On-Hudson.com

Bridge Celebrates 90th Anniversary Saturday September 19th 2015

http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/Hudson-River-Bridge-Holding-Event-to-Mark-2-Anniversaries-327005821.html

Hudson River Bridge Holding Event to Mark 2 Anniversaries

 

Joe Bongiorno

Beacon, NY

Motorists planning to use one of the bridges spanning the Hudson River north of New York City can expect traffic delays late Saturday morning as two of the span's anniversaries are commemorated.

The New York State Bridge Authority says a motorcade of vintage cars from the 1920s and `30s will traverse the Bear Mountain Bridge, which connects Orange and Westchester counties. The motorcade will start on the Orange County side and pause briefly on the span for a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 10:25 a.m.

Officials say traffic will be stopped for the event and delays are expected until around 11:30 a.m.

The event commemorates the 90th anniversary of the bridge's dedication and the 75th anniversary of the span's purchase by the bridge authority. The span was the first vehicular river crossing built between New York City and Manhattan.

Grand Banks Oyster Boat Serving Seasonal Oysters & History Pier 25 N. Moore St. & West St

http://www.grandbanks.org/menu/

                

 

Grand Banks serves sustainably sourced oysters, ingredient driven seasonal plates, and nautically inspired cocktails and beverages. Our menu changes frequently.

Oysters Small Plates Cocktails Wine Beer

New York

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Navy Beach

Long Island Sound

3

Fisher's Island

Fisher's Island

3

East Coast

—

Washburn Island

Cape Cod, Massachusetts

3.5

Mermaid Cove

Mermaid, Prince Edward Island

3.5

Black Point

Pictou, Nova Scotia

4

West Coast

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Kusshi

Deep Bay, Vancouver

4

Elsewhere

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Kiwi Cup

Clevedon Coast, New Zealand

4

Accoutrements

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Red-Wine Mignonette | Cucumber-Coriander Mignonette | Cocktail Sauce

Newburgh Bay & Highlands Historical Society 2010 Candlelight Tour Of Homes Sunday December 12 2010

Annual Candlelight Tour of Homes

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2010

12 p.m. - 5 p.m

The Tour begins at the Captain David Crawford House

189 Montgomery Street, Newburgh, NY 12550

Tickets are $25 in advance; $30 day of the tour.

To purchase tickets in advance either:

Mail a check, payable to the Historical Society of Newburgh to:

189 Montgomery Street Newburgh, NY 12550

or Call 845-561-2585 with credit card information (Visa and Mastercard accepted)

 

WWW.NewburghOnHudson.com

Mills Mansion Decked Out For A Gilded Era Holiday Party Wednesdays & Sundays Thru December 31 2010

http://www.poughkeepsiejournal.com/article/20101207/NEWS01/12070314/For-holidays--Mills-Mansion-will-party-like-it-s-1910

For holidays, Mills Mansion will party like it's 1910

SCOTT CORNELL

 

STAATSBURG — Decorated for the holidays in the elaborate style only the Gilded Age of the late 19th and early 20th centuries could produce, the Staatsburgh State Historic Site is offering guests of the Mills Mansion a chance to travel back in time to get a feel for what life was like in the Hudson Valley 100 years ago.

For adults, it's an opportunity to tour the mansion and view the exquisite holiday decorations — from the traditional Christmas tree in the main hall to the dining room table — an annual highlight among the seasonal decorations that will mirror the 17th-century Belgian tapestries hanging in the dining room.

As parents are perusing the mansion's rooms, eight of which are decorated for the holidays, the kids can try to solve a mansion mystery as part of the site's traditional Holiday Whodunit.

For the past five years, the Hudson Valley home of Ogden and Ruth Livingston Mills, on Old Post Road, has hosted the children's Holiday Whodunit, allowing kids to tour the mansion at their own pace, find clues and solve a mystery, said Donald Fraser, educator for the Staatsburgh State Historic Site.

"We like to give the kids a flavor of what life was like 100 years ago, so there's an educational component to it as well," Fraser said. "In past years, there's generally something missing that the kids have to find and this year, it's more of a scavenger hunt."

In the program that runs from 1 to 4 p.m. every Sunday through Dec. 26, children ages 6-12 can attempt to find some of Ruth Livingston Mills' belongings she needs in order to see "The Nutcracker" at the Bardavon 1869 Opera House in Poughkeepsie, or so the story goes.

The kids are given that brief introduction before being sent to find such items as opera glasses, a fan, a shawl and gloves. The story is set in 1910, when Halley's Comet was seen by guests at the Mills Mansion, adding to the background and educational content of the story, Fraser said.

