Captain of Industry or Robber Barons? Alex Prizgintas presents the Hudson Valley Riverside Moguls: Wealth and Power in the Hudson Valley Part 1: The Rise of Steel Rails.

Whether viewed as “Captains of Industry” who were philanthropic, or “Robber Barons” who were monopolistic and treated workers badly, the Hudson Valley is ripe and rich with history, mansions, estates, and legacies built during America’s Gilded Age.

From the Vanderbilts of Hyde Park to Jay Gould’s purchase of Tarrytown’s Lyndhurst estate and the vast land holdings of E. H. Harriman in Orange County, the Hudson Valley has been home to many of the Gilded Age’s most illustrious, and infamous, titans of industry. Though their empires were not always centered in New York, the glamorous estates of these nineteenth-century moguls offer glimpses into a rich era of the past that binds the nation with the Hudson Valley. Join author, historian, musician, and preservationist Alex Prizgintas at the Hendrick Hudson Public Library in Montrose on Sunday, June 23rd at 2:00 PM as he shares the stories of “riverside moguls” from the Hudson Valley and the transformation of their estates through time. Part one of this program, titled “Rise of Steel Rails,” focuses on five figures from the growth of American Railroads.  Stay tuned for part two, which will be presented in the fall.

To register for this event at the Hendrick Hudson Free Library, click here.

Alex Prizgintas mission is to preserve, promote, and publish topics of local history. Alex invites audiences to join him in learning about those who preceded through the stories he has learned from history’s unexpected events.

A graduate of Marist College with degrees in Hudson River Valley History and Public Administration, Alex has been published in the Hudson River Valley Review, New York Archives Magazine, and Orange County Historical Society Journal on topics including Hudson River railroad history, Orange County’s dairy farming history, and the region’s early settlers. He serves as president of the Woodbury Historical Society in Orange County, New York.

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