Moseying south down Route 9D along the Hudson toward Cold Spring and Garrison in northern Putnam County, one could easily imagine that the mountains are a thoughtful, friendly sort. Due west across the river, wreathed in ridges, Storm King stands to its full 1,350 feet in salutation. Above, 1,250-foot-tall Breakneck Ridge politely straddles an underpass to let you through. Toot the car (or bike) horn for a fun echo beneath that craggy range. Upon exiting, majestic Mount Taurus gives a mapled high-five. Pass the Chalet on the Hudson overlooking the river. All the while just east of the road, lofty yet flirty Hudson Highlands Park blows fresh breezes from the sky.
Other fanciful greetings follow. The sun flees cloud cover to paint grey vistas gold. The river grows white cat’s-paws that all wave in your direction. A Montreal-bound Amtrak train whooshes by, as if on cue. No, you haven’t lost it. It’s just the beguiling, dramatic beauty of Philipstown, which comprises the Village of Cold Spring, the hamlet of Garrison, the Village of Nelsonville, and Continental Village. Fifty-one square miles in area, Philipstown boasts a population of about 9,500.
“Cold Spring and Garrison make me think of “Our Town” by Thornton Wilder meets Fellini’s La Dolce Vita,” quipped Jonathan Kruk of Cold Spring, speaking to the locale’s cultural and economic diversity. Kruk is a professional raconteur trooping up and down the Hudson River Valley. He is also a trustee at Garrison’s Alice Curtis Desmond & Hamilton Fish Library, and a former Cold Spring Area Chamber of Commerce president. “But seriously, the urban-rural mix of people forms an epicenter that constitutes rare small town sophistication. From Breakneck Mountain on the Dutchess County line, to almost the Bear Mountain Bridge, which is near the Westchester border, there is definitely a sense of pleasure of place.”
World-class violinist/composer Gwen Laster-Banks, a Cold Springer originally from Michigan who lives with her husband, bassist/composer Damon Banks, seconds that emotion. “As performing art workers, we enjoy the quiet beauty of this lower Hudson Valley town. And having access to Manhattan by a short train ride gives the perfect balance. We have created many friendships that are genuine, interesting and open minded.”
Folks in Philipstown savor their Cold Spring Gazebo summer sunset concerts, where eclectic fare ranges from folk to jazz. The Putnam Historical Society and Foundry School Museum lecture series on local lore are usually well attended. And the Bard of Avon is alive and well at Boscobel on summer nights when the Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival hoists its gargantuan, turreted tent.
Performing artist and yoga professional Cat Guthrie, and her film/theatre producer husband, Joel Goss, chose to live in Garrison because they thought it would be “a safe and beautiful place to raise our child. We had no idea we’d find a wonderful, supportive community of like-minded folks as well.”
Enticements like Chapel of Our Lady Restoration concerts, not to mention Concentric Art’s Annual Outdoor Sculpture exhibit at bucolic Saunder’s Farm, are added treats. No wonder contented souls are ubiquitous, whether strolling Cold Spring’s Main Street, canoeing Constitution Marsh, or hitting the Appalachian Trail in Garrison.
Peacefulness and Vitality
Cold Spring and Garrison are different in many ways. But identical vis-a-vis the complete absence of millennial suburban development. Cold Spring’s delightfully chain store-bereft Main Street leads the way to the Metro-North Station, and the Hudson River opposite the Storm King Mountain range. New York City folks are known to hop aboard Metro-North at Grand Central, and in a little more than an hour spend Sunday afternoons browsing such establishments as the Chickadee Gallery, Antique Alley, Country Goose, and Mikkonoma Studio and catching a bite at the Foundry Cafe, Cathryn’s, or a host of other good eateries while leafing through a copy of the 143-year old weekly Putnam County News & Recorder. Afterwards, you’ll find them gazing wistfully at the vintage dwellings that lend the town its homey character.
Cold Spring Mayor Seth Gallagher, a Democrat, who crafts bagpipes for such groups as The Chieftains, remarked on “the refreshing combination of peacefullness and vitality” in the village. “Also, this is a place that honors traditions, but welcomes newness too, albeit sometimes slowly.”
