Friends of Taconic State Park is set to host its annual celebration of the iconic blast furnace at the historic Copake Iron Works in Taconic State Park, on Saturday, October 12th.
At this year’s gathering, the Friends Board of Directors will unveil plans to re-create the narrow gauge railroad that circumnavigated the Copake Iron Works during its nineteenth century heyday. After the unveiling, hamburgers and hotdogs will be served from the Iron Bar & Grill with musical accompaniment and raffles. The event will begin at noon.
Friends of Taconic State Park was established in 2008 to support cultural, recreational and educational activities within the park with the preservation of the Copake Iron Works National Heritage Area Site its priority.
The group is implementing a 20-year plan to create a pre-eminent site of historic iron-making and a national destination for tourists in Copake Falls. The Copake Iron Works Visitor Center features a video documentary chronicling the history of the site and an extensively interpreted trail from the Copake Iron Works to the Bash Bish Falls, for which trail maps are available. The entire site is open for self-guided tours year-round; the Engine House Museum is open from late May to mid-November and by appointment. School tours are especially welcome.
The Copake Iron Works is located at 35 Valley View Road, Copake Falls.
More information is available on the Friends of Taconic State Park website, or by email info@friendsoftsp.org. To schedule a group tour, call (518) 966-2730.
Photo of Iron Works Train provided.
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