What follows is a booklet by Irene E. Wegle, Corresponding Secretary of The Historical Society of Newburgh Bay and the Highlands from the November 2, 1963 opening of the Newburgh-Beacon Bridge.
The Newburgh-Beacon Ferry, which has been in operation on the Hudson River between the cities of Newburgh and Beacon, is [sic, was] the oldest in the United States, having been given its franchise from Queen Anne of England in 1743.
Alexander Colden, one of the first English trustees of the Palatine Parish of the Quassaick (the original name for Newburgh), petitioned the honorable George Clarke, Lieutenant-Governor of the Province [of New York, from 1736 to 1747], for letters patent enabling him to establish a ferry between Newburgh and Fishkill, the early name for the City of Beacon.
This ferry was in operation until after the American Revolution when Queen Anne’s Charter was considered null and void, and a new ferry was established between Newburgh and Fishkill.
At first sail and row boats were used for ferrying, and it is reported that, “The enterprise was conducted with considerable system.” It is most interesting to scan the old records and note the following rates for humans and freight for passage on the boat:
A man – one shilling
Man and horse – two shillings
Calf or hogg – Six pence
Two-horse Wagon (empty) – Ten shillings
Two-horse Wagon (loaded) – Twelve shillings
Empty barrel – Four pence
Full barrel – One shilling
Four-horse Wagon (Empty) – Fourteen shillings
Four-horse Wagon (Loaded) – One Pound
Ton of Iron – Eight Shillings
Hogshead of Run – Five shillings
During the Revolutionary War, General George Washington had his headquarters in the Hasbrouck House in Newburgh and used the Continental Ferry for transporting men and supplies across the Hudson.
Baron Friedrich von Steuben, the German aide to Washington who was quartered in the VerPlanck House in Fishkill, made regular trips across the Hudson on that ferry.
After the defeat of the British at Saratoga in 1777, General John Burgoyne led his army down the east bank of the Hudson, crossed the river on the ferry, marched through Newburgh, and headed for New Jersey.
Since the original Queen Anne Charter did not provide exclusive rights, it was not long before competition began to appear.
Martin Wiltsie and Daniel Carpenter formed a new company which continued in operation until 1781 or 1782 when Peter Bogardus, John Anderson, and James Denton established a new ferry line.
It is believed that the new company acquired the ferry rights of Colden. Sometime after the war, the charter privileges existing prior to that time were confirmed.
In 1802 the original Colden Charter was sold by his heirs to one Leonard Carpenter for the sum of $2,500. Three years later the two ferry systems were combined. Sail and row boats were used until 1816, when a horse-driven boat, the Moses Rogers was launched.
It was capable of carrying a load of “one coach and horses, a wagon and horse, seventeen chaises and horses, one additional horse, and fifty passengers.”
The Caravan was the first boat to be propelled by a when in the center. It was run in connection with the sail boat Mentor, and the horse-powered boat, the Dutchess. This last named boat was later converted to steam and renamed The Jack Downing.
In 1828 the Post Boy, later called the Phoenix, was put into service. After that came the Gold Hunter, Fulton, Williamsburg, and the Union.
As the 20th Century approached, the City of Newburgh and the Fishkill-on-Hudson were plying between the two cities. In 1912 The Dutchess appeared, and in 1914 the Orange was added to the fleet.
These two boats were, of course, named for the two counties opposite each other on the Hudson River. A few years later found the Thomas Powell and the Beacon as new arrivals.
From 1804 until 1835, the Newburgh Ferry changed hands many times. In May, 1835, Thomas Powell bought the system for $80,000 and remained the sole owner until 1850. At that time he deeded the property to his daughter, Mrs Frances E.L. Ramsdell. It remained in the Ramsdell family for 100 years.
In 1956 the State of New York purchased the Newburgh-Beacon Ferry from Homer Ramsdell and his sister, Mrs. Herbert R. Odell, and the New York Bridge Authority has been operating it until the completion of the bridge which now spans the river.
In its 220-year history, the Newburgh-Beacon Ferry has seen many notable events. The Hudson-Fulton Celebration in 1909 was one of the most memorable.
It paid tribute to the English navigator for whom the river was named and the inventor of the steamboat which was first used on the Hudson. Boats of all sizes and shapes were seen on the river, bedecked with flags, pennants, and lovely ladies in colorful gowns and hats.
Then later, from the decks of the ferry, spectators watched the world-famous rowers, the Ward Brothers of Cornwall, and the sculls of many colleges en route to the Intercollegiate Boat Races at Poughkeepsie.
The river and the ferry have seen many changes. First ox-carts came to the dock; then horses and wagons. Later came the steam-driven boats and yachts, to be followed by the railroad.
Finally, we entered the Twentieth Century with its horseless motor cars. Ferry boats are much too slow now. Our people must speed over modern roads and incomparable steel structures.
The Newburgh-Beacon Ferry has been an institution on the Hudson River. It is indeed a truism that old boats do not die – nor do they fade away. They live on in the hearts and memories of those of use who have “roots.”
From Historic Bridges of the Hudson Valley:
The last ferries, the Dutchess, the Orange, (both built by Newburgh shipyards) and the Beacon maintained ferry service until Sunday, November 3, 1963, one day after the opening of the original Newburgh-Beacon Bridge.
Shortly after 5 pm that day, the Dutchess and the Orange met at mid-river, signaled a final salute and formally retired the Newburgh-Beacon ferry into history after 220 years. For $2 drivers crossed the Hudson on the ferry for the last time and returned via the new bridge.
In 2005, the Newburgh-Beacon Ferry was revived to carry commuters from the west side of the river to the train station on the east side where they can catch the Metro-North Hudson Line to Grand Central Station.
In January 2025, the ferry was replaced with bus service due to damage to the Beacon landing. In July 2025, the MTA discontinued the ferry permanently, saying the move would save $2.1 million annually.
Read more stories from the Hudson Valley.
Illustrations, from above: The Newburgh-Beacon ferry Orange in the Newburgh slip, June 1, 1957 (photo by Edward O. Clark courtesy Donald C. Ringwald Collection, Hudson River Maritime Museum); The Dutchess in an undated photograph, likely for a celebration (Hudson River Maritime Museum); and the Beacon, branded with the New York State Bridge Authority name (Hudson River Maritime Museum Collection).
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