Haverstraw (village), New York

Infobox Settlement
official_name = Haverstraw, New York
settlement_type = Village
nickname =
motto =

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pushpin_label_position =
pushpin_map_caption =Location within the state of New York
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subdivision_type = Country
subdivision_name = United States
subdivision_type1 = State
subdivision_name1 = New York
subdivision_type2 = County
subdivision_name2 = Rockland
government_footnotes =
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leader_title =
leader_name =
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leader_name1 =
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established_date =

unit_pref = Imperial
area_footnotes =
area_magnitude =
area_total_km2 = 13.1
area_land_km2 = 5.2
area_water_km2 = 8.0
area_total_sq_mi = 5.1
area_land_sq_mi = 2.0
area_water_sq_mi = 3.1

population_as_of = 2000
population_footnotes =
population_total = 10117
population_density_km2 = 1960.9
population_density_sq_mi = 5078.8

timezone = Eastern (EST)
utc_offset = -5
timezone_DST = EDT
utc_offset_DST = -4
elevation_footnotes =
elevation_m = 9
elevation_ft = 30
latd = 41 |latm = 11 |lats = 47 |latNS = N
longd = 73 |longm = 58 |longs = 1 |longEW = W

postal_code_type = ZIP code
postal_code = 10927
area_code = 845
blank_name = FIPS code
blank_info = 36-32754
blank1_name = GNIS feature ID
blank1_info = 0952388
website =
footnotes =

Haverstraw is a village in the Town of Haverstraw Rockland County, New York, United States located north of Congers; east of West Haverstraw; south of Stony Point, New York and west of the Hudson River at its widest point. The population was 10,117 at the 2000 census.

The Village of Haverstraw is home to Rockland Community College - Haverstraw Extension. As of 2007, the mayor is Michael Kohut.

The Village has entered a period of revitalization, which coincides with the creation of the Harbors Community and a sculpture trail which will follow the Hudson River. The State has funded [http://www.empire.state.ny.us/press/press_display.asp?id=222 three million to the Revitalization] project.

History

In 1609, during one of the many voyages the Dutch financed in search of the Northwest Passage, Henry Hudson sailed the Hudson River, docking his ship in Haverstraw Bay. It was here that the Dutch declared the Hudson River as property of the Dutch.

Haverstraw was founded in 1666, but the village, known as Florus Falls and also as Waynesburgh, wasn't legally established until 1854 as the Village of Warren. Under an Act of the State Legislature, the name of the village was changed to "Haverstraw" on April 14^th, 1874.

The village is one of the first to appear on maps of North America, listed as "Haverstroo", which means oat straw.

Strategically located on the Hudson River, the village was home to a number of skirmishes between the British Army and the Continental Army of the Americans during the American Revolutionary War.

Haverstraw was the site of the most grevious treason of the early years of the United States. During the night of September 19 and September 20, 1780, the English Emissary, Major John André, was rowed from the sloop-of-war Vulture to a beach below the Long Cove on the southern boundary of Haverstraw. The negotiations to sell the plans to West Point were not completed by dawn, and Benedict Arnold and André traveled to the home of Joshua Het Smith on the grounds of what is now Helen Hayes Hospital in West Haverstraw, New York.

Commonly referred to as "Bricktown", Haverstraw was famous for its brickmaking, which was a major industry for the village. Brickmaking was so popular due to the clay formed by the Hudson River's water and the rich soil that lined Haverstraw's waterfront, that it was nicknamed the "Brickmaking Capital of the World". Many of the old brownstone and brick structures that were constructed in New York City in the late 1890s-early 1900s were composed of bricks manufactured by Haverstraw. At one point, in the early 20th century, there were more than 40 brickmaking factories lining the Hudson River within the village. Although brickmaking involved all the ethnic groups, 60 percent of the brickyard workers were African-Americans.

On the night of January 8, 1906, a landslide demolished a large residential portion of the village. Firefighters responded immediately but faced enormous odds because of burst valves and water mains, gas explosions and hoses which periodically froze because of the cold night. The landslide, a pit about 150 feet deep, claimed five Haverstraw streets from Allison to Jefferson Roads, 21 buildings and the lives of 4 firefighters and 17 residents. Despite the events, the village rebounded. Eight years later, however, the Cleary-Newman murder case took place. The village announced in 2007, the 101 anniversary of the landslide, that a memorial would be erected in honor of the victims of the landslide.

