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| Tappantown Historical Society |
The Year in Review
Please read the President’s Annual Report given at the November 14, 2008 Annual Meeting at the
DeWint Carriage House for an overview of the Society’s activities in 2008. Click on the Annual
Report link.
Also at the Annual Meeting, Marilyn Schauder was elected Recording Secretary to replace outgoing
Secretary Pam Peters. Officers and Board members whose terms were up have said they will do
another stint. They are Jackie Shatz, First Vice President; Sally Dewey (3 yrs), Susan Gewirtz (1 r.),
and John Morton (2 yrs.).
The program for the meeting featured the restoration plans for the Tappan Reformed Church
presented by Pastor Donald Hoover, Building Conservator William Stivale, and Structural Engineer
Marie Ennis.
The presentation described the first of the four-stage project: the restoration of the 32 windows,
including sashes, wooden mullions, frames, storm windows, hardware, glass, and sills. Stivale
estimated that about 75% of the clear glass lights appear to be original as are the brownstone sills
and cornices
Bill Stivale has produced beautifully detailed plans of the entire meticulous restoration project from
the steeple, to the roof, to the bell, to the sanctuary, to the repointing of the brick, and to the repair of
supporting beams and subflooring. He has analyzed and photographed every detail of the five-year
project. A set of these plans is on reserve at the Tappan Library and is available for review in the
library. Ask at the desk.
At the end of the annual report, tribute was paid to two former THS presidents, Paul Melone and
Virginia Ramsey, who died this year, Paul in August and Virginia in November, just a week before
the meeting.
Lights in a Dark Time of Year
The tradition of having lights in the windows of the Tappan Reformed Church and the Manse began
long ago, and in 1975, the Tappantown Historical Society, building on this earlier tradition,
encouraged the business owners and residents in the historic district to decorate their buildings
with natural greens and candle light in the windows. This year, many places glowed with this soft
illumination – raised ranches, Victorians, colonials, the fire house, and the DeWint Carriage House,
to cite a few. Some people decorated the slightly-too-bright new lanterns with natural swags and
wreaths. That helped. In the future, THS hopes to expand the observance of this tradition
throughout the historic district.
Looking Ahead
Save the dates for our annual events of 2009:
1. February 27 -- The Awards Dinner at the ‘76 House
2. May 9 – Plant Sale
3. May 25 – Memorial Day Parade
4. Sept. 26 – Colonial Day
5. Oct. 2 – The Andre Walk
6. Nov. 20 – Annual Meeting
We are rethinking the June Concert-in-the-Park and will let you know of any change in good time.
Because 2009 marks the Henry Hudson Quadricentennial and the Fulton Bicentennial, THS is
planning to emphasize the Dutch Heritage in Tappan and Tappan’s links to the Hudson River. One
program under discussion is an exhibit of the 1704 Division Patent and some of the important
papers from the Bogert Collection of 18th and 19th century documents.
A Past Commemoration
In 1959, in commemoration of the 350th Hudson-Champlain Anniversary, Leland B. Meyer,
Principal of Spring Valley High School, wrote an essay on the significance of the Erie Railroad
linking the Hudson River counties to the rich country of western New York and Ohio. Following is a
condensed version of Meyer’s essay by Marilyn Schauder.
----
In the early part of the 19th century, the Governor of New York, DeWitt Clinton, led an effort to
construct a water highway to connect the Hudson River with Lake Erie – the Erie Canal; however,
residents of the counties that lay along New York’s southern border, like Rockland County, were
opposed to the State spending taxpayers’ dollars on the “big ditch.” To appease these “Southern
Tier” counties, Clinton promised that once the Erie Canal was finished, the State would pay for
either all or at least a portion of the cost of providing these southern counties with an “avenue”
appropriate for their topography.
Thus, on April 24, 1832, over the opposition of the “canal ring,” the New York State Legislature
issued a charter to the New York and Erie Railroad; however, in an effort to prevent the railroad from
taking business from the Erie Canal, legislators imposed severe restrictions on the railroad. On its
path from New York City to Lake Erie, the railroad was to stay entirely within the borders of New York
State, pass through Oswego and not connect with any New Jersey or Pennsylvania railroad without
the permission of the Legislature/ In addition, the track was to be a six-foot gauge so that its cars
could not travel on other railroads.
A route was proposed to meet the requirements of the charter, and by June1841, a mile-long pier
had been built out to reach the deep waters of the Hudson at Tappan Slote, which was renamed
Piermont.
