ROCKAND COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY
February 5, 1876 – 150 YEARS AGO
Rockland County Journal
AROUND HOME
☞ Marriages are scarce in Nyack now. A number of our ladies say that it is easier for them to support themselves alone than to support their husbands too. More truth than poetry in that.
☞ The people of Blauveltville are making a new departure in educational matters. They have appointed a committee, of which John S. Norris is chairman, to receive and consider plans and estimates for an addition to their schoolhouse.
☞ There will be a Parlor Entertainment and Oyster Supper at the residence of Stephen Merritt, Wednesday evening, 16th inst., the proceeds for the benefit of the poor of the village. Admission 25 cents. Supper on the European plan.
Written for the Journal.
AT THE PRISON OF ANDRÉ
[Image: The ’76 Stone House—André Prison—Tappan. The image appeared in American History Magazine, vol. 3, no. 12, December 1879, pp. 742-743.]
Oh! relic of the past! thou stand’st now
Amidst the buildings which have round thee grown,
E’en as a centenarian on whose brow
The testimony of the years are shown;
Around thy walls new dwellings have been reared
And crumbled down and been replaced by those
Of later style, while beings have appeared
Around about thee—many who repose
Within yon churchyard near: the young, the old,
They who have heard the oft-repeated tale
Of Arnold’s treason and th’ endeavor bold
The bulwarks of our freedom to assail.
Long thou hast stood with thy historic walls
Amidst the scenes which have around thee risen:
Sometimes an inn, a home at intervals,
And once, alas! a brief but gloomy prison;
Now thou, untenanted, seem shadowed by
Thine own dark walls so prevalent with gloom;
A century’s storms have swept athwart the sky,
And crept within the windows of that room
As did the light on Andre, luckless youth,
Whose life was sacrificed at Freedom’s altar
In place of one escaping, who forsooth,
Might better far have worn the criminal halter.
Alas! that men who fought in freedom’s name
Should e’er have found recourse to such a blow,
Yet weapons harsh were needed quite the same
To clear our homeland from its foreign foe.
—January, 1876. ROBERT H. FENTON.
Note—The Prison referred to above is now known as the “76 Stone House,” and is situated at Tappan, Rockland Co., N. Y. It was formerly used as a hotel.
February 5, 1926 – 100 YEARS AGO
Nyack Evening Journal
SNOW CAUSES COLLAPSE OF GREENHOUSES; LOSS EXCEEDS $20,000
Spring Valley—Damage which is expected to exceed $20,000, resulted at the A. S. Burns, Jr. greenhouses yesterday when several sections collapsed under the weight of the snow. One of the buildings was part of a four-house range, and the weather destroyed the thousands of roses in the other three sections.
The second building to collapse was part of a five-house range, but it is hoped that the flowers in the other will be saved. Lumber was rushed to the greenhouses yesterday from the Comfort Coal-Lumber Co. and frantic efforts made to board up the buildings and present greater losses from the weather
Mr. Burns owns one of the largest greenhouse developments in the United States. Some years ago, when he made a specialty of lilies, he was known be the Lilly King of America.
As far as known, there was no insurance against this risk, and it will prove a total loss to the company.
February 2, 1976 – 50 YEARS AGO
The Journal News
FIREMEN SEEK HOPEFULS FOR MISS PIERMONT
Piermont girls, aged 13 to 16, it’s your time to smile.
Fill out an entry blank and explain (in between 25 and 50 words) why you would like to be Miss Piermont Fire Department Bicentennial Queen.
If you win, you’ll ride through the village streets perched atop a majestic float in each of the three parades Empire Hose Co., No. 1 participates in.
You’ll be able to take part in all job-related fire department activities and capture the hearts of multitudes at the company’s social gatherings.
You’re bound to become more popular in high school and the award might be a nifty little item to mention on a college application or resume.
You don’t even have to be pretty. Company spokesman William Lynch Jr. said that selection of the queen and two girls for her court is not to be construed as a beauty contest.
“Looks is only one factor,” he said. Personality and conduct are others.
Besides answering the question on the entry blank, which is available at the firehouse on Piermont Avenue, and which must be turned in by March 1, the contestants will take a short test on early American history.
Lynch reviewed a few of the easier questions. “We’ll ask them things like: Name the colors in the American flag, the number of stripes, the number of stars. Who was the first President of the United States.”
Only girls who live within the incorporated village may enter. The queen will be crowned in April by a panel of judges selected from firemen who do not have a relative in the competition.
Lynch said about six entry blanks have been received but none have been opened yet. He is anticipating a total of about 15.
Besides celebrating the nation’s bicentennial with the crowning of a queen, the event will also mark the 125th birthday of Empire Hose Co.
This Week in Rockland (#FBF Flashback Friday) is prepared by Clare Sheridan for the Historical Society of Rockland County. © 2026 by The Historical Society of Rockland County. #FBF Flashback Friday may be reprinted only with written permission from the HSRC. To learn about the HSRC’s mission, upcoming events or programs, visit www.RocklandHistory.org or call (845) 634-9629.