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Carnwath Farms Historic Site & Park

Facility Information:

81 Carnwath Farms Lane, Wappinger, NY 12590

General Information:

Carnwath Farms Historic Site & Park is on the rise. The Town of Wappinger is committed to revitalizing this diamond in the rough to become the true “Gem of the Hudson River Valley”.  A majestic Victorian era estate turned public park, Carnwath Farms Historic Site & Park is the center of arts, culture, history, and leisure for Wappinger. Sitting high above the Hudson River, Carnwath Farms HSP consists of 99.7 acres of protected parkland, the pre-restoration 1850 Italianate-style Carnwath Manor, an 1873 French-style Carriage House, the Reese Cultural Center, the Sports Museum of Dutchess County, Carnwath Community Farming, a 1927 colonial cottage, and a three mile trail network with breathtaking views of the surrounding countryside. Located just 65 miles north of New York City, 1 mile away from Metro North’s New Hamburg Station, and minutes away from fine dining, excellent shopping, and other amazing historical and cultural sites; The Town has set the goal that Carnwath Farms HSP & the Reese Cultural Center will be the area’s premier location for the arts, culture, and antiquities. A walk through this park, will leave you impressed with magnificent breathtaking sweeping views of the Hudson River and her surrounding valley.

Click here for a History of the Carnwath Estate

Reese Cultural Center:

The Frances Reese Cultural Center is a 20,000sqft facility located on the picturesque park grounds of Carnwath Farms Historic Site & Park. Comprised of a four story former dormitory and a three story Main Gallery, the Reese Cultural Center will be the area’s premier location for the arts, culture, and antiquities. The Sports Museum of Dutchess County, the main tenant of the first floor, has completed a $20,000 renovation of their space and launched a new exhibition entitled “Legends of Dutchess”.

The Main Gallery of the Reese Cultural Center will be available for wedding receptions, private events, special events, theatrical and musical performances, and much more! The Friends of Carnwath Farms HSP and the Town of Wappinger Arts & Culture Committee hosts specialty musical and cultural events within this impressive space throughout the Summer and Autumn seasons for the public.

The ground level of the RCC host two community rooms that open to grade with a fenced in yard and stone patio. These rooms are available for specialty events, meetings, classes, and programming.

The second and third levels of the RCC would serve as the perfect artist’s studio, an organization’s office space, galleries, museums, etc. Also on the ground level, one can find 2,000 sqft of kitchen space, ideal for a caterer, baker, or restauranteur. Contact 845-297-2744 for details.

Sports Museum of Dutchess County:

Open May through the end of October, a tour through the Sports Museum of Dutchess County will show you why “legends are born in Dutchess”.  In 2015, ten years after the grand opening of the museum, the Sports Museum Board of Directors appointed Joseph D. Cavaccini as curator and closed the museum for one year for the museum’s first major face lift. The renovations included almost a complete gut of the Sports Museum level in the Reese Cultural Center and the announcement of a new permanent exhibition entitled “Legends of Dutchess”. Joey Cavaccini (then 16 years old) and his father Dan, a trustee, renovated the museum and brought it into the 21st century as a modern respectable museum. In 2016, the Museum reopened to the public as a destination museum in Dutchess County.  Exhibits within Legends of Dutchess include highlighting over a dozen athletes who made it to the professional level in sports from Dutchess County as well as artifacts on almost 20 different sports with impacts on Dutchess County history.

What you will see!

Ty Cobb’s Bat     |     1920’s Ice Yacht     |     Arnold Palmer’s Autograph     |     and so much more!

Learn about the lives and larger than life athletic careers of some of Dutchess County’s greatest. A walk through the exhibition presents to you the history of each sport and their significance in the county along with the biographies and artifacts pertaining to that sport’s famous athlete(s). The Sports Museum keeps with its original hometown feel with exhibits on local Little League and Pop Warner teams as well as recreational and high school sports.

 

Carnwath Community Farming:

The Town of Wappinger formally entered into an agreement that would create agricultural community gardens at Carnwath Farms Historic Site & Park. During the June 13, 2022, Regular Meeting of the Wappinger Town Board, Brian and Courtney Kolb’s proposal to operate and maintain a one acre community garden site was unanimously accepted. The agreement strengthens the Town’s commitment to revitalizing Carnwath Farms Historic Site & Park and enters into a productive public-private partnership to further improve the Park. Town Supervisor Richard L. Thurston signed the agreement between the Kolb family and the Town, during a ceremonial meeting at Carnwath Farms. In 2024, Town Supervisor Joseph D. Cavaccini expanded upon the previous one acre pilot program to 10 acres of agricultural and community farming space across the Park, which has sparked additional garden plots for rent, programs and clinics on agriculture, and other enhancements to Carnwath.

Learn more here: Carnwath Community Farming

 

What’s Coming:

Leasable Space in the Reese Cultural Center, Performance Spaces, Outdoor Art Installations, Public-Private Partnership Opportunities, & So Much More. Contact 845-297-2744 for details.

Facilities (Opened to the Public):

Reese Cultural Center

Sports Museum of Dutchess County

Carnwath Community Farming

Administration Building

Gazebo

Additional Park Amenities:

180 degree views of the Hudson River

Three mile trail network

Paved parking lots and trail head parallel parking

Open meadows and landscaped lawns

Picnic areas

 

Contact Recreation Directly To ReserveActivity Calendar
Carnwath Farms image
Carnwath Farms image