1776, 1976, 2026

It was the Fourth of July, and I happened to be munching on a hot dog, enjoying a cold beverage, and watching fireworks when I caught myself wondering: What would a resident of Orangetown in 1776 think if they were standing beside me? Would they recognize the Hudson River, now sharing its shoreline with the shell of Indian Point? Would they marvel at the Tappan Zee Bridge and wonder what those tiny dots were traveling so quickly across it?

My mind then wandered to 1976. Would the teenagers cruising around in muscle cars and listening to KISS ever have imagined an era where a smartphone sits in nearly every pocket?

As the country, and Orangetown itself, continues to celebrate America’s 250th anniversary, I couldn’t help but ask a simple question: While the buildings, businesses, and technology have changed dramatically over the centuries, have the people really changed all that much? Those questions prompted me to take a quick drive over to the DePew House, home of the Orangetown Historical Museum & Archives.

Perhaps the biggest change from 1776 to today is the demographics, says local Orangetown historian Mary Cardenas. “According to the first census in 1790, Orangetown had a population of around 1,200 and was composed primarily of English and Dutch families,” says Mary. An early settler would probably recognize the famous 1776 House, The Dewint house, and a handful of other old sandstone houses that still stand today. They could probably recall basic roads, such as Kings Highway and Greenbush Road- now Western Highway.

As we spoke over coffee, I’m reminded that there was no Starbucks. Coffee at the time was often considered a luxury good brought back by traders from New York, while tea remained the preferred drink. Most of the town’s residents worked in various “blue-collar” occupations such as farming, carpentry, blacksmithing, and shoemaking. Leisure time consisted of visiting the local tavern and attending church. In the late 1700s, Orangetown’s Anglicans and Dutch Reformers took religion and church attendance very seriously. Church was the center of social life. It served as the Twitter and Instagram of the day—providing local gossip, community news, and a chance for neighbors to gather.

And then, in what feels like the blink of an eye on a historical timeline, Orangetown found itself in 1976: America turning 200 years old and the town entering a new chapter of its own.

Fast forward to 1976, and the sounds of church bells and wagon wheels on dirt roads had largely been replaced by the hum of station wagons pulling into driveways across Orangetown. “Orangetown in 1976 was a magical place, and the atmosphere was charged with hope and joy,” says Mary.

Gas $0.36, the population had climbed to nearly 50,000, and the community was no longer a quaint farming town. While local teenagers prowled the malls and adults spoke about the upcoming election between Carter and Ford, much of the talk of the town surrounded the upcoming Bicentennial celebration, which would take place in Tappan.

One notable event Mary recalls is the horse-drawn wagon train that paraded through Tappan in early June of 1976. The thirteen wagons each represented one of the original colonies.

Disco was the craze in 1976, and groups like the Bee Gees and Kool & The Gang made sure to keep the hope and spirit in the air “Stayin’ Alive. “One of the area’s largest employers at the time was American Cyanamid, whose former Pearl River campus is now occupied in part by Pfizer. Culturally, the nation was still recovering from Vietnam and grappling with economic uncertainty brought on by the oil crisis—much like the economic anxieties many Americans feel today. It was the Bicentennial that allowed the nation to come together once again under one central idea: the celebration of America and its future.

That future arrived this year: 2026.

Much as it did in 1976, the local community stepped up to honor its roots. On July 4th, there was a public reading of the Declaration of Independence in Tappan, followed by a patriotic parade featuring every hamlet and village in Orangetown. As Mary and the Orangetown Historical Society team show me around their signature exhibit, “1776/1976: From Democracy to Disco,” I begin to understand just how many things have changed in just fifty years.

Kids growing up watching The Jetsons and Space: 1999 probably assumed we’d have flying cars, robot maids, and perhaps even colonies on Mars by now. While we may not have any of those things, the generation of 1976 would undoubtedly be shocked to learn that we speak to a device named Siri, that the telephone has become a modern-day computer that fits in our pocket, and that millions of Americans now work outside the traditional office.

The communities of Orangetown now represent a more globally diverse population than ever before. “Today’s demographics include residents from India, Mexico, and the Philippines,” says Mary. Children can be seen filming TikTok and Instagram videos on local streets. Electric vehicles have begun replacing gas-powered automobiles, which themselves replaced the once-common horse and carriage. Groceries, cigarettes, and just about anything else can now be delivered with the push of a button.

Yet, in some ways, 2026 more closely echoes the turbulent times of 1776 than many would like to admit.

One could argue that, once again, both the nation and the quaint communities of Rockland County find themselves at a crossroads. The country and its local communities have become politically divided, something George Washington warned against in his 1796 Farewell Address.

While the Founding Fathers would no doubt be impressed by how the United States has become a beacon of democracy, they might also wonder whether we have forgotten some of the lessons they tried to instill 250 years ago.

And perhaps nowhere is that tension more evident than here in Orangetown itself. The community has changed, grown, and evolved. New residents have brought new cultures, ideas, and traditions, while longtime residents continue their efforts to preserve the character and identity they remember.

After 250 years, maybe that’s the real story of Orangetown; not that its people have changed, but that every generation, from 1776 to 1976 to 2026, has spent its time balancing the same two competing ideas: honoring the past while trying to build a better future.