1609History
The area that became Newburgh was first explored by Europeans when Henry Hudson stopped by during his 1609 expedition up the river that now bears his name.
1683Government
Around 1683, provincial governor Thomas Dongan purchased the land from the Woaranek people.
1709History
The first settlement was made in the spring of 1709 by fifty-four Palatine refugees, sponsored by Queen Anne of Great Britain.
1728History
George's Episcopal Church ====
In 1728 the Rev.
1743Government
In 1743, a ferry at the foot of First Street had been established between Newburgh and Fishkill Landing (now Beacon, New York).
1752History
In 1752, the land had been surveyed by Cadwallader Colden and named "Newburgh", perhaps after one of the Newburghs (there are two) in his father's native Scotland (Colden himsel...
1770History
In 1770, during the tenure of the Rev.
1782Military
In April 1782, General George Washington made his headquarters at the farmhouse of the Hasbrouck family, making Newburgh the Continental Army's headquarters; he remained there u...
1790Education
In 1790 Rev George Spierin served as both minister and schoolmaster, but resigned in 1793.
1793Government
=== Growth ===
In 1793, Newburgh's first newspaper, The Newburgh Packet, was established.
1798History
When Rockland County was split from Orange County in 1798, Newburgh and the other towns north of Moodna Creek were put in a redrawn Orange County.
1800Government
The hamlet of Newburgh was incorporated as a village in 1800.
1805Government
George's Church was re-established in 1805.
1816History
Patrick's Roman Catholic Church ====
The first Catholic service in Newburgh took place around 1816 when Mass was said in the house of Henry Gilmore on Western Avenue (now Broadw...
1817History
He was followed in 1817 by Rev.
1819Sports
By 1819 a steamboat on Cayuga Lake connected Newburgh stage lines with Ithaca.
1824Disaster
On the evening of September 24, 1824, beacon fires in the Hudson Highlands announced the arrival of the Marquis de Lafayette.
1826History
A church was formed in 1826, served by circuit-riding missionaries.
1830Architecture
In 1830 Richard Carpenter of Newburgh had the steamboat William Young built at Low Point; it ran between Newburgh and Albany.
1834Architecture
In 1834 the bell tower was added.
1836Government
Patrick's Church was founded in 1836.
1842Architecture
A stone church building was completed in December 1842 and formally dedicated by Bishop John Hughes of New York in 1849.
1845Government
The Erie Railroad charter was amended April 8, 1845, to allow the building of the Newburgh Branch, running from the main line near Greycourt northeast to Newburgh, also on the H...
1850History
The Hasbrouck House was purchased by New York State in 1850 to preserve the site, making it the very first publicly owned historic site in the United States.
1852History
In 1852 land was purchased for a cemetery at the corner of First and Stone streets.
1853History
Patrick Duffy was the first pastor and served for seventeen years until his death in 1853.
1854Architecture
The rectory was built in 1854.
1855Government
The parish established in 1855 a Library Association, later known as the Young Men's Catholic Lyceum.
1865Government
Prior to its chartering in 1865, the city of Newburgh was part of the town of Newburgh; the town now borders the city to the north and west.
1869Culture
On April 6, 1869, the Newburgh Police Department was authorized with regulations by the Common Council Ordinance.
1875Government
Mary's Church was founded in 1875, when the archbishop, John McCloskey divided the original parish creating Mary's parish in the northern part.
1876History
Ruttenber, History of Orange County with History of the City of Newburgh (Newburgh, 1876)
== External links ==
City of Newburgh Website
1879History
Newburgh had telephone service in 1879.
1880Architecture
In 1880 the building occupied by the church until 2015 was erected at Gidney Avenue and South Street.
1881Architecture
In 1881 a new building was erected for the Lyceum on Liberty St.
1883Sports
In 1883 there was a steamboat landing on Second Street.
1884Government
The Historical Society of Newburgh Bay and the Highlands was chartered by the State of New York and incorporated in 1884.
1886Education
Mary's Parochial School opened on September 1, 1886.
1891History
J, Nutt, Newburgh: Her Institutions, Industries, and Leading Citizens (Newburgh, 1891)
L.
1898Government
He also founded Calvary Cemetery which opened on May 30, 1898.
