AboutTown

Marion Borden’s mansion sits on a hill over-looking the Wallkill River Valley with the Shawangunk Mountains looming large in the distance. It is a commanding view of what her family christened Home Farm. It was to become a retreat for the Borden Family for generations and to become a model dairy for the nation. One of the most endearing members of the Borden family was Marion Borden. Although she has been gone more than eighty years, her presence is strongly felt not only in the mansion that she had built, but all around the Hamlet of Wallkill which she called home. Examples of her generosity are everywhere—from the multi-purpose room she had built for the Dutch Reformed Church, to the auditorium in the present day John G. Borden Middle School, to the library in the center of town. Even generations of Girl Scouts, who to this day attend Camp Wendy, have Marion Borden to thank.

Borden creamery in Wallkill, circa 1910; credit Collection of Vivian Yess Wadlin

The Borden family established Home Farm in the 1880s, in a village known to the locals as “The Basin.” Located in the Town of Shawangunk, it was John G. Borden, son of Gail Borden, Jr., the inventor of condensed milk, who chose this location for its proximity to the markets of New York City, accessible by the Hudson River, as well as the railroad. He went to work reclaiming the land, acquiring more, and improving it all. Once satisfied with his farm, John G. focused his attention to the “The Basin,” where he would improve the town by creating wide roads and industrial centers. In short, John G. wanted “The Basin” to become a model town. The name of the town needed to undergo a change. It was suggested that the town be named after its benefactor, but after careful deliberation it was decided the name should be Wallkill for the mighty river that dissected the town.

John G. made his home in the old Andrew’s house and it was from the Andrews family that he had bought the nucleus of his farm in 1881. He moved into the home with his wife Ellen, eventually raising four children; Lewis, Gail, Penelope (known as Nellie), and Marion. Marion was born on March 9, 1883.

Early in life Marion contracted polio leaving her permanently disabled. She remember her personal struggles and sought to alleviate the suffering of others. Some acquaintances remembered her as being unable to see a child in distress and not help. It seemed, as in the case of Camp Wendy, that she wanted the children of Wallkill to enjoy a childhood that had escaped her.

Borden family at home. Marion is on the right, center row; credit Historical Society of Shawangunk and Gardiner

John G. Borden, struggling with health issues after serving as an officer in Civil War, died in October 1891. It was his wish that when Marion reached maturity, she would take over the reins of the family business. Marion did become the president of the company and was probably one of the few woman CEOs in the United States during a era when women could not even vote. She is remember as a strong person who was not afraid to assert herself in a male dominated business world. One individual told of her taking on a local company that attempted to bully her. She pointedly stated, “I will gladly give, but don’t think you can take from me.” Marion reigned over five large farms in the United States and Canada.

Marion Borden’s home. credit Historical Society of Shawangunk and Gardiner

In 1906, at age 23, Marion finished construction of a “Queen Anne/Tudor Revival house” according to architectural historian, William B. Rhoads. It was located a short distance from the mansion that her father had enlarged and where her mother presently lived. When completed, the mansion, with sweeping views overlooking the Wallkill Valley, would be complete with electricity. The mansion required so much electricity to function that Marion decided that she would extend electric to Wallkill. The following year, 1907, she married George Halliday. They remained married until his untimely death in 1927. George is buried in Wappingers Falls.

One of the Borden family’s priorities was education. This was not only for their own children who went to school alongside employees of Home Farm, but children in the surrounding area as well. Her late father stated on more than one occasion, “to make two blades of grass grow where but one grew before.” Marion was a member of the Board of Education when it was decided that a larger high school needed to be built to accommodate the community. It would be a modern high school for its time. According to Wallkill Central School District archives, the middle school is presently where it is because Marion Borden donated the land for it. It was completed in 1922. It was a nameless building until other members of the board of education felt that because of her generosity the new building should be named in honor of her father, John G. Borden High School. It was the high school for Wallkill until the current high school on Robinson drive was constructed.

Postcard circa 1910 of Borden estate entrance. credit Collection of Vivian Yess Wadlin

Tragically, Marion Borden’s life was cut short; she died in New York City on November 3, 1930, at the same age as her father—forty-seven. She left money in her will for not only an auditorium, but also a swimming pool. The swimming pool was never constructed; instead a gymnasium was built. Prior the gym’s construction, students went to the Dutch Reformed Church in the hamlet to use the multi-purpose room. It, too, was funded by Marion Borden. Over a decade after her death, the auditorium was finally constructed. If the high school was named after her father, then it was only fitting that the auditorium be named after Marion Borden. Marion’s remains were interred next to those of her mother who died in 1928, and her father. Their graves are a short distance from her mansion.

See information on two of A.J. Schenkman’s books in accompanying article.