BANNERMAN ISLAND ...... NOVEMBER 04 2011........

Friday, the final day of our whirlwind trip.  And whirlwind it was.

After breakfast we boarded the bus for our final destination before heading for home.  Where has the time gone?

Our final stop, and my favorite, was Bannerman Island, Castle, and Residence. 



The Castle from the Dock



Potty break before the climb

Bannerman Island is in the Hudson River at Newburgh New York.  Bannerman Fort is in ruins, just a remnant of what used to be.  During the American Revolution wooden cribs were sunk in the river filled with metal tipped pointed logs to damage the hulls of ships trying to come up-river.

The Island has had several names, but the one that seems to have stuck is it's present name.  At one time the Island was owned by a Scotsman named Bannerman and he renamed the Island.  During the Civil war the castle part was actually an arsenal for surplus military equipment.  The residence further inland on the island was the home of the Bannermans. 

The 72 steps

It was during this period that for some unexplained reason the arsenal blew up, the residence was damaged by fire, and the Island became uninhabited.  The Rockefeller Foundation ended up with the Island and donated it to the people of the State of New York's Hudson Highlands State Park. 

Buried on the island beneath the brittle body of old castle walls and thin hair-like tangled vines lie Civil War memorabilia, remanants of what once was. 



Bannerman Castle

 We did, of course, another walking tour visiting the Castle ruins, the remains of the residence, the stone outhouse, all of which made this the highlight of the entire trip.

We traveled to the Island by boat, had to wear hard hats, climbed 72 steps up the hill-side to reach the castle ruins, then onward and upward to the residence.  From the grounds around the residence we could look downstream of the Hudson River and see the roofs of the buildings at West Point.


Nancy in the middle with yellow hard hat

Then back down, still 72 steps, removed our hard hats, and boarded the boat to return to the mainland.  There we relaxed and had a leisurely dinner (lunch?) at Torches on the Hudson Restaurant at the docks.  Upon completing our meal, it was back on the bus, and homeward bound. 



Bannerman residence

 Everyone was tired.  After we had a quick supper snack break, back on the bus, and most of us, including me, slept quite a bit of the remaining trip.  It was after midnight when we arrived in Washington, near 1 a.m. when I arrived home, and exhausted hit the bed.  Had to be up by 6:30 a.m. Saturday morning to return to the fairgrounds for the weekend, re-hang pictures, and get ready for the day.



The view from the residence





And, of course, the cement outhouse

And so here you have it - our three day odyssey to the Hudson River Valley and some of it's treasures.  There are many more treasures in that area, perhaps someday I will have the opportunity to visit there again.

In the meantime, wonderful memories, new friends, something to remember always.  Now then, what do you want to hear about next?  If you have any ideas let me know, in the meantime God Bless.