Presented by Fort Montgomery State Historic Site
The Fort Montgomery State Historic Site presents Horse Powered Ferries of the Mid-Hudson, 1815-1862, at 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 12. The horse powered ferry, or teamboat, was patented in 1814, some seven years after Robert Fulton put the first commercial steamboat into service on the Hudson River, and there was a mule powered ferry in service on at least one mid-Hudson crossing, at Milton, until 1862.
The Hudson River had one of the longest and strongest associations with the teamboat, yet the horse ferry’s role in the development of the mid-Hudson Valley is almost completely forgotten. This presentation by historian Jim Berkise will look at mid-Hudson ferries and crossings before 1815, the famous steamboat captain who invented the horse ferry (but is primarily remembered for something else), the connections between ferry companies and turnpike companies in the Hudson Valley in the early 19th century, and why animal powered ferries persisted for so long in some places.
Seating is by reservation and limited to the first 50. Call 845-446-2134. Please leave your name, phone number and number of people in your party. Fort Montgomery State Historic Site is located at 690 Route 9W, Fort Montgomery. Visit nysparks.com.
