Category: Historic Sites of New York State

Fenimore Art Museum 5798 NY-80 Cooperstown, NY 13326

Fenimore Art Museum 5798 NY-80 Cooperstown, NY 13326

Fenimore Museum

5798 NY-80

Cooperstown, NY 13326

(607) 547-1400

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Open: Sunday-Saturday 10:00am-5:00pm (check hours during the seasons)

Admission: Adults (13+) $17.50/Children (12 and under) Free

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g47529-d103482-Reviews-Fenimore_Art_Museum-Cooperstown_Otsego_New_York.html?m=19905

The Fenimore Museum at 5798 NY-80

The museum at the start of the holiday season

I was in Upstate New York visiting Cooperstown to see the Baseball Hall of Fame and when I finished, I travelled up the road to see the Fenimore Art Museum. What a unique museum packed with interesting art from all aspects of the medium.

The Portrait Collection

The Lady in White

The middle level of the museum specialized in early American works and paintings from the Hudson River School. Across the hall was the history of the Cooper family who once owned all the land in the area, developed it to the town known as Cooperstown as a planned community.

The collection of Folk Art Paintings

The lower level was dedicated to the Thaw Collection of American Indian Art which was pretty extensive.

The clothing from the Native American display from the Thaw Collection

The Thaw Collection gallery

I liked the collection of spiritual masks that could scare away any evil spirit. The collection of small dolls and icons makes you wonder how they if ever captured any spirits. Their collection of clothing was interesting too.

The Thaw Collection

The Thaw Native American Collection

The ‘Looking Back’ exhibition

The paintings in the exhibit

One of my favorite paintings from this exhibit (note-some of the buildings in this painting from 1860 still exist).

The upper floor in 2025 was the exhibition of the ‘’Calvin and Hobbes’ cartoon. I loved this comic strip when it was out and found myself laughing the whole time.

The opening of the Calvin and Hobbes exhibition in 2025

(From the Fenimore Art Museum website)

Exploring Calvin and Hobbes

Exploring Calvin and Hobbes revisits the beloved comic strip created by Bill Watterson from 1985 to 1995. This exhibit explores his mastery of the comic strip art form through engaging characters, thoughtful writing, and creative layouts.

The exhibition features original Calvin and Hobbes daily and Sunday strips as well as specialty pieces by Watterson from his collection of more than 3,000 originals housed at the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum at The Ohio State University. Calvin and Hobbes appeared in 2,400 newspapers worldwide at the height of its popularity. Watterson won the National Cartoonists Society’s prestigious Reuben Award for “Outstanding Cartoonist of the Year” in both 1986 and 1988.

The History of the Fenimore Art Museum:

The Fenimore Art Museum originated as the New York State Historical Association, founded in 1899 by New Yorkers who were interested in promoting greater knowledge of the early of the state. They hoped to encourage original research, to educate general audiences by means of lectures and publications to mark places of historic interest with tablets or signs and to start a library and museum to hold manuscripts, paintings and objects associated with the history of the state.

The Fenimore Art Museum in the Fall of 2025

In 1939, Stephen Carlton Clark, offered the organization a new home in the village of Cooperstown, NY. Clark, an avid collector, took an active interest in expanding the holdings of the Association and in 1944 donated Fenimore House, one of his family’s properties, to be used as a new headquarters and museum. The impressive neo-Georgian structure was built in the 1930’s on the site of James Fenimore Cooper’s early 19th century farmhouse on the shore of Otsego Lake, Coopers Glimmerglass.

The Weathervane Collection

Fenimore House was large enough to have both extensive galleries as well as an office and library space. The collections and programs continued to expand and a separate library building was constructed in 1968.

The Cigar Store Indian

In 1995, a new 18,000 square foot wing was added to the Fenimore House to accommodate the Eugene and Clare Thaw Collection, which is one of the nation’s premier collections of American Indian Art. In 1999 in recognition of our world class collections, we renamed the Fenimore House to the Fenimore Art Museum.

The Collection includes The Thaw Collection of American Indian Art, Fine Art & Folk Art, Photography and the Research Library.

