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High Tor: Magnificent Views of Hudson Valley
WHOEVER has made a voyage up the Hudson must remember the Kaatskill mountains. They are a dismembered branch of the great Appalachian family, and are seen away to the west of the river, swelling up to a noble height, and lording it over the surrounding country. Every change of season, every change of weather, indeed, every hour of the day, produces some change in the magical hues and shapes of these mountains, and they are regarded by all the good wives, far and near, as perfect barometers. When the weather is fair and settled, they are clothed in blue and purple, and print their bold outlines on the clear evening sky; but, sometimes, when the rest of the landscape is cloudless, they will gather a hood of gray vapors about their summits, which, in the last rays of the setting sun, will glow and light up like a crown of glory.At the foot of these fair mountains, the voyager may have descried the light smoke curling up from a village, whose shingle-roofs gleam among the trees, just where the blue tints of the upland melt away into the fresh green of the nearer landscape. It is a little village, of great antiquity, having been founded by some of the Dutch colonists, in the early times of the province, just about the beginning of the government of the good Peter Stuyvesant, (may he rest in peace!) and there were some of the houses of the original settlers standing within a few years, built of small yellow bricks brought from Holland, having latticed windows and gable fronts, surmounted with weather-cocks.
–Rip Van Winkle, Washington Irving
(credit: High Tor Hiking Trip/Jason )
I grew up in Rockland County in the heart of the Hudson Valley. As a child, my dad loved to hike locally to unfold the region’s extraordinary beauty and history for me. We hiked throughout Harriman (Palisades) State Park. But the first hike I remember was up High Tor. There are several approaches, but the one he chose was through the High Tor Vineyard, which sits just about a small village called Centenary.
After hiking up the mountain, we were rewarded with an extraordinary 360 degree view of the entire Hudson Valley. It isn’t a particularly difficult climb or steep ascent nor do you top out at a formidable elevation. But the view rivals some of the great peaks for its sweep and scope.
The town of Haverstraw (my father’s birthplace) lay spread out at our feet. I could see the high school where he taught for over 30 years. I could even see his birthplace at 103 Hudson Avenue. There was the railroad line where, as an eager child, I waved at the engineers in the cabooses of all the trains that passed. But most important of all, the Hudson River, one of the great rivers of the world, laid out before me like a wide, waving ribbon cutting through the Hudson Highlands as far as the eye could see. At Haverstraw, the river is a mile wide, the greatest width of its entire run from the Adirondacks to New York City. This is the reason that Henry Hudson anchored in Haverstraw Bay on his return southward journey down the Hudson River in 1609. My dad even told me about one frigid winter when the entire river froze from Haverstraw to Ossining on the other side allowing people to walk from shore to shore.
This hike first introduced me to the majesty of the Hudson. Ever since, I’ve loved mountains more than any other outdoor terrain (now I’ve been in the Sierras, Cascades, Sybellines and others). But the Hudson Highlands will always hold a special place in my heart.
early 1900s image of Haverstraw from High Tor (credit: Town of Haverstraw website)
This is where Rip Van Winkle (in Washington Irving’s story of the same name) laid down for his twenty winks which turned into 20 years of sleep. This is where Benedict Arnold met Maj. John Andre to plot the betrayal of West Point to the British. This is the beloved land which Maxwell Anderson saved from the wrecker’s ball with his Pulitzer Prize-winning play, High Tor (see accompanying play poster–there was also a 1956 film version starring Bing Crosby (!) as Van Van Dorn). This is the land of my father.
High Tor is a national historic landmark and managed by the Palisades Interstate Park Commission. A park staff member directed me to Friends of Palisades, an eye-catching website devoted to the parks and historic sites managed by PIPC.
Jeff Warschauer said:
Hi,
I have just found 2 of your postings that mention Haverstraw. My late father, Douglas Warschauer, born 1925, grew up in Haverstraw. My family owned a small clothing store in town.
Have you researched the history of the Jewish community in Haverstraw? I’d be interested in discussing this with you.
Thanks,
Jeff Warschauer
Brooklyn, NY
warschauer@aol.com
Richard Silverstein said:
No, I haven’t. While I’m sure my family was affiliated with the shul there, by the time I was around (starting in the 1950s) I don’t remember it playing a large role in my grandmother’s or father’s life. I know more about the Jewish community in Peekskill, where my father’s famiily originated before coming to Haverstraw.
