In 2013 the new West Point Foundry Preserve opened in Cold Spring, New York right next to the Hudson River. Mathews Nielsen Landscape Architects designed the park to both preserve the natural surroundings of the site and let the public explore the archeological ruins of an early arms manufacturer that built itself up from a frontier post in 1817 to become the United States biggest manufacturer of artillery by the end of the Civil War. The architects said when the preserve opened that “Good design is often a matter of working with, not competing with, nature…The historic Village of Cold Spring marks one of the most stunning geologic expanses of the Hudson River.”
When you arrive in Cold Spring, which is a revitalized old mill town, there are many places to get provisions or to eat. Because it is right across the Hudson River from West Point, there are many houses of generals and officers from America’s wars who lived here. General Gouverneur Warren was born in this little town. Robert Parker Parrott, a captain in charge of ordinance, resigned from the army and dedicated his life towards developing artillery for the military.
The Preserve’s web site is here. Here is a history of the Foundry.
I drove to the West Point Foundry Preserve at 68 Kemble Avenue Cold Spring, NY (845) 473-4440. There were numerous free parking spaces available and there is no admission charged. At the entrance there is a kiosk giving the history of the site with maps and an explanation of each stop along the way. Take photos of the information on the kiosk that you can read along the way.
Since the preserve is only a little more than a decade old, most of the signage is modern and is easily read.
Below is the map of the preserve. I parked at the main parking lot. The map shows an information kiosk just south of the Foundry Cove, an inlet from the Hudson River. I followed the Yellow and Red Trails. It took me a little over an hour to cover them both. The Yellow Trail is fairly easy and can be covered by a person in a wheelchair. The Red Trail is not difficult but it has some climbing up steps and some rugged terrain. I am 66 years of age and did not have a problem with it, but I did see some people turn back from the Red Trail.
Below the map is an explanation of the main portions of the site.
Because this is a 21st Century interpretation of the site, there are many symbols to help you as you are touring. This is good, because only one of the Civil War buildings is still intact. You will see ruins of many buildings, but you can use the signage and illustrations to imagine what this place looked like 160 years ago.
The West Point Foundry started during the War of 1812 when James Monroe decided the United States needed to rely on itself to arm itself. Four foundries were started to arm the Army and Navy. The West Point Foundry is the only one that survived. In 1836, Parrott had transferred to the Foundry. While the Foundry produced many older types of artillery, by 1860 it was also producing the Parrott Rifle. During the Civil War, the Foundry produced 3,000 pieces of artillery and three million artillery projectiles. During the Civil War, a thousand workers were employed at the West Point Foundry.
Below is a history of the West Point Foundry. Nearly half of it is taken up with the Civil War and the Parrott Rifle.
When you are hiking in the preserve, use your phone to take a picture of the map and guide on the entry sign. Many of the remains are ruins and you need the assistance of the map to figure out what you’re looking at. I did the yellow and red trails.
In the mid-19th Century this site was a cutting edge arms manufactory. In 1911 it was closed and for nearly one hundred years it was reoccupied by the forests out side the town. Now it is a preserve where some of the old industrial structures are highlighted, but without the pollution of the air and water that went on a century and a half ago.
This site looking out on the Foundry Cove was where guns were tested before they were put in service. This was the “proving ground” for guns that, if defective, could leave a dozen men dead.
On the floor of the site is a long quote from the New York Times on a reporter’s visit to the Foundry. He says that the guns are put to the “severest test” and that the sound of them firing at all hours of the day makes the people feel they are in the middle of the Civil War.
As you can see, the firing took place over wetlands next to the River.
The clean-up that took place two decades ago included keeping the stream within its historic channel to protect the ruins so that they would not further deteriorate.
The ramp and emplacement are modern restorations with ample signage to explain the site.
A large part of the site is it preserves history and the natural environment. With nearly 18 million people living less than two hours away, it is a treasure.
Bring your binoculars if you are a bird watcher.
The design on the roof of the artillery testing ground shows nature.
The floor shows armaments.
Then I headed east to explore the trail. There were signs explaining what I saw, and, at ground level, ruins.
Then I came to the office building of the site, which was built in 1865 while the Civil War was raging. There is the office building from 1865 and a partially destroyed older building.
Even today, the building is still impressive. next to it is another building partly in ruins.
Next to the ruins are signage held up with the remains of the ruins.
The landmark shows the ruin was built after 1818.
Just one wall still stands.
You can see the 1865 office building behind it.
This ruin was the Pattern Shop for the Foundry. The Pattern was made of wood. It would be inserted into the sand in the shape of the artillery piece. Then the wood would be withdrawn. Molten iron would be poured into the sand mold.
The 1865 building has fine workmanship. It was designed to impress visitors.
The building has an imposing cupola.
