Community news and opinion for Nyack, NY
by Bill Batson Two years before Abraham Lincoln was sworn in as president, St. Philip's A.M.E. Zion Church was founded in 1859 by abolitionist John W Towt. Today, the term abolitionist is considered a badge of honor. In the 1850’s, as slave catchers roamed the north empowered by the … [Read more...]
by Bill Batson Pilgrim Baptist Church has found a safe harbor at the corner of High Avenue and North Franklin Street for the last 51 years. The building has multiple slanted roofs and high arched windows that look like the peaks of cresting waves. The pulpit is on the north side of the nave … [Read more...]
by Bill Batson The building in Haverstraw that was the subject of Edward Hopper’s 1925 painting “House by the Railroad” still stands proud. The haunting depiction of the three story house by Hopper came to the attention of the cast and crew of Alfred Hitchcock’s movie classic, Psycho. … [Read more...]
by Bill Batson The man who built this house, with the benefit of slave labor, laid much of the foundation for the village we occupy. Since his death in 1842, John Green’s house has had many owners and tenants. Because of the neglect of its current absentee landlord, the building might … [Read more...]
by Bill Batson Not every beautiful old house in Nyack merits its own historic marker. For other properties, the traditional historic marker is not a loud enough shout out. Clearly, there are many addresses that could compete for the title of most interesting building in the village. In lieu … [Read more...]
by Bill Batson This is the house where Martin Luther King would have slept. Were it not for an assassin in Memphis in 1968, our nation’s Nobel Peace Prize winning champion of nonviolence would have made it to Nyack. The purpose of his visit would have been to commune with the Fellowship of … [Read more...]
by Bill Batson Until recently, painters in Nyack were second-class artisans. Nyack’s musicians could fine-tune their instruments at Long Island Drum Center. Local writers could always haunt the stacks at Pickwick Book Shop. Our thespians were able to find an audience at Elmwood Playhouse. But … [Read more...]
by Bill Batson In 1884, Nyack, NY was a bustling river community and the commercial heart of Rockland County. This sketch is from a widely circulated map made by L. R Burleigh in that year that depicts a jumble of homes, businesses and churches. I recently took a closer look at this historical … [Read more...]
by Bill Batson Nyack will inaugurate its 37th mayor on Saturday, December 31 at 12n. The smooth transition of government, from Nyack's current mayor, Richard Kavesh, to new mayor Jen Laird White, is the hallmark of American democracy. The public event will take place at Village … [Read more...]
by Bill Batson San Francisco has City Lights, New York City has the Strand and Nyack has the Pickwick Book Shop. The experience of shopping at Pickwick has changed little since it first opened in 1945. A seemingly infinite number of titles are crammed into a dense thicket of shelves. Books cover … [Read more...]
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