Historic Environments

After stopping at Upper Landing Park we visited its larger, though less financially equipped counterpart (or should I say… counterpark?). College Hill Park proved to be a little more neglected than insinuated by Ann Perry in an interview with the Poughkeepsie Journal, who was not able to attend our meeting at the site on that particular day. However, the area still seemed to be somewhat of a popular spot for residents of Poughkeepsie. Several cars entered the land while we were there; most were heading to the golf course, but a few wandered up the road to the pavilion to relax in their cars and enjoy a couple beers on the scenic hill.

The pavilion as seen from the pavilion loop.

The pavilion itself was in fair shape, though as we drove up to it on the winding road under a cloudy sky it gave us a sensation of the “heebie jeebies”. Knowing the history of the area, from its time as the Collegiate School, then as a hotel, and finally as John Guy Vassar’s intended orphanage, it was easy to imagine how the park could have looked in the past. In the center of the pavilion, it was easy to find a plaque commemorating Guilford Dudley, who bequeathed $22,000 in his will to erect this structure.

A plaque found in the center of the pavilion.

In addition to visiting the pavilion and grounds at the top of the hill, we stopped by the rock garden farther down towards the entrance. At first it seemed like a particularly rocky area on the hill, but as we started walking among the clusters of stones and boulders we found that the rocks were placed with intention, forming a path for a stream from a dried up pool. Due to the timing of our visit, the trees and other greenery were not full of flowers and green leaves as they are meant to be, but during later spring and summer, it’s easy to imagine that this area would clearly blossom as a beautiful rock garden.

A plaque found in the garden.