Roots of a Collector
Much of my work as a historian focuses on researching, collecting, and sharing local history. As an author, my knowledge of the local dairy industry was first published in 2020 by Marist College’s peer-reviewed journal the Hudson River Valley Review though, over the next two years, I successfully published additional seven articles in total including a second article with the Hudson River Valley Review as well as a publication on the Gomez Mill House of Marlboro, NY in the New York Archives Magazine (please read more about my publications on my OFF THE PRESS page).
As a young collector, I was fascinated by the objects themselves but often neglected to look deeper into their past. My first glimpse at this crucial link between a tangible object and its lucid history came in 2012 when I, along with the Woodbury Historical Society, helped to coordinate an event called “50 Items That Tell the Story of Woodbury.” Inspired by an article in The New York Times titled “50 Items That Tell the Story of New York,” the exhibition included fifty different items from the collection of the historical society that described the town’s past and welcomed the community to crowdsource artifacts from outside participants who wished to share different stories from our local history. Some of these “antiques” were collectible, like bottles, while others were somewhat pedestrian such as old receipts and pens with advertisements. One that I remember quite well was a detailed history of a local dairy farm complete with pictures and even included one embossed milk bottle. Each, however, told a different part of Woodbury’s history by establishing this vital link between the object itself and its past.
The Stories Behind Objects
“50 Items That Tell the Story of Woodbury” was my first large-scale project and while it was a success for the Woodbury Historical Society, it taught me to look beyond the object and learn more about their stories. This transition from a collector to a historian is best illustrated when in 2016 when I debuted my lecture “Orange County’s Dairies and Their Milk Bottles.” Unlike past lectures, the “visual aid” was (at the time) my entire collection of approximately two hundred local milk bottles. Presented before the Hudson Valley Bottle Club, the lecture was very well received given that the audience largely consisted of bottle collectors. However, as the program grew more popular in the community among those with no intimate background knowledge concerning the bottles themselves, I understood that it was necessary to look beyond the bottles and research the history of Orange County’s dairy farms. That extra reach was well worth the effort; apart from transforming that particular program into one that was far more fascinating and approachable to all, I became hooked on Orange County’s history with milk—a place where the precious cargo was first transported by rail in 1842 and, by 1900, was populated by more than 2,900 dairy farms.
From Collector to Historian
By delving beyond the tangible object, I discovered my voice as an author and lecturer for sharing history that could not be accomplished through collecting alone. Since my first lecture in 2013, I have given more than forty programs on various topics of local history which can be seen in detail on my lectures page. As an author, my knowledge of the local dairy industry was first published in 2020 by Marist College’s peer-reviewed Hudson River Valley Review journal though, over the next two years, I successfully published eight articles in total including a second article on the Ellenville Glass Works in the Hudson River Valley Review and a publication on the Gomez Mill House of Marlboro, NY in the New York Archives Magazine (please read more about my publications on my OFF THE PRESS page). Throughout this transition, I have stayed true to my roots as a collector and, furthermore, welcome sharing the extensive knowledge I have gathered with others. Nearly all of my publications and/or lectures directly involve items that I have preserved over time. Currently, I steward six collections focusing on local history of Orange County and the Hudson Valley:
Richard L. Benjamin Archive of Borscht Belt Tourism History
Walter C. Stanfield Collection of Local History
Marvin H. Cohen Library of American Railroad History
William S. Johnson Collection of Orange County, New York Dairy Farming History
Orange County Milk Bottle Museum
Edward J. Crist Collection of Orange County Railroad History
Please change the second paragraph of “From Collector to Historian” to this: Each of these collections welcomes those wishing to study our region’s past and it is my hope that they can offer both insight and research-based assistance. In addition to these collections, I maintain a network of relationships with local historical societies around Orange County and the Hudson Valley that began with the Woodbury Historical Society (WHS) in 2012. One year after I joined, I was elected as the youngest trustee of WHS where I still serve today as well as being their collections manager. Other groups where I was once involved include the Ontario & Western Railway Historical Society, where I served as PR Chairman and a trustee, and the Hudson Valley Bottle Club where I was president from 2018-2020. As of 2023, I serve as collections manager and president of WHS as well as an advisory board member for the Catskills Borscht Belt Museum. For more information on my involvement in the field of history, please view My Studies.
In addition to my experience within local organizations, promoting local history over social media has often functioned simultaneously with my work in the field. To date, I have founded and currently administer three Facebook groups which sit prominently among topics of local history in the Hudson Valley
Railroads of Orange County, NY:
Antique Bottles from Orange County, NY:
The Borscht Belt: Its Artifacts, Ephemera, and Memorabilia:
In addition to these groups, my work can be found on social media through these avenues:
Hello. I'm Alex. 