WALKS & TOURS & MORE: April 2014 – June 2014 (as of 4//9/14)
KEEP CHECKING AQUEDUCT.ORG FOR THE LATEST INFORMATION. Activities are free and do not require prior registration (unless otherwise noted). They will be organized/led by a member of the Friends of the Old Croton Aqueduct. Call contact for the event for updates on schedule, weather, etc. and bring water and snacks. Check aqueduct.org for more activities. General questions about Walks & Tours: co-chairs Tom Tarnowsky, 914-862-4207, , or Sara Kelsey, 646-303-1448, . General questions about the Friends: Friends President Mavis Cain, 914-693-0529, .
April 26, Saturday at 10 am -- Old Croton Aqueduct at Ossining -- Weir Tour --Meet at the Joseph Caputo Community Center to watch a short film about the Aqueduct. Following the film, Jean Horkans will lead a short walk to the Weir on the Double Arch Bridge, where you will descend into the original 1842 brick water tunnel and learn its history. Address: 95 Broadway, Ossining, NY 10562, just west of Rte. 9/Highland Ave. at the junction of Croton Ave. (Rte. 133) (from 9-North Ossining train station by taxi or 15-minute uphill walk). Contact: Jean Horkans, 914-762-4082.
April 27, Sunday – Friends of the Old Croton Aqueduct Annual Meeting (Go to for more information.)
May 3, Saturday at 9:30 am to 2:30 pm – I Love My Park Day – As part of the third annual New York State-wide I Love My Park Day, the Friends are hosting an Old Croton Aqueduct Trail improvement day in both northern and southern locations along the Aqueduct. Volunteers will have the opportunity to preserve trees and native plants by cutting vines, removing invasive bushes and plants and by clearing brush and litter.
The northern event will be held on the trail along the border between the towns of Cortlandt and Ossining. Meet on the trail entrance marked by the Croton Gorge Unique Area sign (look for the yellow canopy). Parking is available on Quaker Bridge Road, Croton-on-Hudson, between houses #124 and #99. The day will begin with instruction in plant identification, vine cutting and invasive species removal techniques. Experienced leaders and State Parks crew members will work with volunteers and provide guidance throughout the day. Volunteers of all ages are encouraged to participate; tasks will be available for all skill levels, from garlic mustard pulling to vine lopping. Tools, coffee, water, snacks, bug stuff and other perks, including I Love My Park Day tee shirts will be provided on site. Although walk-ins are welcome, advanced registration is encouraged: (Go to to see flyer for additional details.) Please see June 22 for related activity.
The southern event will be in Hastings and North Yonkers, on the same day, from 1-3pm. Gather at Washington Avenue in Hastings and walk with local naturalists and the Hastings Vine Squad to Odell in Yonkers. Free trees from invasive vines, clean up trash and learn of the local nature and history. Muster at the Aqueduct Lane parking lot at Washington Avenue in Hastings at the southern end of the parking lot (parking available in lot). The entrance is 5 blocks from the Hastings Metro-North train station. Registration is appreciated, but not required. Bring friends.
May 4, Sunday at 11 am -- Immigrant Stone Workers, 1892-1905: A Walking Tour of the New Croton Dam -- To many people, the New Croton Dam in Croton-on-Hudson, NY, represents the ingenuity of American engineers of the late nineteenth century. At completion, it stood as the tallest masonry dam in the world. People compared it to the pyramids and to the Great Wall of China as a testament to human genius. After more than a century, it continues to inspire visitors with its massive size and rustic beauty. However, the Dam is also a central feature in a dramatic labor story. Hundreds of workers risked life and limb to turn the dazzling dreams and promises of politicians and engineers into a concrete reality. This tour explores how immigrant workers experienced the construction of the Dam and how they attempted to negotiate with contractors from a remote and isolated labor camp. Join us for a tour of the Dam that explores its construction primarily from the workers’ perspective. Meet near the restrooms at Croton Gorge Park, Rte. 129, Cortlandt 10567 (there may be a parking fee to enter the park). Contact: Laura Compagni-Sabella, , or call 646-670-3947.
May 10, Saturday at 10 am -- Old Croton Aqueduct at Ossining -- Weir Tour -- Meet at the Joseph Caputo Community Center to watch a short film about the Aqueduct. Following the film, Sara Kelsey will lead a short walk to the Weir on the Double Arch Bridge, where you will descend into the original 1842 brick water tunnel and learn its history. Address: 95 Broadway, Ossining, NY 10562, just west of Rte. 9/Highland Ave. at the junction of Croton Ave. (Rte. 133) (from Ossining Metro-North train station by taxi or 15-minute uphill walk). Contact: Sara Kelsey, or call 646-303-1448.
May 17, Saturday at 10 am -- Old Croton Aqueduct Distributing Reservoir Stones at New York Public Library Tour – Meet at the New York Public Library in New York City (short walk from the Metro-North Grand Central Station Terminal) at the Old Croton Aqueduct Distributing Reservoir’s former site. View the original stones from the Reservoir that form part of the foundation of the NYPL. Library staff and Friends will show a short film and exhibit old Aqueduct maps, documents and pictures. Donation to NYPL: $7 per person ($5 for seniors). Reservations required. Contact: Sara Kelsey, or call 646-303-1448 to make reservations.
