Focus: Education

The Friends’ own Sara Kelsey is featured in this short video by Chronicle 5 from WCVB Boston about the History of Sleepy Hollow.

This bicyclist tells us all of the things he loves about the trail.

Francheska Cortes of Sacred Heart High School with Mr. Kenney her Creative Writing teacher on the left, and Harold McKoy the Friends’ Yonkers consultant on the right. Friends’ board members stand in back of Francheska.

$950 Cash Awards to Lincoln, Riverside and Sacred Heart Students

Follow the links below for the four winning essays! They are fantastic and we encourage you to dip in and take a look. Thirty-nine students from six Yonkers high schools entered the competition. A panel of seven local judges included a published author, a poet and radio show host, plus board members of the Friends.

Each contestant earned the judges’ praise for creativity! Students at Gorton, Barack Obama School for Social Justice and Yonkers Middle High School absorbed Old Croton Aqueduct history to tell stories that were funny, scary, reflective and fun to read. Both English and Science high school students took part in the competition.

Shennaiya Rose won $500 First Prize for herself and $500 for Lincoln High School. Her teacher, Ms. Sunitha Howard, is a New York State Master Teacher in Science.

Taylor-Rae Smith, Lincoln High School, won $300 Second Prize. Teacher Sunitha Howard says the school’s matching award money will make funding their out-of-state science class trips a lot easier!

Francheska Cortes, Sacred Heart, won Third Prize. This is the second year running that a prizewinner has come from Mr. Kenney’s Creative Writing class.

Francheska Cortes of Sacred Heart High School with Mr. Kenney her Creative Writing teacher on the left, and Harold McKoy the Friends’ Yonkers consultant on the left. Friends’ board members stand in back of Francheska.

Chiwendu Matthew of Riverside High School won $50 for herself and $50 for the school. Her teacher Ms. Gold-Balin has produced winners two years in a row for the Aqueduct Essay contest.

Every walker who is interested in or has explored the Trail will love this article by Polly Kreisman, which puts a spotlight on the many delights of walking the Old Croton Aqueduct Trail in this month’s issue of Westchester Magazine. We cannot reproduce the article but you can follow a link HERE

Twenty years of local organizing and activism have resulted in the Rivertowns’ newest park, a peaceful place of natural beauty and local history. With its striking marble cliffs, native plantings and trails connecting it to Draper Park, the OCA and the Quarry Railroad Trail to the Hastings waterfront, the new Quarry Park also includes interpretive signage detailing the rich history of the site and its connection to the Hudson River, first as the site of Hastings’ first industry–a marble quarry (1828-1871) that provided materials for many celebrated buildings both locally and as far away as Charleston, SC and later as an extraordinary 1936 garden inspired by Buttes Chaumont in Paris. Today’s park includes native wildflower meadows, 1000 Carolina rose bushes, a wooded bluff and 51 newly planted trees.

Make Quarry Park in Hastings a part of your next visit to The Old Croton Aqueduct Trail!

Quarry Park is located at the intersection of Aqueduct Lane and William Street in Hastings-on-Hudson

Aqueduct Trail Ambassadors, aka the NY NJ Trail Stewards posted by the entrance to the Unique Area.

I took this photo on their first day of orientation and training just prior to the start of the season on Memorial Day weekend. Myra Romano, front and center, is the Program Coordinator.

The Unique Area is temporarily closed since there is no safe way to access the riverside; we are waiting for the Draft Management Plan to be approved; it is being held up because of significant controversy and funding issues involving another property upstate that is also contained in the Plan. The switchback trail is included in the Plan but cannot be designed nor constructed until the Plan is officially approved, so the Trail Stwards are tasked with explaining this to potential visitors to the riverside. However, word has apparently gotten out, since in the past three weekends there has not been even one visitor attempting to access the Unique Area.

So, in the meantime the Stewardship Program has agreed to assign the Stewards to be Aqueduct Trail Ambassadors. Two each are assigned to the Trail on weekends and holidays. They park in my driveway and store their equipment in my shed and I give them access to my house so they can use the bathroom.

