Reed Reports -- April 2008

And the ANSWER is...

Scenic Hudson member Tom Rupolo of Brooklyn was the first to identify this photo as being at Scenic Hudson's Four-Mile Point Preserve near Coxsackie (Greene).

The Pine Grove Ice House once stood on the land that's now Scenic Hudson's Four-Mile Point Preserve, so named because it's at the midpoint in the eight-mile sail between Coxsackie (where the park's located) and Hudson. During its heyday at the turn of the 20th century, up to 55,000 tons of ice -- sawn out of the river in giant blocks during winter's deep freeze -- were stored there before being barged downriver to keep Manhattan cool. When electric refrigeration made ice-harvesting obsolete, the windowless building proved perfect for cultivating mushrooms. Today only its foundation remains.

Congratulations to Tom Rupolo of Brooklyn for being the first to respond with the correct answer. Tom won an autographed copy of Reed Sparling's Hudson Valley Voyage: Through the Seasons, Through the Years. Try your luck with our May challenge!