Connection with New York City from there was by steamboat. Rails had been laid from Piermont by
way of Sparkill, Orangeburg, Blauvelt, Nanuet, Spring Valley, Monsey, and Suffern, and by
September the rail had been extended to Goshen in Orange County. The route extended steadily
westward until it reached Dunkirk on Lake Erie in 1851. While there were other railroads in the
county at the time, they were all short lines owned by different companies. The Erie, however, was
the first trunk or long line owned by a single company to be ready for traffic in America.
The results of the opening of the New York and Erie were tremendous: 1841 saw the first railroad
shipment of milk into New York City, and special strawberry trains were running from Suffern.
In 1852, the Erie was able to lease rail lines between Suffern and Jersey City, allowing the Erie to
take advantage of a more direct connection to New York City. Traffic through Piermont declined as a
result. Then, in 1859, with many of the original restrictions no longer in place, the Northen Railroad
of New Jersey extended into New York State as far as Sparkill, and the Tappan station was built at
the intersection of the tracks with Oak Tree Road. A decade later, the Nyack and Northern Railroad
was organized to run from Sparkill to Nyack with stations in Piermont, South Nyack, and Nyack.
“A great and romantic era, the railroad era, opening up vast sections of our country, made Rockland
County next door neighbor to the metropolis, New York City,” concluded Mr. Meyer.
Gardeners Wanted
Many lovely gardens have been planted in the Tappantown area. From roadside borders and
backyard vegetable gardens to professionally landscaped homesteads and overflowing patio
containers, the area appears to be getting greener and greener. Many of the gardeners responsible
for all this horticulture gathered on the lawn behind the Manse in early May for the Society’s annual
plant sale. Generous area gardeners divided and dug up favorite perennials, shrubs, and even
small trees for this annual fund raiser. Happy customers carted off these proven winners from the
local gardens at some very affordable prices, and the event was enjoyed by one and all.
Best of all was the chance to chat with other gardeners. In fact, it was so enjoyable that many of us
decided that while we don’t really have the time for an old fashioned garden club, we would enjoy
getting together at least once in early spring before the season starts. So, we are forming the
Tappantown Historical Society’s Garden Group. If you are interested in gardening — even if you
have only a couple of house plants — please consider joining us. Write to Box 71, Tappan, N.Y.
10983 or email us a admin@tappantown.org.
Ongoing Concerns
• THS continues to support the residents of Tappan in opposing the proposed O&R substation
on Oak Tree Road. The Planning Board meeting scheduled for January 29, 2009, has been
postponed to February 25, 2009.
• THS supports maintaining Oak Tree Park as open space, playground, and ball field for
recreational use, and that it be dedicated as such in perpetuity.
• THS continues to work on improved tree protection, preservation, and replacement in Tappan.
Volunteers Needed
THS needs more active volunteers in order to continue offering our annual programs and to initiate
new ones. The Plant Sale and Colonial Day are labor intensive, and we welcome both brains and
brawn in pulling these events together Please contact us at Box 71, Tappan, N.Y. 10983 or email
us at admin.tappantown.org. Regular Board meetings are at 7:30pm on the first Tuesday of every
month at the Carriage House on the DeWint grounds. All are welcome to attend.
Please read the President’s Annual Report given at the November 14, 2008 Annual Meeting at the
DeWint Carriage House for an overview of the Society’s activities in 2008. Click on the Annual
Report link.
Also at the Annual Meeting, Marilyn Schauder was elected Recording Secretary to replace outgoing
Secretary Pam Peters. Officers and Board members whose terms were up have said they will do
another stint. They are Jackie Shatz, First Vice President; Sally Dewey (3 yrs), Susan Gewirtz (1 r.),
and John Morton (2 yrs.).
The program for the meeting featured the restoration plans for the Tappan Reformed Church
presented by Pastor Donald Hoover, Building Conservator William Stivale, and Structural Engineer
Marie Ennis.
The presentation described the first of the four-stage project: the restoration of the 32 windows,
including sashes, wooden mullions, frames, storm windows, hardware, glass, and sills. Stivale
estimated that about 75% of the clear glass lights appear to be original as are the brownstone sills
and cornices
Bill Stivale has produced beautifully detailed plans of the entire meticulous restoration project from
the steeple, to the roof, to the bell, to the sanctuary, to the repointing of the brick, and to the repair of
supporting beams and subflooring. He has analyzed and photographed every detail of the five-year
project. A set of these plans is on reserve at the Tappan Library and is available for review in the
library. Ask at the desk.
