Tucked away in the Village of
Cold Spring is one of the Hudson Valley’s hidden gems —The West Point Foundry
Preserve.
This week’s Road Trip: Close
to Home takes a walk through the 19th century along former rail lines that
brought in raw materials to help shape an important part of the industrial
revolution.
“It’s a 90-acre park that
tells the story of the industrial revolution through the remains of the West
Point Foundry’s historic ironworks that are located here. And it’s also a great
place to explore the natural beauty of the Hudson Valley,” says historian Reed
Sparling.
For most of the 1800s, the
foundry manufactured some of the country’s first locomotives and cannons that
were used during the Civil War. “They were the prime cannons used by the
Union army and were involved in just about every battle in that war,” says
Sparling.
Everything here is
self-guided, and each tour stop is numbered so
that you can also hear about the history on your phone through an online audio
guide.
This outdoor museum is free
and open from dawn to dusk, but you can also
book a private tour with Scenic Hudson and see the inside of what used to be an
office. “We have a small museum inside where we have artifacts that have been
uncovered by archaeologists,” says Sparling.
Before heading home, make a
stop on Main Street and browse local shops, food and drinks that are inherent
to this quaint village.