A recent wave of county park investments has brought cosmetic changes to a deteriorated National Historic Landmark in the hamlet of Cuddebackville, New York.
Stretching more than 200 acres, the Delaware and Hudson (D&H) Canal Park is rich in remnants from the canal era when coal from Pennsylvania traveled a 108-mile manmade waterway before floating down the Hudson River to fuel the growth of New York City.
The park is one of eight National Historic Landmark sites in Orange County.
Over the past weeks, county workers cut overgrown bushes along the eastern bank of the Neversink River for clearer views of the remains of the historic Neversink Aqueduct.
Designed by John Roebling, the civil engineer who designed the Brooklyn Bridge, the aqueduct was one of few cable suspension structures along the canal route that carried boats across streams.
County workers also painted the exterior and replaced the crumbled roof of a historic carpenter’s house on Hoag Road, which was home to a museum, and repairs to several other old buildings are in the planning stage, according to Travis Ewald, Orange County parks commissioner.
He said he also plans to clear and establish more trails throughout the park for hiking and fishing access to the Neversink River.
“This is a beautiful, historic section of the Neversink River, with some great fishing opportunities, and we want to encourage its use by the public,” Ewald told The Epoch Times via email.
The river is a historic Catskill trout fishery and is recognized by many as one of the streams that birthed American fly fishing, according to the state’s Department of Conservation.
“I am very happy to see movement up there, and it is just great for the town,” Deerpark Supervisor Gary Spears told The Epoch Times. “It is a beautiful park with vast potential.”
Cliff Robinson, executive director of Neversink Feeder and Canal Conservancy, described how the park looked prior to the recent improvements.
“I went out there earlier this year and walked to the feeder dam, and it was a jungle; you couldn’t see where you were walking, and some of the knotweed was 10 feet tall,” he told The Epoch Times.
“They cleared the entire trail out to the feeder dam, and you can drive a truck. It is fantastic.”
Two full-time maintenance workers, Robin Brennan and Alex Zemski, do much of the work at the park. They are among seven or so new hires to maintain the county park system.
Ewald said that in addition to the D&H Canal, Winding Hills, Cronomer Hill, and Algonquin parks, the Kowawese Unique Area at Plum Point, the Heritage Trail, and the Orange County Arboretum also added new workers, with the support of Orange County Executive Steve Neuhaus and the county’s Legislature.
Neuhaus said at his budget presentation in late September that park investments are important because they improve the quality of life for county residents.
“Some of the biggest companies said they invested in certain places in New York state in the last five years because of the quality of life those places would provide to their employees,” he said at the time. “Having parks and open space is part of that quality of life.”
D&H Canal is the only National Historic Landmark site within the county park system.
Seven other National Historic Landmarks in the county are Washington’s Headquarters and Dutch Reformed Church in Newburgh, the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, Knox Headquarters in Vails Gate, the Historic Track in Goshen, Fort Montgomery on the west bank of the Hudson River, and Arden House in Harriman.
