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The Historical Society of Rockland County

Vol. 48, No. 4 October-December, 2004

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Town of Ramapo’s Housing Project on Poundview Drive

The Energization of Ramapo The 225th Revolutionary War Anniversary A Baptism in Nyack Book Reviews IN THIS ISSUE

The Energization of Ramapo...... Page 3 Prodded by his children, John McAlevey wrote these pieces between 2001 and 2003. The author was born in Brooklyn and served as an Army fighter pilot during World War II. At Columbia University Law School, he met his first wife Hazel Hansen. The couple’s first home in Rockland County was in student housing at Camp Shanks in Tappan. In 1957, Mr. McAlevey became the first Democratic mayor of Sloatsburg and subsequently served four terms as Super­ visor of the Town of Ramapo. Ever energetic, John and his wife, Marlene, a retired school teacher, divide their time between their New York City apart­ ment and their home in the Adirondacks near Lake Placid. Commemorating the 225th Anniversary of the American Revolution in the Hudson Valley...... Page 11 Contributing editor, Marianne B. Leese, notes the commerative events of this year. Excerpts from diaries of two soldiers in Rochambeau’s army, as they cross the Hudson and march through Rockland County, are in an addendum. A Baptism in Nyack...... Page 14 What is going on in the photograph on that old postcard? Book Reviews...... Page 18 Two books of local interest are reviewed by your editor: That Much Good Could be Done: St. John’s-in-the-Wilderness: The Legacy of Ada Bessie Carey and Mar­ garet Zimmerman by Odessa Elliott and The Brick House by Margaret English. COVER PICTURE. Contributing editor, Marianne Leese, resident Patricia Van Dunk, her children and friends stand in front of Pondview Houses, one of the notable projects built when John McAlevey was Supervisor of Ramapo. Photographed by Marjorie H. Bauer SOUTH OF THE MOUNTAINS (ISSN 0489-9563) is published quarterly by the Historical Society of Rockland County, 20 Zukor Road, New City, NY 10956; tele­ phone, 845-634-9629; fax, 845-634-8690, web site, RocklandHistory.org. E-mail, [email protected]. Single copy price of South of the Mountains is $5 including postage and handling.

While all efforts are made to ensure accuracy in the articles, the society assumes no responsibility for opinions and conclusions expressed or implied by contributors.

© 2004 The Historical Society of Rockland County All rights reserved

Executive Director: Erin Martin Editor: Marjorie H. Bauer Senior Historian: Thomas F.X. Casey Consulting Editor: Marianne B. Leese Senior Historian Emeritus: John Scott

2 The Energization of Ramapo

by John McAlevey

The Best Paid Police Force East of scale and better morale than the the Mississippi Ramapo police—and we were the larg­ er town. I immediately set about When I became Supervisor of the shaking up the Town of Ramapo Town of Ramapo in January of 1966, I Police Department. found that I had on my hands a police Even before I could get into an department that was low in morale, organized program of reform, I was poorly equipped and woefully underpaid. presented with the opportunity to set I do not claim credit for all of what a tone. At that time, the Ramapo I undertook to do when I found this sit­ High School on Viola Road was in the uation on my hands. One of my Demo­ course of construction. cratic confreres in the county govern­ An agitated individual appeared in ment at the time was Paul Mundt, who my office to tell me that he was the had been Supervisor of Clarkstown for clerk of the works, supervising the con­ some years. If memory serves me cor­ struction. He had just witnessed a rectly, Paul became Supervisor of town police officer drive to the back of Clarkstown while I was still Mayor of the construction site and fill up the the village of Sloatsburg. trunk of the squad car with plants that Other than meeting at political were to be placed on the school grounds. affairs county wide, I hadn’t much to The clerk of the works took down the do with Paul until I became one of the number of the car as it drove off. five people running Rockland County I was outraged and immediately on the Board of Supervisors. Paul was called the police chief and ordered him then perhaps the senior Democrat to require the car to report to head­ (Bob Slocum of Stony Point may have quarters. I told the chief to send other antedated him by a bit) and we had policemen out to the home of the offi­ many conversations. Paul was most cer in question and to let no one enter generous in offering me the benefit of or leave the property. his experience. When the patrolman, whose name One of the things Paul said was to I cannot recall, came in with the chief, treat the police well and they will I told him what evidence I had, what become your avid political supporters. witness I had and what security I had I had certainly noticed that the Clark­ placed at his house. I told him to call stown police had a much higher pay an attorney: I was giving him an ulti­

3 matum and I wanted someone to rep­ exchange for adequate pay and proper resent him. equipment. While I was in office we Shortly thereafter, Joseph Bal- had all of that. What happened subse­ samo, an attorney in Suffern, arrived quently is a piece yet to be written. to represent the patrolman. We sat down, and I told him, in no uncertain On Civil Disobedience terms, that I wanted a resignation Sunday, June 3, 2001 immediately; otherwise, he would be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. Certain posturing individuals are If he did resign immediately, we would having their story told in today’s New pick up the purloined shrubs, return York Times. They had engaged in them to the Ramapo High School and some acts of civil disobedience and nothing more would be said about it. were shocked when they were jailed for Mr. Balsamo consulted with his 90 days instead of getting a slap on the client, and they agreed to our terms. wrist and the nominal fine they expect­ This set the tone for what I wanted from ed. The coverage is extensive, and the the police department in the Town of people involved need not be memorial­ Ramapo. ized by having their names reported in Later I substantially increased my memoirs. police salaries at all grades. Nobody They remind me, however, of what asked me for it, nobody expected it, and happened in Rockland County in the of course the police were magnificently early days of my tenure as Supervisor appreciative. The next step was to of the Town of Ramapo. upgrade the facilities, get decent police I had been involved on the legal cars and so forth. Within two years, at fringes of the Civil Rights Movement the most, the Town of Ramapo Police since I was in law school in 1949. Further Department was the highest paid, best back, I was a sometime disciple of cared for and best equipped police Dorothy Day and the Catholic Worker department in Rockland County. Movement. I was well acquainted with And, I found out, in terms of pay the philosophy and practice of civil disobe­ scale and benefits, the Town of dience. Ramapo now had the highest paid In the years immediately before I police department east of the Missis­ became Supervisor, I had attended two sippi River. national legal conferences sponsored When word got around, police offi­ by CORE, the Congress on Racial cers from all over the state were trying Equality. At one of these conferences, to transfer into Ramapo. We had state Father Robert Drinen, at that time police and a lot of New York City police Dean of the Boston College Law officers, who were living in Rockland School, was the featured speaker, and County, dropping by to make an his subject was civil disobedience. inquiry. Father Drinen subsequently became a What we achieved was tremen­ United States Congressman from dous morale and esprit de corps and an Massachusetts, serving several terms. understanding, on the part of our At any rate, at about the time I policemen, that, if they so much as became Supervisor of Ramapo in Janu­ reached for an apple, they would get ary of 1966, there was a great deal of an arm cut off. I wanted nothing short civil rights agitation and specifically, of absolute discipline and honesty in here in Rockland County, the pressure

