Return of the Half Moon

We recently had a very special visitor appear in the Athens Waterfront, an 85-foot replica of the ship Henry Hudson sailed while exploring the Hudson River in 1609.

We are quickly approaching the 400th Anniversary of Henry Hudson's Voyage along the river. From the Canadian border to New York harbor, a wealth of events and activities are being planned in commemoration of the Quadricentennial. The celebration is expected to draw people from all over the world.

The original ship, called the Halve Maen, was commissioned on March 25, 1609 for the Dutch East India Company. The company hired Hudson, an Englishman, to search for a passageway between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. He thought he had found that passageway when he sailed up the river that was later named for him.

In making his trip up the river, Hudson claimed the area for the Dutch and opened the land for settlers who followed. His voyage came 10 years before the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock.

The replica of the Half Moone was built in Albany, N.Y. in 1989 to commemorate the Dutch role in exploring and colonizing America. Plans are being developed to make the Half Moon the first exhibit of the proposed New Netherlands Museum, which would tell the story of Dutch colonization of North America and the founding of the states of Connecticut, Delaware, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania.

We will be looking out for the arrival of one of the Half Moon's sister ships to be stationed at the Athens Waterfront this Summer, stay tuned for details.

Click here for more on Henry Hudson & the Half Moon.

Also see the Explore NY 400 site for more on the upcomining Quadricentennial Events.