Located on the historic Rondout waterfront, the Hudson River Maritime Museum was established in 1980 to collect, preserve, research, exhibit, and interpret a collection of historical artifacts related to the maritime heritage of the Hudson River and its tributaries. This is the only museum in New York State exclusively dedicated to this mission.

Offices, archives, collections storage, and exhibits are housed in a two-story brick building once used by the Miron Lumber Company as an office and warehouse. Events and educational programs are held in the Kingston Home Port and Education Center. The museum courtyard, flanked by the museum building and the Kingston Home Port and Education Center, contains the historic steam tugboat Mathilda as well as a gazebo, gardens, picnic tables and benches, and a walkway along Rondout Creek. To the east, the Riverport Wooden Boat School offers youth and adult woodworking classes and wooden boat restoration services, and also provides classroom space for lectures and other education programs as well as a small exhibit space.

The collected artifacts include historic vessels, objects, archival material and art related to Hudson River transportation, industries and recreation such as paintings, prints, photographs, ephemera, blueprints, artifacts, ship models, a 100-year old shad boat, life boats, lighthouse tender and ice yachts.

Lighthouse tours are offered weekends June–Oct and depend on the weather. Be sure to check the website if you go.

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION:

A wide variety of educational programs and scheduled events are available. The museum sponsors a lecture series one Wednesday each month and some Saturdays. Other classes and workshops are also available at the museum.