The Hudson River Valley is part of Lenapehoking - or the Lenape homeland. As residents of the southern Hudson Valley and the New Jersey coastline, they were some of the first Indigenous people in the Northeast to make contact with Europeans, and therefore among the first to bear the brunt of disease, violence, and forced removal. In the Hudson Valley, Manhattan, Tappan, Ramapo, Neversink, Wappingers, and Esopus are all place names derived from Lenape tribal names or words. ​

Editor's Note: This introduction to the Delaware Tribe of Indians Lenape and more information can be found here: https://delawaretribe.org/
​The name DELAWARE was given to the people who lived along the Delaware River, and the river in turn was named after Lord de la Warr, the governor of the Jamestown colony. The name Delaware later came to be applied to almost all Lenape people. In our language, which belongs to the Algonquian language family, we call ourselves LENAPE (len-NAH-pay) which means something like “The People.” Our ancestors were among the first Indians to come in contact with the Europeans (Dutch, English, & Swedish) in the early 1600s. The Delaware were called the “Grandfather” tribe because we were respected by other tribes as peacemakers since we often served to settle disputes among rival tribes. We were also known for our fierceness and tenacity as warriors when we had to fight, however, we preferred to choose a path of peace with the Europeans and other tribes.

Many of the early treaties and land sales we signed with the Europeans were in our people’s minds more like leases. The early Delaware had no idea that land was something that could be sold. The land belonged to the Creator, and the Lenape people were only using it to shelter and feed their people. When the poor, bedraggled people got off their ships after the long voyage and needed a place to live we shared the land with them. They gave us a few token gifts for our people’s kindness, but in the mind of the Europeans these gifts were actually the purchase price for the land.
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Our Delaware people signed the first Indian treaty with the newly formed United States Government on September 17, 1778. Nevertheless, through war and peace, our ancestors had to continue to give up their lands and move westward (first to Ohio, then to Indiana, Missouri, Kansas, and finally, Indian Territory, now Oklahoma). One small band of Delawares left our group in the late 1700s and through different migrations are today located at Anadarko, Oklahoma. Small contingents of Delawares fled to Canada during a time of extreme persecution and today occupy two reserves in Ontario (The Delaware Nation at Moraviantown and The Munsee-Delaware Nation). https://delawaretribe.org/home-page/about-the-tribe/

Editor's Note:  A bumboat is a small boat used to ferry supplies to larger boats off shore. As Mrs. Wilson relates, bumboats acted as small stores as they travelled alongside the long tows going down the Hudson River and provided goodies like ice cream. Once the long tows got underway, they didn't stop until the final destination was reached.

1987 conversation with Pearl Kilmer Wilson and family - her youth on Erie Canal and Hudson River tugboats
Pearl Kilmer Wilson:  Was on the canal (referring to her father William). He was a captain and he run these boats for the Dunbar Association in Tonawanda, he was on the canal 5 or 6 years.

Oh, yes, I went to New York. I went to school down there, but not when Daddy was on the boat but then my grandfather went down one year and he got a lovely job down there; and he was captain of New York Central Barge and we stayed right in New York. Our home port was 6th Pier, New York. The Piers where you tied were all numbered and number 6 was our home.

You know how I went to school? They come and got me every morning on a tug. The tug is the one that draws the other boats around the harbor. When you went to school the other kids in New York they called us the Boat Kids. The Boat Kids, but we went. Then, when it was time, there was a teacher walked us down to the Pier and the boat would be there waiting to take us back home.

And they have an aquarium down there where they had great big vats of fish in them. They have one there and there was one on a wall there half as big as this house, had a whale in it. Live, they're live fish in these tanks.

When they got to Cohoes, that's this side of Albany, there were 16 locks and every lock you couldn't steer your own boat thru there, you had to have an expert to take the boats thru those 16 locks. They'd go in like this and then when you come out you were on a different level. When you got to the end, you know where you was? In the Hudson River. There would be 20, 30 boats or so, all tied up waiting for the tow. 

