Historic marker stands outside the building where Edison worked

NEWBURGH – Newburgh is billed as one of the first cities in the nation – if not the first – to be electrified by Thomas Edison.

To celebrate the city’s illumination, it would hold an Illumination Festival next summer in July, from the 21st through the 23rd, said Mayor Judy Kennedy.

“The light bulb is sort of the symbol of this festival and we are focusing on illuminating Newburgh and creating a festival that is just going to be a blowout festival for the whole Hudson Valley,” Kennedy said.

A historic marker stands in front of a small old brick building behind Newburgh Free Library marking the spot where Edison’s electricity project began in Newburgh.