Michigan Tech archaeologists and Scenic Hudson will be leading guided tours of the West Point Foundry Preserve. Explore the site's 19th- century past as an industrial powerhouse whose ironworks made steam engines and the Parrott guns that helped win the Civil War. Learn about the archaeology of the Preserve, now in its 8th season. Different tours will start on the hour and last for about an hour each.
WHAT TO BRING: Sturdy closed-toed shoes or hiking boots, water, & lunch or a snack.
Park entrance is at the end of Kemble Ave. Cold Spring, NY 10516
DIRECTIONS: In Cold Spring, go west on Main St., then left on Rock St. and right on Kemble Ave. Park entrance is at the end of Kemble Ave.
The West Point Foundry: Unearthing the Past, Forging a Future
March 29, 2008
6:00 PM - 8:00 PM
GALLERY OPENING: Explore fascinating archaeological discoveries made at this 19th-century industrial powerhouse and exciting plans for its future.
Organized and funded by Scenic Hudson, Michigan Technological University, and the Putnam County Historical Society & Foundry School Museum. Additional funding provided by Mathews Nielsen Landscape Architects, Kearney Realty Group, and Stearns & Wheler, LLC, Environmental Engineers & Scientists. Storage for the West Point Foundry Collection provided by the Village of Cold Spring.
LOCATION: Putnam County Historical Society and Foundry School Museum, 63 Chestnut Street, Cold Spring.
NOTE: Exhibit will be on display at the museum through Dec. 14, 2008
2008 Field School in Historical and Industrial Archaeology
Michigan Tech will offer a six-week session of its course in Field Archaeology during the summer of 2008: May 19th through June 27th. This course will provide training in a full range of methods and techniques, including survey, excavation, photography, and mapping, as well as discussions about interpretation and community involvement. The ongoing research project is at the site of the West Point Foundry. This site is in Cold Spring, New York, in the Hudson River Valley north of New York City. Michigan Tech continues a long-term research project on this famous industrial site, owned and managed by the Scenic Hudson Land Trust. The 2008 team will expand excavations begun in 2003 in selected areas of the industrial site as well as an adjacent domestic component explored last summer.
Dr. Patrick E. Martin and Dr. Timothy J. Scarlett are the instructors for the course. The class is available for either undergraduate or graduate credit (SS 3210 and SS 5700, respectively), with credit variable from 2 to 8 semester credits. Guest student status is available for any student in good standing with their home university. Tuition will be approximately $306 per credit for Michigan resident undergraduates, $698 per credit for non-resident undergraduates, and $535 per credit for resident/non-resident graduate students. Housing will be subsidized by the project, with rooms in a summer camp located about 10 miles from the site. There will be regional field trips and weekend opportunities for outdoor activities or urban excursions (New York’s Grand Central Terminal is about one hour from the site via Metro North, with a station located just one-half mile from the site!).
