BGuthrie Photos: NY -- Cold Spring -- West Point Foundry Preserve

NY -- Cold Spring -- West Point Foundry Preserve:

Bruce Guthrie Photos Home Page: [Click here] to go to Bruce Guthrie Photos home page.

Recognize anyone? If you recognize specific folks (or other stuff) and I haven't labeled them, please identify them for the world. Click the little pencil icon

underneath the file name (just above the picture). Spammers need not apply.

Copyrights: All pictures were taken by amateur photographer Bruce Guthrie (me!) who retains copyright on them. Free for non-commercial use with attribution. See the [Creative Commons] definition of what this means. "Photos (c) Bruce Guthrie" is fine for attribution. (Commercial use folks including AI scrapers can of course contact me.) Feel free to use in publications and pages with attribution but you don't have permission to sell the photos themselves. A free copy of any printed publication using any photographs is requested. Descriptive text, if any, is from a mixture of sources, quite frequently from signs at the location or from official web sites; copyrights, if any, are retained by their original owners.

Accessing as Spider: The system has identified your IP as being a spider.
IP Address: 18.218.129.100 -- Domain: Amazon Technologies
I love well-behaved spiders! They are, in fact, how most people find my site. Unfortunately, my network has a limited bandwidth and pictures take up bandwidth. Spiders ask for lots and lots of pages and chew up lots and lots of bandwidth which slows things down considerably for regular folk. To counter this, you'll see all the text on the page but the images are being suppressed. Also, some system options like merges are being blocked for you.
Note: Permission is NOT granted for spiders, robots, etc to use the site for AI-generation purposes. I'm sure you're thrilled by your ability to make revenue from my work but there's nothing in that for my human users or for me.
If you are in fact human, please email me at guthrie.bruce@gmail.com and I can check if your designation was made in error. Given your number of hits, that's unlikely but what the hell.

Help? The Medium (Email) links are for screen viewing and emailing. You'll want bigger sizes for printing. [Click here for additional help]

[1] WPFP_160918_002_STITCH.JPG

[2] WPFP_160918_007_STITCH.JPG

[3] WPFP_160918_008_STITCH.JPG

[4] WPFP_160918_010_STITCH.JPG

[5] WPFP_160918_011_STITCH.JPG

[6] WPFP_160918_012_STITCH.JPG

[7] WPFP_160918_020.JPG	[8] WPFP_160918_022.JPG	[9] WPFP_160918_024.JPG
[10] WPFP_160918_028.JPG	[11] WPFP_160918_034.JPG	[12] WPFP_160918_036.JPG
[13] WPFP_160918_041.JPG	[14] WPFP_160918_048.JPG	[15] WPFP_160918_051.JPG
[16] WPFP_160918_052.JPG	[17] WPFP_160918_055.JPG	[18] WPFP_160918_058.JPG
[19] WPFP_160918_062.JPG	[20] WPFP_160918_065.JPG	[21] WPFP_160918_068.JPG
[22] WPFP_160918_072.JPG	[23] WPFP_160918_074.JPG	[24] WPFP_160918_076.JPG
[25] WPFP_160918_079.JPG	[26] WPFP_160918_081.JPG	[27] WPFP_160918_086.JPG
[28] WPFP_160918_089.JPG	[29] WPFP_160918_092.JPG	[30] WPFP_160918_096.JPG
[31] WPFP_160918_108.JPG	[32] WPFP_160918_112.JPG	[33] WPFP_160918_125.JPG
[34] WPFP_160918_129.JPG	[35] WPFP_160918_136.JPG	[36] WPFP_160918_143.JPG
[37] WPFP_160918_147.JPG	[38] WPFP_160918_149.JPG	[39] WPFP_160918_151.JPG
[40] WPFP_160918_154.JPG	[41] WPFP_160918_157.JPG	[42] WPFP_160918_159.JPG
[43] WPFP_160918_162.JPG	[44] WPFP_160918_165.JPG	[45] WPFP_160918_168.JPG
[46] WPFP_160918_171.JPG	[47] WPFP_160918_172.JPG	[48] WPFP_160918_176.JPG
[49] WPFP_160918_178.JPG	[50] WPFP_160918_180.JPG	[51] WPFP_160918_185.JPG
[52] WPFP_160918_187.JPG	[53] WPFP_160918_190.JPG	[54] WPFP_160918_195.JPG
[55] WPFP_160918_197.JPG	[56] WPFP_160918_205.JPG	[57] WPFP_160918_207.JPG
[58] WPFP_160918_210.JPG	[59] WPFP_160918_214.JPG	[60] WPFP_160918_215.JPG
[61] WPFP_160918_216.JPG	[62] WPFP_160918_219.JPG	[63] WPFP_160918_223.JPG
[64] WPFP_160918_225.JPG	[65] WPFP_160918_227.JPG	[66] WPFP_160918_233.JPG
[67] WPFP_160918_238.JPG	[68] WPFP_160918_240.JPG	[69] WPFP_160918_244.JPG
[70] WPFP_160918_246.JPG	[71] WPFP_160918_249.JPG	[72] WPFP_160918_253.JPG
[73] WPFP_160918_254.JPG	[74] WPFP_160918_255.JPG	[75] WPFP_160918_260.JPG
[76] WPFP_160918_263.JPG	[77] WPFP_160918_266.JPG	[78] WPFP_160918_269.JPG
[79] WPFP_160918_271.JPG	[80] WPFP_160918_276.JPG	[81] WPFP_160918_278.JPG
[82] WPFP_160918_280.JPG	[83] WPFP_160918_288.JPG	[84] WPFP_160918_293.JPG
[85] WPFP_160918_300.JPG	[86] WPFP_160918_304.JPG	[87] WPFP_160918_307.JPG
[88] WPFP_160918_311.JPG	[89] WPFP_160918_313.JPG	[90] WPFP_160918_315.JPG
[91] WPFP_160918_317.JPG	[92] WPFP_160918_320.JPG	[93] WPFP_160918_325.JPG
[94] WPFP_160918_328.JPG	[95] WPFP_160918_331.JPG	[96] WPFP_160918_332.JPG
[97] WPFP_160918_336.JPG	[98] WPFP_160918_341.JPG	[99] WPFP_160918_344.JPG
[100] WPFP_160918_346.JPG	[101] WPFP_160918_348.JPG	[102] WPFP_160918_349.JPG
[103] WPFP_160918_350.JPG	[104] WPFP_160918_353.JPG	[105] WPFP_160918_356.JPG
[106] WPFP_160918_358.JPG	[107] WPFP_160918_361.JPG	[108] WPFP_160918_362.JPG
[109] WPFP_160918_363.JPG	[110] WPFP_160918_364.JPG	[111] WPFP_160918_367.JPG
[112] WPFP_160918_371.JPG	[113] WPFP_160918_379.JPG	[114] WPFP_160918_382.JPG
[115] WPFP_160918_385.JPG	[116] WPFP_160918_391.JPG	[117] WPFP_160918_393.JPG
[118] WPFP_160918_396.JPG	[119] WPFP_160918_397.JPG	[120] WPFP_160918_401.JPG
[121] WPFP_160918_404.JPG	[122] WPFP_160918_406.JPG	[123] WPFP_160918_409.JPG
[124] WPFP_160918_411.JPG	[125] WPFP_160918_413.JPG	[126] WPFP_160918_416.JPG
[127] WPFP_160918_418.JPG	[128] WPFP_160918_424.JPG	[129] WPFP_160918_432.JPG
[130] WPFP_160918_434.JPG	[131] WPFP_160918_437.JPG	[132] WPFP_160918_439.JPG
[133] WPFP_160918_444.JPG	[134] WPFP_160918_449.JPG	[135] WPFP_160918_450.JPG
[136] WPFP_160918_453.JPG	[137] WPFP_160918_458.JPG	[138] WPFP_160918_461.JPG
[139] WPFP_160918_464.JPG	[140] WPFP_160918_467.JPG	[141] WPFP_160918_471.JPG
[142] WPFP_160918_473.JPG	[143] WPFP_160918_475.JPG	[144] WPFP_160918_480.JPG
[145] WPFP_160918_483.JPG	[146] WPFP_160918_485.JPG	[147] WPFP_160918_488.JPG
[148] WPFP_160918_491.JPG	[149] WPFP_160918_494.JPG	[150] WPFP_160918_496.JPG
[151] WPFP_160918_516.JPG	[152] WPFP_160918_519.JPG	[153] WPFP_160918_523.JPG
[154] WPFP_160918_526.JPG

