History and Heritage in Cold Spring-on-Hudson
Cold
Spring-on-Hudson, NY -- George Washington slept here. Well, maybe. Local
legend has it that George Washington appreciated a drink from the area's
"cold spring" and the name stuck. What is true is that the scenic
riverfront village of Cold Spring-on-Hudson has played a role in our
nation's history since the American Revolution.
Both
the colonists and the British forces appreciated the strategic access
afforded by passes in the area's narrow, rocky highlands. One spot chosen
for fortification in 1775 to prevent the British from advancing up the
Hudson River was Constitution Island, at the southern edge of Cold
Spring. Across the river on its western banks, General Washington chose the
commanding plateau of West Point for his new fort, personally selected
Thaddeus Kosciuszko to design the fortifications in l778, and transferred
his headquarters to West Point in l779. A l50-ton iron chain was extended
across the Hudson to control river traffic. Despite Benedict Arnold's
treason, the British never captured Fortress West Point. In 1802, President
Thomas Jefferson signed legislation establishing the United States
Military Academy at West Point.
Just a decade later, after the War of 1812, President James Madison vowed
the U.S. would end its dependence on foreign cannons and ordered four gun
foundries to be built. New York entrepreneur Gouverneur Kemble won the
contract for a Cold Spring site, having access to iron ore and waterpower,
with a river link to the sea and the protection of nearby West Point. The
West Point Foundry opened in 1818. Until its doors closed in 1911, the
Foundry manufactured many firsts. These include the first public water pipes
for New York, Boston and Chicago, the first two locomotives built for
service on a railroad, the first passenger train, and the first iron-clad
ship of the Civil War, the U.S.S. Monitor. The Foundry was also the
most prominent arms manufacturer of the Civil War, producing Parrott cannon
developed by Robert Parrott, a Cold Spring resident.
Now lying in ruins on the banks of the Hudson River with its1865 office
building the only remaining structure, the West Point Foundry is considered
the most significant archaeological remnant of America's Industrial
Revolution. It was acquired by Scenic Hudson Land Trust in 1996, which is
working with other groups to develop the site for public education and
recreation.
Many
artifacts, documents and other items from the Foundry's history can be
viewed in the West Point Foundry Gallery at the Putnam Country Historical
Society & Foundry School Museum on Chestnut Street. Built in
1830, the building was originally used to educate the Foundry's teenage
apprentices and employees' children; one room within the museum features
original schoolroom furnishings and materials. Permanent collections also
feature objects pertaining to life in the area, paintings from the Hudson
River School and four centuries of local genealogies. A museum store offers
art, maps and replicas of a variety of objects including cannon models.
The
village grew to house Foundry workers as well as others drawn to the site of
such 19th Century prosperity and a central commercial area
developed. The foundry continued to thrive because of its location on a
primary transportation route, especially when the Erie Canal made the Hudson
River a link to the country's interior. Even as railroads began to replace
ships, the Foundry and Cold Spring, a stop along the east-shore railroad,
continued to thrive. It wasn't until 1911 that the Foundry was closed for
good.
In 1982,
the Main Street business district of more than 200 charming row houses,
shops, restaurants, churches and family homes was placed on the National
Register of Historic Places, and the Foundry Museum began sponsoring weekly
Heritage Way Walking Tours. Every Sunday afternoon, knowledgeable
guides lead small groups to historic sites such as the Chapel of Our Lady
Restoration, built in 1834 by the Foundry's owners for workers from
Ireland and thought to be the first Catholic Church north of New York City.
Also featured is the Fair Street home of Emily Warren Roebling, the
daughter of a venerable local family who is credited with the successful
completion of the Brooklyn Bridge following the death of her father-in-law
and the disabling of her engineer husband.
Another
historic home can be toured as part of a visit to Constitution Island.
