Cornwall, New York
Encyclopedia
Cornwall is a town in Orange County
, New York
, USA
. It is located about 50 miles north of New York City
on the western shore of the Hudson River
. The estimated population in 2007 was 12,827.
Cornwall continues to increase in popularity as a bedroom community
for New York City. Commuter rail service is available via the Salisbury Mills-Cornwall train station
, operated by NJ Transit
, and several other nearby stations on Metro North Railroad.
Cornwall has a distinct walkable downtown along Main Street, including a co-op, gift shops, taverns, restaurants, coffeehouses, yoga studios and boutiques. Government offices, churches, parks, the riverfront, and St. Luke's Cornwall Hospital, a part of the NewYork-Presbyterian Healthcare System
, are situated within walking distance of downtown.
While the town is located less than an hour from the George Washington Bridge
, major commuter routes like the New York State Thruway
and the Palisades Parkway
run nearby, but not through the heart of Cornwall. The town is a designated Tree City
.
in 1609. The first settler, a Scotsman, named McGregor, arrived in 1684. In 1685, the future town was part of the Governor Dongan Tract.
The Town of Cornwall was founded in 1788.
, one of the Knickerbocker writers
, enjoyed the time he spent here so much he bought property in Cornwall, establishing a country home he called Idlewild. His many writings on the area helped make Cornwall a popular spot for health-seekers.
Shifting attitudes toward a more healthy lifestyle began to make the Hudson Valley popular for outdoor activities and exercise. Hiking, rowing, swimming, fishing, hunting and biking all contributed to the development in the area of summer camps as well as the notion of the summer vacation.
proposed building a giant hydro-electric plant on the river at Storm King Mountain near Cornwall. Despite pressure from local residents, Con Ed went forward with its plan, applying to the Federal Power Commission for a license to operate such a facility.
Three years later, after hearings and appeals and more hearings, the U. S. Court of Appeals set a major precedent when it sent the case back to the FPC to start the process over again. Its reasoning was based on the commission's refusal to hear much of the environmental impact testimony the first time around. For the first time in U.S. history, a court had decided that protection of natural resources was just as important as economic gain. It prompted Congress to pass the National Environmental Policy Act in 1969, which requires an environmental impact study on all major projects needing an OK from the federal government.
, and just 5 miles (9 km) north of the United States Military Academy
at West Point
, in eastern Orange County
. It is shaped like an irregular pentagon
pointing southwards. According to the United States Census Bureau
, the town has a total area of 28.2 square miles (73 km²), of which, 26.8 square miles (69.4 km²) of it is land and 1.3 square miles (3.4 km²) of it (4.76%) is water.
Cornwall's terrain is quite diverse, with considerable relief. It is shaped by the valleys of Moodna
and Woodbury creeks, and includes estuarine
salt marsh
es, heavily-developed residential and commercial areas, rolling farms, and rocky, scrub-covered ridges and mountaintops. There are two major protected area
s mostly within the town, Storm King State Park
and the privately-managed Black Rock Forest
.
The most level section is in the northeast corner, east of the curve of US 9W
, sloping gently to the river, where it borders on the towns of Fishkill
and Philipstown
in Dutchess
and Putnam
counties respectively, across the river. Here is located the village of Cornwall on Hudson
, and the most developed section of the town proper, the area usually meant by Cornwall, just to the southwest of the village. To its west lies another residential area, Firthcliffe
, named for the carpet factory once located here along the banks of Moodna Creek. Much of the town's population is concentrated in the village and this area.
In its south section, Cornwall on Hudson rises to the high area known as Deer Hill, a foothill to Storm King Mountain to its immediate south. South of Storm King the town's southeast boundary, with Highlands
, leaves the river just north of Crow's Nest and runs through Storm King State Park
, taking in most of Black Rock Forest
. It turns more southerly, taking in the northwestern sliver of the United States Military Academy
Reservation before reaching Cornwall's southernmost point, its tripoint
with Highlands and the town and village of Woodbury
.
This area of town is also mountainous and rugged, with the border descending along a northwesterly line to the narrow Woodbury Creek valley, where NY 32
and the New York State Thruway
enter the town. At the valley's mouth, where Woodbury Creek drains into Moodna Creek, is the small hamlet of Mountainville
, with its own fire district and ZIP Code
. It gets its name from Schunemunk Mountain
, where the town line climbs the northern end of Schunemunk, reaching the town's highest elevation at 1540 feet (469.4 m) at the tripoint with Woodbury and Blooming Grove
.
