Cornwall & Washingtonville: Heavenly Havens

by Anne Pyburn , August 30, 2011

Take four parts Mayberry RFD and blend smoothly with a liberal dash of Camelot. Spread generously over a scenic backdrop ranging from bucolic to absolutely soul-shaking. Season with the level of creative accomplishment that only a disciplined life can attain, and you’ll have the classic that is Cornwall. Made up of both the village of Cornwall-on-Hudson and a larger town of the same name, Cornwall is the spot on which Henry Hudson reportedly observed it would be pleasant to build a town, and generations of Cornwall folk have echoed his sentiments.

To The Point
West Point’s fortification began when Washington set up headquarters there in the late 1770s, its commanding location and craggy eminence suiting it admirably to the role of nerve center. In 1802, President Jefferson established the United States Military Academy and the long gray line began its march that, to date, has numbered nearly seventy thousand graduates, among them Generals Grant, Lee, Pershing, MacArthur, Eisenhower, Patton, Schwartzkopf, and Petraeus (also known as “Peaches” in his days at Cornwall High). Still others have gone on to become neurosurgeons, found colleges, fly to the moon, and build the Panama Canal. They can be anyone. All start out the same way, being ground down by what’s known as “Beast Barracks,” swearing never to lie, cheat, steal, or tolerate those who do. They are put through a rigorous physical, military, academic, and philosophical program designed to polish them like gemstones. Go see for yourself where it all happens, although you can’t just go in and wander around. West Point welcomes the public to its Visitors Center and Museum, as well as to sporting events, concerts in the cadet chapel, and world-class entertainment at Eisenhower Hall. Tours of the campus can be arranged through www.westpointtours.com.