New York Almanack

History, Natural History & the Arts

Clare Sheridan

Crossroads of Rockland History Features Artist Lisa Levart

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crossroads of rockland historyThe October 2018 “Crossroads of Rockland History,” featured artist Lisa Levart who spoke about her current exhibition at the Historical Society of Rockland County (HSRC). This exhibition represents the culmination of eighteen months of creative collaboration between Levart and women of the Ramapough Lenape Nation (Rockland and Bergen counties). Levart uses collaged portrait photography as a basis for contemporary reinterpretations of Lenape mythology.

Her technique of layering images with other materials achieves results that blend “contemporary and ancient portraiture across the expanse of time.” A selection of her photographs – some being exhibited for the first time – are displayed alongside prehistoric and historical Lenape objects in the HSRC galleries. [Read more…] about Crossroads of Rockland History Features Artist Lisa Levart

Edith Varian Cockcroft: Crossroads of Rockland History

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crossroads of rockland historyThe September, 2018  the Crossroads of Rockland History podcast focused on the forgotten painter, inventor, couturier, textile designer and ceramist Edith Varian Cockcroft (1881-1962).

Eve M. Kahn (Art Historian and New York Times contributor) appeared with Sloatsburg native Peter Bush. They discussed the interesting life of the artist and the research that has been underway during this recent rediscovery.

Cockcroft, a Brooklyn native, studied art with William Merritt Chase and traveled widely in Europe before World War I. Critics lauded her atmospheric views of French and British coastal villages and portraits of nudes against vibrant fabric backdrops. She exhibited at venues such as the Paris Salon, the National Academy of Design, the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, and the Art Institute of Chicago. Collectors as elite as Moscow’s Ivan Morosov acquired her work. [Read more…] about Edith Varian Cockcroft: Crossroads of Rockland History

Rockland History: Friends of Harmony Hall, Jacob Sloat House

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crossroads of rockland historyOn the August, 2018 “Crossroads of Rockland History,” Peter Bush (direct descendent of Jacob Sloat) was on hand to discuss Friends of Harmony Hall ~ Jacob Sloat House.

This magnificent house, built in 1848, in the heart of New York State’s historic Ramapo Pass is raising excitement in Sloatsburg, NY, an area which is undergoing an economic revitalization at the moment. As unique as its original owner, the estate was added to the New York State and National Registers of Historic Places on December 22, 2006.

Although it is considered to be a ‘restoration in progress,’ this stately home once again welcomes visitors on a limited basis, offering a wide range of arts and educational programming. When restoration work is complete, Harmony Hall is expected to serve as the cultural center of western Rockland County – welcoming visitors to a region renown for its natural beauty, magnificent parks and significant contribution to American history. [Read more…] about Rockland History: Friends of Harmony Hall, Jacob Sloat House

Crossroads of Rockland History: Suffern Village, Railroad Museum

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crossroads of rockland historyOn 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

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crossroads of rockland historyOn 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

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crossroads of rockland historyOn 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

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crossroads of rockland historyThis 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

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crossroads of rockland historyThis 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

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crossroads of rockland historyThis 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

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crossroads of rockland historyThis 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