2016 Events
Candlelight Tours of the Jacob Blauvelt House
When: December 11 & 18, 2016, and January 8 & 15, 2017. Tours start PROMPTLY at 5 and 6:30
Where: Jacob Blauvelt House, 20 Zukor Road, New City
Price: Adults (non-HSRC members) - $10; Seniors and HSRC Members - $8; Children - $5
Spend an enchanting evening at the historic 1832 Jacob Blauvelt farmhouse, illuminated with candlelight and lanterns, fragrant with traditional sweets, and decorated with festive greenery. Experience Dutch American holiday traditions of the 1830s with nineteenth century music and song and seasonal refreshments.
Prepaid reservations are required. Space is limited. The reservation price includes admission to the 41st Annual Holiday Exhibition.
Saint Nicholas Day
When: Saturday, December 3: 10:30 am, 12:00 pm, 1:30 pm, 3:00 pm; Sunday, December 4: 10:30 am, 12:00 pm, 1:30 pm, 3:00 pm. Program duration: 45 minutes
Where: Jacob Blauvelt House, 20 Zukor Road, New City
Price: $5 per person (adults and children)
Visit the Historical Society of Rockland County for an unforgettable experience of wonder and fun! We?re opening our 1832 Jacob Blauvelt House to welcome children of all ages to celebrate Saint Nicholas as we?ve done since 1961. This traditional program is a highlight of the holiday season, and many adults who enjoyed this event in the past, as children, now bring their own families. Each child receives a special treat in his or her shoe from Saint Nicholas, and everyone can visit with Saint Nicholas and his horse!
Enjoy refreshments and visit our 41st Annual Holiday Exhibition, "Let It Snow! Rockland in Wintertime."
History in Your Own Backyard Bus Tour: The Pipe Organs of Haverstraw
When: Saturday, November 19, 2016
Where: Bus leaves Haverstraw Village Parking Lot, 40 New Main Street, Haverstraw, at 8:45am SHARP; trip concludes at 2;30 pm, after lunch*
Price: $64/person (HSRC members); $69/person (non-members). Includes bus transportation, guided tours, and lunch
Our bus tour will travel to sites of several of Haverstraw's most historic and well-known pipe organs, including St. Peter’s Roman Catholic Church; Central Presbyterian Church; Trinity Episcopal Church and more. We will experience these instruments as their organists present classical, sacred and popular selections.
This trip will conclude with lunch at a local restaurant — Union Restaurant, Mariella’s, or Terrace on the Hudson (we’ll let you know which one before the trip) — and a return bus ride to the Haverstraw Village Parking Lot, located at 40 New Main Street, across the street from Haverstraw Village Hall.
Evening Lecture: The Red Apple Rest, with Elaine Freed Lindenblatt
When: Thursday, November 17, 2016; 7:15 pm SHARP (as a courtesy to the speaker, please arrive early to avoid interruptions)
Where: History Center Community Room, 20 Zukor Road, New City
Admission: $FREE (but reservations are required)
If you ever stopped at the Red Apple Rest, the landmark restaurant is about to return the favor. Elaine Freed Lindenblatt will be here with the inside story of her family's colorful eatery. Take a fifty-year armchair ride back along New York Route 17 and learn what it was like to grow up in a round-the-clock family business that served more than one million customers annually. Elaine's book Stop at the Red Apple will be available for sale and signing. Elaine Freed Lindenblatt is the youngest daughter of Reuben Freed, a Russian immigrant who turned his roadside stop into the celebrated Red Apple Rest. Elaine is an editor and writer whose essays on topics ranging from slice-of-life to the Holocaust are widely published in Hudson Valley newspapers. She calls her book Stop at the Red Apple "the story I had to tell." More about the book is available online at www.StopattheRedApple.com and www.Sunypress.edu.
4th Annual Fall Family Festival with Heritage of West Nyack and the Town of Clarkstown
When: Sunday, October 23, 2016, 12–4 pm, rain or shine!
