Around Orange Lake

Around Orange Lake portrays the history of the lake and the adjoining locales of Gardnertown and Meadow Hill. The only natural lake for miles, Orange Lake was the location of a Colonial coinage mill, a source of power for many early industrial ventures, and home to one of the East Coast's most famous amusement parks. In the late 1800s, cabins began to dot its shores, and by the 1920s, bungalow colonies flourished, with cottages that today have become substantial year-round homes. The lake also hosted famous personalities, including a Boston Tea Party participant, an early pilot, and a former governor. Their stories and others are intertwined with the history of the lake to create a picture of a very unique community.

Patricia A. Favata also authored Newburgh: The Heart of the City and other works, including a local history text. A retired academic librarian, she is the librarian and archivist at the Historical Society of Newburgh Bay and the Highlands, treasurer of Friends of the Historical Sites of the Hudson Highlands, and former board member and nomination chairman of Greater Newburgh Literacy Council. For Around Orange Lake, she has combined memorable photographs and images from private collectors, longtime residents and their relatives, and the historical society with hundreds of hours of interviews and research to create a unique history of the area.