4 was on to break the white monopoly on sure for change. the volunteer fire departments. I am a product of Manhattan Col­ There was a chap in Rockland lege and its liberal theology. Under­ County, Bill Scott of Spring Valley, now graduates were introduced to the dead, whom I knew by reputation and Catholic Worker Movement and the came to know well later. He was a very radicalism of fundamental Christianity energetic and forceful guy, committed as practiced by Dorothy Day and Peter to achieving civil rights for his fellow Maurin. In law school I also knew a African-Americans. chap, by the name of Albon Man, who Bill Scott and others made a prac­ became a good friend of mine. Albon tice of lying down, handcuffed or what­ spent three and a half years in Dan­ ever, in front of fire trucks at the annu­ bury Prison as a conscientious objector, al firemen’s parades to make their while I was putting my four years in point. About the time that I became the Army. I respected Albon Man; this Supervisor, the annual firemen’s is what one does when one stands up parade was in Nyack, and I was not for principles. impressed—to say the least—with the During the Viet Nam War, while I way that Scott and his protesters were was a pro bono attorney representing handled by the Nyack police. conscientious objectors in the Federal When I became Supervisor of Courts of the Southern and Eastern Ramapo, one of the first things I did Districts of New York, I had little was start to indoctrinate our police offi­ respect for those American citizens who cers on how to handle civil disobedi­ fled to Canada to avoid the draft. Prin­ ence. At one of the annual CORE legal cipled people, however, who opposed the conferences, Father Drinen had deliv­ war and wanted to make a statement ered a paper that was an excellent could apply for status as a conscientious exposition of the civil disobedience tech­ objector. If that status was recognized, nique and rationale. It showed the pro­ people got deferments; otherwise they testors as patriotic and not criminal. went to prison. That is the way it Every member of the Town of should be, and that is how a man should Ramapo Police Department was given take it. I wasn’t too warm about a copy of the Drinen speech and amnesty being given to the people who advised to read it thoroughly. We only fled to Canada. In my opinion they had some 90 officers in the department were cowards, not people of principle. at the time, and extra copies were run Some years later within our own off, to be issued to subsequent recruits family, our daughter, Jane, led some as required reading. protests while she was a student at the The point, of course, of the current State University of Buffalo and the piece in the New York Times is how president of the State Students Associ­ chagrined some of these characters ation. These protests in Albany led to were, who having participated in civil many arrests. Most of those arrested disobedience, thought there would be accepted the prosecution’s offer to cop a no consequences. From me there is no plea, pay a small fine and be released. sympathy. The essence of civil disobe­ Jane McAlevey refused to take a plea dience is to take the consequences of and stayed two weeks in jail. what you do, to use the time of punish­ ment to call attention to the rightness of your cause and to continue the pres­

5 The Lederle Strike wanted our police pulled out of there immediately. That was done. In the late 1960s, the employees My comments were front-page at Lederle Laboratories in Pearl River news. When the leaders of the labor went out on strike. Lederle was a movement in Rockland County read subsidiary of the giant American that the new Supervisor in Ramapo Cyanamid Corporation, and the strike felt that extra policemen were unnec­ was big news in Rockland County. essary at the strike scene, my stock Shortly after the strike began, our with organized labor zoomed into the police chief reported to me that, pur­ stratosphere and remained there for suant to a mutual assistance agree­ the rest of my tenure. ment put in place by the police chiefs Incidentally, this was not the only in Rockland County some years earli­ way in which we supported organized er, he had dispatched a detail of labor while I was Supervisor. The Ramapo policemen to assist those of Ford Motor Company had an assem­ Orangetown with their strike duties bly plant in Mahwah, New Jersey, at the Lederle Laboratories. It was and the United Autoworkers had a appropriate that he inform me of this, headquarters building on Route 202, and I drove over to take a look and see just east of the Route 17 crossover in what the situation was at Lederle. Mahwah, near the plant. I found the usual strike-busting During my eight-year tenure as tactics in force. Parked in the drive­ Supervisor, there were two strikes at way of the plant was a detached semi­ the Mahwah plant. Many workers at trailer, with its rear doors facing the Ford were residents of Ramapo. Dur­ entrance where the strikers were pick­ ing the first strike, I was asked by one eting. Motion-picture cameras were of my Ramapo constituents, who was being operated to record the people on active in the union, if I could do any­ the picket line and what they were thing for the strikers while they were doing. There were also policemen all out of work. over the place as though someone was I arranged for a number of the anticipating a riot. Ford workers to be taken on as tempo­ As far as I could see this was rary employees by the Town of peaceful picketing, and I saw no need Ramapo in the highway and other for the police presence to be so over­ departments for the duration of the whelming and intimidating. I was strike. Some years later, when there outraged that the usual funny busi­ was another strike at Ford, workers ness—of government siding with the automatically assumed they had this employers to beat down the employ­ backup in Ramapo —and they were ees—was being played out right here correct. We did it twice. in Orangetown, and that Ramapo was I should add to this little reminis­ a part of it. cence that I was not doing this pri­ Of course my presence was noted marily out of political considerations. by the reporters at the scene. When I I come from a union family, and I was was asked what I was doing there, lectured quite well by my father about part of my response was, “There are the importance of the unions and the too many damn cops here.” I don’t tactics of the corporations. think I presumed to give orders to the Every man in my family on both police directly. I probably called up sides was a mechanic of one sort or Chief Joseph Miele and told him I another. My grandfather was a car­ 6 penter and a charter member of the actions, Jane had advised the union International Brotherhood of Carpen­ not to go out on strike and jeopardize ters. My father and his younger broth­ its unbroken record of successes in er, Pete, were members of the Boiler­ Connecticut. She also had inside makers Union. My mother’s brother, a information that Roland had been plumber, was a union official in the assured of total support from the plumber’s local in Brooklyn and impor­ incoming Republican administration tant in the New York Building Trades in Washington. Unhappily, her dire Council. My Uncle Felix, who proba­ predictions were borne out. Not only bly didn’t belong to a union, was the did the State of Connecticut finance live-in custodian at an orphanage in the strike breakers for the nursing Totowa, New Jersey. home operators, but National Guard I recall one time when I was vehicles were used to transport them maybe 14 or 15. At that time one to the nursing homes. could join the Army or the National Addendum, October, 2004: Jane Guard at the age of 16. Some lad in beat them nevertheless and the notori­ the neighborhood had joined the ously anti-union nursing home conglo­ National Guard and came home one merate was organized. day prancing around in his uniform, which, of course, impressed all the The Glorious Battle other lads in the neighborhood. I made the mistake of saying some The bitterest and most important glowing words about the National of my many political battles arose from Guard, and my father proceeded to a decision to build 300 units of federal­ give me one of the longest lectures ly subsidized low-income housing in that I ever recall receiving. Ramapo. The bottom line was that no work­ This was an issue that I could ingman’s son, and certainly no union have avoided, and no one would have man’s son, should have anything to do thought the less of me. Only I knew with the National Guard. Among the that, if I did so, it would be on my con­ specific words that were etched in my science for the rest of my life. memory were, “You join the National Public housing had never been on Guard to shoot your father.” The anyone’s agenda for the Town of National Guard was always used noto­ Ramapo. When I reoriented the focus riously for strike-breaking and often of what had been a county project, brutally so. The Ludlow Massacre was everyone was caught off guard. The one of the things I heard about. proposed county housing was to be By the way, as I dictate this remi­ complimentary to a huge health and niscence in May of 2001, our daughter, welfare complex, planned for a rural Jane, is busy with her responsibilities area of Ramapo. Since the county in Stamford, Connecticut, on behalf of lacked legal capacity in housing mat­ the AFL-CIO. She is leading a nurs­ ters, however, that component of the ing home strike in which Governor complex was on hold. Previous super­ Roland, a Republican, is actively inter­ visors would not countenance public vening. In anticipation of the strike, housing in Ramapo, even as a county he had put $20 million into the state project. After I took office in January budget for the purpose of hiring strike of 1966, my newly elected board creat­ breakers. ed a town housing authority for the On account of the governor’s stated purpose of accommodating the