Early American Portrature

Mission:

Preserving-Engaging-Educating

Fenimore Art Museum is dedicated to welcoming and connecting people to our shared cultural heritage through exhibitions and programs that engage that engage, delight and inspire.

(This information comes from the Fenimore Art Museum’s website and I give them full credit for it)

The ‘Humming Bee’ portrait

This was one of my favorite paintings in the collection when I visited in 2025.

The Thaw Collection gallery

The Trolley Museum of New York 89 East Strand Kingston, NY 12401

The Trolley Museum of New York 89 East Strand Kingston, NY 12401

The Trolley Museum of New York

89 East Strand

Kingston, NY 12401

(845) 331-3399

http://www.tmny.org/

https://www.facebook.com/trolleymuseumny/

Open: Sunday & Saturday 12:00pm-5:00pm/Monday-Friday Closed-May through October so please check the website.

Fee: Adults $6.00/Children over Five (5) and Seniors $4.00/Children under Five/Active Military with ID and their families/Members Free

Trolley Rides leave Gallo Park at 12:30pm/1:30pm/2:30pm & 3:30pm.

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g48003-d4755385-Reviews-Trolley_Museum_Of_New_York-Kingston_Catskill_Region_New_York.html?m=19905

The Kingston Trolley Museum at 39 East Strand

When I was visiting Kingston, NY again for my blog, “MywalkinManhattan.com”, I came across the Trolley Museum that was down the road from the NY Maritime Museum and the harbor for the ‘Hudson River Cruises”. This unique museum has a lot of interactive things for a family to do including riding a trolley through the harbor of the Kingston Roundout to Kingston Point Park right on the Hudson River. On a beautiful sunny day there is nothing like it.

The first part of the trip took us to the Kingston Roundout

I just made the first trip on the trolley. You start at the front of the museum and then you take a short trip to the downtown and we picked up other passengers. It was then off for a short trolley trip following the river up to Kingston Point Park and the picnic grounds there.

The Trolley Museum

The Trolley arriving at Kingston Point Park

The foliage was amazing at the park with hues of gold and red and the trees were just coming into their peak. We only had about a half hour to stay at the park and look around but it was a real delight of colors and the views of the river just shined in the sun. It was very picturesque especially with sailboats passing by.

The Trolley stops at Kingston Point Park

On our way back to the museum, you could see the lighthouse from its perch at the mouth of the inlet. People were starting to take the Hudson River Cruise in the distance which I had made two weeks earlier. When I got back to the museum, I toured all the buses, subway cars and the Path train that they had in the parking lot. I could see this live in Manhattan so I went to visit the museum. The nice part about the museum is how interactive it is and how you can pace yourself through all the displays.

You can tour old subway cars, buses and an old Path Train

There were small exhibits on the history of the trolley cars in cities, the development of the cars as a mode of transportation starting with horses to the electrical age.

Old New York City subway car

There was also a small display on glass fixtures used in the electrical lines before the new cabling systems came in and another hats and uniforms used on the trolley cars over the years. There are also displays of signs and posters for the different lines.

The inside of the Kingston Maritime Museum

The Subway display at the Kingston Trolley Museum

It is a small museum but for families, there is a lot to climb through and tour around and just taking the trolley up to the park is worth the price of the ticket.

The conductor operations room display at the Kingston Trolley Museum

History of The Trolley Museum of New York:

The Trolley Museum of New York is a non-profit educational museum founded in 1955. The goals of the museum are to offer rides to the public, exhibits and educational programs sharing the rich history of rail transportation and the role it played in the development of the Hudson Valley region. In addition to static displays of trolley, subway and rapid transit cars from the United States and Europe, a trolley ride runs 1 1/2 miles from Gallo Park at the foot of Broadway in downtown Kingston, NY to Kingston Point Park on the shore of the Hudson River, using a renovated 1925 trolley. Along the way, we stop at the Museum grounds.

The inside of the Kingston Trolley Museum

The Museum is on the original site of the Ulster and Delaware Railroad yards at Milepost 1. Our shop building is built on the foundation of the U & D engine building house which existed at the turn of the century. The upper level includes a Visitor’s Center featuring seasonal and permanent displays, a video viewing area and large windows overlooking the restoration shop. Visitors can see up to eight trolleys being housed and restored below.

