New Windsor in Orange County, New York — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
New Windsor Cantonment
…Going, going, gone!
A “cantonment” was a more permanent quarters for troops than an encampment of tents. New Windsor, like Valley Forge, contained orderly lines of log huts that housed troops over the winter. After the Revolutionary War, New Windsor’s huts were sold at auction according to General Washington’s orders to help pay the army’s substantial debts.
According to local tradition, merchant Nathaniel Sackett purchased one of the cantonment’s huts at auction and reused it in nearby Mountainville, where it formed part of a larger home for nearly 150 years. In 1933, the rebuilt hut was dismantled and reassembled here, perhaps the only surviving example of a structure built by the Continental Army.
Erected by State of New York.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Military • Notable Buildings • War, US Revolutionary. In addition, it is included in the Former U.S. Presidents: #01 George Washington series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1933.
Location. 41° 28.317′ N, 74° 3.586′ W. Marker is in New Windsor, New York, in Orange County. Marker can be reached from Temple Hill Road (New York State Route 300), on the right when traveling north. Marker is located at the New Windsor Cantonment State Historic Site. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: New Windsor NY 12553, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Revolutionary Hut (here, next to this marker); Temple Hill (within shouting distance of this marker); Unknown Soldier (within shouting distance of this marker); The People of the New Windsor Cantonment (within shouting distance of this marker); Purple Heart Memorial (within shouting distance of this marker); The Temple (within shouting distance of this marker); "The Publick Building Called the Temple" (within shouting distance of this marker); The Land (about 500 feet away, measured in a direct line). Touch for a list and map of all markers in New Windsor.
More about this marker. The bottom of the marker features a photograph of the National Temple Hill Association. The caption describes how the group “formed in 1933 to preserve the site of the army chapel, known as the temple, and materials associated with the cantonment, most notably the hut (pictured behind officers of the association).”
Also on the marker is a reproduction of an ad with the caption “In August 1783, The New York Packet carried advertisements for the sale of the nearly 600 buildings that made up the New Windsor Cantonment.”
Also see . . . New Windsor Cantonment State Historic Site. New York State Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (Submitted on July 3, 2008, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey.)
Credits. This page was last revised on August 10, 2021. It was originally submitted on July 3, 2008, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey. This page has been viewed 1,399 times since then and 13 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on July 3, 2008, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey.