Program

NYS Historic

Subject

Event, Site

Location

1811 River Rd, Selkirk, NY 12158, USA

Lat/Long

42.502526696627, -73.792695371355

Grant Recipient

Ravena Coeymans Historical Society

The proposed marker will commemorate the site in Coeymans where gunboats were constructed to defend the Hudson River following the establishment of a troop encampment during the Revolutionary War. In the fall of 1777, after the British burned Kingston—New York’s first capital—and as fears grew that they would advance toward Albany, a defensive position was quickly set up in Coeymans. The location became strategically significant in the aftermath of General John Burgoyne’s surrender at Saratoga, as American forces prepared for a potential British push northward from their stronghold in New York City.

Although the anticipated British advance never materialized in, the fortifications and barracks at Coeymans played a crucial role in the Hudson River’s defense. The encampment evolved into a key production site for gunboats used in General Washington’s defensive strategy at West Point. These flat-bottomed vessels, approximately 40 feet by 16 feet, were each armed with a six-pound cannon mounted in the bow (Dr. Paul Huey, Revolutionary War Period Sites at Coeymans, Albany County, 1978). Once completed, the gunboats were sent to reinforce the strategic stronghold at West Point, contributing to the broader American efforts to secure the Hudson River and prevent further British incursions into the region.