Traveling the Hudson River

As we were traveling up the Hudson, I wondered how it got its name. Well.....

Henry Hudson was commissioned by the Dutch East India Company in 1609 to find a passage to the “islands of spicery” that would eliminate the lengthy and expensive voyage around Africa’s Cape of Good Hope. Provided with the eighty-ton ship Halve Maen and a crew of twenty, Hudson embarked on his journey in early April of that year, and in September he traveled as far inland as present-day Albany, on what was later named the Hudson River in his honor. Shallow waters eventually convinced Hudson that the river wasn’t the fabled passage.

There are many lighthouses along the Hudson. It is interesting looking them up and reading their history. They seem to follow a pattern of being constructed in the mid 1800s and early 1900s.  Later in the 1960s the Coast Guard  began automating the lighthouses which caused them to be abandoned. Some of them have been rescued and restored and some have not. 

Here are the ones we have seen so far.

Esopus Meadows Lighthouse

There was once a meadow in the middle of the Hudson River near Esopus, big enough for cows to graze on its green grass at low tide, but the river changed, and now the meadow is underwater at any tide.

The original Esopus Meadows Lighthouse , the “Maid of the Meadow,” was constructed in 1839 for a sum of $6,000 to warn mariners of this submerged mudflat and safely guide river traffic to the east side of the river to avoid the dangerous shallows.

The current Esopus Meadows light house was rebuilt in 1871.  In 1965 the lighthouse was automated.  After many years of neglect, a small, dedicated group of people formed the Save Esopus Lighthouse Commission to restore the light house to its former glory days. Tours are available as the restorations continue. 

Roundout Creek Lighthouse

The Rondout Lighthouse is the last of three lighthouses marking the entrance to the Rondout Creek. Still fully operational as a navigational light, the Rondout lighthouse is one of only seven remaining on the Hudson River. 

This brick lighthouse, completed and lit in 1915, is accessible only by boat. 

The lighthouse was automated in 1954.  Owned by the City of Kingston and operated by the Hudson River Maritime Museum. Both the interior and the exterior have been restored and it is available for occasional public tours and or a wedding if you feel so inclined.

Saugerties Lighthouse

The Saugerties Lighthouse, built in 1869 is a landmark beacon on the Hudson River. 

Saugerties Lighthouse was considered a plum assignment due to its proximity to town. 

The lightkeepers were friendly with their neighbors and even enlisted their help. A neighbor downriver would hang a bed sheet out their window whenever they saw the lighthouse tender coming upriver, giving the lightkeeper about a half-hour notice before the inspector arrived.

The lighthouse has been painstakingly restored and now stands proudly as a Living Museum and a renowned Bed & Breakfast. 

Saugerties Lighthouse furnished in 1920s décor, is now open to the public and welcomes overnight guests as a bed and breakfast. Visitors can walk to the lighthouse along a one-half-mile-long trail through where they will be greeted by a modern day resident keeper who runs the bed and breakfast and maintains the lighthouse.

Hudson Lighthouse

Hudson lighthouse was built in 1872 and was featured on the cover of the Saturday Evening Post Christmas edition in depicting the lighthouse keeper, Emil Brunner, bringing a Christmas tree home to his family at the lighthouse. 

The lighthouse  interior has been restored to represent life in the 1930s, when the Brunner family lived there. Many authentic pieces donated by the Brunner family are on display, and the original fog bell, which still has its clockwork mechanism, is mounted outside on the tower.

We finished the day anchored in front of the Hudson Yacht Club (NY) and took Abby for a walk by dingy around the clubhouse. It rained again for most of the day.  We are growing fungus between our toes!  When will it stop?  I need to see the sunshine. Tomorrow we will go through the Federal Lock at Albany which marks the end of Salt water until we get to Mobile AL next October/November.  The boat will get a good washing to get all the salt off and we will switch from fresh water flushing in the toilets to water from the rivers.  This should save us about a hundred gallons of fresh water a week.

.