The Warner House, with one wall dating back to Revolutionary times, was home
to sisters Susan and Anna Warner from 1836 to 1915. Both were well known 19th
Century writers. Susan wrote a bestseller, The Wide, Wide World,
in 1850. Anna is best known for writing the lyrics to the hymn Jesus
Loves Me. Both sisters taught Bible classes to West Point cadets for 40
years. In 1916, the Constitution Island Association was formed to preserve
the home and its furnishings, as well as an historic garden planted with the
same old-fashioned flowers described by Miss Anna in her 1872 book,
Gardening By Myself. Tours are offered Wednesday and Thursday
afternoons until October 2, with round-trip boat transportation departing
from West Point's South Dock.
A
glimpse of family life in those times is also offered by "A Picnic on the
Hudson," painted in 1863 by Hudson River School artist Thomas Rossiter who
moved to Cold Spring in 1860. It hangs in the Julia L. Butterfield
Memorial Library. The painting depicts a group of Rossiter's friends and
neighbors enjoying a fashionable picnic on Constitution Island. The group
includes Julia James, the future Mrs. Daniel Butterfield, whose estate
endowed the library in 1913.
Two other
important historic homes lie just minutes from Cold Spring. Boscobel
is a museum of decorative arts of the Federal period in the elegantly
restored 1804 home of States Morris Dyckman on sweeping grounds overlooking
the Hudson River. Manitoga/The Russel Wright Design Center, on the
National Register of Historic Places, is the site of the mid-20th
century Dragon Rock home, studio and unique cultivated landscape of noted
industrial designer and environmentalist Russel Wright, who promoted living
in harmony with nature.
In the
1960s, living in harmony with nature took a new turn when local residents
rallied to defeat a power plant initiative that would change the face of
Storm King Mountain and the pristine Hudson Highlands. After years of legal
battles, a landmark decision was reached: for the first time, a conservation
group, Scenic Hudson Preservation Conference, had been permitted to sue to
protect the public interest. This decision established the legitimacy of
environmental concerns and ushered in a host of new laws to protect land,
air and water.
In 1996,
in recognition of the area's role in America's military history, industrial
revolution, and significant developments in transportation, commerce, the
arts, architecture, cultural traditions and environmental conservation, the
Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area was established.
Cold
Spring-on-Hudson is an enjoyable getaway year-round, offering a "capsule"
version of the Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area. The village is
home to a wide variety of unique antiques and specialty shops in historic
storefronts. It also includes more than 20 restaurants that serve everything
from gourmet picnic fare, homemade fudge and traditional burgers to regional
French, Italian, Mexican and New American cuisine. The Cold Spring Depot
Restaurant, in the original 1893 train depot, is also the site for a
plaque commemorating George Washington's drink from the area's namesake
"cold spring."
Several
historic inns offer lodging, such as the charming nine-room Pig Hill Inn
on Main Street, which is furnished with antiques for sale, and the landmark
1832 Hudson House River Inn, the second oldest continuously operating
inn in New York. Other types of accommodations can be found in nearby
communities. This includes the historic Thayer Hotel at West Point,
named for the first superintendent of the U.S. Military Academy. Plumbush
Inn located on 9D just outside of the village.
Easily
accessible by car, train or plane, Cold Spring-on-Hudson is just one hour
north of New York City and minutes from major thoroughfares, such as the New
York State Thruway, Palisades Interstate Parkway, Taconic State Parkway and
Interstate 84. Metro-North Railroad's scenic Hudson Line offers frequent
train service from New York's Grand Central Terminal and the Cold Spring
train platform is a short stroll to Main Street. Stewart International
Airport (SWF), in nearby Newburgh, offers the closest air travel options
with service by American Airlines, ASA/Delta Connection, Comair, I-Jet,
Southeast Airlines, US Airways Express and Vacation Express. Rental cars are
available at the airport.
For more
information on Cold Spring-on-Hudson and "Main Street America", please
visit www.coldspringonhudson.com or call toll-free,
1-800-470-4854.
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