Hudson River Maritime Museum
Encyclopedia
The Hudson River Maritime Museum is a maritime museum
dedicated to the Hudson River
.
It is located at 50 Rondout Landing at the foot of Broadway in Kingston
, New York
, USA, along Rondout Creek
in the city's old waterfront
, just east of the John T. Loughran Bridge
.
Its collections are devoted to the history of shipping
, boating and industry on the Hudson and its tributaries
, such as the Rondout, where Kingston grew prosperous early in the 19th century as the northern end of the Delaware and Hudson Canal
. The city was the busiest port between New York City
and Albany
.
The museum was founded in 1980, but did not move to its present property, an old boat shop, until 1982. Its exhibits include various small craft, artifacts of river steamships such as the Mary Powell, a research library, ice-harvesting tools and maps, paintings and sketches from past eras. The 1898 steam tugboat
Mathilda, is displayed in the yard next to the museum. In the summer months boat trips are available to nearby Rondout Lighthouse, where the creek drains into the Hudson. Boats putting in at the dock range from privately owned pleasure craft to ocean going cruise liners. The Hudson River Sloop Clearwater visits frequently as do many historic reproduction vessels such as the Onrust and the Half Moon. As well as having the ability to accommodate deep draft vessels at their docks the museum provides free docking for canoes and kayaks.
It is open 11 am until 5 pm. Seven days a week from May 1 to October 31. Admission is US$5 for adults and US$4 for children and 'seniors'. Special tours for groups are available. There is a gift shop which features books pertaining to Kingston and the Hudson Valley as well as the maritime history of the Hudson.
Maritime museum
A maritime museum is a museum specializing in the display of objects relating to ships and travel on large bodies of water...
dedicated to 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...
.
It is located at 50 Rondout Landing at the foot of Broadway in Kingston
Kingston, New York
Kingston is a city in and the county seat of Ulster County, New York, USA. It is north of New York City and south of Albany. It became New York's first capital in 1777, and was burned by the British Oct. 16, 1777, after the Battles of Saratoga...
, 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, along Rondout Creek
Rondout Creek
Rondout Creek is a tributary of the Hudson River in Ulster and Sullivan counties, New York, USA. It rises on Rocky Mountain in the eastern Catskills, flows south into Rondout Reservoir, part of New York City's water supply network, then into the valley between the Catskills and the Shawangunk...
in the city's old waterfront
Rondout-West Strand Historic District
SEE ALSO Rondout, New YorkThe Rondout–West Strand Historic District is a historic district located on the shore of Rondout Creek along the southern boundary of the city of Kingston, New York, USA...
, just east of the John T. Loughran Bridge
John T. Loughran Bridge
The John T. Loughran Bridge carries US 9W over Rondout Creek between Kingston and Port Ewen, New York, USA. It also crosses over Ferry Street on the Kingston side. It is located just downriver from the historic Kingston-Port Ewen Suspension Bridge, which carried 9W until the Loughran Bridge was...
.
Its collections are devoted to the history of shipping
Shipping
Shipping has multiple meanings. It can be a physical process of transporting commodities and merchandise goods and cargo, by land, air, and sea. It also can describe the movement of objects by ship.Land or "ground" shipping can be by train or by truck...
, boating and industry on the Hudson and its tributaries
Tributary
A tributary or affluent is a stream or river that flows into a main stem river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean...
, such as the Rondout, where Kingston grew prosperous early in the 19th century as the northern end of the Delaware and Hudson Canal
Delaware and Hudson Canal
The Delaware and Hudson Canal was the first venture of the Delaware and Hudson Canal Company, which later developed the Delaware and Hudson Railway...
. The city was the busiest port between 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...
and Albany
Albany, New York
Albany is the capital city of the U.S. state of New York, the seat of Albany County, and the central city of New York's Capital District. Roughly north of New York City, Albany sits on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River...
.
The museum was founded in 1980, but did not move to its present property, an old boat shop, until 1982. Its exhibits include various small craft, artifacts of river steamships such as the Mary Powell, a research library, ice-harvesting tools and maps, paintings and sketches from past eras. The 1898 steam tugboat
Tugboat
A tugboat is a boat that maneuvers vessels by pushing or towing them. Tugs move vessels that either should not move themselves, such as ships in a crowded harbor or a narrow canal,or those that cannot move by themselves, such as barges, disabled ships, or oil platforms. Tugboats are powerful for...
Mathilda, is displayed in the yard next to the museum. In the summer months boat trips are available to nearby Rondout Lighthouse, where the creek drains into the Hudson. Boats putting in at the dock range from privately owned pleasure craft to ocean going cruise liners. The Hudson River Sloop Clearwater visits frequently as do many historic reproduction vessels such as the Onrust and the Half Moon. As well as having the ability to accommodate deep draft vessels at their docks the museum provides free docking for canoes and kayaks.
It is open 11 am until 5 pm. Seven days a week from May 1 to October 31. Admission is US$5 for adults and US$4 for children and 'seniors'. Special tours for groups are available. There is a gift shop which features books pertaining to Kingston and the Hudson Valley as well as the maritime history of the Hudson.