Their first training day was held in my back yard. The morning was spent in orientation and role plays about how to deal with the potential visitors to the Unique Area and Aquedct trail walkers, bikers and dog walkers. I provided them with the history of how the Trail Conference came to be involved with the Unique Area and my role: coordinating with the DEC, with the Park staff, with the Friends of the Old Croton Aquedct, with the neighbors, with the various municipalities, and with the various enforcement entities.

In the afternoon of their training day they walked to the dam and back. I accompanied them part way.

Here they are on the first leg of their journey. I am explaining about the Ventilation Tower.

The plan is to give them an extensive orientation to the Aqueduct so they can be knowledgeable in doing their work as Ambassadors. On their next training day they parked at Gerlach Park, climbed up the stairs to the Aqueduct where they were met by Daria Gregg who showed them the section she has adopted and where she has installed a Pollinator meadow. Then Daria accompanied them on the first leg of their walk to the Ossining Weir.

Here they are finding their way, maps in hand. The plan was for them to meet Sara Kelsey, member of the Friends at the Weir for a tour.

Sara met them and gave them a wonderful tour, as she always does. She tailored it to the Stewards and gave them lots of background and history. She and Daria then ferried them back to their cars at Gerlach Park.

My challenge to the stewards was to be pro-active and creative and make suggestions for what they could do in their role as Aqueduct Trail Ambassadors. The first suggestion they came up with was to provide a dog bowl with water, so right away I gave them one plus a supply of fresh water. This has endeared them to the dog walkers.

Their next idea came as a result of some bike riders who requested reflective tape on the bars along the entrances, and also requested a suggestion box. So, I ordered the tape and the next week they started the process of installing the tape. So far six of the seven bars now have reflective tape installed on them.

I also ordered a suggestion box which Sydney decorated. See above and below.

The Stewards continued to keep their antennae open for other improvements. They noticed that not all Trail walkers parked in the small Access Area in a considerate manner, at times taking up so much space that only two of the three available spots could be used. So, they requested that striping be installed. After discussing this with Steve Oakes, the Historic Site Manager, I bought them chalk which they used to designate parking spots. They will have to refresh this every weekend, which they have been doing. Numbering the spots was an additional innovation:

They are also responsive to requests from me. Since some youngsters on ILMPD built a creative art project, that unbeknownst to them provided a visual and actual barrier to an access point to a very dangerous and eroded slope leading down to the riverside, I asked the Stewards to reinforce it, which they did.

One weekend they rebuilt it with some grapevines we removed from some trees. The next weekend a different crew used the grapevines to weave among the upright sticks to further stabilize it.

Next came a day of training in learning to identify and manage the invasive plants on the trail. Brent Boscarino, Coordinator of the Lower Hudson Partnership for Regional Invasive Species Management (PRISM) was recruited to walk with the Stewards and yours truly to give them pointers regarding plant ID and to help select a target location for interevention. I had several candidates and Brent suggested an area by a stone wall where invasive removal would have the greatest impact on both the ecosystem and on the experience of trail walkers.

The rain held off almost until we reached home base.

The next part of the training involved a discussion of the reasons why we are targeting invasive species for management.

During the afternoon we worked on identification, focusing on some specifics of how to look at a plant, following Thoreau’s admonition: It’s not what you look at, it’s how you look and whether you see. Each steward was challenged to select an invasive plant from the samples provided and draw it. They then presented their drawings to the group, discussed the salient features; identified the plants, and discussed the specific harms to the ecosystem that each species presents.

Here they are working diligently on their drawings.

Declan made this drawing of Chocolate vine, which we discovered today growing on the trail; first sighting of it. You can see the sample on the table in a jar which he is using as his subject.

Kathrine chose a native plant to draw; a Black raspberry with red berries that had not yet ripened into the black berries. The red berries can also be seen on the table.

We contrasted this with the highly invasive Wineberry, drawn by Sydney. The berries are not yet open, with a protective covering that will open when the berries become close to being ripe. This is also a raspberry, but one we wish to remove from the trail.