“We did a lot of research on towns as we planned to move into the area, but just that view over the river at Storm King Mountain sealed the deal for us,” said renowned recording artist Dar Williams, who is a singer/guitarist/songwriter. She reflected on Cold Spring’s deep influence on her work. “In a lot of ways the song ‘Summerday’ on my new album, Promised Land, was inspired by the town and the people in it. Turns out this place is filled with a lot of people with vision, not just artists and writers. There’s a priority to keep connected to a kind of life force that’s pretty much increased by thinkers and communicators. Something about this bend in the river that has attracted people wanting to stand, as a poem says, ‘on the shoulders of giants’.”
Community spirit fueled production of Williams’ latest CD. “The accompanying Hudson artwork booklet was all done by local artists, my neighbors helped to assemble the artwork, another neighbor catered the release party at the Spire Studios in nearby Beacon. There’s something amazing about the way the local food movement and music come together.”
Garbo-esque Garrison
Continuing down Route 9D, at first glance Garrison seems drop-dead gorgeous, but correspondingly aloof because no center of town is in sight. Countless twisty dirt lanes with names like Mystery Point Road and South Mountain Pass evoke memories of Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys adventures. These are dotted with literally every kind of home, from cottage to castle. Like Dick’s Castle (former home of financier Evans P. Dick). Or former New York governor George Pataki’s. Or Patty Hearst’s. Yes, Garrison is a bit harder to get to know at first, even as you salivate over those ravishing vistas. In fact, a 1995 New York Times article quoted a Garbo-esque Garrisonian: “I think people come here to be alone.”
But there is plenty of camaraderie to be found, at Garrison’s Landing. Perched on the waterfront, it is located by the Garrison train station. The community-run Philipstown Depot Theatre, as well as Garrison Art Center, are culturally opulent venues, starring mostly local talent. Overlooking West Point, a Currier and Ives riverside park-like area with a gazebo and benches beckons. That means sunsets. And in-your-face July 4th fireworks!
Another potent Landing spot is Antipodean Books, Maps and Prints, a shop with the exquisite redolence of ancient leather bindings, paper, and ink. Rare offerings range from cheap to a small fortune. Affable, Australian-born proprietor Dave Lilburne laments the recent passing of Jim Guinan, the “Mayor” of Garrison’s Landing, and the owner of Guinan’s Irish Country Store and Pub, also right on the river. Everything Guinan’s is the topic of the Gwendolyn Bounds’s 2006 book, Little Chapel on the River: A Town, A Pub and the Search for What Matters. Until January 31, 2008, the Landing’s beacon was Guinan’s Irish Country Store and Pub, the preeminent gathering place for locals and visitors. A haven for 5:09 a.m. commuters, with good hot coffee, newspapers, and Irish smiles offered to one and all by Mr. Guinan and his son, John. Topped off by rousing monthly, full moon music jams when reels, hornpipes, and jigs kept people up later than usual. But the tragic and untimely passing of John two years ago led to the establishment’s closing. And when Jim Guinan died last year, an era ended.
But hope for renewed eating, drinking, and merrymaking is in the works as Landing resident Maryellen Yanitelli, and others have petitioned over a thousand signatures calling for a new store at the site. Garrison culinary artist Shelley Boris, owner of Fresh Company, and co-chair of the Cold Spring Farmers Market, says prospects look good for making it happen. “What I like about a pub is this is where you can have a drink, but bring your family for a meal,” she said. “It’s a whole different feeling than a bar. A pub is meant to serve the whole community. Also, we can serve local nonprofits, and cater using local produce. And we’ll be there first thing in the morning for commuters in the great Guinan’s tradition.”
Back up the top of Lower Station Road and 9D is another Garrison people magnet, the elegant Alice Curtis Desmond and Hamilton Fish Library, which promotes concerts and other events in addition to rave reading fare.
“Philipstown is a wonderful place to work because there are so many writers and people involved in the arts use the library. We try to combine the friendly, personalized service of a small library with the wealth of resources made available by new technology,” says library director Carol Donnick.