7 county need on county-owned property trolled growth,” we had eliminated all in the Viola area. multi-family residence zones in the We then worked assiduously to Town of Ramapo. Consequently, secure approval for a project of 300 when, at the first town board meeting housing units. Because the proposal in 1970, I proposed that we build the we wanted did not conform to estab­ 300 units ourselves and the board lished federal criteria, the task was agreed, the news reverberated like a difficult. Once again, we were pioneer­ thunderclap. The war began. ing. Federal projects were required to Public housing inflamed emotions be in developed areas, proximate to beyond my descriptive capabilities. shopping, transportation and other For the county-oriented project we had amenities. Ours was not. We labored obtained a special dispensation to uti­ for two and a half years on this, unno­ lize a single rural location; my reori­ ticed by a press and public focused on ented approach would require several the larger and more significant “con­ locations in yet-to-be-selected neigh­ trolled growth” controversy. borhood settings. In December, 1969, I went to the Massive opposition formed. The County Board of Supervisors with feder­ town-board meeting room could no al approval for the project at last in longer contain the numbers of people hand. My motion to transfer the requi­ who came to the meetings. The only site acreage to the town housing author­ place that could accommodate the ity, so that the project could proceed, did crowds was a high school auditorium not carry. Less than three years earlier, of 1200 seats. I had been asked to secure the approval, A police guard was placed at the but now the votes were not available. I home of the councilman, Hyman Jact- was dumbfounded. koff, who had been elected on the anti- Perhaps I had been too distracted McAlevey platform, but who now sup­ that year to catch the shifting political ported my position. Hyman, who winds. I had only campaigned for became a good friend of mine, could reelection titularly. Indeed a well- not, as it turned out, forget his financed campaign by building inter­ upbringing as a poor boy in the Bronx, ests had elected an anti-McAlevey although he had made a fortune as a candidate to my town board. I had plumbing and heating contractor. His other concerns in 1969. My wife was courage kept the controversy from dying; she wanted privacy. Only my being labeled as partisan. personal secretary knew that my A number of lawsuits on state and absences from Town Hall were not federal levels were filed to stop us, but because I was out ringing doorbells. I no court enjoined us. While the was holding my wife’s hand at Colum- protests and lawsuits continued, we bia-Presbyterian Hospital, looking at kept moving ahead. Some opponents a plug in the wall and wondering how could have been placated if the housing to raise seven children alone. mix within the projects were changed. I I never considered sending the rejected that compromise on principle. approval for 300 units of public housing The federal approval was for a back to the federal government. If the project of 300 units —two thirds for county did not want low-income hous­ senior citizens and one third for non­ ing, the town certainly had a need. senior, low-income families. The fami­ In an interim step toward “con­ ly units fueled the public outrage.