Glad to see that Haverstraw has as much of a pull on you as it does on me.
Jared Rodriguez said:
Haverstraw is currently undergoing a $1 Billion restoration and urban renewal. I wasn’t sure if you were aware of this. There are plans for a popular art museum, world-class restaurants, a 3-mile promenade on the riverfront, a hotel and spa, performing arts center, and possibly an aerial tram that will be strung from the Village to the top of High Tor. These are exciting times. I hope it would prompt you to spend more time in Haverstraw, watch its development, and tell others to boost its economy by also visiting and spending their money. Thanks for your interest. I am glad to see someone else loves this amazing village.
Rick Ferris said:
A tram on High Tor would ruin that landscape permanently. What is wrong with exercise? Hiking those trails the and enjoying the beauty before you is one of the most natural highs one can experience. The High Tor Ridge is a natural resource of the area I grew up in. How will the construction and blasting of a Tram undermine the already delicate ecosystem? Do you [think] the parks system that maintains High Tor would allow that?
I understand the people that put in the housing at the old DePasquale property are trying to say that they own the Fowlers Gap where the Elks Club have a marina. The Elks were there before most of us were born. Although I don’t live in Haverstraw any more, my heart still lives there. I can still recall the aircraft beacon radiating through the night as a symbol of MY Haverstraw. A friend of mine once told me “You can take the boy out of Haverstraw, but you can’t take Haverstraw out of the boy.” When I visit the cemetery on 9W to visit my parents graves, I study that mountain, remembering the times [I] had as a child hiking and camping on it. If anyone wants to do something to make that mountain shine again, build another beacon atop that ridge, show what Old Haverstraw was. Change is always a good thing, but beware, change can also bite you when least expect it.
Harriman Hikers said:
We hike in the area regularly and are every bit as sentimental about it as well.
Harriman Hikers
A North NJ Singles Hiking Club
Established 1974
http://www.harrimanhikers.org
Jared Rodriguez said:
I’ve started a blog on the current developments in Haverstraw. Mainly about its restoration and plans for its future. History will be added. Check it out…there are a lot of changes coming to the Village.
Jared Rodriguez said:
The website for the above-mentioned blog is http://villageofhaverstraw.wordpress.com . Feel free to leave comments!
Herb McGrew said:
I’m interested in the “mythology” of High Tor. Many years ago I drank a lot of High Tor wine and am writing about the winery and the mountain. it seems to me I heard that there were legends etc. associated with the mountain, but I can’t track any of that down. Any advice/info would be greatly appreciated. Thanks. Herb McGrew / Napa CA
Herb McGrew said:
I’m interested in the “mythology” of High Tor. Many years ago I drank a lot of High Tor wine and am writing about the winery and the mountain. it seems to me I heard that there were legends etc. associated with the mountain, but I can’t track any of that down. Any advice/info would be greatly appreciated. Thanks. Herb McGrew / Napa CA
Jared Rodriguez said:
Find the 1950’s made-for-TV movie with Bing Crosby and Julie Andrews. I[t] give[s] a little insight into the lore of High Tor including the flying dutchmen, etc. It’s a great movie!
Jared Rodriguez said:
There are several local legends associated with High Tor. One is mentioned by Maxwell Anderson in his play about the lost crew of Henry Hudson on the ship, “Onrust”. Another legend is that when a bad storm is approaching and thunder is heard, the thunder is the sound of the Dutch spirits playing ten-pin (bowling). I’m sure there are many other legends associated with the peak. It was used as a Native American beacon before the settlers came. During the Revolution it was used as an American army beacon and as a post to view British ships coming up from British-held New York City. Check out more local information at http://www.HaverstrawLife.com
Richard Silverstein said:
Jared: Glad to know about your new blog/website featuring Haverstraw. It’s a great subject & I wish you well. You should try to add some oral histories of Haverstraw Old Timers & something from the Village historian whose name I believe is Casey (Tom?). Haverstraw history is amazing, varied & interesting.
Mike Warner said:
Thanks for the Information on High Tor. I’m researching my Grandfather Francis A. Glass MD that lived in the house opposite the Elks Club in the early 40’s- I think 52 Front Street. He was a doctor there in Haverstraw and I’m looking into the people he knew as a way of seeing who he was.
Francis Glass’s wife Dorothy was a patron of the arts.