There will be three days of celebration, Saturday, February 19th through Monday, February 21st, 12:00 PM until 4:30 PM. Admission to the three-day event is by donation. Call 845-562-1195 for further details or directions.
•Saturday: festivities will highlight the 5th New York Regiment performing drills in honor of General Washington. •Sunday: the 5th Connecticut Regiment will provide military flair and color with demonstrations and discussions. •Monday: Lamb’s Artillery and Morgan’s Rifles will round out the weekend, firing off salutes to General Washington.
Each day actor John Koopman will portray General Washington while Thad MacGregor, an 18th and 19th Century musician, will perform in the Headquarters. Accompanying him will be his little wooden sidekick, Limber Jim, a favorite with children of all ages.
Throughout the weekend, historical subjects of interest will be presented in the Museum. On Saturday and Monday, topics will be “Tavern Talk –18th Century Female Proprietors” and “George Washington – 18th Century Dentistry.” On Sunday, “Washington and The Circular Letter” and “Medicine During the Revolution” will be presented. A quill pen workshop will be provided and you’ll also be able to take home a personal silhouette (love). The bookseller will be plying his wares, while the Museum Marketplace will have souvenirs and gifts for sale.
Washington’s Headquarters State Historic Site is a registered national historic landmark. It is located at the corner of Liberty and Washington Streets within the city of Newburgh’s East End Historic District. The site is one of 35 historic sites within the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation and is one of 24 facilities administered by the Palisades Interstate Park Commission in New York and New Jersey. For further information contact: (845) 562-1195. For more information about New York State Parks, please visit www.nysparks.com.
Those of us who romanticize of the grander days of Newburgh often think about the Newburgh trolley. Many still romanticize about a restored Newburgh and restored trolley that could go around making stops around the neighborhood. Other Hudson River towns such as Kingston still find use for a trolley. So what ever happened to the Newburgh Trolley? Taking a look at the article “Trolley cars maintain their place in history” by Jean Yanarella gave a lot of insight. Another helpful article was “A backward look at safe, convenient transportation” by Don Herron.
Trolley’s have been long gone in Newburgh. They stopped running between 1924-1926 and they began in 1886. They were first driven by horses which were extremely noisy, and then eight years later switched to electricity. This conversion made the trolley silent and odor free. Trolleys helped popularize Orange Lake, a close getaway for many locals. It was 25 cents for a round trip in 1908 on the trolley to Orange Lake, and you could get a dinner for 50 cents which, made Orange Lake very affordable. Visitors from NYC and beyond came to Newburgh via train or boat and often stayed at the Palatine Hotel. The trolley made it easy for vacationers to tour the Newburgh area.
The Newburgh Electric Railway Company also connected Newburgh with Walden, a town in the Wallkill Valley. This connection allowed for the transportation of milk, grapes, and hay to NYC from the railroad connections in Newburgh.
In the Street Railway Journal of February 1896, Newburgh had a formidable section boasting all of the Newburgh Electric Railway Company’s accomplishments. Their passenger cars were already being equipped with heaters, and were looking at making baggage, smoking, and lady compartments. The average number of car miles per day were 1200.
The bus and automobile were the demise of the Newburgh trolley with more Newburghers owning their own vehicles, and the bus being heralded as a more economical and faster replacement to the trolley. “We can do so many things with the bus that we can not do with the trolley car,” mentioned Bus Transportation in 1922. B.B. Odell was cited as saying, “We held out against it as long as possible. Not that we lacked faith in the bus, but because we wished to be sure that it was going to be a permanent means of transportation, and not a novelty that was going to wear itself away in a few years.”
More territory could be covered, and a bus would be easier to handle in the snow than the trolley would. Trolley workers tried to hold demonstrations to show the need of their mode of transportation.
City Manager of the time, William Johnston McKay said 70% of the buses entering into Newburgh looked like “gypsy caravans.” All resistance efforts were useless, the trolley was eventually phased out and the majority of it ended up in scrap metal.
