By Nancy Peckenham
If you are looking for a fun diversion this holiday season, a new audio tour of historic sites in Newburgh and Beacon may be just the ticket for you.
The Sound and Story Project of the Hudson Valley has just released “Tales of Two Cities,” a guide to 15 locations in the two cities and people are invited to walk between the sites and then tune in to a story about the location.
The stories are told first-hand by the people who recount engaging personal stories of life in the two cities. At the waterfront, 4th-generation fishing captain Tim DeGroat describes how dozens of fishermen daily worked the Hudson River, where, he says, “the river can be as nasty as the ocean when a northeast wind is blowing.”
Capt. Tim DeGroat describes the power of the Hudson River during a storm.
Up on the hillside above the river, Frederica Warner talks about the elegant historic home that she and her husband restored and entertained in before it fell to the wrecking ball in a spate of urban renewal that transformed the waterfront from a busy commercial center to a grassy knoll.
You can follow the Sound and Story trail up Broadway and down Grand Street, then over to Washington Street where you will learn about the manhole covers once manufactured there. Stop at the Ritz Theatre and re-live the excitement of the 1920s when eight bustling theatres brought stars to Newburgh.
Learn about the stars who graced the stage and lobby of the Ritz Theater on Broadway.
The Sound and Story project, which is funded by the New York State Council for the Humanities, also features stories from Newburgh’s sister city, Beacon, where a walking tour reveals that the beautiful Beacon Riverfront Park was once a city dump. Hear one passenger recount a freezing cold night in the 1950s when she was one of the passengers stranded by ice on the Beacon-Newburgh ferry.
The project is designed to strengthen community through listening. The project creators say that “we believe by sharing the stories of ordinary people we can help each other become more aware of our own history and more connected to each other and the place where we live.”
The audio stops are laid out on a map on the website and in the brochure.
You can pick up an printed guide to the audio stops on the tour at the office of Habitat of Humanity of Greater Newburgh or at the Newburgh Free Public Library. The power of the human stories is magnified by standing in the spot where each story occurred. When you arrive, look for a sign then dial (845) 790-8771 and punch in the number on the sign.
If you’d like to get a preview of what is in store, each of the stories is available through the website www.soundandstory.org.
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