The Philipse Manor Eagle is a cast-iron sculpture located next to the southbound platform parking lot of the Philipse Manor Metro-North Train Station and the adjacent park in Sleepy Hollow, New York. This landmark sits along the Hudson River, a short distance from the Tarrytown Lighthouse. Weighing two tons with a 13′ wingspan, it is the perfect perch for a little bird on a beautiful July morning.
Between 1898 and 1910, this eagle was one of at least ten that stood on exterior towers of New York’s Grand Central Station. When the building was demolished to make way for the new terminal in 1910, its raptor replicas were relocated across the area. Landing here during construction of the train station in the new neighborhood, it was a symbol of cooperation between the New York Central Railroad Company and the Philipse Manor Company. Philipse Manor was a 20th-century real estate development firm that turned a large tract of land in Sleepy Hollow into a commuter suburb.
In 2019, after a century of exposure to the elements, the local community raised funds to have the statue professionally restored.
This is what I love about history. My husband and I were driving through a park in search of a lighthouse on the Hudson River when he stopped the car. “There’s a cool eagle statue.” Pulling into a spot to take a closer look, it appeared as simply a striking statue in a pretty setting. We did wonder why it was in that particular spot, so close to the train station. Later, when I did research, I found that it is not “simply” some random statue, this eagle’s interesting past brought it to its present.
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