In Revolutionary days, East Fishkill was on the route of an important highway from Boston to the Hudson River, traveled by Gen. George Washington, Gen. John Burgoyne, and John Jay. The town separated from Fishkill in 1849 and received its own charter. East Fishkill remained a mainlyagricultural community until 1960, when IBM opened achip-manufacturing plant in town. Then it changed dramatically: the farmland disappeared under housing and commercial development. East Fishkill offers a fascinating glimpse of life in the town while it was still rural.
East Fishkill contains vintage photographs from the East FishkillHistorical Society, town hall archive, and personal collections of many residents. It was compiled by Malcolm J. Mills, director of the East Fishkill Historical Society. Mills has begun a collection of horse-drawn carriages for the society and, as a local resident, iscurrently restoring a pre-1790 house in town.