"What we've done the last few years is try to have the story set 100 years from the present year," Fraser said. "Last year it was called The Case of the Filched Fulton and this year we're calling it The Halley's Comet Holiday Whodunit."

Last year marked the bicentennial celebration of Robert Fulton's first successful commercial voyage of the steamboat in 1809, and the mystery at Mills Mansion was based on the 100th anniversary of that achievement in 1909.

Nearly a half-dozen volunteers are stationed throughout the mansion, dressed in period costumes, to answer children's questions and help them solve each clue, Fraser said.

"The tour is set up to be a straight run or if the kids want to, they can go back and re-interview some of the guests and servants in the mansion," Fraser said. "There is a variation between children, some who are awfully shy where the volunteers have to be forthcoming and ask the kids leading questions, and others who are really detectives and grill the volunteers."

Mills Mansion has a dedicated crew of volunteers who assist each year in decorating the house, including a pair of women who annually iron the Christmas bows, Fraser said.

The house is open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., when the last tour begins, Wednesdays through Sundays, until Dec. 31.

Admission is $5 for adults, $4 for seniors and students, and free for children under 12, so all kids participating in the Holiday Whodunit are allowed free admission.

For information, contact the Staatsburgh State Historic Site at 845-889-8851 or visit www.staatsburgh.org.

 

 

Stony Point BattleField & Lighthouse Historic Day Trip

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/6052438/hudson_valley_day_trip_the_stony_point.html

Hudson Valley Day Trip: The Stony Point Lighthouse

Andrew Glikin-Gusinsky

Nestled along the bluffs of the lower Hudson Valley on the western bank of the river, stands a small, unassuming lighthouse. White and stout, at first glance, it doesn't seem like much to look it. It lacks the

stature and regality of other lighthouses in along the Hudson. However, what it may lack in grandiosity it more than makes up for in historical significance. It's the Stony Point Lighthouse in Stony Point, New York, the oldest Hudson River Lighthouse. Visiting it makes for a fantastic day trip. A sightseer not only gets to experience an important piece of maritime history, but also an often overlooked moment in early American history. The lighthouse stands on the Stony Point Battlefield Historic Site, which is operated by the State of New York.

The Battle of Stony Point took place in July of 1779 and was an important American victory. The Hudson was then, as it remains now, a vital thoroughfare and control of it was crucial to the outcome of the Revolutionary War. A group of American soldiers defeated the British who had set up a garrison there, ensuring that the British would not have control over the river.

The lighthouse was built on the site in 1826 and remained in active service until 1925. During that period there were some eight different lighthouse keepers who diligently stood watch over the Hudson, making sure that mariners safely navigated the waters of the mighty river. In that period there was in fact only one vessel that ever ran aground, the steamer Poughkeepsie in 1901. However, thankfully there was no loss of life resulting from the catastrophe.

Following the lighthouse's decommissioning in 1925, the light tower remained manually operated until 1973, when the United States Coast Guard automated it. The lighthouse opened to the public in October of 1995.

In addition to spectacular views of the Hudson and Hudson Valley that visitors will experience by visiting the site, they will also be treated to a museum on both the history of lighthouse and the Battle of Stony Point. Furthermore, there are costumed Revolutionary War re-enactors who drill in period costume, much to the delight of all.

Getting to the Stony Point Lighthouse is a very easy and scenic drive. Regardless of what direction you are coming from, the important thing is to make your way onto Route 9W; the lighthouse is right off of 

it, standing just to the east. For more information and hours of operation interested parties should call 845-786-2521.

 

Proclamation Of National ThanksGiving George Washington New York October 3rd 1789

http://www.pbs.org/georgewashington/milestones/thanksgiving_read.html

Proclamation of National Thanksgiving 

George Washington 

City of New York, October 3, 1789 

Whereas it is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly to implore his protection and favor, and whereas both Houses of Congress have by their joint Committee requested me "to recommend to the People of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many signal favors of Almighty God especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness." 

Now therefore I do recommend and assign Thursday the 26th day of November next to be devoted by the People of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being, who is the beneficent Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be. That we may then all unite in rendering unto him our sincere and humble thanks, for his kind care and protection of the People of this Country previous to their becoming a Nation, for the signal and manifold mercies, and the favorable interpositions of his providence, which we experienced in the course and conclusion of the late war, for the great degree of tranquility, union, and plenty, which we have since enjoyed, for the peaceable and rational manner, in which we have been enabled to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national One now lately instituted, for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed; and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge; and in general for all the great and various favors which he hath been pleased to confer upon us. 

And also that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech him to pardon our national and other transgressions, to enable us all, whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually, to render our national government a blessing to all the people, by constantly being a Government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed, to protect and guide all Sovereigns and Nations (especially such as have shown kindness unto us) and to bless them with good government, peace, and concord. To promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the encrease of science among them and Us, and generally to grant unto all Mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as he alone knows to be best. 

