New York National Heritage Areas (Non-Units)

6/22/2004 ... into downtown to the Erie Canal Museum (part of Erie Canalway NHC [and on the Erie Canal Heritage Trail NRT]). In an original weigh lock building on Erie Blvd. (which was the canal), nice exhibits on the canal and use of the building where barges were weighed. Replica of a barge and contents stood in the weighing area (with a model of a horse and guide across Erie on the sidewalk).

The museum (and a mule)

The weigh lock area

Ken at the controls ...

... and me relaxing

One of the museum exhibits

8/27/2009 … then headed off to Schenectady and the start of the Mohawk Towpath Byway [in the Erie Canalway NHC]. After a bit of travel in towns, we got alongside the Mohawk River and then the towpaths from the Erie Canal. We stopped at a Preserve to walk across a small bridge over one of the canals and viewed the other (a larger one was built after the other was considered too small). It was a nice place to walk around on a really beautiful day. We continued across the Northway, and after running right along the Mohawk for a bit, bailed on the last little part of the Byway.

The Byway sign ...

... and canal sign

The old canal ...

... and new

Me from the bridge ...

... and Ken on it

11/29/2010 First stop, Schoharie Crossing State Historic Site aka Erie Canal NHL (in the Erie Canalway NHC). This is where the old Canal crossed the Schoharie Creek in a calm pool created by a dam (we could see the ruins of the dam). When the canal flooded the canal would shut down, so when the Canal was expanded, an aqueduct was built downstream. We walked down for a view of those ruins and listened to history through cell phone. This area handled up to 30,000 barges a year and up to 60 at a time could wait hours to lock through near the aqueduct.

Ken by the park sign

A long look at the dam

Me and the dam a little closer

The ruins from across the river

7/26/2011 Quit at 3:00, drove to near Rome and Oriskany Battlefield NHL [in the Erie Canalway NHC]. This site marks the 1777 Battle of Oriskany, where Militia General Herkimer, leading a relief column to the besieged Fort Stanwix, was ambushed in a ravine by Iroquois chief Joseph Brant, leading a mixed group of Iroquois and Tories. We checked out the obelisk monument and read the interpretive info outside and in the small VC.

The park sign

Me taking ...

... a nice shot of the monument

Close-up of some detail

7/24/2019 then continued southwest to the Thruway, then west. Got off to go to Lock 8 on the Erie Canal, as part of the New York State Barge Canal NHL. The Landmark includes the 1905-1918 Erie, Champlain, Oswego, and Cayuga-Seneca canals, direct successors of canals built during the 1820s. The site is within the Erie Canalway NHC. I took a walk around the very clean and crisp-looking area, crossing over the canal and back on the lock gates.

Lock specs

A look upstream

The power house

Looking downstream

7/26/2019 From there continued east and stopped at Lock 8 in the Barge Canal NHL. These locks are really in very sharp, clean shape - quite impressive given their age. I noted the lock guy playing with the controls and started chatting with him - he pointed out a nice Four Winns coming downriver needing to lock through! The process didn’t take long and was fun and interesting to watch.

Lock area sign

Nice panorama, upstream left

Upstream gate

The dam and canal

Lock specs

Looking upstream

5/9/1997 Saratoga National Historical Park Down 32/787 to Albany and parked at Empire Plaza. Walked the underground concourse, up to Corning Tower observation deck for a nice view. Walked around nice displays about NYC, Mohawk Iroquois and other NY subjects in the State Museum. Over to the Capitol - beautiful, unique building. Walked around, saw Senate chambers. [Albany sites also in the Hudson River Valley NHA.]

Nice view from the tower

Indian diorama in the museum

The Capitol ...

... and Maureen inside

7/3/1998 Went to Tarrytown to see the Jay Gould Estate (Lyndhurst) NHL. This is a Gothic Revival country house designed in 1838 by Alexander Jackson Davis, once the home of railroad tycoon Jay Gould. The site is in the Hudson River Valley NHA.

