USA > New York > Rockland County > The history of Rockland County > Part 39
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46
Through the merest accident the citizens living along the proposed roads who were not in the ring, learned of this bill and after difficulty ob- tained a copy. At once opposition was started. Meetings were held, re- monstrances were signed and a committee consisting of George H. Liver- more, Hagaman Onderdonk, Daniel Clark, and Isaac Hart, was sent to Albany, to petition against the passage of the proposed aet. It was then recognized how strong the influence in favor of the bill was and the com- mittee, after combatting those who labored for the roads to the utmost, at length returned defeated.
By this time the full scope of the contemplated work was understood by those resident in the County and anger against the planners of the ave- nues, which were commonly called " boulevards " owing to Tweeds con- neetion with the boulevard in New York city, was expressed on every side. Again the opponents of the proposed act petitioned against it, and a second committee, consisting of Isaac Hart, Garret Sarvent and George Green, visited Albany to appeal against the passage of the bill. This committee was joined by Francis Tillou, who bitterly objected to the measure. In spite of the carnest protestation of almost all the property holders, not named as commissioners, along the proposed route, it was found impossible to prevent the passage of the bill. But one course re- mained open, that of amending it so as to remove its dangers as far as possible. This was accomplished, and the act relating to Highland ave- nue was so amended as to abolish the clause for curbing, graveling, con- struction of culverts, and flagging of sidewalks; the expense of building was limited to five instead of ten thousand dollars a mile, and the time for the redemption of property was fixed at one year. The commissioners named in this amended aet were: Peter Voorhis, John N. Perry, William L. Lawrence, William A. Shepard, William Voorhis, Richard DeCantillon, William H. Whiton, Henry Brinkerhoff and Cornelius T. Smith.
368
The amendments to the act relative to Midland avenue consisted of the exclusion of the clauses relative to grading, curbing, building culverts and flagging sidewalks, the reduction of the expense of construction from five to three thousand dollars per mile, an extension of the time for the redemption of property to one year, and an extension to three years for the time of building the road. The Commissioners appointed by the amended act were: Peter Voorhis, Marcena M. Dickinson, George Green, Garret Sarvent and Isaac Hart. The last named gentleman declined to serve and George H. Livermore was appointed in his place. Under this Board of Commissioners. the avenue was surveyed, opened and con- structed for the sum stated in the amended bill, and the Commissioners discharged. In the case of Highland avenue, litigation was almost im- mediately begun because of unjust and illegal assessment. Work was stopped when the road was partially finished and all of the road bed, with the exception of the portion between Rockland Lake and the mountain road in Upper Nyack, has become overgrown with underbrush and weeds.
James Nelson, the Member of Assembly, who labored so hard for the passage of the bill, was overwhelmingly defeated in the elections of 1871, entirely through the efforts of Garret Sarvent, and because of his actions in the matter. Highland avenue still remains an open field for years of legal complications and legislative interference.
Rinear Kisarike, 1722. Cornelius Haring, 1723-28. Cornelius Smith, 1729-31. Barent Nagle, 1732-33. Gabriel Ludlow, Jr., 1734- 39.
Henry Ludlow, 1740-46. John Ferdon, 1747.
Adolph Lent, 1748-57. David Blauvelt, 1758-59. Daniel Haring, 1760-63. Abraham Haring, 1764. Johannes Blauvelt, 1765. Thomas Outwater, 1766-74. John M. Hogencamp, 1779- 80, 1783-1796.
SUPERVISORS.
Jonathan Lawrence, 1782. James Perry, 1797- 1800- 1804. James Demarest, 1801.
Sam'l G. Verbryck, 1802-3- 6-19-28-1829.
James Perry, 1804-5.
John Perry, 1820.
Richard Ellsworth, 1823.
William Sickles, 1824-27.
Isaac I. Blauvelt, 1830-34. Benj. Blackledge, 1835-38. John Haring, Jr., 1839-41. John J. Haring, 1842.
