Madam Brett Park

Madam Brett Park (Photo: Robert Rodriguez, Jr.)

Connecting with Beacon’s past and some of its natural treasures.

BEACON, Dutchess County (12 acres) — You step into history and nature at this park. Catheryna Brett, the first European settler in the present-day city, operated a gristmill here along Fishkill Creek, which later powered the Tioronda Hat Works (whose ruins sit adjacent to the park). More impressive — and intact — are the natural features. Fishkill Marsh furnishes a home for amphibians and aquatic mammals and provides hunting grounds for ospreys and bald eagles and a stopover for migratory birds. A waterfall on the creek is especially impressive, and raucous, in spring or after heavy rains.

Free and open year-round, sunrise to sunset.