The Warner House at Constitution Island
Constitution Island is located along the eastern shore of the Hudson River, across from West Point and south of Cold Spring. It is part of the United States Military Academy, a National Registered Landmark. The Warner House and ruins of the Revolutionary War fortifications are the points of interest.
On September 21, 1775, John Berrien used the name "Constitution Fort" for the first time in an official document of the New York Provincial Congress.
Gen. George Washington was appointed by the Continental Congress to work with the New York Provincial Congress to make plans on how the Hudson River should be fortified against the British. Subsequently, Bernard Romans, an engineer, was appointed to begin the construction of the large fort on the island which was to be named "Fort Constitution." When Sir Henry Clinton’s British troops went up the Hudson River from New York City in 1777, the small group of American soldiers encamped on the island destroyed as much as possible of the unfinished fort and fled. British troops occupied the island for twenty days. Fort Constitution was never rebuilt.
West Point was the new site of the forts built by the Americans in January 1778, where a chain was stretched across the river to Constitution Island. Col. Thaddeus Kosciuszko directed the construction at West Point and, on Constitution Island, built three redoubts and a battery to protect the east end of the great chain. A large barracks was built and American soldiers were stationed on the island until December 20, 1783 when Gen. Washington’s personal "lifeguard" was disbanded there.
The Warner House
The lovely old house on Constitution Island was the home of the Warner family from 1836 to 1915. Susan and Anna Warner were well-known writers in the nineteenth century. Susan wrote The Wide, Wide World in 1850 which became a best seller of its day. Anna is best known for writing the words to the hymn, Jesus Loves Me. The sisters taught Bible classes to West Point cadets for forty years.
The oldest part of the Warner House includes a thick stone wall existing from Revolutionary War days. The Victorian wing of eight rooms was built by Henry Warner in 1836 when he moved his family from New York City to the island. The house is furnished with original Warner family possessions. The Warner House is a living museum and is kept as nearly as possible as it was when Miss Anna Warner lived there until her death in 1915.
The island is operated by The Constitution Island Association, a historical society organized in 1916 to preserve the Warner House and its furnishings. A visit to the house is a unique nineteenth century Hudson Valley experience.
Despite the island’s location on the eastern side of the Hudson, south of the Cold Spring dock area, access to the island is only possible via tour boats from the West Point South Dock on the western shore of the river.
The two-hour tours includes a boat ride on the Hudson River to Constitution Island, an escorted tour of 15 rooms of the Warner House with guides in Victorian-style costumes, and a short walk to the ruins of the Revolutionary War fortifications.
Tours operate from mid-June to October on Wednesdays and Thursdays. The boat leaves promptly from West Point South Dock at 1:00 and 2:00 p.m. Reservations are recommended. For more information or to make a reservation call 845-446-8676, Mon.-Fri. From 9:30 a.m.-12:00 noon or write to the Association at: Constitution Island Association, Box 41, West Point, New York 10996.
Link to PCN&R article about the Island
Link to West Point page about the Island
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