John T. Blauvelt, 1843-45. John S. Verbryck, 1846-47.
Simon D. Demarest, 1848- 49. Wm. E. Smith, 1850-51. John C. Blauvelt, 1852-54. J. J. Lawrence, 1855.
M. M. Dickinson, 1856 57- James S. Haring, 1858-63- 1865-71. William Dickey, 1863-64. Isaac M. Dederer, 1872-73. D. D. Demarest, 1874-75 Henry A. Blauvelt, 1876- 79. Hagaman Onderdonk, 1882. George Dickey. 1880-81, 1 883-4.
TOWN CLERKS.
Henry Ludlow, 1744-45. Robert Hallett, 1746-47.
John De Wint, 1748-52.
Richard Blauvelt, 1799-1817 1825-27. Cornelius Sickles, 1818-20.
John S. Verbryck, 1848-49. Henry A. Blauvelt, 1850-54 1869-72.
369
Thomas Outwater, 1754-55 1761-73.
Richard Ellsworth, 1821-22.
David Clark, 1823-24.
Richard P. Eells, 1855-56. A. T. Blanvelt, 1857-58.
Andries Onderdonk, Jr., 1758-60.
J. J. Demarest, 1830-38.
James S. Haring, 1868.
John H. Blanvelt, 1873.
Jan Myndert Hogenkamp, 1778-91. James Demarest, 1792-97.
Abram House, 1841-45.
John A. Haring, 1874-82.
Tunis Smith, 1798.
J. Youmans, 1847.
John W. Blauvelt, 1859-67.
C. I. Blauvelt, 1828-29.
J. B. Blauvelt, 1834-40
George Van Houten, 1846.
W. B. Slocum, 1883. Eugene C. Fisk, 1884.
Authorities referred to : Extracts from village papers ; Lectures by William G. Haeselbarth ; Session Laws; Papers and documents contributed by George R. Van Houten ; "Notes on Nyack," published in 1878 ; Books and papers contributed by Garret E. Green.
CHAPTER XVIII.
THE TOWN OF HAVERSTRAW.
ORIGIN OF THE NAME-ERECTION INTO A TOWNSHIP-AREA-CENSUS- HISTORIES OF HAVERSTRAW VILLAGE-THIELL'S CORNERS-GUR- NEE'S CORNERS OR MOUNT IVY-GARNERVILLE-SAMSONDALE -- JOHNSONTOWN-WEST HAVERSTRAW-MONROE AND HAVERSTRAW TURNPIKE-HAVERSTRAW COMMUNITY-TOWN OFFICERS.
It is claimed that the name of Haverstraw appears on a map found among the Dutch archives in Amsterdam, supposed to have been made about 1616. It may be so. We know that Hudson sailed up the river seven years before; that Adrian Block first built on the site of the present New York City two years before; and that the permanent settlement oc- curred ten years later, in 1626, and it may be somewhat of a tax on human credulity to believe, that at that date a map was made of a wilder- ness in which one place is located as "the Haverstroo " or "Haverstroo," still such a thing is not impossible.
The first mention I find of the name is in the map of New Netherland, by A. Vanderdonck, made in 1656, and it is there spoken of as Haver- stroo." In June 1658, occurs the second mention of the name, that I have found, in Stuyvesant's Journal of his visit to Esopus ; " that the murder had not been committed by one of their tribe, but by a Newesink Savage, who was now living at. Haverstroo, or about there ;" again in 1660 and 1664, the name occurs and after that is frequently used. It is doubtless true that this name was given to the place on account of the wild oats which grew along the river banks.
