Why did Jefferson establish West Point?

Cornwall-on-Hudson — The Hudson Highlands Nature Museum will present “Why did Thomas Jefferson establish the U.S. Military Academy?” as part of its Fall Evening Speakers Series, on Tuesday, Oct. 19, at 7:30 p.m. The talk will be held at the Cornwall Presbyterian Fellowship Hall. Join Robert McDonald, associate professor of history at the USMA, and Christine McDonald, history coordinator at the Tuxedo Park School and former research associate at Monticello’s Center for Jefferson Studies, for a spirited discussion of Jefferson’s possible motivations involving politics, westward expansion and nation-building aspects of a young country. This program is funded, in part, by the New York Council for the Humanities. The hall is located at 222 Hudson St., in Cornwall-on-Hudson. Suggested donation: $7 or $5 for museum and church members. For more information call 534-5506, ext. 204 or visit www.hhnaturemuseum.org.