Гошен тауы мен оның тарихы

the village located within this town

Goshen is a town in Orange County, New York, United States. The population was 14,571 at the 2020 census. The town is named after the Biblical Land of Goshen. It contains a village also called Goshen, which is the county seat of Orange County. The town is centrally located in the county.

European settlement began around 1714, although plans for this were made beginning about 1654. The town was established in 1788, after the American Revolutionary War and New York becoming a state. As population increased in the area, in 1830, part of Goshen was divided off to form the new Town of Hamptonburgh. In 1845, another part was used to form the Town of Chester. When the French and Indian War began in 1756, the men of Goshen took up arms. The old Journal of the Assembly relates the services of Captain George DeKay as an express between Goshen and Minisink. It mentions as his guards Peter Carter, David Benjamin, Philip Reid, and Francis Armstrong. It tells also that Colonel Vincent Mathews was paid two pounds to furnish guides to regulars posted at Goshen from October 1757, to February 1758. Colonels Clinton and DeKay fortified block houses for the settlers' defense. Samuel Gale was paid 56 pounds to furnish provisions to troops on the frontiers near Goshen. Colonel Benj. Tusten, Captain Daniel Case, and Captain J. Bull were reimbursed for their expenses in building block houses Nos. 1 and 2 on the western frontier in January 1757. In 1763, Lieutenant Governor Cadwallader Golden appealed to the General Assembly for troops to relieve the militia on the borders of Orange and Ulster counties, an area infiltrated by the enemy. At this time the Town of Goshen extended from the Hudson River to the New Jersey border. In 1764 a bill was passed dividing the precinct of Goshen into two precincts, to be called Goshen and Cornwall. After this division, Cornwall embraced the present towns of Cornwall, Monroe and Blooming Grove, while Goshen included the present town of Warwick. Revolutionary fervor built in the years before war broke out in the late eighteenth century. On June 8, 1775, over 360 men signed the Revolutionary pledge at Goshen, headed by Henry Wisner at the top of the list. Once General George Washington, riding eastward on the Florida road toward his headquarters at Newburgh, stopped with his staff to chat with local children at the old school house near the stone quarry. The battle of Minisink took place on July 22, 1779. The Goshen regiment, under Colonel Tusten, was nearly destroyed by an estimated 500 Indians and Tories commanded by Joseph Brant (Mohawk), also known as Thayendanegea, the Scourge. He held a colonel's commission from George III. The Goshen regiment marched against Brant's forces to avenge a raid made by Brant upon the settlers near Minisink on July 20. They were joined by a small reinforcement, under Colonel Hathorn, of the Warwick regiment, and the latter assumed command. While marching along the west bank of the Delaware River, they discovered the Indians about three quarters of a mile away, and Colonel Hathorn chased them. Brant took advantage of the woods and moved to the rear of the attacking party. His forces completely routed the small colonial force that opposed them. The colonists had little ammunition and some fled; more men were killed in that stage than in battle. Colonel Tusten, a surgeon, dressed his men's wounds and stayed on the field until he became a casualty. Of the 80 Goshen men in the engagement, 44 were killed outright and numerous others died later of their wounds. The original two room brick structure of the academy now sits within the Goshen Town Hall, as described by the Historical Marker located outside the building in the center of the Village of Goshen.

On July 22, 1822, the village of Goshen erected a monument to the dead of the Minisink battle. The remains of those men were gathered from the battlefield for burial in a mass grave marked by the monument. On July 22, 1862, a more elaborate monument was dedicated to these men. The funds were bequeathed in the will of Dr. Merritt H. Cash, of Minisink. Goshen's First Presbyterian Church was constructed in 1720. In the colonial era, public hangings were conducted at the tree located just outside the church The church's steeple, more than 8 stories tall, towers over the historic center of the town. As late as 1890, the church continued to be the tallest structure in the county, visible from miles away. The church connects to a series of tunnels under the town. No one knows their original purpose. (A drone video of the church can be seen here: The First Presbyterian Church.) Horse racing was popular in Goshen and other towns. Competitors raced horses on the roads from 1783, at the end of the Revolution. What is now known as Goshen Historic Track opened in 1838 and is the oldest half mile track in the world. It was originally opened as a 1/3rd mile circle around a circus ground, which was then succeeded by multiple iterations including a square track until the current half mile oval was constructed in 1873. It is also "the oldest continuously operated horse racing track in the country" and has been designated as a National Historic Landmark. This region was important in the development of harness racing, and owners bred horses to excel in this sport. On June 24, 1873, President Ulysses S. Grant visited the town, staying in a local house and watching racing from a barn on the property. After the Civil War began, Goshen was the site for Camp Wickham, which held volunteers raised in Goshen in the summer of 1862. The 124th Regiment of Volunteers was mustered into federal service in Goshen on September 5, 1862, serving nearly three years. They mustered out at Washington's Headquarters in Newburgh, New York on June 14, 1865. The soldiers of this regiment fought in the Appomattox Campaign, and were present at the Confederate surrender at Appomattox Courthouse.