Just past Schunemunk's western ridge, the town line reaches another corner and changes course to due north. This takes in the rural, rolling countryside between the mountain and Salisbury Mills
, where Storm King Art Center
is located and the Moodna Viaduct
, the highest and longest railroad trestle
east of the Mississippi River
, spans the valley between Schunemunk and the Salisbury Mills-Cornwall station
on the Metro-North
Port Jervis Line. This trestle was shown in the 2007 film Michael Clayton
and is a well known landmark. NY 94
runs through this section of town.
The town's northeast corner is another tripoint, with Blooming Grove and New Windsor, located in the middle of Beaverdam Lake. From there the New Windsor boundary runs east, trending slightly to the north, just south of the hamlet of Vails Gate
back to the salt marsh
es where the Moodna drains into the Hudson.
Orange County, New York
Orange County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. It is part of the Poughkeepsie–Newburgh–Middletown, NY Metropolitan Statistical Area and is located at the northern reaches of the New York metropolitan area. The county sits in the state's scenic Mid-Hudson Region of the Hudson Valley...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It is located about 50 miles north of New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
on the western shore of the Hudson River
Hudson River
The Hudson is a river that flows from north to south through eastern New York. The highest official source is at Lake Tear of the Clouds, on the slopes of Mount Marcy in the Adirondack Mountains. The river itself officially begins in Henderson Lake in Newcomb, New York...
. The estimated population in 2007 was 12,827.
Cornwall continues to increase in popularity as a bedroom community
Commuter town
A commuter town is an urban community that is primarily residential, from which most of the workforce commutes out to earn their livelihood. Many commuter towns act as suburbs of a nearby metropolis that workers travel to daily, and many suburbs are commuter towns...
for New York City. Commuter rail service is available via the Salisbury Mills-Cornwall train station
Salisbury Mills-Cornwall (Metro-North station)
The Salisbury Mills – Cornwall station, on the Metro-North Railroad Port Jervis Line, is in the Town of Cornwall in Orange County. Travel time from there to Hoboken Terminal, 55.4 miles away, is about one hour and 20 minutes....
, operated by NJ Transit
New Jersey Transit rail operations
New Jersey Transit Rail Operations is the rail division of New Jersey Transit. It provides regional rail service in New Jersey, with most service centered around transportation to and from New York City, Hoboken, and Newark...
, and several other nearby stations on Metro North Railroad.
Cornwall has a distinct walkable downtown along Main Street, including a co-op, gift shops, taverns, restaurants, coffeehouses, yoga studios and boutiques. Government offices, churches, parks, the riverfront, and St. Luke's Cornwall Hospital, a part of the NewYork-Presbyterian Healthcare System
NewYork-Presbyterian Healthcare System
The NewYork-Presbyterian Healthcare System is a network of independent, cooperating, acute-care and community hospitals, continuum-of-care facilities, home-health agencies, ambulatory sites, and specialty institutes in the New York metropolitan area....
, are situated within walking distance of downtown.
While the town is located less than an hour from the George Washington Bridge
George Washington Bridge
The George Washington Bridge is a suspension bridge spanning the Hudson River, connecting the Washington Heights neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan in New York City to Fort Lee, Bergen County, New Jersey. Interstate 95 and U.S. Route 1/9 cross the river via the bridge. U.S...
, major commuter routes like the New York State Thruway
New York State Thruway
The New York State Thruway is a system of limited-access highways located within the state of New York in the United States. The system, known officially as the Governor Thomas E. Dewey Thruway for former New York Governor Thomas E. Dewey, is operated by the New York State Thruway Authority and...
and the Palisades Parkway
Palisades Interstate Parkway
The Palisades Interstate Parkway is a long limited-access highway in the U.S. states of New Jersey and New York. The parkway is a major commuter route into New York City from Rockland and Orange counties in New York and Bergen County in New Jersey...
run nearby, but not through the heart of Cornwall. The town is a designated Tree City
Tree City USA
Tree City USA is a tree planting and tree care program sponsored by the National Arbor Day Foundation for cities and towns in the United States.- Requirements :...
.