Given under my hand at the City of New York the third day of October in the year of our Lord 1789. 

Go: Washington 

"ThanksGiving Time" At Mrs Kearney"s Tavern November 27 & 28th 2010

Warm up next to the fire     Palisades Interstate Park Commission New Jersey Section: Kearney House "Thanksgiving Time" at Mrs. Kearney's Tavern November 27 & 28 1 to 3 PM There will be 19th-century-style after-the-holiday open house programs at the historic Kearney House at Alpine Boat Basin & Picnic Area (PIP Exit 2, then follow Alpine Approach Road to river) on Saturday & Sunday afternoons, November 27 & 28, from 1 to 3 PM. The programs will feature hot mulled cider and light food, period music with Mr. Thaddeus MacGregor, and fun and games for children. The programs, to be held rain or shine, are open to all with no reservations required; visitors are welcome to stay for as long as they like during the open hours. (Donation box will be by the door. Suggestion: $3 adults, $1 children).  Listed on the National and New Jersey State Historic Registers as the “Blackledge-Kearney House”—but familiarly known as the “Kearney House” or the “Cornwallis Headquarters” (it was once thought that the British general had stayed here in 1776)—this house has been a Hudson River homestead, a riverfront tavern, a Park police station, and a “historic shrine.” Today it helps bring to life two centuries in the story of the Hudson River and the families who depended upon it for their lives and livelihoods. For more information: 201 768-1360 ext. 108.

 

Fort Montgomery Historic Site Presents The Fall Evening Lecture Series Presentation Of "The Jersey Greys " December 2nd 2010

Charles Wilson Peale portrait of then Captain Joseph Bloomfield of the 3rd New Jersey     New York State Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation Palisades Interstate Park Commission Fort Montgomery State Historic Site 690 Route 9W Fort Montgomery, NY 10922 Evening Lecture Thursday, December 2nd 7 PM The 3rd New Jersey in New York: Stories from “The Jersey Greys” of 1776 Speaker Philip D. Weaver will utilize correspondence, company account books, and period diaries to acquaint you with one of the best equipped, most interesting, and dysfunctional regiments in the early Continental Army, the 3rd New Jersey of 1776. Attendees will be given a quick introduction to the organization and the personalities, followed by a discussion of their New York campaign. Weaver will focus on a number of stories and anecdotes. The program will also include information on their garrisoning of Fort Stanwix and their subsequent relocation to “the old French Barracks” at Fort Ticonderoga. This lecture is FREE and open to all.  For more information or directions, please call (845) 446-2134.

 

Free Public Lecture Titled “In Nature’s Realm: The Architecture and Décor of Historic Hudson River Villas

http://www.registerstar.com/articles/2010/11/21/news/doc4ce8713732365332252029.txt

Historic Hudson River homes subject of Tivoli presentation

 Lindsay Suchow

TIVOLI – Award-winning author and journalist Barrymore Laurence Scherer appeared at the Tivoli Village Hall’s meeting room Saturday night to talk about the aesthetic features of some of the most stunning, historic Hudson River homes in a free public lecture titled “In Nature’s Realm: The Architecture and Décor of Historic Hudson River Villas.”

Held in conjunction with the Friends of Clermont’s regularly scheduled meeting, the lecture was presented by the Clermont State Historic Site and the Friends of Clermont, and was made possible by an endowment from the Speakers in the Humanities program of the New York Council for the Humanities. Started in 1983, the Speakers in Humanities program links scholars with diverse audiences through the presentations of lectures on various topics.

Seats filled up quickly at Village Hall to hear Scherer, a fine art and classical music critic for the Wall Street Journal, writer of the Antiques magazine column “The New Collector” and visiting professor at Sarah Lawrence College, speak about the historic architecture of the Hudson River Valley, as he has been doing across New York State since becoming a Speaker in the Humanities for the New York Council for the Humanities. He has also lectured on the arts at such venues as Lincoln Center in Manhattan and the National Gallery in Washington, D.C.

“I’ve given talks at a number of different places – this is truly an outstanding venue,” said Scherer, who added that he and his wife have been traveling to the area from Yonkers for the Bard summer music festival for years. “It kind of feels like coming to a bit of our home … I feel at home here.”

And Scherer, who “has a fondness for old places,” certainly knows what a home should feel like – or at least what Hudson Valley homeowners aimed to have them feel like in the 19th Century, “at a time when there was no Thruway, no Tappan Zee Bridge … when the Hudson Valley was considered one of the most picturesque regions of North America.”

During an era when there was no noise from cars, no sirens, no alarms, Scherer said, “To have a countrified residence in a Hudson Valley home was a piece of heaven on earth.”

