Members of the Newburgh Rotary lead the effort to plant a peace pole near the summit of Bannerman’s Island in late May. A new bridge, recently completed by West Point cadets who are civil engineering majors, allowed access to the location where the peace pole was erected. The Bannerman Castle Trust preferred the higher location, and a soon to be developed access path will allow visitors to include this site as part of tours on the Island.
The history of Bannerman in the early part of the 20th century was it’s use as a location for the storage of surplus munitions. The Bannerman Castle Trust, Inc., in cooperation with the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation, provides public tours of the Island May-October. Tours leave Newburgh and Beacon on weekends (details 855-256-4007,or www.bannermancastle.org).
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