On May 22, 1782, the Newburgh letter was sent to George Washington who was camped at Newburgh, New York; written for the army officers by Colonel Lewis Nicola, it proposed that Washington should become the King of the United States. Washington reacted very strongly against the suggestion, and was greatly troubled by it.
Lewis Nicola to George Washington, May 22, 1782, with Observations
Newburgh is a city in Orange County, New York, United States. With a population of 28,856 as of the 2020 census, it is a principal city of the Kiryas Joel-Poughkeepsie-Newburgh metropolitan area. Located 60 miles (97 km) north of New York City, and 90 miles (140 km) south of Albany on the Hudson River within the Hudson Valley Area, the city of Newburgh is located near Stewart International Airport, one of the primary airports for Downstate New York.
Downtown Newburgh from Beacon, across the Hudson River
Woodcut of Newburgh in 1842, when the Dutch Reformed Church, had its original dome and lantern
Water Street c. 1906; the buildings were demolished in urban renewal efforts of the 1960s and 1970s.
City manager Joseph Mitchell attending the Newburgh City Council in 1961