History
The region was visited by the explorer Henry HudsonHenry Hudson
Henry Hudson was an English sea explorer and navigator in the early 17th century. Hudson made two attempts on behalf of English merchants to find a prospective Northeast Passage to Cathay via a route above the Arctic Circle...
in 1609. The first settler, a Scotsman, named McGregor, arrived in 1684. In 1685, the future town was part of the Governor Dongan Tract.
The Town of Cornwall was founded in 1788.
The nineteenth century
In the mid-19th century, Cornwall took on another personality – a health retreat. Until the early 20th century, city folk flocked to the Valley to experience the therapeutic powers they believed it to hold. The mountains, fresh air and evergreen forests were thought to offer the perfect conditions for good health and they were not far from the city. Cornwall on the west side of the Hudson became especially popular as a health retreat, offering numerous boarding houses and many conveniences of the day, including accessibility to the railroad and steamboats, as well as a telegraph office and large library. Nathaniel Parker WillisNathaniel Parker Willis
Nathaniel Parker Willis , also known as N. P. Willis, was an American author, poet and editor who worked with several notable American writers including Edgar Allan Poe and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. He became the highest-paid magazine writer of his day. For a time, he was the employer of former...
, one of the Knickerbocker writers
The Knickerbocker
The Knickerbocker, or New-York Monthly Magazine, was a literary magazine of New York City, founded by Charles Fenno Hoffman in 1833, and published until 1865 under various titles, including:...
, enjoyed the time he spent here so much he bought property in Cornwall, establishing a country home he called Idlewild. His many writings on the area helped make Cornwall a popular spot for health-seekers.
Shifting attitudes toward a more healthy lifestyle began to make the Hudson Valley popular for outdoor activities and exercise. Hiking, rowing, swimming, fishing, hunting and biking all contributed to the development in the area of summer camps as well as the notion of the summer vacation.
An environmental issue
In 1962, a 17-year legal battle began that launched modern-day environmental activism. Consolidated EdisonConsolidated Edison
Consolidated Edison, Inc. is one of the largest investor-owned energy companies in the United States, with approximately $14 billion in annual revenues and $36 billion in assets...
proposed building a giant hydro-electric plant on the river at Storm King Mountain near Cornwall. Despite pressure from local residents, Con Ed went forward with its plan, applying to the Federal Power Commission for a license to operate such a facility.
Three years later, after hearings and appeals and more hearings, the U. S. Court of Appeals set a major precedent when it sent the case back to the FPC to start the process over again. Its reasoning was based on the commission's refusal to hear much of the environmental impact testimony the first time around. For the first time in U.S. history, a court had decided that protection of natural resources was just as important as economic gain. It prompted Congress to pass the National Environmental Policy Act in 1969, which requires an environmental impact study on all major projects needing an OK from the federal government.
Past residents of note
- Djuna BarnesDjuna BarnesDjuna Barnes was an American writer who played an important part in the development of 20th century English language modernist writing and was one of the key figures in 1920s and '30s bohemian Paris after filling a similar role in the Greenwich Village of the teens...
, author of Nightwood was born in a log cabin on Storm King Mountain in Cornwall in 1892. - OlympicOlympic GamesThe Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
speed skater Bonnie BlairBonnie BlairBonnie Kathleen Blair is a retired American speedskater. She is one of the top skaters of her time, and one of the most decorated athletes in Olympic history. Blair competed for the United States in four Olympics, and in her Olympic career won five gold medals and one bronze medal.-Career:Blair...
was born in Cornwall on March 18, 1964. - Rob CohenRob CohenRobert "Rob" Cohen is an American film director, producer and writer.-Early life:Cohen was born in Cornwall, New York. He was raised and spent his childhood in the Town of Newburgh and graduated from Newburgh Free Academy in 1967...
, motion picture director and producer, was born in Cornwall on March 12, 1949. - William Frederick Hoppe (1887–1959), billiards champion, was a native.
- David PetraeusDavid PetraeusDavid Howell Petraeus is the current Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, sworn in on September 6, 2011. Prior to his assuming the directorship of the CIA, Petraeus was a four-star general serving over 37 years in the United States Army. His last assignments in the Army were as commander...
