Week of August 22
August 21, 1875 – 150 YEARS AGO
Rockland County Journal
AROUND HOME
☞ Mr. Massalon, artist, has just finished in oil portraits of Com. Voorhis and wife, Mrs. Jacob Voorhis and Seth B. Cole. The work is most admirably executed and the likenesses almost perfect.
☞ Rev. Elbert Clement will deliver a sermon entitled Romanism-Past and Present, and how it should be treated,” in the M. E. Church. Spring Valley, on Sunday morning, Aug. 22d inst.
☞ Rev. Mr. Byder, of Poughkeepsie, has leased Commodore Voorhis large and handsome building on Broadway, corner of Voorhis Avenue, for the purpose of establishing a Young Ladies Institute.
☞ Next Saturday afternoon, 28th inst., the “U. A. C.” of Nyack, will give a Hurdle Race, Running Match, Sack Race, and Three-legged Race, on the grounds of Tunis DePew, on Cedar Hill Avenue, near Broadway, free for all.
☞ Recently while a party of ladies and gentlemen were enjoying a sail on the Mahwah, in Ramapo, a huge water-snake fell from the branch of an overhanging tree and landed in the boat. There was wild excitement there for a few minutes.
August 20, 1925 – 100 YEARS AGO
Pearl River News
ROOSEVELT TO SPEAK
The Woman’s Democratic Club of Rockland County will hold a Reception, Dinner and Dance at the Villa Pierre, Piermont, on Thursday, September 10th to the Hon. Franklin D. Roosevelt. It is a great honor to have so prominent a gentleman as Mr. Roosevelt to address the people of Rockland County and a large attendance is expected. Reception at 6 p.m., dinner at 7:30 and Dance at 9. Tickets are on sale throughout the county by members of the Club. Make your reservations early.
August 20, 1975 – 50 YEARS AGO
The Journal News
CRABS TO BE TESTED AS WELL
[Image: Donald Anderson, James DiNuzzo, and Joseph Lyons crab in Stony Point. Journal News Staff photo by Warren Inglese.]
The crabs, perch and catfish Rockland residents have been catching in the Hudson River may be victims of the chemical pollution which recently caused state health and environmental officials to warn against eating Hudson striped and large mouth bass.
No tests in the Rockland area have been made yet, so the possibility of PCB (polychlorinated biphenyl) pollution of crabs, catfish and perch in the Tappan Zee Bridge area cannot be ruled out, according to Robert McManus, communications director of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.
Robert O. Whalen, commissioner of the New York State Health Department, said no more than one serving of fish caught in the Hudson should be eaten each week. Hudson bass should be avoided entirely, he said, because their longer life span allows more chemical to accumulate.
Whalen issued the warnings against bass earlier this month. He blamed PCB pollution, and ordered a series of sampling tests in several areas of the river, including the Tappan Zee Bridge.
Some of the tests have begun, but tests in the Rockland area are two weeks away.
“We are aware of the popularity of crabbing in Rockland County,” said McManus, “and just have not been able to get around to running sample tests down there. We will be moving into the Rockland area within the next two weeks, and plan to test crabs, perch, pickerel, and catfish for PCB’s concentration.
The department recently completed a follow-up sampling in the Coxsackie area, about 100 miles north of Rockland, which indicated that PCB in pickerel, small mouth bass and white perch exceeded the federal government standard of five parts per million.
PCBs are used in the production of electronic equipment—particularly transformers and capacitators—and were used in the production of paper, plastics and paint until recently.
According to McManus, the pollution of the river is caused by runoff from wastewater used to wash manufactured equipment, and by seepage from landfill containing plastics and other wastes.
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.