At the end of the annual report, tribute was paid to two former THS presidents, Paul Melone and
Virginia Ramsey, who died this year, Paul in August and Virginia in November, just a week before
the meeting.
Lights in a Dark Time of Year
The tradition of having lights in the windows of the Tappan Reformed Church and the Manse began
long ago, and in 1975, the Tappantown Historical Society, building on this earlier tradition,
encouraged the business owners and residents in the historic district to decorate their buildings
with natural greens and candle light in the windows. This year, many places glowed with this soft
illumination – raised ranches, Victorians, colonials, the fire house, and the DeWint Carriage House,
to cite a few. Some people decorated the slightly-too-bright new lanterns with natural swags and
wreaths. That helped. In the future, THS hopes to expand the observance of this tradition
throughout the historic district.
Looking Ahead
Save the dates for our annual events of 2009:
1. February 27 -- The Awards Dinner at the ‘76 House
2. May 9 – Plant Sale
3. May 25 – Memorial Day Parade
4. Sept. 26 – Colonial Day
5. Oct. 2 – The Andre Walk
6. Nov. 20 – Annual Meeting
We are rethinking the June Concert-in-the-Park and will let you know of any change in good time.
Because 2009 marks the Henry Hudson Quadricentennial and the Fulton Bicentennial, THS is
planning to emphasize the Dutch Heritage in Tappan and Tappan’s links to the Hudson River. One
program under discussion is an exhibit of the 1704 Division Patent and some of the important
papers from the Bogert Collection of 18th and 19th century documents.
A Past Commemoration
In 1959, in commemoration of the 350th Hudson-Champlain Anniversary, Leland B. Meyer,
Principal of Spring Valley High School, wrote an essay on the significance of the Erie Railroad
linking the Hudson River counties to the rich country of western New York and Ohio. Following is a
condensed version of Meyer’s essay by Marilyn Schauder.
----
In the early part of the 19th century, the Governor of New York, DeWitt Clinton, led an effort to
construct a water highway to connect the Hudson River with Lake Erie – the Erie Canal; however,
residents of the counties that lay along New York’s southern border, like Rockland County, were
opposed to the State spending taxpayers’ dollars on the “big ditch.” To appease these “Southern
Tier” counties, Clinton promised that once the Erie Canal was finished, the State would pay for
either all or at least a portion of the cost of providing these southern counties with an “avenue”
appropriate for their topography.
Thus, on April 24, 1832, over the opposition of the “canal ring,” the New York State Legislature
issued a charter to the New York and Erie Railroad; however, in an effort to prevent the railroad from
taking business from the Erie Canal, legislators imposed severe restrictions on the railroad. On its
path from New York City to Lake Erie, the railroad was to stay entirely within the borders of New York
State, pass through Oswego and not connect with any New Jersey or Pennsylvania railroad without
the permission of the Legislature/ In addition, the track was to be a six-foot gauge so that its cars
could not travel on other railroads.
A route was proposed to meet the requirements of the charter, and by June1841, a mile-long pier
had been built out to reach the deep waters of the Hudson at Tappan Slote, which was renamed
Piermont.
Connection with New York City from there was by steamboat. Rails had been laid from Piermont by
way of Sparkill, Orangeburg, Blauvelt, Nanuet, Spring Valley, Monsey, and Suffern, and by
September the rail had been extended to Goshen in Orange County. The route extended steadily
westward until it reached Dunkirk on Lake Erie in 1851. While there were other railroads in the
county at the time, they were all short lines owned by different companies. The Erie, however, was
the first trunk or long line owned by a single company to be ready for traffic in America.
The results of the opening of the New York and Erie were tremendous: 1841 saw the first railroad
shipment of milk into New York City, and special strawberry trains were running from Suffern.
In 1852, the Erie was able to lease rail lines between Suffern and Jersey City, allowing the Erie to
take advantage of a more direct connection to New York City. Traffic through Piermont declined as a
result. Then, in 1859, with many of the original restrictions no longer in place, the Northen Railroad
of New Jersey extended into New York State as far as Sparkill, and the Tappan station was built at
the intersection of the tracks with Oak Tree Road. A decade later, the Nyack and Northern Railroad
was organized to run from Sparkill to Nyack with stations in Piermont, South Nyack, and Nyack.
