The Redcoats are coming! A cry heard up and down the Hudson Valley as Patriots fought the British in battles throughout the region during the Revolutionary War.
George Washington commanded the war from this strategic area, living close to the troops that would bring our nation to independence. Over 200 years later, feel the charge in the air as you walk the battlefields. Sense the life of a Patriot as you tour one of their homes, and learn about the Hudson Valley’s important role in the founding of our country.
Day One
The Revolution was fought over farmland and through towns, requiring the makeshift use of local buildings to accommodate the effort. Chief among these was Saint Paul's Church in Mount Vernon, used as a hospital during the war. Now restored and a National Historic Site, visitors experience the human side of the war through interpretive tours and reenactments. The sound of cannon fire would not be too far away from the hospital at Stony Point Battlefield where Mad Anthony Wayne captured this British-held fort. A museum displays relics of the battle, and you can also visit the first lighthouse built on the Hudson River.
Less than an hour away is West Point where the United States Military Academy sits imposingly above the Hudson River. General George Washington considered West Point to be the most important strategic position in America and transferred his headquarters there in l779. It’s the oldest continuously occupied military post in America. The guided tour includes stops at the Cadet Chapel and Trophy Point, giving you an inside glimpse of life at this world renowned academy. On return to the center, be sure to visit the West Pont Museum which houses the world’s largest collection of military memorabilia.
Enjoy lunch or an overnight at West Point’s Thayer Hotel on the grounds of the academy. The dining room commands sweeping views of the Hudson River. Fort Montgomery is just down the road, a wonderfully interpreted battlefield where the battle that turned the war was fought. Be sure to visit Washington’s Headquarters (the home where he lived with Martha) in Newburgh and the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor in New Windsor. Both give fascinating incites to the life and times of the Revolution.
Day Two
A short drive from West Point is the 1714 Gomez Mill House, home to patriots of the American Revolution and the earliest existing Jewish residence in North America. The house was used by slaves, statesmen and writers, and its charming mill was used to create small batches of paper.
Kingston is just an hour away, the first capitol of New York State. The Senate House served as meeting place for the first New York State Senate, and its museum contains exhibits relating to that event. Nearby is the Old Dutch Church where many a Patriot worshipped. George Clinton, the first governor of New York is buried here.
After lunch at a waterside restaurant on the Rondout Landing, your next destination is New Paltz, a half hour away. Visit the 1814 Federal style Hasbrouck Mansion owned by an American patriot and located next door to Terwilliger House, built in 1738. The latter is a fine example of early Hudson River Valley architecture. A stroll down Huguenot Street takes you past architecturally significant stone houses from the 1700s and the beautiful French Church.
Day Three
The Bronck Museum in Coxsackie is a short ride from New Paltz. A complex of Dutch colonial dwellings and barns, it includes the oldest surviving Dutch house in the Hudson Valley. Several buildings precede the Revolutionary War, showing what life was like before our country was founded. A half hour away, interesting restaurants are available throughout Albany for lunch. No visit would be complete without a visit to the New York State Museum, the oldest and largest state museum in the country. And don’t forget to take a tour of the New York State Capitol, the result of the Revolution that ended over 200 years ago. Across the river in Rensselaer, experience life as a Dutch Colonial at Crailo State Historic Site. Visitors will be fascinated with newly uncovered information from 400 years ago, engaging interactive displays, the newly restored colonial-revival Dutch house, and beautifully landscaped exterior.
These are just a few highlights of forts, redoubts, homes and museums of the Revolutionary War. Find more Hudson Valley history to visit on our web site at www.TravelHudsonValley.com .
RESOURCES
Saint Paul's Church National Historic Site, Mount Vernon. 914-667-4116
www.nps.gov/sapa
Stony Point Battlefield, Stony Point. 845-786-2521
www.palisadesparksconservancy.org
United States Military Academy, West Point. 845-446-4724
www.westpointtours.com
Thayer Hotel, West Point. 800-247-5047
www.thethayerhotel.com
Fort Montgomery, (in Fort Montgomery). 845-446-2134
www.palisadesparksconservancy.org
Washington’s Headquarters, Newburgh. 845-562-1195
www.palisadesparksconservancy.org
National Purple Heart Hall of Honor, New Windsor. 845-561-1765
www.palisadesparksconservancy.org
Gomez Mill House, Marlboro. 845-236-3126
www.gomez.org
Senate House, Kingston. 845-338-2786
www.palisadesparksconservancy.org
Old Dutch Church, Kingston. 845-334-9355
Hasbrouck Mansion, New Paltz. 845-255-1660
www.huguenotstreet.org
Terwilliger House, New Paltz. 845-255-1660
www.huguenotstreet.org
Huguenot Street, New Paltz. 845-255-1660
www.huguenotstreet.org
Bronck Museum,Coxsackie. 518-731-6490
www.gchistory.org/barns.php
New York State Museum, Albany. 518-474-5877
www.nysm.nysed.gov
New York State Capitol, Albany. 518-474-2418
http://www.ogs.state.ny.us/visiting/cultural/tourscapitol.html
Crailo State Historic Site, Rensselaer. 518-463-8738
www.nysparks.com
