The dog days in the old days of Pearl River

Summer is a wonderful time of the year! But July and August were problematic for residents in their everyday lives. The heat and humidity could be oppressive, especially in the 19th century for folks before air conditioning. There is some scientific evidence that heat and humidity with its ability to impart uncomfortable conditions can affect sleep, that in turn translates to negative behavior towards others. Assault, murder and suicide statistics bear this out. A perusal through 19th century newspapers for Rockland County show stories of such acts during the dog days of summer. Stories of drinking strychnine mixes in molasses or hanging oneself from a tree limb where the victims flesh putrefies and turns black are told time and again in Pearl River. Aside from these macabre practices, the hot humid weather also brought storms to town. One thunderstorm in 1893 produced hail so large (the size of a chicken egg) and intense in it’s falling from the sky, that it broke out all the windows in town and the Dexter factory had to replace not only the glass, but the mill work itself (today the old windows you see on the factory were put in in the 1890s and are not the originals from 1871). Buggy material tops were torn to pieces, trees were denuded of leaves, bark and fruit. This is supported by the fact that the cider mills had to pay more for apples for two years, as that was the time for the fruit trees to recover. There was a shortage of fruit and prices climbed. During this storm, that slowly worked its way down the Muddy Brook Valley toward Montvale, another weather related incident happened when the proprietor of the Serven General Store, James A. Serven, was in the doorway of his store talking to a friend when lightning strike struck an oak tree and the bolt traveled along the ground exploding near where the two men stood with a boom. Both men were thrown and gravel flew, cutting the face of Serven, but both men were fine afterward. The development of air conditioning was long in coming to us, but I would say it is well worth the wait.