, four-star general, graduated from Cornwall Central High School in 1970. - Whit StillmanWhit StillmanWhit Stillman is an American writer-director known for his sly depictions of the "urban haute bourgeoisie" Whit Stillman (born John Whitney Stillman on January 25, 1952) is an American writer-director known for his sly depictions of the "urban haute bourgeoisie" Whit Stillman (born John Whitney...
(born John Whitney Stillman in Washington, D.C., on January 25, 1952), an Academy Award–nominated American writer-director, grew up in Cornwall. - Shea FarrellShea FarrellEdward Leo "Shea" Farrell III is an American actor and producer best known for playing Mark Danning in Aaron Spelling's series, "Hotel".Shea Farrell was born 21 October 1957 in Cornwall, New York , to Edward Leo, Jr. and Mary Rose Drummey. He attended Portsmouth Abbey School in Portsmouth, Rhode...
, Actor and Producer noted for playing Mark Danning in the television show Hotel created by Aaron SpellingAaron SpellingAaron Spelling was an American film and television producer. As of 2009, Spelling's eponymous production company Spelling Television holds the record as the most prolific television writer, with 218 producer and executive producer credits... - Nathaniel Parker WillisNathaniel Parker WillisNathaniel Parker Willis , also known as N. P. Willis, was an American author, poet and editor who worked with several notable American writers including Edgar Allan Poe and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. He became the highest-paid magazine writer of his day. For a time, he was the employer of former...
, was an American author and editor who is associated with notable American writers including Harriet Ann JacobsHarriet Ann JacobsHarriet Ann Jacobs was an American writer, who escaped from slavery and became an abolitionist speaker and reformer...
and Edgar Allan PoeEdgar Allan PoeEdgar Allan Poe was an American author, poet, editor and literary critic, considered part of the American Romantic Movement. Best known for his tales of mystery and the macabre, Poe was one of the earliest American practitioners of the short story and is considered the inventor of the detective...
. In 1846 Willis settled on an estate bordered to the north by Moodna Creek, naming his new home Idlewild. Because of failing health he spent the remainder of his life chiefly in retirement. The site of his property has since been used for housing, with Idlewild Avenue and Idlewild Park Drive, Cornwall-on-Hudson, commemorating his choice of name.
Geography
The town is located 52 miles (84 km) north of New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, and just 5 miles (9 km) north of the United States Military Academy
United States Military Academy
The United States Military Academy at West Point is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located at West Point, New York. The academy sits on scenic high ground overlooking the Hudson River, north of New York City...
at West Point
West Point, New York
West Point is a federal military reservation established by President of the United States Thomas Jefferson in 1802. It is a census-designated place located in Town of Highlands in Orange County, New York, United States. The population was 7,138 at the 2000 census...
, in eastern Orange County
Orange County, New York
Orange County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. It is part of the Poughkeepsie–Newburgh–Middletown, NY Metropolitan Statistical Area and is located at the northern reaches of the New York metropolitan area. The county sits in the state's scenic Mid-Hudson Region of the Hudson Valley...
. It is shaped like an irregular pentagon
Pentagon
In geometry, a pentagon is any five-sided polygon. A pentagon may be simple or self-intersecting. The sum of the internal angles in a simple pentagon is 540°. A pentagram is an example of a self-intersecting pentagon.- Regular pentagons :In a regular pentagon, all sides are equal in length and...
pointing southwards. According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the town has a total area of 28.2 square miles (73 km²), of which, 26.8 square miles (69.4 km²) of it is land and 1.3 square miles (3.4 km²) of it (4.76%) is water.
Cornwall's terrain is quite diverse, with considerable relief. It is shaped by the valleys of Moodna
Moodna Creek
Moodna Creek is a small tributary of the Hudson River that drains eastern Orange County, New York. At 15.5 miles in length from its source at the confluence of Cromline Creek and Otter Kill west of Washingtonville, it is the longest stream located entirely within the county.Despite its small...
and Woodbury creeks, and includes estuarine
Estuary
An estuary is a partly enclosed coastal body of water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea....
salt marsh
Salt marsh
A salt marsh is an environment in the upper coastal intertidal zone between land and salt water or brackish water, it is dominated by dense stands of halophytic plants such as herbs, grasses, or low shrubs. These plants are terrestrial in origin and are essential to the stability of the salt marsh...