In 2007, Michael Kohn, an 18 year old Goshen Volunteer firefighter, started a fire that destroyed a house at 113 Webster Ave. Kohn pleaded guilty to arson, admitting also to starting fires in another house, a barn and a vehicle within a short period. He said that he had been struggling with depression. He was sentenced to five to fifteen years in prison. In 2014, Devin Giordano and Jennifer Molyneaux murdered 81 year old Helen Mills in her Goshen home, after breaking in to steal money for drugs. The pair pleaded guilty to second degree murder in 2015, and Giordano pleaded guilty to other counts, including arson and robbery. Giordano was sentenced to 20 years to life for the murder.

On May 29, 2021, Lego opened a Legoland theme park in Goshen, which is 60 miles north of New York City. The park opened on May 29, 2021, with protocols for protection from the COVID 19 pandemic and cost over $500 million to build. Built by Merlin Entertainment, the park contains a 250 room lego hotel, rides, and is spread across 500 acres of land. It was the first major theme park to open in the Northeast in 40 years. The park is estimated to have 10,000 visitors a day and contain more than 15,000 lego models.

From the moment Goshen was identified as a home for the park, the company was met with pushback from local community members and faced constant controversy. Beginning in 2017, locals identified as "Concerned Citizens for the Hudson Valley" met at the Legoland welcome center to protest the park's construction, complaining about the lack of transparency and the presence of "behind the scenes" meetings. In November 2017, residents filed a suit in the Orange County Supreme Court to block the construction of the park. They argued that the Goshen town board fast tracked the approval and construction of the park understanding that many Goshen residents would disapprove of the park's construction. In October 2021, the New York Times published an article highlighting the controversy around the park and the many complaints of town locals. The article described how state inspectors cited Legoland for 67 environmental violations which resulted in fines totaling more than $600,000. The article also highlighted the many political battles that took place during town halls and outside many of the town's popular establishment. Many residents argued that they moved to Goshen for the local nature and the quiet atmosphere. However, during the early months of construction, many residents filed complaints of noise and topsoil runoff. Officials noted that the park would pay $88 million over 20 years, a fee for every ticket sold, taxes on its sales and revenue, and about $61 million towards Goshen schools for two decades.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 44 square miles (113.9 km2), of which 43.8 square miles (113.6 km2) is land and 0.1 square mile (.3 km2) (.27%) is water. Goshen is bordered on the north by the town of Wallkill, to the northeast by the town of Hamptonburgh, on the east by the town of Blooming Grove, to the southeast by the town of Chester, on the south by the town of Warwick, and to the west by the town of Wawayanda.

Big Island – a location near the southern town line. Durlandville – a hamlet on County Road 6 in the southwestern part of the town. Finnegans Corner – a hamlet north of Florida on NY 17A. Florida – a small part of the village of Florida is on the southern town line, located in route NY 17A. Goshen – the village of Goshen is the county seat. It is located in the northern part of the town. Conjoined NY 17 and US 6 pass south of it. Goshen Hills – a location east of Finnegans Corner. Howells – a hamlet south of Goshen village, served by NY 17A. Maple Island – a location south of Durlandville. Otter Kill – a hamlet southeast of Goshen village, served by NY 17. Pellets Island – a community near the western town line and served by County Road 37.

U. S. Route 6 and New York State Route 17 pass through as a main arterial road through the town. Into the 1950s, long distance Erie Railroad trains Erie Limited and Lake Cities between Chicago and Jersey City, New Jersey made stops in Goshen's station.