And then the Red Star, that was one of the biggest boats there was, they even go across the ocean and they'd come and they'd tied them together themselves with a hawser, a big rope is called a hawser, and that's what they tied it together with; and that's what you went down the Hudson with. And when you got about half way down the Hudson there would be a bum boat come out, and he'd have ice cream and he'd have milk and he'd have bread and he'd have fish. Oh, I never ate so many fish, and I loved them. It was beautiful, they'd be fresh caught in a tub of ice; and everybody bought from the bum boat when they come out. They'd come out and they'd be 3 or 4 days supplying that big tall boat. 
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​And it was beautiful going down along the Hudson River in the night, you know the big Red Star, it was bigger than this house, Oh yes, two of them. It had a flashlight a revolving light, he'd do that up along the side and it's woodsy down through there, and oh was it beautiful. They had their horses in the boats too, they were in the bow in the stable and that's what they done, was eat and take care of their horses. A lot of them didn't go to bed at night, they'd sit out and see that beautiful scenery. It was just beautiful going in the tow, beautiful. I've been a lot of places in my life.

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Of all the boats that once used Rondout as home port, best known locally in their day were the "Mary Powell," the chain ferry "Riverside" or "Skillypot," and the tow boat "Norwich."
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It was an unlikely trio. The "Mary Powell" was known for her grace and speed and as a steamboat whose fame spread far beyond the boundaries of the Hudson River. The local renown of the "Skillypot" rested on the fact she was virtually the only way to get across Rondout Creek prior to the opening of the 9W highway bridge in 1921. The acclaim of the "Norwich" was due to her prowess as an ice breaker and her incredibly long life.

The "Norwich" was originally built in 1836 – only 29 years after Robert Fulton's first successful steamboat – to run as a passenger and freight carrier on Long Island Sound between New York and Norwich, Conn. She operated on that route for seven years and in 1843 came to the Hudson River to run between the thriving village of Rondout and New York.

In 1848 the "Norwich" was acquired by Thomas Cornell and he ran her for a season or two on her old route. Being rather small and slow compared to newer passenger boats, Cornell in 1850 converted her to a tow boat. She remained as such for the Cornell Steamboat Company until finally sold for scrap in 1923, at the ripe old age of 87.

The famous "Mary Powell" saw service during all or part of 57 seasons and was considered to be an exceptionally long-lived steamboat.

Yet the "Norwich" was in service for 25 years before the "Mary Powell" was built and was still running when the "Powell" turned her last paddle wheel. Indeed, the "Norwich" witnessed the first trips of the majority of steamboats to sail the Hudson and was still steaming on the river when they made their last trips.

As soon as the "Norwich" appeared on the Hudson, she gained a reputation as an ice breaker, even before she was converted to a towing steamer. On one occasion in 1845 she broke a channel through solid ice all the way from Kingston to Albany to break up an ice jam. For the rest of her days on the Hudson she was always known as a very good boat in the ice. For decades people all along the shores of the Hudson called her  the "Ice King."

When she was breaking ice, the "Norwich's" bow would ride up on the heavy ice and crush it with her weight. On occasion when she could not back off, the engineer would disconnect one paddle wheel from the other in an effort to free her. When that failed to get her off, the deckhands would roll large barrels of iron and stone from one side to the other and – by tipping her – her wind over-hanging guards would crack the ice, first on one side and then the other. When she was fully afloat, the "Norwich" would back up and smash into the solid ice again. Her hull was constructed especially for ice breaking and for many, many years the "Norwich" would be the first boat out in the spring and the last to lay up in the winter.

At different times the "Norwich" was called upon to pull steamboats that had run aground in the fog or heavy snow storms.

However, when she pulled a grounded steamboat, a propeller tug would always be in attendance; pushing her bow to hold her up against the tide, as a side wheeler has no rudder power until she gets underway.

