On the July, 2018 “Crossroads of Rockland History,” we learned about the Suffern Village Museum and the Suffern Railroad Museum from our very special guest, Craig Long. Before being appointed Ramapo Town Historian and Rockland County Historian, Craig Long began his history career in the 1980s as a charter member of the Suffern Village Museum. This museum and the Suffern Railroad Museum tell the rich history of this important village at the crossroads of the Ramapo region. [Read more…] about Crossroads of Rockland History: Suffern Village, Railroad Museum
Haverstraw’s African American Connections
On the June 2018 “Crossroads of Rockland History,” Clare Sheridan welcomed Virginia Norfleet, the founder of the Haverstraw African American Connection (HAAC). This organization was instrumental in the creation of the Haverstraw African American Memorial Park and Haverstraw’s Annual Juneteenth Celebration.
Norfleet spoke about the research she has done through the HAAC to uncover the rich culture and contributions of African Americans of Haverstraw, New York, the Juneteenth Celebrations and the importance of Memorial Park. Listen to the podcast here. [Read more…] about Haverstraw’s African American Connections
Jawonio: 70 Years With People With Special Needs
On this month’s on “Crossroads of Rockland History,” Clare Sheridan explored the new exhibition at the Historical Society of Rockland County: “Jawonio: Moving Forward, Looking Back – Changing Lives of People with Special Needs for 70 Years” with Diana Hess (Chief Development Officer at Jawonio).
“Jawonio” is a Native American word that means “independence.” Founded in Rockland County in 1947 as the Rockland County Center for the Physically Handicapped & United Cerebral Palsy, Jawonio today is at the forefront of providing services that help people of all ages with special needs reach their potential and achieve independence.
Listen to the podcast here. [Read more…] about Jawonio: 70 Years With People With Special Needs
Rockland History Podcast: Nyack Record Shop Project
This month on “Crossroads of Rockland History,” Clare Sheridan featured the Nyack Record Shop Project. The Nyack Record Shop Project is an important oral history collection effort directed by Bill Batson.
At Kiam Records, a tiny shop on Main Street in downtown Nyack, oral histories were gathered during one-on-one interviews in this ambitious effort to give a voice to a group whose history is often overlooked: the African American community. [Read more…] about Rockland History Podcast: Nyack Record Shop Project
Artist Paul Peabody On Rockland History Podcast
This month on “Crossroads of Rockland History,” Clare Sheridan featured the 42nd Annual Holiday Exhibition at the Historical Society of Rockland County, entitled “Peace & Joy.”
In addition to miniatures and dollhouses, the exhibition features the art, miniatures and marionettes made by hand by Paul Peabody.
Clare Sheridan’s guest was Jeanne Peabody Walsh, Paul Peabody’s daughter, who spoke about her father’s life, work and art. [Read more…] about Artist Paul Peabody On Rockland History Podcast
Rockland History: Marydell Sisters of Upper Nyack
This month on “Crossroads of Rockland History,” Clare Sheridan featured “Marydell-Over 90 Years-Serving-Mentoring-Caring!” the new exhibition at the Historical Society of the Nyacks.
Suzanne Belisle, assistant exhibition curator, and Sister Veronica Mendez, President of the Sisters of Our Lady of Christian Doctrine spoke about the retrospective, which traces the work of the Marydell Sisters of Upper Nyack for more than 90 years, from the restoration of a derelict farm, to establishing a summer camp for immigrants, to creating the Marydell Faith and Life Center and transferring 30 acres to the Palisades Park Commission, and everything in between. They spoke about the remarkable collection of photographs, newspaper articles, and similar memorabilia in the exhibition. They also described the replica of the Sisters’ Peace Pole, the gnomes from the famous “Gnomes of Marydell,” memorialized in song by the former Nyacker John Babcock and a tribute to the Sisters’ 9-year-old pit bull they adopted from Hi-Tor shelter.
For more information about the exhibition or the Historical Society of the Nyacks, visit their website.
Listen to the podcast here. [Read more…] about Rockland History: Marydell Sisters of Upper Nyack
Rockland County History Podcast: Revolutionary Rogues
This month on “Crossroads of Rockland History,” Clare Sheridan interviewed Selene Castrovilla. She discussed her new children’s book, Revolutionary Rogues: John André and Benedict Arnold, a riveting nonfiction picture book that unfolds like a play, telling a story from American history. Gravely injured and with little chance for more military honors, Major-General Benedict Arnold seeks reward and recognition another way. He contacts Major John André, the new head of British intelligence and another man determined to prove himself. Arnold and André strike a deal and use Arnold’s intelligence to take over West Point, the strategic American fort. The plan ultimately fails, leading to André’s capture and death and Arnold’s loss of reward and glory. Ms. Castrovilla and the book’s illustrator, John O’Brien, brilliantly capture the tensions and high drama of these two revolutionary rogues by highlighting their similarities and differences and demonstrating how they brought about their own tragic ends. The book also includes an afterword, timelines of the lives of both men, an extensive bibliography, and a list of key places to visit.
Listen to the podcast here. [Read more…] about Rockland County History Podcast: Revolutionary Rogues
Rockland Co History Podcast: Mary Cardenas
This month on “Crossroads of Rockland History,” Clare Sheridan interviewed Mary Cardenas, director of the Orangetown Historical Museum and Archives, who spoke about their new exhibition “Loyal to the Crown,” which opened there on Saturday, October 14. Cardenas discussed what it was like for Loyalists during the Revolution. We also welcomed special guest George Way, whose collection of fine English antiques will be on view throughout the exhibition to help tell the story of the eighteenth-century Loyalist in colonial America.
Mr. Way’s collection is a magnificent group of original art, objects and artifacts from the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, including an important portrait of Henrietta Maria, wife of Charles I, attributed to Sir Anthony van Dyck. The exhibition will allow visitors to experience the culture and contrast that brought many to proclaim “God Save the King.” [Read more…] about Rockland Co History Podcast: Mary Cardenas
Rockland Co History Podcast: Carson McCullers
This month on “Crossroads of Rockland History,” Clare Sheridan interviewed Dr. Nick Norwood, director of the Carson McCullers Center at Columbus State University in Columbus GA about the life and work of Carson McCullers. Carson McCullers moved to Nyack, NY with her mother and sister in 1944 and lived there until her death in 1967. In the Nyack house she completed The Member of the Wedding (1946), The Ballad of the Sad Café (1951), Clock without Hands (1961), and other plays, short stories, poetry, and autobiographical works. 2017 marks 100 years since McCullers’ birth and 50 years since her death.
Listen to the podcast here. [Read more…] about Rockland Co History Podcast: Carson McCullers
Rockland Co History Podcast: Haverstraw
This month on “Crossroads of Rockland History,” Clare Sheridan interviewed Margaret Williams, author of the novel Haverstraw.
In this beautifully realized story, a young French-Canadian woman, unexpectedly trapped in farm drudgery, escapes into a loveless marriage to an Irish brick worker in the riverside village of Haverstraw, NY. In a town on the brink of disaster, she discovers her own inner strength and creates her own destiny.
Listen to the podcast here. [Read more…] about Rockland Co History Podcast: Haverstraw