The outside of the Kingston Trolley Museum

One of the cars in the restoration shop is our 1897 wooden trolley car from Olso, Norway. This car is one of four cars that we have on display that are 100 plus years old.

The public transport display inside the Kingston Trolley Museum

Your Donations:

All of the Museum staff are volunteers. There are many projects, both large and small, all of which require funding to complete. Chief among these are the installation of overhead electric wire, trolley restoration and the expansion and rehabilitation of track. Your donations will help to provide vital support for these projects and others.

Inside the Kingston Trolley Museum

(This information comes from The Trolley Museum of New York’s pamphlet and I give them full credit for it).

Hudson River Maritime Museum 50 Roundout Landing Kingston, NY 12401

Hudson River Maritime Museum 50 Roundout Landing Kingston, NY 12401

Hudson River Maritime Museum

50 Roundout Landing

Kingston, NY 12401

(845) 338-0583

http://www.hrmm.org/

Open: Sunday 11:00am-5:00pm/Monday-Thursday Closed/Saturday 11:00am-5:00pm

Fee: Adults $9.00/Seniors (over 62) & Children (18 & under) $6.00/Members-Children under 4 years/Active Military Free

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g48003-d285787-Reviews-Hudson_River_Maritime_Museum-Kingston_Catskill_Region_New_York.html?m=19905

The Kingston Hudson River Maritime Museum 50 Roundout Landing

I recently visited the Hudson River Maritime Museum after a boat cruise around the Hudson River and I found this wonderful little under-rated museum to packed with information not just about the history of the Hudson River Valley but the rich history of boating and boat building, the economic impact of the area in mining, brick building, ice manufacturing and cement development.

The Tug Boat display

It was interesting to see how the natural wonders of the area have given the rise to so much development in not just building the area but its long lasting contribution to New York City. This was not just in industry but in the pleasure and shipping boat industries as well.

The Ferry display

One part of the museum is dedicated to transportation up and down the river with sailing and steamboats in the forefront especially how the luxury steamboat industry went full force until about 60 years ago. It was considered the nicest form of transportation to and from New York City. It was interesting how the modern train and car lead to the demise of something that today would be embraced as unique and fun. The pleasure steamboat industry continued on until 1971.

The leisure ferry industry down the Hudson River

Another part of the museum was dedicated to the history and development of the area from the Native American tribes living along the shore and the Dutch settlements to the rise of modern development of manufacturing along the shores to its after effects and clean up in the 1960’s and 70’s. These included fishing, ice manufacturing and brick making.

The Ice Industry on the Hudson River

There were really nice displays on the ship building, sail companies and maritime industries that supported them. The manufacture of raw materials and building supplies because of the natural resources of the Hudson River Valley show how rich in minerals, clay, cement and stone from the cliffs built New York City and how they nearly destroyed nature.

The Brick industry in the Hudson River Valley

The displays tell the stories of activists who saved the area, Robber Barons that exploited it and the everyday people who contributed to making the valley the interesting place that it is today. It showed how protests and free speech saved the Valley from devastating development.

The Alexander Hamilton Ferry ride down the Hudson River

With each room at the museum, there is a story to tell and pictures to explain why the Hudson River Valley and the Kingston Roundout is such an interesting place to see. Outside you can find an example of the Tug Boat industry

The Tug Boat “Mathilda” on the museum grounds

The tugboat display by the riverfront

Take time to guide through the rooms and read the signs and stories. There is a lot to see and do here and make sure to leave plenty of time to walk the grounds and see the tug boat and sailing displays and walk the river front. There is even a display of ships models to explore. It makes for an interesting afternoon.

The ‘Ship Models’ display

History of the Hudson River Maritime Museum

(This information was taken from the Museum’s website and pamphlet)

Hudson River Maritime Museum

The Hudson River Maritime is dedicated to the preservation and interpretation of the maritime history of the Hudson River, its tributaries and related industries.

