 August, 1997 issue
Main Street, Cold Spring has grown into a classic destination, with more than enough to do for several weekends. Visitors are treated with respect by a cooperative effort to make the scene attractive. There are welcoming benches for tourist-watching or enjoying a cold drink and flowers everywhere. Glimpses into the tiny side-street gardens with their array of annuals and perennials are rewarding. Accommodations and dining, including al fresco restaurants, are excellent. It doesn't take long to begin to distinguish the Colonial and Victorian architectural styles in the well-preserved 19th-century village and a few minutes of searching will find plaques signifying National Historic Landmarks. A brief summary of Cold Spring's history helps visitors appreciate the village. Until 1818 it was a small settlement nestled on the shores of the Hudson River at its narrowest point -- although folk lore would have it that the it was christened by General George Washington when, around 1780, he took a sip of water from the spring and announced, "Cold Spring." The new era began when the West Point Foundry was established by Gouveneur Kemble, a successful local merchant and politician. The foundry became a significant part of the Industrial Heyday in the Hudson Valley -- which has been compared with today's "Silicon Valley." It was here that the first engines for railroad locomotives and steamboats were made, as were the water mains for New York City, Boston and Chicago. All the pipe for the Croton Aqueduct was manufactured here, plus sugar milling equipment, garden furniture, stoves, bells and steam engines. But, it was during the Civil War, when it was the largest foundry in the nation, that Cold Spring flourished. Employment reached approximately 1400 -- and many worked on the Parrott Guns, which are given credit for helping the North win the war. The foundry struggled on until 1911 producing arms for South America, cast iron building components and bridge trusses, when technology (steel) and sources of iron ore changed. As a result of abandonment and neglect, all the buildings, except the Administration Building, have disappeared. However, on November 12, 1996 the Scenic Hudson Land Trust acquired the 85-acre West Point Foundry site and Foundry Cove and is planning restoration work on the property with the assistance of the community. Side-lights to the foundry can be found in various corners of Cold Spring - a spot, if ever there was, to park the car and get out and walk. Presiding over the Hudson River, just behind the train station, is the Chapel of Our Lady built in 1833 designed by a 16-year-old architect. It was the first Roman Catholic Church in the Hudson Valley, erected to provide a place of worship for foundry workers. Now it is used as a Restored Chapel for People of All Faiths -- and can be seen by visitors arriving at the train station as they walk into the village. The Putnam County Historical Society Museum on Chestnut Street is a portion of the original foundry school built to educate the children of the workers. It contains permanent exhibits about the foundry and the school, an excellent video introducing the history of the site, plus temporary exhibits which further describe the history of the area and help visitors' explorations. Museum volunteers reach out to visitors with guided walking tours of Cold Spring's Heritage Way on Sunday afternoons between May and November. They start at 72 Main Street at 2 p.m. An alternative on Saturday afternoons is to sit down by the river and listen to one of the many concerts in the renovated bandstand. Evidence of old family names, many who contributed significantly to the community, are to be seen. The Davenport Monument honors the first settler, Thomas Davenport who is buried in the Mountain Avenue Cemetery. The Julia L. Butterfield Memorial Library was funded by Mrs. Butterfield's will. The Haldane Union School was named after the family which endowed an earlier school "for all the children of this community." The area also appeals to culture and nature lovers with opportunities to "make a perfect weekend of it." A little planning ahead could include a canoe trip on Constitution Marsh, a sanctuary of the National Audubon Society, just south of Cold Spring at the end of Indian Brook Trail. In the afternoon and evening? A visit to nearby Boscobel with its authentic early-1800's period furnishings and landscaping, a picnic overlooking the incomparable view of the Hudson and then tickets to the Hudson Valley Shakespeare presentation on the grounds. As visitors leave along the orchard path outlined by candle-lit lanterns on a summer night, it is not difficult to imagine an earlier world. Manitoga Nature Preserve, south of Cold Spring on Route 9D, the former estate of designer Russel Wright, has magnificently landscaped trails, nature programs and occasional tours of Dragon Rock, his home. The quaint hamlet of Garrison now houses the Garrison Art Center where there is always an interesting exhibit or two -- and maybe an intimate concert across the road. It also stages one of the best art and craft fairs in the area overlooking the river -- this year scheduled for the weekend of August 16 and 17. Movie fans will remember Garrison as the substitute background for Yonkers in the movie "Hullo Dolly" with Barbra Streisand and Walter Matthau, shot in 1967. The Desmond Fish-Library, Rtes 9D and 403 honors another familiar name in the area and hosts one of the best book sales in the region on August 16, 17, 23 and 24. Interests in Putnam Valley are not all along the Hudson Valley -- there are several short tours along country roads to places such as the majestic Chuang Yen Monastery, Fahnestock State Park, the Ludington Mill and much more. The Cold Spring/Garrison Area Chamber of Commerce is an active organization which promotes the area, with such events as the Cold Spring Hudson River Festival in July and a major Annual Fall Festival with arts and crafts vendors lining Main Street on Saturday, September 27 and an Antique Show on Fair Street on October 12. Members carry a flier listing restaurants, several B & B's and Inns for the use of visitors. More information may be obtained by calling the chamber at (914) 265-9060.
For other information, call: Manitoga Nature Preserve: (914) 424-3812 Constitution Marsh Wildlife Sanctuary: (914) 265-2601 Garrison Art Center: (914) 424-3960 Boscobel: (914) 265-3638 Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival: (914) 265-9575.
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