Specific picture descriptions: Photos above with "i" icons next to the bracketed sequence numbers (e.g. "[1] ") are described as follows:
1. WPFP_160918_022.JPG: WPFP Scenic Hudson West Point Foundry Preserve
2. WPFP_160918_024.JPG: Jewel of the Hudson West Point Foundry's 1911 closing was a blow to Cold Spring, although many found work with the Hudson River Railroad and other industries. With the influx of new businesses in the Hudson Valley following World War II, the village began to enjoy a rebirth. (Residents also were attracted by the 80-minute commute to jobs in New York City.) Recognizing the uniqueness of Cold Spring – it's been hailed as one of the "best preserved 19th-century townscapes in the Hudson River region" – a large portion of the village, encompassing more than 200 buildings, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982. Today it is one of Putnam County's prime tourist destinations, drawing visitors who enjoy the shops and restaurants along Main Street. Magnificent river views from its outstanding opportunities to connect with nature, either by launching a kayak or hiking in the Hudson Highlands. The trails and exciting interpretive features within Scenic Hudson's 87-acre West Point Foundry Preserve are intended to connect people with Cold Spring's fascinating heritage and awe-inspiring natural beauty. All images from the collection of the Putnam History Museum.
3. WPFP_160918_028.JPG: A Foundry and a Community Cold Spring has a long history of settlement. While little more than a small river hamlet at the turn of the 19th century, it experienced great change in the ensuing decades after New Yorker Gouverneur Kemble incorporated the West Point Foundry in 1817. It occupied the steep ravine fed by Foundry Brook, using the abundant waterpower to drive its blast furnace, water wheel and other machinery. One of the great centers of innovation in early American industry. West Point Foundry was a metal-working powerhouse, creating machinery, cannons and shells on a vast scale, employing hundreds of skilled technicians and laborers. Cold Spring and West Point Foundry grew together by leaps and bounds. The substantial labor force required housing, supplies and places for worship and education -- but what they needed most was a community. Many of the historic buildings in today's Cold Spring were erected for the foundry workers and their families, and it could be argued that Cold Spring is one of America's early "company towns." And although the foundry fell into disuse and was abandoned in the early 20th century, members of the Cold Spring community have taken initiative to preserve the village's architectural heritage and advocate for environmental responsibility. To learn more about Cold Spring's past, visit the Putnam History Museum, located at 63 Chestnut Street.
4. WPFP_160918_048.JPG: This gateway to West Point Foundry Preserve is a 14,920 foot long trail along the former "Haul Road." The trail slope along most of its length exceeds American Disabilities Act (ADA) guidelines. From this point to the Chestnut Street, the trail ascends 100 feet in elevation. There are two alternative access points which are both ADA compliant: from the village of Cold Spring Train Station and from the Preserve parking lot at the end of Kemble Avenue.
5. WPFP_160918_062.JPG: History of West Point Foundry A Birthplace of American Industry Water and Power West Point Foundry was one of America's great early ironworks. An internationally renowned center of innovation and manufacturing, it's been called the Silicon Valley of its day. Shortly after the War of 1812, President James Madison recognized that quality heavy artillery was key to modern warfare, and that national security depended on a steady and reliable supply of ordinance. He set out to find four sites for the establishment of foundries to supply guns and munitions. Cold Spring was an ideal location: It was close to sources of iron ore; the region's abundant hardwood forests could supply charcoal; Margaret Brook (later named Furnace Brook and then Foundry Brook) supplied waterpower to drive foundry machinery; its finished goods could be easily transported down the Hudson River; and it was well-protected by the looming presence of the U.S. Military Academy on the opposite shore. Gouverneur Kemble (right) incorporated the West Point Foundry Association in 1817. With $100,000 in capital raised from investors, he began an enterprise that over the course of the next century defined not only the growth and character of Cold Spring, but also the industrial might of a prospering nation. The foundry was one of the first businesses to develop the principle of vertical integration – maintaining all facets of manufacturing, from raw materials to finished products and their distribution channels – within a single company. The Gun that Won the War West Point Foundry proved its strength at military production during the Civil War, when it mass-produced rifled cannons developed and patented by foundry Superintendent Robert Parrott. Providing greater distance, power and accuracy, the Parrott guns are credited with giving the Union Army and Navy the military advantage necessary for victory. The weapons' importance was recognized by President Lincoln, who witnessed a demonstration of the Parrott gun at the foundry in 1862. By war's end, West Point Foundry had manufactured nearly 1,700 cannons and 1.3 million projectiles ranging in weight from 10 to 300 pounds. Interestingly, West Point Foundry not only produced the guns on the U.S.S. Monitor but the engines that propelled the U.S.S. Merrimack, renamed the Virginia by the Confederate Navy. The two met in the first-ever battle between ironclad warships on March 9, 1862. A Center of Innovation Military ordinance was not all the foundry produced. It won contracts to manufacture steam engines, as well as the nation's first iron ship, the cutter Spencer. The first American locomotive, the Best Friend, also was constructed at the foundry, as was the record-setting Experiment, which in 1832 reached the astonishing speed of 80 miles per hour. In addition, the foundry manufactured miles of cast-iron piping for New York's water system, machinery for cotton and sugar mills, and components for use in cast iron furniture and architecture, some of which still grace building facades in lower Manhattan today. At its peak, the foundry employed more than 1,000 workers and had the capacity to produce 10,000 tons of cast iron per year. The Emergence of Steel Following the Civil War, the foundry declined because of a reduction in orders from the military and competition from the emerging steel industry. In 1897 the business was purchased by J.B. & W.W. Cornell & Co., manufacturers of machinery and architectural