September 11, 2011Hudson Landing Site has Long History

For many locals, the property has a long history dating back to as early as 1804 when settlers created a place called Kingston Commons.  By the mid-19th century the property ran year-round with brickyards, ice houses and cement factories.  In the summer months the brickyards flourished.  In the winter months the land was leased to icehouse companies.

From the mid-19th century until the latter end of the 20th century, the brickyards in Ulster County were the source of materials that helped build America.  During the 1940’s and the 1950’s the brickyards and ice houses remained a primary source of jobs for local residents.

Creating typical American neighborhoods, the site was alive with hundreds of Irish and Italian families living in the factory houses provided on the property by the brick manufacturers.  With the demise of the brick industry, the advent of urban renewal that brought down many neighborhoods, and with the opening of the New York State Thruway, the need for river transportation lessened and the residents and businesses moved from the downtown Rondout to uptown Kingston to be near the Thruway exit.

For over the past 25 years, the site of so many memories and activities has deteriorated into an abandoned quarry reminiscent of a moon scape.  Today, the once vibrant neighborhoods remain off limit to the public.  But for the future, the Hudson Landing river community will bring back the vitality of the area and once again return this nostalgic piece of the Hudson River waterfront land back to the people of Ulster County.