Garrison is a treasure trove of hiking trails, with the Manitoga/Russel Wright Design Center as a beacon for horticultural and environmental education. Wright (1904-1976), an innovative designer, used native trees, rocks, ferns, mosses, and mountain laurel to “re-sculpt” the over-quarried and lumber-plundered property’s 75 acres. He named it Manitoga, which means “Place of the Great Spirit, “ in Algonquin. The center includes tours of his home, and over four miles of hiking trails which abut the Appalachian Trail. “This is the only National Historic Landmark in Putnam County, and we’re all mighty proud of that!” says executive director Kitty McCullough. “One can visit five centuries in just one weekend here.”
Visionary artist Imogene Drummond, who is always clad in inspired, colorful garb, asserts that living on a mountaintop in the Manitoga vicinity has “significantly pushed the boundaries of my art—painting, poetry and photography—by expanding them to a new medium: film.” The work is called Divine Sparks.
The Pulse of the Past
History’s no vagary in Philipstown. General George Washington slept at least twice at Mandeville House in Garrison. Legend has it he named Cold Spring after a cool spring drink. Benedict Arnold slithered to his escape from Beverley Robinson House off 9D in Garrison, in 1780. And Abraham Lincoln visited the site of what is now the Putnam County Historical Society and Foundry School Museum in 1861 to inspect the manufacturing of the Civil War-winning Parrott Gun. These are only a few events that make for huge local historical interest.
PCHS/FSM executive director Mindy Krazmien sums up the vibe. “I had just moved here and went to the Thanksgiving dinner at the Highlands Country Club Tavern, and I heard people talking about history and they were so excited about this area. I never had that sense of the community so passionate about the pulse of the past.”
Philipstown Town Historian Donald H. MacDonald is a dapper gent in his golden years who tips his hat to all the ladies in greeting. He is well-known for his walking tours and writings. But he gives kudos to fellow volunteer history buffs and expressed a desire for recognition of their hard work. “For the forty-five years I’ve lived here, there’s always been a lot of people giving their time to different organizations. And people just don’t realize that their service, especially the historical aspect, has contributed much to the success of the town,” he said.
A town with a plan
Looking to the future, Philipstown is ever mindful of land use and planning. Such groups as the Hastings Center, Scenic Hudson, Highland Land Trust, and the Garrison Institute, along with local government, all have a hand in smart growth and environmental issues. These planners are emblematic of the thoughtful way of life common to the area.
“The Garrison Institute has great support as it takes both contemplative science, and contemplative practices and traditions, and applies them to environmental initiatives. Our motto is “Inspired Thinking, Thoughtful Action.” The public attends our retreats and programs for K-12 educators, trauma care, domestic violence counselors, Christian groups, and other community organizations,” says Steve Kent, communications director. “It’s no accident this is the only locality with this kind of open, forested land that’s still commutable to New York City.”
Husband-and-wife team James Hartford and Juhee Lee-Hartford, who own River Architects in Cold Spring, also cited the emphasis on reflection. “We named our firm after the valley and river as a symbol for change and continuity at the same time,” said James Hartford. “Philipstown attracts people from all over the world, many of whom grew up in small towns, like my wife and myself. Somehow we filtered into Philipstown because everyone is a walking, unique sensibility. New Paltz and Woodstock might have that too. But we’re much more like down-to-earth unique.”
RESOURCES
Antipodean Books, Maps and Prints www.antipodean.com
Boscobel www.boscobel.org
Cathryn’s Tuscan Grill www.tuscangrill.com
Chalet on the Hudson www.chaletonthehudson.com
Alice Curtis Desmond and Hamilton Fish Library dfl.highlands.com
Garrison Art Center www.garrisonartcenter.org
Garrison Institute www.garrisoninstitute.org
Foundry Café (845) 265-4504
Manitoga/Russel Wright Design Center www.russelwrightcenter.org
Philipstown Depot Theatre www.philipstowndepottheatre.org
Putnam Historical Society www.pchs-fsm.org
River Architects www.river-architects.com
This article appears in March 2010.