iron. It closed in 1911; over the ensuing decades, the site housed other industries before its eventual abandonment. In time the foundry's ruins became woven among the forest seen today. All images, except where noted, from the collection of the Putnam History Museum. West Point Foundry Preserve The West Point Foundry site has undergone profound changes in recent decades. After years of contamination by heavy-metal poisoning, caused by the former Marathon Battery Company plant (located on nearby land), Foundry Cove was declared an EPA Superfund site. From 1994-1996 the cove underwent extensive dredging and remediation that restored the tidal wetlands, key habitats and, gradually, the river's health. Scenic Hudson purchased the 87-acre foundry site in 1996 to ensure its protection. With the help of many volunteers, it removed heaps of debris dumped on the property over the decades and created West Point Foundry Preserve. From 2001-2008, the Industrial Archaeology Program at Michigan Technological University – with Scenic Hudson's sponsorship – conducted intensive surveys and investigations of the foundry's surviving ruins, opening a window onto its evolving operations and Cold Spring's early history. In 2013 Scenic Hudson completed major site improvements that make West Point Foundry Preserve a national model of sustainable landscape design and management – and provide lasting benefits. Its spacious gathering areas and innovative interpretive elements serve as an "outdoor classrooms," where lessons in industrial history, the Civil War and the environment come alive. It offers another exciting tourism destination in Cold Spring and Putnam County. Perhaps above all, it is a magnificent place to connect with the beauty and spiritual power of nature. To learn more about West Point Foundry and see examples of its output – from Parrott gun projectiles to cast iron furniture – visit the Putnam History Museum, which features a permanent foundry exhibition as well as a research library containing archival material related to the ironworks. Founded in 1906 to collect, preserve and present to the public historical and cultural material pertaining to Putnam County, the museum is located at 63 Chestnut Street (stop 8 on the Red Trail) in the former schoolhouse built for foundry apprentices and employees' children. The museum also organizes changing exhibitions and provides educational programming for the public.
6. WPFP_160918_065.JPG: The Emergence of Steel Following the Civil War, the foundry declined because of a reduction in orders from the military and competition from the emerging steel industry. In 1897 the business was purchased by J.B. & W.W. Cornell & Co., manufacturers of machinery and architectural iron. It closed in 1911; over the ensuing decades, the site housed other industries before its eventual abandonment. In time the foundry's ruins became woven among the forest seen today. All images, except where noted, from the collection of the Putnam History Museum.
7. WPFP_160918_068.JPG: A Center of Innovation Military ordinance was not all the foundry produced. It won contracts to manufacture steam engines, as well as the nation's first iron ship, the cutter Spencer. The first American locomotive, the Best Friend, also was constructed at the foundry, as was the record-setting Experiment, which in 1832 reached the astonishing speed of 80 miles per hour. In addition, the foundry manufactured miles of cast-iron piping for New York's water system, machinery for cotton and sugar mills, and components for use in cast iron furniture and architecture, some of which still grace building facades in lower Manhattan today. At its peak, the foundry employed more than 1,000 workers and had the capacity to produce 10,000 tons of cast iron per year.
8. WPFP_160918_072.JPG: The Gun that Won the War West Point Foundry proved its strength at military production during the Civil War, when it mass-produced rifled cannons developed and patented by foundry Superintendent Robert Parrott. Providing greater distance, power and accuracy, the Parrott guns are credited with giving the Union Army and Navy the military advantage necessary for victory. The weapons' importance was recognized by President Lincoln, who witnessed a demonstration of the Parrott gun at the foundry in 1862. By war's end, West Point Foundry had manufactured nearly 1,700 cannons and 1.3 million projectiles ranging in weight from 10 to 300 pounds. Interestingly, West Point Foundry not only produced the guns on the U.S.S. Monitor but the engines that propelled the U.S.S. Merrimack, renamed the Virginia by the Confederate Navy. The two met in the first-ever battle between ironclad warships on March 9, 1862.
9. WPFP_160918_074.JPG: History of West Point Foundry A Birthplace of American Industry Water and Power West Point Foundry was one of America's great early ironworks. An internationally renowned center of innovation and manufacturing, it's been called the Silicon Valley of its day. Shortly after the War of 1812, President James Madison recognized that quality heavy artillery was key to modern warfare, and that national security depended on a steady and reliable supply of ordinance. He set out to find four sites for the establishment of foundries to supply guns and munitions. Cold Spring was an ideal location: It was close to sources of iron ore; the region's abundant hardwood forests could supply charcoal; Margaret Brook (later named Furnace Brook and then Foundry Brook) supplied waterpower to drive foundry machinery; its finished goods could be easily transported down the Hudson River; and it was well-protected by the looming presence of the U.S. Military Academy on the opposite shore. Gouverneur Kemble (right) incorporated the West Point Foundry Association in 1817. With $100,000 in capital raised from investors, he began an enterprise that over the course of the next century defined not only the growth and character of Cold Spring, but also the industrial might of a prospering nation. The foundry was one of the first businesses to develop the principle of vertical integration – maintaining all facets of manufacturing, from raw materials to finished products and their distribution channels – within a single company. The Gun that Won the War West Point Foundry proved its strength at military production during the Civil War, when it mass-produced rifled cannons developed and patented by foundry Superintendent Robert Parrott. Providing greater distance, power and accuracy, the Parrott guns are credited with giving the Union Army and Navy the military advantage necessary for victory. The weapons' importance was recognized by President Lincoln, who witnessed a demonstration of the Parrott gun at the foundry in 1862. By war's end, West Point Foundry had manufactured nearly 1,700 cannons and 1.3 million projectiles ranging in weight from 10 to 300 pounds. Interestingly, West Point Foundry not only produced the guns on the U.S.S. Monitor but the engines that propelled the U.S.S. Merrimack, renamed the Virginia by the Confederate Navy. The two met in the first-ever battle between ironclad warships on March 9, 1862.
