One of America”™s most fascinating and beautiful archeological sites is being newly celebrated by the federal government, Scenic Hudson and Cold Spring, ultimately leading to the creation of a park and historical site on the shores of the Hudson River.
Scenic Hudson”™s West Point Foundry Preserve has been designated a site  of “national significance” on the National Register of Historic Places and awarded a $600,000 grant from the state Environmental Protection Fund that will be matched with funds from a private donor to enable Scenic Hudson to build public amenities such as a gateway kiosk, universally accessible trail and elevated viewing platform.
Plans for the park along a scenic stretch of Hudson shoreline are under local and state review and could be completed by next year.
A leading company during  the Industrial Revolution, West Point Foundry was one of four ironworks established after the War of 1812 to furnish the U.S. government with cannons and ammunition and is famous for making artillery pieces credited with turning the tide of the Civil War. The foundry also created some of America”™s first locomotives and steamships, the pipes for New York City”™s water system and machinery essential for the cotton and sugar industries. A business visionary, West Point Foundry was one of the country”™s first businesses to adopt vertically integrated production, controlling all aspects of manufacturing from mine to market. The company also sparked the creation of Cold Spring as a company town.
“The output of the West Point Foundry truly shaped the course of United States history,” said state parks Deputy Commissioner Wint Aldrich at a celebration July 7 denoting the site”™s new inclusion as one of national significance and announcing the grant.
Scenic Hudson acquired the land in 1996 to protect it from a development proposal and has been working steadily ever since to bring attention and funding to restore it ecologically and historically. Aside from the archeological value, Scenic Hudson sees the site”™s mix of history and scenery as a boon to the economy.
“We”™re delighted this cradle of the Industrial Revolution has been recognized for the critical role it played in America”™s emergence as a superpower,” said Ned Sullivan, Scenic Hudson”™s president. He said plans for a park on the site will make it “a must-see destination for anyone interested in our nation”™s history, boosting jobs and tax revenues that come from the tourism economy in Cold Spring and throughout Putnam County.”
Scenic Hudson has raised $2.3 million of the $3.6 million needed to complete the proposed park. The group plans to have environmental review and planning documents completed this year and finish construction on the site by spring 2011.
