‘Then & Now' photo exhibit to open

Newburgh — The Orange County Citizens Foundation and the Newburgh Free Library are currently hosting “Then & Now: A Black & White Essay of Orange County,” which focuses on changes over the past century. Working with local historians, photographers from around the county compared black and white photos of specific locations at the turn of the 20th century with today’s views. A visitor’s reception will be held at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 22, at the library, in conjunction with a ragtime concert presented by the City Winds Trio at 3 p.m. Both events are free of charge. The show will be on view at the library through Wednesday, Feb. 15. As one of the fastest growing counties in New York, Orange County has experienced substantial changes over recent years. The photographs in the exhibit provide viewers with a startling contrast between today’s Orange County and that of yesteryear. “Land use, transportation, and demographic changes have all played a large role in converting Orange County from a rural, farming community to a more suburban area,” said Citizens Foundation president Nancy Proyect. Large changes can be seen in the cities, which have been transformed by a decline in manufacturing. “Urban renewal and the end of the trolley system devastated some of the most vibrant portions of our cities,” exhibit committee co-chair Marie Liu said. “Photographers and local historians have pinpointed the sharpest contrasts and turned them into a photographic history of the entire area.” Other areas have remained intact over the years. “While much of Orange County has changed significantly over the past 100 or so years, much of it has remained the same,” said Liu. “Local photographers and historians, who really know their communities, have been able to share the historical gems of Orange County with us. Working farms that have been in the family for generations, historic homes that have been renovated to their former glory, and downtown areas that have managed their growth well, are all part of the exhibit.” Some highlights of the event include a comparison of a memorial day parade in the City of Middletown in 1918 with that of 2005, Tuxedo’s train station, locations in the villages and towns of Monroe, Chester, and Warwick, and the Newburgh waterfront in the late 19th century and the present. The exhibit made its debut in September 2005 at the Seligmann Homestead in Sugar Loaf. It will travel throughout the county over the next year. Future locations include SUNY Orange, the Tuxedo Park Library, and the County Government Center in Goshen. The exhibit will makes its way to its permanent home at the Orange County Government Center in early summer. For more information, call Orange County Citizens Foundation at 469-9459 or Newburgh Free Library at 563-3601.