1899History
Powell (editor), Historic Towns of the Middle States (New York, 1899)
J.P.
1915History
In 1915 it became one of the first American cities to delegate routine governmental authority to a city manager.
1924History
The city's trolley system was shut down in 1924 in favor of buses.
1934Culture
In 1934 the earlier volunteer companies were replaced by a professional department.
1939History
In October 1939, RCA chose to test-market televisions in Newburgh, which was within range of the television signal of RCA's experimental station W2XBS.
1945History
Newburgh was one of the first cities in the country to fluoridate its water in 1945.
1958Infrastructure
The last Albany-Weehawken trains through Newburgh left in 1958 when the New York Central ended service north of West Haverstraw on the West Shore Railroad.
1962Culture
In 1962, Lloyd's Department Store became the first major shopping center in Newburgh.
1963Architecture
In 1963 the Newburgh–Beacon Bridge was opened, carrying Interstate 84 and spanning the Hudson River, bypassing the Newburgh waterfront and the city of Newburgh altogether.
1964Government
In 1964, the Mid Valley Mall opened, also outside of the city limits in Newburgh, and attracted many long-established local businesses away from the waterfront and downtown city...
1966Culture
In 1966 Father John Filippelli of the Society of Saint Joseph of the Sacred Heart initiated a Spanish Mass as well as cultural celebrations such as the Feast of Three Kings.
1967Military
The city's modern preservation efforts began when the Dutch Reformed Church, a Greek Revival structure designed by Alexander Jackson Davis, was slated for demolition as part of ...
1970Architecture
The city's historic waterfront area, an area composed of several square blocks which included numerous historically significant buildings, was completely demolished between 1970...
1973Architecture
A grand complex that was planned for the urban renewal area was never built when state and federal spending began to dry up after the 1973 oil crisis.
1978Civil Rights
== Education ==
In 1978, students at Newburgh Free Academy, the city's public high school, boycotted classes.
1989History
In 1989 the ministry was expanded to include outreach to migrant workers.
1991Government
Allegations of electoral fraud had dogged the city's first African American woman mayor, Audrey Carey, since her 1991 victory in a four-way race.
1995Government
=== Politics ===
Tensions flared during the city's hotly contested 1995 mayoral election.
1999History
Carey was defeated by Tyrone Crabb, a black man running on the Republican line, in 1999.
2000History
The median age was 29.1 years, a slight increase since 2000's census.
2001Culture
The church was added to the National Register of Historic Places three years later, and in 2001 became the city's second National Historic Landmark after Washington's Headquarters.
2003Government
Nicholas Valentine, mayor from 2003 until 2011 and several other recent mayors and council members were Republicans.
2004Government
An independent documentary was made in 2004 about the mayoral race in Newburgh, called Saving Newburgh.
2005History
The ferry closed down soon thereafter—it was not revived until 2005—and the waterfront area declined rapidly.
2007Military
It was anticipated that in November 2007, Newburgh voters would decide on whether to split Newburgh into eight wards and elect one councilmember from each ward.
2008Government
The late Thomas Kirwan—a resident who served in the New York State Assembly until 2008—and was re-elected in a successful comeback bid in 2010, by one of the smallest margins in...
2009Culture
In 2009, the Republican party did not field its own candidates for city council.
2010Culture
In 2010, The New York Times wrote an extensive article on gang activity in Newburgh.
2011History
He died late in 2011.
2012Crime
=== Crime ===
Newburgh was ranked more dangerous than 95 percent of US cities by website NeighborhoodScout, based on 2012 FBI crime data.
2013Infrastructure
He resigned in 2013 amid reports that he had misrepresented an encounter with a prostitute the year before.
2014History
The median income for a household from 2014 to 2018 was $37,900 and the mean income was $53,772.
2015History
Patrick's effective August 1, 2015.
2016History
In May 2016, the city requested help for its PFOS contaminated water supply under Superfund.
2017Crime
In 2017, Newburgh reported the lowest crime rates in 10 years.
2018History
There were 11,765 housing units in 2018.
2020Education
The largest industries as of 2020 were retail, healthcare and social assistance, food services, finance, public administration, and educational services.
2024Disaster
The City Council passed a ceasefire resolution in Hamas' war on Israel on January 22, 2024.