Stony Point, New York

Stony Point State Park

The General "Mad" Anthony Wayne statue in Stony Point

During the American Revolution, the King's Ferry in Stony Point linked New York and the southern colonies with New England; it was used many times by General George Washington's Continental Army, and in 1781 Washington's French allies used it on their way to the Battle of Yorktown.

The Stony Point Battlefield, just north of Stony Point, marks the July 16, 1779[4] Battle of Stony Point in which General "Mad" Anthony Wayne led 1,350 Continental Army troops in a surprise attack just before midnight on July 15 against the 544-man British garrison at Stony Point. The Americans were unable to hold the fort for more than a few days. In spite of this, Washington presented a medal to Wayne for his efforts.[5] Wayne's actions in the battle may[6][7] or may not have[8] contributed to his earning his nickname of "Mad" Anthony Wayne.

The economy of the town improved upon the rediscovery of limestone deposits in the 19th century. The town of Stony Point was founded in 1865 from the northern part of the town of Haverstraw.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 31.6 square miles (81.8 km²), of which 27.6 square miles (71.5 km²) is land and 4.0 square miles (10.3 km²), or 12.58%, is water.[9]

The western town line is the border of Orange County, New York, and the eastern town line is defined by the Hudson River with Westchester County on the opposite shore.

Stony Point Presbyterian Church, built 1904

As of the census[11] of 2000, there were 14,245 people, 4,832 households, and 3,802 families residing in the town. The population density was 511.7 people per square mile (197.5/km²). There were 4,951 housing units at an average density of 177.9 per square mile (68.7/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 94.33% white, 1.27% Black or African American, 0.19% Native American, 1.29% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 1.66% from other races, and 1.24% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.84% of the population.

There were 4,832 households, out of which 38.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 66.2% were married couples living together, 9.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.3% were non-families. 17.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.92 and the average family size was 3.33. In the town, the population was spread out, with 26.1% under the age of 18, 6.6% from 18 to 24, 30.6% from 25 to 44, 24.9% from 45 to 64, and 11.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.0 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $71,940, and according to CNN the median income for a family was $97,633. Males had a median income of $55,727 versus $36,424 for females. The per capita income for the town was $28,244. In comparison, the average salary in 2010 for a full-time Stony Point police officer was $126,895. About 1.9% of families and 3.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.4% of those under age 18 and 10.7% of those age 65 or over.

• Bear Mountain—a hamlet in the northern part of the town and named after a peak in the Bear Mountain State Park.
• Bulsontown—a hamlet in the northwest part of the town.
• Cedar Flats—a hamlet northwest of Stony Point hamlet.
• Doodletown—a hamlet in the northern corner of the town, in Bear Mountain State Park, abandoned since 1965.
• Grassy Point—a hamlet.
• Grassy Point—a short peninsula into the Hudson River in the southeast part of the town. William Denning Sr., a wealthy New York lawyer sold 10 acres (40,000 m²) at the south end of the property to another New York lawyer, William Smith who built Rosa Villa, his country estate. William's brother, Doctor Thomas Smith, was the owner of the "treason house" in West Haverstraw, New York that was occupied by his other brother, Joshua Hett Smith, at the time that Benedict Arnold and Major John André planned their conspiracies during the American Revolution.
• Jones Point—a hamlet by the Hudson River. It is the easternmost community in the town.
• Stony Point—the hamlet and CDP of Stony Point is in the eastern part of the town.
• Tomkins Cove—a hamlet by the Hudson River, just north of the Town of Stony Point.
• Willow Grove—a hamlet on the south town line. Willow Grove includes Jessup Valley, a small community surrounding Jessup Lake, just west of the Palisades Interstate Parkway.

New York Central Herald logo

The ex-New York Central's River Subdivision follows the west bank of the Hudson River through Stony Point. The line is now operated by CSX Transportation, the fourth railroad to operate the line. The only company served by CSX in the town is the Mirant Lovett Generating Station which receives trainloads of coal about once a week. The power station owns and operates its own railroad to bring the coal from the siding at milepost (MP) 38 into the plant. A talking defect detector, which scans the axles of passing trains for problems, is located in Stony Point. On average, between 20–25 trains pass through Stony Point per day. CSX runs six container stack trains a day. Once a week a garbage train from the Bronx brings trash up north to burn for power. On a normal day on the River Line one will see mostly manifest freight trains and tankers. The Auto Rack express brings cars to its owner in either New Jersey or northern New York. CSX trains run 5 to 15 minutes apart. The longest wait is mostly an hour. There are only two trestles in Stony Point.

The Palisades Interstate Parkway runs through the town.

• John Cage (1912–1992), composer, lived in Stony Point during the 1950s and 60s
• Stephanie Courtney (1970–), actress and comedian who was born in Stony Point
• James Farley (1888–1976), Postmaster General
• Richard Humann (1961–), conceptual artist, born and raised in Stony Point until age 18
• Jasper Johns (1930–), artist, lived in Stony Point during the 1980s and 1990s
• Danielle McEwan (1991–), ten-pin bowler and PWBA title holder
• Mitch Miller (1911–2010), musician and record producer; owned a house in Stony Point now inhabited by his daughter
• Eugene Palmer (1939-), American murderer on the FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list.
• Roy Pea (1952–), learning scientist, technology innovator, and Stanford University professor
• Stan Vanderbeek (1927–1984), independent filmmaker; built his Movie Drome theater in Stony Point
• General "Mad" Anthony Wayne (1745–1796), United States Army officer, statesmen, member of United States House of Representatives, may have earned his nickname "Mad" at the Battle of Stony Point during the Revolutionary War

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Stony Point, New York.

• Stony Point travel guide from Wikivoyage
• Official website