Gimme Shelter

This open-air hut has a “moving” past

Where in the Hudson Valley…?

It’s our guess that only eagle-eyed mid-Valley commuters have ever caught a glimpse of this unusual building — even though it sits just a few feet away from busy Route 9. Constructed of red brick and with a wooden shingle roof, the circular structure was built in 1904 as a trolley waiting shelter for riders using the Poughkeepsie & Wappingers Falls Railway Company. The line, which connected the City of Poughkeepsie and its Arlington district with the village of Wappingers Falls, began offering service in 1894 using horse-drawn carriages. Electrified trolley cars debuted in 1904; in 1908, the company’s 20 cars carried more than two million passengers along its 17 miles of track. The advent of bus travel, however, spelled the end of the line for the trolleys; the company ceased operations in 1935. And — while we might well be mistaken — we think that the little brick shed is the only remaining remnant of this early mode of mass transportation.

Stumped as to the whereabouts of this round rain shelter? Here’s one last hint: It’s located just inside the gates of a well-known resting place.
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