Breakneck Ridge

Breakneck Ridge is a mountain within Hudson Highlands State Park in New York, straddling the towns of Beacon and Cold Spring. A series of hiking trails traverse the ridge and the surrounding area.

Cornish Estate Ruins

Most of my research in this area has focused upon the rather extensive series of ruins of the Cornish Estate, a sprawling complex of buildings owned by Edward Cornish from 1917 until his death in 1938. These ruins include a mansion, a dairy farm and a greenhouse, as well as many other structures without any clearly identifiable use (due to the lack of historic records and severe degree of deterioration).

Breakneck Brook Dam

Breakneck Brook a few months after demolition of the Breakneck Dam in 2011

Storm King Mountain as seen from the summit of Breakneck Ridge

During my first visit to Breakneck Ridge in Autumn 2009, there was a small pond on the eastern side of the ridge formed by the damming of Breakneck Brook. The pond was intact during my second visit to Breakneck Ridge in Autumn of 2010. During my third visit to Breakneck Ridge in Autumn of 2011, however, the dam had been formally demolished and most of the debris had been removed. This had effectively drained the pond, leaving behind an expansive mud flat through which Breakneck Brook meandered unobstructed.

During subsequent research, I discovered a bulletin released by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, dated January 5, 2011, which detailed the reason for the demolition of the dam.

"The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (NYS OPRHP), as lead agency, has determined that the proposed Decommissioning of Breakneck Dam, Hudson Highlands State Park will not have a significant adverse environmental impact. The action involves a proposal by NYS OPRHP to decommission Breakneck Dam located along Breakneck Brook and restore the original stream and riparian area. The dam has several leaks and is in disrepair. NYS OPRHP has determined that repairs to the structure would be expensive and would likely not increase public use or enjoyment of Hudson Highlands State Park. The decision to decommission the dam is also believed preferable from an environmental standpoint as it will result in the restoration of the original streambed and riparian area. The project is located approximately 1 mile from the Brook Trail trailhead on Route 9D in Hudson Highlands State Park in the Town of Philipstown, New York."

On-Going Studies

Because I visit Breakneck Ridge annually during autumn, I will be producing a year-by-year photographic account of the succession of the Breakneck Dam area into a meadow and, potentially, into a forest.

Research Records Hosted on ColemanARC

The following research resources have been copied from their original location and are now permanently stored on ColemanARC. This ensures that the valuable information contained in these resources will still exist here on ColemanARC even if the original online resources are eventually deleted or moved.

• NYSDEC Region 3 Notices (January 5, 2011): Breakneck Dam Decommissioned
  File:NYSDEP ENB Region 3 Notices (2011-1-05) - Breakneck Dam Decommissioned.pdf
• History of Breakneck Ridge and the Cornish Estate
  (excerpt from "Hudson Valley Ruins: Forgotten Landmarks of an American Landscape")
  File:Breakneck Ridge and the Cornish Estate.pdf

Useful Links

• New York State Parks: Hudson Highlands North
  (trail map of Breakneck Ridge)
  http://nysparks.com/parks/attachments/HudsonHighlandsNorthTrailMap.pdf
• New York State Parks: Hudson Highlands State Park Homepage
  http://nysparks.com/parks/9/details.aspx