Preserving Orange County’s dairy farming history
Central Valley. The Orange County Milk Bottle Museum tells a story of the first-ever milk transportation via rail in the nation.
| 04 Jul 2023 | 11:58
Alex Prizgintas stands next to one of the Orange County Milk Bottle Museum’s prized artifacts. This sign, painstakingly recreated from an original in private hands, once graced the milk bar of the Arden Farms Dairy Company located on Route 17 south of the village of Harriman. (
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Prizgintas shares the history of his earliest milk bottles to attendees at the Orange County Milk Bottle Museum’s open house in early June. With the museum holding more than 800 milk bottles, they are often the last surviving artifacts of many dairy farms that have long since vanished from the region.
A local historian, musician and author, Alex Prizgintas knows a thing or two about collections.
A Marist College graduate who majored in history with a minor in Hudson River Valley Studies (currently pursuing his master’s degree in Public Administration), Prizgintas began collecting when he was just 11 years old and he recently opened the Orange County Milk Bottle Museum in Central Valley to not only demonstrate what he believes in, but help others learn about the increasingly forgotten history of dairy farming in Orange County.
“My collection, which currently houses more than 800 Orange County milk bottles, tells an interesting story – one that includes how the introduction of steel rails, wooden ties, and steam engines made it possible for fresh milk to be transported from Chester to New York City in 1842,” Prizgintas said. That was the first time that fragile milk was ever transported by railroad in the nation.
The new venture proved to be vital, as thousands were being poisoned in the city from the toxic effects of swill milk – a substance harvested from disease riddled cows held captive in dirty city breweries.
In the decades following, Orange County became a pioneering location for transporting milk. That led to the dominant role it played in advertising the product, as “Pure Orange County Milk” was considered a stamp of freshness that held the high ground for excellence, Prizgintas said.
“I believe my passion and understanding is leading me forward with a plan to seek out a place where these items can be accessible to the public and where they can clearly tell their stories--allowing us to experience and appreciate the enormous efforts made by those who preceded us.”
In addition to the dairy farming collection, Prizgintas frequently lectures around the region on Hudson Valley history. Recently elected as president of the Woodbury Historical Society in Highland Mills, he was the president of the Hudson Valley Bottle Club from 2018-2020.
Prizgintas, 23, said he has always been attracted to collections and how people and institutions showcase and share their knowledge.
“Growing up, most of my friends were 30 to 70 years older than me. However, I never really felt the difference in ages,” he said. “Their stories and experiences were exciting to me and spending time listening to them continues to inspire me.”
The Orange County Milk Bottle Museum is open by appointment. To schedule one, log onto alexprizgintas.com or call 845-774-9856 for more information.