Grounds and parking at Washington’s Headquarters State Historic Site in Newburgh, Orange County, are now more fully accessible to all visitors. [Read more…] about Accessibility Enhanced at Washington’s Headquarters State Historic Site
Orange County
D.W. Griffith’s Orange County ‘Magic Hour’ Discovery
A few people sitting on the front porch of a Barryville home on the Delaware River last weekend learned firsthand what movie makers in the region discovered more than 100 years ago. There is a light that sweeps down the river valley shortly before dusk that is pure magic.
G.W. “Billy” Bitzer, the master cameraman who accompanied influential director D.W. Griffith to Cuddebackville, in western Orange County, NY, in the early part of the last century, dubbed it magic hour, and “the light Mr. Griffith waited for.” It brought Griffith and his crew back to the area year after year before he discovered the advantages of filming in California and became known as “the man who invented Hollywood.” [Read more…] about D.W. Griffith’s Orange County ‘Magic Hour’ Discovery
Newburgh’s Historic Weigand Tavern Getting A New Life
The Martin Weigand Tavern in the City of Newburgh was a historic property allowed to deteriorate to a point where it was almost beyond repair. It’s now getting a new life.
Located on Liberty Street, it’s a relic of the American Revolution where many Revolutionary notables spent time. The tavern was also the center of political life in early Newburgh. It stands today at the Northwest corner of the Old Town Cemetery as it has for over two centuries. [Read more…] about Newburgh’s Historic Weigand Tavern Getting A New Life
Early Orange County Burial Ground Marked
The Washingtonville Cemetery has installed a new historic roadside marker commemorating Washingtonville Cemetery, an early burial ground in Orange County.
New Civil War Novel Based On 124th NY Volunteers
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Charles J. LaRocca’s new novel The Red Badge to Gettysburg: An Episode of the American Civil War (2021) is a sequel to Stephen Crane’s classic novel, The Red Badge of Courage, based on the actions of the 124th NYSV, the famed “Orange Blossoms” from Orange County, New York. [Read more…] about New Civil War Novel Based On 124th NY Volunteers
Expanded Purple Heart Hall of Honor Reopens
The National Purple Heart Hall of Honor in Orange County, NY reopened on Veterans Day after a $17 million expansion during the last year. [Read more…] about Expanded Purple Heart Hall of Honor Reopens
Viral Deer Disease Confirmed in Putnam, Orange Counties
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has confirmed that several white-tailed deer in the towns of Nelsonville and Cold Spring in Putnam County, and near Goshen in Orange County, died after contracting Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease (EHD).
EHD is a viral disease of white-tailed deer that cannot be contracted by humans. [Read more…] about Viral Deer Disease Confirmed in Putnam, Orange Counties
Grave Encounters: Hudson Valley Headstone Design
The Albert Wisner Library in Warwick, Orange County, is set to host researcher Marisa Hayes, who will share her studies of headstone design in the Hudson Valley’s oldest cemeteries.
Her talk will focus on styles from the colonial period through the Civil War and participants will discover how decorations and motifs reflect the social identities and views of death held by people of the region. [Read more…] about Grave Encounters: Hudson Valley Headstone Design
Elnathan Sears: Thirteen Months in Hell
Late in the month of January in 1840, Elnathan Sears returned home to the town of Mamakating, then part of Ulster County, NY, after an exhausting trip to Washington, D.C. There he had presented an impassioned argument to Congress in hopes of procuring the military pension he had earned as an officer in the Revolutionary War.
A few days later, on February 2, he was dead. [Read more…] about Elnathan Sears: Thirteen Months in Hell
New Web Exhibit Explores Orange Co Environmental Activism History
In celebration of the 50th Anniversary of Earth Day, the local history department of Albert Wisner Public Library in Warwick has prepared a web exhibit about some of the community actions of the past that have helped preserve the environment. [Read more…] about New Web Exhibit Explores Orange Co Environmental Activism History