es, heavily-developed residential and commercial areas, rolling farms, and rocky, scrub-covered ridges and mountaintops. There are two major protected area
Protected area
Protected areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognised natural, ecological and/or cultural values. There are several kinds of protected areas, which vary by level of protection depending on the enabling laws of each country or the regulations of the international...
s mostly within the town, Storm King State Park
Storm King State Park
Storm King State Park is a state park in Orange County, New York in the USA. The park is in the southeast part of the Town of Cornwall, next to the Hudson River.The park is undeveloped, with limited parking, and offers hiking, and seasonal deer hunting....
and the privately-managed Black Rock Forest
Black Rock Forest
Black Rock Forest is a privately owned nature preserve in the western Hudson Highlands region of the U.S. state of New York. It is in Orange County, mostly in the town of Cornwall, with the southern fringe overlapping into the neighboring town of Highlands...
.
U.S. Route 9W
U.S. Route 9W is a north–south U.S. Highway in the states of New Jersey and New York. It begins on Fletcher Avenue in Fort Lee, New Jersey as it crosses the US 1 & 9, US 46, and the Interstate 95 approaches to the George Washington Bridge, where it heads north up the west...
, sloping gently to the river, where it borders on the towns of Fishkill
Fishkill (town), New York
Fishkill is an affluent suburban town in the southwest part of Dutchess County, New York, USA. The population was 20,258 at the 2000 census, however, current estimates put the town's population at over 22,100. Fishkill partly surrounds the city of Beacon....
and Philipstown
Philipstown, New York
Philipstown is a town located in the western part of Putnam County, New York, United States. The population was 9,422 at the 2000 census.- History :The town was first settled around 1715....
in Dutchess
Dutchess County, New York
Dutchess County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York, in the state's Mid-Hudson Region of the Hudson Valley. The 2010 census lists the population as 297,488...
and Putnam
Putnam County, New York
Putnam County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York, in the lower Hudson River Valley. Putnam county formed in 1812, when it detached from Dutchess County. , the population was 99,710. It is part of the New York Metropolitan Area. The county seat is the hamlet of Carmel...
counties respectively, across the river. Here is located the village of Cornwall on Hudson
Cornwall on Hudson, New York
Cornwall-on-Hudson is a riverfront village in Orange County, New York. The estimated population in 2007 was 3,066. The village was founded in 1609 by famed explorer Henry Hudson...
, and the most developed section of the town proper, the area usually meant by Cornwall, just to the southwest of the village. To its west lies another residential area, Firthcliffe
Firthcliffe, New York
Firthcliffe is a hamlet in Orange County, New York USA. The population was 4,970 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Poughkeepsie–Newburgh–Middletown, NY Metropolitan Statistical Area as well as the larger New York–Newark–Bridgeport, NY-NJ-CT-PA Combined Statistical...
, named for the carpet factory once located here along the banks of Moodna Creek. Much of the town's population is concentrated in the village and this area.
In its south section, Cornwall on Hudson rises to the high area known as Deer Hill, a foothill to Storm King Mountain to its immediate south. South of Storm King the town's southeast boundary, with Highlands
Highlands, New York
Highlands is a town in Orange County, New York, United States. The population was 12,484 at the 2000 census.The Town of Highlands is on the eastern border of the county....
, leaves the river just north of Crow's Nest and runs through Storm King State Park
Storm King State Park
Storm King State Park is a state park in Orange County, New York in the USA. The park is in the southeast part of the Town of Cornwall, next to the Hudson River.The park is undeveloped, with limited parking, and offers hiking, and seasonal deer hunting....
, taking in most of Black Rock Forest
Black Rock Forest
Black Rock Forest is a privately owned nature preserve in the western Hudson Highlands region of the U.S. state of New York. It is in Orange County, mostly in the town of Cornwall, with the southern fringe overlapping into the neighboring town of Highlands...
. It turns more southerly, taking in the northwestern sliver of the United States Military Academy
United States Military Academy
The United States Military Academy at West Point is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located at West Point, New York. The academy sits on scenic high ground overlooking the Hudson River, north of New York City...
Reservation before reaching Cornwall's southernmost point, its tripoint
Tripoint
A tripoint, or trijunction , is a geographical point at which the borders of three countries or subnational entities meet....
with Highlands and the town and village of Woodbury
Woodbury, Orange County, New York
Woodbury is a town and village in Orange County, New York, United States. The town population was 9,460 at the 2000 census. The village was incorporated in 2006 and comprises all of the town that is not part of the village of Harriman. The region was once called Woodbury Clove...
