Historic Environments

Our Field Experiences crew took advantage of a beautiful fall afternoon to tour the West Point Foundry in scenic Coldspring, NY. The West Point Foundry, now being reclaimed as a natural area/historic park by the Scenic Hudson group, was originally opened as an ironworks in 1817 to generate munitions for the then-fragile republic. As the production site operated over the following decades, its owners had little regard for the surrounding environment. The result, unfortunately, was a superfund site notorious for the world’s most hazardous cadmium dumping area.

It was in this situation that the folks at Scenic Hudson stepped in. The effort to regenerate the cite came with two goals: to document and preserve the historic relevance of the foundry, while promoting an environmental reclamation in keeping with Scenic Hudson’s vision of outdoor recreation.

The goal of historical preservation was done tactfully and with great care. Archaeological surveys of the areas surrounding the foundry yielded some 150,000 artifacts, which otherwise likely would have been lost. In addition to artifact collection, Scenic Hudson maintains the last remaining building of the foundry. The building (supervisors’ headquarters), which likely would have deteriorated both naturally and through vandalism, serves as a reminder of the rich history of the Hudson Valley.

Those responsible for the restoration, again with great attention to historical detail, constructed partial recreations of actual implements used in the foundry. Notably, a canon-testing apparatus and mill wheel.

With regards to the other goal of environmental protection and recreation, Scenic Hudson has done equally impressive work. After laboring extensively to clean up the site, they installed well-maintained systems of trails throughout the roughly 95 acre park. There are a variety of paths, catering to runners, hikers and bikers (some are even handicap-accessible). The trails allow for an appreciation for what reclaimed industrial land can offer. In addition, they provide access to some remarkable sights, only too common in the Hudson Valley. In that spirit, pictured below is a view of  the of the Hudson Highlands from the park, as well as waterfall along one of the trails.