In 1832 Abiel Fuller purchased land from Peter H. Schenck who was the great grandson of Catherine and Roger Brett. The property became the Grier Farm in 1866. This land was on the top of the mountain range that branched from the service road to the path (this path is now the yellow trail) that led the Revolutionary War Soldiers to the Fishkill Supply Depot encampment on the other side. Abiel's brother--Rufus Fuller--was a soldier at the Fishkill Depot. Rufus took part in mining in the Fishkill Highland mountains after the war.

Abiel Fuller's sons built houses in an area on the Fishkill mountains called known by the locals as Paradise Valley -- one of those farms ended up being the John H. Gordon Farm who married Josiah Fuller's daughter Susan Fuller.

Philip Baker shows up in a census in Dutchess County in 1790. He purchased land from Peter H. Schenck and built a small house and a farm. He died in 1827 and left 8 acres and a large sum of money in his will for the purpose of building and running a school to benefit the poor children of Matteawan. Philip Baker was an important man in the history of Beacon and very few know he even existed!

Peter Schenck held this project up in courts by suing Philip Baker's widow who was living with her brother Daniel Rogers. Daniel's wife name was Leticia and Widow Baker's name was Lettuce. Peter Schenck needed farm land to raise sheep for his woolen factory. He accused Widow Baker of marrying her brother -- not true. Both Peter Schenck and Widow Baker died before 1840. The case was done and the school was built near the four corner instersection of Depuyster Ave, E. Main, Mountain Ave. and Howland Ave. It eventually moved down the road to a larger mansion known as the Spring Street School and then became the existing elementary school of J.V. Forrestal on Liberty St. Beacon.

Abiel Fuller's son Josiah Fuller and his wife Sophia Castle Hall purchased the Baker Farm after Philip Baker died and ran the farm until Josiah's death in 1870. They had four daughters and one son. Sophia has a son from her first marriage to Orrin Hall (died young), George V. B. Hall who grew up in the Fuller house with his step brother and sisters. As an adult he lived across the street. It is more than likely that the Mr. Hall in our ghost story of Mary Elizabeth Cromwell was the one who tried to save this poor little girl's life and this is more than likely the girl that haunts the house to this day.

Abiel Fuller's daughter Susannah worked in the felt shop as early as 14 years old. She married Samuel LaForge and together they had Susan and Abiel T. Laforge. Susannah died when Susan was 8 and Abiel 3 in 1848. Samuel moved the family to Allegany County New York. Abiel remembers living with the Fullers as a young boy and attending school at "the four corners". Abiel T. LaForge becomes an integral part of the Fuller House history and the history of Matteawan.

In 1866, the Fuller's were mentioned in a book Miller's New Guide to the Hudson River.

Excerpt:

Opposite Newburgh is the pleasantly situated settlement of Fishkill Landing; a more prosperous place since the railroad reached it than it used to be, when it was simply the landing to Fishkill town, and the place where the sloops received the produce of the nighboring farms and carried it to the city below. The traveller who will spend a day, as he delightfully may, and many a day, too, in exploring the country about Fishkill Landing, will find it worth while to climb the South Beacon, the highest of the range of hills through which the river has led us into this region, and which he will easily do by the help of some boy-guide, to be picked up at the "Corners," {this references the Dutch inspired five corners that existed before urban renewal} which is the common name for the village of Fishkill Landing, as it is for the middle of every Dutch settlement on the river.

Half way up the mountain, which is ascended to this point by a very good road, he will come to a comfortable farm, occupied by Mr. Fuller; and here, although it is not an inn, the excellent wife of that good man would be the last woman in the world to resist an application for a slice or two of her delicious bread and butter, and a mug of milk from her diary in the living rock. Ice is not to be procured so high up on the mountain, nor would it be worth while, for this stone dairy keeps milk and butter as cool as in the best refrigerator ever made. (Dewint did not own the land as existing deeds indicate).....Mr. Dewint, the owner of this place, has a fine vineyard upon one portion of it, and it would be difficult to find anywhere a farm so magnificently situated.

NOTE: The Laforge diaries indicate the the vineyards were owned, planted and harvested by Mr. Fuller--not Mr. Dewint--who gave so many of his grapes away to his numerous friends and family he barely had any left for himself.

