Week of September 11

September 9, 1876 – 150 YEARS AGO

Rockland County Journal

AROUND HOME

  ☞  Croquet-playing by moonlight is indulged in in Nyack. It is good for the ladies, but bad for the unfortunate gentlemen who never can see through "moonshine."

  ☞      Visitors to Oak Hill Cemetery are particularly instructed not to allow their dogs to follow them on the premises. If they do, there is danger of losing the dogs.

  ☞      Hon. Seth L. Milliken, of Maine, will address the ratification meeting in Smithsonian Hall, on Monday evening, 18th inst. The meeting will begin at half-past seven o'clock.

  ☞      The newest "shining" light in Nyack is a bootblack, who will polish you up to the highest degree for five cents. Patronize him and make him a permanent fixture among us.

  ☞    Haverstraw will have a "Peach Festival and Old Style Kitchen" next Tuesday evening, 12th inst. Eye bread, pumpkin pie and pork and beans will constitute some of the luxuries of the occasion.

  ☞     The opening of Piermont Library Hall was one of the most complete successes ever witnessed in our county. The receipts, as far as heard from, already have reached over $1,200. We wish the Association the highest success.

  ☞     The Albany Day Boats, which land at the Nyack and Tarrytown ferryboat, carry as many as 700 or 800 through passengers every day. It is said that the travel on these boats was never so heavy as during the present season.

  ☞     The recent 4th of July oration, by W. A. Sheppard, would make an excellent Democratic campaign document.--City and Country.  Mr. Sheppard's oration was a fine expression of pure American sentiment, and free from political bias.

September 11, 1926 – 100 YEARS AGO

Nyack Evening Journal

BOYS SEE BODY OF HAVERSTRAW MAN IN HUDSON - "Joker" Mitchell, a Mysterious Bricktown Character, Comes to Death Through Drowning Coroner Sees No Hint of Foul Play

         Haverstraw, Sept. 11---The body of a man known here only as "Joker" Mitchell was found in the Hudson River yesterday afternoon by two boys who were fishing. They reported to Coroner Dutcher, who had Victor Shankey remove the body to his undertaking parlors.

         Mitchell, a man about 54, had no family here, and little of his life or relations is known. There is no suspicion of foul play.

         Coroner Dutcher has not yet stated how long the body had been in the water.

September 8, 1976 – 50 YEARS AGO

Our Town

HISTORIC HIKERS READY TO WALK

[Image:  Gardner Watts, by Robert Sciarrino.  Image clipped from the Journal News]

          The Historical Hikers, under the leadership of Gardner Watts, will open their 22nd year of continuous activities with their first Fall hike on Sunday, Sept. 12, The Historical Hikers are sponsored by seven public school systems in Bergen and Rockland Counties.
          Four-hour weekly walking trips will meander along the trails of the Palisades Interstate Park in the Ramapo Mountains. As in previous years there will be visitations to at least one iron mine, Indian shelters, and sites relating to the Revolutionary War. Members are encouraged to bring a light lunch and beverage for the mid-hike stop at a scenic area, In addition to the trail exploration and local history emphasis, & large staff of veteran hikers will share their knowledge of conservation, botany and geology.
          Course registration fee of $16 for the eight hike series may be paid at the first outing when members gather at 1 p.m. Sunday, Sept, 12 at the Suffern village parking lot opposite the post office on Chestnut Street, Orangetown hikers are invited.

This Week in Rockland (#FBF Flashback Friday) is prepared by Clare Sheridan for the Historical Society of Rockland County. © 2026 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.