One of the questions that came up was about the edibility of some of the plants. On our walk in the morning, I had asked the group to gather some of the leaves of the first-year garlic mustard plants that are now emerging and during the lunch break I used them to make a garlic mustard hummus for them to sample. Since a Black birch tree had been cut down on the trail, I also gathered some twigs to add to the green tea I served them. Here they are, happy to collaborate with the selfie photo taken by Phoenix showing off their goodies.

In the late afternoon we walked on the trail in Ossining, with the task of removing as much Cardamine impatiens (Narrow leaved bittercress) and Lapasana communis (Common nipplewort) from the base of this recently restored historic stone wall. The bittercress is starting to set seed and the Nipplewort is flowering, so this is the ideal time to remove them, along with the ubiquitous Garlic mustard which is also about to drop its seeds.

Here are Ryan and Phoenix pulling the plants from the base of the stone wall.

All three of these plants have edible properties, but caution is advised since several other invasive plants on the trail are deadly poisonous.

Eleanor and Christina proudly displaying their haul of very tall Cardamine impatiens, Narrow leaved bittercress, in the mustard family.

Christina was thrilled to find edible native wild black raspberries fruiting on the trail, so this was an excellent opportunity to contrast them with the also edible but very invasive Wineberry plants which are currently not ripe, with the berries encased in a fuzzy covering as detailed in the drawings above.

Ben discovered Tree of Heaven, Ailanthus altissima, growing in the woods above the stone wall, and did his best to pull them up by the roots, but decided to leave the rest for another day when we could use tools to remove them without leaving any remnants of the roots which could easily resprout. These plants are hosts for the invasive Spotted lantern fly currently invading areas in the river towns of Westchester, including on the Aqueduct Trail.

Here are all eight of the Stewards, with their Crew Leader, Ryan McClean, on the left, proud to have removed 43 pounds of invasive plants as part of their first day of Invasive Species training. Their training will be put to use during three planned invasive removal projects to take place later during the season, one each in the months of July, August and September.

Cash prizes of $500 and $300 will be handed out this April for the Old Croton Aqueduct Essay Competition. The Friends invited high school students in Yonkers to submit personal experiences, fiction, or tales of environmental awareness about the aqueduct trail and tunnel. The mission was to discover talent from the student community, as well as to bring about awareness and care for the aqueduct trail in Yonkers. The winning essays are highly readable, personal reflections on the historic tunnel and trail.

The winner for First Prize is “The Tale of The Incredible Old Croton Aqueduct“, by Ms. Lesley Escobar of Riverside High School. Second Prize goes to the essay “The Old Croton Aqueduct” by Ms. Gianna Angelique Ortiz of Sacred Heart High School. Both schools also win big — an additional $500 and $300 respectively to each school.

The judges hotly debated and reread every essay! The Friends especially thank teachers at Lincoln, Roosevelt and Barack Obama School for Social Justice who also enthusiastically encouraged students to learn about local history. All ten contestants – from five high schools – earned the judges’ admiration for outstanding compositions and hard work! Mr. Harold McKoy is the Yonkers consultant for The Friends, and the essay contest is the result of his creative energy.

More than seven miles of the Old Croton Aqueduct trail winds through Yonkers, and includes scenic views of the New Jersey Palisades cliffs, Tibbetts Brook Park and northwest Yonkers’ late Victorian architecture. The trail also gives easy access to the award-winning daylighted Saw Mill River Park in the downtown district and is within walking distance of several MetroNorth train stations in Yonkers. The Friends hope these two lovely essays by Escobar and Ortiz pique the curiosity of many more local walkers and bikers.

On February 12th, The Keeper’s House drew a crowd that spilled over onto the front lawn.

