Breakabeen is a hamlet

Hamlet (place)

A hamlet is usually a rural settlement which is too small to be considered a village, though sometimes the word is used for a different sort of community. Historically, when a hamlet became large enough to justify building a church, it was then classified as a village...

 in the town of Fulton

Fulton, Schoharie County, New York

Fulton is a town in Schoharie County, New York, United States. The population was 1,495 at the 2000 census. Within the town of Fulton are the hamlets of Breakabeen and Fultonham. The town is in the center of the county and is also one of the larger towns in the county...

 in Schoharie County

Schoharie County, New York

As of the census of 2000, there were 31,582 people, 11,991 households and 8,177 families residing in the county. The population density was 51 people per square mile . There were 15,915 housing units at an average density of 26 per square mile...

, New York

New York

New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...

, United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. This hamlet played a role during the American Revolution and is home to a historic cemetery. Breakabeen is one of the hamlets that are situated in the Schoharie Valley

Schoharie Valley

The Schoharie Valley is a corridor that runs through Schoharie County from Schoharie, New York until Gilboa, New York.-Geography:The Schoharie Valley is made up of plains surrounding the Schoharie Creek. Within the Schoharie Valley are the locations of Middleburgh, Schoharie, Fultonham, Breakabeen...

. A number of structures in the hamlet are included in the Breakabeen Historic District

Breakabeen Historic District

Breakabeen Historic District is a national historic district located at the hamlet of Breakabeen in Schoharie County, New York. The district includes 33 contributing buildings. Most of the buildings were built in the early to mid-19th century in a vernacular Greek Revival style. Several...

, listed on the National Register of Historic Places

National Register of Historic Places

The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...

 in 1974.

Early history

Breakabeen was founded in the early eighteenth century after the coming of the British. Prior to the British arrival the area was inhabited by Iroquois Indians. The small hamlet was a part of Albany County

Albany County, New York

Albany County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York, and is part of the Albany-Schenectady-Troy Metropolitan Statistical Area. The name is from the title of the Duke of York and Albany, who became James II of England . As of the 2010 census, the population was 304,204...

. Much of the early European population was not British, but in fact Dutch.

The Schoharie Creek flows nearby the Breakabeen, encouraging both farming and colonization. During this time, Breakabeen and the town of Fulton were part of the town of Middleburgh

Middleburgh (town), New York

Middleburgh is a town in Schoharie County, New York, USA. The population was 3,515 at the 2000 census.The Town of Middleburgh contains a village called Middleburgh...

.

Revolutionary War

Breakabeen was just several miles south of the Lower Fort and was passed through by Patriot and British forces. There was a small battle in Breakabeen in the later part of the war. A portion of Breakabeen was destroyed in 1780 by British forces.

Today

Breakabeen is inhabited by a small population that attends the Middleburgh school district. Right outside the hamlet is the Breakabeen Cemetery, which features a prominent grave of a World War I veteran.