Browse Exhibits (5 total)

A New Age of Sail: The History and Future of Sail Freight on the Hudson River

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A New Age of Sail examines the long history of sailing cargo vessels on the Hudson River, from the 17th century until their decline in the mid-20th century, and how the lessons of that era might help us combat the challenges of climate change in the 21st century.

Hudson River Day Line

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This exhibit highlights the history and vessels of the passenger steamboat line, Hudson River Day Line. The Hudson River Day Line was the most famous of the Hudson River steamboat lines carrying millions of passengers over the decades on excursion trips from New York to Albany and points in between on fast, beautifully appointed steamers.

Mary Powell: Queen of the Hudson

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Built in 1861, decommissioned in 1917, and scrapped between 1920 and 1926, the Mary Powell remained a Hudson Valley constant during a period of incredible social and technological change in the United States. She saw the duration of the Civil War, the industrial revolution, the Gilded Age and Progressive Era, and the start of the First World War. Called "Queen of the Hudson" before construction was even completed, the Mary Powell became an iconic symbol of "America's Rhine." Operated for most of her career by one enterprising family - the Andersons - Mary Powell also represented the best of Hudson River travel - the speed, elegance, safety, and attention to detail that made travel by water preferable for many throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries.

Rescuing the River: 50 Years of Environmental Activism on the Hudson

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This exhibit traces the role of the Hudson River in the American environmental movement and the influence of individuals and organizations like Scenic Hudson, Riverkeeper, Clearwater, and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation in cleaning up the Hudson River. Using primary sources like photographs and paintings, newspaper articles, ephemera, and oral histories, this exhibit provides a comprehensive and river-wide look at environmentalism from the 19th century forward, with special emphasis on the 1960s-90s.

Tugboats: Workhorses of the Hudson River

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This exhibition features tug and tow boats that powered the movement of freight along the Hudson River in the 19th and 20th centuries.