The brick industry continued to thrive until World War II, in which brick began to lose its value significantly. Shortly after, the village's main industry of brickmaking declined and left the village. The economic vitality of the village greatly decreased. Because of the amount of vacancies and the relatively inexpensive housing available, the village opened up to Hispanic migration, and the village has since become home to many Hispanic immigrant families since the 1950s. Many families of Hispanic descent take part in the village's festivals that take place annually. The Puerto Rican Day Parade and Festival take place in the village's downtown in early June, the Dominican Day Parade and Festival occur in late August and in September, the multi-cultural festival is assembled.

September 2004 marked the village's 150th anniversary, celebrated by a festival along the village's waterfront. The future of this river village gleams bright with a large revitalization project that revitalizes the downtown business district and develops its waterfront with a large residential project.

As a cost-saving measure, at midnight on January 1, 2006, the Village of Haverstraw Police Department was merged with the Town of Haverstraw Police Department.

In July 1920, New York Yankee outfielder Babe Ruth spent time in Haverstraw, to film a movie - "Heading' Home". A local baseball field bears the Hall of Famer's name due to his visit.

Brick Manufacturers

These are the names of suppliers of bricks to NYC Metro Areas in 1910 with the numbers of machines each manufacturer used as listed in "Within These Gates" by Daniel deNoyelles

Geography

Haverstraw is on the west bank of the Hudson River.

Haverstraw is located at coor dms|41|11|47|N|73|58|0|W|city (41.196494, -73.96684)GR|1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 5.1 square miles (13.1 km²), of which, 2.0 square miles (5.2 km²) of it is land and 3.1 square miles (8.0 km²) of it (60.75%) is water.

Demographics

As of the censusGR|2 of 2000, there were 10,117 people, 2,816 households, and 2,168 families residing in the village. The population density was 5,078.8 people per square mile (1,962.9/km²). There were 2,925 housing units at an average density of 1,468.4/sq mi (567.5/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 46.02% White, 12.07% Black or African American, 0.37% Native American, 1.09% Asian, 0.13% Pacific Islander, 34.70% from other races, and 5.62% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 59.29% of the population.

There were 2,816 households out of which 43.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.1% were married couples living together, 23.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.0% were non-families. 17.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.42 and the average family size was 3.82.

In the village the population was spread out with 28.6% under the age of 18, 10.9% from 18 to 24, 30.7% from 25 to 44, 18.9% from 45 to 64, and 10.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females there were 93.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.9 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $42,683, and the median income for a family was $44,881. Males had a median income of $31,503 versus $27,207 for females. The per capita income for the village was $15,442. About 13.9% of families and 16.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.4% of those under age 18 and 23.0% of those age 65 or over.

Transportation

The ex- New York Central runs through the Haverstraw as a freight-only line, which has an important passing siding located at milepost (MP) 35 on the River Subdivision. The River Subdivision is the primary freight rail line between the New York Metropolitan Area / Southern New Jersey and Albany, NY. Today, the line is operated by CSX Transportation, the fourth railroad to do so. On an average day, 20-25 trains pass through Haverstraw.

NY Waterway runs a commuter ferry from Haverstraw Village to Ossining from where there are trains to Grand Central Station. A monthly uniticket for the ferry and the train is available from Metro North.

In 2007, New York Water Taxi started a new ferry service from Haverstraw directly to Yonkers and lower Manhattan. [http://www.nywatertaxi.com/commuters/haverstraw/ NYWT website]

U.S. Route 9W and U.S. Route 202 run directly through the village.

Haverstraw Fire Department

The Haverstraw Fire Department, a village agency, is composed of five independent, volunteer fire companies that render all facets of fire protection to the village. They are: Rescue Hook and Ladder Co. #1,(On Fairmont.) General Warren Emergency Co. #2, (On Fairmont Ave.) Relief Hose Co. #3,(On Conklin Ave.) Cosgriff Hose Co. #4,(On Maple Ave) and Lady Warren Hose Co. #5 (On Broadway). In exchange for a body of manpower, the agency provides each company with equipment, quarters, and length of service awards. This department has pull boxes currently used along with a fire whistle that sounds the pull box number.

