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Summary
A captivating journey, in words and photographs, through the cities, towns, and villages of the Hudson Valley.
The cities, towns, and villages along the banks of the Hudson River are the lifeblood of a region bursting with historic sites, cultural attractions, and natural beauty. Hudson River Towns pairs the spectacular work of renowned Hudson Valley photographer Hardie Truesdale with the vivid descriptions of Joanne Michaels, one of the region’s most experienced travel writers. Together they document, in words and photographs, the dynamic nature of the river’s population centers, offering readers a captivating personal journey down the Hudson River.
Although Main Street continues to struggle across America, there has been a movement afoot in the Hudson Valley to support local enterprise, and many of the region’s communities are currently enjoying a renaissance. Newburgh, for instance, has a beautiful waterfront and a new crop of businesses emerging in the inner city. Poughkeepsie’s “Walkway Over the Hudson” has drawn thousands of visitors since its opening in 2009, turning the city’s Mount Carmel neighborhood, once a sleepy Italian enclave, into a tourist destination. And Kingston was recently named one of the top ten most desirable—and affordable—cities in America for artists. Festivals, parks, and recreational activities are part of the fabric of contemporary Hudson Valley life, and they are represented in these pages as well.
The journey begins in the Upper Hudson River region, stopping in Albany, Coxsackie, Athens, Hudson, and Catskill; continues through the Mid-Hudson River region, featuring Saugerties, Kingston, Poughkeepsie, Newburgh, Beacon, Cold Spring, and Garrison; and culminates in the Lower Hudson River towns of Peekskill, Nyack, Tarrytown, and Piermont. With more than 120 full-color photographs that lavishly display the dramatic faces of these cities, towns, and villages, Hudson River Towns reveals a dimension of the region unseen by most travelers and local residents, who will be inspired to think differently about their surroundings after taking this armchair journey through one of America’s most beautiful and historic regions.
“…author Joanne Michaels and photographer Hardie Truesdale capably combine the genres of travel guide and coffee-table book … what set[s] this book apart from others about the Hudson are accounts of less well-known places.” — Kaatskill Life
“Hudson River Towns … is more than a great last-minute gift idea, a snappy new coffee table guide book (and advertisement for) our greater region, and the latest in Michaels’ ongoing paean to this area. It’s a work of art, where the text and layout all serve to support the mastery of Truesdale’s sumptuous photographs.” — Woodstock Times
“Beautiful to behold, fascinating to read, Hudson River Towns … is a captivating journey to communities along both sides of the mighty Hudson.” — Kingston Daily Freeman
“Truesdale and Michaels have harvested a feast of sights and observations and arranged them with artful care … Both are nuanced observers and expert framers and communicators; the result is a loving, honest homage to our area’s natural and civilized beauty.” — Chronogram
“With everything from breathtaking mountain vistas and charming countryside views to dramatic glimpses of urban renewal (and, in some cases, decay), Hudson River Towns sheds light on the region we’ve come to love.” — Hudson Valley Magazine
“Once again, Hardie Truesdale and Joanne Michaels have captured the essence of the Hudson River Valley in their new book profiling river communities up and down the Hudson. Readers will be drawn in by the unique perspective and sheer beauty revealed by Truesdale’s extraordinary eye, and captivated by Michael’s vibrant narrative, replete with historic and contemporary facts described in colorful detail. This book paints a beautiful portrait that honors the past and looks toward the future.” — John Cronin, Director and CEO, Beacon Institute for Rivers and Estuaries, Senior Fellow for Environmental Affairs, Pace University
Hardie Truesdale’s photography has been represented by galleries throughout the country. National Geographic Books, the Sierra Club, the Audubon Society, the Mohonk Preserve, and the Nature Conservancy have all featured his work. His previous books are Hudson River Journey: Images from Lake Tear of the Clouds to New York Harbor and Adirondack High: Images of America’s First Wilderness, both with Joanne Michaels. He lives in Gardiner, New York. Joanne Michaels is the author of many books, including Hudson River Valley Farms: The People and the Pride behind the Produce; The Hudson Valley and Catskill Mountains: An Explorer’s Guide, Seventh Edition; and Let’s Take the Kids! Great Places to Go in New York’s Hudson Valley, Third Edition. The former editor-in-chief of Hudson Valley magazine, she lives in Woodstock, New York.