Abiel T. LaForge and Matteawan

The Lucases found the letters and diaries of Civil War Captain Abiel T. LaForge posted on the internet by the Allegany County Historical Society. Their search for finding this was inspiried by a psychic that grew up in Beacon and was very popular in Dutchess County.

This is where they also found THE MATTEAWAN GHOST, as Abiel writes about this ghost chasing people in the Village of Matteawan. He also writes of waking up at 3:00 am to see an apparition standing next to his bed -- was this the same room and the same ghost the Lucas child witnessed?

Captain LaForge loved to visit his Aunt Sophia and Uncle Josiah Fuller and stayed many summers with them. Most of the women--single or married--seem to fall in love with him as he loved to talk to whomever he met. But he was looking for a woman that was strong, capable and intelligent. He found that woman at Macy's Department store. Margaret Getchel was Rowland H. Macy's cousin and right-hand woman. Abiel writes that many of the upper echelon of high society agreed that Macys was a success due to Margaret's talented work.

Abiel writes about his adventures in the Civil War. He was moved up in rank as his leaders fell, eventually working on the legal team that processed court martials He saved Rowland H. Macy's son from being court martialed and tried to take this young man under his wing. He was unsuccessful in helping him in life and Rowland broke all contact with him. Through this experience Abiel. met Mr. Macy. The formed a close relationship, and Abiel ended up working for Macys, eventually being left in Macy's will. He married Margaret and they had five children together.

Sadly, due to the tuberculosis he contracted in the army, Abiel died at age 35. Margaret died a year later from a weak (or broken) heart. Included with his diary are also his letters that he wrote to his sister Susan who took in all five children.

The photo above is linked to the Allegany Historical Society and I encourage all--especially those with a love for Beacon--to read these interesting writings. Many visitors to Beacon will appreciate his descriptions of hiking the mountain, partying in town with the other "kids" going to seminars, shopping and other things our visitors enjoy today.

Next door to the Fuller House lived Mr. & Mrs. Arnold, neighbors of the Lucases--also a well-loved friend. Denise Arnold's mother--Florence Rogers Mead--was the Historian for the City of Beacon and one of the founders of the Beacon Historical Society. Denise and her mother also descended from the Rogers family that Philip Baker married into and the same Laforge Family As Abiel T. Laforge. Denise Arnold gave us the photos of the house circa 1900 & 1945 that were used on the tour. Her family the Kimbarks lived there before it was owned by the Burns who ran the Beacon Telephone Answering Service from it for many years.

These and other stories experienced at the Fuller house were the inspiration for the "Ghost In The Mist" tours--written and directed by Robin Lucas for the benefit of the Beacon Historical Society and were the first Historical street theater in the history of Beacon. Abiel T. Laforge was brought to life, in uniform running through the streets chasing the Matteawan ghost and sharing his story among others. Since Abiel writes in his diary that he felt the historical craze of saving old antiques becoming popular in his time was "nothing but old fogey-ism" shows that the young don't appreciate history! We hope he is smiling in the afterlife knowing that people are playing him in the streets of Beacon and telling his story.

The Fuller house was owned by Florence Roger's Aunt and Uncle Emma Gier Bennet and Edward A. Bennett. Mr. Bennett was a Hatter and also worked for Nabisco. After that, it was owned by Earle and Mildred Freer. Mildred and her second husband, Gabriel Frank Mellis started the Beacon Telephone Answering Services in the old Fuller House, which continued in the House with the Byrnes family until Mark and Robin Lucas purchased it in 1990s. A past employer of the telehone service shared a few haunted happenings while working the night shift.

Emily Murnane wrote scripts for Madam Brett, Eliza Howland, and others included in our tours, and was a integral player in both the tours and actors involved. From these experiences, Emily and Robin decided to take aquired skills and their love of Beacon's History to the streets with walking tours, our first season being Spring 2023. The Murnane family and the Lucas family became fast friends through their love of history and this fun adventure of sharing Beacon history. We found out through research that the Murnane's live in the house of Sophia Fuller's Great Great grandaughter--daughter of John Langford Hall, Chief of Police for Matteawan. Her nickname was "Georgie". So we love the coincidence of both families yrneshaving a gray cat named Georgie before we ever knew eachother or any of this history--small freaky links abound.