From 1686 till 1719, the present town of Haverstraw was included in the laws, taxes and militia duties of Orangetown. But that valley was increasing so rapidly in population, the distance was so great and the trail so poor between it and Tappan, that the inhabitants petitioned for sepa- rate existence and on June 24th, 1719, the following act was passed :
" An Act to enable the Precincts of Haverstraw in the County of Orange, to chuse a Supervi-
* * sor, a Collector, two Assessors, one Constable, and two Overseers of Highways. *
WHEREAS, Several principall Freeholders and Inhabitants of Haverstraw, in the County of Orange, in Behalf of themselves and others, have by their Petitions to the General Assembly, prayed they may be enabled to elect one Supervisor, one Collector, two Assessors, one Constable and two Overseers of the Highways, by Reason of their great Distance from Tappan, in the said County.
371
Be it therefore enacted, by his Excellency the Governor, Council, and General Assembly, and by the authority of the same ; That from and after the publication of this Act, it shall and may be lawful for the Inhabitants of the Districts and Precincts of Haverstraw, in the County of Orange, from the Northernmost bounds of Tappan, to the northernmost bounds of Haverstraw, and they are hereby required and impowered to assemble and meet together, at the most Convenient place in the said Districts, and Precincts, on the first Tuesday in April, annually, and then by a plurality of voices to elect and chuse among them one Supervisor, one Collector, two Assessors, one Constable, and two Overseers of the Highways, and the said Officers so chosen shall be of the Principall Inhabitants and freeholders, within the Districts above said, and also be invested with all the Powers, and be obliged to such Services and Duties as all other and like officers in the County of Orange, afore said, are impowered and obliged to do.
And the Assessors and Supervisor so chosen shall act in Conjunction with the rest of the like officers in the said County when and as often as occasion shall require, anything to the Contrary hereof in any wise notwithstanding."
In accordance with this Act the inhabitants of Haverstraw proceeded to hold their first town meeting and elect their town officers.
The Orangetown patent bounded the town within circumscribed limits, but the erection of the Haverstraw precinct gave a practically unlimited area to the jurisdiction of the new town's officers. The present townships of Clarks, Ramapo and Stony Point were all included under the name of Haverstraw, and the town possessed in 1790, 85,720 acres, about six times the area of Orangetown.
As in the case of Orangetown, no separate census existed for Haver- straw before 1738, when 654 people were resident within its limits. Be- tween that date and 1790, the next census, the Pond patent, Kakiat, Scotland and Ramapo Clove had been largely settled and the population had increased to 4,826. The separation of the present towns of Clarks and Ramapo in 1791, brought the population of Haverstraw proper down to more moderate figures
In 1738, Haverstraw had 654 inhabitants.
In 1835, Haverstraw had 2865 inhabitants.
In 1790,
In 1800, 1229 In 1810, 1866 In 1820, 2700 In 1825, State Census, 2026 4826
In 1845,
4806
In 1855,
6747
In 1865, .4 4113
In 1870, U. S. Census, 6412
1n 1880,
7022
The same remark concerning the census of 1820, holds true in the case of Haverstraw as of the other towns. The change of the'figures in 1865, is due to the separation of the town of Stony Point from her territory in the early part of that year.
IIAVERSTRAW VILLAGE.
As we have seen in Chapter II, the earliest grant of land in the County was to Balthazar De Harte in 1666, and reads : " All that tract of land lying on the west side of Hudson's river called Haverstraw, being on the
372
north side of the hills called Verdrietig Hook, on the south side of the Highlands, on the east side of the mountains, so as the same is bounded by Hudson's river and round about by high mountains." In Chapter III, I have spoken of the early transfers of land in the patent, and stated the names of the original owners of the property on which the village now stands.
The first road in Haverstraw was the continuation of the King's high way, which connected the early settlers with their neighbors in Tappan- town. This was soon followed, as the influx of settlers from Long Island to Kakiat began, by a road from the river to the new Hempstead, a road which was later continued on to Sidman's Pass and down to Tappan and became the military road of the Revolution. Scarcely had these lines of communication been cut through, however, when the opening of Hassen- clever minc and the erection of iron works along Florus Falls Creek, led to the construction of a road from the King's highway along the creek and Stony brook to the mine.
