Millwood, New York
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Millwood is a hamlet located in the town of New Castle, New York in Westchester County. As of the 2000 census, the community had a population of 1,210.
[edit] Other information
Millwood resides in the Chappaqua Central School district. Schools include: Elementary - Roaring Brook, Westorchard, Grafflin; Middle School - Seven Bridges, Robert E. Bell, High school - Horace Greeley. Most Millwood residents will go to Westorchard, Seven Bridges, and Horace Greeley. Over 94% of graduates attend 4-year colleges.
Millwood used to have a train station, mostly used for freight, originally of the New York and Putnam Railroad, this later became the Putnam Division of the New York Central Railroad. The last passenger train to run along the Putnam Division was in May 1958. Freight service ended in 1970. The track has thus been removed, pavement has since taken its place, and it is now a bicycle and pedestrian path, the North County Trailway. The original Millwood station house, built in 1888, burnt to the ground soon after and was replaced by a baggage car. The baggage car remained the station until 1910, when Henry Law built a new station for Briarcliff and the old Briarcliff station was moved to Millwood. This station house is still in place today.
Important highways: Taconic State Parkway (North to Albany, South to Hawthorne), NY Route 100 (North to Somers, South to Yonkers), NY Route 133 (East to Mount Kisco, West to Ossining), NY Route 120 (South to Rye, North end in Millwood).
[edit] The Millwood Volunteer Fire Department
Lightning struck the Millwood railroad station one spring day in 1924 and a blazing fire started. Area residents attempted to put out the fire, but they did not have the equipment or manpower and the Chappaqua fire department was called in to suppress the blaze. To many residents, the railroad fire incident underscored the importance of a quick response to a fire in Millwood. Shortly after the railroad fire, a dozen families met to start the Millwood Fire Company to meet the suppression needs of our community.
Land for the Millwood Fire House, located on Route 120, was donated by the Orser family -- long-time residents of the area. The founders of the fire company contributed seed money and solicited area residents for donations to build Station #1 and to buy the 1924 Brockway chemical pumper. Much of the labor to build the firehouse was donated by residents, as many were carpenters and tradesmen.
In the beginning, firefighters were called to alarms by hammering the bell -- still to be seen -- in front of Station #1. That system was soon replaced with an air horn which was later replaced with an electronic siren still in use today.
In the early days, reporting a fire was done by telephone. When a fire was reported, telephones would ring in ten locations including Station #1, Millwood Shell, Demms Mobil, and the private homes of the Fire Company officers. Each of these phones was capable of sounding the air horn at Station #1. Today, a caller can dial 911 to report a fire, and firefighters are dispatched by a portable radio paging/alert system and an audible alarm sounds at the firehouse.
Millwood Fire Company #1 currently houses two locations: Station #1 located on Route 120 and Station #2 located on Route 134. There are approximately 60 active professional volunteers who respond to over 250 alarms a year. The well-trained company is equipped with seven fire apparatus: two engines, a tanker, an engine with an aerial device, a rescue, a mini-attack, and a utility vehicle.
The Millwood Fire Company's goal is to protect the life and property of the Millwood area residents.
