Wassaic, New York, is situated between two mountains - one on the East, and one on the West. Wassaic is actually a hamlet, and is part of the town of Amenia. This cozy little place nestled in this valley apparently gets the least amount of sunlight of any place in the lower 48 states. The sun rose about 5:20 the day I took this photo, which was taken about 7:10 am. The sun was just poking over the mountain and you can see that most things in town are still in shadow. That will be repeated in the afternoon. Probably not a good place to be if you are afflicted with SAD. I like to visit Wassaic with my camera(s), and every time I have been there, the light has been different. An Amtrak line runs through the town and you can pick up the train nearby and be in New York City in about 2 hours. Wassaic is also the place where condensed milk was first manufactured, and the former Borden plant still stands, now converted to other uses. The remains of lime kilns are on a hillside overlooking the town, and they were used long ago in a nascent iron industry.
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| June 24, 2016, Svema FN-64, Nikon FG |
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| June 24, 2016, Svema FN-64, Nikon FG |
One cannot drive through here without being impressed by the mill-like structure next to the RR tracks. Formerly the Maxon Mill, it has been renovated into an arts center by the Wassaic Project. The Wassaic Project is quite the progressive change for an old mill, and it is a hub of art activity in the area. Visit
The Wassaic Project for more information.
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| June 24, 2016, expired Plus-X, Nikon FM2N |
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| June 24, 2016, expired Plus-X, Nikon FM2N |
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| June 24, 2016 - Svema FN-64, Nikon FG |
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| October, 2015, Ilford HP-5+, Leica M2. |
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| October, 2015 - Lime Kiln, Ilford HP-5+, Leica M2. |
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| October, 2014, Wittner Chrome |
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| October 2015, WittnerChrome |
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| October, 2015, Wittner Chrome |
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| October, 2015, Wittner Chrome |
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| October, 2015, Wittner Chrome |
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| March, 2014, The Borden factory. Arista Ultra 100 |
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Built in 1861, this was the first condensed milk plant, located in Wassaic, NY. Noah Gridley, convinced Gail Borden to build his plant in Wassaic. The building is now owned by the Pawling Corp., and they maintain a visitor's center there.
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| March, 2014. Inside the Lime Kiln. Arista Ultra 100. |
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| March, 2014. Arista Ultra 100. Scan of a print. |
The old Maxon Mill is quite photogenic, and is now a functioning art center, thanks to the Wassaic project.
As you can see, this is more of a photo essay than my usual ramblings on cameras. I have been on quite a few photo trips lately, and am trying to produce more posts like these. Why Wassaic, since I live in Michigan? My wife Adrienne is from Amenia, NY, so whenever we visit family, I try and spend a bit of time photographing the area. It was not until the spring of 2014 that I realized Wassaic was so interesting, so I have no older images from way back. I wish I had been doing this kind of photography 38 years ago!
Wassaic, New York, is situated between two mountains - one on the East, and one on the West. Wassaic is actually a hamlet, and is part of the town of Amenia. This cozy little place nestled in this valley apparently gets the least amount of sunlight of any place in the lower 48 states. The sun rose about 5:20 the day I took this photo, which was taken about 7:10 am. The sun was just poking over the mountain and you can see that most things in town are still in shadow. That will be repeated in the afternoon. Probably not a good place to be if you are afflicted with SAD. I like to visit Wassaic with my camera(s), and every time I have been there, the light has been different. An Amtrak line runs through the town and you can pick up the train nearby and be in New York City in about 2 hours. Wassaic is also the place where condensed milk was first manufactured, and the former Borden plant still stands, now converted to other uses. The remains of lime kilns are on a hillside overlooking the town, and they were used long ago in a nascent iron industry. 
3 comments:
Wassaic is actually the end of the line for the Metro North Railroad serving the communities north of NYC. No Amtrak service on that (the Harlem) line. The area hasn't been quite the same since the DDSO facility closed.
Great shots! Truly enjoyed them. Worked for over 30 years with the DDSO so very familiar with the area.
We moved to wassaic in 2019 and love it. There are actually a few perks to the mountains' positioning, too :) when the sun drops behind the western one in the summer, the sweltering and humid climate almost instantly changes to a perfect cool summer evening (usually), and it's still light enough to enjoy the time outside.
Im not explaining it well, but it's almost magical :)
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