Last updated: August 22, 2022
Place
West Point Foundry
NPS Photo
Quick Facts
Location:
80 Kemble Ave., Cold Spring, NY 10516
Significance:
Military & Industry
Designation:
National Historic Landmark
MANAGED BY:
Scenic Hudson Land Trust, Inc.
West Point Foundry, also known as West Point Foundry Preserve (WPFP), is an archeological site containing the remains of the private enterprise ironworking and ironmaking venture, active for nearly a century (1817 – ca. 1911), in Cold Spring, New York. New York merchant Gouverneur Kemble initiated the incorporation of the West Point Foundry Association in early 1818 alongside his younger brother William Kemble and other notable businessmen, engineers, and ordnance experts, including James Renwick, Sr. (Columbia College professor & engineer), Joseph Gardiner Swift (first to graduate from the United States Military Academy at West Point), and James Kirke Paulding (member of the Board of Naval Commissioners). Kemble signed his first contract with the Navy in December of 1816.
Gouverneur Kemble’s industrial venture was situated in a prime location in the Hudson River Valley. Directly opposite the United States Military Academy (USMA), West Point Foundry utilized easy access to the river for transportation and communication with a nearby dock in Foundry Cove. Margaret Brook (later changed to Foundry Brook) provided water-powered energy and the surrounding environment offered a wealth of natural resources, allowing the foundry to achieve peak productivity. As West Point Foundry grew in size and workforce population, so too did the nearby town of Cold Spring, New York. The 1820s and 30s were a period of immense expansion for the foundry and Cold Spring became an industrial center for the region.
West Point Foundry became a significant manufacturer of ordnance during the Civil War through the development and manufacturing of the Parrott gun (patented by Robert Parrott in 1861), a weapon that offered greater accuracy and range compared to other commonly used non-rifled ordnance. After the Union victory at Fort Pulaski in 1862, President Lincoln paid the foundry a visit to observe the manufacturing of Parrott guns which prompted the Union army to rely primarily on this newfound technology.
West Point Foundry continued to be of national importance through the end of the Civil War, after which it transitioned into manufacturing heavy capital equipment, including steam engines, locomotives, and machinery, and continued to do so for the next two decades. The foundry was purchased by J.B. and J.M. Cornell, who oversaw the ironworking process until filing for bankruptcy in 1911.
West Point Foundry, a National Historic Landmark since 2021, is located on 80 Kemble Avenue in Cold Spring, New York.
Gouverneur Kemble’s industrial venture was situated in a prime location in the Hudson River Valley. Directly opposite the United States Military Academy (USMA), West Point Foundry utilized easy access to the river for transportation and communication with a nearby dock in Foundry Cove. Margaret Brook (later changed to Foundry Brook) provided water-powered energy and the surrounding environment offered a wealth of natural resources, allowing the foundry to achieve peak productivity. As West Point Foundry grew in size and workforce population, so too did the nearby town of Cold Spring, New York. The 1820s and 30s were a period of immense expansion for the foundry and Cold Spring became an industrial center for the region.
West Point Foundry became a significant manufacturer of ordnance during the Civil War through the development and manufacturing of the Parrott gun (patented by Robert Parrott in 1861), a weapon that offered greater accuracy and range compared to other commonly used non-rifled ordnance. After the Union victory at Fort Pulaski in 1862, President Lincoln paid the foundry a visit to observe the manufacturing of Parrott guns which prompted the Union army to rely primarily on this newfound technology.
West Point Foundry continued to be of national importance through the end of the Civil War, after which it transitioned into manufacturing heavy capital equipment, including steam engines, locomotives, and machinery, and continued to do so for the next two decades. The foundry was purchased by J.B. and J.M. Cornell, who oversaw the ironworking process until filing for bankruptcy in 1911.
West Point Foundry, a National Historic Landmark since 2021, is located on 80 Kemble Avenue in Cold Spring, New York.