8 Historically, senior-citizen, low-income out to be award-winning housing pro­ housing was white. Low-income, fami­ jects. The work was completed in time ly housing, especially in New York for the polling places, for the two elec­ City, from which many of my con­ tion districts involved, to be located at stituents had fled, was largely black. the projects. Before they voted, all the The African-American population in neighbors saw what we had done. Ramapo was concentrated in the vil­ We were able to build only 200 of lage of Spring Valley. Our public the 300 units envisioned, but, since housing would enable eligible black that time, thousands of subsidized residents to move into heretofore- housing units have been built in all white areas. five towns of Rockland County. We prevailed in the lawsuits and One should always stand for some­ rode out the public protests. Ultimate­ thing other than reelection. ly, two sites, 120 units at one and 80 at another, both with senior citizen Addendum, October, 2004: The and low-income family units, qualified. uniqueness of the original project, as The larger site, called Pond View planned by Robert Slocum, then Super­ Houses, is on Airmont Road. The visor of Stony Point, has never been smaller project is on Catamount Drive, adequately recognized. Bob envisioned off Hempstead Road in Hillcrest. a totally integrated health and welfare The contracts awarded were on fed­ complex for the county. Two hundred eral forms, which provided for an eigh­ units of housing for senior citizens teen-month construction time. I called would be in a campus-like environ­ in the successful bidders. Both had ment, where complete medical services been prominent in the consortium that would be within walking distance. And had promoted and financed the election he planned 100 units of family housing, of the anti-McAlevey councilman. They which would be for lower-income owed me nothing and liked me less. employees of the complex, who could Bluntly, I told them what was at raise their families in a bucolic setting stake and what I wanted. They could and likewise walk to work. proceed with business-as-usual, build An additional benefit was that the projects and pocket their money many of the senior citizens might enjoy and go home. Or—we could all cooper­ the sense of contributing to the commu­ ate to complete the work in record nity by volunteering their services at time. I felt that if the projects could be the health complex. occupied before the next election—less Had this project come about, after than nine months away—I might sur­ the Town of Ramapo’s “controlled vive politically. If not, any possibility growth” program, it would have been of low-income housing in Rockland the second great contribution to plan­ County would be dead for fifty years. ning in the United States to come out I promised the contractors that of Rockland County in that decade. Town Hall and the engineering and building departments would cooperate to expedite all their requests. All delays and complaints were to be ♦t* ♦% «£♦ reported to me, immediately, at any time, wherever I might be. This was the way that we accom­ plished the building of what turned

9 r New Publication of the Historical Society of Rockland County

A Catch of Grandmothers

This little book is for every mother, grandmother and great-grandmother—and for the rest of the family too. In beautiful verse, the author, Rock­ land County native Firth Haring Fabend, tells us about nine generations of her “grandmothers,” back to the first to come to Rockland, when it was a “wolf-ridden forest” in the 1600s. You will learn of their joys and sorrows as the generations pass in Rockland County. Mrs. Fabend’s vignettes of her female ancestors are based on the same solid scholarship that has marked her books and many articles on the Dutch in New York and New Jersey. In the past, historians have focused most of their atten­ tion on the male settlers. Convinced that the women deserve recognition as well, Mrs. Fabend wrote A Catch of Grandmothers to pay tribute in poetry to her forebears, and, by extension to all their nameless sisters, whose role in our history has gone unrecognized. A Catch of Grandmothers is an ideal gift for birthdays, anniversaries, reunions and other family celebrations and holidays.

There is a special pre-publication price for the book—which will be mailed as soon as it is print­ ed—of $12. If you want to order your copy and pick it up at the Historical Society, the price is $10 plus 80 cents sales tax. Commemorating the 225th Anniversary

of the American Revolution in the Hudson Valley

by Marianne B, Leese

he Hudson Valley is in the midst archeological digs. It also includes an of commemorating the eight long expanded exhibit of the site’s 1826 years of the American Revolution. lighthouse. On the next two days, TTwo years ago, on October 6, the 225thBritish and American re-enactors from anniversary of the Battle of Forts Clin­ the Brigade of the American Revolution ton and Montgomery was marked with re-created the battle in which General the dedication and formal opening of the Wayne and his elite Light Infantry of Fort Montgomery State Historic Site. Line routed the British garrison in a This summer marked the 225th surprise midnight attack in 1779. anniversary of the Battle of Stony This summer the Rockland Coun­ Point, considered by historians to be ty Historic Preservation Board recom­ the last major Revolutionary War bat­ mended that the county propose for tle fought in the Hudson Valley. Late nomination the county-owned site of in the afternoon of July 6, George John Andre’s execution in Tappan to Washington, in the guise of re-enactor the State and National Register of Hugh Frances, rode up on his stead to Historic Places. A consultant has com­ the rocky promontory of Buckberg pleted the application. Once the reso­ Mountain in the Washington-Wayne lution is accepted by the County Exec­ Lookout Point Park in Stony Point. utive and the County Legislature, the From this vantage point, 225 application can be sent to the State years ago to the day, General Wash­ Historic Preservation Office. ington and General Anthony Wayne Marking another Revolutionary planned the Battle of Stony Point. event in the Hudson Valley, historians Among those joining Hugh Frances and Revolutionary War re-enactors are were re-enactors of the 5th New York pursuing the designation of the Wash- Regiment, historians and town offi­ ington-Rochambeau Revolutionary cials. Larry Menchini, who in recent Route (dubbed the W3R) as a National years helped save the lookout point Historic Trail. Such designation would from development, spoke in recogni­ enable the National Park Service to tion of the efforts of many people to support programs and activities associ­ preserve the site. ated with the trail’s preservation and On July 15, the Stony Point Bat­ interpretation, such as a self-guided tlefield State Historic Site celebrated auto tour and signs to mark the trail. the annual commemoration of the bat­ The route covers 650 miles tle with the rededication of the battle- through nine states and what is now field’s newly renovated museum. The the District of Columbia. It is the path museum details the history of the bat­ taken by French General Comte de tle and displays items from recent Rochambeau and his army as they

