Developments for Tyrone Crabb Park

Tyrone Crabb Park Newburgh

Here is an update regarding the long awaited Tyrone Crabb Park from the Newburgh Historical Society:

On Friday afternoon City of Newburgh dignitaries past and present gathered at the corner of South Street and Grand Avenue to break ground for the long anticipated Tyrone Crabb Park.

Tyrone Crabb was a long time city resident who worked hard to improve the condition of the city and its people for many years. He served as a teacher in the Newburgh school system, a counselor in the Orange County Mental Health Department. He served as a commissioner of the Newburgh Housing Authority, eventually assuming chairmanship of that important board. He also served on the Newburgh City Council and in 1999 was elected Mayor of the City of Newburgh. Unfortunately Tyrone Crabb died just days before taking office. This park has been dedicated in his memory for all the fine work he did to improve the quality of life for all people living in this historic city.

The ceremony was hosted by Newburgh Mayor Judy Kennedy and included many city dignitaries including former Mayor Mary Crabb, former Mayor Nick Valentine, former councilman Steve Rockafellow, former city manager Harold Porr and current city manager Richard Herbek.

Harold Porr, Newburgh city manager from 1992 to 2002 stated, “This location is the most appropriate place to recognize the community service of Tyrone Crabb. This is the heart of the city. The Palatines, Newburgh’s earliest European settlers, erected the first church in Newburgh just on the opposite side of this street. The history of Newburgh is represented in the historic Town Cemetery which is the resting place for many of Newburgh first builders and finest citizens. This new Tyrone Crabb Park is placed here in the heart of the city. How appropriate, as Tyrone Crabb always had the best interest of the city in his heart.”

6 Comment

  • Where can we go to see the plans for the park and how it will be landscaped? Will it involve the growing of food at all, plantings?

  • Where can we go to see the plans for the park and how it will be landscaped? Will it involve the growing of food at all, plantings?

  • Yaakov, check out the link at the top of the post. It goes back to a blog that was made for the park that shows plans. It’s a few years old, but if nothing has changed then it would be accurate.

  • Yaakov, check out the link at the top of the post. It goes back to a blog that was made for the park that shows plans. It’s a few years old, but if nothing has changed then it would be accurate.

  • Thank you for that bit of history and background on Mr Crabb.

    He sounds like someone I would have loved to know. Bringing this area back to life as a greenspace for the city is such a fitting way to call his spirit back to Newburgh.

    Thank you so much to all the people who pulled together all the necessary details to make this a reality!

  • We can only hope, once again Hannah. The “park” has been nothing more than an empty lot for over a decade. Mayor elect Crabb’s widow, Mary, now works as a guard at the library.

    I’ve tried contacting the architects to no avail as well as city hall to try and find out at what date they plan doing the actual landscaping, since the press release put out by the city states only “later this year”. And if the plans are available for viewing.