Current and Upcoming Events

Join Jean on a pictorial adventure along the Old Croton Aqueduct trail to explore the wealth of species along the path. The talk will detail the environmental advantages of our canopy, along with trees’ manifold benefits for human health. Jean will introduce sky-high tulip trees, beech, birch, sugar maple and shagbark — and also elucidate the difference between the “hazard” trees that walkers might be afraid will fall and the gnarly senescent examples that provide invaluable habit for animals. Finally, the talk will address the understory that is crucial to what experts term the “urban forest” along the trail, identifying the multiflora rose, garlic mustard and other invasives FOCA activists have been removing to improve the health of the trees.

Jean has delved into the history and natural history of the Aqueduct from the Bronx north to Croton in her blog at jeanzimmerman.com. Jean is also a Certified Arborist with extensive professional experience advising municipalities on the health of their trees. Contact Laura at laura.compagni@parks.ny.gov with questions. Hope to see you at the Keeper’s House!

Jean is an author whose books have explored the history and culture of the Hudson Valley. Her acclaimed The Women of the House: How a Colonial She Merchant Built a Mansion, a Fortune, and a Dynasty (2006, Harcourt) is the primary source about the Philipse family, who settled in Yonkers in the 1600s and went on to found a 57,000-acre estate encompassing present day Westchester County. Her duel biography Love, Fiercely, A Gilded Age Love Story profiles the family of billionaire nineteenth-century merchant-shipper Robert Bowne Minturn, whose lavish estate “Locust Wood” lay just adjacent to the trail in Hastings-on-Hudson when the Aqueduct was newly installed. Jean has delved into the history and natural history of the Aqueduct from the Bronx north to Croton in her blog at jeanzimmerman.com. Jean is also a Certified Arborist with extensive professional experience advising municipalities on the health of their trees, including the Village of Ossining, where she currently serves as Tree Warden. She acts as an inspector to protect trees’ health and welfare on New York City construction sites, among other arboricultural roles. For three years she served as Chair of the Tree Preservation Board in Hastings, her hometown.

Pre-Registration required: Limited Space

West 125th Street to 42nd Street & Fifth Avenue

Approximately 5.2 miles, 4.5 hours

These walks are a continuation of our very popular 26 Mile Challenge and are geared for people who want to earn their 41-Mile Patch and Certificate. For these walks, we will cover the 15 miles of the OCA route in NYC in 3 segments. If you have already completed the 26 miles of the OCA in Westchester, at the end of these walks you will be eligible for the 41-Mile Patch and Certificate awarded by The Friends of the Old Croton Aqueduct.

In the event of inclement weather, alternate dates will be offered.

Walk 3 details: Meet at the southeast corner of West 125th Street and Amsterdam Avenue. We will walk to 42nd Street and Fifth Avenue. Street parking is very limited.
Public transportation: From Westchester take Metro North to Harlem-125th St., cross-town bus to Amsterdam Ave. From NYC locations, Take IRT #1 or A/C/B/D to 125th Street. Bathrooms available along the route

Important Note: These are one-way walks. Plan accordingly if you will need to return to your starting point.

The fun starts early this Halloween season at the Keeper's House with the return of our Halloween Spectacular! Enjoy the games, decorations, crafts, candy and much more! Check out the Keeper's House Visitor Center before we kick off the movie at dark!

5:00pm-8:00pm | Location: Dobbs Ferry | Free | Ages: All Ages

Free, easy, 2-hour tour. Meet at the front (upper level/south side) of the Joseph Caputo Center, which is located at 95 Broadway, Ossining, NY, 10562, just west of Rte. 9/Highland Ave. at the junction of Croton Ave., Rte. 133 (from Metro-North Ossining Train Station by taxi or 15-minute uphill walk - parking lots nearby). After a brief walk, descend into the Weir in Ossining and explore the original 1842 brick water tunnel and learn its history.

Required: pre-registration. Walk may be rescheduled if weather does not cooperate.

Free, easy, 2-hour tour. Meet at the front (upper level/south side) of the Joseph Caputo Center, which is located at 95 Broadway, Ossining, NY 10562, just west of Rte. 9/Highland Ave. at the junction of Croton Ave., Rte. 133 (from Metro-North Ossining Train Station by taxi or 15-minute uphill walk - parking lots nearby). After a brief walk, descend into the Weir in Ossining and explore the original 1842 brick water tunnel and learn its history.

Required: pre-registration. Walk may be rescheduled if weather does not cooperate.

At the Croton on Hudson Free Library

When the first Croton Aqueduct was built, it disrupted many long-standing working farms and estates throughout Westchester, the Bronx, and Manhattan through eminent domain. Although local landowners were powerless to stop the project, they did win several concessions, including tunnels, ramps, route diversions, and even the glorious Highbridge.

In this special lecture, historian Keith Doherty will document how the OCA affected the local landscape and how property owners, in turn, shaped the OCA we know today.

This program was organized by the NYS Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation, sponsored by the Friends of the Old Croton Aqueduct & Maurice D. Hinchey Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area, and presented in conjunction with the Croton Free Library and Croton Friends of History.

Please register in advance