10. WPFP_160918_076.JPG: West Point Foundry Preserve The West Point Foundry site has undergone profound changes in recent decades. After years of contamination by heavy-metal poisoning, caused by the former Marathon Battery Company plant (located on nearby land), Foundry Cove was declared an EPA Superfund site. From 1994-1996 the cove underwent extensive dredging and remediation that restored the tidal wetlands, key habitats and, gradually, the river's health. Scenic Hudson purchased the 87-acre foundry site in 1996 to ensure its protection. With the help of many volunteers, it removed heaps of debris dumped on the property over the decades and created West Point Foundry Preserve. From 2001-2008, the Industrial Archaeology Program at Michigan Technological University – with Scenic Hudson's sponsorship – conducted intensive surveys and investigations of the foundry's surviving ruins, opening a window onto its evolving operations and Cold Spring's early history. In 2013 Scenic Hudson completed major site improvements that make West Point Foundry Preserve a national model of sustainable landscape design and management – and provide lasting benefits. Its spacious gathering areas and innovative interpretive elements serve as an "outdoor classrooms," where lessons in industrial history, the Civil War and the environment come alive. It offers another exciting tourism destination in Cold Spring and Putnam County. Perhaps above all, it is a magnificent place to connect with the beauty and spiritual power of nature. To learn more about West Point Foundry and see examples of its output – from Parrott gun projectiles to cast iron furniture – visit the Putnam History Museum, which features a permanent foundry exhibition as well as a research library containing archival material related to the ironworks. Founded in 1906 to collect, preserve and present to the public historical and cultural material pertaining to Putnam County, the museum is located at 63 Chestnut Street (stop 8 on the Red Trail) in the former schoolhouse built for foundry apprentices and employees' children. The museum also organizes changing exhibitions and provides educational programming for the public.
11. WPFP_160918_143.JPG: From Forest to Factory to Forest The landscape abundant forest and untamed waterpower that drew Gouverneur Kemble to open West Point Foundry in 1818 underwent dramatic changes over its decades of operation. The area's woodlands were denuded to produce charcoal for powering the furnaces. Foundry Brook was channelized into an intricate network of flumes, raceways and storage ponds that powered operations and regulated water flow through the site.
12. WPFP_160918_147.JPG: After foundry operations ceased, the site's decay was gradual. Many above-ground remains were repurposed for building projects in the village, while invasive and non-native trees and other plants ultimately filled the mostly vacant site.
13. WPFP_160918_149.JPG: Scenic Hudson removed tons of debris and reconstructed sections of stream banks to keep Foundry Brook within its historic channel, making it less likely to overflow and threaten foundry ruins.
14. WPFP_160918_154.JPG: The West Point Foundry A writer describing this military establishment observes: "During my visit I learned that since the [Civil] war began over three hundred cannon have been manufactured here for our government – the Parrott gun exclusively – to 300-pounders. The guns have done duty in our forts, on our gunboats, and in our grandly-moving armies, so sublimely sweeping through the hostile Southern States. One of these 300-pounders weighs twenty-six thousand pounds, or thirteen tons. One was being cast as I visited the place. It was a sight worth traveling hundreds of miles to see. These guns are submitted to the severest tests before turned over for service. The precipitate banks of Crow Nest are the target of the experimental trial, the distance fired being two thousand yards. Two huge bare spots, with deep indentures in the rocks, attest the accuracy of the range and force of the firing. At all hours of the day for the past four years the firing of these guns have awakened fearful echoes among these environing heights, oftentimes sounding like the roar of a terrible battle." -- The New York Times. 1865
15. WPFP_160918_157.JPG: Foundry Cove: Restoring & Protecting a Natural Treasure Pre-1800 An incomparable setting. 1817-1911 From a testing platform where you are standing, foundry cannons were fired across the river.
16. WPFP_160918_159.JPG: 1952-1979 The nearby Marathon Battery Company, which made batteries for military and commercial uses, dumped massive amounts of heavy metals and waste into Foundry Cove, polluting river sediments and poisoning wildlife. 1983-1996 The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency declared Foundry Cove a Superfund site, initiating a $100-million cleanup dredging sediments and disposing of thousands of tons of contaminated soils.
17. WPFP_160918_162.JPG: Just prior to the EPA cleanup and restoration, archaeologists recovered 145,000 foundry-related artifacts. 1996 Scenic Hudson purchased the 87-acre foundry property to ensure its permanent protection as a public resource for recreation and education.
18. WPFP_160918_165.JPG: Today Foundry Cove provides habitat for abundant wildlife and is a prime bird-watching and paddling destination.
19. WPFP_160918_180.JPG: The Tracks of Time Almost from the beginning, rail transport played an important role at West Point Foundry. Though situated to afford easy access to the Hudson River's shipping lanes, from an early date the foundry had direct railway sidings running between facilities and its riverside docks, with horses and oxen initially providing the power to haul heavily laden carts along the tracks. It wasn't until 1870 that the first steam-powered engine began working at the ironworks. Brought from the Ninth Avenue elevated railroad in New York City, where it had been damaged in an accident, it was repaired at the foundry for use in the complex. These circa-1890 photos give some sense of the system of rails and exchanges at use in the foundry. The remains of tracks and track beds can be seen throughout the preserve. The recreated rail turntable evokes the complex network of transport that heavy industry began to utilize in the 19th century.
