Book excerpt: Nestled in the picturesque Hudson Valley town of Rhinebeck, the Beekman Arms began humbly as a stagecoach and mail stop on the Old Albany Post Road at the end of the eighteenth century. Of more than forty stage stops that operated along that path, it is the only one still in existence. Through the tenure of many landlords and several notable renovations, it has evolved into the stately inn it is today. Proclaimed the "oldest hotel in America" since the early 1900s, it stands proudly as a symbol of the area's Dutch and English heritage and a reminder of the history that made this area famous. Join authors Matthew and Brian Plumb to explore the storied past of this historic Rhinebeck institution.