11 marched from Providence, Rhode In the library of the Historical Island, towards victory over Britsh Society is a book called The American Major General, Charles Cornwallis at Campaigns of Rochambeau’s Army, Yorktown, Virginia, in 1781. The 1780, 1781, 1782, 1783 in two volumes. French were joined in Westchester Translated and edited by Howard C. County by George Washington’s Conti­ Rice, Jr. and Anne S.K. Brown, the nental Army and together the armies book is a collection of the meticulous won the Battle of Yorktown and Corn­ paperwork executed by Rochambeau’s wallis’s surrender. Part of the Wash- staff, particularly by cartographers ington-Rochambeau Revolutionary and engineers, who marched ahead Route runs through Rockland County. taking notes on the route. Many maps In an effort to bring awareness to and drawings are reproduced includ­ the historic route and to determine ing those of each day’s march through how much of it still exists, Lee Patrick our area. The book also contains the Anderson recently walked the W3R. diaries of three officers in Rocham­ Anderson is a military historian, Revo­ beau’s army. lutionary War re-enactor and the Jean-Francois-Louis, Comte de director of programming at Fort Mif­ Clermont-Crevecoeur, born in 1752, flin, a Revolutionary War site on the was a first lieutenant in the Auxonne Delaware River in Pennsylvania. He Regiment, Royal Corps of Artillery. is also the chairman of the Pennsylva­ The following section of his diary nia W3R Committee. describes the march from the camp in On July 16, Anderson stopped in Philipsburg in Westchester County to Suffern, which is marked Camp 19 on the camp in Suffern and the passage the French army maps. He spoke at across the Hudson at Kings Ferry— the Suffern Village Hall about his experiences to date. Along the way, On 19 August the Call to Arms local residents have been enthusiastic was beaten and the order issued for and have provided him with food and our immediate departure. When the lodging. He emphasized that, without army was under arms, the General the aid of French money and well- noticed that there were not enough trained troops, the Americans could supply wagons and the 5.000-6,000 not have won the war. rations of bread still remained in Retired Colonel Jim Johnson, the camp. This postponed our departure military historian for the Hudson from six in the morning, as ordered, to River Valley National Heritage Area, midday. The artillery park had left member of New York’s W3R Commit­ the evening of the 18th by a different tee and the vice chairman of the road than the one the infantry was to National W3R Association, has been take. striving for the last five years to call I left on 18 August with the attention to the historic route. He is artillery park’s wagon train, but that working to link the Washington and day we were only able to go 4 miles, Rochambeau trails in preparation for and we slept in bivouac. The Ameri­ the 225th anniversary observance in can army left on the 19th, but by 2006.* another route, so that we marched in

_*For further information on the route, visit the following web sites; www.nps/gov/boso/w-r/, www.AmRevandFrance.com or www.w3r-us.org.

12 three columns, the artillery forming the river nearer the mainland. Doubt­ the center column. One cannot imag­ less they had their reasons, and we ine how many afflictions we had to ours, and it is certain that they could endure during the six days it took us not have suspected the latter because, to march from Philipsburg to King’s except for Generals Washington and Ferry on the Hudson River, a distance Rochambeau, no one knew our plans. of 40 miles. It took us six days If the English had wished to oppose because of the terrible weather and our passage at this point, they could incredible roads. We slept every night have forced us to go up the river as far in bivouac. There was a terrific storm as West Point. This would have really on 20 August. I floundered in the mud delayed our march, though it would and in a horrible marsh with all the not have changed our plans, as you wagons and the artillery train, not shall see.... knowing where I was or how I could The crossing of the North River at get out of it. Not until daybreak was I King’s Ferry is defended by two forts. able, with great difficulty, to extricate The first, on the east bank, is called myself. During the march from Verplanck, or Fort La Fayette. It is Philipsburg I was in command of the built of wood and is very small. There rear guard of the artillery. I have no are a few miserable iron guns there, doubt that, had the enemy been able to badly mounted and poorly maintained. predict our march, he would have The second, opposite the first on the caused us much anxiety. west bank, is called Stony Point. It is As I have said, it took us six days also very small and is built of earth to cover this distance. Halfway we with a double row of abatis. It, too, is crossed the Croton, quite a pretty river fitted with 4 or 5 pieces of artillery, 12- with a fine wooden bridge [Pines and 18-pounders that are as poor as Bridge], which, was, however, in ruins. those in the first. We passed through Peekskill, a village The artillery and most of the of 20 houses on the Hudson River. We army’s wagon train crossed the river on camped on the high ground at the edge 23 August and camped 3 miles beyond of the river and remained there on 23 the crossing, in the Jerseys. [A footnote and 24 August; the two armies had to the text says that, “They were not yet joined one another here. Meanwhile, in the Jerseys, but still in the state of we took the artillery and the army New York, at the locality known today wagons across the river on flatboats. as the village of Stony Point.”] On the This was a long and tedious procedure, 24th the first Brigade crossed the river since there were very few boats. At and marched to a camp a little above this point the river is about 2 miles the place where the park was stationed. wide. That same day we received news that It is most surprising that the Eng­ M. de Barras had sailed from Newport lish, who controlled the river from with M. de Choisy, who had been left New York to King’s Ferry, did not send there in command of an army detach­ one or two frigates to undermine our ment and 1.000 Americans.... feeling of security; for as we had been 25 August The First Division left marching for seven days, they must for Suffern while the Second crossed have heard about it, especially since the river and marched to the camp we they probably thought we were going had occupied the night before, a proce­ to attack New York by way of Staten dure that was followed all along the Island, which was on the other side of route. The roads were quite good and

13 the country pleasant and well cultivated. forming the center column of the 26 August From Suffern to Pomp- [allied] army. ton. We crossed the river of that name On the 19th the whole army three times. It had many wooden received the same order. The Ameri­ bridges, also two fords. The road is cans formed the left-hand column, fol­ excellent and very smooth. This coun­ lowing the Hudson River to New Bridge, try, known as the Jerseys, is populated while the French, forming the right- by Dutchmen who seem very prosper­ hand column, were to proceed to North ous. The land is well cultivated and Castle [Mount Kisco] and Pines Bridge yields abundant harvests. one day behind the artillery, which was to precede it by twenty-four hours. Louis-Alexandre Berthier, born in The Comte de Viomenil, leaving 1753, a captain in the Soissonnais on the 20th with the grenadiers and Regiment and an assistant quarter- chausseurs, formed the rear guard. master-general for the army, also I was assigned to lead the artillery described the crossing in his diary— column to King’s Ferry, to have it camp as expediency required, and, At the beginning of August the since I was marching twenty-four Comte de Rochambeau received by a hours ahead of the army, to take my frigate the Comte de Grasse’s reply to orders on arrival from General Wash­ his dispatch in regard to the coming ington. campaign. Everything was now decid­ 22 August The column [now a sin­ ed, and the secret was well kept. gle column, led by the artillery and Although it was announced that we military chest] began its march to were going to attack New York, I King’s Ferry, 6 miles beyond. believed that this was the least impor­ I myself left two hours before day­ tant point, for all signs indicated that break to reconnoiter two roads, the one we were about to move. We were prescribed being the shorter. I found ordered to repair and mark all the this road so bad that I decided to take roads in the rear of the army and the longer one. Consequently the afterwards, under strong escort, all artillery arrived without incident, those leading to New York, probing as though it had to march 3 miles further. close to the enemy as possible. Feign­ I then went to General Washing­ ing secrecy, the General ordered a ton for orders. He was on the river commissary to build ovens in bank, presiding over the crossing of Chatham, New Jersey, which con­ the troops and watching with great vinced the enemy that some troops attention to see whether the English would cross the Hudson River and would send any armed boats or march down the west bank to threaten frigates to bar our passage. The Gen­ Staten Island. We did not know what eral ordered me to bring up all the to think, for all signs indicated that a artillery to the ferry and begin loading move was imminent. Even Clinton it aboard and take it across immedi­ believed that we were threatening ately to the opposite bank, where I was New York and worked continuously to to choose a convenient place for it to prepare a warm reception for us. camp and to set up the forage maga­ Finally, on 18 August, all the zine there. I carried out his orders French artillery and the paymaster’s promptly and returned to report to wagons were ordered to march back up him that I had found a spot 2 miles to King’s Ferry by way of Pines Bridge, from the river, near Haverstraw, and