Ship building was very important in the region

The Hudson River Maritime Museum was founded in 1980 to preserve the history and maritime heritage of the Hudson River. Our collections range from steamboats, tugboats and sailboats to the canal system and waterfront industries, dating back to the early 19th Century.

The ferry display

The museum has a library and archives open to researches by appointment. Some of our collections have been digitized and are available online at http://www.hrvh.org/hrmmkingston.

http://www.hrmm.org/

HRMM exhibits cover topics including:

Passenger steam boats, Hudson River rowing, ferries, ecology and conservation, ice boats, tugboats, fishing, ice harvesting, brick making, early exploration, cement production, lighthouses and more. HRMM features a new temporary exhibit every year. Information on exhibits, including online exhibits is available at hrmm.org.

The ‘Cabin Room’ display

Some of the attributes of the museum:

Wooden Boat School:

The Wooden Boat School was opened by the Hudson River Maritime Museum to preserve the rich boat building heritage of the Hudson River Valley. Wooden boat building occurred on Roundout Creek in particular throughout the 19th and 20th centuries including World War I & II and the Korean War.

The ‘Hudson River Weather’ display

Today, the Wooden Boat School offers adult classes, Youth boat program for teens and serves as the headquarters for the Sailing & Rowing School, Sea Scouts Ship 609 and the Kingston Sailing Club.

Kingston Home Port:

A timber framed carbon neutral structure, the Kingston Home Port and Education Center was completed in 2012 to serve as the winter home port and maintenance center for HHRM partner the Hudson River Sloop Clearwater during the winter season. During the summer months, the Home Port serves as an event, lecture and educational space for the museum.

The ‘Steamboat Captain’ display

The Kingston Home Port also functions as the main operational headquarters for the Roundout Rowing Club and the Kingston High School Crew Team.

The ‘Erie Canal’ display

The ‘Erie Canal’ display

The Hudson River Maritime Museum (HRMM) features a variety of programs and events throughout the year including:

*Lighthouse Tours

*Local History tours, including guided walking and car tours.

*Woodworking, maritime art and boat building classes at the Wooden Boat School

*Sailing, boating and rowing classes at the Sailing & Rowing School

*Follow the River Lecture Series

*School Field trips

*Museum Mates monthly family programs

*Free Public Festivals

*Visiting Vessels

*Special members only events-Join today!

The ‘Lighthouse’ display

Walkway Across the Hudson State Historic Park 87 Haviland Road Highland, NY 12528

Walkway Across the Hudson State Historic Park 87 Haviland Road Highland, NY 12528

Walkway Across the Hudson State Historic Park

87 Haviland Road

Highland, NY 12528

(845) 834-2867

https://parks.ny.gov/parks/178/details.aspx

Open: Sunday-Saturday Dawn to Dusk/Office Open 8:00am-4:30pm Daily

Fee: Vehicle Fee $5.00/Educational Programs Adults $5.00/Students $2.00

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g48443-d2249606-Reviews-Walkway_Over_the_Hudson_State_Historic_Park-Poughkeepsie_New_York.html?m=19905

The history of Walkway over the Hudson River

This is the best way to experience seeing the Hudson River by walking on top of it. It is especially nice on a beautiful day.

The rail car from the entrance to the Walkway by the Highland Park side of the walk

The day I walked over the “Walkway over the Hudson” it was a rather cool September day in the last days of the summer but still it was a spectacular day to see the river with blue skies and sunshine. I also revisited the Walkway in July of 2024 and the views are just as amazing when everything in full bloom.

The history of the bridge that crosses the Hudson River

The start of the walk by the Highland NY side of the bridge

The views from the bridge on the Highland NY side

The views of the Mid Hudson Bridge

The views of Poughkeepsie and Hyde Park

On both sides of the bridge, there are small parks to sit and relax. There are signs all over the bridge to tell the story of the bridge and the people who helped save it. The best part is to just sit around the rails and see the views of the Hudson River. On the Poughkeepsie side of the river, you have the entrance to the Little Italy section of city right near the riverfront. Since my initial walk, three of the restaurants have closed since COVID.