Where: 131 Germonds Road at Germonds Park, West Nyack
Admission: $FREE
Showcasing the Historic Traphagen and Vanderbilt/Budke Houses. Activities include: Horse-Drawn Hayrides (12:30-3:30 pm): Pumpkin Picking, Decorating and Painting; Children's Games and Crafts (Stencil Art, Writing with a Quill Pen and more). Come see what life was like for a child in 1791; Lace Making Demonstration by Mayra Petretti, Metropolitan Chapter IOLI, in north wing of Traphagen House; Pen Turning Workshop, Hudson Valley Wood Turners, for ages 12 and up; Story time with Stephanie and Dustin Hausner (1:00 pm and again at 2:00 pm); Jonathan Nedbor, Blacksmith. A complete blacksmithing set-up as well as a large display of historic examples of hand-forged tools and objects. Visit with Ben Franklin portrayed by Jack Sherry. Meet with Dr. Franklin and learn about his life as an entrepreneur, printer, author, scientist, inventor, statesman, and ambassador. Revolutionary War Camp Life demonstrations by the New Jersey Militia, Heard's Brigade, Reenactment Group, with tents, open-fire cooking, militia drills, musket firing and marching Discussion of the Restoration of the Budke House by historic restoration expert Tim Adriance A nature walk with Paul Tappenden (2:00-4:00 pm) identifying edible and medicinal native plants, meet at the Budke House Food Vendors & Refreshments for purchase Free Mini Golf at adjacent Germonds Park (pick up tickets at Raffle Table)
Local History Meetup: Hamilton's America Documentary Viewing
When: Friday, October 21, 8:30–10:30 pm
Where:Tappan Library, 93 Main Street, Tappan
Admission: $FREE (but space is limited, and reservations are required)
This is a meetup announcement for history enthusiasts. Join fellow Hamilton super-fans for a viewing of the all new documentary Hamilton's America. The film brings history to vivid life through the lens of Lin-Manuel Miranda;s pop-culture Broadway phenomenon Hamilton as this winner of eleven Tony Awards and the Pulitzer Prize explodes onto Thirteen's Great Performances. The story of Alexander Hamilton is most remembered for its dramatic conclusion, which saw Hamilton killed in a duel by Vice President Aaron Burr. But the full story of this political genius, a poor immigrant who built himself up from nothing to become one of the most vital architects of the new nation, has largely been forgotten by history . . . until now. Today, Hamilton's fan club is vocal and growing, thanks in no small measure to the Tony, Grammy, and Emmy-winning composer and actor Lin-Manuel Miranda's revolutionary musical. With its young cast claiming America's history as its own, Broadway's Hamilton is redefining how audiences learn about history.
Film Screening: The Tappan Zee Bridge: Transforming Rockland County
When: Thursday, October 20, 2016, 7:30 pm SHARP
Where: HSRC Community Room, 20 Zukor Road, New City
Admission: $FREE (but space is limited, and pre-registration is required)
Built during a time of great optimism in America, the Tappan Zee Bridge led Rockland County into the era of the automobile. Along with the New York State Thruway, the bridge enabled Rockland County to modernize its roads and support a highway system that would tie it to the rest of the country. Cutting-edge building techniques anchored the Tappan Zee Bridge across the Hudson and connected two shores where only ferries had once made the crossing. Come along on this ride of progress and discover the remarkable story of the cantilever bridge that transformed Rockland County!
Historic Homes & Landmarks Tour: 400 Years of Haverstraw!
When: Saturday, October 15, 10 am–4 pm
Where: Day-of-Event Ticket Pick-Up and Purchase at Haverstraw Town Hall, One Rosman Road, Garnerville
Price: $40 in advance ($45, day of event).
In 1616, the name "Haverstroo" made its first known appearance on a Dutch map. In 2016, we are pleased to present "400 Years of Haverstraw," a self-guided Historic Homes & Landmarks Tour that highlights the Town's rich and vibrant history. Included among the 10 outstanding sites on this year's tour are: the Bricktown Inn and Casa Hudson, nineteenth-century homes that have been beautifully restored as B&Bs, in the Village of Haverstraw; the Rockland Print Works Historic District/Garner Arts Center in the Village of West Haverstraw; anda selection of other homes, businesses & landmark sites throughout the Town of Haverstraw that, most of which are not regularly open to the public and all of which will remain secret until tour day. Special thanks to Beckerle Lumber Remodeling Showrooms, our 2016 Historic Homes & Landmarks Tour sponsor! Proceeds benefit the Historical Society of Rockland County and the Town of Haverstraw Quadricentennial Committee.