14 had assigned the right and left wings and wagons could use it the next day. of the camp to the artillery comman­ I reached the camp [at Hunt’s Tavern] der. I then returned to the ferry, at midnight. where I stayed until the last gun had 23 August I left with my 200 crossed. The energy of our soldiers, as workmen at one in the morning and by well as of the Americans who ran the a forced march got back to the bad ferry boats, was such that we crossed road at five. By ten o’clock that morn­ the river, which is 2 miles wide there, ing, just as the army was arriving, my in eight hours without the slightest tremendous task was completed. accident. This column was composed The army reached the ferry at of wagons, caisons, guns, and horses. noon and camped on the bluffs. It General Washington was impa­ started to cross the river immediately tient to get all the troops across the and continued until midnight of the river. He sent me back to tell the 25th by which time it was all in camp Comte de Rochambeau to send his at Haverstraw 2 1/2 miles from the army up as quickly as possible. I left west bank. immediately and at nine that evening The ferry is defended on the east arrived at Peekskill, where M. de bank by Fort La Fayette and on the Rochambeau had arrived ahead of the west bank by the fort at Stony Point army, which was 10 miles back at that the Americans took by storm in Hunt’s Tavern. I reported to him Gen­ 1776 [1779]. Below King’s Ferry the eral Washington’s wishes and Hudson takes a more majestic course, described the condition of the shorter its bed widening to 3 miles; this por­ road. He ordered me to go back at tion is called the Tappan Zee as far as once to the army, procure 200 work­ Dobbs Ferry, where it narrows again men, and return that same night in to about 3,600 yards. order to reach the bad road at day­ break and repair it so that the troops

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Site of Kings Ferry in Stony Point Old Photograph from the Collection of theHistorical Society of Rockland County

15 CH T & LAUNC fin j UMQUIL- E5 t

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Postcard from the Collection of Marjorie H. Bauer

or a number of years this old pic­ than a frigid ducking. The other, in ture postcard, dated December the next day’s paper, reports a tragic 6, 1908, has been in my collec­ accident, where the foreman of the Ftion, piquing my curiosity. WhatAmerican Ice Company at Rockland exactly was being photographed? Lake was cut by ice bars he was carry­ Recently, I finally found the time to go ing up a ladder and bled to death. to the Nyack Library and look at the What follows is a transcription of microfilm collection there of old news­ the article from the Nyack Evening papers dating back to 1851. I hit the Journal, describing the scene in my jackpot with an article from the Nyack postcard— Evening Journal on the following Monday, December 7. Despite competition from other A BAPTISM IN CHILLY WATERS news items —an article about Presi­ dent Theodore Roosevelt’s lukewarm feelings about women’s suffrage and the news of the accession of two-year- Pilgrim Baptists Hold Service at the River old, P’u-yi to the imperial throne of China —and ads for stores staying FULLY A THOUSAND PRESENT open late for Christmas shopping, this article made the front page. Five Candidates Receive the Ordinance That the weather was indeed in the Hudson Without Flinching freezing is confirmed by two other articles in the Evening Journal. One About one thousand spectators describes several high school girls gathered on and near the dock at the falling through the ice on Felter’s foot of Main Street Sunday afternoon Pond and luckily getting nothing more to witness baptism performed by the

16 Rev. Mr. Dillard, pastor of Pilgrim receive the ordinance, which is in Baptist Church. Three o’clock was the accordance with their faith. One at a hour announced for the baptism, and time they waded out to the pastor, each half an hour before that time people accompanied there and back by Mr. began stringing down to the river in a Armstead. Four were dressed in white procession, so that before three o’clock and the other in colored garments, and the Main street dock had a large they all passed through the chilly throng, and men, women and children waters without any evidence of discom­ crowded every available spot in the fort except the last one, who did not vicinity from which they could obtain a appear as rugged as the others and view of the proceedings. who, it was feared for a time, would Travis Armstead, one of the Pil­ faint before reaching shore. She came grim Church’s oldest members, walked out all right, however, and after the out into the river for some distance to close of the ceremony the five were dri­ sound the depth of the water, regard­ ven up the hill to change their wet gar­ less of the chilly air, which compelled ments for dry clothing, the large throng the spectators to button their overcoats of spectators quickly following them up and wraps tightly around them; and to Broadway. when he had located a proper depth for “Your people are to be commended the ceremony he planted a stake and for their courage,” remarked some one walked back to the shore. A brief ser­ to the leader of the Pilgrim Baptist, vice was held on the shore, including and the latter replied; an earnest prayer, and some singing. “Nothing but the grace of God The pastor, the Rev. Mr. Dillard, then could carry them through.” walked into the water out to the stake, and soon afterward five candidates, all —by Marjorie H. Bauer women, appeared at the river’s edge to

Museum Gift Shop

Remember that our gift shop has, as always, an appealing array of items for Christmas gifts for friends and family mem­ bers of all ages. Your purchases there help to support the Historical Society, and mem­ bers receive a 10% discount

