Cold Spring

History

On July 15, 1691, Dortlandt and Sybrant secured a deed to the tract from Wappinger leaders, totaling as many as 17,480 acres (according to recent historical analysis) Nimham goes on to contest the sale of any land beyond this initial tract deeded by the Wappinger to Dortlandt and Sybrant, however, recognizes the initial transaction of land (including present-day Cold Spring) as legitimately ceded by the Wappinger to the Dutch. The first permanent settler in the village of Cold Spring was Merrick Williams in 1730. In 1772, a highway master was chosen for the road from Cold Spring to the Post Road from New York to Albany. Prior to Williams presence, the land was woodlands. A small trading hamlet grew alongside the river by the early 1800s. A couple of sloops made regular weekly trips from Cold Spring to New York, carrying wood and some country produce, which came over this model road from the east. Those trips by sloop usually took a week. In 1818, Gouverneur Kemble established the West Point Foundry opposite West Point to produce artillery pieces for the United States Government. The nearby mountains contained veins of ore, and were covered with timber for fuel. A brook provided hydropower, and the Hudson a ready shipping outlet. In 1843, the Foundry built the USS Spencer, the first iron ship built in the United States. With the influx of workers at the Foundry, local housing, businesses and churches increased, and Cold Spring was incorporated as a village in 1846. The first President of the Village was Joshua Haight. The Foundry became famous for its production of Parrott rifles and other munitions during the Civil War, when the foundry grew to a sprawling 100-acre complex employing 1,400 workers. It also manufactured cast iron steam engines for locomotives, gears,…

Geography

The village is bordered by the Hudson River to the west, and is bound by the Hudson Highlands State Park to the north, where Mount Taurus and Breakneck Ridge rise out of the banks of the Hudson and form two basically parallel ridges that track each other inland. The valley between them has an abandoned dairy farm, two lakes, and a camp. According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of , of which is land and , or 0.91%, is water.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  16,668
• Tufted Titmouse

  Baeolophus bicolor (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  15,685
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  14,473
• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  13,816
• Song Sparrow

  Melospiza melodia (A.Wilson, 1810) · Aves
  13,589
• Black-capped Chickadee

  Poecile atricapillus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  12,729
• American Goldfinch

  Spinus tristis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  12,416
• Carolina Wren

  Thryothorus ludovicianus (Latham, 1790) · Aves
  12,226

Largest nearby schools

• AUSTIN ROAD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
  Elementary · MAHOPAC · 585 students · 10.6:1 ratio
• PUTNAM VALLEY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
  Elementary · PUTNAM VALLEY · 554 students · 15.8:1 ratio
• PUTNAM VALLEY HIGH SCHOOL
  High · PUTNAM VALLEY · 503 students · 10.3:1 ratio
• PUTNAM VALLEY MIDDLE SCHOOL
  Middle · PUTNAM VALLEY · 473 students · 12.8:1 ratio
• HALDANE HIGH SCHOOL
  High · COLD SPRING · 314 students · 11.2:1 ratio
• HALDANE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
  Elementary · COLD SPRING · 292 students · 10.8:1 ratio
• GARRISON SCHOOL
  Elementary · GARRISON · 225 students · 11.3:1 ratio
• HALDANE MIDDLE SCHOOL
  Middle · COLD SPRING · 197 students · 9.8:1 ratio

Most recent

• M 2.8 — 2025-08-05
  1 km N of Hillsdale, New Jersey
• M 3 — 2025-08-03
  0 km W of Little Ferry, New Jersey
• M 2.6 — 2024-05-01
  1 km NW of Gladstone, New Jersey
• M 2.6 — 2015-08-14
  3 km SE of Mendham, New Jersey
• M 2.95 — 2009-02-03
  1 km ESE of Victory Gardens, New Jersey
• M 2.6 — 2001-10-27
  1 km NNW of Manhattan, New York