The Estate sign

On the approach

Lyndhurst

6/5/1999 Headed back to Philipsburg Manor [NHL]. Got tickets for 11:15 Kykuit tour, then walked around the Manor. This is a restoration/reconstruction of a Dutch farm and mill from the Philipse family, who owned 52,000 acres along the Hudson. Back to the visitor center for early lunch. Got on the tour bus up to the Kykuit Mansion [John D. Rockefeller Estate NHL] (this and Philipsburg in the Hudson River Valley NHA). Built by J. D. Rockefeller and JDR Jr., this is a beautiful mansion and gardens with a magnificent view of the Hudson. Great tour guide. Saw much of the home, decorated with modern art from Nelson R. Particularly liked the large tapestries made from Picasso paintings.

Entering the Manor

The farm area

By the mill

Facade of Kykuit

Great views to the Hudson

One of the many sculptures

Another angle on the mansion

8/21/2006 On the Thruway down to Sleepy Hollow and Philipsburg Manor. Got tickets for 1:00 Kykuit tour then had café lunch. Walked into Philipsburg Manor [NHL] and saw excellent demo of grain mill, including actually starting up the wheel and grinding stones. Had to head back and catch the Kykuit [John D. Rockefeller Estate NHL] tour. Really great – excellent guide, and gorgeous cool, sunny, breezy day to walk around the house and especially gardens and sculpture areas. 50 mile views from the house over the Hudson. Back to the Manor to see the rest of the area, including the barn, animals, house and garden, boat building area. [Both sites are in the Hudson River Valley NHA.]

The mill in the Manor

The mill wheel ...

... and product

The manor house

The bridge back to ...

... Kykuit Mansion

Fountain in front of the Hudson

Mom, Kim and me looking in

The back of the mansion

Cool sculpture

Beautiful area to relax

The Cemetery sign

Arthur's grave

Interpretive signage

Me by the grave

4/7/2008 Parked at Empire Plaza and went to the NYS Museum. Very nice exhibits on the Adirondacks, Indians and NY City including artifacts from the WTC attack. Could have spent much more time but walked across the plaza [noting the Empire Plaza Art Collection] to (and through) the Capitol [New York State Capitol NHL]. [These sites are in the Hudson River Valley NHA, and Museum/Capitol in the Erie Canalway NHC.] Beautiful day with highs near 60.

The NHA sign

The State Museum sign

Ken in a mining vignette ...

... and me in an Indian lodge

Fire truck from 9/11

A piece of the WTC

The plaza ...

... with one of the art works

Ken on the plaza ...

... and me too

The NYS Capitol

9/27/2010 Next stop a short way to the Watervliet Arsenal [in the Hudson River Valley NHA]. We had to sign in and get badges at the guard booth, then drove to the Iron Building. The arsenal is from 1813, and in the Iron Building (built as a kit and shipped from Brooklyn) we saw a collection of various-sized guns, howitzers, cannon barrels and the like.

The Arsenal

Arsenal sign inside

An old cannon ...

... and a new, bigger one!

10/25/2010 Off the Thruway, across the river into Rensselaer and stopped at Fort Crailo (NHL). This is a fortified manor house built in 1712 and later added to. It is known as the place where “Yankee Doodle” was written. [The site is in the Hudson River Valley NHA]. Took some photos in cool, overcast weather, then headed back into Albany.

The park sign

The manor house

Ken out back ...

... and me in the front

7/11/2011 Up the Thruway, then east and south to Poughkeepsie and Locust Grove (Samuel F. B. Morse House NHL). We looked around a small museum at the VC, including art masterpieces by Morse (quite a surprise) and the more expected displays on the telegraph. We then walked to and around the house, designed for Morse by Alexander Jackson Davis in an Italianate style and completed in 1851. The house has nice views of the Hudson and attractive landscaping. Franklin D. Roosevelt

Locust Grove sign

The house from the front ...