17 BOOK REVIEWS

That Much Good Might Be Done: St. John’s-in-the-Wilderness: The Legacy of Ada Bessie Carey and Margaret Zimmerman, by Odessa Southern Elliot. Morris Pub­ lishing Company, Kearney, New Hampshire: 2002. 124 pages, illustrated, paper­ back, $15. The book is available for sale at the Palisades Park Bookstore, near exit 12 on the Palisades Parkway, Ironhorse on the corner of Main and New Main streets in Haverstraw and Pickwick Bookshop on South Broadway in Nyack. his book is not quite what the cation to St. John’s and to the ‘house reader might be led to expect boys’ [indigent boarding students at from the title. Rather than a the school] can be understood.” Tchronological history of St. Johns-in-Implicit is the notion that the difficul­ the-Wilderness, it is primarily a ties these two women experienced in searching look into the backgrounds of their early lives gave them the under­ the two unusual Victorian women who standing to relate to people of very dif­ came from very different places to find ferent backgrounds. Compassion for a life’s work in a remote area of the the poverty in the mountains and Ramapo Mountains. respect for the rugged independence of Mrs. Elliot is a clear and graceful mountain life gave Margaret and Ada writer, and she has done extensive the tools to provide for the needs of the research into the family backgrounds of people there. Margaret Furniss Zimmerman, a New Mrs. Zimmerman reinforced her York society lady, and Ada Bessie philanthropy with a strong business Carey, a scion of a large important sense and a conviction that the commu­ family on the Island of Guernsey, off nity of St. John’s should be as self-sup­ the coast of England. porting as possible. To this end a work­ Circumstances common to both— ing farm was set up and maintained as unhappiness in the family and the loss part of the establishment. Mrs. Carey, of a husband—led each of these women the teacher, brought to the children of to sever some of their family ties, break the mountains the education that their away from their social circles and forge parents wanted for them. a new life of bringing religion and edu­ The determination of these two cation to the mountain families of the women shaped the way that St. John’s- Ramapos. in-the-Wilderness survives today. Mrs. Zimmerman used a part of Established in 1880, it was bequeathed her inherited fortune to build and sup­ by Margaret Zimmerman to the Epis­ port the lovely church and school build­ copal Diocese of New York in 1918 and ing on Johnstown Road. Mrs. Carey is the only privately owned property in devoted 35 years of her life teaching the 44,000 acres of Harriman State there, before returning home to Park. After Margaret’s death, there Guernsey with her daughter, Ruth, was ongoing conflict over the years whom she had adopted from one of the between the diocesan board of man­ mountain families when she was agers and the congregation about how orphaned as an infant. funds from the Zimmerman Trust As the author tells it, “It is only Fund were being used by the diocese within the context of her twisted and for other priorities rather than the tragic family life that Margaret’s dedi­ support of St. John’s. The church

18 established a summer camp for inner As their homes and land were city children at St. John’s, which did, taken over by the Park, members of at least, mirror Mrs. Zimmerman’s the congregation fought to maintain establishment of a boarding school the existence of their church and they attached to the church for boys being have persevered in keeping St. John’s cared for by the Sheltering Arms Soci­ “a place of mystic respect in their fami­ ety in New York City. ly histories.”

The abandoned brick house was one of a small cluster set in the salt marshes of Piermont, New York. Its tiny foreyard was crowded with weeds and littered with sodden newspapers, shards of glass. There were broken openings in the brick walls where windows once were. But in spite of the weeds, the devastation and despair, the Brick House had a kind of quiet dignity that set it apart from its neighbors. —From The Brick House by Margaret English

The Brick House, by Margaret English. Xlibris, 2003. 166 pages, $20.99. Avail­ able from Xlibris at 1-888-795-4274 and at www.Xlibris.com.

argaret English was leg­ the river—sharing the experience with endary in the river villages her dog, Dinah. for her beautiful restorations How the author found herself at a Mof old houses. She died last yearcrossroads and in her life, ready to take on received a posthumous award for this labor of love, and how her person­ preservation leadership from the His­ al history relates to the story of the torical Society this year. Miss English brick house are deftly woven into the wrote The Brick House after she had narrative. The Brick House is not only gone blind in her late 80s. an inspiring manual for restoring an Writing with simple eloquence, old house but also for appreciating the she describes the restoration process of beauties of life. ^ a tiny 18th-century house on Paradise Avenue in Piermont that she rescued from ruin in the 1960s. This little book shines with the author’s joy in the process of bringing new life to the fine lines and beautiful materials of the old house and her excitement in finding the right new additions to complement them. It is clear to the reader that the author makes every decision with meticulous thoughtfulness and yet she makes it sound easy, taking each step at a time. As she works alongside the subcontractors, conquering the diffi­ culties, she enjoys the neighbors, the rhythms of life in a small village, the The Brick House Today beautiful views over the marsh and Photographed by Marjorie H. Bauer

19 Before and After Photographs by Sally Savage

I went for Sally Savage, a photographer and friend. Within a couple of days she had come and taken wonderful shots of the mess, saying, “What a magnificent house!”

Excerpts from Chapter 27 of The Brick House, which is devoted to a description of scraping and sanding the fireplace mantel—

And here I was, on my knees in front of the fireplace mantel. It did not occur to me to start on some inconspicuous bit of door trim. The paint on the mantel was scaling and loose. I probably could have completed all of the scrap­ ing of the flat surfaces that first day. But I could not resist peeking into the past, so to speak, by separating and lifting scraps of paint to discover the differ­ ent colors laid on one after another. Mostly they were a sort of dirty ochre or tan, but there was evidence of one arresting and lovely blue, a soft Adam blue, and I was glad I had saved pieces of the old wallpaper. Surely this blue was related to that blue wall covering splashed with roses. I put the idea of blue trim in the back of my mind. The mantelpiece was not fancy, decorated merely with a small molding that delineated a rectangle in the center of the face. And the same moldings out­ lined the pilaster-like legs down to the seven-inch base. The edge of the mantel­ piece shelf was embellished in a manner I had never seen before, just a plain incised line along each edge.... After I had completed the sanding job by working on the flat surfaces, I got up; stepping back, I spent a little time looking it over. The long rays of the late afternoon sun revealed the highlights and shadow of the moldings. The pro­ portions and simple decoration of the mantelpiece was in a way an expression of the whole character of the house. Not elegant, not fancy, but having a dignified simplicity.

20 LETTERTO the editor

A reader kindly answered our query in the Spring issue o/1 South of the Mountains about “Saratoga Chips.” The letter took the long way around to get to the editor, who regrets the delay but is grateful for the reply:

To the editor: According to my mother-in-law, who regularly visited relatives in Saratoga, “Saratoga Chips” referred to the new culinary dish we now call potato chips that was first served in Saratoga Springs. We don’t know how accurate this may be, but she firmly held this belief.