Cornelia Cotton, a long time member of the Friends has collected historic engravings, watercolors, hand colored steel engravings — most of which have never been seen by us. Cornelia made personal comments about some of the artists, bringing the show to life. She herself has a very interesting background. She grew up in Germany in a family of artists, her father was a professional violinist and her mother a dancer. Her neighbors were part of the Bauhaus group. No wonder Cornelia brings a dramatic skill to her talk about her amazing collection. The audience responded well to her comments on the famous FB Tower Book on “Illustrations of the Croton Aqueduct” published in 1842. The Friends own a copy of this prestigious book and we welcome requests to see and handle it. Mavis Cain President of FOCA or Charlotte Fahn can arrange for a viewing.

The Keeper’s House offers a cozy destination for pre-school students and after-school program participants who are out exploring the trail throughout the coldest months. Park staff, Laura Compagni and Rob Lee, have created field trip programs for local kids that explore a range of questions about what’s under the trail, what you might find in the trees above the trail, and the history and traditions of the people who lived along the trail in the past.

Kids no longer have to imagine what the underground Aqueduct profile looks like. They can climb inside Dionisio Cortes Ortega‘s new model!

Rob Lee explains how to play hoop and stick. This was part of an Historic Game Day program that explores how kids entertained themselves in the 19th century when the Bremner family lived in the Keeper’s House.

Kids discover that speed is your friend. The hoop needs to keep moving and the trail serves as an excellent hoop track.

Kids always love to play with the Keeper’s House interactive exhibit, designed carefully to accommodate the way young people learn.

Most kids are surprised to learn that teenagers helped to build the structures of the Croton System and that school was not legally required in all states the United States until early 1900s. This young visitor tries his hand at carrying water buckets.

The fireplace in the backyard has served as an excellent place to warm up spiced cider in celebration of Winter Solstice along the trail.

The fire must burn for about an hour to create these hot coals.

Cheers!

After learning about migrating birds and how our massive white pine spreads it’s seeds in pine cones, kids made pine cone birdfeeders to bring home.

The Friends’ own Sara Kelsey led a private weir tour on October 30 for a brownie troop of third graders from Croton who are studying water. They were amazed by the weir and the history of New York’s water system. They had lots of questions about water and how to protect it. Our future is in good hands!

On Nov 2, Sara led a private tour of the History Club of Ardsley Public Schools (grades 5-8).

Please contact us if your group is interested in such a tour.

Governor Hochul announced that Friends of the Old Croton Aqueduct has been awarded ($26,427) to improve the exterior of the Keeper’s House Visitor Center and the usability and attractiveness of the building’s ADA compliant entrance as well as to install an arch and mechanical device from the Croton Dam to help visitors better understand the functioning of the Aqueduct.

The grant is one of 30 awards totaling $900,000 for organizations dedicated to the stewardship and promotion of New York’s state parks and historic sites, trails and public lands. The grants will be matched with private and local funding and will support projects to strengthen Friends groups and enhance public access and recreational opportunities.

From the announcement: “Friends groups—nonprofit organizations often made up entirely of volunteers—are essential to the stewardship and promotion of our state park system. These dedicated groups raise private funds for capital projects, perform maintenance tasks, provide educational programming, and promote public use through hosting special events. The Park and Trail Partnership Grants are administered by Parks & Trail New York, a statewide non-profit organization, in partnership with the NYS Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation.”

At the Keeper’s House last Saturday, April 23, it was a gathering of pre-teen Brownies and the only centenarian they are likely to meet in their lives! Ellie Carran celebrated her 100th birthday to a Brownie led chorus of the Happy Birthday song. The Brownies, fresh off International Water Day, were eager to delve into the Keeper’s House exhibits. Several future engineers tackled the blocks to create their own arches. They repeated the gravity ball exhibit until it was snack time.

While some of the finer points of the OCA may have escaped them, their three takeaways were Manhattan, Water and Gravity. What was to be a 15 minute talk lasted nearly 90 minutes, as the girls found new things to amaze them.

_ Jim Beirne

Jim is a docent at the Keeper’s House. Interested in becoming a docent? VOLUNTEER!

