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Welcome to Old Monroe, Orange County, New York.

 The Monroe Historical Society was established in 1974 and endeavors to preserve the history of Monroe through photographs, artifacts and written history.  Please explore our site or visit us and learn about the history of your town and villages.

New information is added to our website weekly-
Please check back often to see new
photographs, stories, historical information
and don't forget to try our new game "Where in Monroe?"

You can also leave comments or start a discussion on our blog page. click here
 

  MHS News 3/29/12: 
-  Two early maps of the Village Center have been added to the website.  click here
-  The 2012 Meeting and Event Calendar  has been posted.
-  The blog page is now open, leave comments or start a discussion.  click here
-  MHS will hold its annual antique car show on July 14, 2012 at McGarrah's Inn (corner of Stage & Maple). click here
-  The Monroe Historical Society is seeking current and new members to assist us in our various projects.
    For more information on historical projects that you can get involved with with click here.
-  Our new Email address is MonroeHistoricalSociety@Gmail.com

FUN FACT:

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Contrary to popular belief, the Old Mill House at the Mill Pond dam did not have an external waterwheel. 

As you can see in this picture, which, is taken from across the
dam just after the turn of the century (1900 that is), there is no waterwheel structure on the outside of the building. You can also see in this picture, that  the sluice way, which is the structure that carries the water to the wheel, runs directly  into the north side of the building. In this particular mill design, all equipment was housed within the structure and supported by the stone foundation walls. The water exited out of the lower south end of the building after dropping down through the internal waterwheel mechanism. This pathway can still be seen today when looking at the ruins.
It should be pointed out however, that the mill had likely gone through many changes since it was originally built in the 1700's. It is quite possible that the first mill that was constructed here was of a much simpler design with the traditional exterior wheel that we are all use to seeing. It was probably upgraded and replaced with this more complex mechanism sometime in the 1800's as the technology developed. Unfortunately, there are just no surviving records that tell us exactly what happened.

LATEST IMAGES OF OLD MONROE
Monroe, Orange County, NY
Check back frequently for new pictures

MHS 2011/12
Meeting &Event Calendar

May 12  Regular meeting & workshop will be held at 9am at the Senior Center.
Jun 9  Special Event
Civil War Veterans Remembrance Day
Jul 14  Annual Car Show
McGarrah's Inn (Mason's Lodge)
Click here for more info
Aug 11  TBD
Sep 8  Cheese Festival
Historic Monroe Cheese Factory Tour
Oct 13  Monroe Mine Tours
10am (leaves from Monroe Senior Center)
Click here for more info
Nov 10  Salute to Veterans Event
10am Monroe Senior Center









Meeting Schedule

The Monroe Historical Society meets on the 2nd Saturday of each month at 9 AM.  Meetings are held downstairs at the Monroe Senior Center on Mine Rd. in Monroe.
 
History is fun- come and learn about your town!

April  Rare Historical Picture of the Month
Each month another rare and unique picture is highlighted.

This picture is taken on Lake St. looking east across the intersection of what is now Stage Rd. The building to the left is the old train station which was in use from the mid 1800's until 1913 when a new station was built on Carpenter Place. The train station in the picture still stands today, it has been several bars in recent times and is currently vacant. The large building with the columns behind the train was the Monroe House.  Built
in the day of the big hotels, the luxurious Monroe House was constructed in 1842 to serve the demand brought with the coming of the railroad. The hotel was destroyed by a fire in 1865 but then rebuilt the following year and continued to operate well through the turn of the century. The once famous hotel was removed in 1940 to shift the roadways for the grade crossing elimination project. The Reed and Coklin building which stands at the intersection and is unseen here would be on the right. It is the building that the signs are attached to and in fact, this picture was more than likely taken out of one of the windows of that building.

While driving a car through this intersection in the village, it is easy to forget how different Monroe once was. It is fun to try to envision the horse and buggies which once clopped along where your car is driving now.

Do you have any unique pictures?

If you have any unique photographs or artifacts that you would like to share or donate to the Monroe Historical Society for their preservation, please contact us by clicking here.  Valuable photographs and artifacts will be cataloged and stored in our permanent town sanctioned achieve and made available to visitors, researchers and future generations.

Where in Monroe?
Can You Identify this Location?

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If you can identify where the historical building in this  picture is or was, email your answer to the Monroe Historical Society at
MonroeHistoricalSociety@gmail.com
Anyone correctly identifying the name and location of the building can have their  name listed next month on the website.

 Last Month's Winners:

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No one was able to correctly identify last months picture.  It is the Reynolds House on Reynolds Road near the intersection of Rye Hill Rd. This house still exists today and is beautifully restored.  

It is one of the oldest homes still standing in Monroe and was built by Henry Reynolds.  In 1787, Reynolds was attacked in this home by men reputed to be members of the former Claudius Smith gang.  Smith was an ardent Tory who had been recently captured by the Army and subsequently hung for his crimes.  Henry Reynolds was known for being very outspoken against the  Tories.   The gang,  angry at the loss of their leader went on a rampage  through the countryside.  When they came across the Reynolds house, they broke in and captured Reynolds and  hung him in his chimney.  But fortunately for  Reynolds, his  daughter Phoebe who had been hiding during the attack  was able to cut him down as soon as the men left thus saving his life.  

Click here to read more about Claudius Smith and his notorious gang.

 Thanks for playing!

About the Monroe Historical Society

The Monroe Historical Society is a NY State chartered non profit organization dedicated to the preservation of our local heritage.  The Monroe Historical Society was established in 1974 and state chartered in 1990.  Meetings are held at 101 Mine Rd. (downstairs at the Monroe Senior Center) on the second Saturday of each month at 9AM and focus on topics of local interest.  The Monroe Historical Society endeavors to preserve the history of Monroe through photographs, artifacts and written history.
You can Email us at: MonroeHistoricalSociety@Gmail.com
To learn more about the Monroe Historical Society click here. 


This website is designed and maintained by B. Edwin Siemenn for the Monroe Historical Society.

Copyrighted Material

All written and photographic material contained in this web site is copyrighted by the Monroe Historical Society and cannot be distributed, reprinted or published without the expressed written consent of the Monroe Historical Society.  Certain material is available for educational purposes; please contact us by clicking here for the terms of use.