Vails Gate, New York
35 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1902 and the latest in 1994. It stands in New Windsor town. It lies in ZIP code area 12553. It stands on Silver Stream. The Survey maps it on the Cornwall-on-Hudson quadrangle.
Then and now
1902 to 1994The same ground, surveyed 92 years apart. Drag the handle to wipe between them. Both sheets are United States Geological Survey originals; neither has been altered.


Compare 1902 against another survey:
On record in Vails Gate
Buildings and businesses the archive holds for this place. Each opens its own page, with the source record it came from.
On the National Register 2 records
Knox HeadquartersNational Historic Landmark · listed 1972
Edmonston Houselisted 1979
Topographic sheets covering this place
13 surveys from 35 printed sheetsMatched by testing this settlement's coordinate against the published boundary of every sheet in the United States Geological Survey's historical collection. Each opens the scanned sheet at the Survey.
- 1902 USGS Schunemunk quadrangle1:62500, 10 printings
- 1930 USGS Schunemunk quadrangle1:48000
- 1930 USGS Schunemunk quadrangle1:62500, 2 printings
- 1935 USGS Schunemunk quadrangle1:62500, 4 printings
- 1947 USGS Cornwall quadrangle1:24000, 2 printings
- 1950 USGS Scranton quadrangle1:250000
- 1953 USGS Scranton quadrangle1:250000
- 1957 USGS Cornwall quadrangle1:24000, 5 printings
- 1959 USGS Scranton quadrangle1:250000, 2 printings
- 1962 USGS Scranton quadrangle1:250000, 2 printings
- 1965 USGS Scranton quadrangle1:250000, 2 printings
- 1986 USGS Middletown quadrangle1:100000, 2 printings
- 1994 USGS Cornwall-on-Hudson quadrangle1:24000
Fires near this place
660 since 1993Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 660 fires within 5 miles of Vails Gate between 1993 and 2020, burning about 1,138 acres in total. 33 started naturally. 61 were recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Reported cause | Fires |
|---|---|
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 412 |
| Arson/incendiarism | 61 |
| Smoking | 42 |
| Recreation and ceremony | 37 |
| Natural | 33 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 29 |
| Debris and open burning | 28 |
| Power generation/transmission/distribution | 6 |
| Fireworks | 5 |
| Misuse of fire by a minor | 4 |
| Other causes | 2 |
| Railroad operations and maintenance | 1 |
The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.
| Date | Cause | Size | Reported by | Name on the report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 September 2016 | Recreation and ceremony | under an acre | Fire Department of New York | N/A |
| 8 September 2016 | Recreation and ceremony | 3.8 acres | Fire Department of New York | N/A |
| 8 September 2015 | Arson/incendiarism | under an acre | Fire Department of New York | NA |
| 8 September 2005 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Fire Department of New York | not named |
| 7 September 2015 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Fire Department of New York | N/A |
| 7 September 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Fire Department of New York | not named |
| 6 September 2005 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Fire Department of New York | not named |
| 6 September 2004 | Arson/incendiarism | 2.5 acres | Fire Department of New York | not named |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Mines and quarries near this place
10 of 11 shownRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 11 workings within 5 miles of Vails Gate: 10 past producers, 1 producer. 1 still produces. What was taken out: Sand and Gravel, Construction, Clay, Stone, Iron. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Where | Site | Commodity | Status | Recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Townsend Canterbury Mine | Iron | Past Producer | Residual | |
| Granitic Gneiss Rock Quarry | Stone | Past Producer | ||
| Granitic Gneiss Rock Quarry No. Hk-021 | Stone | Past Producer | Gneiss, Granite | |
| Clay Pit No. Hk-020 | Clay | Past Producer | Clay | |
| Clay Pit No. Hk-020 | Clay | Past Producer | ||
| Clay Pits No. Hk-018 | Clay | Past Producer | Clay | |
| Clay Pits No. Hk-018 | Clay | Past Producer | ||
| Moodna Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | Sedimentary | |
| Moodna Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Plum Point Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer |
Storms near this place
11 since 2011Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Vails Gate in 11 storm reports between 2011 and 2023: 6 thunderstorm wind, 3 hail, 1 flood, 1 flash flood. No death or injury is recorded in these reports. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 2017 | Thunderstorm Wind | Vails Gate | $10,000 | A tree fell onto a house on South Jacqueline Street in Firthcliffe Heights. |
| July 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Vails Gate | $10,000 | Multiple large trees were reported down near Vails Gate. |
| June 2017 | Thunderstorm Wind | Vails Gate | $5,000 | A tree was reported down on a vehicle in Vails Gate on Route 32 south of the 5 corners intersection. |
| September 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | Vails Gate | $3,000 | Tree down on wires at Old Mill Street in Firthcliffe NY. |
| August 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | Vails Gate | $2,000 | Power lines reported down. |
| July 2023 | Flash Flood | Vails Gate | - | Cornwall emergency management reporting numerous flooded roadways, water rescues, and a few mudslides. |
| June 2017 | Thunderstorm Wind | Vails Gate | - | A microburst occurred in Cornwall, downing several large hardwood trees, some falling on power lines, a house and a shed. The microburst was confined to an area bounded by Jacquelin Street, Briarcliff Place, Mill Street and Bede Terrace. One tree was sheared off just above the ground. Wind speeds were estimated to be between 86-96 mph with the microburst, with a maximum path width of 1/4 mile and a path length of one mile. |
| August 2011 | Flood | Vails Gate | - | Waters from the Moodna Creek washed away the bridge at Forge Hill Rd. in New Windsor, which resulted in the indefinite closure of the road. A vehicle parked on Old Forge Hill Rd. also near Moodna Creek slid into the creek after rising water eroded the surrounding area. |
| July 2011 | Hail | Vails Gate | - | Penny size hail was reported in Firthcliffe. |
| May 2012 | Hail | Vails Gate | - | no account filed |
| July 2011 | Hail | Vails Gate | - | no account filed |
Nearest settlements
The eight closest, with where each one stands in the county. Distances are straight-line, computed from the Geographic Names Information System coordinates.
| Map | Place | Distance | Sheets |
|---|---|---|---|
| Firthcliffe Heights | 0.4 miles | 35 | |
| Vails Gate Junction | 0.5 miles | 35 | |
| Butter Hill Estates | 1.2 miles | 35 | |
| Firthcliffe | 1.2 miles | 35 | |
| Orrs Mill | 1.4 miles | 35 | |
| Meadowbrook | 1.4 miles | 35 | |
| Windsor Crest | 1.5 miles | 35 | |
| West Cornwall | 1.7 miles | 35 |
Provenance
This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 968340. The sheet list is computed by point-in-boundary test against the United States Geological Survey's historical topographic inventory. Both are works of the United States government and carry no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.
Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.












