Week of August 1

July 31, 1875 – 150 YEARS AGO

Rockland County Journal

AROUND HOME

  ☞  A boat was stolen from J. Styles by the burglars who attempted to rob the residences of Messrs. Carrillo and Bode, on Thursday morning, 22d inst. It was recovered.

  ☞  When persons go to see a mad bull, it does not seem wise nor sensible for them to aggravate him by poking him with umbrellas, sticks, etc., even if he is securely chained.

  ☞  M. Van Wagner has rented the store formerly occupied by Mrs. W. J. Wilson, on Broadway, opposite the Reformed Church, and is now removing his establishment thither.

  ☞  The many friends of Abram Dickey, late of the County Clerk’s office, will be pained to learn that he is prostrated with consumption from which, it is feared, he will never recover.

  ☞  Dr. S. N. P. Y. Freeman, optician and oculist, has arrived in town, and will remain at the Rockland County Hotel, for a few days, where he can be consulted for diseases of the eye.

  ☞  On Thursday morning of last week burglars entered the residence of A. L. Carrillo, Grandview, and stole two silk dresses worth about $400, and some plated ware. They were shot at by Mr. Bode, also, while trying to enter his residence.

  ☞  A crowd of persons were gathered continually on the premises of Smith Lydecker, on Wednesday and Thursday, to see the cattle which were attacked with hydrophobia. If Smith had charged 10 cents a head, he could have made a considerable sum.

HYDROPHOBIA

    Considerable excitement has prevailed in our village this week, caused by the appearance of Hydrophobia among the stock of Smith Lydecker which were bitten by a rabid dog some time ago. Two horses and a cow have had to be killed, and a bull has had the worst symptoms of the disease, and will probably be shot.

July 31, 1925 – 100 YEARS AGO

Nyack Evening Journal

LESS PUPILS IN SCHOOL IN 1925 THAN LAST YEAR — Annual Report of Board of Education Shows Increase in District but Decrease in Enrollment — 51 Graduates from High School

       Nyack, July 28 — According to the annual report of the Board of Education, Union Free School, District No. 4, there were 123 less pupils in the schools here than the year previous. The report also shows that there was [sic] seven more children, between the ages of 5 and 18, in the school district. The 1924 report had a total of 1774 in the district and 1507 registered. This year there are 1781 children in the district, of school age, with only 1374 registered.

        There are 692 girls registered this year as against 758 last year while the boys have dropped from 749 last term to 682 this. 5l pupils graduated from the Nyack High School during the 1925 term and 15 entered higher institutions.

        The treasurer’s report shows receipts of $152,666.72 and the disbursements amounted to $31,377.27.

July 3, 1975 – 50 YEARS AGO

The Journal News

FLAGS ANYONE? TAKE YOUR PICK IN ROCKLAND

[Image: The much sought 'Bennington' in New City. Warren Inglese, Journal News photograph, July 30, 1975.]

        In the year before the bicentennial, Rocklanders have been rallying around the flag to such an extent that local suppliers are deluged with flag buyers and have been unable to keep up with the demand.

        It is not just the typical United States flag that people are after, either. They want special bicentennial flags, Betsy Ross flags and, apparently more than any other, the Bennington.

        The imminent 200th birthday of the nation has brought about a surge of flag buying and along with it some heightened interest in vexillology, the study of flags.

        One of the historical casualties resulting from current vexillological studies is the myth of Betsy Ross, according to the National Geographic Society in Washington.

        The celebrated seamstress of American folklore simply did not sew the first flag of the union, something an adoring grandson attributed to her 100 years after the purported fact, according to the society.

        The flag bearing her name though, with 13 stars and the familiar red, white and blue stripes, is a big seller, local retailers say.

        But the biggest favorite, according to Rockland merchants, is the Bennington, which has the same 13 stars encircling a ’76.

        “You just can’t keep them in stock,” said Bernadette Jones who works at Norman W. Dean and Sons, a Suffern flag shop. Ms. Jones said the buying streak began in April and that people might have to wait up to six weeks before purchasing a Bennington.

         “Everybody is buying them—young, middle-aged and old,” said Charlie Brownsell, who owns Flags of Rockland in Bardonia.

         “In the history of the United States there hasn’t been such a boom on flags,” he said.

        He estimated sales have risen about 2,000 percent from January to July at his store, and recalls a schoolteacher buying several recently to give to a group of exchange students visiting the country.

        Flags are not the only big sellers. “All the accessories are selling too,” said Otto Kimmel whose flag shop is in Nyack. “Until now I’ve never had much of a demand for poles and pulleys and the like, but people want them, too.”

        Simply living in the boundaries of Rockland County qualifies people here to purchase and display the official Bicentennial flag.

        When the American Revolution Bicentennial Administration was established two years ago, it specified that only those communities formulating special plans for the bicentennial could fly the official flag.

        Rockland’s bicentennial flag flies just beneath the flag of the United States in front of the county office building in New City. People trying to purchase facsimiles, however, might find a long wait.

        “We’ve noticed flags of all types all over the county,” said Thomas Casey, chairman of the Rockland County Bicentennial Commission. “What happens is, when someone gets a new flag, everyone else seems to follow.”

        His predecessor, Ralph Braden, said he receives literature daily offering all types of bicentennial mementos. “It’s unbelievable—everybody wants to make a buck on it,” he said. “A lot of it is just junk. We’re not looking for that kind of thing. We want something that will last, something with cultural and aesthetic value.”

        All of this comes back to the question of Betsy Ross. Historians cited by the Geographic Society say a congressman named Frances Hopkinson designed the first official flag about 200 years ago.

        He asked for a quarter cask of wine as payment but never received it or the credit that may have been due him.

This Week in Rockland (#FBF Flashback Friday) is prepared by Clare Sheridan for the Historical Society of Rockland County. © 2025 by The Historical Society of Rockland County. #FBF Flashback Friday may be reprinted only with written permission from the HSRC. To learn about the HSRC’s mission, upcoming events or programs, visit www.RocklandHistory.org or call (845) 634-9629.