While not the most well-known city in New York State, I'm willing to bet that more folks across the country are aware of it vs. the West Virginia county and towns I've discussed recently. You'll find my reasoning below. For me, while close, I don't think Poughkeepsie, NY is quite obscure enough to make it to the finals of the "Most Obscure" competition...In April and May 1937, companion bills calling for half dollars to be struck "in commemoration of the two hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the settlement of the city of Poughkeepsie, New York, and for other purposes." were introduced in the House of Representatives and Senate, respectively. The House bill was introduced by Hamilton Fish (R-NY); the Senate bill by Royal Samuel Copeland (D-NY). (Note: "Poughkeepsie" is pronounced Po-Kip-See - at least that's the way I heard it while growing up in the region.)
Poughkeepsie is located on the eastern shore of the Hudson River about 75 miles north of New York City. The first European settlements in the area were made by the Dutch, circa 1687. History reports that things began for Poughkeepsie with Robert Sanders and Myndert Harmense building a dock in the area. The "1687" date was to be commemorated with the proposed coin.
The Wappinger, an Algonquin-speaking Native American tribe who lived along the Hudson River at the time of the Dutch arrival, called the area
Uppuqui-ipis-ing which roughly translates, by section, to "reed-covered lodge / little water / place." When combined, it reads as "reed-covered lodge by the little water place." The Fall Kill (i.e., creek) runs through Poughkeepsie (connecting to the Hudson River) and is the "little water" referred to in the name.
Per an online article by Tyler Blodgett in
Hudson Valley Magazine, Uppuqui-ipis-ing evolved into "Apokeepsing, then Pooghkepesingh.and after 42 different spellings, Poughkeepsie. All the same. All bound to the land and this little water place."
The coin bills sought up to 25,000 half dollars to be struck at
one US Mint facility, all with the date "1937" regardless of when struck, in batches of at least 5,000 coins and all struck within one year of the enactment of the bill. Clearly, the authors of the bills were aware of the commemorative coin guidelines set forth by the Senate Committee on Banking and Currency in 1936.
The coins were to be struck for Poughkeepsie's Celebration General Committee, with net proceeds to be "used in defraying the expenses incidental to the celebration of the two hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the settlement of Poughkeepsie, for marking historical spots in and around Poughkeepsie, and such other benevolent purposes as the city of Poughkeepsie may deem proper." (The "benevolent purposes" clause was definitely open to interpretation!)
Neither of the bills were reported out of Committee and would late die for lack of action.
I mentioned above that I didn't believe Poughkeepsie to be quite as obscure as the West Virginia county and towns that I've discussed recently, and that I believe there is a bit more "national awareness" of it. IMO, much of this awareness is the result of Vassar College (founded in 1861) being located in Poughkeepsie. Vassar is one of the top colleges in the US, with a strong, long-term national reputation. When founded, it was just the second degree-granting college for women established in the US (Elmira College was the first); it is co-ed today. I believe the college keeps Poughkeepsie in the spotlight among a segment of the US population.
Also, Poughkeepsie was once the capital of New York (one of several cities to hold such a distinction before Albany was made the permanent State capital in 1797). The US Constitution was debated and ratified by New York in Poughkeepsie.
To read more about the Senate Committee on Banking and Currency, and its guidelines for US commemorative coin bills, check out:
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Quick Bits #44 - Senate Committee On Banking And CurrencyFor more of my topics on commemorative coins and medals, including more What If? stories, see:
Commems Collection.
Posted 12/07/2022 05:22 am