20. WPFP_160918_187.JPG: The 1865 Office Building This magnificent building is the only freestanding structure remaining at the preserve from the foundry years, rising alone from the forest cover. Yet as the photo below shows, West Point Foundry was a massive complex of industrial shops, railways and offices that filled the entire ravine. Built in 1865 – at the height of the foundry's production – this symmetrical Victorian structure with its Renaissance architectural details replaced a smaller, one-story structure adjacent to the foundry's machine shop that had served as its offices since the 1820s. Ironically, the foundry's prosperity, which allowed the office building to be constructed, began a long decline almost the moment it was built. With the Civil War at an end, government orders for ordinance dried up, yet West Point Foundry's management was reluctant to transition operations away from munitions production. That, and increasing national demand for steel, signaled the beginning of the end of the foundry's most productive years. However, that decline also helped preserve the office building in the remarkable condition you see it in today. The structure would be in far worse shape had it been continually occupied and expanded over decades, like other buildings in the complex. Extensive work has been done to stabilize the building to preserve it for future use, but it is currently closed to the public. All images, except where noted, from the collection of the Putnam History Museum.
21. WPFP_160918_216.JPG: West Point Foundry Archaeological Site 1817 – 1911 including West Point Foundry Preserve has been placed on the National Register of Historic Places 2010 by the United States Department of the Interior
22. WPFP_160918_406.JPG: Boring Mill Overlook You are looking at the ruins of the boring mill, one of West Point Foundry's vital centers and among the earliest buildings in the foundry complex. A large, two-story structure, the boring mill served several functions. The first floor was used for the manufacture of various products, while the second floor housed a pattern shop, where forms and molds for the molten iron were created and stored. A hive of activity, the boring mill was filled with geared cranes, whirring lathes and other heavy machinery driven by a massive water wheel and leather belting system. The water that powered them came from an intricate series of headraces fed by Foundry Brook. Cannons, steam boilers, church bells and industrial hardware for cotton and sugar plantations in the U.S. and Caribbean were produced here in great numbers – setting the stage for America's emergence as a major industrial power. Water Wheel The boring mill's operations were driven by the powerful, 36-foot diameter water wheel housed adjacent to the main structure. The replica you see today depicts a section of the wheel at its original scale, located exactly where it stood during the foundry's heyday. Battery Pond Just to the north is a two-tiered granite stone dam that held a reservoir of water – recycled from the foundry's blast furnace and from additional run-off – that supplemented the considerable waterpower of Foundry Brook and its upstream dam, supplying the foundry's water wheels and turbine that provided power to the gears and machinery. There were three ponds on the site, allowing West Point Foundry to operate year-round, even during dry seasons. This sophisticated system perfectly illustrates the innovation required to recreate and operate heavy machinery in the days before electricity. A Powerful Force Water has profoundly impacted the West Point Foundry site. Whether flowing, soaking, drying or freezing, it has played the greatest role in destroying and obscuring the history that remains here by cracking and eroding building ruins and decomposing artifacts that await discovery. As the foundry's network of sluices, gates and dams decayed in the century after its operations ceased, water often flowed haphazardly over much of the site. Today, the conditions that made this ravine an ideal place for a water-powered enterprise – its steep elevation, powerful brook, healthy rainfall and proximity to the river – make it a challenge to protect. In an effort to alleviate flooding, Scenic Hudson has reinforced sections of Foundry Brook's banks and maintains the preserve's forest critical for soaking up water. Putnam History Musuem To learn more about West Point Foundry and see examples of its output – from Parrott gun projectiles to cast iron furniture – visit the Putnam History Museum, which features a permanent foundry exhibition as well as archival material related to the ironworks. Founded in 1906 to collect, preserve, and present historical and cultural material pertaining to Putnam County, the foundry, and the Hudson Highlands, the museum is located at 63 Chestnut Street (stop 8 on the Red Trail) in the former schoolhouse built for foundry apprentices and employees' children. ( Sidebar : ) Under an illustration of the mill and water wheel: 1. Pattern storage area 2. Water wheel 3. Jib crane 4. Wheel lathe 5. Parrott guns on lathe 6. Power drive belts This illustration depicts how the boring mill complex appeared during the Civil War, when the foundry was manufacturing Parrott guns. One of the challenges of industrial archaeology is that, in many cases, structures such as these are fluid in their layout over time, with additional rooms added and others falling into disuse, reflecting new technologies, advances in raw materials and – above all else -– changing fortunes in manufacturing. Understanding how these early industrial sites functioned in their time is a complex process, combining careful excavations with research into documentary evidence -– surveyors' maps, village records, personal diaries and sketchbooks, and other primary source material. Period photographs also are valuable tools that help archaeologists make sense of the ruins that remain at West Point Foundry Preserve today.
23. WPFP_160918_409.JPG: Boring Mill Overlook You are looking at the ruins of the boring mill, one of West Point Foundry's vital centers and among the earliest buildings in the foundry complex. A large, two-story structure, the boring mill served several functions. The first floor was used for the manufacture of various products, while the second floor housed a pattern shop, where forms and molds for the molten iron were created and stored. A hive of activity, the boring mill was filled with geared cranes, whirring lathes and other heavy machinery driven by a massive water wheel and leather belting system. The water that powered them came from an intricate series of headraces fed by Foundry Brook. Cannons, steam boilers, church bells and industrial hardware for cotton and sugar plantations in the U.S. and Caribbean were produced here in great numbers – setting the stage for America's emergence as a major industrial power.
