Clarkstown Marks 225th Birthday

Many of the lobby exhibits on town history are displayed in three large wooden display cases constructed by West Nyack Eagle Scout candidate Carrington Gregori, center, flanked by his proud parents. Carrington is a junior at Clarkstown South High School. The full exhibit will remain on view at Town Hall through this month, and much of it will remain on permanent display.
Many of the lobby exhibits on town history are displayed in three large wooden display cases constructed by West Nyack Eagle Scout candidate Carrington Gregori, center, flanked by his proud parents. Carrington is a junior at Clarkstown South High School. The full exhibit will remain on view at Town Hall through this month, and much of it will remain on permanent display.

The Town of Clarkstown celebrated its 225th birthday party last week with festivities centered around Town Hall programs, exhibits and ceremonies.

On Wednesday, the historical exhibits opened for public viewing throughout Town Hall, but centered on the front lobby, the main auditorium and, on the side aisle, a display of student entries in art and essays on aspects of the township’s rich and lengthy heritage. Several hundred residents attended the exhibit and the public ceremonies that followed in the auditorium, led by Supervisor George Hoehmann. Shown are Hoehmann, holding one of many proclamations the town received from county, state and federal dignitaries.

A lecture program on Clarkstown history begins tonight (Thursday, Oct. 13) at 7:30 p.m. with a narrated slide show on the history of the town’s eight hamlets (Nanuet. Bardonia, Germonds, New City, West Nyack, Central Nyack, Valley Cottage and Congers) one village (Upper Nyack) and portions of two other villages (Nyack and Spring Valley). The program will be presented in the Town Hall auditorium, 10 Maple Avenue in New City. Next will be a film showing on the history of the Tappan Zee Bridge, next Thursday at 7:30 p.m. at the Historical Society of Rockland County at 20 Zukor Road in North New City.

The third program will be a presentation on the Orphan Train era of 1853 to 1929, when a documented 273,000 New York City orphans were loaded onto trains and shipped north and west to be unceremoniously dumped at each station on the route, including several in Clarkstown and Rockland County.  Historian Tom Riley will introduce and talk about a film on this topic at the Town Hall auditorium on Thursday, Oct. 27.

The final program will be “Share, Listen & Learn: Clarkstown Stories,” led by New City Library Historian Brian Jennings. Also held at the town hall auditorium on Tuesday, Nov. 1 at 7:30 p.m., video interviews with dozens of long-time Clarkstown residents will be screened. All of the programs are free of charge and open to the public, with space limitations at the historical society requiring advance registrations by calling 845-634-9629 or emailing them at [email protected].

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