Southfields

Southfields, located between the Hamlet and Arden, has a long history of commercial activity. During most of the 19th century, its economy and daily life were centered around the Southfields Furnace and iron-related manufacturing. The Townsend and Belcher families were especially prominent in these businesses, and the Adam Belcher house in Southfields is thought to be the oldest structure in Tuxedo.

Around 1900, after iron-making operations had ceased, the Frank A. Hall Company built a bed factory west of Route 17, which continued in operation until thelate 1950s. This factory was the primary employer in the area, and a series of houses dubbed the “mill row” were constructed by the company to house its workers, many of whose descendants still live in Tuxedo or nearby communities.

Southfields was also the home of the Red Apple Rest, which served as a popular stopping place for New York city residents on their way to and from resorts in the Catskills. Construction of the NY Thruway in the mid-1950's resulted in a precipitous drop in traffic on Route 17, and the “Red Apple”, as it was known locally, lost much of its business. It continued to operate in a scaled-down form for many years, but finally closed completely in the 1980's.