Castle's other hamlet of Chappaqua.
Sarles' Tavern
, also known as Granite House, was added to the National Register of Historic Places
in 1979.
Central School district. Schools include: Elementary - Roaring Brook, Westorchard, Grafflin; Middle School - Seven Bridges, Robert E. Bell, High school - Horace Greeley. Most Millwood public school students will go to Westorchard, Seven Bridges, and Horace Greeley. The last group of students who graduated from Bell are seniors during the 2007-2008 school year. Over 94% of Greeley graduates attend 4-year colleges.
Millwood used to have a train station, originally built by the New York and Putnam Railroad, this later became the Putnam Division of the New York Central Railroad
. The last passenger train to run along the Putnam Division was in May 1958. Freight service ended in 1962 when the rails were removed after this section had been abandoned. [There was no usable track already by 1970.] Pavement has since taken its place, and it is now a bicycle and pedestrian path, the North County Trailway
. The original Millwood station house, built in 1888, burnt to the ground soon after and was replaced by a baggage car. The baggage car remained the station until 1910, when Henry Law built a new station for Briarcliff
and the old Briarcliff Manor station was moved to Millwood. This station house is still in place today, although in quite dilapidated condition, awaiting disposition.
Important highways: Taconic State Parkway
(North to Albany, South to Hawthorne), NY Route 100
(North to Somers, South to Yonkers), NY Route 133
(East to Mount Kisco, West to Ossining), NY Route 120
(South to Rye, North end in Millwood).
Land for the Millwood Fire House, located on Route 120, was donated by the Orser family – long-time residents of the area. The founders of the fire company contributed seed money and solicited area residents for donations to build Station #1 and to buy the 1924 Brockway chemical pumper. Much of the labor to build the firehouse was donated by residents, as many were carpenters and tradesmen.
In the beginning, firefighters were called to alarms by hammering the bell – still to be seen – in front of Station #1. That system was soon replaced with an air horn which was later replaced with an electronic siren still in use today.
In the early days, reporting a fire was done by telephone. When a fire was reported, telephones would ring in ten locations including Station #1, Millwood Shell (which was recently changed back to Millwood Shell after it was an Exxon station), Deems Mobil, and the private homes of the Fire Company officers. Each of these phones was capable of sounding the air horn at Station #1. Today, a caller can dial 911 to report a fire, and firefighters are dispatched by a portable radio paging/alert system and an audible alarm sounds at the firehouse. pager freq are westchester county fire control 46.26 for page out and response and 33.96 for paging and firehouse sirens. They also utilize county fire 17 for ops and communication to 60 control and multi district communication at major fires
The Millwood Fire Company currently houses two locations: Station #1 located on Route 120 and Station #2 located on Route 134. There are approximately 65 inactive unpaid volunteers that respond to the 280 alarms a year. The all volunteer company is equipped with seven fire apparatus: two engines (E-247, E-248), a tanker(T-15), a ladder(L-52) (cross between an engine and a truck), a rescue (R-36) , a mini-attack (MA-10), and a utility vehicle(U-44).
New Castle, New York
New Castle is a town in Westchester County, New York, United States. The population was 17,569 at the 2010 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which is land and , or 1.15%, is water. New Castle is bordered by the towns of Mount Pleasant...
in Westchester County
Westchester County, New York
Westchester County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. Westchester covers an area of and has a population of 949,113 according to the 2010 Census, residing in 45 municipalities...
. It was originally settled as Sarlesville. The area now known as Millwood appears on 19th century maps as Merritt's Corners (now the intersection of Rtes. 100 and 120) and Rockdale Mills (close to what is now the Briarcliff Manor border). As of the 2000 census, the community had a population of 1,210.
Miss America 1984
Miss America
The Miss America pageant is a long-standing competition which awards scholarships to young women from the 50 states plus the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands...
beauty pageant, model, actress and singer Vanessa Williams
Vanessa L. Williams
Vanessa Lynn Williams is an American pop-R&B recording artist, producer, dancer, model, actress and showgirl. In 1983, she became the first woman of African-American descent to be crowned Miss America, but a scandal generated by her having posed for nude photographs published in Penthouse magazine...
currently lives in New Castle's other hamlet of Chappaqua.
Sarles' Tavern
Sarles' Tavern
Sarles' Tavern, also known as Granite House, was a historic inn and tavern building located at Millwood, Westchester County, New York. It was built between 1814 and 1817 and was constructed of locally quarried granite. It was a two story, rectangular building with a low pitched gable roof in a...
, also known as Granite House, was added to the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1979.
Other information
Most of Millwood lies in the ChappaquaChappaqua, New York
Chappaqua is a hamlet and census-designated place in northern Westchester County, New York. As of the 2010 census, following a major revision to the delineation of its boundaries by the Census Bureau, the population was 1,436...