“A great and romantic era, the railroad era, opening up vast sections of our country, made Rockland
County next door neighbor to the metropolis, New York City,” concluded Mr. Meyer.
Gardeners Wanted
Many lovely gardens have been planted in the Tappantown area. From roadside borders and
backyard vegetable gardens to professionally landscaped homesteads and overflowing patio
containers, the area appears to be getting greener and greener. Many of the gardeners responsible
for all this horticulture gathered on the lawn behind the Manse in early May for the Society’s annual
plant sale. Generous area gardeners divided and dug up favorite perennials, shrubs, and even
small trees for this annual fund raiser. Happy customers carted off these proven winners from the
local gardens at some very affordable prices, and the event was enjoyed by one and all.
Best of all was the chance to chat with other gardeners. In fact, it was so enjoyable that many of us
decided that while we don’t really have the time for an old fashioned garden club, we would enjoy
getting together at least once in early spring before the season starts. So, we are forming the
Tappantown Historical Society’s Garden Group. If you are interested in gardening — even if you
have only a couple of house plants — please consider joining us. Write to Box 71, Tappan, N.Y.
10983 or email us a admin@tappantown.org.
Ongoing Concerns
• THS continues to support the residents of Tappan in opposing the proposed O&R substation
on Oak Tree Road. The Planning Board meeting scheduled for January 29, 2009, has been
postponed to February 25, 2009.
• THS supports maintaining Oak Tree Park as open space, playground, and ball field for
recreational use, and that it be dedicated as such in perpetuity.
• THS continues to work on improved tree protection, preservation, and replacement in Tappan.
Volunteers Needed
THS needs more active volunteers in order to continue offering our annual programs and to initiate
new ones. The Plant Sale and Colonial Day are labor intensive, and we welcome both brains and
brawn in pulling these events together Please contact us at Box 71, Tappan, N.Y. 10983 or email
us at admin.tappantown.org. Regular Board meetings are at 7:30pm on the first Tuesday of every
month at the Carriage House on the DeWint grounds. All are welcome to attend.
| Remembering Paul Melone Paul W. Melone, a founder of the Tappantown Historical and other civic organizations, died on August 12, 2008. He was 96. While there are many memories of Paul’s sixty years of tenacious, dedicated, and visionary activism that we could include in this memoriam, we are offering two: one a fond remembrance of Paul by his friend, neighbor, and fellow history maven, Jules Loh, author of Treason: The Arnold- Andre Plot; the other, a more formal tribute to Paul by former THS President Thomas LaValle on presenting Paul with the Tappantown Historical Society Fellowship Award at the Annual Awards Dinner in February, 2005. The Essential Paul Melone by Jules Loh (reprinted courtesy of the South of the Mountains ) What greeting might Paul Melone have had last Aug. 12 when the angels welcomed him to Paradise? True to form, he might have asked, “How can I help?” In his 96 years here on earth, heaven knows, Paul Melone rarely missed a chance to lend a hand, or, for that matter, to attend a meeting, form a committee, help a neighbor. The essence of Paul Melone’s very being was service. When I think of Paul, I picture him with his sleeves rolled up. Nearly a generation separated us in age but Paul and I, friends and neighbors, were both veterans of New York journalism -- print journalism, a significant subgroup of a fraternity we both cherished. Overlapping friendships, habits and hangouts of our youth seemed to keep us in life as we aged. I had been with AP and Paul had worked at PM, the successor of New York’ s Herald Tribune and then, for 28 years, at Newsweek. When one of Paul’s nieces showed an interest in journalism ,he brought her to work with him to mingle with some Newsweek reporters and editors. When she herself took a job on a Florida daily, Uncle Paul was downright giddy. People with problems tended to gravitate to Paul. An Italian cousin needed lodging while getting settled in America. Paul took him in. A pharmacist needed housing while doing Alzheimer research at Rockland’s Nathan Kline Institute. Paul provided it. And when I, widowed and alone in a five-bedroom home, needed a smaller place, Paul found it. After WWII Paul had been one of the Army vets who conceived and built the Hickory Hill co-op in Tappan, a housing innovation at the time, and later its sister condominium, Hickory Hill II, where the Melones lived. When a neighbor died seven years ago, Paul tipped me off to the vacancy and I was first in line. Paul belonged to every group in Tappan that had members, it seemed to me, at least the ones that held meetings, and very often I followed along. I came to find out, though not from Paul, that he had been president of nearly every organization in town, often its first president. He was the guy who got things going – the library board, the