When the Hudson-Fulton Celebration of 1909 was held, celebrating the 300th anniversary of the discovery of the river by Henry Hudson and the 100th anniversary of the development of the steamboat by Robert Fulton, the "Norwich" played a prominent part. Even then, she was the oldest steamboat still in service.

While being made ready for the celebration at the Cornell shops in Rondout, the "Norwich" somehow caught on fire and was nearly destroyed. Quick work by Cornell's men and the Kingston fire department saved her, although damage was severe. The fire occurred Aug. 30, 1909, only 25 days before the celebration's big marine parade was scheduled to take place in New York harbor.

It was thought that would end any part the "Norwich" might play in the event. S.D. Coykendall, however, had different ideas and the Cornell shops worked around the clock to get her ready. She appeared in the parade, all evidence of the disastrous fire removed, and on her paddle wheels housings – in addition to her name – proudly carried the legend "Oldest Steamboat in the  World. Built 1836."

The "Norwich" continued to sail the Hudson through 1919, mostly on the upper end of the river. Sometimes she would be in charge of tows and, at other times, helping more powerful boats like the "Oswego" or the tugboat "Pocahontas."

After propeller tugs grew in numbers, the "Norwich" was not used much as an ice breaker and gradually was utilized only as a spare boat during the season's rush.

In the early 1920's, the "Norwich" was tied up at Port Ewen at the "Mary Powell's" old winter berth where the Hidden Harbor Yacht Club is now located. Talk along the waterfront as to why the "Norwich" was not broken up was that the old work horse was a particular favorite of Mrs. S.D. Coykendall, daughter of Thomas Cornell, and that as long as she lived the Cornell Steamboat Company would keep her. The "Norwich" was one of the first vessels owned by Mrs. Coykendall's father and rumor was she considered the old steamer a symbol of the family's fortune.

In any event, shortly after Mrs. Coykendall's death, the "Norwich" was sold in November 1923 to Michael Tucker of Port Ewen and he proceeded to break her up. He put the old tow boat at high water high on the beach at the south of his property and the dismantling went on for several years.

About 1928, the celebrated automobile manufacturer Henry Ford came to Kingston. At that time, he was acquiring material for the museum he was setting up at Dearborn, Mich. He went to Port Ewen to see Michael Tucker and find out if he could buy parts of the "Norwich" for his museum.

Tucker told him he was a little late, but he had some things junk dealers and others hadn't bought yet. Ford acquired the towboat's two drive shafts, two stands that had been in the captain's room and one of her flag poles. Tucker tried to get Ford to buy one of her anchors, but for some reason he would not.

During his Kingston visit, Ford also went to see John Fischer who had broken up the "Mary Powell" at Connelly and acquired a few items from the old "Queen of the Hudson." It is my understanding most of these things never actually went on display at the museum. Ford had acquired a tremendous amount of material from all over the country and during World War II scrap drives many iron and steel items, probably including the drive shafts of the "Norwich," were recycled.

During her long life, the "Norwich" suffered her share of mishaps. Among the more serious, in addition to the fire of Aug. 30, 1909, were the breaking of her engine's cross head while coming up river with a tow on Nov. 30, 1882, a bad fire on Dec. 16, 1906, and at least two sinkings in Rondout Creek.

​Also because of her many, many years of service, the "Norwich" served as a sort of training ship for men who later became some of the best known boatmen on the river. Many a Hudson River captain, pilot and engineer started their steamboat careers on the "Norwich" – either as a deckhand or fireman. Over those long ago years, some of the better known Hudson River steamboat captains who had captained the old "Ice King" from Rondout were Jeremiah Patterson, George Gage, Stephen Van Wert, James Welch, Harry Barber, Jacob DuBois, Ira Cooper and, at the end, Rol Saulpaugh.

Editor's Note: This booklet from the November 2, 1963 opening of the Newburgh-Beacon Bridge was recently donated to the Hudson River Maritime Museum.

