The Mission of
Constitution Island Association
is to partner with the United States Military Academy at West Point to provide visitors and the West Point community with a rewarding educational and recreational experience based on both the legacy of the Warner Sisters and the Island's history, ecology, and unique location on the Hudson River.
INDIGENOUS PEOPLE
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Native Americans used the island for hunting, fishing, trade, and transportation.
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Archaeological evidence showing habitation going back 6,000 years.
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The Island served as sacred hunting grounds with the Munsee-speaking, Nochpeem tribe.
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The Island is still considered one of the most significant indigenous archaeological sites in the Nation.
EARLY HISTORY
The Continental Congress appointed George Washington in May 1775 to make plans for setting up defenses and fortifications.
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The Constitution Island fortifications, Redoubts 5, 6 and 7, were begun in 1775 under the direction of Bernard Romans.
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In April of 1778, the great chain of forged iron links was stretched across the Hudson River from West Point to Constitution Island.
In 1609, Robert Juet, a sailor aboard Henry Hudson’s ship the Halve Maen (Half Moon), described the island in the curve of the Hudson River for the first time in writing as “Martelaer’s Rock.”
Europeans named “Martelaer’s Rock,”possibly after a French family named Martelaire, believed to have lived there for a short time around 1720.
Constitution Island was part of the original land grant made by the British Crown to the Philipse family in 1754 and it remained in their possession until 1836.
AMERICAN REVOLUTION
The Continental Congress appointed George Washington in May 1775 to make plans for setting up defenses and fortifications.
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The Constitution Island fortifications, Redoubts 5, 6 and 7, were begun in 1775 under the direction of Bernard Romans.
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In April of 1778, the great chain of forged iron links was stretched across the Hudson River from West Point to Constitution Island.
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THE WARNER FAMILY
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Henry Warner purchased the property in 1836 during a visit to his brother, Thomas who was Chaplain at West Point.
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Henry Warner moved permanently to Constitution Island with his sister Fanny and his two daughters in 1837 following serious financial losses in NYC.
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To help support the family, Susan (r) and Anna (l) began writing careers. Susan’s first novel, published in 1850, “The Wide, Wide World”, sold more than a million copies in more than sixty editions. Anna Warner’s beloved hymn, “Jesus Loves Me”, was published in 1860.
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For 40 years, Susan and Anna Warner taught Bible classes for West Point cadets.
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Anna Warner died in 1915 and with the help of Margaret Olivia Slocum Sage, donated the island to West Point.
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The sisters are the first civilians buried in the cemetary at West Point.
ENVIRONMENTAL SIGNIFICANCE
Constitution Island is located on the east side of the Hudson River directly opposite West Point and is connected to the east shore by Constitution Marsh. The Marsh provides foraging, nesting, and resting habitat to more than 200 species of birds and 30 species of fish, plus scores of other vertebrate and invertebrate species. Find out more about the Constitution Marsh Audoban Center and Sanctuary here.
