History Hike: Nimham Mountain Fire Tower

To kick-off the PHM’s Native American Heritage weekend, the Cornell Cooperative Extension Putnam County, along with the Putnam History Museum, will lead a history hike of Mount Nimham in Putnam County. Mount Nimham has a long history from its early days as home to the Wappinger people to the construction of the Nimham Fire Tower in 1940 by the CCC. Lead by the Cornell Cooperative Extension of Putnam County, this hike will explore the ways that the mountain’s past has played a role in its environmental present.  The Putnam History Museum will also touch on the Indigenous history of the area, including the namesake of the mountain, Sachem Daniel Nimham.

Time: 10 am, 2.5 hours (round-trip)

Difficulty: Moderate to difficult, due to uphill course for the first hour.

Parking/directions: From Gipsy Trail Road, turn onto Mt. Nimham Ct. Continue to where the road is blocked by a gate, and park in the area to the left. Coordinates: 41.454302 N, 73.721460 W

Cost: $12 Members, $15 Non-Members

Please bring water and a snack.

About the PHM’s Native American Heritage Weekend:

The Putnam History Museum presents Native American Heritage Weekend alongside our yearlong exhibition Indigenous Peoples in Putnam County. With grant support from the Hudson River Valley Greenway, Museum Association of New York, and the William Pomeroy Foundation; and collaborations with the Cornell Cooperative Extension Putnam County, the Nimham Mountain Singers, sculptor Michael Keropian, and videographer Jeff Hodges, the PHM is proud to present a weekend filled with local history and culture further exploring the lives of Indigenous Peoples in Putnam County: October 13th, 14th and 15, 2023.

The weekend begins with a History Hike of Nimham Mountain on Friday the 13th. On Saturday the 14th, under the big tent on the PHM lawn, we will screen the documentary showcasing the creation of the Daniel Nimham statue made by Michael Keropian which is now on display in Fishkill. Saturday’s festivities will include a live performance by the Nimham Mountain Singers. On Sunday the 15th, the PHM we will offer an all ages guided tour from the museum’s Indigenous Peoples in Putnam County exhibition, outside and through Foundry Cove, part of Scenic Hudson’s West Point Foundry National Historic Landmark. Registration is requested for all programs, and may be made on the PHM’s website: www.putnamhistorymuseum.org.