.
New York State Route 32
New York State Route 32 is a north–south state highway that extends for through the Hudson Valley and Capital District regions of the U.S. state of New York. It is a two-lane surface road for nearly its entire length, with few divided and no limited-access sections. From Harriman to Albany,...
and the New York State Thruway
New York State Thruway
The New York State Thruway is a system of limited-access highways located within the state of New York in the United States. The system, known officially as the Governor Thomas E. Dewey Thruway for former New York Governor Thomas E. Dewey, is operated by the New York State Thruway Authority and...
enter the town. At the valley's mouth, where Woodbury Creek drains into Moodna Creek, is the small hamlet of Mountainville
Mountainville, New York
Mountainville is a hamlet in the western section of the town of Cornwall, in Orange County, New York, USA. It is mostly wooded, lightly populated area, located in the narrow valley of Woodbury and Moodna creeks between Schunemunk Mountain and the Hudson Highlands. The New York State Thruway and NY...
, with its own fire district and ZIP Code
ZIP Code
ZIP codes are a system of postal codes used by the United States Postal Service since 1963. The term ZIP, an acronym for Zone Improvement Plan, is properly written in capital letters and was chosen to suggest that the mail travels more efficiently, and therefore more quickly, when senders use the...
. It gets its name from Schunemunk Mountain
Schunemunk Mountain
Schunemunk Mountain is the highest mountain in Orange County, New York. The 1,664-foot summit is located in the town of Blooming Grove, with other portions in Cornwall and Woodbury. The community of Mountain Lodge Park is built up its western slope.The mountain is a popular recreational resource...
, where the town line climbs the northern end of Schunemunk, reaching the town's highest elevation at 1540 feet (469.4 m) at the tripoint with Woodbury and Blooming Grove
Blooming Grove, New York
Blooming Grove is a town in Orange County, New York, USA. The population was 17,351 at the 2000 census.The Town of Blooming Grove is in the central part of the county, located southwest of Newburgh.- History :...
.
Just past Schunemunk's western ridge, the town line reaches another corner and changes course to due north. This takes in the rural, rolling countryside between the mountain and Salisbury Mills
Beaverdam Lake-Salisbury Mills, New York
Beaverdam Lake-Salisbury Mills is a census-designated place in Orange County, New York, United States. As of the 2000 census, the CDP population was 2,779...
, where Storm King Art Center
Storm King Art Center
The Storm King Art Center in Mountainville, New York is an open air museum which has extended the concept of a "sculpture garden" to become a "sculpture landscape." Founded in 1960 by Ralph E. Ogden as a museum for Hudson Valley painters, it soon expanded into a major sculpture venue with the...
is located and the Moodna Viaduct
Moodna Viaduct
The Moodna Viaduct is an iron railroad trestle spanning Moodna Creek and its valley at the north end of Schunemunk Mountain in Cornwall, New York, near the village of Salisbury Mills. The bridge was constructed between 1904 and 1908 by the Erie Railroad as part of the Graham Line and was opened for...
, the highest and longest railroad trestle
Trestle
A trestle is a rigid frame used as a support, especially referring to a bridge composed of a number of short spans supported by such frames. In the context of trestle bridges, each supporting frame is generally referred to as a bent...
east of the Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
, spans the valley between Schunemunk and the Salisbury Mills-Cornwall station
Salisbury Mills-Cornwall (Metro-North station)
The Salisbury Mills – Cornwall station, on the Metro-North Railroad Port Jervis Line, is in the Town of Cornwall in Orange County. Travel time from there to Hoboken Terminal, 55.4 miles away, is about one hour and 20 minutes....
on the Metro-North
Metro-North Railroad
The Metro-North Commuter Railroad , trading as MTA Metro-North Railroad, or, more commonly, Metro-North, is a suburban commuter rail service that is run and managed by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority , an authority of New York State. It is the busiest commuter railroad in the United...