24. WPFP_160918_411.JPG: Water Wheel The boring mill's operations were driven by the powerful, 36-foot diameter water wheel housed adjacent to the main structure. The replica you see today depicts a section of the wheel at its original scale, located exactly where it stood during the foundry's heyday.
25. WPFP_160918_413.JPG: 1. Pattern storage area 2. Water wheel 3. Jib crane 4. Wheel lathe 5. Parrott guns on lathe 6. Power drive belts This illustration depicts how the boring mill complex appeared during the Civil War, when the foundry was manufacturing Parrott guns. One of the challenges of industrial archaeology is that, in many cases, structures such as these are fluid in their layout over time, with additional rooms added and others falling into disuse, reflecting new technologies, advances in raw materials and – above all else -– changing fortunes in manufacturing. Understanding how these early industrial sites functioned in their time is a complex process, combining careful excavations with research into documentary evidence -– surveyors' maps, village records, personal diaries and sketchbooks, and other primary source material. Period photographs also are valuable tools that help archaeologists make sense of the ruins that remain at West Point Foundry Preserve today.
26. WPFP_160918_416.JPG: Battery Pond Just to the north is a two-tiered granite stone dam that held a reservoir of water – recycled from the foundry's blast furnace and from additional run-off – that supplemented the considerable waterpower of Foundry Brook and its upstream dam, supplying the foundry's water wheels and turbine that provided power to the gears and machinery. There were three ponds on the site, allowing West Point Foundry to operate year-round, even during dry seasons. This sophisticated system perfectly illustrates the innovation required to recreate and operate heavy machinery in the days before electricity.
27. WPFP_160918_418.JPG: Battery Pond Just to the north is a two-tiered granite stone dam that held a reservoir of water – recycled from the foundry's blast furnace and from additional run-off – that supplemented the considerable waterpower of Foundry Brook and its upstream dam, supplying the foundry's water wheels and turbine that provided power to the gears and machinery. There were three ponds on the site, allowing West Point Foundry to operate year-round, even during dry seasons. This sophisticated system perfectly illustrates the innovation required to recreate and operate heavy machinery in the days before electricity. A Powerful Force Water has profoundly impacted the West Point Foundry site. Whether flowing, soaking, drying or freezing, it has played the greatest role in destroying and obscuring the history that remains here by cracking and eroding building ruins and decomposing artifacts that await discovery. As the foundry's network of sluices, gates and dams decayed in the century after its operations ceased, water often flowed haphazardly over much of the site. Today, the conditions that made this ravine an ideal place for a water-powered enterprise – its steep elevation, powerful brook, healthy rainfall and proximity to the river – make it a challenge to protect. In an effort to alleviate flooding, Scenic Hudson has reinforced sections of Foundry Brook's banks and maintains the preserve's forest critical for soaking up water. Putnam History Musuem To learn more about West Point Foundry and see examples of its output – from Parrott gun projectiles to cast iron furniture – visit the Putnam History Museum, which features a permanent foundry exhibition as well as archival material related to the ironworks. Founded in 1906 to collect, preserve, and present historical and cultural material pertaining to Putnam County, the foundry, and the Hudson Highlands, the museum is located at 63 Chestnut Street (stop 8 on the Red Trail) in the former schoolhouse built for foundry apprentices and employees' children.
28. WPFP_160918_458.JPG: Boring Mill Overlook You are looking at the ruins of the boring mill, one of West Point Foundry's vital centers and among the earliest buildings in the foundry complex. A large, two-story structure, the boring mill served several functions. The first floor was used for the manufacture of various products, while the second floor housed a pattern shop, where forms and molds for the molten iron were created and stored. A hive of activity, the boring mill was filled with geared cranes, whirring lathes and other heavy machinery driven by a massive water wheel and leather belting system. The water that powered them came from an intricate series of headraces fed by Foundry Brook. Cannons, steam boilers, church bells and industrial hardware for cotton and sugar plantations in the U.S. and Caribbean were produced here in great numbers – setting the stage for America's emergence as a major industrial power. Water Wheel The boring mill's operations were driven by the powerful, 36-foot diameter water wheel housed adjacent to the main structure. The replica you see today depicts a section of the wheel at its original scale, located exactly where it stood during the foundry's heyday. Battery Pond Just to the north is a two-tiered granite stone dam that held a reservoir of water – recycled from the foundry's blast furnace and from additional run-off – that supplemented the considerable waterpower of Foundry Brook and its upstream dam, supplying the foundry's water wheels and turbine that provided power to the gears and machinery. There were three ponds on the site, allowing West Point Foundry to operate year-round, even during dry seasons. This sophisticated system perfectly illustrates the innovation required to recreate and operate heavy machinery in the days before electricity. A Powerful Force Water has profoundly impacted the West Point Foundry site. Whether flowing, soaking, drying or freezing, it has played the greatest role in destroying and obscuring the history that remains here by cracking and eroding building ruins and decomposing artifacts that await discovery. As the foundry's network of sluices, gates and dams decayed in the century after its operations ceased, water often flowed haphazardly over much of the site. Today, the conditions that made this ravine an ideal place for a water-powered enterprise – its steep elevation, powerful brook, healthy rainfall and proximity to the river – make it a challenge to protect. In an effort to alleviate flooding, Scenic Hudson has reinforced sections of Foundry Brook's banks and maintains the preserve's forest critical for soaking up water. Putnam History Museum To learn more about West Point Foundry and see examples of its output – from Parrott gun projectiles to cast iron