The homes that popped up along the shores of the Hudson during that time were called “villas” in architectural terms; large, luxurious residences arranged around a central courtyard, with expansive farmland surrounding it on the rest of the property.

The Roman idea of a villa spread throughout the world during the Renaissance, explained Scherer: “Italy revived … the idea of living graciously in the country.” As more wealth moved into the Hudson Valley, this idea caught on even further and was popularized by architects Andrew Jackson Downing and Alexander Jackson Davis.

“In the mid-19th century, the widespread idea of a villa got underway,” said Scherer. “Not just a comfortable place, but a wholesome place … A picturesque exterior meant to house an equally picturesque interior.”

Scherer presented a slideshow of different historic Hudson River estates to demonstrate the development and variety of the Hudson River villa, as well as some constants throughout all of them.

Being perched on the banks of the Hudson, the construction of a Hudson River villa demanded the incorporation of a lookout point. The façades of nearly every home shown in Scherer’s slide show presentation, including a handful in Westchester County, Frederic Church’s Olana in Hudson, the Samuel Morse estate (Locust Grove) in Poughkeepsie and the Clermont State Historic Site in Germantown (which belonged to the affluent Livingston family), prominently featured towers or cupolas (or both) in order for the homeowner to get an optimal view of the pastoral beauty that surrounded them.

“If you overlook the Hudson, you have to have that point of view – you need a vantage point,” said Scherer.

Another common thread of the Hudson River homes of these centuries was the cluttered feel of the living areas. Chairs, lamps, books and tables are piled seemingly on top of each other in shots of artist Thomas Rositter’s 1860 villa in Cold Spring.

“Historic 19th century interiors in the Hudson Valley blend comfort with – how shall I put this? – tons of stuff,” said Scherer.

Oriental rugs, elaborately molded ceilings, gasolier lighting and porcelain are also common items that dominated historic Hudson River villa interiors.

But other estates’ owners took the romantic design of the villa to an entirely new and unique level. In particular, Church – one of the original painters of the Hudson River School – hired one person to design the Olana estate in 1867, but after returning from a trip to the East with his wife, paid the man to walk away and hired someone else to carry out his newfound oriental vision for his home.

Olana was not complete until 1891 due to Church’s constant tweaking and changing of his mind when it came to the design. Both the interior and exterior of Olana “suggest a combination of a homey villa and Arabian Nights,” said Scherer, with its Turkish-inspired furniture and exquisite, elaborate tile work lining the doors and windows of the house “giving the Egyptian sense of a great temple.”

Scherer closed his presentation with a montage of paintings by the original Hudson River School artists. These individuals, who drew constant inspiration from the natural beauty of the Hudson Valley, treasured the local landscape so much that it clearly influenced every architectural detail of the homes they decided to build here and which still stand today, most of them stunningly preserved.

“Everyone knows that artists love the Hudson Valley,” said Scherer.

To reach reporter Lindsay Suchow, call 518-828-1616, ext. 2259, or email[email protected].

 

Retreat From Fort Lee Reenactment November 20 & 21st 2010

Artillery Demonstration at the Fort Lee Historic Park     Palisades Interstate Park Commission Fort Lee Historic Park "The Times That Try Men's Souls" Commemoration of the Retreat from Fort Lee November 20-21, 2010 Fort Lee was constructed in 1776 to be used in conjunction with Fort Washington, located diagonally to the north on the opposite side of the Hudson River as a means of closing the vital waterway to British shipping.  On November 20, 1776, British General, Cornwallis, ferried about 5,000 men across the Hudson River north of Fort Lee. When word reached George Washington, he ordered an immediate retreat from Fort Lee before his army could be cut off and captured by the British. Most of the American supplies and artillery had to be left behind. These were indeed the darkest days for the Revolution and led to Thomas Paine's famous words, "These are the times that try men's souls…" Members from over a dozen Living History groups will commemorate the 234th Anniversary of the British Invasion of New Jersey at Fort Lee Historic Park on the weekend of 20 & 21 November 2010. Re-enactors representing Continentals, Militia, British, Hessian & Loyalist troops will take part in different field and camp activities throughout the weekend.  Schedule of Events Saturday, November 20 10:00 AM Camps Open to the Public. 12:00 Noon Parade to Monument Park. 1:45 PM Pay Call in camp. 2:15 PM Artillery Demonstration. 3:00 PM Battle of the Blockhouse. 5:00 PM Site Closed. Saturday, November 21 TBA FREE Admission, $5 Parking Fee. Fort Lee Historic Park is located on Hudson Terrace immediately south of the George Washington Bridge. For more information or directions, please call 201 461-1776