Foundry Dock Park
Our Stretch of the River
This serene site was once the bustling lifeline to the West Point Foundry, an industrial marvel and a technological powerhouse of its day.
On the Waterfront
Just after the War of 1812, President James Madison designated Cold Spring as one of four sites for a national armory. Within five years the West Point Foundry was up and operating. Cold Spring was chosen for its strategic location on the Hudson and for its sources of iron ore, hardwood for making charcoal, sand for casting, water power fed by rushing streams and the presence of the United States Military Academy on the opposite shore. It became an early example of the “company town,” complete with worker housing, a school and a chapel (see the restored Chapel of Our Lady on the rocky knoll adjacent to the park). In 1848, construction of the New York Central Railroad cut off river access to a foundry dock further southeast, and this small piece of waterfront assumed greater importance. It became the site of the foundry’s busy industrial wharf and main shipping dock, playing a critical role in the foundry’s success.
The Long Dock
The Long Dock reached from the shoreline out to the river’s main channel. Its 600-foot length was required to accommodate the steam ships with deep drafts used in the mid-19th century and after for transport along the river. A rail spur connected the West Point Foundry with the dock. (Look for a railbed-styled walkway in the park.) In the early years, oxen pulled the railcars, and a manual switch was used to control access across the main rail line. Iron ore, scrap iron, coal, wood, and other essential foundry materials were brought in via the dock. Cannons, shells, shot, engines, tunnel and aqueduct pipes, and other foundry products were shipped out. Remains of the dock platform today can be viewed at low tide as a mound of ruins local residents call “Cupcake Island.”
The West Point Foundry
The West Point Foundry, which operated from 1818 to 1911, was one of the country’s largest and most modern ironworks. At its peak it employed up to 1,000 workers who made the steam engines, water wheels, mill machines and other heavy equipment that drove America’s Industrial Revolution. Massive pipes that supply New York City’s water supply were made there. So were cannons, shot and shells for the U.S. government, including the innovative Parrott gun. Developed by the foundry’s superintendent, Robert Parrott, this rifled cannon helped turn the tide of the Civil War.
The West Point Foundry Preserve today is part of the Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area “Corridor of Commerce” and is among the nation’s most important industrial archeology sites. Scenic Hudson is designing a trail system, overlooks and hands-on educational programs so future visitors will fully experience the foundry’s history and beauty. The Putnam County Historical Society and Foundry School Museum, housed in the original school built for the foundry apprentices and workers’ children, has an engaging collection of photographs and artifacts from this historic landmark.
Scenic Hudson’s Investment in Foundry Dock Park
Scenic Hudson acquired this property for public benefit in 1996 when we purchased the .87-acre West Point Foundry Preserve site. Foundry Dock Park was created to ensure that this magnificent waterfront spot will continue to connect people with the beauty, power and spirit of the river.
Scenic Hudson wishes to credit the following for their assistance:
• New York Department of Environmental Conservation and its Hudson River Estuary Program
• Village of Cold Spring
• Metro-North Railroad
Marker is on Market Street, on the right when traveling south.
Courtesy hmdb.org