You cannot go in the building, however, the site is beautiful. There is a stream flowing right in front of the building. The stream was used to power the foundry and to cool the red-hot iron being used here.
Below, you can see the stream.
If you bring kids, they will react with joy to the waterfalls on the streams running here, including this one right in front of the office.
Many of the streams have bridges or fords for crossing.
In front of the office is a large grassy field where I took this picture of the ruin of the building.
Sheltered by the trees, there is also a picnic area where individuals and tour groups can rest and eat their lunches.
Many of the ruins are marked with numbers that you can check out on line at foundrytour.org
Number 9 is the machine shop for the Foundry.
Along the trail you will see the lower walls of building that no longer exist.
Through the trees, you can see the Casting Shop. This is where the sand mold would have iron poured into it.
Along a dry channel there is a reconstructed water wheel. This is the Backshot Wheel from the Boring Mill.
Parts of the old boring mill still stand as ruins away from the road.
Signage explains the use of water power at this spot.
Beyond the water wheel, there is a stylized turntable to remind visitors that in addition to water, steam trains moved the Foundry’s products to market and brought in the raw materials along what is today a footpath.
While I was intrigued by the sites of the Industrial Revolution readily apparent, I was also caught up in the natural beauty here.
Ponds, rapids, and waterfalls make every step a new experience.
Finally, the natural stream ends in a two hundred year old canal.
All along the trail, you can see walls or loose brick that were made one hundred and fifty years ago.
Look just a couple of hundred feet and you can see ruins of walls, dams, and storage spaces. I think this was the Blacksmith Shop.
Partial remains of an old dam.
Of course, growing up in New York State, waterfalls always hold my attention!
The trails are well-marked and they are safe. About half of the trails are easily accessible for someone in a wheelchair.
Bricks from a building that no longer exists.
Now I am on the bridge over the channel that fed the waterwheel. This of course is a modern representation. The original was made of wood.
The bridge has multiple signs explaining how the Boring Mill worked as well as easily understood graphics.
The illustration shows the complexity of the operation just at this one station. With water powered wheels spinning around, this had to be dangerous work.
You can see the enormity of the building during the Civil War.
I like this picture because you can see the wheel and realize that behind it were 100 yards of buildings.
When you take your children here they can get a realistic feel for work life in the 19th Century.
I took the Red Trail back to the parking lot. You can see how the Foundry cut through the hills to allow their thousand workers to go home to Cold Spring along this path.
While nature has returned the Foundry to the Forest, the earlier despoilation still impacts the natural life here.
Then, from the parking lot I went down to the Foundry Cove of the Hudson River.
A beautiful spot, but you wonder what it looked like in 1861.
A butterfly garden planted by local people at the exit from the preserve.
On my way from the Foundry, I came upon St. Mary’s Episcopal Church. The church was founded in the 1820s and it worshiped initially in a room in the Boring Mill. The parish built a church in 1840. Its first two wardens were Gouverneur Kemble, the owner of the Foundry, and Robert P. Parrott. Parrott supervised the building of the second church, which is the church used today by the parish. This was constructed in 1867 and it was consecrated in 1869. The spire rises 128 feet above the ground.
For Memorial Day the church lays out crosses of its parishioners who served this country. On the right is Captain Parrott.
There were also crosses for lesser known men who served in the Union Army. Parishioners included people who worked at the Foundry, as well as officers who served at West Point.
One of the most famous parishioners was General Gouverneur Warren, the hero of Little Round Top. He was born in Cold Spring. Like many men from the area he was named Gouverneur!
Augustus Roebling served during the Civil War and then built the Brooklyn Bridge!
General Daniel Butterfield liked to stroll the street of Cold Spring. Perhaps he was making up bugle calls as he wandered. He built a house in Cold Spring in the 1880s and he lived there until he died in 1901.
The first Parrott Rifle was developed in 1859 and 1860. Captain Parrott obtained a patent in 1861. The Parrott Rifle was made of cast iron, with a wrought iron reinforcing band over the breech to give it additional strength. Parrotts could be field artillery, starting out at ten pounds or siege artillery up to 300 pounds. The Ten Pounder could fire 2,000 yards and it was used by both the Union and Confederate armies.
Abraham Lincoln was so excited by this new technological development that he went by train to West Point Foundry where 100 lb. and 200 lb. guns were fired at the test site. The 100 lb. Naval Parrott could fire 6,900 yards.
West Point Foundry guns have the initials “WPF” on the gun tube.
The above photo shows a 200 lb. Parrott Rifle in use as a siege gun during the Civil War.
You can view Parrott Guns at many sites. Here is a Naval Parrott Rifle in Freeport, N.Y.
All color photos taken by Pat Young.
To explore all the sites Click Here for our new Google Map presentation.
Note on Feature Illustration: The illustration shows the Swamp Angel, a Parrott Rifle used in the bombardment of Charleston by Union artillery.
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