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments Introduction
Upper Hudson Valley
Albany The Egg New York State Museum Capitol Building Cityscape College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering Tulip Festival / Pinksterfest Washington Park Palace Theatre at Night Pedestrian Bridge and Albany Riverfront Park— Corning Preserve Jack’s Oyster House Coxsackie—Bronck Museum / Oldest Multi-Sided Barn Athens Hudson-Athens Lighthouse Hudson—Warren Street Gay Pride Parade, June 20, 2010 Blue Window Mexican Radio Restaurant Parade Hill / Promenade Park Olana Barns of Olana Rip Van Winkle Bridge Catskill Greene County Courthouse Catskill Point Painted Cat (The Catcher)—Main Street, Catskill Cedar Grove / Thomas Cole National Historic Site Early Tourism—Catskill Mountain Houses Cement Industry Tivoli—Iceboating Saugerties—Early History Market Street Antique Shops—Saugerties Today St. Mary of the Snow Saugerties Light on Ice Krause’s Chocolates Catskill Animal Sanctuary Local Fishermen with Their Catch The Clearwater in Dry Dock Saugerties Lighthouse
Kingston
Healing Circle Arbor, the Strand Ice Floes / Kingston-Rhinecliff Bridge Broadway Joe’s Abandoned Train Route 209—the Rondout Kingston Riverport George Clinton Statue, Academy Green Park Old Dutch Church Senate House Museum Kingston Fireworks Immanuel Evangelical Lutheran Church Mid-Hudson Valley Poughkeepsie History Historic Districts Springside Storm Light on the Walkway
Mid-Hudson Bridge
Balloon Festival, July 4, 2010—Poughkeepsie Bardavon 1869 Opera House Locust Grove Wappingers Falls—Dutchess Stadium / Hudson Valley Renegades Marlboro—Benmarl Winery Newburgh—Early History Newburgh Today A Community Triumph—Cornerstone Residence Broadway—Newburgh Dutch Reformed Church Muzzle Loaders Firing (5th New York Regiment Reenactment) and Soldier 5th Regiment Newburgh Waterfront Beacon Incline Railway Beacon Institute for Rivers and Estuaries Artists’ Lofts—Combining Old and New Dia:Beacon Old Dam, Fishkill Creek Local Artwork Beacon Falls Cafe Beacon Point—Peter Jay Sharp Park Cornwall-on-Hudson—Donahue Memorial Park Cold Spring Bare Trees and Buildings—Howell Trail Views Dockside Waterfront Park Cold Spring Waterfront Chapel of Our Lady Ruins, Foundry Cover Trail (West Point Foundry Cove Preserve) Main Street, Cold Spring Constitution Marsh (located between Cold Spring and Garrison) Boscobel (Garrison) St. Philip’s Church in the Highlands West Point Battle Monument / Trophy Point Popolopen Creek Suspension Bridge, Bear Mountain Bridge (Fort Montgomery State Historic Site)
Lower Hudson Valley
Peekskill The Flat Iron Building Paramount Center for the Arts Bruised Apple Books Standard Brands / Fleischmann’s Yeast Peekskill Brewery Indian Point Nuclear Power Plant Croton Aqueducts Croton Gorge Park Croton Point Park Croton-on-Hudson Croton–Harmon Nyack Piermont The Mysterious Mine Hole The Drawbridge Views to New York City from Piermont Pier Tarrytown Lighthouse—Sleepy Hollow (North Tarrytown) Tarrytown Kykuit, the Rockefeller Estate Old Dutch Church and Burial Grounds Philipsburg Manor Tappan Zee Bridge Sunnyside
