New Windsor
Cantonment and
National Purple Heart Hall of Honor
374 Temple Hill Road
New Windsor, NY 12584
845-561-1765
What’s there? Historic site featuring Revolutionary War era
original and reproduction camp buildings, craft and military demonstrations by
period-costumed staff, museum exhibits featuring camp life, military artifacts
and impressive cannon collection; Purple Heart Hall of Honor includes
interactive exhibits on the lives of recipients and documentary about the medal.
Who is it for? American and military history buffs of all
ages, though probably best appreciated by kids over the age of 8. The museums
are handicapped accessible, and the grounds paths are wide enough for wheelchairs and
strollers, but there are some steep inclines that might present a challenge.
Where is it? Located in Orange County
on Route 300 (Temple Hill Road)
just north of the 5 corners in Vails Gate.
When is it open? The museums and the grounds are open year
round, Monday through Saturday 10-5 and Sunday 1-5. The Cantonment buildings are open and
demonstrations available Wednesday though Sunday from mid-April through
October. Closed Thanksgiving, Christmas
and New Year’s Day. Check the website or
call for special programs throughout the year including Independence Day.
How much will it cost
you? Admission and parking are free. There is a small gift shop, and BYO
picnicking is allowed on the grounds.
While you are there…Knox’s Headquarters State
Historic Site (the Ellison
Mansion) is just off of
Route 94, about a mile away from the Cantonment. This fascinating site, headquarters at
different times for Henry Knox and Horatio Gates, commander of the Cantonment,
is also free with free parking. Its
hours are more limited, however—open seasonally from Memorial Day weekend to
Labor Day, Friday and Saturday 10-5 and Sunday 1-5, with tours led by costumed
interpreters on the hour (no tour at 12 noon, last tour at 4). Check the website or call ahead for details
on special programming, such as the birthday celebration for Henry Knox this
year to be held on Saturday, July 27 from 7-9 pm.
Why should you go?
It’s always fun to see people dressed up in period garb
demonstrating life the way it was back in the day. It’s especially meaningful to get a glimpse
of how our soldiers lived and worked so long ago when anything they wanted or
needed had to be manufactured by hand.
Gun cartridges, musket balls, medicines, even the nails to build the
huts they lived in were all produced on site at the New Windsor Cantonment.
The Cantonment’s significance, however, is not limited to
the craftsmanship practiced there. This
was the last permanent encampment of Washington’s
troops prior to the end of the Revolutionary War. The camp housed not only soldiers, but many
of their families, as well as families of refugees.
The exhibits inside the museum predominantly feature
firsthand accounts, including those of the women, and genuine artifacts of life
in an 18th century military outpost.
 |
| Inside the Temple of Virtue |
A clearly marked self-guided path with interpretive signs
leads visitors throughout the grounds. The most notable feature of the site is
the area known as Temple Hill. It was at
the top of this rise that Washington ordered
built the “Temple
of Virtue,” a structure
large enough to serve as a meeting place, a place of worship, a court martial,
or any other purpose which required a large indoor space. This was also the location where Washington famously faced
down the “Newburgh Conspiracy,” a less than stellar moment in American military
history. Today, a historically accurate
replica, based on original plans and descriptions from the era, occupies the
site. Inside, a visitor can view the
meeting space as it likely looked when the soldiers used it. This is also the site where guides dressed as
soldier’s wives offer the field medicine demonstration.
Also of note on Temple Hill is the Temple Hill
Monument, built in
1891. The imposing fieldstone obelisk commemorates
the significance of the site and also references Washington’s alleged connection to the Order
of the Masons.
 |
| Original barracks hut |
All of the camp structures on the grounds are replicas
except for one. At the end of the
Revolutionary War, in order to pay its debts, the army disassembled and
auctioned off all of the buildings at the Cantonment. One original barracks hut, however, survived
intact through private ownership and was eventually donated back when the
Cantonment became a state historic site.
At this time, however, it can only be viewed from the outside.
During our visit tourist traffic was light, enabling our pleasant
and accommodating guide to give us his undivided attention as he demonstrated
both blacksmithing and musketry.
It
certainly added to our enjoyment that we could ask as many questions as we
wanted. At the forge my 15 year old son
engaged him in a lengthy discussion about the science of smithing, and we came
away with a newly crafted iron nail as a souvenir.
The musketry demo was similarly impressive, as our guide
donned his uniform coat and hat and, despite the humidity, successfully fired
off his reproduction Charleville flintlock.
The Purple Heart Hall of Honor occupies a separate wing of the
museum building. The Cantonment site is the location where 138 World War I
recipients were honored in 1932. The Hall
is dedicated to honoring Purple Heart recipients throughout U.S. history
and to educating the public about the significance of this award. It is the goal of the Hall to eventually include
the name of every one of the 1.7 million recipients in its electronic Roll of
Honor. So far they have found a little
less than 200,000. Visitors can hear
recipients tell the stories of their sacrifices in their own words through the
audio kiosks. They can also view the
documentary film “For Military Merit,” which chronicles the origin and meaning
of the Purple Heart.
Additional displays include an original 1782 heart-shaped
“Badge of Merit,” the predecessor of today’s Purple Heart, as well as exhibits
that feature life-saving equipment and the stories of famous and even
lesser-known battles.
There is a small gift shop which, in addition to the usual
mugs and books, features some more amusing souvenirs. Kids might enjoy the “pieces of eight”
collection, and my favorite, the candy “Ammo Pak”—a collection of candy
gunpowder, musket balls and gun cartridges.
The items are reasonably priced and won’t break your pocketbook.
Picnicking is allowed on the lovely grounds; bring your own
food, and carry out all of your trash.
The Cantonment and the Hall both offer special programming
throughout the season. Call ahead or check the website or Facebook
page for particulars. There's always something special to discover while exploring this slice of American history!
