About the Friends
of East Gate
The Friends of East Gate was established in 2016 to raise funds to stabilize, preserve, and rebuild the historic East Gate Toll House—an architecturally unique and historically significant structure, and one of the last remaining toll gate houses in New York State. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the Toll House has stood along NY State Route 23 in Hillsdale, the former Columbia Turnpike, chartered in 1799.
We are now entering the most exciting phase of the project—and your support is essential to help us bring this rare landmark back to life.
All Roads Lead
to the River
After the Revolutionary War, New York City’s population surged, creating an insatiable demand for fresh produce, grains, and livestock. For farmers in what are now Columbia County, NY, and Berkshire County, MA, this boom offered a dependable and lucrative market. But getting goods from rural farms to New York City required a long and often difficult journey west to the Hudson River, where shipments were loaded onto sloops and carried downriver to the growing metropolis.
Join the Campaign
The Friends of East Gate is committed to restoring the East Gate Toll House and deepening public appreciation for the history of transportation in New York State—most notably the 1799 Columbia Turnpike, the crucial roadway that connected Massachusetts farms to the Hudson River and fueled early American commerce.
By supporting this effort, you help preserve a rare national landmark and a tangible reminder of the entrepreneurial spirit that shaped America’s earliest economy. Your contribution ensures that the Toll House will once again stand as a visible, living part of our region’s heritage.
