The Light of Old Goshen, part 2
Goshen. In part two of the series on old Goshen, writer Geri Corey offers a tour of some of the places that defined Goshen over the years as well as some of the people who stopped by to watch the horse races, to campaign for the presidency of the United States or to quench their thirst at the horse-shaped bar at the Orange Inn.
| 02 Jun 2020 | 04:31
Alligators in the fountain of Church Park — corner of South Church Street and Main Street — were brought to Goshen around 1900 and remained until 1916. They wintered in tanks in the basement of the St. Elmo Hotel. Photos courtesy of the Village of Goshen Historian Edward P. Connor.
The Coates-Goshen car, built by Joseph Coates in his shop on Greenwich Avenue, beginning in 1908. Until recently, it was the site of the Healey Brothers car dealership. Photos courtesy of the Village of Goshen Historian Edward P. Connor.
James Scott Jr. manufactured carriages and sulkies. His building on Webster Avenue is no longer standing. Photos courtesy of the Village of Goshen Historian Edward P. Connor.
Clarence Augustus “Gus” White, who performed from 1878-1931, provided entertainment with his large assortment of puppets. Photo courtesy of Goshen Public Library and Historical Society.
In the early 1930s, Goshen had an A&P grocery market and a Grand Union, both on West Main Street only several doors apart from each other. Note the amount of snow that fell on the Village of Goshen. Photos courtesy of the Village of Goshen Historian Edward P. Connor.
Old-time Goshen wasn’t without entertainment.
Besides the Goshen Historic Track that provided good times, as well as jobs for residents, a movie theater, The Central Theatre, was built in 1847 on St. John’s Street (demolished in 1967). Another was built in 1939 on South Church Street (demolished in the early 1980s).
There are were two newspapers: the Goshen Democrat and the Independent Republican — the oldest continuing newspaper in the country.
Parades marching down Main Street were a popular attraction as were outdoor concerts held in a bandstand on Presbyterian Church property.
At one time, crocodiles basked in the sunlight on the banks of a small pond in the same church property. Puppeteer Gus White staged amusing shows in the early 1900s. And plays and musicals were staged in the Goshen Music Hall, which was recently renovated and is now home to businesses and Cornerstone Theatre Arts.
Celebrities
Through the years, celebrities were known to make appearances in Goshen, including Ulysses S. Grant who, it was thought, came to watch the races. Baseball great Babe Ruth often stopped in at the Orange Inn, now named Limoncello at the Orange Inn.
Renown African painter Horace Pippin (1888-1946) moved to Goshen at age three and his oil paintings are now on display in the Smithsonian American Art Museum and other fine art museums.
Noah Webster taught school here; Abraham Lincoln’s Secretary of State William Henry Seward studied law in Goshen; Whig Samuel J. Wilkin, born in Goshen in 1793, practiced law here, and was member of New York Assembly and member of the U.S. House of Representatives, he is interred in Slate Hill Cemetery.
William Jennings Bryant came to Goshen to campaign in his bid for President of the United States. He ran — and was defeated - three times.
Did George Washington come to Goshen? Maybe sleep here? It’s possible, since Washington’s Headquarters is located in nearby Newburgh.
Famous in Goshen was Joseph Coates, a builder of harness racing tracks, sulkies and wagons, who in 1908 began manufacturing the Coates Car in his Greenwich Avenue factory, now the site of the former Healy Brothers car dealership.
Lost, but not forgotten
Some of Goshen’s amenities are gone, like the Goshen Emergency Hospital, organized in the village by Susan Randall Bacon, the second wife of Congressman Henry Bacon. The facility moved to Harriman Drive when it became Arden Hill Hospital; it has since joined forces with Horton Hospital in Middletown to become Orange Regional Medical Center, located on East Main Street in the Town of Wallkill.
The Salesian Fathers started a Catholic residential school for boys on Main Street, operating from 1931 until it closed in 1985.
For a few years, Goshen was home to the FBI, with headquarters located on Matthews Street. In 2015 the FBI closed this site and moved to Stewart International Airport.
Although the Goshen Public Library and Historical Society, located at 203 Main St., closed it doors, it did recently re-open at its new facility at 366 Main St.
Many old businesses are no longer operating, like a tea store, the jail behind the 1841 courthouse that moved to 6 ½ Station Road; clothing factories; a furniture factory; a chair factory; a buggy shop; dry goods stores; meat markets; drug store with a fountain; the Coates Car factory; even a tattoo shop, once located next to the Occidental Hotel.
Historical Goshen photos sought
Historian and lifelong Goshen resident Edward P. Connor said he’d like to add to his collection of photos and asks that residents not throw out any photos pertaining to Goshen and its history, and that request includes recent photos.
“People are so interested in Goshen’s history, and there might be interesting information found in a photo,” Connor said. “I’d love to see and learn more about Goshen through the years and bring us into the future.”
Through procuring grants, the Village’s present administration has brought some changes: Route 207 (Greenwich Avenue) was resurfaced; pedestrian crossings were installed for safety; Market Street was closed, creating a public sitting area.
More changes are coming. Two large town projects, Amy’s Kitchen and LEGOLAND amusement park will bring additional changes to Goshen’s landscape.
Editor’s note: Thanks to lifelong Goshen resident Edward P. Connor for his contributions to this series. He is the author of two books: Goshen and Goshen Revisited. Connor can be reached at 845-294-0523 or by email: edwardpconnor@gmail.com.