The Revive College Hill Park Coalition is a community group raising awareness about this hidden gem. College Hill Park is the largest City Park and the highest point in the City.
Save the date!
Saturday, July 27, 2024
The Park of Yesterday, Today & Tomorrow
The City of Poughkeepsie has operated College Hill as a park since 1892, when it was given by William Smith, one of the two Smith Brothers of cough drop fame. It is the highest point in the city and offers 360 views, especially in winter. The summit is the former site of the Collegiate School, now the site of the Dudley Pavilion. Water features are visible, part of the city’s active water system.
Lown Garden.
Clarence Lown (1851—1931) was internationally recognized as “the father of rock gardening.” On May 6, 1933, the City of Poughkeepsie received as a gift from his family, the relocation of his personal rock garden from his Forbus Street home. The plaque was unveiled by then US President Franklin Roosevelt’s mother, Sarah.
College Grove.
When the Collegiate School was built in 1836 at the summit, the wooded western slope leading down to North Clinton Street was maintained as a wooded grove, called College Grove. It was the site of many public speaking events, including Frederick Douglass in August 1858.
Water.
Since 1872, College Hill has been the site of reservoirs that hold water pumped up from. the Hudson River for drinking and fire extinguishing. These include an open air reservoir from 1872, an underground reservoir from the 1920s, and contemporary water tanks built discretely into the hillside, all of which remain today.
Why “College Hill?”
The influential and well-funded “Improvement Party” that included Matthew Vassar, lured Charles Bartlett to Poughkeepsie with the promise of building what turned out to be a Hudson Valley Greek Revival landmark from its 1836 inception, until a fire destroyed it in 1917.
Historic Plans