"The Ferry:
The Newburgh-Beacon Ferry, which has been in operation on the Hudson River between the cities of Newburgh and Beacon, is the oldest in the United States, having been given its franchise from Queen Anne of England in 1743.

Alexander Colden, one of the first English trustees of the Palatine Parish of the Quassaick (the original name for Newburgh), petitioned the honorable George Clarke, Lieutenant-Governor of the Province, for letters patent enabling him to establish a ferry between Newburgh and Fishkill, the early name for the City of Beacon. This ferry was in operation until after the American Revolution when Queen Anne's Charger was considered null and void, and a new ferry was established between Newburgh and Fishkill.

At first sail and row boats were used for ferrying, and it is reported that, "The enterprise was conducted with considerable system." It is most interesting to scan the old records and note the following rates for humans and freight for passage on the boat:
A man – one shilling
Man and horse – two shillings
Calf or hogg – Six pence
Two-horse Wagon (empty) – Ten shillings
Two-horse Wagon (loaded) – Twelve shillings
Empty barrel – Four pence
Full barrel – One shilling
Four-horse Wagon (Empty) – Fourteen shillings
Four-horse Wagon (Loaded) – One Pound
Ton of Iron – Eight Shillings
Hogshead of Run – Five shillings

During the Revolutionary War, General George Washington had his headquarters in the Hasbrouck House in Newburgh and used the Continental Ferry for transporting men and supplies across the Hudson. Baron Friedrich von Steuben, the German aide to Washington who was quartered in the VerPlanck House in Fishkill, made regular trips across the Hudson on that ferry. After the defeat of the British at Saratoga in 1777, General Burgoyne led his army down the east bank of the Hudson, crossed the river on the ferry, marched through Newburgh, and headed for New Jersey.

Since the original Queen Anne Charter did not provide exclusive rights, it was not long before competition began to appear. Martin Wiltsie and Daniel Carpenter formed a new company which continued in operation until 1781 or 1782 when Peter Bogardus, John Anderson, and James Denton established a new ferry line. It is believed that the new company acquired the ferry rights of Colden. Sometime after the war, the charter privileges existing prior to that time were confirmed.

In 1802 the original Colden Charter was sold by his heirs to one Leonard Carpenter for the sum of $2500.00. Three years later the two ferry systems were combined. Sail and row boats were used until 1816, when a horse-driven boat, the Moses Rogers was launched. It was capable of carrying a load of "one coach and horses, a wagon and horse, seventeen chaises and horses, one additional horse, and fifty passengers." The Caravan was the first boat to be propelled by a when in the center. It was run in connection with the sail boat Mentor, and the horse-powered boat, The Dutchess. This last named boat was later converted to steam and renamed The Jack Downing.

In 1828 the Post Boy, later called the Phoenix, was put into service. After that came the Gold Hunter, Fulton, Williamsburg, and the Union. As the 20th Century approached, the City of Newburgh and the Fishkill-on-Hudson were plying between the two cities. In 1912 the Dutchess appeared, and in 1914 the Orange was added to the fleet. These two boats were, of course, named for the two counties opposite each other on the Hudson River. A few years later found the Thomas Powell and the Beacon as new arrivals.

From 1804 until 1835, the Newburgh Ferry changed hands many times. In May, 1835, Thomas Powell bought the system for $80,000 and remained the sole owner until 1850. At that time he deeded the property to his daughter, Mrs Frances E.L. Ramsdell. It remained in the Ramsdell family for 100 years. In 1956 the State of New York purchased the Newburgh-Beacon Ferry from Homer Ramsdell and his sister, Mrs. Herbert R. Odell, and the New York Bridge Authority has been operating it until the completion of the bridge which now spans the river.