Already I have made mention of the dock where Andre is supposed to have landed in Haverstraw, and of that built by Edw. W. Kiers near the outlet of the Short Clove before the Revolution-this latter dock is now owned by Felix McCabe.
About 1812, John Allison ran out a dock in front of his property, a little north of the present steamboat landing ; DeNoyelles built a dock on his land nearly opposite the end of South street, and Captain Jolin Felter built still a third landing near the foot of Main street. For many years DeNoyelles' landing was the most public one, and from it the steamboats ran in early days, thus giving it the name, by which it is still known among the older people, of the lower steamboat landing.
As in the case of Tappan Landing and Nyack, Haverstraw had its early market sloops, which amply sufficed to carry to the city the settler's surplus products and bring back the few luxuries they wished. Until the advent of the steamboat, these sailing vessels were the only means of communication by water, and the few travellers of those early days found them both rapid and comfortable enough. The price of passage was a "York" shilling; the time made depended, in great measure, on the direc- tion and force of the wind and tide, though some of the vessels were furnished with sweeps, and, if becalmed, both passengers and crew were expected to work their passage down. It is said that more than once vessels have been propelled the entire distance in this manner.
While the entrance of steamboats upon the route made terribly sad havoc with the sloop owners' profits, the market vessels were still continued.
373
The first steamboats, landing at Grassy Point, were too distant to be a serious injury, and even when the Rockland came, and, later, the Warren was built, these relies of an earlier age remained. I append an advertise- ment.
" Market Sloop. Haverstraw and New York. The subscribers will run for the season the new and fast sailing Sloop Sarah Francis, leaving the Dock of Abraham Jones, formerly J. Felter's, every Tuesday at 2 o'clock, P. M., and New York every Friday at 3 o'clock, P. M.
N. B .- All kinds of freight and produce taken on reasonable terms. The boat will run as soon as the ice will permit.
H. & W. R. KNAPP."
Haverstraw, February 22d, 1849.
Besides these market sloops, one, the J. G. Pierson, was built for the purpose of carrying the products of the Ramapo Iron Works to the city. From the factories, the goods were brought to the Haverstraw Landing in huge wagons, drawn by six mule teams. I have shown the causes which led to the withdrawal of this business from Haverstraw.
This village did not begin its growth as early as either Ramapo or Nyack, but for many years, until the discovery of James Wood revolu- tionized brick making, remained a country hamlet. In 1855, Jacob Wan- dell wrote in a letter to his sister Catherine Van Houten, the following description of the present village, at the close of the last century :
" My father removed from Tappan Sloat to Haverstraw in the year 1794. There was no village there then, only one house. Captain Shep- herd bought the field where the village is built, of Joseph Allison, for £10 ($25), an acre. When he moved there, it was sown with rye. The river bank was the handsomest I ever saw. From Grassy Point down to where James Wood first set a brick yard, (this was on the river bank directly opposite the burying ground of the De Noyelles family), was a beautiful row of large chestnuts and oak trees, growing all along the banks. It was a beautiful walk."
Of that high river bank, the De Noyelles burying ground, still remain- ing on the top of a high hill, surrounded with clay pits, and viewed by brick makers with anxious eyes, is the only relic left. I have already spoken of the early transfers of land in the present Haverstraw village, until it became the property of Allison and De Noyelles. In 1792, Joseph Alli- son sold to Thomas Smith and John Shepherd the land bounded by the Present Broadway, West street, South street and Hudson River. In his will, Joseph Allison left to his wife, Elsie, the portion of his real estate lying
374
between the present Broad and Main streets, and on the west side of Broadway, all the land between West Side avenue, (the road leading to the cemetery), and that part of Broad street which is west of Broadway.
Thomas Smith, who was the patriot brother of Joshua Hett Smith, previously mentioned, built a house where the United States Hotel now stands. This was the first house built on the lot, and was two stories in height, with a flight of stairs outside leading to the second story. It was burned early in this century. Smith died in November, 1795. In 1803, this lot was surveyed and divided into house-lots by Teunis Smith, of Nyack.
