While passing through Newburgh Bay in 1609, explorer Henry Hudson's shipmate noted that the locale would be ideal for a village. True to his prediction, some 200 years later Newburgh was incorporated as a village and has since become the Queen City of the Hudson. It is a city of historical reputation. Here, Gen. George Washington awarded the first Purple Heart and wrote his famous letter refusing to become a king. The Newburgh site known today as Washington's Headquarters is America's first historic preservation building--the 1750 Hasbrouck House. Newburgh provides a glimpse into the city's past, with chapters that tell the story of a city of industry and innovation. Newburgh had telephone service as early as 1879 and was the second city to have a street illumined by an electric light bulb. Its East End contains the largest historic district in the state, covering a total of 445 acres from the Hudson riverfront westward. Within the district are rare examples of Greek Revival, Federal, Italianate, and Second Empire designs.