Hubbry Logo
search
logo
2237167

Newburgh (town), New York

logo
Community Hub0 Subscribers
2237167

Newburgh (town), New York

logo
Community Hub0 Subscribers
Write something...
Be the first to start a discussion here.
Be the first to start a discussion here.
See all
Newburgh (town), New York

Newburgh (/ˈnbɜːrɡ/) is a town in Orange County, New York, United States. It forms part of the Kiryas Joel–Poughkeepsie–Newburgh metropolitan area, which is a part of the New York metropolitan area, and is a suburban satellite of the urbanized city of Newburgh. The city of Newburgh was a part of the town prior to 1865. New York Stewart International Airport is partially located within the township, and much of the land into which it could have been expanded has been turned into Stewart State Forest.

As of the 2020 census, the population of the town is 31,985. The 2010 census determined the population was 29,801, marking the first time ever that the population of the town of Newburgh officially exceeded that of the neighboring city of Newburgh (with a population of 28,866). Estimates released by the U.S. Census Bureau during 2018 show the Newburgh township's population exceeded 30,000. As of 2020 the town and neighboring city of Newburgh had a combined population of 60,842.

The town of Newburgh is known as the "crossroads of the Northeast", a phrase coined in the 1980s by then-town supervisor Robert J. Kirkpatrick Jr., not only because of Stewart Airport and the Hudson River, but also because two major interstate highways cross the town: Interstate 84 (east and west) and Interstate 87, also known as the New York State Thruway (north and south). Previously, the highways were accessible to each other via a short stretch of New York State Route 300 (a major north–south thoroughfare and a main commercial corridor in the town) but a direct connection between I-84 and the Thruway was completed in December 2009, after being under construction for five years.

Newburgh was originally settled in 1709 by German Palatine refugees under the name of "Neuburg", who were soon supplemented by a significant number of Scottish immigrants. It was chartered as a precinct in 1762. It was while Newburgh was a precinct, during the closing months of the American Revolutionary War, that General George Washington established his headquarters at the Hasbrouck House in what is now the city of Newburgh. It was during this time that the Newburgh letter was written by Lewis Nicola and the Newburgh Conspiracy took place.

Newburgh was rechartered as a town in 1788. At that time, it was a part of Ulster County. In 1798, the town of Newburgh and several other towns in southern Ulster County were transferred to Orange County, to compensate for the southernmost part of Orange County being cut away to form Rockland County. The town of Newburgh has remained a part of Orange County ever since. The village of Newburgh was incorporated in 1800. Then as now, villages in New York State remained a part of their parent towns. However, when the village was re-chartered as the city of Newburgh in 1865, it became totally independent of the town.

The town of Newburgh remained overwhelmingly rural and sparsely populated until well into the 20th century. There were many apple orchards in the northern part of the town, and dairy and vegetable farms in the remainder of the town. It is believed one of the largest was Brookside Dairy Farm, just west of the city of Newburgh on the north side of the old Newburgh-Cochecton Turnpike (now Route 17K). The farm was owned by the Stewart family (which gave both Stewart Avenue on the site and Stewart International Airport their names) and ran as far north as South Plank Road, now also known as Route 52. It was known in its day for its state of the art facilities which produced dairy products in an innovative and scientific way. The farm also included an ice business on the banks of Brookside Pond. After World War II, the southern part of the farm became a popular drive-in theater, and the northern part was the site of a baseball stadium known as Tarr Oval, which was used by the Newburgh Little League for many years. The PepsiCo bottling plant and corporate offices are now located on the site of Tarr Oval.

Since Orange Lake is nearly 600 feet above sea level, its outlet stream (sometimes called Bushfield Creek) powered many varied mills as it wound its way to the Hudson River, including a saw mill, grist mill and coinage mill right at the outlet from the lake, all owned by Thomas Machin. A flour mill stood where the stream now travels beneath Route 300. In a different part of town, the Gidney family operated a grist mill on Gidneytown Creek. Today, the site of the Gidney Mill is owned by the town, and the old brick chimney from the mill remains standing and is marked by an historic site marker. The animal control center for the town is also located on this property. The old gunpowder mills in what is now Algonquin Park today serve as the focal point of the only historic district in the town. For many years, there was a bleachery owned by the Chadwick Family.

In the 19th century, hamlets sprung up throughout the town, between farms. These were small communities which (typically) consisted of a general store, a church, sometimes a cemetery, and a post office, quite often in the home of the postmaster or as part of the general store. Each hamlet also included a few scattered homes, often of tradespeople.

See all
User Avatar
No comments yet.