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On June 12, 2012, Putnam County celebrates the bicentennial of its separation from Dutchess County and its independent existence as New York's 48th county. However, its history really goes back more than four hundred years to the Wappinger Indians, the first encounter between the Dutch and the Wappingers, to the royal patent granted to the Philipse family, and the valor of its patriots during the Revolutionary war, especially Chief Daniel Nimham and 16 year-old Sybil Ludington. During the 19th century, Putnam welcomed the Great Migration of land-hungry New Englanders as well as entrepreneurs who exploited Putnam's rich iron deposits.Putnam County men made significant contributions to the Union side in the Civil War, but soon after victory many Putnam farmers and others left for better land in the West or for better opportunities in the cities. The twentieth century saw vastly improved transportation as railroads were augmented by parkways and highways, a huge influx of new residents from New York City and southern Westchester, and the movement to preserve open space and pure water through the requirements of the New York City reservoir system and the growing influence and importance of land trusts. Download
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