Film Screening: High Tor, starring Bing Crosby and Julie Andrews
When: Saturday, October 1, 2016: film screening, 11:30 am (Wurlitzer organ recital, 11 am); VIP luncheon and panel discussion, 1:30 pm
Where: Film screening, Lafayette Theatre, 97 Lafayette Avenue, Suffern; post-film luncheon at Marcello's Ristorante, 21 Lafayette Avenue, Suffern
Price: $69 per person ($64 per person for HSRC Members). Includes film admission and luncheon* ($5 screening only tickets are available at Fandango.com)
We are thrilled to sponsor this special screening of the rarely seen film High Tor at Suffern's Lafayette Theatre. It is the first time the film will be shown in Rockland County, where the story is set. Based on a play of the same name, Maxwell Anderson's High Tor, the first "made-for-TV" movie in history, was originally broadcast on CBS in 1956. The play, produced in 1937, led to the preservation High Tor Mountain by the Palisades Interstate Park Commission. The TV version stars Bing Crosby and Julie Andrews in her film and television debut. Crosby plays Van Van Dorn, the owner of High Tor, who is being badgered to sell his mountain when he is trapped by a rock slide with some "shady" realtors. That night, he meets the spirit of a Dutch girl named Lisa, played by Andrews. The HSRC thanks the family of Bing Crosby; HLC Properties; and particularly Bing Crosby's widow, Kathryn Crosby, who is delighted that the film will be shown at the Lafayette Theatre in conjunction with Rockland County History Month (October) and that the screening is part of the Haverstraw 400th anniversary celebration. High Tor went unseen in storage for more than fifty years when the film historian Joe Yranski, who had become friends with Kathryn Crosby, gained access to it through her generosity. It was shown at a members-only screening for the Film Society of Lincoln Center sixteen years ago; again in October 2015, in Fort Lee; and now in Rockland County at the Lafayette. Panelists at the post-film VIP luncheon at Marcello's will include Mr. Yranski; Jamie Anderson; and other invited participants.
Local History Meetup: A Day of History in Orangetown
When: Saturday, September 24, 2016 (first stop, 10:30 am)
Where: Meet at the Blauvelt Free Library, Western Highway, Blauvelt
Admission: $FREE (donations are greatly appreciated at tour stops)
We'll start the morning by walkking the new Clarke Rail Trail round-trip fron Blauvelt to Orangeburg and back). We'll then drive to the Camp Shanks Museum in Orangeburg for a guided gallery tour and finish at the DeWint House in Tappan by attending the Tappantown Historical Society's annual Colonial Day event.
History in Your Own Backyard Bus Tour: Historic Cemeteries in Haverstraw
When: Saturday, September 17, 2016
Where: Bus leaves Haverstraw Village Parking Lot, 40 New Main Street, Haverstraw, at 8:45am SHARP; trip concludes at 2;30 pm, after lunch*
Price: $64/person (HSRC members); $69/person (non-members). Includes bus transportation, guided tours, and lunch
We are pleased to offer a bus tour of several historic cemeteries in the Town of Haverstraw, including Mount Repose, St. Peter's, Congregation Sons of Jacob, Calico Hill, Letchworth Village, and St. John's in the Wilderness. A knowledgeable guide will board the bus at each stop, presenting the history of each cemetery. In addition, we will learn about some notable people buried at each cemetery. Although we will be disembarking at two or three cemeteries, these stops will not involve a lot of walking.
Boat Trip: The Tappan Zee Bridge Experience: Past, Present and Future
When: Tuesday, August 30, 2016, rain or shine!
Where: Boarding at Haverstraw Marina (9:30-9:45 am); trip ends at the marina between 1:30 and 3 pm (departure and return times may vary depending on tides)
Price: $88 per person (HSRC Members); $93 per person (Non-members). Includes boat transportation, guided tour, and box luncheon.
The Tappan Zee Bridge is the largest infrastructure project under way in the United States. The HSRC is pleased to offer an exclusive opportunity to observe this important undertaking from a unique vantage point. Join us on the River Rose, a Mississippi-style paddle-wheeler, as we cruise along the Rockland shore of the Hudson River to the Tappan Zee Bridge. Participants will view the current bridge construction from vantage points that are as near to the bridge as LEGALLY & SAFELY possible. Narration and commentary will be provided by historians from the HSRC, as well as by leaders of the current bridge project. These guides will also be available to answer questions you have about the past, present and future of the Tappan Zee Bridge. On our return trip, we will enjoy a cruise along the Westchester shoreline.
Bus Tour: Town of Haverstraw
When: Saturday, August 13, 2016
Where: Leaves the Haverstraw Village Municipal Parking Lot (corner of New Main Street and Maple Avenue) at 9:30 am and returns at midday for lunch. Luncheon concludes around 2 pm.