Tourism

Historical Marker

*Treason Site - Route 9w - Where Benedict Arnold met Major John André, a British spy, on September 21, 1780.
*Cohan’s Debut - Broadway & Lincoln Street
*Hudson River - Front Street & Elks Drive
*Landslide - Division & Rockland Streets
*Brick Industry - 183 West Street
*DeHarte Patent - 79 North Route 9W
*Haverstraw Historic Site, 25 Fairmount Avenue

Landmarks and places of Interest

*Arts Alliance of Haverstraw - 91 Broadway - Multicultural center for the Arts.
*Bricktown Inn - 112 Hudson Avenue - Charming Victorian Bed and Breakfast is located in the Village of Haverstraw, once known as the “Brickmaking capital of the world.”
*Central Presbyterian Church, 64 New Main St., founded in 1846 and moved to its present church on Hudson Avenue in 1909 built with donated Haverstraw brick and now - scarce American chestnut wood. The 13 stained-glass windows in the main sanctuary were designed by Louis Comfort Tiffany and continue to amaze.
*Edward Hopper House-Made Famous by Hitchcock's Movie Psycho
*Haverstraw Brick Museum - Exhibits of the over 100-year history of brick-making in the Haverstraw area once known as “The Brick-making Capital of the World”.
*Haverstraw King's Daughters Village Library - The oldest public library in Rockland County, chartered in 1895.
*Homestead
*King’s Daughters Public Library - 85 Main Street
*M/V Commander - Haverstraw Marina - Commander is a rare design link between the heavily built-for-steam boats of the late nineteenth century and the more lightly built vessels of the twentieth century. It was listed in 1984 on both the State and National Registers of Historic Places and is also listed in the International Register of Historic Ships, Great American Ships and the Dictionary of American Fighting ships. It may be chartered for private parties and excursions.
*United States Post Office, 86 Main Street
*St. Peter's Catholic Church, 115 Broadway., - The first Mass was celebrated in 1847.
*The Congregation of the Sons of Jacob, 37 Clove Avenue., begun in 1877 is the oldest Jewish congregation in Rockland County.

Festival and Events

*Puerto Rican Day Parade and Festival - June
*Dominican Republic Day Parade and Festival - August
*Multi-Cultural Festival - September
*Columbus Day Festival - October

Notable Residents

* Manuel Lopez Army Cpl - Age 20, died in the war in Iraq on April 12, 2005 when the Humvee in which he was riding was struck by a rocket-propelled grenade. The village dedicated, on his birthday, a new street sign - "Corporal Manny Lopez Way" - on Orchard street in 2008.
* Toni Morrison, American author, owns a home in the village.

Other

Notable people buried in Mount Repose Cemetery

* Denoyelles, Peter - Representative from New York - 13th United States Congress
* Haskell, Reuben Locke - (L.L.B. 1898) - United States Congress New York, 1915-19.
* Weill, Kurt Julian - German-born, leading composer for the stage and writer of numbers of concert works. Most notable work is song "Mack the Knife". Married to Lotte Lenya twice - (1926) and 1937).
* Lenya, Lotte - Born Karoline Wilhelmine Blamauer - Tony Award-winning and Academy Award-nominated singer and actress. She stated in interviews that when she met new people, the first thing they looked at was her shoes. Hint: James Bond - From Russia with Love

External links

* [http://www.haverstrawbrickmuseum.org/ Haverstraw Brick Museum]
* [http://brickcollecting.com/hudson.htm#haverstraw Hudson River Brickmaking]
* [http://www.hkdpl.org/ Haverstraw King's Daughters Public Library]
* [http://www.rocklandmag.com/ Rockland Magazine]
* [http://www.lohud.com/ The Journal News, the local newspaper]

References

* The Town of Haverstraw Webpage. [http://www.townofhaverstraw.us/toh_main.php?history=2&ourHistory=1&home=1&section=history Town of Haverstraw]
* Gumucio, Ron X.; January 1, 2006 " [http://www.thejournalnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060101/NEWS03/601010316/-1/spider Haverstraw village police force disbands] ". The Journal News
* Incalcaterra, Laura; January 7, 2006 " [http://www.thejournalnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060107/NEWS03/601070321/1019/NEWS03 Remembering the Haverstraw landslides] ". The Journal News
* Weil, Jennifer; January 27, 2006 " [http://www.thejournalnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060127/NEWS03/601270365/1019 Haverstraw's New Main Street full of history and life] ". The Journal News
* Terkell, Emily; February 20, 2007 " [http://www.thejournalnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2007702190349 Brick Museum celebrates black history] ". The Journal News
* Williams, Margaret (2004) "Haverstraw". Avocet Press Inc. ISBN 0-9725078-1-7