Downtown Coxsackie still retains the appearance of a well-established river community. So much so that in 1980 the Reed Street Historic District was placed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The waterlogged timbers of the old Hudson River freighter, Storm King, still rest in shallow water where she sank at her dock in 1936, only a few hundred feet from Reed Street. This vessel and others such as the Onteora and Clermont carried passengers, farm produce and general freight from Coxsackie's docks.

The ferry,Coxsackie, which operated from 1878 until 1926, churned back and forth between this village and Newton Hook carrying passengers and horsedrawn wagons and, later automobiles at the shortest river crossing between New York and Albany. Prosperity flowed from the river by way of ice harvesting, shipbuilding and transportation of all sorts of merchandise. Coxsackie was a busy place.

Many buildings in the Historic District of Coxsackie still attest to this earlier period of growth. Numerous brick storefront buildings with ornate cornices line Reed Street. The Dolan Block on South River Street at the lower end of Reed served as a popular opera house and the site of a variety of stores. Cummings Hotel occupied the building, formerly three stories high, at the corner of Reed and South River Streets. A block away at the bottom of Mansion Street Hill is the former Eagle Hotel, still impressive without its large balcony.

At the convergence of Reed, Mansion and Ely Streets stands the stately white Heermance Memorial Library. This was once the home of William Van Bergen Heermance, a founder in 1852 of the financial institution, which became the National Bank of Coxsackie. Although the bank has expanded over the years, the trustees have carefully maintained the historic appearance of the Reed Street façade.

There are other structures of architectural interest and historical fascination in downtown Coxsackie. A leisurely stroll along Reed and South River Streets with camera in hand and then a few minutes of relaxation and reflection at the water's edge in Riverside Park near the remains of the old steamer, Storm King, will make a visit worthwhile and memorable.

Coxsackie Historic Preservation Commission
Coxsackie, New York