Price: $64/person (HSRC Members); $69/person (Non-Members). Includes bus transportation, guided tour with the Town Historian, and a delicious lunch.
In honor of Haverstraw's 400th Anniversary, join us on our luxury motorcoach for this all-inclusive guided tour of the Village and the Town. We will see significant Native American, American Revolution, arts, sports, and early industrial locations with Town Historian Steve Cobb, with off-the-bus stops at four locations. All tips and a delicious lunch at Haverstraw's fabulous Union Restaurant are included.
Haverstraw 400th Lecture: Community Conversation about Immigration
When: Thursday, July 21, 2016, 7:15 sharp
Where: Community Room, HSRC, 20 Zukor Road, New City
Admission: $FREE (but space is limited strictly, and reservations are required)
From New Netherland to New York, immigrants from every part of the world have made their home in our state. The Historical Society of Rockland County invites you to join us on July 21, from 7:15 to 9:00, for a Community Conversation about Immigration. The conversation will focus on a short excerpt from President Lyndon B. Johnson’s “Remarks at the Signing of the Immigration Bill,” followed by an open discussion exploring our shared history as immigrants and the descendants of immigrants, and the ways that immigration continues to shape the experience of being American today. This program is made possible by the New York Council for the Humanities. To keep the conversation flowing, space at this program will be strictly limited, and reservations are first come, first served.
Boat Trip: The Tappan Zee Bridge Experience: Past, Present and Future
When: Wednesday, July 13, 2016, rain or shine!
Where: Boarding at Haverstraw Marina (9:30–9:45 am); trip ends at the marina between 1:30 and 3 pm (departure and return times may vary depending on tides)
Price: $88 per person (HSRC Members); $93 per person (Non-members). Includes boat transportation, guided tour, and box luncheon.
The Tappan Zee Bridge is the largest infrastructure project under way in the United States. The HSRC is pleased to offer an exclusive opportunity to observe this important undertaking from a unique vantage point. Join us on the River Rose, a Mississippi-style paddle-wheeler, as we cruise along the Rockland shore of the Hudson River to the Tappan Zee Bridge. Participants will view the current bridge construction from vantage points that are as near to the bridge as LEGALLY & SAFELY possible. Narration and commentary will be provided by historians from the HSRC, as well as by leaders of the current bridge project. These guides will also be available to answer questions you have about the past, present and future of the Tappan Zee Bridge. On our return trip, we will enjoy a cruise along the Westchester shoreline.
Film Screening: Hudson River Brick Makers (Reprise)
When: Thursday, June 16, 2016; 7:30 pm SHARP
Where: HSRC, 20 Zukor Road, New City
Admission: $FREE (reservations required)
The program sold out so quickly when it was presented on April 21, we're offering it again! In the late nineteenth century and early twentieth century, the Hudson River Valley was the undisputed world capital of brick making. At its height, more than 130 brickyards teemed with workers from Haverstraw to Albany. The growth of the brickyards coincided with the explosive growth of building in New York City. This 30-minute film demonstrates how bricks, so ubiquitous in New York City that they go unnoticed, are a prism through which we can view larger issues, including immigration, industrial innovation, labor relations and urban planning. The last Hudson River brickyard closed in 2002, ending three-and-a-half centuries of brick making on the Hudson. The filmmaker, Jim Ormond, started Local History Channel in 2012. Since then, his local history segments have been seen on Cablevision in the New York metropolitan area and, more recently, on PBS. Ormond is a former reporter and print editor; together with a talented team of actors, narrators, researchers, videographers and video editors he effectively tells important stories about local history.
Local History Meetup: "Past/Forward" at the Orangetown Historical Museum
When: Thursday, June 23, 2016, 10:30 am
Where: Orangetown Historical Museum, 196 Chief Bill Harris Way, Orangeburg
Admission: $FREE (but donations are greatly appreciated!)
