The History of the Depot Restaurant in Cold Spring, NY

George Washington drank from the village's namesake spring.


Cornelius Vanderbilt's Railroad

Born to poor parents in Long Island, New York, in 1794, Cornelius Vanderbilt built a transportation empire that made him one of America's railroad barons and left him the country's wealthiest man at the time of his death. It is estimated that he died with a fortune that would equate to $26 billion dollars today. Vanderbilt began with a small ferry service, which he turned into a successful steamship business by the mid 1800s. In 1860, he turned his attention to railroad travel and purchased the Long Island, New York, Harlem and Hudson River Railroads in quick succession. The Hudson River line added the Cold Spring depot in 1893, serving both passengers and freight companies, and remained a train depot until 1954.
The Restaurant

After spending 18 years as a car dealership, the Cold Spring Depot Restaurant opened in 1972 and has been a restaurant ever since. The interior features a cozy setting with a roaring fireplace and bookcases lining the walls. The menu offers standard American fare with an emphasis on steaks and burgers. The restaurant also serves a wine list that offers domestic and imported wines, and serves a selection of frozen drinks and beers on tap. The restaurant contains a plaque commemorating George Washington's trip to the cold spring.
The Ghost

According to legend, on Wednesday nights, the main dining room has one extra guest, who did not make a reservation. In 1898, a local woman learned that her husband planned to kill her. The unfortunate lady rushed to the train depot to catch the 10:15 train to Poughkeepsie, but was apprehended by her husband, who stabbed her on a bench in the waiting room two minutes before the train's arrival. Today, the former waiting room serves as the restaurant's main dining room and locals claim that at 10:13 on Wednesday nights, a cold draft wafts through the section of the room where she was killed.
History of Cold Spring

Founded in 1730 by Thomas Davenport, Cold Spring originally served as a trading post on the Hudson River. In 1818, the West Point Foundry opened and began producing weaponry for the United States Army. In 1846, the village was officially incorporated and the Civil War years brought great growth to the area as the West Point Foundry produced munitions for the Union Army. After the war, the area became a favorite retreat of some of America's wealthiest families, who built elaborate mansions in the region, including the estates of the Butterfield and Morris families on Morris Avenue. The foundry closed in 1911, but by 1973, the village was declared a Federal Historic District and tourism has been the main industry ever since.