furniture – visit the Putnam History Museum, which features a permanent foundry exhibition as well as archival material related to the ironworks. Founded in 1906 to collect, preserve, and present historical and cultural material pertaining to Putnam County, the foundry, and the Hudson Highlands, the museum is located at 63 Chestnut Street (stop 8 on the Red Trail) in the former schoolhouse built for foundry apprentices and employees' children. [This illustration is different from the previous version of the sign] 1. Pattern storage area 2. Water wheel 3. Flume from battery pond 4. Parrott guns on lathe 5. Wheel lathe 6. Underground tailrace 7. Jib crane 8. Casting house This illustration depicts how the boring mill complex appeared during the Civil War, when the foundry was manufacturing Parrott guns. One of the challenges of industrial archaeology is that, in many cases, structures such as these are fluid in their layout over time, with additional rooms added and others falling into disuse, reflecting new technologies, advances in raw materials and – above all else -– changing fortunes in manufacturing. Understanding how these early industrial sites functioned in their time is a complex process, combining careful excavations with research into documentary evidence -– surveyors' maps, village records, personal diaries and sketchbooks, and other primary source material. Period photographs also are valuable tools that help archaeologists make sense of the ruins that remain at West Point Foundry Preserve today.
29. WPFP_160918_464.JPG: Boring Mill Overlook You are looking at the ruins of the boring mill, one of West Point Foundry's vital centers and among the earliest buildings in the foundry complex. A large, two-story structure, the boring mill served several functions. The first floor was used for the manufacture of various products, while the second floor housed a pattern shop, where forms and molds for the molten iron were created and stored. A hive of activity, the boring mill was filled with geared cranes, whirring lathes and other heavy machinery driven by a massive water wheel and leather belting system. The water that powered them came from an intricate series of headraces fed by Foundry Brook. Cannons, steam boilers, church bells and industrial hardware for cotton and sugar plantations in the U.S. and Caribbean were produced here in great numbers – setting the stage for America's emergence as a major industrial power.
30. WPFP_160918_467.JPG: Water Wheel The boring mill's operations were driven by the powerful, 36-foot diameter water wheel housed adjacent to the main structure. The replica you see today depicts a section of the wheel at its original scale, located exactly where it stood during the foundry's heyday.
31. WPFP_160918_471.JPG: [This illustration is different from the previous version of the sign] 1. Pattern storage area 2. Water wheel 3. Flume from battery pond 4. Parrott guns on lathe 5. Wheel lathe 6. Underground tailrace 7. Jib crane 8. Casting house This illustration depicts how the boring mill complex appeared during the Civil War, when the foundry was manufacturing Parrott guns. One of the challenges of industrial archaeology is that, in many cases, structures such as these are fluid in their layout over time, with additional rooms added and others falling into disuse, reflecting new technologies, advances in raw materials and – above all else -– changing fortunes in manufacturing. Understanding how these early industrial sites functioned in their time is a complex process, combining careful excavations with research into documentary evidence -– surveyors' maps, village records, personal diaries and sketchbooks, and other primary source material. Period photographs also are valuable tools that help archaeologists make sense of the ruins that remain at West Point Foundry Preserve today.
32. WPFP_160918_473.JPG: Battery Pond Just to the north is a two-tiered granite stone dam that held a reservoir of water – recycled from the foundry's blast furnace and from additional run-off – that supplemented the considerable waterpower of Foundry Brook and its upstream dam, supplying the foundry's water wheels and turbine that provided power to the gears and machinery. There were three ponds on the site, allowing West Point Foundry to operate year-round, even during dry seasons. This sophisticated system perfectly illustrates the innovation required to recreate and operate heavy machinery in the days before electricity. A Powerful Force Water has profoundly impacted the West Point Foundry site. Whether flowing, soaking, drying or freezing, it has played the greatest role in destroying and obscuring the history that remains here by cracking and eroding building ruins and decomposing artifacts that await discovery. As the foundry's network of sluices, gates and dams decayed in the century after its operations ceased, water often flowed haphazardly over much of the site. Today, the conditions that made this ravine an ideal place for a water-powered enterprise – its steep elevation, powerful brook, healthy rainfall and proximity to the river – make it a challenge to protect. In an effort to alleviate flooding, Scenic Hudson has reinforced sections of Foundry Brook's banks and maintains the preserve's forest critical for soaking up water. Putnam History Museum To learn more about West Point Foundry and see examples of its output – from Parrott gun projectiles to cast iron furniture – visit the Putnam History Museum, which features a permanent foundry exhibition as well as archival material related to the ironworks. Founded in 1906 to collect, preserve, and present historical and cultural material pertaining to Putnam County, the foundry, and the Hudson Highlands, the museum is located at 63 Chestnut Street (stop 8 on the Red Trail) in the former schoolhouse built for foundry apprentices and employees' children.
33. WPFP_160918_480.JPG: Water descended from Foundry Brook to Battery Pond, then by elevated flume into a giant water wheel that turned the foundry's gears and cranes, feeding air to the hot surface fires. In the 19th century, Waterpower was Power.
Wikipedia Description: West Point Foundry
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The West Point Foundry was an early ironworks in Cold Spring, New York that operated from 1817 to 1911. Set up to remedy deficiencies in national armaments production after the War of 1812, it became most famous for its production of Parrott rifles and other munitions during the Civil War, although it also manufactured a variety of iron products for civilian use. The rise of steel making and declining demand for cast iron after the Civil War caused it to gradually sink into bankruptcy and cease operations in the early 20th Century.

