Constitution Island

Ronnie Clark Coffey

• Publisher: Arcadia Publishing
• Year: 2008
• ISBN:
  9781439620243
• Topic: History
• Subtopic: North American History
• Index: History

Rugged in beauty and rich in history, Constitution Island lies at a picturesque bend of the Hudson River, opposite West Point and north of New York City. As the location of the first fortifications built to defend American independence, it was the anchor site of the great chain, which stretched across the Hudson to impede British passage. During the 19th century, it was the home of two extraordinary sisters, Susan and Anna Warner. Raised in wealth and comfort, they struggled with their fathers economic ruin during the panic of 1837. Accomplished and resourceful, they turned to writing for a living. Susans best-selling novel, The Wide, Wide World, made her a celebrity, while her sister Annas hymn, Jesus Loves Me, became known around the globe. In 1916, a devoted group of friends and admirers began a volunteer organization, the Constitution Island Association, to preserve the home, gardens, and memory of the Warner sisters and their historic island.

Four

SUSAN AND ANNA

SUSAN AND ANNA WARNER. When their father bought Constitution Island in 1836, Susan and Anna had no idea that it would become their permanent home. A financial crisis led to their move from the bustling upper-middle-class social whirl of the city to the life of farmers struggling to find money for food and mortgage payments. They solved their problem by writing for a living. Theirs is a story of resourcefulness, devotion, and two very busy pens.

JOURNAL PAGE. Many details about the life of the Warner family come from the journals Susan Warner kept throughout her life. In 1838, Henry Warner had to sell his townhouse and move the family to Constitution Island. At age 18, it was a difficult move for Susan. She wrote poignantly of “leaving our crimson cushions and tall mirrors; with greenhouse, carriage and a corps of servants ... to the greatly changed life of the Highlands.”

EXPLORATION. Anna Warner was the more active of the two sisters. She was 13 when the family moved to the island, a young, energetic teenager, who enjoyed exploring the woods and rocky hills. She loved climbing the old forts and the magazine pictured here, discovering unusual wild flowers, “roaming everywhere and fearing nothing,” she later wrote.

CLOTHING EXHIBIT. Garments and accessories on display at the Warner House belonged to Susan, Anna, and their mother. Clothing was the outward sign of social class in 19th-century society. Visiting and entertaining required proper attire. As their silk dresses wore out and were replaced with their homemade calicoes, they socialized less and less. “If you have nothing to wear,” wrote Anna, “few want you.”

PUZZLE. Artistic and well read, Susan and Anna enjoyed creating their own entertainments. This card is from a collection of word picture puzzles drawn in pencil. Under the visual clue, a phrase is given as a hint. The answer is postmaster.

ROWING. Rowing was an important means of transportation for the Warners. Susan and Anna Warner became adept at handling their sturdy rowboat, seen here with three canine passengers. They rowed to West Point, Cold Spring, Garrison, and Highland Falls, sometimes just for pleasure. Often the sisters went fishing and crabbing in their boat.

COLD SPRING. The Warner sisters frequently rowed Henry Warner to Cold Spring for business or legal matters. Henry had built dikes along the 50-acre swamp between the island and the mainland to make it habitable. Hot disputes with neighbors erupted regarding land use and water rights. Henry’s resources, both financial and emotional, were drained after 10 years of expensive litigation. (Donnery collection.)

MAIN STREET, COLD SPRING. The Warners received their mail at the Cold Spring and West Point post offices. In October 1838, Anna was visiting cousins in Hudson, New York. Susan’s journal entry states that after she churned eight pounds of butter, “We rowed to Cold Spring and back and there Father found a letter for me from Anna which gave me some pleasure, of course.” (Donnery collection.)

SHOPPING. The Warner family shopped for necessities in Cold Spring. This bill head for F. M. Camp dated 1901 indicates that Anna’s stove needed repair. The family physician Dr. Richard Giles was a resident of Cold Spring. In later years, Warner employees Bertha and Willis Buckner did most of the errands and shopping and were well known in the community.

STEAMBOATS. Heading for Newburgh and points north, the Albany rounds Constitution Island, above. Pollopel’s, or Bannerman’s, Island can be seen in the distance. Steamboats were the best choice for transportation between r...