‘Riverside Moguls’ series comes to the Monroe Free Library

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 19 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 Monroe Free Library on Wednesday, March 12 at 6 p.m. 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.

A graduate of Marist College with degrees in Hudson River Valley history and public administration, Prizgintas 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 town historian of Woodbury and president of the Woodbury Historical Society.