Pearl River, New York
Encyclopedia
Pearl River is a hamlet (and census-designated place
), in the Town of Orangetown
Rockland County
, New York, United States located east of Nauraushaun
; north of the state of New Jersey
; south of Nanuet
and west of Blauvelt
. The population was 15,553 at the 2000 census.
Pearl River is also the site of One Blue Hill Plaza, Rockland County's first commercial skyscraper with 21 stories of office space.
Pearl River is 20 miles north of midtown Manhattan
, and north of the New Jersey
border and the first (traveling north) of three New York stops on New Jersey Transit's
Pascack Valley Line
.
In 1906, Ernest Lederle, the former commissioner of the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene
founded Lederle Laboratories (which became Wyeth
and is now Pfizer
) on a 99 acres (400,639.1 m²) farm which now encompasses 550 acres (2.2 km²), 40 buildings, and until recently employed around 3,200 workers. The number of employees here has dwindled to the hundreds since the Pfizer takeover.
In 2011, CNN Money ranked Pearl River 78th on its annual 100 Best Places to Live list.
According to historians, a resident of the town by the name of Dr. Ves Bogert found pearls in mussels in the Muddy Brook, which runs through the town. Hearing this the wife of the New Jersey and New York railroad, Mrs John Demarest, suggested the name Pearl River to her husband, president of the railroad, thus naming the town Pearl River.
Pearl River was a deserted area, low and swampy, in the flood plain of the Muddy Brook. It was purchased by Julius E. Braunsdorf in 1870. It is said that Braunsdorf was the "Father of Pearl River" and designed it to be a company town.
His first act was to donate a long strip of land right through the center of his property to the New Jersey and New York Railroad to enable them to bring an extension of the line from Hillsdale, New Jersey
north to Nanuet
.
When Braunsdorf designed the street layout, the only existing streets were Pearl Street and Washington Avenue. He drew a wide main street through the middle of town and called it Central Avenue. Parallel to Central Avenue he drew Franklin, after his hero, Benjamin Franklin
. To connect Washington, Central, and Franklin he drew three streets and named them William, John and Henry after his three sons.
Braunsdorf built:
Pearl River may have remained a small hamlet had it not been for the railroad. The number of daily passenger trains totaled 30 each way in the early 20th century, about 50% more than today.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the CDP has a total area of 7.2 square miles (18.6 km²), of which, 6.8 square miles (17.6 km²) of it is land and 0.3 square mile (0.776996433 km²) of it (4.87%) is water.
, and 0.68% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.44% of the population.
There were 5,539 households out of which 33.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.4% were married couples living together, 8.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.0% were non-families. 20.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.79 and the average family size was 3.26.
In the CDP the population was spread out with 25.3% under the age of 18, 6.0% from 18 to 24, 29.3% from 25 to 44, 24.7% from 45 to 64, and 14.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 93.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.3 males.
The median income for a household in the CDP was $76,692, and the median income for a family was $91,618. Males had a median income of $58,966 versus $39,452 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $31,417. About 2.2% of families and 3.4% of the population were below the poverty line
, including 3.1% of those under age 18 and 4.7% of those age 65 or over.
Pearl River is well-known for its large Irish community and hosts under the auspices of the Ancient Order of Hibernians the second largest Saint Patrick's Day
parade in New York state, typically on the Sunday following St. Patrick's Day. This large Irish and Irish American population also supports the largest youth Gaelic Athletic Football team in the United States.
in Thiells
.
My Father's Gun: One Family, Three Badges, One Hundred Years in the NYPD by Brian McDonald
Census-designated place
A census-designated place is a concentration of population identified by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes. CDPs are delineated for each decennial census as the statistical counterparts of incorporated places such as cities, towns and villages...
), in the Town of Orangetown
Orangetown, New York
Orangetown is a town in Rockland County, New York, United States located in the southeast part of the county. It is northwest of New York City; north of New Jersey; east of the town of Ramapo; south of the town of Clarkstown; west of the Hudson River. The population was 47,711 at the 2000 census.-...
Rockland County
Rockland County, New York
Rockland County is a suburban county 15 miles to the northwest of Manhattan and part of the New York City Metropolitan Area, in the U.S. state of New York. It is the southernmost county in New York west of the Hudson River, and the smallest county in New York outside of New York City. The...