Sincerely, Elizabeth F. Monsees Tappan, June 14, 2004

An internet search found the following information: Fried potatoes were popular in France in the 1700s and became “French” when Thomas Jefferson, who served as the American ambassador there, brought the recipe home to Monticello. In the summer of 1853, George Crum, the Native-American chef at Moon Lake Lodge, an elegant resort in Saratoga Springs, got irritated with a picky guest and made his French fries too thin and crisp to eat with a fork. The guest was thrilled and Crum’s trick began to appear on the menu as “Saratoga Chips,” a house spe­ cialty. Soon they were packaged and sold throughout New England. In the 1920s, with the invention of the mechanical potato-peeler and the efforts of a trav­ eling salesman, Herman Lay, potato chips were transformed from a regional spe­ ciality item to a national brand. In 1961, Herman Lay merged his company with Frito, the Texas company that made corn chips.

THANK YOU

Sally Savage, who lives in Piermont and, as a professional photographer has documented life in the village for 40 years, kindly made the photographs on page 20 available to South of the Mountains. It gives us occasion to express our gratitude to the many professional writers and photographers, who, over the years, have made in-kind contributions to the Historical Society of Rockland County by generously contributing their time and their skills to South of the Mountains.

21 WELCOME, NEW MEMBERS July-September, 2004 Mr. & Mrs. Frank Adelflo, New City Grace & Ron Matarese, New City Lewis Bory, Valley Cottage Kevin M. McAdams, Yonkers, NY Deirdre Carrobis, New City John P. Mitchell, Pearl River Eileen Clarke, Congers Deborah Mossa & Family, Nanuet Maximilien Crisp, Nanuet The Podlaski Family, New City Jane DeBaun, New City Rita Rowman, Suffern Peter Dedel, Tuxedo, New York Sally Savage, Piermont Ernest de la Torre, New York, NY Ann Marie Schnakenberg, Nanuet Joann DiGasbarro, Stony Point Andrew Sprauer, New City Barbara Driscoll & John Lynch, Karen Wachsman, Haverstraw Piermont* F.D. Wallace & Family, New City The Fox Family, Chestnut Ridge Stu Weiss, New City Debbie Howard, Stony Point Donna Hughes, New City Jean E. Inlow, Nanuet Business Sponsors Patricia Javenes, Tomkins Cove Gail Bohlke, Prudential Rand Realty, Sean Lebson, New City New City * Gift A gift membership in the Historical Society of Rockland County is a year-round reminder of your thoughtfulness.

THE HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY BOARD OF TRUSTEES 2004-2005 Lawrence Codispoti, President, Debra Thomas, Winston C. Perry, Jr., Thomas F.X. Casey, Steven Perell, Barbara Zwynenburg, Vice Presi­ dents, Steven Fultonberg, Treasurer, Caroline Tapley, Secretary, Robert E. Bergman, Jr., Robert Berliner, Anjan Bhattacharyya, Pat Cropsey, Jan Davies, Wilber Foulkes, Jr., Dennis Hughes, Murray Korn, Bruce Levine, James Russell, Roman Rodriguez, Susan M. Smith, Michael Trainor, Alfred J. Weiner, Trustees STAFF Erin Martin, Executive Director, Kimberly Schantz, Curator of Collec­ tions and Exhibitions, Jaime Brody, Educator, Alice Jane Bryant, Director of Development, Michael Grand, Membership Coordinator, Kathy Walters, Office Manager, Marianne Leese, Historian, Terri Kayden, Public Relations Coordinator, Marjorie Bauer, Editor, Patrice Brenner, Bookkeeper, Mark Holland, Caretaker, Bing Shy Leung, Cus­ todian .

22 IN MEMORIAM

Elizabeth J. Benoit Anthony Ferrera Mary Blake Esther L. Harris Margaret English

The following memorial gifts were made and entered into the Book of Remem­ brance: from Patricia & James Cropsey in memory of Elizabeth J. Benoit; from Margaret Pawlyk in memory of Clare Morris; from Ann Wanamaker and Lawrence J. Wanamaker in memory of Bernice Stoner; from Rosalie & Michael Saunders in memory of Eleanor Wilson.

ELIZABETH J. BENOIT (1932-2004), longtime member and past volunteer of the Historical Society, died on July 5, at Good Samaritan Hospital in Suffern. During the late 1970s and the 1980s, Betty enjoyed helping out at the Society, running errands, volunteering at the Dollhouse Boutique, serving on various committees and assisting with exhibits, mailings and office work—all with a smile and cheerful attitude. Betty was a substitute elementary school teacher and a private tutor. She had also been active in the Democratic Party and the American Association of University Women. Her husband, Ralph, who predeceased her in 1978, served as an assistant principal and principal of elementary schools in Clark­ stown, including Street School, across the road from the Historical Society.

ESTHER L. HARRIS (1907-2004), former member of the Women’s Committee of the Historical Society, passed away at Nyack Manor Nursing Home on August 27. She helped out with the Women’s Committee Boutique, during the annual holiday Dollhouse Exhibits. Esther was a published poet and a member of the Haiku Society and of the Clarkstown Garden Club.

BEQUESTS

Making a bequest to the Historical Society of Rockland County is making a commitment to honoring our history and helping to carry the museum and its programs into the future for the next generations. We have a planned giving program, which can be a benefit to you as well. We would be happy to work with you. Please call the Director of Development, Alice Jane Bryant, at the Historical Society. The tele­ phone number is: 845-634-9629.

23 - : V .

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The owners of the Hotel St. George, on Burd Street in Nyack, won an Historic Preservation Merit Award this year. This is the earliest known photograph of the hotel, taken after the Great Blizzard of 1888. Collection of the Nyack Library

The Historical Society of Rockland County is a nonprofit educational institu­ tion and principal repository for original documents and artifacts relating to the county. Its headquarters are a four-acre site featuring a full-service history museum and the 1832 Jacob Blauvelt House. Basic membership, which includes mailed copies of South of the Mountains, is $35 family, $30 individual, $20 senior citizen (over 65) and student (to age 22), $100 and up businesses. The Historical Society of Rockland County gratefully acknowledges support from Arts Fund for Rockland, a project of the Arts Council of Rockland. The society is also sup­ ported in part by the County of Rockland, the New York State Council on the Arts and the Institute of Museum and Library Services.