A street, now called Middle street, was run through the centre of the property from east to west, and numbered streets, beginning with First street, next the river front, were run across this. The price of a lot on the present Front street was $50. Before the beginning of the century, a lot on this property had been given for the Methodist church, and a house of worship was erected in 1800.
From a letter signed "Epsilon," written for the Rockland County News, November 10th, 1846, we get the following description of Haver- straw village in early days: " The farm of Thomas Smith covered the village before it was laid out in 1803. In 1804, there were only four houses in the place-Mrs. Green's, a short distance above Mr. Prall's ; an old house on Martlin's corner, kept as a tavern and store ; a small old house on the corner near Mrs. Martha De Noyelles, kept as a tavern ; Judge De Noyelles' below J. S. Gurnee's. Only four buildings existed between the Hudson and the present Garner's factory." I may quote still further from "Epsilon," and give his description of the village in 1846, in this connection. "Now, there are three hundred dwellings in Haverstraw, including Samsondale and Garnerville, beside factories. There are five churches, two being built, one academy, twelve stores, one print- ing office, four clergymen, four physicians, one attorney. The amount of capital invested in Peck's iron and chemical works, Garner's calico, and Higgins' carpet factory, is $1,000,000. The annual product is $1,500,000. The number of hands employed is 1,000. There are 27 brick yards in operation, which employ 650 hands, and produce about 70,000,000 bricks a year."
By 1837, almost all the land between the present Main street and the neck of land known as the " Narrow Passage," was owned by George S. and Michael Allison. In that year, following the mania for real estate speculation then prevailing, these men had this tract surveyed and cut into building lots, and streets were run through and given the names, many
375
of them still retain. The new village was called Warren, after the doctor General Joseph Warren, who was killed at Bunker Hill, and the develop- ment of the brick industry caused a rapid growth of the place.
The first store in Haverstraw was opened by George Smith, before 1815, and stood on the south corner of the present West Broad street and Broadway. Smith, it is said, charged so high a price for everything, that an opposition store was started by George S. Allison across Broadway. Liquor held a prominent place as a commodity at that time, New England rum seeming to be the favorite beverage. If we may judge from a re- mark I recently heard, that purchasers would produce a shilling and ask for " a penny-worth of tobacco, a penny-worth of sugar, and the rest in New England rum ;" the business of those days was not in the nature of dry goods. The first hotel in Haverstraw was built on the spot where Thomas Smith's house had burned, and was kept by Samuel Johnson, as the Johnson Tavern. The present United States, built in 1852, stands on the same site. The American Hotel was preceded by the Temperance House, opened in 1848, by C. A. Rand and C. T. Mills. Where the saloon of Levi West stands on Main street, Abraham Van Tassel kept a tavern in 1819. It was here that the first meeting of the Free Masons was held in 1853. About 1820, De Noyelles and Gurnee opened a store at their dock, later, the steamboat dock. This was the principal store in the vil- lage at that time. Perhaps, although we have read " Epsilon's" letter, a view of the village, which has changed so radically and rapidly, as seen by Rev. A. S. Freeman, D. D., in 1846, may be of interest.
Where the Central Presbyterian Church now stands was an open field and fields of grain stood between it and Main street. From the village to Grassy Point stretched a bautiful grove of pine trees, and back of Grassy Point Landing was a sloping bank with gardens and shade trees. Front street, now filled with handsome residences, had then a few inferior buildings. On the corner of Main and Front streets, on the site of the present United States Hotel, stood a dilapidated wooden tavern kept by J. Marting, and from that corner, up Main street, to the National Bank building, stood a row of wooden buildings, which were swept away by fire in 1850. Almost all the village north of Main street, including Rockland, Broad, Division, Clinton, was a farm. Near the present residence of Ira M. Hedges, was a little school house kept by D. B. Loomis, after he left the Academy. Later this site was occupied by the Warren Hotel. Oppo- site Felter Bros. bakery, where L. D. West's restaurant stands, was the blacksmith shop of Amos Allison. The present steamboat landing was not used as such till 1865, when it was rebuilt by D. D. & T. Smith.