This event is jointly sponsored by the Orangetown Historical Museum & Archives in Orangeburg and the HSRC. This is a meetup announcement for history enthusiasts. Curator Elizabeth Skrabonja will lead a tour of the museum's newest exhibition entitled "Past/Forward." The exhibition invites the viewer to consider what is old in a new way. The show will expose the visitor to bits and pieces of the past, preserved, protected, reimagined. Among other focal points, the museum conserves and exhibits Dutch American history and heritage. Preserving the past never gets old; it allows for a continuity of place. It opens the door to the future. In addition to the archival and historical aspects of the exhibition, guests will learn about the imaginative interpretive sculpture by Nynke Koster that takes inspiration from classical architectural detail. Koster's work balances on the border between design and autonomous work. Re-appropriating the history of architecture, she reconfigeres ornaments to a physical, tangible presence in space. Her ambition is to create pieces of "furniture" which simultaneously serve as a functional object and a new autonomous work of art.
Walk through History: New City Park
When: Saturday, June 11, 2016, 9:30am (rain or shine)
Where: Meeting location will be provided with a confirmed reservation
Price: $5/person. Includes guided walk. Lunch is not included.
This guided walk will include highlights such as the Cropsey Farmhouse, the (only) Lighthouse in New City, the question of slave burial at the cemetery, the Rockland Farm Alliance, Red Hill Cafe, Norwegian influence in the area, local home histories, and New City Park Lake & Clubhouse, as well as the New City Park Evangelical Free Church. Optional at the end of the tour is an impromptu and on your own lunch at Red Hill Cafe. Please note that this “Walk Through History” will include some off-pavement walking on uneven ground. Please consider this as you make your reservations.
"The Immigrant": A Play by Mark Harelik
When: Sunday, May 22, 2016, 2 pm
Where: Barn Playhouse, Penguin Repertory Theatre, 7 Crickettown Road, Stony Point
Price: $47 per person ($42 for HSRC members)
In 1909, Haskell Harelik emigrated from Russia. Instead of going to New York, he ended up in Hamilton, Texas (population 1,203--no Jews). This is the true story of the playwright's grandfather, a stranger in a strange land, who spoke no English, but with a wheelbarrow, a bunch of bananas, and the support of a Texan couple claimed stake to the American dream. Following the performance, meet the actors and enjoy refreshments at a special reception hosted by Penguin Rep's Executive Director Andrew Horn, Artistic Director Joe Brancato, and the theatre's Board of Trustees. There is plenty of free parking in the parking lot adjacent to the Barn Playhouse and in the parking field below. ADA parking is limited, so please arrive early. Proceeds from this event benefit the education and preservation missions of the Historical Society of Rockland County.
Rockland County Executive's Historic Preservation Awards Country Supper
When: Sunday, May 15, 2016, 4–7 pm
Where: Historical Society of Rockland County, Jacob Blauvelt Historic Site, 20 Zukor Road, New City
Price: $50, pre-paid basic reservation; $70, pre-paid benefactor reservation (includes a listing in our journal)
The Country Supper celebrates Rockland County Preservation Week and honors the winners of the 26th Annual Rockland County Executive's Historic Preservation Merit Awards.Tour the Historic Jacob Blauvelt House and visit our History Center exhibitions. Cocktails at 4 pm; supper and ceremony, 5–7 pm. Featuring the delightful cuisine of Mimi's Plate. The keynote speaker is Liz McEnaney, Executive Director, SS Columbia Project, and Adjunct Professor, Columbia University's Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation. Festive attire.
History in Your Own Backyard Bus Tour: Historic Houses of Worship in Haverstraw
When: Saturday, June 4, 2016
Where: Bus leaves Haverstraw Village Parking Lot, 40 New Main Street, Haverstraw, at 8:45 am SHARP; trip concludes at 2:30 pm, after lunch*
Price: $69/person (non-members); $64/person (HSRC members). Includes bus transportation, guided tours, and lunch
We are pleased to offer a bus tour of several historic houses of worship, including St. Peter’s Roman Catholic Church, Congregation Sons of Jacob, St. Thomas AME Zion Church, Fairmount Baptist Church, Central Presbyterian Church. St. John’s in the Wilderness Episcopal Church * This trip will conclude with lunch at a local restaurant — Union Restaurant, Mariella’s, or Terrace on the Hudson (we’ll let you know which one before the trip)—and a return bus ride to the Haverstraw Village Parking Lot, located at 40 New Main Street, across the street from Haverstraw Village Hall.
Boat Trip: Tappan Zee Bridge Experience: Past, Present and Future
When: Thursday, June 9, 2016, rain or shine!
Where: Boarding at Haverstraw Marina (9:30-9:45 am); trip ends at the marina between 1:30 and 3 pm (departure and return times may vary depending on tides)
Price: $88 per person (HSRC Members); $93 per person (Non-members). Includes boat transportation, guided tour, and box luncheon.
