Conrad Milster is the Chief Engineer at the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn and a steamboat enthusiast. Machine sounds are like music to Conrad Milster.  He spent hours collecting the sonic details of anything steam powered and today has over 100 reel to reel tapes of historic sounds. These are some of the sounds he recorded in the 1960s while riding on the Newburgh-Beacon ferry.  

 Interviewee: Conrad Milster

Recorded: April 12, 2008

Time Period: 1960's- 2008

Subjects: Hudson River, steamboats, steam powered engine, ferries

Collection: River Voices Audio Tour, Newburgh-Beacon Audio Tour

Credits: Photo of Conrad Milster by Sound and Story

Production: Produced by Eileen McAdam and narrated by Jim Metzner

One bell and a double jingle- what did it mean?

The Sound and Story Project, a non-profit organization, builds community memory and sense of place by recording and sharing our stories and regional sounds. We record oral histories of everyday people for radio programs, cell phone tours, web presentations and podcasts. Each person's unique voice is like a thread woven together into a tapestry of stories reflecting the diversity and rich heritage of the Hudson River Valley.

Our stories come from many places. Some are in library and museum oral history collections. Some come from recordings we have made. Some have been found by people like you in shoe boxes in the backs of closets. And some have yet to be told. Share with us your story or favorite sound of the Hudson Valley.

The Sound and Story Project of the Hudson Valley is a program of the World Sound Foundation, a tax exempt non-profit organization.

Contact Us
soundandstoryhv@gmail.com
The Sound and Story Project of the Hudson Valley
PO Box 919 
Stone Ridge, NY 12484