376
Among the store keepers of those days were: Wm. R. Lane, hardware ; J. F. Mills, who opened a book store and restaurant, and whose rhyming advertisements, together with those of his rival in business " Uncle Benny" Smith, who was located on Main street, can be found in the files of the Rockland County Messenger of those days. Dr. Charles Whipple opened the first regular drug store in the village but drugs had previously been sold by Mr. Sherwood. In 1848, this store was bought by S. C. Blauvelt, who still carries on the business. In 1847, the store keepers of Haver- straw, announced in the Messenger, that thenceforth business should only be done on a cash basis.
The brick industry, which has made Haverstraw, we have already con- sidered. Another manufacturing interest developed by the brick industry I am now to mention. In 1848, Myron Ward and R. A. VerValen, opened the Warren Foundry immediately south of the steamboat dock for the manufacture of stoves and ploughs. Upon the invention of the Automatic Brick Machine by VerValen, in 1852, their manufacture was begun in the foundry and has been continued till the present time. This industry cm- ploys from twenty to forty men. Myron Ward left the business in 1851.
The first school house in this village, built in 1810, stood opposite the site of the present M. E. Church. The first teacher was a young Irish- man named Quinn. While Quinn was teaching the "young idea how to shoot," Cupid shot, and the pedagogue fell in love with and married one of his pupils, Eliza Wandell.
Whether such a startling, albeit romantic, termination to the course of education led the parents of that time to hesitate about sending their daughters to school or not, cannot now be answered ; but certainly little further record of educational matters in Haverstraw exists till the year 1847.
In 1847, D. B. Loomis was principle of the public school. He re- signed later and took charge of a school held in part of an old house, which stood near the present residence of I. M. Hedges. Loomis was fol- lowed at the Academy by I. I. Foot, Sheldon, Rev. S. W. St. John. George Secor, L. Wilson, Austin, W. P. Fisher. In 1847, Mr. Sanford opened a boarding and day school, and with his literary work combined dancing lessons.
In 1852, H. M. Peck, Amos Briggs and others invited Lewis B. Hard- castle, at that time teaching in Nyack, to open a school of advanced grade in Haverstraw. Accepting the invitation, Hardcastle purchased the property now known as the Mountain Institute from Geo. E. De Noyelles and erected beside the house a two story school building. The Institute
377
was opened Oct. 31st, 1853. Among the corps of teachers at the begin- ning of the school were; C. M. Dodd, Mr. Jamieson, H. B. Millard, and Miss Mary Rutherford. Hardcastle continued the school till the fall of 1856, when he was succeeded by H. B. Millard, who kept it till the spring of 1857. L. H. Northrup assumed charge of the Institute May 4th, 1857, and con- tinued till the fall of 1860. For some months the Institute remained closed. It at length was re-opened April 16th, 1861, under the present principle, Lavalette Wilson.
Up to 1854, Haverstraw was without fire apparatus of any sort ; then the burning of Geo. De Noyelles' barn on the evening of Jan. 22d, roused the people to a recognition of their insecure condition. A mecting of the citizens was called at the ball-room of the American Hotel on the evening of Jan. 28th, 1854, and the necessary funds for a Hook and Ladder truck subscribed. Rescue Hook and Ladder Co. was organized with Asbury De Noyelles, Foreman, and James Creney, Assistant Foreman. The com- pany remained in existence till April, 1859, when it was compelled by financial difficulties to transfer its apparatus to the village authorities who assumed the liabilities. In August 1881, a Holloway's fire extinguisher was obtained and attached to Rescue Hook and Ladder Company. The first truck house was situated in the M. E. Church shed yard.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.