Browse through the gift pages to see our collection of historic pictures for sale depicting many of these scenes. Thank you! |
Once Called The Eighth It was a feat of engineering genius in its time, and ran for nearly 75 years, carrying millions of riders to a height that rendered one of the most spectacular views of the Hudson River valley. It was the Mt. Beacon Incline Railway and the pride of Beacon New York. Travelers would arrive by steam boat on the Hudson River, disembark at Newburgh NY, and board a ferry to Beacon on the opposite shore. There, a trolley would wind through the city on its way to the waiting incline railway at the base of Mt. Beacon. Then they would experience the thrill of climbing at a 65% grade, the steepest incline rail in existence, as it clanked its way to the 1,540 feet summit offering a breathtaking 75 mile panoramic view.
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| On Memorial Day of 1902 the Mt. Beacon Incline Railway made its first ascent. Created by the Otis Elevator Company’s ingeniously devised single-track, balanced cable car system, it was a resounding success with over 60,000 fares sold that season and increased to 110,000 twenty years later. |  |
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Once on the mountain, visitors would spend the day at The Casino, a restaurant and dance hall, pictured below as the yellow building on the right. Or rest at the Beaconcrest Hotel, built in 1908, also pictured below as the building with the red roof on the left. Often one would find famous people and screen actors lodged here, as well as the filming of silent movies including those of D.W. Griffith and Mary Pickford. |
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Many would walk along a path to the Daughters of the American Revolution’s obelisk monument, seen in the picture in the upper left corner. It was built in 1901 to commemorate the signal fire  ready to be ignited to warn of approaching British Vessels moving up the Hudson River toward General George Washington's Army Headquarters located directly across the river in Newburgh NY. |
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on the walk visitors enjoyed the pristine waters of the Mt. Beacon Reservoir, nestled on
the edge of the Hudson Highlands State Park and trail system. The reservoir and park
continue to offer hikers today a wonderful nature experience. Many of the historic scenes described above can be enjoyed by visiting our gift page's picture gallery. |
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