Founding and early products

The impetus for its creation came from James Madison, who, after the War of 1812, wanted to establish domestic foundries to produce artillery. Cold Spring was an ideal site: timber for charcoal was abundant, there were many local iron mines, and the nearby Margaret's Brook provided water power to drive machinery. The site was guarded by West Point, across the Hudson River, and the river provided shipping for finished products.

The West Point Foundry Association was incorporated by Gouverneur Kemble, who came from a merchant family in New York City (although his mother's family had connections in Putnam Co.), and the foundry began operation in 1817. Artillery was tested by firing across the Hudson at the desolate slopes of Storm King Mountain, which would later have to be swept for unexploded ordnance as a result after some of it exploded in a 1999 fire. The platform used for mounting artillery for proofing was uncovered during Superfund work in the early 1990s. Besides artillery, the foundry also produced iron fittings for civilian uses, such as pipe for the New York City water system and sugar mills for shipment to the West Indies. A number of early locomotives were built at the foundry, including the Best Friend of Charleston, the West Point, the DeWitt Clinton, Phoenix, and Experiment.

Parrott years and the Civil War

In 1835, Captain Robert Parker Parrott, a West Point graduate, was appointed inspector of ordnance from the foundry. The next year, he resigned his commission and on October 31, 1836 was appointed superintendent of the foundry. It prospered under his tenure, and was the site of numerous experiments with artillery and projectiles, culminating in his invention of the Parrott rifle in 1860. During Parott's tenure, in 1843, the foundry also manufactured the USS Spencer, a revenue cutter which was the first iron ship built in the U.S.

The foundry's operations peaked during the Civil War due to military orders: it had a workforce of 1,400 people and produced 2,000 cannon and three million shells. Parrott also invented an incendiary shell which was used in an 8-inch Parrott rifle (the "Swamp Angel") to bombard Charleston. The importance of the foundry to the war effort can be measured by the fact that President Abraham Lincoln visited and inspected it in June 1862.

The fame of the foundry was such that Jules Verne, in his novel From the Earth to the Moon, chose it as the contractor for the Columbiad spaceship-launching cannon.

Decline and archaeology

In 1867, Parrott resigned as superintendent, although he continued to experiment with artillery designs until his death in 1877. Business at the foundry declined as it faced competition from more modern techniques of iron and steel production. It had discontinued the use of charcoal and begun to import coal from Pennsylvania around 1870. However, it was unable to stave off receivership in 1884 and bankruptcy in 1889. It was sold in 1897 to the Cornell brothers, makers of sugar mills, and closed in 1911.

Of the buildings on the site, only the central office building remains intact; the rest are in ruins. 87 acres (35 ha) around the site form a preserve owned by Scenic Hudson. It can be visited by a short trail from the nearby Cold Spring Metro-North station. A major archaeological study of the site, funded by Scenic Hudson and undertaken by Michigan Tech, has taken place from 2002-2008. The West Point Foundry Archeological Site was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2010.
Bigger photos? To save server space, the full-sized versions of these images have either not been loaded to the server or have been removed from the server. (Only some pages are loaded with full-sized images and those usually get removed after three months.) I still have them though. If you want me to email them to you, please send an email to guthrie.bruce@gmail.com and I can email them to you, or, depending on the number of images, just repost the page again will the full-sized images.
Connection Not Secure messages? Those warnings you get from your browser about this site not having secure connections worry some people. This means this site does not have SSL installed (the link is http:, not https:). That's bad if you're entering credit card numbers, passwords, or other personal information. But this site doesn't collect any personal information so SSL is not necessary. Life's good!
Photo Contact: [Email Bruce Guthrie].