BEACON- Following its completion in 1889, the Poughkeepsie Railway Bridge was a crucial link between New England and the United States’ elaborate railroad network. It continued as such for over eighty years until its fiery demise in 1974, but before trains traveled by rail, a vastly different method of transportation was used to cross the Hudson River.
Join author and historian Alex Prizgintas with the Beacon Historical Society as he explores the early history of the Erie and West Shore railroads in Newburgh, NY as well as the service of the William T. Hart—a steam-powered barge that transported railroad cars from the late nineteenth century until the turn of the twentieth century from Newburgh to Fishkill Landing en route to New England.
The lecture will take place on Tuesday, March 26, 2024, at 7 p.m. at the Beacon Elks Lodge, 900 Wolcott Avenue, Beacon, NY. A Marist College graduate with degrees in Hudson River Valley Studies and Public Administration, Alex Prizgintas has been published in several journals such as the peer-reviewed Hudson River Valley Review and New York Archives Magazine as well as the Orange County Historical Society Journal and the Antique Bottle & Glass Collector Magazine. Serving as president of the Woodbury Historical Society in Orange County, Alex performs and lectures around 130 times each year across the Hudson Valley.
According to Orange County Legislator and acting Historian for the town of Crawford Rob Sassi, “Alex’s in-depth knowledge of local history, with an incredible focus on railroads and their impact on the growth of the Hudson Valley, are second to none! If you enjoy local history, you won’t be disappointed to attend one of his lectures!”
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