Photo from NYC Water Flickr page

This custom modified vehicle was used to traverse lengths of the recently concrete lined Delaware Aqueduct in 1949. It served much the same inspection purpose as the original “Croton Maid”, a custom made flat bottom boat used to inspect the interior of the Old Croton Aqueduct in 1842 before it was put into service. The Delaware Aqueduct is the newest NYC aqueduct, delivering water to NYC from the western Catskill Mountains. The last reservoir in the Delaware system was completed in the early 1960’s.

NYC Water caption: “Inspection party photo op on the Delaware Aqueduct. On April 14, 1949, deputy Mayor John J. Bennett, Board of Water Supply President Irving V. A. Huie and engineer Joseph Heck showed how a remodeled car was driven for miles through the tunnel to check its condition after several years of emergency operation.”

The Friends of the Old Croton Aqueduct produced a print newsletter from 1998 to 2017. In the interests of preserving this resource and making it available to others, all issues are now posted on the Friends’ website, together with a Contents for each and a link to download the full PDF of individual issues.

The newsletters contain articles on an array of subjects – “What’s It Really Like in the Tunnel?”, “Poe Walking on the High Bridge,” “Valley of the Dam,” for example – and news of the Friends’ activities in advocacy, celebrating the Aqueduct, and much more. Illustrations are plentiful.

The newsletters can be viewed HERE

Our friends NYC H2O have partnered with the Watershed Agricultural Council in upstate NY to create a new series of StoryMaps: Agriculture and Water Quality. The Watershed Agricultural Council works with farmers to develop strategies that prevent agricultural runoff from flowing into our reservoirs. This partnership protects our city’s water supply while also providing incentives and support to farmers.

NYC H20’s debut map in this series, “Exploring the Croton,” examines the history of NYC’s first watershed. In the 1830’s, when a thirsty New York City looked north for a reliable drinking water supply, City officials eyed the Croton, an expansive river 36 miles north of Manhattan. Between 1842 and 1911, the Croton River and its pristine tributaries would be impounded with several dams. These additions fundamentally altered the upstate landscape and would become the first of three upstate watersheds that make up the monumental water system supplying the City today.

CHECK IT OUT HERE

Friend of the Old Croton Aqueduct and active walker Mark Garrahan received this book as a present for Christmas last year and brought it to our attention.

Published in 1923 by the American Geographic Society (not to be confused with the National Geographic Society which published the famed yellow-bordered magazine), it contains beautiful sketches and fascinating maps.

We were able to scan pages of interest to the Friends.

Thanks, Mark. Enjoy!

The New York Public Library’s exhibition of treasures includes several items relating to The Old Croton Aqueduct, including a set of brass keys that once unlocked the Old Croton Reservoir (which once stood on the spot that is now The New York Public Library.)

A New York Times article described the exhibition.

One effect of the happily welcomed reopening of High Bridge Tower in 2021 was to turn attention to the Old Croton Aqueduct’s High-Service Works, of which the Tower was a part. In fact, some accounts refer to this elegant, octagonal granite structure on the northeast Manhattan skyline as the High-Service Tower.

The original Croton Aqueduct, which went online in 1842, is famed for being entirely gravity-powered. However, as early as 1851, as development in New York City spread northward, the need to supply water to the higher elevations of Manhattan Island was recognized. North Manhattan is substantially higher than the elevation at which Croton water entered Manhattan. Pumping was therefore required, to be achieved by the High-Service Works.

The cluster of structures comprising the High-Service Works were, at the Manhattan end of the High Bridge, a wharf and coal house for receiving and storing coal, a boiler and pumphouse with a tall smokestack, and – further up the hillside – a seven-acre, 10.8 million gallon reservoir and the High-Service Tower, 170 feet high. Within the Tower, at the top, was a wrought iron pressure tank with a capacity of 47,000 gallons. Period images of the scene also prominently show a heap of slag, the waste product from burning coal, spreading down the hillside from the waterworks to the Harlem River.

A representation of the High-Service Works. Original source unknown.

