Chronogram - Parting Shot

Newburgh: Time & Again

Images of Newburgh's rich architectural, industrial, and social past are being rescued from the dustbin of history by photographer Matthew Benson, who is in the process of restoring a cache of photographs and negatives from the 1860s to the 1920s, a period when Newburgh was the largest commercial and industrial port between New York City and Albany. Drawn from the collections of the Newburgh Historical Society, the Newburgh City Historian's Office, and numerous private donors, many of the unique large-scale photographs have never before been printed, or have been assembled from two or more prints or negatives to form large panoramas.

(above) On the Ice, Newburgh, 1907, 12" x 36", Photographer unknown.
Newburgh was once home to the Speed Skating Hall of Fame, and her champions got their start on the river. If the history of speed skating in America were ever to be written, it was said, it would be written at Newburgh. This anonymous photograph shows the Hudson River just off the Newburgh shoreline, busy with Sunday skaters and ice boaters. A speed skating track has been cut in the foreground, while five gaff-rigged ice boats ply the river.

(above) Returning Soldiers of the Great War, Broadway, Newburgh, 1919, 8" x 43", Jake Ruben. More than 2,660 young men from Newburgh fought in the First World War, 98 of whom would not return. This dramatic 1919 welcome home is a 180-degree, west-to-east panoramic view on central Broadway, in front of City Hall (crowds on the far left and right of the frame are actually standing next to each other). Famous battles are marked by obelisks, flags fly from every building, and citizens crowd the streets, roofs, and windows. The Romanesque Academy of Music stands at the corner of Broadway and Grand streets; to its east is the Columbus Trust Bank and St. John's Methodist Church. The Broadway trolley stands to the east.

The historic large-format photographs can be seen in the exhibition "Newburgh: Time & Again" at the Niven Courthouse Gallery, 1841 Grand Street, Newburgh, February 10 through March 3, and at Caffe Macchiato, 99 Liberty Street, starting on March 10. (845) 565-4466; www.matthewbenson.com.