The Tappan Zee Bridge is the largest infrastructure project under way in the United States. The HSRC is pleased to offer an exclusive opportunity to observe this important undertaking from a unique vantage point. Join us on the River Rose, a Mississippi-style paddle-wheeler, as we cruise along the Rockland shore of the Hudson River to the Tappan Zee Bridge. Participants will view the current bridge construction from vantage points that are as near to the bridge as LEGALLY & SAFELY possible. Narration and commentary will be provided by historians from the HSRC, as well as by leaders of the current bridge project. These guides will also be available to answer questions you have about the past, present and future of the Tappan Zee Bridge.
On our return trip, we will enjoy a cruise along the Westchester shoreline.
Evening Lecture: The Irish of Rockland County
When: Thursday, May 19, 2016; 7:15 pm SHARP
Where: HSRC, 20 Zukor Road, New City
Admission: $FREE (reservations required)
George Leahy will explore the history of all things Irish in Rockland. Mr. Leahy's roots in Rockland County go back to the mid-1800s, when his Irish ancestors settled in Haverstraw. Now retired, Leahy taught history at Nanuet High School for thirty years and most recently was an adjunct professor of history at St. Thomas Aquinas College. The program focuses on the arrival and impact of the Irish on the political, social, and economic history of Rockland.
Annual Meeting
The Annual Meeting of the Historical Society of Rockland County will be held on Monday, April 4, 2016, at the HSRC's History Center, 20 Zukor Road, New City, New York, 7:00 pm. The order of business will include reports of the committees and elections of Trustees and officers. All members of the public are invited. The Nominating Committee offers the names of the following Historical Society members:
Trustees nominated for a three-year term (2019):
- Joni Anger, Pomona
- Veronica DeMeo Boesch, Airmont
- Larry Kigler, New City
- Madeline Muller, West Nyack
- Joseph Natale, Haverstraw
Officers nominated for a one-year term:
President: Judge Alfred Weiner, Wesley Hills
1st Vice President: Veronica DeMeo Boesch, Airmont
2nd Vice President: Gordon Wren, Spring Valley
Treasurer: [open]
Secretary: Caroline R. Tapley, Piermont
Trustees continuing in office
Term 2017
- Richard W. Anderson, Congers
- Larry Singer, Esq., Thiells
- Jeff Weinberger, Esq., New City
- Gordon Wren, Spring Valley
Term 2018
- Dustin Hausner, New City
- Thomas J. O’Reilly, Pearl River
- Judge William Sherwood, Stony Point
- Judge Alfred Weiner, Wesley Hills
Walk through History: Hamlet of Blauvelt
When: Saturday, April 2, 2016, 9:30 am
Where: Blauvelt Free Library, Western Highway.
Price: $5. Space is limited; pre-paid reservations are required.
Join Laura Grunwerg, director of the Blauvelt Free Library and author of One Hamlet, Many Blauvelts, for a guided stroll through the history of the settlement once called Greenbush (1700s) and then Blauveltville (1800s). Learn about the Blauvelt family, among the original settlers of Rockland County, who built the beautiful Dutch sandstone homes lining historic Western Highway, including Judge Cornelius Blauvelt, from whom the hamlet takes its name and whose home has served the community as the Library since 1961.
Walk through History: Haverstraw Village
When: Saturday, April 16, 2016, 9:30 am (rain or shine)
Where: If you have a confirmed reservation and still do not know where the group is meeting, you must call the HSRC at (845) 634-9629 by 4 pm today (4/15/16) or email [email protected] by 8 am tomorrow (4/16/16)
Price: $39 per person; $35 for HSRC members. Includes guided walk and delicious luncheon at Union Restaurant.
Join George Leahy for a walk through one of the Rockland County's most historic towns. Leahy's roots in Haverstraw go back to the mid-1800s, when his Irish ancestors settled here. Now retired, Leahy taught history at Nanuet High School for thirty-five years and for the past ten years was an adjunct professor of history at St. Thomas Aquinas College. After the walk, guests will enjoy a delicious three-course luncheon at Union Restaurant. The year 2016 marks the 400th anniversary of the Town of Haverstraw. We are delighted to present this guided "Walk through History" in conjunction with the Town of Haverstraw's Quadricentennial Celebration.