civic association, the Tappantown Historical Society, the Orangetown Museum. To Rocklanders, Paul was Mr. Tappan. If the subject was Tappan, the saying went, Paul Melone wrote the book. Well, no. Wilfred Blanch Talman, the Rockland historian and journalist, actually wrote that essential volume, Tappan 300 Years, 1686-1986. But it was Paul Melone, editorial artist, who designed and laid out every page. Paul got things moving, all right. Danforth Toan, the Hickory Hill architect, was a lifelong friend of the man he called The Implementer. “Paul would push like a team of oxen for what he felt was needed,” Toan said, “then persuade others to get it done.” He offered the park in Tappan is an example. “It was an eyesore, a swamp, before Paul started implementing,” Toan said. “Paul pushed and pushed the project until it became a cause; then, finally, we had a lovely place with green grass and a bridge over a duck pond. Paul Melone made it happen.” He also was the implementer, says Toan, the prime mover behind Tappan’s Historic Zone. It required implementing the legislature, a historic achievement in itself, to make New York the first state with such a legally defined and regulated area. Rocklanders remember Paul tooling around the county in a rattletrap Volkswagen big enough to accommodate Betty and her wheelchair. Alzheimer’s had ravaged Betty’s mind even more than her body. Theirs was a love story, beginning to end. Paul met Betty at a WWII USO Club where she was a hostess and he awaiting the Army’s orders to ship out for Normandy. He landed on Utah Beach on D-6. Before he left, Betty said, “I’ll wait for you to come back.” Paul said, “If you wait, I’ll come back.” She did and he did. Until death did they part. Fellowship Award for Paul Melone presented by Thomas LaValle The Fellowship Award is given rarely. It acknowledges extraordinary service and achievements of outstanding significance which have affected the historic community of Tappan. With great pleasure and appreciation, the Tappantown Historical Society presents the Fellowship Award to Paul Melone. For more than 50 years, Paul has been a quiet, (sometimes not so quiet) effective driving force for historic preservation in Tappan. In 1954, he helped found ans was first president of the Tappan Civic Association. Out of this group grew an initiative, in 1964, to create a special zoning overlay to protect historic structures and limit permissible type of structures in the heart of Tappan. Paul and others in the Association collected signatures and proposed an historic zoning law. After some controversy as to the proposal being too restrictive, the Tappan Historic Areas Law proposal was made into law on December 31, 1965. A board of review (HABOR) was create to enforce it. This Civic Association project gave rise to the Tappantown Historical Society, a group dedicated to work exclusively for the preservation of Tappan’s heritage. Paul has been president and board member of THS over his many years of association with the group and is currently an active, contributing member. Two projects that Paul worked on have enriched the community immensely. One is the Tappan Library and the other is the Tappan Memorial Park. Paul was there from the start as the collection of books from Shanks Village was moved to the Tappan Grammar School and from there to the Moritz Funeral, the site of the present library. The building was restored and the Tappan Library opened to the public on January 5, 1964. Creating Tappan Memorial Park was truly an act of preservation as a developer was asking for a permit to put a two-story commercial building on the land behind the library. Working with other community leaders, Paul stopped the developer and made the park a reality. It was dedicated in May, 1972. In the forward to the book Tappan: 300 Years, Paul Melone is saluted as “prime mover of the book over the ten years of gestation.” The book, a compendium of Tappan’s history, took a long time to come out as townspeople weighed in over the years with corrections, additions, subtractions, resulting in revision after revision. Throughout, Paul stayed the course with diligence and persistence: researching and writing, composing and laying out, being responsible for the overall graphic design. It was an enormous project, for which we are all grateful. Paul’s contributions continue to the present. As a capstone to an inspiring lifetime of dedication to the preservation of historic buildings and the historic area, Paul with his usual patience and tenacity in negotiations made sure that the integrity of The Stable would be preserved best by selling it to the Tappan Library. One week ago, those negotiations were consummated. The Library now owns The Stable. This is a cause for celebration. Thank you, Paul, for your vision of what Historic Tappan could and can be. Thank you for nudging people and getting difficult things done. Thank you for representing the Society and your fellow citizens – asking questions and testifying – at countless Town meetings. Thanks for following up and seeing things through. And thank you for never, ever, giving up. |