"Harvest Past" Mural – Red Hook, Dutchess County, New York

From the beginning of the 18th century, and up until 1825, Red Hook, like many towns which dotted the Hudson Valley region, was a major player in wheat production. In fact, the Hudson Valley area was once called the "Bread Basket" since the region produced nearly all the wheat for the country. It wasn’t until the arrival of the Erie Canal in 1825 that wheat production moved into the Mid-Western states forcing over two dozen mills in the Hudson Valley region, including the one in Red Hook, into closure. With the primary driver of the economy gone, the region fell quickly into economic decline, and farmers turned to growing crops such as apples which continue to be the mainstay crop for the area to this day.

In the background of the mural, a Livingston’s mill sits in the midst of a large wheat field, representing the sources of economic support in the past. However, the Dutch immigrant farmer is wheeling a cart filled not with wheat but with a harvest of apples, as this is the crop of the future.