Montgomery / Walden / Pine Bush, NY 12549

Fort Montgomery
State Historic Site, NY
690 Rte 9W, Fort Montgomery 10922
845-446-2134
Fort Montgomery was the scene of a
fierce Revolutionary War battle for control
of the Hudson River. Visitors today can tour
the remains of the 14-acre fortification,
perched on a cliff overlooking the magnificent
Hudson. On October 6, 1777, British,
Loyalist and Hessian forces attacked
Fort Montgomery and nearby Fort Clinton.
The defending American Patriots,
outnumbered 3 to 1, fought desperately
until driven out of their forts at the points
of the enemy bayonets. More than half of
the Patriot forces were killed, wounded or
captured.
Visitors can learn about this important
military post at the site’s museum, which
showcases original artifacts and weapons,
large-scale models of the fort and the attack,
highly detailed mannequins frozen
in poses of battle, and an action-packed
fifteen minute movie of the 1777 assault.
Archeologists have revealed many of
Fort Montgomery’s remains, including
the stone foundations of barracks where the
troops lived, the ruins of the powder magazine
blown up by the British after the battle, and the
eroded walls of the North Redoubt, where the
outnumbered American Patriots courageously
defended their fort. A hiking trail leads visitors
across Route 9W, which bisects the fort, to the
remains of the West and Round Hill Redoubts
where the bloody assault began. There is a
spectacular view of the Hudson River from the
Grand Battery, where reproduction cannon
stand guard and are occasionally fired by the
fort’s staff.
The past comes alive at Fort Montgomery
with living history demonstrations of artillery,
musketry, music and camp life, as well as the
annual Twin Forts Day commemoration, when
the climactic battle is reenacted. Traditionally
held on the first Saturday of October, this
event attracts participants and visitors from
across the Northeast.
Hikers will enjoy walking the Twin Forts Trail to
a beautiful new suspension footbridge that
crosses the Popolopen Creek, where in 1777
a pontoon bridge connected Fort Montgomery
with Fort Clinton. The trail continues to the
Trailside Museums and Zoo (the former site of
Fort Clinton), Bear Mountain State Park, and
the Appalachian Trail. Fort Montgomery is also
now an official stop on the Hudson River Greenway
Water Trail, where kayakers and canoeists
can go ashore on the banks of the Popolopen.
In addition, the fort has been named as
a significant stop on the Hudson River Valley
National Heritage Area Revolutionary War Trail.
Montgomery
Montgomery is a town in Orange County, New York.
The population was 22,606 at the 2010 census. It was
named in honor of Richard Montgomery, an American
Revolutionary War general killed in 1775 at the
Battle of Quebec.
The Town of Montgomery is in the northern part of
the county at the county line shared by Ulster County.
Montgomery is immediately west of the Town of
Newburgh. It contains three villages, one also called
Montgomery, as well as Walden and most of Maybrook.
The early town began as a patent to Henry Wileman
in 1710, who was the first settler. He was the first of
a group of Palatine Germans to emigrate and settle
land around what is now the village of Montgomery.
The town was originally established as “Hanover” in
1772, but became the Town of Montgomery in 1782.
Montgomery calls itself “The Transportation Hub of the
Northeast” from the days when the New York, New Haven
and Hartford Railroad (later part of Penn Central)
had a major presence north of Maybrook, and the
Wallkill Valley Railroad (later absorbed into the New
York Central) ran through Montgomery and Walden,
connecting to the Erie Railroad mainline at Goshen.
Nowadays the rail lines have been reduced to freight
spurs or the Walden–Wallkill Rail Trail, and roads have
taken over their role.
The community of Montgomery set itself off by incorporating
as a village in 1810, and in 1855, the community
of Walden incorporated also. Maybrook was
the last village to incorporate, in 1926.
for great offers and freebies in your neighborhood visit ourtownsdeals.com • ©2015 our towns finest magazine • ourtownsfinest.com • 888-241-2351 4