The Kingston-Rhinecliff Ferry

The Kingston-Rhinecliff Ferry. . , Ferries ran between Rhinecliff/Rhinebeck and Rondout/Kingston since the early days of Dutch settlement in the late 17th century (after 1680). Originally, rowboats would have been used. Later, in the 18th century (1700s), a more organized ferry service began using perriaugers, which were sailing vessels with large open decks to carry passengers and cargo. , Next came horse boats, which consisted of a horse or horses hitched to an axle which turned paddlewheels to propel the ferry. Beginning in the early 1840s, steamboats came into use and continued to be used until the advent of diesel ferries in 1930. , The first steam ferry between Rhinecliff and Rondout was the Knickerbocker in the 1840s. The Lark operated from 1860 to 1881, followed by the Transport, the ferry longest in service on the route from 1881 to 1938. , The landing at Rhinecliff was originally further north than it later was (where the railroad station is now). On the west shore the ferry landing was at Kingston Point which was then called Columbus Point. In 1869 the ferry terminus was moved to Rondout where it remained until the close of ferry service in 1957 when the Kingston- Rhinecliff Bridge opened. The last ferry on the Kingston-Rhinecliff Ferry route was the George Clinton, a steel diesel ferry running from 1946 to 1957. The wooden pilings of the Rondout ferry slip can still be seen to the east of the Hudson River Maritime Museum. , Funding for this sign was provide by a grant from the Hudson River Estuary Program, part of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. For more information, visit www.dec.ny.gov , Text and images for this sign were provided by the Hudson River Maritime Museum of Kingston, New York. For more information, visit www.hmm.org , The City of Kingston supports the creation and use of these interpretive panels on public and private property for the public good. Visit www.kingston-ny.gov , ( photo captions ) , , The steam ferryboat Transport ran the longest on the Kingston-Rhinecliff route, from 1881 to 1938. From the Hudson River Maritime Museum archives. , , The last ferry to run on the Kingston-Rhinecliff route was the George Clinton. Originally built for Lake Champlain, it operated here from 1946 to 1957. From the Hudson River Maritime Museum archives.