... and the back

A look inside

The Roosevelt park sign

Me hangin' with the Roosevelts

The library under renovation!

Roosevelt's oval office

Ready for a chat

7/14/2011 Off at Harriman and east to the Hudson River, stopping first at Fort Montgomery NHL. This is a fortification built on the Hudson during the Revolution. In October 1777 this fort and Fort Clinton across the river were lost to the British, but the battle was key in slowing them down, leading them to the loss at Saratoga. We checked out the VC, then walked around the rocky area where the fort was. There wasn’t much left here but some stone foundations, but there is interesting interpretive signage and it was enjoyable walking around the woods with views of the river and the Bear Mountain Bridge. From there we drove over the bridge and parked a short distance north where the Appalachian Trail drops out of the woods on a steep hillside. We walked a tiny bit on the trail there, then parked at the east end of the bridge and walked the AT towards the center of the river, with excellent views on a clear day. Continuing south we arrived at the Stony Point Battlefield NHL, the location of the 1779 Battle of Stony Point during the Revolutionary War. Note: this location as well as Fort Montgomery, Locust Grove and the FDR Museum/Library are in the Hudson River Valley NHA. Stony Point is the site of one of the last battles in the northeastern colonies, General Anthony Wayne led the infantry in a July 1779 midnight attack on the British, seizing the site's fortifications and taking the soldiers prisoner. Walking up a hill we first checked out a mock British encampment, all set for anniversary reenactment stuff in a couple days. We also walked up further to a little lighthouse sitting high on a promontory bluff with nice views of the river on three sides.

For Montgomery sign

Structure foundations

Ken and me by the cannons

Protecting the river approach

Stony Point sign

Recreated camp area ...

... with me by a tent

The pretty lighthouse

8/8/2011 First stop, Slabsides NHL in West Park. I had the waypoint on the right road; unfortunately the road over the mountain didn’t continue through over the top. A little cell phone Googling and GPS updates brought us to John Burroughs Sanctuary. We walked a short distance along a trail through the woods to Slabsides. The simple one-story log cabin built by naturalist John Burroughs and his son is named for the rough bark-covered lumber strips covering its outer walls. The cabin is in a pretty location (albeit a bit buggy on this day) and the cabin construction is quite rustic and interesting. Continuing north we headed to Coxsackie and the Bronck House NHL, a Dutch homestead with a stone house built by Pieter Bronck in 1663, and a brick section added in 1738. We walked around the grounds and checked out the house on a warm, muggy day. Both parts of the house, the stone and the brick, are quite interesting and in good shape.

Slabsides sign

Me on the porch from the front ...

... and Ken from the side

Rustic porch

Detail of the foundation

Bronck House sign

The front of the house

Some of the construction details

A look inside

Ken around back

8/11/2011 Breakfast at hotel, on the Thruway at 7:30. A beautiful day for a drive and seeing NHLs. Into Newburgh and stopped at the Dutch Reformed Church NHL. Designed by Alexander Jackson Davis in 1835 in the Greek Revival style, it faces down the Hudson at arriving ships, and was meant to echo the similar marine outreach of the Parthenon. This once fine building is in sad shape, surrounded by chain link fence. All we could do was take a few photos and move on. A short distance away is a very pretty park area overlooking the Hudson around Washington’s Headquarters NHL/State Historic Site. This site consists of the Hasbrouck House, the longest-serving headquarters of George Washington during the Revolutionary War, and three other structures, including a monument named the "Tower of Victory". We checked out the attractive stone house, as well as the monument commemorating Washington’s stay, and enjoyed the nice surroundings with views of the Hudson on a beautiful day. From Newburgh we drove a little more to New Windsor and Knox Headquarters NHL/State Historic Site. On the property is the Georgian house of the Ellison family, built in 1754, used as a general's headquarters throughout most of the Revolutionary War by Henry Knox, Nathanael Greene and Horatio Gates. Not much to do here but a photo-op and a short walk on a trail crossing a little stream which used to be the King’s Highway passing in front of the house. [Note: all five sites we visited on this trip are in the Hudson River Valley NHA.]