Film Screening: Hudson River Brickmakers
When: Thursday, April 21, 2016; 7:30 pm SHARP
Where: HSRC, 20 Zukor Road, New City
Price: $FREE (reservations required)
In the late nineteenth century and early twentieth century, the Hudson River Valley was the undisputed world capital of brick making. At its height, more than 130 brickyards teemed with workers from Haverstraw to Albany. The growth of the brickyards coincided with the explosive growth of building in New York City. This 30-minute film demonstrates how bricks, so ubiquitous in New York City that they go unnoticed, are a prism through which we can view larger issues, including immigration, industrial innovation, labor relations and urban planning. The last Hudson River brickyard closed in 2002, ending three-and-a-half centuries of brick making on the Hudson. The filmmaker, Jim Ormond, started Local History Channel in 2012. Since then, his local history segments have been seen on Cablevision in the New York metropolitan area and, more recently, on PBS. Ormond is a former reporter and print editor; together with a talented team of actors, narrators, researchers, videographers and video editors he effectively tells important stories about local history.
Annual Dinner
When: Sunday, March 6, 2016, 5-9 pm
Where: The View on the Hudson, 101 Shad Row, Piermont
Price: Tickets: $100 (listing at the Friend level in the souvenir journal), $150 (listing at the Patron level), or $200 (listing at the Sponsor/Supporter level). Prepaid reservations are strongly recommended!
Lifetime Service Award: Marianne B. Leese, Senior Historian of the Historical Society of Rockland County. Within a few months of arriving in Rockland in 1976, Marianne was volunteering at the Historical Society. She was present for the dedication of the new museum in 1977 and helped install its first exhibition. She is a former editor of our quarterly journal, South of the Mountains, and continues to serve as contributing editor; has been involved with the historical marker program for thirty years; and co-chairs the Collections Committee.
Community Service Award: Joseph P. Gordon, a lifelong Haverstraw resident and U.S. Navy veteran, is the oldest living member of General Warren Emergency Company #2 and oldest surviving chief of the Haverstraw Fire Department. He has also served on the Haverstraw-Stony Point Central School District Board; the BOCES Board; the Haverstraw Village Democratic Committee; the Haverstraw Ambulance Corps; and the Village Board of Haverstraw, and has been a member, among many other organizations, of the Haverstraw Garden Club; the New York State Liquid Asphalt Dealers Association; the Rockland County Volunteer Firefighters Association; and the Historical Society of Rockland County.
Living Landmark Award: David Lipman, lifelong Hillcrest/Spring Valley resident (SVHS, Class of '39), and decorated U.S. Army veteran (Bronze Star), holds a degree in civil engineering from New York University and worked for the family business in Garnerville until he retired in the 1980s. In his civilian life, he has participated in the Israeli Defense Force, Volunteers for Israel, and was asked to teach Special Forces troops to ski. He travels and reads avidly; maintains his professional engineer?s license; and spends winters in Puerto Rico, a favorite location for forty years.
Guests will enjoy a cocktail hour, musical entertainment, award presentations and dancing. An array of items will be available at a silent auction. Proceeds from this annual event benefit the operating fund of the Historical Society of Rockland County.
Bus Daytrip: Museum of the City of New York
When: Saturday, February 6, 2016
Where: Motorcoach leaves the Historical Society at 10 am and returns at 4:15 pm
Price: $99 per person (HSRC Members), $109 per person (non-members). Includes bus transportation, two guided gallery tours, and an all-museum pass. Please note that lunch is not included.
Leave the driving (and parking) to us! Join us as we visit the Museum of the City of New York.
This outing will include two "scholar-led" guided tours. First, we'll visit the exhibition "Jacob A. Riis: Revealing New York's Other Half, featuring photographs by Riis and his contemporaries, as well as his handwritten journals and personal correspondence. This is the first major retrospective of Riis's photographic work in the United States since the City Museum's seminal exhibition, "The Battle with the Slum," in 1947. It is also the first time his photographs and archive, which belongs to the Library of Congress and the New York Public Library, have been united. The second guided tour is "Gilded New York," which explores the visual culture of elite New York in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, an era marked by the sudden rise of industrial and corporate wealth, amassed by titans such as Cornelius Vanderbilt and Jay Gould, who expressed their high status in extravagant fashions, architecture, and interior design. The exhibition presents a lavish display of about 100 works, including costumes, jewelry, portraits, and decorative objects, all created between the mid-1870s and the early twentieth century. Enjoy lunch on your own at the museum's cafe or at one of the restaurants within a four-block walk of the museum.