In its 220-year history, the Newburgh-Beacon Ferry has seen many notable events. The Hudson-Fulton Celebration in 1909 was one of the most memorable. It paid tribute to the English navigator for whom the river was named and the inventor of the steamboat which was first used on the Hudson. Boats of all sizes and shapes were seen on the river, bedecked with flags, pennants, and lovely ladies in colorful gowns and hats. Then later, from the decks of the ferry, spectators watched the world-famous rowers, the Ward Brothers of Cornwall, and the sculls of many colleges en route to the Intercollegiate Boat Races at Poughkeepsie.

The river and the ferry have seen many changes. First ox-carts came to the dock; then horses and wagons. Later came the steam-driven boats and yachts, to be followed by the railroad. Finally, we entered the Twentieth Century with its horseless motor cars. Ferry boats are much too slow now. Our people must speed over modern roads and incomparable steel structures.

The Newburgh-Beacon Ferry has been an institution on the Hudson River. It is indeed a truism that old boats do not die – nor do they fade away. They live on in the hearts and memories of those of use who have "roots". – Irene E. Wegle, Corresponding Secretary, The Historical Society of Newburgh Bay and the Highlands."

Editor's Note: The following is from Historic Bridges of the Hudson Valley:  https://www.hbhv.org/slideshow-c7hc

Fast Facts
Opened to the Public: North Span: November 2, 1963, South Span: November 1, 1980
Connecting Counties: Orange and Dutchess
Overall Length: North Span: 7,855 feet, South Span: 7,789 feet
Bridge Type: Articulated Deck Truss
Initial Cost: North Span: $19,500,000, South Span: $93,600,000

History
The most traveled of the New York State Bridge Authority’s bridges, the  Newburgh-Beacon Bridge carries more than 25 million crossings a year on Interstate 84.

In February 1951, NYS Assembly Majority Leader Lee B. Mailler of Cornwall introduced a bill calling for test borings to be conducted for a bridge between Beacon and Newburgh. The local Chambers of Commerce as well as civic groups helped mobilize public support for the bill, which was passed and signed by Governor Thomas E. Dewey. Test borings and site surveys were completed and by February 1952, the cost of the bridge was estimated at approximately $18 million, not including legal expenses and the cost of rights of way. 
          
In 1953, Assemblyman Mailler introduced further legislation to authorize actual bridge construction. It was approved but contained no appropriation, leaving the Bridge Authority no way to build it. Work was also prohibited by law until after completion of the Kingston-Rhinecliff Bridge. In 1954, the Mailler-Hatfield Bill was passed by the Legislature, removing the constraints which prevented construction of the Newburgh-Beacon Bridge until after completion of the Kingston-Rhinecliff project. 
          
The Bridge Authority lacked the bonding ability to build both spans at once but the 1955 bond issue which covered the costs of the Kingston-Rhinecliff Bridge also included a $1.2 million development fund to pay design costs and help speed construction of the Newburgh-Beacon Bridge. 
          
During the Harriman Administration (1954-1958) it was decided by the Bureau of Public Roads that the bridge would need to be at least 4 lanes wide to carry an Interstate Highway. Federal aid for the bridge was then approved because it would be part of what would eventually become the Eisenhower Interstate Highway System. The project was delayed however, when 1959 federal funds were redistributed and less money was available. Finally in 1960, at the urging of Governor Rockefeller, the State opted to build a less expensive, two-lane bridge without federal assistance. 
          
In the meantime, other ferries had also begun to operate in the area, carrying passengers between Garrison and West Point, Poughkeepsie and Highland, Kingston and Rhinecliff, Catskill and Greendale, and Hudson and Athens. However, one by one, they all ceased to exist. When NYSBA took over the Beacon ferry in 1956, it had been in poor shape for years and soon became the last ferry route north of New York City. 

The last ferries, the Dutchess, the Orange, (both built by Newburgh shipyards) and the Beacon maintained ferry service until Sunday, November 3, 1963, one day after the opening of the original Newburgh-Beacon Bridge.  Shortly after 5 P.M. that day, the Dutchess and the Orange met at mid-river, signaled a final salute and formally retired the Newburgh-Beacon ferry into history after 220 years.  For $2 drivers crossed the Hudson on the ferry for the last time and returned via the new bridge. 
          