Croton water entered Manhattan from the High Bridge at an elevation of about 125 feet above mean high tide. From there it was pumped up another 75 feet to the reservoir, which was sited about 200 feet above high tide, and into the adjacent Tower. The water then ascended the Tower through one of two pipes – still in the center of the interior – to reach the tank at the top, and descended through the second pipe, under pressure sufficient to allow the water to reach the buildings of north Manhattan through a network of distribution pipes. “The highest level of the water in the tower was to be 324 feet above high tide, 57 feet above the highest point on Manhattan Island” (Wegmann, 1896).

The High-Service Works, including the Tower, were designed under then Chief Engineer Alfred W. Craven. Construction began in 1866 and was completed in 1872. Eventually, when the New Croton Aqueduct became New York City’s principal supplier of Croton water, pumping at High Bridge ended, to be undertaken where the new Aqueduct entered Manhattan. In 1934, the reservoir was demolished, part of it transformed into Highbridge Park’s huge municipal swimming pool of today. The tank at the top of the High-Service Tower is gone, but to our great good fortune, the Tower itself remains.

For many of us who are devoted to the Tower, at least as appealing as the marvelous 360-degree views seen from a height of almost 400 feet above sea level is the warm, softly colored brick-lined interior. This contrasts with the black iron of the two soaring vertical pipes in the center and of the generously proportioned winding stairway mounted along the wall. Stone-framed windows of several shapes reveal the outdoors as visitors ascend (or descend). It’s never been clear if the Tower was meant to admit the public, but in any case its design reveals a respect for civic infrastructure to be treasured.

Charlotte Fahn

Sources:

“The Water-Supply of the City of New York. 1658-1895” by Edward Wegmann, 1896; “Water-Works: the Architecture and Engineering of the New York City Water Supply,” Kevin Bone, ed.,2006;
“The Old Croton Aqueduct in New York City,” map-guide, Friends of the Old Croton Aqueduct, 2004.

Schedule an appointment for a tour of the refurbished Tower with the NYC Parks Department HERE.

Read an affectionate account of a visit to the Tower, from the Friends’ newsletter no. 12 (2002) HERE

A lesser known fact of the career of Croton Aqueduct Chief Engineer John B. Jervis [shown above], is that he was the very first to run a steam locomotive on a length of railroad track in this country. He did so as a demonstration of the motive power of a self propelled locomotive in August of 1829 as an adjunct to the Delaware and Hudson Canal in Pennsylvania, which he also built as a private enterprise to deliver coal to Philadelphia and New York City along a 100 mile plus route, connecting with the Hudson River in Kingston, NY.

The commercial success for its investors of the D&H Canal cemented his reputation with the major power brokers of the time and led to his being hired 8 years later by NYC to build the Croton Aqueduct. His long time associate, Horatio Allen, was largely responsible for the locomotive experiment, travelling to England to buy 3 steam locomotive engines, The Stourbridge Lion being the one demonstrated in Pennsylvania. Railroad technology developed rapidly from 1829, Allen and Jervis being prime movers, along with Peter Cooper, Benjamin Latrobe and others.

The following screen grabs and photos flesh out a few of the details from a well documented book published in the 1870’s. The entire fascinating book can be found on the internet. Note that Allen’s bio. refers to his consulting on the great East River bridge, now under construction, in the 1870’s, referring to the Brooklyn Bridge.

Guest post by Friends David and Susan Rosenzweig

On October 27, 2021, we drove to the Croton Gorge to view the dam. Considering the very heavy rain we had over the prior two days, we expected a voluminous amount of water going over the dam.

Our guess was correct!

About a quarter of a mile before we reached the dam, we could hear a thundrous noise. As we approached the bridge, the noise of rushing water was very loud and the spray was like rain.

Note the small tree on the dam’s spillway.

The Friends’ own Tom Tarnowsky presented a lecture on Zoom for the Yonkers Public Library in association with The Yonkers Historical Society on the history of the Old Croton Aqueduct and its relation to Yonkers. Enjoy!

