Time Capsule: Flashback to Hyde Park in the 1970s

In 1978, PBS aired an hour-long documentary on Hyde Park, NY. At the time, it boasted a population of 18,000 people (it has since almost doubled) and was in the middle of a commercial boom after the Vietnam War. The good news for those of us not parked in front of a TV in the 70s is that the footage was recently uploaded to YouTube. Take a look at what Hyde Park looked like in the 1970s compared to today.

1970s Footage of Hyde Park, NY

The documentary opens with a tour bus passing through the famous Hudson Valley town. The guide boasts that they will soon see the "cultural heritage and natural beauty" of the birthplace of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, including many "wooden and stone houses from the revolutionary war period". The good news is that most of those still stand today. As does the Vanderbilt mansion, which was featured along with an interview with a former chauffer.

Vanderbilt Mansion in Hyde Park, NY

The former driver explained that he was raised on Vanderbilt property and considered it his home. He also mentioned that before large companies like IBM came to the area, many residents relied on employment from rich families like the Roosevelts and Vanderbilts, and many were often hired on a part-time basis when they hosted guests and dignitaries.

New Commercial Development in Hyde Park, NY

The documentary also focused on new commercial developments in the town. The filmmakers seemed mostly interested in the conflict of burgeoning enterprise and the natural beauty of the area, asking business owners like Joe Molloy (of Molloy's Pharmacy) if beauty was taken into consideration when demolishing or building a new structure. "The concept of beauty to a business is a balanced bank account", Molloy answered. Check out the whole video:

How about time travelling with fast food restaurants? Check out the transformations of what used to be in the Hudson Valley below, and keep scrolling to see the INCREDIBLE Astor-Delano mansion for sale right up the road in Red Hook, NY.