The historic sign at the halfway point

Looking up the Hudson River to the north of the bridge

Looking north to Hyde Park, NY

Looking south down the Hudson River

What is nice too is when you are leaving the Walkway is that you can tour Little Italy and Downtown Poughkeepsie. The Riverfront area of the City is changing quickly and new bars and restaurants are opening.

The towns and neighborhoods to visit after leaving the Walkway in Poughkeepsie and Highland NY

The Little Italy section of Poughkeepsie from the Walkway over the Hudson

The sign in Little Italy in Poughkeepsie

The history of the ‘Walkway Across the Hudson’:

The bridge now known as the Walkway Over the Hudson opened in 1889 as the Poughkeepsie-Highland Railroad Bridge to transport western raw materials to eastern industrial centers. Rosendale cement was used in the original construction of the piers. At the same time of its opening, it was the longest bridge in the world.

Downtown Poughkeepsie in front of me

In addition to freight trains, the bridge hosted passenger trains connecting Boston, New York, Harrisburg, Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington as early as 1890. Trolley cars termed “rapid transit” were modified to run on both trolley and railroad tracks and served tourists, students and shoppers (from New Paltz to Lucky Platt’s). Special West Point Football trains ran from 1921-1930. Circus trains, milk trains, trains for hogs and cattle-the uses were varied and the impact was huge. At its peak as many as 3,500 rail cars crossed the bridge each day.

The waterfront of Poughkeepsie

There were two sets of tracks until 1918 when gauntlet track, also called interleaved track, was installed to handle the weight of diesel locomotives. It was removed in 1958.

Looking south down the Hudson River

During World War II the bridge was painted black to make it less visible in the event of an attack. Painting continued until the 1960’s. The high quality of the steel used in the original construction does not need to be painted. Metal experts during reconstruction stated that the absence of paint in fact helped keep the steel in the good condition it is in today.

The Poughkeepsie waterfront

The fire that destroyed the tracks in 1974 was probably started by a spark from a train’s brakes. From Carleton Mabee’s ‘Bridging the Hudson’, page 247: “An hour after a Penn Central train with 100 cars crossed the bridge on May 8, 1974, a thick cloud of black smoke hung over the bridge. Wooden ties were smoldering and wooden walkways were burning, fanned by a moderate breeze. Because Penn Central had no guards or maintenance men on the bridge at the time, the fire was not quickly reported. When firemen arrived at the site, they found they could not easily pump water up to the top of such a high bridge.

Downtown Poughkeepsie from the bridge near the waterfront

When firemen arrived arrived at the site, they found they could not easily pump water up to the top of such a high bridge. When they tried turning on the water to flow into the bridge. When they tried turning on the water to flow into the steel pipe which ran the length of the bridge, a line meant to help fight fires, they found that because it had not been drained the previous winter, it had burst at several points-Penn Central had known it but had not repaired it.”

View from the bridge on the Poughkeepsie side right near Little Italy

It was rebuilt and re-opened in October 2009 as the Walkway Over the Hudson State Historic Park thanks to the efforts of a dedicated friends group, the Dyson Foundation, many donors and New York State.

The Highland Park side of the bridge at dusk

At 212 feet above the Hudson River, this 1.28 mile linear park boasts scenic views north to the Catskills and south to the Hudson Highlands.

The Walkway is amazing on a sunny day

The Walkway is part of the Hudson Valley Rail Trail Network and was inducted into the Rail-Train of Fame in 2016, it connects Ulster County’s Hudson Valley Rail Train to the William R. Steinhaus Dutchess Rail Trail.

The ADA compliant 21 story glass elevator provides seasonal access from Poughkeepsie waterfront at Upper Landing Park a short walk from the Metro North train station.

The Walkway welcomes more than 500,000 visitors annually from all over the world who enjoy walking, cycling and running amidst its scenic beauty.

Today, the Walkway is operated and owned by NYS Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation and the NYS Bridge Authority it is open year round, offering programs, events and tours made possible through membership and donations to the Walkway organization.

(This information was taken from the Walkway over the Hudson website and pamphlet and I give them full credit for all of this information).