The Flickr site of the NYC Dept of Environmental Protection just posted these 2 images of the demolition of the aqueduct conduit in Central Park in 1931. These images show the original brick tunnel where it ended upon entering the Receiving Reservoir at approx West 85th St. The brick tunnel, showing a plastered inside surface here, continued to the southern division of the reservoir where it entered a gatehouse structure. When the water left the reservoir it continued downtown on 5th Ave. in 2 iron mains of 36 inches each to the Distribution Reservoir at 42St and 5th Ave. for distribution to the built up part of the city to the south. Belvedere Castle, now at the south end of the Great Lawn,adjacent to the 79th St. Transverse Road through Central Park, shows in the distance.

The Flickr NYC Water website is an excellent source of current and historic images of the water infrastructure of NYC.

Out of the Archives: Before Central Park’s Great Lawn welcomed millions of picnickers, sunbathers, and leaf-peepers, the site held the Old Croton Aqueduct receiving reservoir. Part of the City’s first reliable source of clean drinking water, it was built in 1842, before Central Park even existed. The park developed around it, and when the old reservoir was no longer needed, the City started filling it to create more recreational space for New Yorkers. This photo shows demolition of the old brick-lined aqueduct inside the park, facing north toward buildings along the 86th Street transverse on October 14, 1931. Remnants of the reservoir can still be found throughout the area.

Coincidentally, celebrations for the official opening of the Old Croton Aqueduct were held on October 14, 1842.

Out of the Archives: Before Central Park’s Great Lawn welcomed millions of picnickers, sunbathers, and leaf-peepers, the site held the Old Croton Aqueduct receiving reservoir. Part of the City’s first reliable source of clean drinking water, it was built in 1842, before Central Park even existed. The park developed around it, and when the old reservoir was no longer needed, the City started filling it to create more recreational space for New Yorkers. This photo shows demolition of the old brick-lined aqueduct inside the park, facing south toward Belvedere Castle on October 14, 1931. Remnants of the reservoir can still be found throughout the area.

Coincidentally, celebrations for the official opening of the Old Croton Aqueduct were held on October 14, 1842.

A delightful article about the Old Croton Aqueduct, its history and current status can be found on the website called Messy Nessy Chic.

READ THE ARTICLE HERE

Friends board member Tom Tarnowsky photographed these lovely edible fungi at the Northern end of the trail.

Chicken of the Woods grows on fallen, rotting tree trunks.

From Wikipedia: “Laetiporus is a genus of edible mushrooms found throughout much of the world. Some species, especially Laetiporus sulphureus, are commonly known as sulphur shelf, chicken of the woods, the chicken mushroom, or the chicken fungus because it is often described as tasting like and having a texture similar to that of chicken meat.”

SIX NEW MOBILE AUDIO TOURS LEAD TO ADVENTURES IN HISTORIC HUDSON RIVER TOWNS

Free Driving, Walking and Biking Tours Cross Over the Governor Mario M. Cuomo Bridge and the Bear Mountain Bridge

TARRYTOWN, NY (SPRING, 2021) After a year of the COVID-19 crisis keeping people homebound, many are looking for ways to safely explore and enjoy the world around them. Six new mobile audio tours are now ready to guide visitors through the Historic Hudson River Towns, a group of charming riverfront communities just north of New York City.

Whether walking, biking or driving, these engaging GPS-powered tours come up on visitors’ mobile devices, offering audio stories about the history, culture, landmarks, and scenic beauty that make the Historic Hudson River Towns a truly special area to visit. The tours can also be enjoyed remotely at home, across the country or in most locations around the world.

The Historic Hudson River Towns area is known for hospitality, scenic river views and fascinating history. Native Americans watched Henry Hudson sail up the river in 1609. George Washington and his army defended the area during the Revolution. Millionaires built palatial estates and gardens, and modern-day chefs have created extraordinary places to relax and dine in quaint downtowns. An abundance of scenic parks and river walks provide spaces for picnics and endless outdoor adventures.

