The cities, towns, and villages along the banks of the Hudson River are the lifeblood of a region bursting with historic sites, cultural attractions, and natural beauty. Hudson River Towns pairs the spectacular work of renowned Hudson Valley photographer Hardie Truesdale with the vivid descriptions of Joanne Michaels, one of the region's most experienced travel writers. Together they document, in words and photographs, the dynamic nature of the river's population centers, offering readers a captivating personal journey down the Hudson River. Although Main Street continues to struggle across America, there has been a movement afoot in the Hudson Valley to support local enterprise, and many of the region's communities are currently enjoying a renaissance. Newburgh, for instance, has a beautiful waterfront and a new crop of businesses emerging in the inner city. Poughkeepsie's "Walkway Over the Hudson" has drawn thousands of visitors since its opening in 2009, turning the city's Mount Carmel neighborhood, once a sleepy Italian enclave, into a tourist destination. And Kingston was recently named one of the top ten most desirable—and affordable—cities in America for artists. Festivals, parks, and recreational activities are part of the fabric of contemporary Hudson Valley life, and they are represented in these pages as well. The journey begins in the Upper Hudson River region, stopping in Albany, Coxsackie, Athens, Hudson, and Catskill; continues through the Mid-Hudson River region, featuring Saugerties, Kingston, Poughkeepsie, Newburgh, Beacon, Cold Spring, and Garrison; and culminates in the Lower Hudson River towns of Peekskill, Nyack, Tarrytown, and Piermont. With more than 120 full-color photographs that lavishly display the dramatic faces of these cities, towns, and villages, Hudson River Towns reveals a dimension of the region unseen by most travelers and local residents, who will be inspired to think differently about their surroundings after taking this armchair journey through one of America's most beautiful and historic regions.

This is the first comprehensive guide to the Hudson since the works of Ernest Ingersoll were published in the early 1900s. It arrives to fulfill the need for a new detailed, point-by-point guide to the river from its intersection with the Atlantic to its source in the Adirondacks. Five possible routes for the traveler are given: directly up the main steamboat channel, road routes on the east and west shores, and rail routes along the east and west shores. The road routes follow the riverbanks as closely as possible and also provide excursions to the many points of historical interest and contemporary development in the river valley. Maps provide detailed guides for excursions. For both armchair and actual travelers, Arthur Adams has condensed his considerable knowledge of the natural river, navigation, regional history, and the architecture along the river in this book. Many excerpts from American authors provide perspectives on the valley from other eras, and Adams combines descriptions of well-known events in American history, such as Benedict Arnold's meeting with Major Andre, with the stories of ordinary people and origins of place names that deepen one's feeling for the river. Contemporary economic development is also noted, and the fluctuating economic fortunes of river towns and always changing patterns of residence and employment are noted. From the Abyssal Plain to Doodletown and Chevaux-de-Frise, past Anthony's Nose, Burdens Iron Works, and the Saratoga Battle Field to the Hudson's source at Lake Tear of the Clouds, this Guidebook provides practical information and enjoyable perspectives. Take it along!

This is the story of five towns located in New York’s Hudson River Valley that met their demise as quickly as they were established. From the icehouses of Rockland Lake to the Ashokan Reservoir towns to the brick quarries of Roseton, only traces of these once vibrant settlements can now be found. Camp Shanks, one of World War II’s most significant military compounds, was erected in 1942 but was quickly abandoned at the war’s end. “Last Stop USA,” as it was known, played host to over one million soldiers and welcomed patriotic visitors like Frank Sinatra and Shirley Temple. In this collection of images, local authors Wesley and Barbara Gottlock revive the spirits of these bygone communities and celebrate a lost way of life.

The story of New Baltimore, New York, a small Hudson River town, and how outside pressures and local hard work have combined to forge a lasting community

Upstate New York is an illustrated history of the countryside in the Upper Hudson River Valley, including six towns that played an important role in the American Revolution. It is a ¿travel¿ book that discusses the life and times of the people who live there now and who lived there in days gone by.

Located midway between New York City and Albany on the eastern bank of the Hudson River, the community of Rhinecliff (originally Kipsbergen) was one of New York State¿s first permanent settlements (1686). This fascinating riverfront hamlet historically has been overshadowed by its ¿upstreet,¿ inland rival ¿ the politically more powerful village of Rhinebeck ¿ and the bustling port of Rondout (now Kingston) directly across the river. Surrounded by the grand estates of the Astors, Livingstons, and Beekmans, modest Rhinecliff was long overlooked; nevertheless, it has carved out its own unique identity from its scenic rocky perch in Dutchess County overlooking the Hudson River.Author Philip untangles the tale of Rhinecliff/Kipsbergen¿s long history from early Native Americans and the 1686 land deal that paved the way for settlement, to colonial Kingston burning on the horizon and British warships anchored off its docks, through the heydays of steam navigation on the Hudson and the coming of the railroads, the slow collapse of the great estates and the 20th-century decline of riverfront communities all along the Hudson, right up to the 21st-century rebirth of the Hudson River towns and the land-use battles that rage as fiercely today as any other conflict in the long history of the Hudson Valley. Through it all Philip paints a vivid portrait, filled with fascinating detail and extraordinary characters, of a proud, independent community with a sense of place like no other.

New for 2016, a completely updated guide to the Heritage Sites of the Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area Traveling down the Hudson River, named by Native Americans the river that flows both ways, you discover people, places, and events that made American history. The cultural, historic, and scenic resources of the Hudson Valley are so numerous, so varied, and so compelling that it’s no wonder Congress recognized the Hudson River Valley as a National Heritage Area in 1996. The National Park Service called the region the “landscape that defined America” and characterized the valley as “an exceptionally scenic landscape that has provided the setting and inspiration for new currents of American thought, art, and history.” Its political importance was demonstrated early in our history when the river played a critical role in the Revolutionary War. The many streams and waterfalls of the tributaries of the Hudson River powered early sawmills and gristmills. The river and its landscapes inspired the Hudson River school of painters. Sublime and picturesque paintings by Thomas Cole, Frederic Church, and Asher Durand depicted this unique American landscape for the world to witness. Industrialists and commercial leaders like William and John D. Rockefeller, Frederick Vanderbilt, J. P. Morgan, and Ogden Mills built their great estates along the Hudson River. The second edition includes completely updated user-friendly design and vibrant photography; heritage site pages that include brief descriptions, contact information, and accessibility site characteristics; and National Park Service Passport Stamp locations with new cancellation stamp pages for your collection. Heritage sites in this guidebook are associated with areas of interest and categorized as must see, best bet, or special interest to make it easy to explore the stories of the Hudson River Valley. Heritage sites are also organized by geography and proximity to make it easy to find heritage sites nearby.