Port Jervis Line. This trestle was shown in the 2007 film Michael Clayton
Michael Clayton (film)
Michael Clayton is a 2007 American drama film written and directed by Tony Gilroy, starring George Clooney, Tom Wilkinson, Tilda Swinton and Sydney Pollack...
and is a well known landmark. NY 94
New York State Route 94
New York State Route 94 is a state highway entirely within Orange County in southern New York. The western terminus is at the New York-New Jersey state line, where it continues as NJ 94 for another to Columbia, New Jersey. Its eastern terminus is located at U.S. Route 9W in New Windsor....
runs through this section of town.
The town's northeast corner is another tripoint, with Blooming Grove and New Windsor, located in the middle of Beaverdam Lake. From there the New Windsor boundary runs east, trending slightly to the north, just south of the hamlet of Vails Gate
Vails Gate, New York
Vails Gate is a hamlet in Orange County, New York, United States. The population was 3,319 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Poughkeepsie–Newburgh–Middletown, NY Metropolitan Statistical Area as well as the larger New York–Newark–Bridgeport, NY-NJ-CT-PA Combined...
back to the salt marsh
Salt marsh
A salt marsh is an environment in the upper coastal intertidal zone between land and salt water or brackish water, it is dominated by dense stands of halophytic plants such as herbs, grasses, or low shrubs. These plants are terrestrial in origin and are essential to the stability of the salt marsh...
es where the Moodna drains into the Hudson.
Communities and locations in Cornwall
- Beaver Dam Lake – A lake partly inside the northwest corner of the town.
- Cornwall-on-Hudson is in the eastern part of the town.
- Cornwall Landing – A community east of Cornwall on Hudson, next to the Hudson River.
- FirthcliffeFirthcliffe, New YorkFirthcliffe is a hamlet in Orange County, New York USA. The population was 4,970 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Poughkeepsie–Newburgh–Middletown, NY Metropolitan Statistical Area as well as the larger New York–Newark–Bridgeport, NY-NJ-CT-PA Combined Statistical...
– A hamlet west of Cornwall on Hudson on US-9W.. - Firthcliffe Heights – A hamlet by the north town line.
- Meadowbrook – A hamlet near the town line, west of Cornwall on Hudson on NY-94.
- MountainvilleMountainville, New YorkMountainville is a hamlet in the western section of the town of Cornwall, in Orange County, New York, USA. It is mostly wooded, lightly populated area, located in the narrow valley of Woodbury and Moodna creeks between Schunemunk Mountain and the Hudson Highlands. The New York State Thruway and NY...
– A hamlet located along NY 32New York State Route 32New York State Route 32 is a north–south state highway that extends for through the Hudson Valley and Capital District regions of the U.S. state of New York. It is a two-lane surface road for nearly its entire length, with few divided and no limited-access sections. From Harriman to Albany,...
in the western part of town - Orrs Mill – A hamlet south of Firthcliffe.
- Salisbury MillsBeaverdam Lake-Salisbury Mills, New YorkBeaverdam Lake-Salisbury Mills is a census-designated place in Orange County, New York, United States. As of the 2000 census, the CDP population was 2,779...
– Part of the hamlet of Salisbury is within the west town line. The hamlet is also in the Town of Blooming GroveBlooming Grove, New YorkBlooming Grove is a town in Orange County, New York, USA. The population was 17,351 at the 2000 census.The Town of Blooming Grove is in the central part of the county, located southwest of Newburgh.- History :...
. - Storm King State ParkStorm King State ParkStorm King State Park is a state park in Orange County, New York in the USA. The park is in the southeast part of the Town of Cornwall, next to the Hudson River.The park is undeveloped, with limited parking, and offers hiking, and seasonal deer hunting....
– A state parkState parkState parks are parks or other protected areas managed at the federated state level within those nations which use "state" as a political subdivision. State parks are typically established by a state to preserve a location on account of its natural beauty, historic interest, or recreational...
by the Hudson River. - West Cornwall – A hamlet south of Firthecliffe, by the NY State Thruway.
- Museum of the Hudson Highlands – A park and Museum eatering preserved fishes, reptiles and amphibians as well as live animals, Indian artifacts and geological specimens indigenous to the Hudson Valley. Hiking trails, interpretive and live animal exhibits, a Tall Grass Prairie and a regional artists' gallery are also found at the museum.
- The Storm King Art Center – Located in Mountainville, near Cornwall, is an art museum and outdoor sculpture park featuring the work of 20th century American and European artists. Visitors stroll the 200 acre (0.809372 km²) near Storm King Mountain to view the work.