In 2005, the Newburgh-Beacon ferry was revived and now carries commuters from the west side of the river to the train station on the east side where they can catch the Metro-North Hudson Line to Grand Central Station. 
          
In 1997, the Newburgh-Beacon Bridge was ceremonially renamed the “Hamilton Fish Newburgh-Beacon Bridge” in honor of Hamilton Fish, who served as New York Governor, US Senator and United States Secretary of State, and for the five generations of the Fish family who represented the Hudson Valley in Congress, the State Legislature and the Presidential Cabinet from the Lincoln administration through the 1990’s.

Engineering 
​Actual bridge construction began in March of 1961. The span was built using riveting to hold the massive steel beams and plates together.  Each rivet came from the factory with a cap on one end of the shaft.  The red hot rivets would be slid through two pieces of steel by one man.  On the other side, another worker with a riveting hammer would pound the scorching metal into a mushroom shape while the rivet was held in place, so there were now two caps on the rivet, with the steel between.  As the rivets cooled, they would contract and bring the steel tightly together. 
          
The piers for the bridge were constructed using caissons. They were set into the riverbed and driven down to bedrock using the weight of the caisson while the machines dug out the silt below.  The deepest caisson on the Newburgh-Beacon Bridge was set 163 feet below sea level. On November 2, 1963, Governor Nelson Rockefeller cut the gold ribbon on the bridge, opening it to traffic. 
          
Before its construction, it was estimated that the Newburgh-Beacon Bridge would carry 25,000 cars each day, requiring a four-lane design.  When funding became difficult, Gov. Rockefeller had decided that the bridge would never carry that many vehicles, and a two-lane structure would be sufficient.  Unfortunately by 1964, 25,000 vehicles were using the bridge on a daily basis, and traffic jams were becoming a major problem.  The need for greater carrying capacity was critical. 
          
By 1972, the State was considering ways to expand bridge capacity. Completion of new portions of Interstate 84 in Connecticut further increased traffic flow, leading to more problems on the bridge. It was finally decided that a second span would be built on land already owned by the Bridge Authority, south of the first span and that the original bridge would be widened.
          
The new span and the reconstruction of the first were financed primarily by the federal government as part of the Interstate Highway Fund.  Ninety percent of the cost of the $94 million bridge was funded through federal money, leaving just ten percent for the Bridge Authority to finance.  
          
The foundations for the piers were built using caissons and cofferdams. On Pier 7, digging on one side of the caisson went faster than the other, resulting in the whole block being tipped to one side. It took months to set correctly and was a “breath-taker” in the words of one construction company foreman. The bridge’s superstructure was built using new weathering steel, which forms a protective coating and eliminates the need to paint the metal. When it was completed, the Newburgh-Beacon Bridge was the longest bridge in the world constructed from the new weathering steel. 
          
On August 21, 1980 boaters and hundreds of on-land spectators joined to watch the placement of the final section of the bridge. The 2,000 ton span was hoisted by 4 engines and secured in place by 2.5 ton bolts. 
          
Bridge dedication ceremonies took place on November 1, 1980, almost 17 years to the date the original span was dedicated. To commemorate the occasion, a 5-mile race was held through Newburgh and across the bridge. The bridge was officially opened with a motorcade of local officials and dignitaries riding over the bridge (in the wrong direction) from the Beacon toll plaza to Newburgh and back. In 1981, the bicycle and pedestrian crossing opened, only the second to cross a federal interstate. 
          
The original span of the bridge was closed in December 1980 for widening and strengthening. It was repainted to match the protective rust color of the weathering steel on the new span. 
          
​In 2006, the west approach was repaved and a new truck inspection area was built to allow the State Police to conduct inspections in a safe area that would not interfere with regular traffic flow."