Honoring the Past

From Freedom to “Twelve Years a Slave” to Liberation

Editor’s Note: This article contains mentions of slavery that, while not graphic, may be disturbing. Few could describe the horrors of enslavement more vividly than Solomon Northup, author of Twelve Years a Slave. Published in 1853, the year Northup secured...

The Hudson Valley’s Biggest-Ever Blizzard

Nobody saw it coming. After all, it was your typical mid-March — cool temperatures, but with a hint of spring in the air. Trees were showing signs of budding, and river ice was fast disappearing, raising expectations that steamboats soon...

The Unlikely History of “Skate Sailing” Upstate

Water + wind = speed For centuries, that equation has driven sport in the Hudson Valley. Today it motivates people who go windsurfing, haul historic ice boats out of storage, or set sail on pocket-sized Sunfish dinghies. Sadly, the curtain...

Latino Culture-Bearers Celebrate the Valley’s Proud Hispanic Heritage

There’s plenty to celebrate in the Hudson Valley during National Hispanic Heritage Month and beyond — landmark firsts, pioneering people, groups that share traditions from their ancestral homelands, and a fascinating history going back three centuries. Here are some singular achievements,...

Why Each Enduring Hudson River Lighthouse Is So Special

To keep passengers and cargo safe during their travels on the Hudson River, mariners once relied on more than a dozen lighthouses alerting them to hazards that could doom a ship. Today, only seven of these historic beacons remain.  Fortunately,...

Pioneering Female Astronomer’s Legacy Lives On

From the beginning, stargazing has been part of the curriculum at Poughkeepsie’s Vassar College. That’s because Maria Mitchell — America’s first female professional astronomer — was one of nine instructors selected to join the school’s founding faculty in 1865. Along...

A Spin Around the Classic Riverfront Amusement Parks

The Hudson Valley’s modern riverside parks (15 of which Scenic Hudson partnered to help create) have become places where people flock to enjoy green space and water views. In the early 20th century, a different kind of attraction drew people to...