Photos: Sojourner Truth State Park

Sojourner Truth State Park, Kingston

Open dawn to dusk

The expansive 500-acre former industrial site, once the home of cement production, brick making, quarrying, and ice harvesting, is now officially open (as of Saturday, from dawn to dusk) with trails and unique vistas showcasing the 150-foot cliffs of limestone and sandstone that drew cement production to the site beginning in the 1840s.

“It is fitting, such a magnificent property, with its cliffs and Hudson shoreline bears the name of a remarkable woman who started life right here in Ulster County,” Governor Kathy Hochul said.

Born enslaved in 1797 in Esopus, Ulster County, Isabella "Bomefree" Baumfree freed herself from slavery in 1826 a year before legal enslavement ended in New York. In 1828, she won a lawsuit to regain custody of her son, who had been sold into slavery in the Deep South, marking one of the first legal cases where an African American woman prevailed in court against a white person.

Following her deeply held religious views, she traveled as an itinerant preacher, speaking truth to the harsh inequities endured by people of color and women while calling for systemic change. Renaming herself Sojourner Truth, she became one of the nation's leading voices for abolition and universal suffrage in the mid-19th century. During the Civil War, she recruited men for the Union Army, and worked for the Freedmen’s Bureau, an agency that assisted the newly freed enslaved. After the war, she continued advocating for universal voting rights. Sojourner Truth died in 1883, after African American men had received the vote but with the national adoption of women’s suffrage still four decades away.

“In addition to bringing her story to visitors,” New York State Parks Commissioner Erik Kulleseid said, “this park also will allow for interpretation of the site’s industrial and indigenous history and will help protect the ecology of the Hudson River.”

During our Sunday afternoon visit, the park was quiet, aside from some sweet birdsong, with ample initial parking, and portable restrooms. Families rode bikes, a couple walked their dog and wanderers of all ages took in the views spanning the Hudson River. As work continues to create safe accessibility on the former industrial property, several areas have restricted access, with signage dotting the site warning of steep cliffs and treacherous terrain. Despite the signs, there are still some unmarked areas to keep an eye on little ones, and be sure to have your dog on a leash at all times.

And, as with all parks, please carry out any trash or belongings you carry in. (On the second day of the park’s opening, there were already doggie bags lining one of the main paths.)

More info: https://sojournertruthstatepark.info/

Directions:

Sojourner Truth State Park is new and does not yet have an established address. Its GPS coordinates are 41°56'48.1"N 73°58'25.0"W. Please see directions to the park from common access points:

From Kingston:

• Take NY Route 32 in Kingston and turn onto Main Street in East Kingston.
  

• Follow Main Street for approx. 1.5 miles to the park entrance.
  

From the south via Route 9W:

• After crossing the John T. Loughran Bridge, continue for about 1.5 miles, then turn right onto NYS Route 32 North.
  

• In about 1.5 miles, turn right on Main Street.
  

• Follow Main Street for approximately 1.5 miles to the park entrance.
  

From the south via Interstate 87:

• Take Exit 19 and at the traffic circle, take the third exit onto I-587 East/NY-28 East/Col. Chandler Drive.
  

• In about 1.5 miles, take the third exit at the traffic circle onto Albany Avenue.
  

• In less than 1 mile, turn right onto NYS Route 32 North/Flatbush Avenue.
  

• Continue for about 2 miles, then turn right onto Main Street.
  

• Follow Main Street for approximately 1.5 miles to the park entrance.
  

From the Kingston-Rhinecliff Bridge heading west:

• Cross the bridge and use the right lane to take the exit for NYS Route 32 South.
  

• Turn left onto Route 32 South.
  

• After about 1 mile, turn left onto Main Street.
  

• Follow Main Street for approximately 1.5 miles to the park entrance.

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