migration boom to post-WWII bust

     While during the 1880s Newburgh experienced a "boom," some suggest Newburgh reached its zenith when the 300th anniversary of Captain Henry Hudson's voyage up the river that bears his name was focused on Newburgh (Demb 1). Newburgh was "literally a jewel on the Hudson, having been the second city to become electrified by Thomas Edison, after New York City" (Demb 1). As the railroads gradually overtook the city's water transportation industry, Newburgh grew into a key manufacturing center. Heavy industries like steamer manufacturing and ironworks gave way to lower wage textiles and brickmaking, which relied on Eastern European immigrants and blacks who migrated up primarily from North Carolina between 1900 and the mid-1930s (Hinkle 22). The 1913 Newburgh Survey reported that the city was home to 104 manufacturing entities—everything from patent medicines to tombstones; the largest factories were those making lawnmowers, clothing and textiles, boilers, boats, and agricultural implements (78). By 1916, the city had adopted its present form of government, with a city manager, mayor, and city council. The flaws of this particular political structure, combined with internal bickering, would reveal themselves a few decades later.

     Newburgh's demographic makeup changed very quickly during this period of industrial growth. Journalist Joseph Ritz reported at that time that as blacks moved in and settled in Broadway and Water Street, the value of waterfront property decreased. Ritz reported that blacks moved in "at a rate that alarmed the remaining merchants," causing many of them to decide to relocate. Between 1950 and 1960, the city's black population rose 150 percent, and the white population decreased by more than 13 percent (Ritz 8).

     Unfortunately, after WWII many of these industries, which employed black workers, relocated to the South for cheaper wages, leaving behind an unskilled workforce (Hinkle). At the same time, migrant Puerto Rican and black workers came to the area to work in apple orchards, and many stayed in the area to work in mills that would eventually close (Hamill 86).

     By the 1950s, the once bustling Broadway and Water Street started deteriorating … and very quickly. One long time resident remarked, "Newburgh was a nice, solid town. Then everything changed. Just like that" (Hamill 85). Many textile mills, a major carpet factory, and other enterprises either went out of business or moved south after WWII (Ritz 7). In 1956, a large manufacturer of overalls moved to another state, taking away 1,000 jobs, and in 1962 a major textile mill closed permanently (Ritz 7).

     The riverfront section of the city, once the main shopping center, became lined with empty stores whose windowfronts are boarded up or smashed (Ritz 8). More than 30 percent of the city's housing units were classified as either substandard or deteriorating (Ritz 8). Twenty percent of the city's families had incomes under $3,000, with their median income being $5,365, or $1,000 less that the state average. And as the black population increased, the white population moved out to the freshly built suburbs, such as New Windsor, Marlboro, and Montgomery. By 1960 census showed drop for the first time in history from high of 32,000 in 1950 to 31,000 in 1960 (Hinkle). Newburgh's boom days had come to an abrupt end. The graph below illustrates how the population grew exponentially until the 1950s. The gray line represents the population of New Windsor, one of the suburban towns near Newburgh, whose population grew steadily, while Newburgh's population declined.

     Factory closings, relocations, regional malls, and new roads and bridges battered the city's economy and sucked the life out of downtown business. Here's a timeline:

• New York State Thruway opens in 1954.
• The Newburgh Ferry, established in 1743, closes in 1963.
• The Newburgh-Beacon Bridge opens in 1963.
• Mid-Valley Mall, anchored by JC Penney, opens in 1964 in the outskirts
• DuPont closes in 1967.
• Stewart Air Force Base closes in 1969. 900 civilian jobs and 2500 servicemen eliminated (Hamill)
• Newburgh Mall opens near the I-84/I-87 interchange in 1979.
• Passenger railroad stops running on the west bank of the Hudson.

     The new malls, bridge, and highways simply took away any reasons for people to drive through and spend money in downtown Newburgh. The factory closings left thousands of people without jobs and a large hole in the city's pockets. For example, the closing of Stewart Air Force Base removed $30 million from the local economy (Hamill 87). New highways made regional shopping malls easily accessible. And as people and companies moved out, the beautiful homes and buildings of Newburgh slowly deteriorated, brick by brick.

NEXT SECTION: "WORKFARE" TO "URBAN RENEWAL"

BACK          NEXT