June 7, Saturday at 10 am-noon – Dobbs Ferry Keepers House Tour -- As part of the Governor’s Path through History, meet at the green trailer on the Old Croton Aqueduct Trail at 15 Walnut Street, Dobbs Ferry (just off Broadway and .5 mile east of the Dobbs Ferry Metro-North train station). Cross the street to visit the Keepers House in Dobbs Ferry, the only remaining structure of its kind on the Old Croton Aqueduct. Learn the history of the Aqueduct and its remaining structures. After the tour, you may wish to proceed to the Dobbs Ferry Historical Society’s Mead House, 12 Elm Street (2 blocks north on the trail), from which the Dobbs Ferry Historic House Tour will originate at 1 pm. Info: Mavis Cain at 917-621-5592 or .
June 14, Saturday at 10am-noon -- As part of the Ossining Village Fair, visit the Weir in Ossining, descend into the original 1842 brick water tunnel and learn its history. Meet at the Weir at the north end of the Double Arch Bridge near the Joseph Caputo Community Center at 95 Broadway, Ossining, NY 10562, just west of Rte. 9/Highland Ave. at the junction of Croton Ave. (Rte. 133) (from Metro-North Ossining train station by taxi or 15-minute uphill walk). Contact: Jean Horkans, 914-762-4082.
June 14, Saturday at 10:30 am-1 pm – Designers for the Millionaires of the Gilded Age: Lord & Burnham (conservatories) and Louis Comfort Tiffany (stained glass) Tour & Celebration of Irvington’s Historic District Designation. Co-sponsored by the Friends of the Old Croton Aqueduct and the Village of Irvington. As part of the Governor’s Path through History, tour the Hudson River waterfront of the Village of Irvington, the former site of the Lord & Burnham Company (manufacturer of conservatories for wealthy clients, including robber baron Jay Gould of Lyndhurst, and the New York Botanical Garden) and walk up Irvington’s Historic Main Street to the Tiffany Reading Room in Irvington’s Town Hall and beyond to the McVickar House, the second oldest home in Irvington and headquarters of the Irvington Historical Society. The official ceremony begins at 10:30 am at the Irvington Senior Citizens Center at 29 Bridge Street in Scenic Hudson Park, a few steps south of the Irvington Metro-North train station (free parking). Following an official celebration, at 11:30 am, we will begin the walk up Main Street (total walk is less than 2 miles, on pavement) and visit the Town Hall, a 1902 historic landmark building and its restored Tiffany Reading Room, designed by the Tiffany studio, and Town Hall Theater, modeled after the Ford Theater in Washington, DC. After the tour ends, visit one of the many restaurants on Main Street or at the waterfront or bring a bag lunch or stop at a local deli to picnic in Scenic Hudson Park. You may wish to join a guided walk, Meandering among the Millionaires’ Mansions, which departs from Irvington’s Town Hall at 2:00 pm, and includes a tour of the skeletal remains of Lyndhurst’s Lord & Burnham conservatory. Contact: Sara Kelsey, or call 646-303-1448.
June 14, Saturday at 2 pm – Meandering among the Historic Millionaires’ Mansions Walk -- Co-Sponsored by the Friends of the Old Croton Aqueduct and the Village of Irvington. As part of the Governor’s Path through History, meet at 2:00 pm at Irvington’s Town Hall at 85 Main Street, less than ½ mile east up Main Street from the Irvington Metro-North train station (free parking). Walk north on the Old Croton Aqueduct trail (which intersects Main Street) to Lyndhurst and back and admire architectural landmarks, including the skeletal remains of a Lord & Burnham conservatory, and Hudson River views, while learning the history of the Old Croton Aqueduct. Along the way, we will discuss the history of the mansions lining that portion of the trail. On the return trip, you might stop to tour Jay Gould’s Lyndhurst or Washington Irving’s Sunnyside mansion (paid guided tours are available at both). When you return to Main Street, if you would like to see more, you may choose to continue your walk south (and back) on the Aqueduct to view more historic mansions. On Saturday morning, you may wish to join the tour of Lord & Burnham (conservatories) and Tiffany (stained glass), Designers to the Millionaires of the Gilded Age, which begins at 10:30 am at the Irvington Senior Citizens Center at 29 Bridge Street in Scenic Hudson Park, a few steps south of the Irvington Metro-North train station (free parking). Info: Sara Kelsey, or call 646-303-1448.
June 15, Sunday at 11 am -- Ribbon Cutting Ceremony for Restoration of the Link of the Old Croton Aqueduct Trail between Lyndhurst and Gracemere Park, Tarrytown. Begins at 11 am – meet at Lyndhurst upper parking lot. Save the date – details later!
June 22, Sunday - 9:00 am to 4:00 pm -- Citizen Science opportunity at Teatown Lake Reservation in Ossining. Learn how to identify 14 common invasive plants, how to document the prevalence of those invasive species along the Old Croton Aqueduct Trail and how to use a hand-held GPSunit to do so. The GPS units will be provided. After completing the training, you will be assigned to a trail section about 2 miles long.You will be expected to walk your trail section while identifying and mapping these invasive plants. This data collection can be completed within one outing or over several trips until you feel confident that you have identified all of the target species along your trail. Your section should be completed by the end of the summer. Working in teams of two is encouraged but not required. You can map as many trail sections during the season as you have time for. There is room for 25 participants. If we have enough volunteers, we may be able to map the invasive species along the 26 + miles of the Westchester Section of the Old Croton Aqueduct Trail. Once we know the extent of the problems, we can then begin to make appropriate plans to address them. Advance registration is required: .
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