Living Black History
Something to ponder during Black History Month: Prior to the abolition of slavery in New York in 1827, it was the largest slave-owning state north of the Mason Dixon line. The first 11 enslaved people arrived in New Amsterdam (now...
Tubman in Troy
With the November 2019 release of the movie Harriet, we remember the courageous action she took in 1860 in Troy, New York.
River Skating
Back in the winters when the Hudson River regularly froze over, ice skating on it was a major craze — especially in Newburgh, where the Donaghue family won national and international medals for their speed and endurance. But no feat...
Row Back
In mid-September, the Hudson River Rowing Association and The Mid-Hudson Rowing Association hosted a historic, 5,000-meter race along the course used from 1895 to 1951 by crews competing in the Intercollegiate Rowing Association’s annual championship. It was the first time in more...
First Women’s March
This Women’s History Month we’re honoring a pioneering group of suffragettes who were among the first to march for women in the U.S. On December 6, 1912, a group of 200-plus women began marching from Manhattan up the Hudson Valley...
Cruising History
For a little over a century — from 1863 to 1971, in fact—a cruise on the Hudson River Day Line was a must-do Hudson Valley experience. The side-wheel steamships that plied between Manhattan and Albany offered passengers live music, a...
Rock Solid
Did you know that Storm King Mountain has a rock named after it? Or that Storm King granite, which underlies the mountain and other peaks in the Hudson Highlands, happens to be one of the oldest rocks in the world?...
Past Inclinations
If you visited the summit of Mountain Beacon in 1902, likely as a traveler on the brand new incline railway (at the time, the world’s steepest funicular), this scene awaited your arrival. The park-like setting included fountains and pathways around...