Central School district. Schools include: Elementary - Roaring Brook, Westorchard, Grafflin; Middle School - Seven Bridges, Robert E. Bell, High school - Horace Greeley. Most Millwood public school students will go to Westorchard, Seven Bridges, and Horace Greeley. The last group of students who graduated from Bell are seniors during the 2007-2008 school year. Over 94% of Greeley graduates attend 4-year colleges.
Millwood used to have a train station, originally built by the New York and Putnam Railroad, this later became the Putnam Division of the New York Central Railroad
New York Central Railroad
The New York Central Railroad , known simply as the New York Central in its publicity, was a railroad operating in the Northeastern United States...
. The last passenger train to run along the Putnam Division was in May 1958. Freight service ended in 1962 when the rails were removed after this section had been abandoned. [There was no usable track already by 1970.] Pavement has since taken its place, and it is now a bicycle and pedestrian path, the North County Trailway
North County Trailway
The North County Trailway is a paved bicycle and pedestrian path located primarily on right-of-way lands of the former Putnam Division of the New York Central Railroad. The Trailway runs , from the Putnam County border down to the Eastview section of southern Greenburgh, where it nears the South...
. The original Millwood station house, built in 1888, burnt to the ground soon after and was replaced by a baggage car. The baggage car remained the station until 1910, when Henry Law built a new station for Briarcliff
Briarcliff Manor, New York
Briarcliff Manor is a village in Westchester County in the state of New York. It is shared between the towns of Mount Pleasant and Ossining, and lies entirely within the ZIP code of 10510...
and the old Briarcliff Manor station was moved to Millwood. This station house is still in place today, although in quite dilapidated condition, awaiting disposition.
Important highways: Taconic State Parkway
Taconic State Parkway
The Taconic State Parkway , is a divided highway between Kensico Dam and Chatham, the longest parkway in the U.S. state of New York. It follows a generally northward route midway between the Hudson River and the Connecticut and Massachusetts state lines...
(North to Albany, South to Hawthorne), NY Route 100
New York State Route 100
New York State Route 100 is a major north–south state highway in Westchester County, New York, in the United States. It begins parallel to Interstate 87 at a junction with the Cross County Parkway in the city of Yonkers and runs through most of the length of the county via the city of...
(North to Somers, South to Yonkers), NY Route 133
New York State Route 133
New York State Route 133 is a state highway in Westchester County, New York. It begins at US 9 in the village of Ossining, goes through several hamlets in the town of New Castle , and ends at NY 117 in the village of Mount Kisco.-Route description:NY 133 begins in downtown...
(East to Mount Kisco, West to Ossining), NY Route 120
New York State Route 120
New York State Route 120 is a state highway in southern Westchester County, New York, United States. It begins in the city of Rye at an intersection with U.S. Route 1 and runs for about north to the hamlet of Millwood, where it ends at a junction with NY 100...
(South to Rye, North end in Millwood).
The Millwood Volunteer Fire Department
Lightning struck the Millwood railroad station one spring day in 1924 and a blazing fire started. Area residents attempted to put out the fire, but they did not have the equipment or manpower and the Chappaqua fire department was called in to suppress the blaze. To many residents, the railroad fire incident underscored the importance of a quick response to a fire in Millwood. Shortly after the railroad fire, a dozen families met to start the Millwood Fire Company to meet the suppression needs of the community.Land for the Millwood Fire House, located on Route 120, was donated by the Orser family – long-time residents of the area. The founders of the fire company contributed seed money and solicited area residents for donations to build Station #1 and to buy the 1924 Brockway chemical pumper. Much of the labor to build the firehouse was donated by residents, as many were carpenters and tradesmen.
In the beginning, firefighters were called to alarms by hammering the bell – still to be seen – in front of Station #1. That system was soon replaced with an air horn which was later replaced with an electronic siren still in use today.
In the early days, reporting a fire was done by telephone. When a fire was reported, telephones would ring in ten locations including Station #1, Millwood Shell (which was recently changed back to Millwood Shell after it was an Exxon station), Deems Mobil, and the private homes of the Fire Company officers. Each of these phones was capable of sounding the air horn at Station #1. Today, a caller can dial 911 to report a fire, and firefighters are dispatched by a portable radio paging/alert system and an audible alarm sounds at the firehouse. pager freq are westchester county fire control 46.26 for page out and response and 33.96 for paging and firehouse sirens. They also utilize county fire 17 for ops and communication to 60 control and multi district communication at major fires
The Millwood Fire Company currently houses two locations: Station #1 located on Route 120 and Station #2 located on Route 134. There are approximately 65 inactive unpaid volunteers that respond to the 280 alarms a year. The all volunteer company is equipped with seven fire apparatus: two engines (E-247, E-248), a tanker(T-15), a ladder(L-52) (cross between an engine and a truck), a rescue (R-36) , a mini-attack (MA-10), and a utility vehicle(U-44).