Historical Society of Rockland County

09/02/2026

The Trustees of the HSRC Cordially Invite You to

⭐️The 2026 Rockland Revolution 250 Luncheon

⭐️Celebrating 250 Years of American Independence!

⭐️When: Sunday, November 1, 2026, 1-4 pm

⭐️Where: O’Grady’s Castle, 285 Blue Hill Drive, Pearl River, NY 10965

⭐️Price: $125 (HSRC members) * $135 (general public) * $150 (Patron, includes listing in souvenir journal)

Celebrate the 250th Anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence and birth of the United States of America in historical style!

This year’s awards will be presented to:

🇺🇸Eileen O’Brien and Jose Cardona: Lifetime Service

🇺🇸The Battaglia Family and Rockland Bakery: Business Landmark

🇺🇸Carl Wright: Living Landmark

Join us at the historic O’Grady’s Castle at Blue Hill Golf Course in Pearl River for an afternoon of celebration. Guests will enjoy a cocktail hour, award presentations, and our ever popular Mystery Envelopes and cash raffles.

Festive Attire
For information about purchasing tickets, sponsorship opportunities, or ads/congratulatory messages in the souvenir journal, go to the HSRC Website, call the office at 845-634-9629 or send an email to [email protected]

Link: https://www.rocklandhistory.org/2026-annual-luncheon

Hope to see you there!

08/20/2026

THANK YOU FOR JOINING OUR REVOLUTION!

Our 2026 Membership Revolution, a membership campaign in celebration of 250 years of
American Independence, was a huge success!

Through your generosity, we raised $6,550 in new memberships and donations.

Congratulations to Tom B. (Norwood, NJ) for winning tickets to our 2026 Historic Homes & Landmarks Tour: Piermont Places and Sparkill Spaces!

These funds will support our vital mission. Founded in 1965, the Historical Society of Rockland County is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit educational institution and the principal repository for original documents and artifacts relating to Rockland County.

Learn more here: https://www.rocklandhistory.org/2026-membership-revolution-campaign

Your donation is tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.

Contact Us With Membership Questions
THE HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY
20 Zukor Road * New City, NY 10956
Phone: (845) 634-9629; Fax: (845) 634-8690
Email: [email protected]

08/17/2026

Episode 189 began streaming today (Monday, August 17, 2026) at 10am.

Link to listen: https://www.rocklandhistory.org/august-2026--the-seven-taverns-which-saved-ramapo-pass

Host Clare Sheridan welcomed Peter Bush of Friends of Harmony Hall for a conversation about a fascinating new exhibition now on view at the Jacob Sloat House in Sloatsburg: The Seven Taverns Which Saved the Ramapo Pass.

Harmony Hall’s new exhibition explores the historic taverns that once lined the Clove Road from Suffern to Highland Mills. Stephen Sloat’s Tavern in Sloatsburg, Suffern’s Tavern, Sidman’s in Sloatsburg, Galloway’s in Southfields, June’s at Harriman, Smith’s between Central Valley and Highland Mills, and Earl’s in Highland Mills were far more than places to rest and refresh. They were centers of news, politics, travel, and community life during a pivotal era in American history. Timed to coincide with the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution, the exhibition at the Jacob Sloat House highlights the often-overlooked role of the Ramapo Pass corridor in the fight for independence.

We’ll also hear a preservation update on Harmony Hall, including its restored front porch and freshly painted exterior. The restoration of the Jacob Sloat House is a remarkable story of perseverance, dedication, and community commitment.

The exhibition The Seven Taverns Which Saved the Ramapo Pass is on view now at the Jacob Sloat House in Sloatsburg. Visits are available by appointment. To schedule a visit, contact Friends of Harmony Hall at (845) 712-5220, or visit Friends of Harmony Hall | Jacob Sloat House, Sloatsburg, NY for more information.

The exhibition is based in part on a five-part series of articles by Richard J. Koke, published in volumes 19 through 23 of the Orange County Historical Society Journal between 1990 and 1994. Those articles are being made available on the Orange County Historical Society’s website HERE.

This episode of Crossroads of Rockland History is sponsored by the Town of Ramapo, Supervisor Michael Specht, and the Ramapo Town Board. We are grateful for their generous support of this program and of the Historical Society of Rockland County.

08/16/2026

August 16, 1776 at Tappan Sea, New York

Image: The Phoenix and the Rose engaged by the enemy's fire ships and galleys on the 16 Augst. 1776 / engrav'd from the original picture by S. Serres from a sketch of Sir James Wallace's. Library of Congress.

July - October 1776: Early Naval Skirmishes in the Tappan Zee

On July 12, the British warships HMS Phoenix and HMS Rose anchored in the Tappan Zee near Nyack to intercept American communications. They attempted to land troops but were prevented from doing so by the Second Regiment of the Orange County Militia, under the command of Colonel Ann Hawkes Hay of Haverstraw. On August 3, the American galleys Whiting, Lady Washington, Crown, and Spitfire engaged the British ships Phoenix, Roebuck, and Tartar in the Tappan Zee in an early naval skirmish of the Revolution. The Patriots kept the British from sailing farther up the Hudson River. Later that month, on August 16, Americans commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel Benjamin Tupper sent fire rafts against the British ships south of Rockland County. The action did not succeed, but it alarmed the commander of the Phoenix enough to order the ships to rejoin the British fleet off Manhattan.



