Category: History

Now that October has arrived, many Pearl River residents have memories of patronizing the farms along Chestnut Ridge Road. The Van Riper, Tice, and DiPiero families had large acreage holdings in that area where the peach and apple orchards stretched as far as the eye could see in all directions. These farming families would line chestnut ridge…

September is a time of change, leaves turning, weather cooling, and the start of school. Many years ago in Pearl River, the only school in this section of Orangetown was the Orangetown Public School Number #7 also known as the School Down the Hill. It was first located on the property of George Bush who…

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,…

June is coming and the anniversary of Pearl River’s only train wreck is on June 25th. On the afternoon of June 25, 1907, a train carrying grain, wood, and gravel broke loose in Spring Valley and slowly started south down the tracks, picking up speed with each ¼ mile. The station master of the Pearl…

Pearl River has been the venue for the Saint Patrick Day Parade since 1967 when the parade was moved from the narrow streets of New City to the wide main thoroughfare of Central Avenue. Raymond Sheridan was the parade’s first Grand Marshall in 1964. Since that time, the parade has grown to become the second…

In 1975, my aunt Fannie Cassetta was the cook for Joe Brevetti, whose store, Joe’s Deli, was located on Central Avenue. My aunt Fannie was an excellent cook. She made hot dishes like veal parmigiana and baked Ziti. I remember her wielding a long handled wooden spoon which she stirred the giant pots of pizza…

In December of 1921, a nationally known bandit named Hery Darsche a.k.a Midget Fernekes was living in Westwood, New Jersey working behind the counter of an electrical supply store. For weeks he cased the First National Bank of Pearl River where the payroll for the Dexter Folding Machine Company was deposited every Friday. Darsche watched,…