Orange Mill Historic District
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Orange Mill Historic District | |
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| (U.S. Registered Historic District) | |
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| Location: | Town of Newburgh, NY |
| Nearest city: | City of Newburgh |
| Coordinates: | Coordinates: |
| Area: | 200 acres (80 ha) |
| Built/Founded: | 19th century |
| Architectural style(s): | Greek Revival, Federal |
| Added to NRHP: | 1997 |
| NRHP Reference#: | 97000357 |
| Governing body: | Orange County; private owners |
The Orange Mill Historic District is the only one in the Town of Newburgh in Orange County, New York. It encompasses the 42 acres (16.8 ha) of county-run Algonquin Park and many of the surrounding lands. It is centered along Powder Mill Road just off NY 52, a mile northwest of the city of Newburgh, at the edge of the suburban hamlet of Gardnertown.
The district takes its name from the old gunpowder mill complex, built by Asa Taylor in 1816. It is located along the unnamed Orange Lake outlet brook which flows through the park just above its outlet at Quassaick Creek.[1]
While it primarily produced powder for local residents' use in hunting and shooting sports, during the Civil War the Union Army procured some higher quality material. In the years before that conflict, local historian Edward Ruttenber claimed the mills were "the most complete and extensive works in the country" when they were under the ownership of a man named Daniel Rodgers.[1]
After production stopped in the early 20th century, developers began building on houses on some of the property. Col. Frederic Delano, uncle of future U.S. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, purchased the remaining land, which included the core of the manufacturing operation, for use as a public park (originally it was to have belonged to the city of Newburgh). Today the historic district includes 14 of these buildings as contributing properties. It was designed to incorporate the old buildings as an essential feature, and many of the roofless stone structures still stand next to the park's barbecue pits and picnic grounds. It is today the only remaining 19th-century gunpowder production facility in New York.[2] It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1997.
[edit] References
- ^ a b Ruttenber, Edward and Tice, Charles, History of the Town of Newburgh; 1859, E.M. Ruttenber & Co., 133.
- ^ Cornell, Les; 2005; Town of Newburgh - Town history; retrieved June 6, 2007.
[edit] External links
- Orange Mill Historic District is at coordinates Coordinates:
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