Learn more about this and so much more at the current exhibition at the History Center: https://www.rocklandhistory.org/rockland-in-the-revolution--a-250th-anniversary-exploration

08/14/2026

The HSRC and Piermont Historical Society Invite You to Join Us for

Piermont Places & Sparkill Spaces
The 2026 Historic Homes & Landmarks Tour

⭐️When: Saturday, October 3, 2026,
10 am - 4 pm

⭐️Where: Pick up tickets anytime after 10 am on October 3 at Christ Church, 5 New Street, Sparkill, NY 10976

⭐️Price: Advance: $45; Day of Tour: $50

This year’s tour will take place in and around the Rockland Road Bridge Historic District – Known as “The Birthplace of Piermont.” It is the oldest and most historic area of Piermont and many of the surrounding buildings have maintained their 18th and 19th-century character. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the oldest house in Piermont is here and once hosted George Washington.

The house tour will be a self-guided walking tour on which a number of houses and other significant sites within and near the Historic District, and in nearby Sparkill, will be open to the public. The tour both promotes these Orangetown communities and their historic importance to Rockland County.

Early registration is encouraged!

As a courtesy to the homeowners, please wear soft-soled shoes on the day of the tour and refrain from photography, gum chewing, eating, and drinking while on the tour.

Proceeds from the tour benefit the Historical Society of Rockland County and the Piermont Historical Society (www.PiermontHistoricalSociety.org)

All participants will pick up their tickets on tour day at Christ Church, 5 New Street, Sparkill, NY 10976.

Presenting Sponsor : Beckerle Lumber and Home Centers

Tickets: https://www.rocklandhistory.org/2026-historic-homes---landmarks-tour--piermont-and-sparkill

Rockland County is the smallest county in New York State outside the five boroughs of New York City. It is bounded by the Hudson River on the east, the State of New Jersey on the south, and the Ramapo Mountains to the north and west. Although the county consists of only 176 square miles, it is a lan...

08/01/2026

THE REVOLUTION CONTINUES!

We’re still celebrating 250 years of American Independence, so we’re extending our Membership Revolution until August 14. Now is the time to join as a new member or upgrade your membership to take advantage of celebration perks and provide vital funding for our organization. We thank everyone for your support!

Plus: everyone who participates in our membership campaign will be automatically entered in a raffle drawing to win 2 tickets for our Historic House Tour: Piermont Places & Sparkill Spaces (October 3). If you joined our Revolution earlier in July, you also will be entered to win. One winner will be chosen on August 15.

Learn more here: https://mailchi.mp/rocklandhistory/membership-7234051?e=52dffa092a

07/24/2026

ONE WEEK LEFT FOR OUR MEMBERSHIP REVOLUTION!
Until July 31 we’re celebrating 250 years of American Independence with our own Membership Revolution. Individuals like you provide vital funding for our organization. Recently, we have added extra benefits for members year-round and created a new Senior Circle giving level.

Join Our July Revolution

During July, upgrade to a $250 category (or above) and we will prominently recognize your generous contribution on a special Membership Revolution webpage and August email newsletter. Your membership will be prominently highlighted in an issue of our quarterly South of the Mountains, as well as on special Museum Gallery signage that will be on display throughout 2026.

In addition to the $250 Blauvelt Fellow category, we have added a new $250 level of membership just for Seniors (62+). Senior Circle members enjoy President’s Circle ($500 category) benefits, but at a reduced price.

More info : https://mailchi.mp/rocklandhistory/membership-7233975?e=52dffa092a

07/20/2026

The new episode of Crossrosds of Rockland History is streaming now!

Listen here: https://www.rocklandhistory.org/july-2026--ramapo-mountain-iron

We turned our attention to the ironmaking villages that existed on Rockland’s western border during the American Revolution.

In the decades leading up to the Revolutionary War, rich deposits of iron ore were discovered in the Ramapo Mountains. Early entrepreneurs who sought to capitalize on this resource by mining and smelting the ore into products, however, were thwarted by British laws that prohibited the manufacture of finished goods in the American Colonies.

HSRC Executive Director Susan Deeks joined host Clare Sheridan to discuss the ironmaking villages, the challenges they faced to protect their facilities, operations, and laborers; and their role in helping George Washington prevail over the British in the Hudson Valley.

About the speaker: Susan Deeks is the executive director of the Historical Society of Rockland County and a former director of the Friends of Long Pond Ironworks in West Milford, NJ. She has a master’s degree in history, with a concentration in the industrial history of the Lower Hudson Valley and specialization in the historical iron mines, forges, and furnaces that operated in the Ramapo Mountains from 1764 to 1888.

07/16/2026

Today in Rockland history ...

On July 16, 1779, The Battle of Stony Point took place in the Hudson Valley region of New York. In a well planned and executed nighttime attack, a highly trained select group of George Washington's Continental Army troops under the command of Brigadier General "Mad Anthony" Wayne defeated British troops in quick and daring assault on their outpost in Stony Point, New York, approximately 30 miles north of New York City.
The British suffered heavy losses in a battle that served as an important victory in terms of morale for the Continental Army. While the fort was ordered evacuated quickly after the battle by General Washington, this key crossing site was used later in the war by units of the Continental Army to cross the Hudson River on their way to victory over the British.
Further Reading:
James Johnson. Remembering the Revolution. The Hudson Valley Magazine. August 2004. https://www.hudsonrivervalley.org/.../34fa4e9e-3018-40c2...

07/16/2026

So cool!

KEEPING COOL: The Jacob Blauvelt House in New City was built in 1832 - long before central air conditioning. News 12 visited the home to learn how they kept cool.
https://bit.ly/4551lwj