I’ve posted about the Peekskill Riverwalk Park before:
Peekskill Riverwalk Park – Sam Oitice Heroes Remembered 9/11
Peekskill Riverwalk Park – Commemorative Bell
Peekskill Riverwalk Park – Jan Peeck’s Vine
Peekskill Riverwalk Park – Abraham Lincoln in Peekskill
Peekskill Riverwalk Park – The Peekskill Brewery
Peekskill Riverwalk Park – The Golden Mean
Peekskill Riverwalk Park – Stargate on Hudson?
Peekskill Riverwalk Park – A Local Legend
All of the above were taken around the Peekskill Railroad station. I hadn’t realized just how extensive the park is, however, until while taking the train into the city a while back I spotted paths along the river that I hadn’t seen before. So I decided to go for a walk with the dog and to take a few pictures at the same time. The first part of our walk took us down to Travis Cove.
What you see below you in Travis Cove is the foundation of the River Water Intake Shed and the remains of a water pipe that were used by the Fleischmann Distillery in the early 1900s. Water from the Hudson River flowed through this pipe, was cleared of debris at the Filtration Plant, and was stored in the Pump House, near where you are currently standing. The water was used to cool the massive Fleischmann plant and to fight fires at the complex. In 1918, a grain fire at the factory caused the only deaths of volunteer firefighters in the history of the Cortlandt Hook and Ladder Company.
The Fleischmann Company, once the largest manufacturer of yeast in the world, was founded in 1900 by Charles and Maximillian Fleischmann and James Gaff. During World War II, the factory’s laboratory developed packaged yeast and was recognized with five Army-Navy Production “E” Awards. At its height, the company’s huge 100 acre Charles Point facility had more than 160 buildings, consumed more than 5,000 bushels of grain per day, and used 22,500,000 gallons of water per month for the production of vinegar, yeast and spirits. Fleischemann Pier in nearby Charles Point Pier Park, originally known as Molasses Dock, was used to unload large ships carrying liquid molasses and other cargo to the distillery. The pier had an unusually long and narrow design to allow the docking of large ocean-going vessels.
In 1954, Fleischmann employed over 1,000 people and produced 5,000,000 ponds of yeast per month. By 1976,the high costs of operation in the Northeast resulted in 304 layoffs. Forty-two buildings were demolished and a portion of the land was sold. By 1985, the remaining vinegar plant was shut down and the last 6 acres of land were donated to the City of Peekskill. The Wheelabrator Resource Recovery Facility (on the hill behind you) now occupies a large portion of the original Fleischmann property.
Driftwood on a beach. The observation deck with the information boards can be seen in the top left of the picture,
Departing Geese.