The Heritage Trail History
The first railroad to reach Middletown, NY was the New York & Erie Railroad, an Erie predecessor, which entered the hamlet on June 1, 1843 and would remain the only railroad in the region for over two decades. In the early 1840's, the NY&E fostered the growth of the Orange County dairy industry by developing the capacity to ship fluid milk to New York City, a far more profitable business opportunity for area farmers previously limited to butter.
For additional information please check out:
• www.wnyrails.org
• www.mnjrhs.org
| May 1843 | Erie Railroad tracks completed to Middletown |
| April 1983 | Last train runs on main line |
| April 1988 | Orange County purchases rail bed/right-of-way |
| April 1990 | Greenway Symposium |
| October 1990 | Orange Pathways created |
| October 1993 | Orange Heritage Trail construction begins |
| June 1994 | One mile section opened Hartley Road to S6 Station Road, Goshen |
| June 1995 | 1.4 mile section opened S Station Road to Village of Goshen |
| June 1997 | 4.2 mile paved section opened Goshen to the Chester Depot Museum |
| May 1999 | 3.9 mile paved section opened Chester Depot Museum to Museum Village |
| July 2003 | 1 mile paved section Museum Village to Airplane Park, Monroe |
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