Although the Newburgh trolley has been gone for over 80 years, many still like to reminisce of the old days. Today, the trolley makes an appearance in Newburgh sometimes during the summer months as a bus retrofitted with a trolley exterior to evoke the quaint trolley feel. Check out this facebook page that shows a lot of great old Newburgh photos, some of which include the trolley.
Saturday, February 5, 2011 10:00 am-5:00 pm, 401 Washington St , Newburgh, NY
Come out and learn about Black History during Black History Month at the Black Inventors Showcase Exhibit that will display more than 100 items in a collection authenticated by actual inventions, replicas, representative models, patent drawings, photographs, newspaper articles and biographies. The exhibit is a wonderful learning experience for children and adults.
“120 years ago, Lewis Howard Latimer, an African-American Civil War veteran whose parents had escaped from slavery, worked on a team that assisted Thomas Edison in developing the electric light bulb. Edison struggled with filaments that burned out after barely more than a day’s use. Latimer solved that problem by developing a carbon filament-and we’ve lived in a brighter world ever since.”
Newburgh Shipyards, Byron Co. From the Collections of the Museum of the City of New York
The Museum of the City of New York is my new favorite website to look at old pictures of New York. To my surprise they had a few Newburgh photos on file, mostly of the shipyards and of people on boats on their way up to Newburgh. You can see how bustling Newburgh’s waterfront used to be and, how fun a boat ride up to Newburgh was. Witmark Music Company (still in existence today) apparently like to take their members on boat rides up to Newburgh. The photos are amazing and they look like they had a good time!
Newburgh Shipyards, Byron Co. From the Collections of the Museum of the City of New York
Newburgh Shipyards, Byron Co. From the Collections of the Museum of the City of New York
Newburgh Shipyards, Byron Co. From the Collections of the Museum of the City of New York
Newburgh Shipyards, Byron Co. From the Collections of the Museum of the City of New York
Byron Co. Excursions, Witmark Music Co., Excursion to Newburgh, N.Y. From the Collections of the Museum of the City of New York
Byron Co. Excursions, Witmark Music Co., Excursion to Newburgh, N.Y. From the Collections of the Museum of the City of New York
Byron Co. Excursions, Witmark Music Co., Excursion to Newburgh, N.Y. From the Collections of the Museum of the City of New York
Byron Co. Excursions, Witmark Music Co., Excursion to Newburgh, N.Y. From the Collections of the Museum of the City of New York
The Hudson River was frozen over, the winds were howling like hungry wolves, and snow was piling up in thigh-high drifts while the business of war never stopped. Visit Washington’s Headquarters State Historic Site, Newburgh, where actors, portraying soldiers, will be keeping warm while telling about their daily lives in the military. Tours of the Hasbrouck House will be conducted by costumed historic interpreters, Monday through Thursday, December 27th until December 30th, from 10 AM until 3 PM. Admission is $4.00 for adults, $3.00 for seniors and students, and children 12 and under are free. Call 845-562-1195 for details or directions.
What’s better than looking at old photos of old Newburgh that conjure up memories? Listening to Newburghers tell stories about their memories. That is exactly the mission of the Sound and Story Project of the Hudson Valley. This audio tour allows you to experience the memories of present and vanished Newburgh treasures. One of my favorites was Frederica Warner’s story of living at 51 Ann Street which was part of the Newburgh waterfront that was demolished. They had a “classy house” “that was just gorgeous” with white marble fireplaces, sliding doors, antiques, 2 living rooms, and large door knobs. She then talks about what urban renewal did to downtown Newburgh. “They tore down and didn’t put back.” I also loved Warren Boyd’s story about the Palatine Hotel which was also demolished.
I can’t quite describe the feelings that listening to these stories evokes. Just listen for yourself to see. What is even better is that if you are an old time Newburgher who has stories to share about different Newburgh treasures, past or present, you too can share your memories. Memories of the Academy Theater, Woolworths, Fanny Farmer, the City Club, or any other place you remember from long ago can be revived through your story. Click here to start the process of sharing your own audio memory of Newburgh.