The Church sign

Nice church, sad shape

Classic front

The Washington's Headquarters sign

The house and grounds

Ken and me in the window

A view from the back

Me and the monument

The Knox's Headquarters sign

The headquarters home

Detail of the structure

2/23/2012 ... then down to New Paltz as the day turned dry and warm. Parked short of my destination (not realizing it), then lost the car for a while, but finally realized my error and moved down to Huguenot Street for the Jean Hasbrouck House NHL and Huguenot Street Historic District [in the Hudson River Valley NHA]. The Hudson Valley Dutch architecture Jean Hasbrouck House was built in 1721 by Huguenot Jean Hasbrouck's son Jacob. The seven stone houses and several accompanying structures in the district were built in the early 18th century by Huguenot settlers fleeing discrimination and religious persecution in France and Belgium.

Hasbrouck House sign ...

... and the house

Another historic house ...

... and another ...

... and another ...

... and another

7/25/2012 … then headed down to Albany and the Philip Schuyler Mansion NHL. The house was constructed in 1761 for the general in the Continental Army and early U.S. Senator, who resided there from 1763 until his death in 1804. More photos here, then over to the river and parked at the USS Slater (DE-766) NHL. This is a Cannon-class destroyer escort, launched in February 1944, that served in the United States Navy in WWII and later in the Greek Navy, and was named for Frank O. Slater, a sailor killed during the Battle of Guadalcanal. I just caught up to a tour and spent over an hour and a half on a great tour. We went throughout the ship with very interesting stories and descriptions of life on a DE. [The Mansion and Slater are in the Hudson River Valley NHA, and the Mansion in the Erie Canalway NHC.]

Schuyler Mansion sign

The Mansion

A front view

USS Slater

Nice rope work

Big deck gun

Sailors' quarters

The bridge

Depth charges

A view from the deck

7/25/2015 The last stop of the day was back in Katonah at the John Jay Homestead NHL/State Historic Site, one of the sites in the Hudson River Valley National Historic Area. Also known as Bedford House, it was the home of the statesman and first Chief Justice of the U.S. There were tours offered, but we preferred to just walk around the outside of the house and gardens. We also saw a brief but informative film in the visitor center.

The park sign

The home and front grounds

Some historic info

The house close up

John Jay

7/2/2016 Went a short way to Hudson to visit Olana, the Frederick E. Church House NHL. (Note: all of the NHLs are also in the Hudson River Valley NHA) One of the few intact artists' home-, studio- and estate-complexes in the U.S., the eclectic villa was the 1860s home of one of the major figures in the Hudson River School of landscape painting. We took a stroll around the grounds, seeing fantastic views of the river and the Catskills. We then went inside on our timed self-guided tour. This was really enjoyable - docents in each room provided all the info we needed as we viewed the artwork and furnishings, including Church's paintings supplies. After the tour we walked through the gardens, then got back on the road north to Kinderhook for the Van Alen House NHL. This is an historic Dutch brick farmhouse built in about 1737 and believed to have served as the inspiration for the Van Tassel homestead in The Legend of Sleepy Hollow Very pretty grounds here, which we enjoyed while checking out the house and Ichabod Crane Schoolhouse.

7/3/2016 Drove down the Thruway then over the river to Montgomery Place NHL. This is an early 19th-century estate with a Federal-style house, and the only Hudson Valley house from this era that survives intact. We walked along paths on another beautiful day to the mansion for our photos. The original Federal mansion had been expanded, and we really liked the side porch with comfy furniture overlooking the Hudson. We continued our walk by going through the woods heading down to the Sawkill Creek for a view of the falls (actually a cascade). Back to the car and drove a little north to Clermont NHL. Established by Robert Livingston in 1728, this is the former estate of the Livingston family, seven generations of whom lived on the site during more than two centuries. We checked out the mansion, then walked around the gardens (not too impressive) and enjoyed the views of the Catskills over the river (very impressive). Driving further south to Rhinebeck to stopped at Wilderstein, a beautiful 19th-century Queen-Anne-style country house on Hudson. This is a representative site in the Hudson River Historic District, the largest such district on the mainland of the U.S. extending inland roughly a mile from the east bank of the Hudson River between Staatsburg and Germantown. The detail and quality on the house is impressive, with great color and use of materials. We strolled around here a little, then hit the road home.