The new tours include a driving tour of 15 towns on both sides of the river; walking and biking tours across the Hudson on the Governor Mario M. Cuomo Bridge’s 3.6-mile shared use path; walking or biking tours of Irvington, Tarrytown, Sleepy Hollow and Nyack; plus a walking tour of renowned artist Edward Hopper’s Nyack. Digital kiosks in the welcome centers at either end of the Gov. Mario M. Cuomo Bridge provide dining, hotel and attraction information about the Historic Hudson River Towns closest to the bridge’s Westchester and Rockland County landings.

Metro-North’s Hudson Line has stops at or near all the river towns on the east side. Zipcars are available for rental at the Hastings-on-Hudson, Irvington, Tarrytown and Peekskill stations. http://web.mta.info/mnr/html/getaways/outbound_hhrt_ride2drive.htm.

The New NY Bridge Project’s Community Benefits Program, administered by the New York State Thruway Authority, provided a grant to Historic Hudson River Towns for the mobile audio tours. TravelStorysGPS, a company that develops GPS-located audio tours for destinations across the country, built the tours. www.travelstorys.com. To access the new tours online, go to https://www.hudsonriver.com/audio-tours. On mobile devices, download the TravelStorys app from the App Store or Google Play and search for Historic Hudson River Towns.

Download at www.hudsonriver.com/audio-tours

The fur and feathers crowd loves our award-winning maps! These pictures were taken at Yonkers 2021 National Nights Out festival, on August 3. Many community groups, children and pets descended on a local park to party. The event promotes police-community partnerships and safe neighborhoods. The Friends of the Old Croton Aqueduct was honored to join so many fun-loving Yonkers families and pets who walk and help care for the aqueduct trail.

Did you know that the 26-mile-long trail is one of the few parks left in Westchester County that doesn’t forbid dogs? Leashing and poop pickups are the neighborly thing to do along the trail. Everyone thanks you!

I am always elated when I see something I have never seen before and today was such a day. Today, along with a group of about 10 participants, I was given the opportunity to tour one of the OCA weirs at Ossining, NY. The tour was given by the very knowledgeable and pleasant tour leader, Aram. Kudos to him for giving up his Saturday mornings to do these Friends of the Croton Aqueduct sponsored tours.

The tour started on The Old Croton Aqueduct Promenade but before doing so, I was able take some photos of the Double Arch Bridge. Although I had taken photos of this bridge before I didn’t notice the small plaque (I think the winter wreath had it covered) with the name “ANDREW YOUNG – BUILDER.” Subsequent research revealed nothing about Andrew Young – Builder. I wondered who would put his name so high and small, perhaps not to be noticed or read. Thanks to my 40X zoom lens, and old but steady hands, that attempt was foiled.

Double Arch Bridge

Tour leader and the group walked on the promenade about halfway during which time he explained the history and construction of the OCA in addition to answering many questions. His answers were supplemented with a plethora of photos and illustrations shown from a very large binder. On several occasions, I wondered if that binder was going to end up in the Sing Sing Kill 200’ below.

Old Croton Aqueduct Promenade

Upon entering the the weir, we all donned our Covid masks. Elevation 159’ Datum based at Sandy Hook.

The Weir (Built 1858)

We were first “treated” to a mechanism that brought down a steel door to stop the flow of water through the aqueduct and divert it to another exit which fed into to Sing Sing Kill. Someone likened it to a guillotine. This weir, one of six on the OCA, was an afterthought being built 16 years after the OCA was opened.

Inside the Weir

Descending the stairs brought us into the 1842 OCA. My pulse quickened! The moment has arrived. The aqueduct was brick lined but with portions cut through solid rock (3rd and 4th photos).

Sufficiently energized, I decided to walk the Sing Sing Kill Greenway and returned to my car via Broadway.

Now, for a Guinness.

Friends of the Old Croton Aqueduct are pleased to announce that our award-winning maps of the Aqueduct are now available for sale in the shop of Morris-Jumel Mansion in north Manhattan. The maps are in a slim, compact format, convenient to take on your walks or simply to peruse and enjoy.

All retail locations where the Friends’ maps are available for sale are listed on this site HERE.

See you on the trail!

Learn about the OCA’s New Community Design Guidelines with the New York State Department of Parks & Recreation.

You can download the final report HERE.