Olana

Lykas Van Alen House

Montgomery Place

Clermont

Wilderstein

5/28/2017 ... then drove a short way to Sunnyside NHL, in the Hudson River Valley NHA. This cottage-like estate was home of author Washington Irving and shows Dutch Colonial Revival, Scottish Gothic and Tudor Revival influences. We got the first tour at 10:00 by a very informative guide in periods dress. She took us down to the home right on the river, and we toured each of the rooms, learning a lot about Irving.

The site sign

Me photoing ...

... the NHL plaque

The cottage front ...

... and rear

Me and Mom out back

One more view

8/26/2017 ... then drove a short distance to Van Cortlandt Manor NHL, in the Hudson River Valley NHA. The stone and brick Manor house was built before 1732 on a 1000 acre tract of the original 86,000 acre Van Cortlandt holding. We walked around a little, the property being decorated by a gazillion fake carved pumpkins in all sort of arrangements, then headed to the house for the 10:30 tour. There was nothing particularly noteworthy about the house or tour, but it was interesting nevertheless. The tour also included the little ferry house for crossing the Croton River, which also had a tavern/inn.

The site sign

The Manor from the front

Mom and me

Porch detail

Me photoing ...

... the NHL plaque

9/9/2017 Continued up a little more to Philipstown and Manitoga, the Russel Wright House and Studio NHL, and in the Hudson River Valley NHA. This synthesis of architecture and nature was the estate and modernist home of the industrial designer. We signed in at the small VC, and after another 13 people showed up we watched a short video about the life of Russel Wright and Manitoga. We then started on a hike, circling around the Quarry Pond and up the steep hill on paths and stone steps. We got some nice views of the studio/home nestled into the landscape, then continued to circle around to tour the buildings. There are are lot of unique and very interesting ideas implemented in both, on a multi-level layout with fantastic views of the pond and forest.

The site sign

The view from the pond

On the nature path

The house from the nature path

Natural covered roof

Me at the Studio

Studio and Quarry Pond

Wright Studio

What a view from the bath!

A view down to the dining area

More beautiful views from inside

View from the lower patio

7/20/2020 First stop, the exciting ... Adams Power Plant NHL, in the Niagara Falls NHA. This is the only remaining structure that was part of the 1895 Edward Dean Adams Power Plant, the first large-scale, alternating current electric generating plant in the world. All we could do here was take photos through a chain link fence. I walked along the fence, and as Ken was moving the car he was getting stern looks from a security guard, so after a few more photos away from his security booth we moved on ... Whirlpool State Park ... For more sites in the NHA, we drove into Lewiston and stopped at two nice bronze statue memorial areas. Both in the NHA, and the first on the Great Lakes Seaway Trail NSB. Tuscarora Heroes Monument is a testament of thanksgiving from the people of Lewiston to the Tuscarora Nation for saving the lives of dozens of local residents during the War of 1812 British attack on December 19, 1813. Freedom Crossing Monument honors the courage of fugitive slaves who sought a new life of freedom in Canada, and to the local volunteers who protected and helped them on their journey across the Niagara River.

A couple of long views ...

... of the Adams Power Plant

A side view ...

... and one nicely cleaned up

Tuscarora Heroes Monument

Ken having fun ...

... and me too

Interpretive sign for ...

Freedom Crossing Monument

Another view of the monument

A close up of all the detail

National Heritage Areas (Non-Units) - New York