, New York, United States located east of Nauraushaun
Nauraushaun, New York
Nauraushaun is a hamlet in the Town of Orangetown Rockland County, New York, United States located north of state of New Jersey, along the northwestern shore of Lake Tappan; east of Chestnut Ridge; south of Pearl River and west of Blauvelt. It derives its name from a creek tributary, which was also...
; north of the state of New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
; south of Nanuet
Nanuet, New York
Nanuet is a hamlet , in the Town of Clarkstown Rockland County, New York, United States located north of Pearl River; south of New City; east of Spring Valley and west of West Nyack. It is 19 miles north of Manhattan, and 2 miles north of the New Jersey border...
and west of Blauvelt
Blauvelt, New York
Blauvelt is a hamlet , formerly known as Greenbush and then Blauveltville, in the Town of Orangetown Rockland County, New York, United States located north of Tappan; east of Nauraushaun and Pearl River; south of Central Nyack and west of Orangeburg...
. The population was 15,553 at the 2000 census.
Pearl River is also the site of One Blue Hill Plaza, Rockland County's first commercial skyscraper with 21 stories of office space.
Pearl River is 20 miles north of midtown Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
, and north of the New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
border and the first (traveling north) of three New York stops on New Jersey Transit's
New Jersey Transit
The New Jersey Transit Corporation is a statewide public transportation system serving the United States state of New Jersey, and New York, Orange, and Rockland counties in New York State...
Pascack Valley Line
Pascack Valley Line
The Pascack Valley Line is a commuter rail line operated by the Hoboken Division of New Jersey Transit. The line runs north from Hoboken, New Jersey through Bergen County and into Rockland County, New York, terminating at Spring Valley. Service within New York is operated under contract with...
.
In 1906, Ernest Lederle, the former commissioner of the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene
New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene
The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene is a department of the Government of New York City responsible for public health along with issuing birth certificates, dog licenses, and conducting restaurant inspection and enforcement...
founded Lederle Laboratories (which became Wyeth
Wyeth
Wyeth, formerly one of the companies owned by American Home Products Corporation , was a pharmaceutical company. The company was based in Madison, New Jersey, USA...
and is now Pfizer
Pfizer
Pfizer, Inc. is an American multinational pharmaceutical corporation. The company is based in New York City, New York with its research headquarters in Groton, Connecticut, United States...
) on a 99 acres (400,639.1 m²) farm which now encompasses 550 acres (2.2 km²), 40 buildings, and until recently employed around 3,200 workers. The number of employees here has dwindled to the hundreds since the Pfizer takeover.
In 2011, CNN Money ranked Pearl River 78th on its annual 100 Best Places to Live list.
History
Pearl River was originally called "Muddy Brook". In the early 1870s, the town was divided in five different parts: Naurashaun, post 1900, Middletown till 1821, Sickletown, Pascack and Muddy Brook till 1872.According to historians, a resident of the town by the name of Dr. Ves Bogert found pearls in mussels in the Muddy Brook, which runs through the town. Hearing this the wife of the New Jersey and New York railroad, Mrs John Demarest, suggested the name Pearl River to her husband, president of the railroad, thus naming the town Pearl River.
Pearl River was a deserted area, low and swampy, in the flood plain of the Muddy Brook. It was purchased by Julius E. Braunsdorf in 1870. It is said that Braunsdorf was the "Father of Pearl River" and designed it to be a company town.
His first act was to donate a long strip of land right through the center of his property to the New Jersey and New York Railroad to enable them to bring an extension of the line from Hillsdale, New Jersey
Hillsdale, New Jersey
Hillsdale is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 census, the borough population was 10,219.The populated area today known as Hillsdale took form in the mid-to-late 19th century as land speculators, led by David P. Patterson, developed subdivisons to profit from the...
north to Nanuet
Nanuet, New York
Nanuet is a hamlet , in the Town of Clarkstown Rockland County, New York, United States located north of Pearl River; south of New City; east of Spring Valley and west of West Nyack. It is 19 miles north of Manhattan, and 2 miles north of the New Jersey border...
.
When Braunsdorf designed the street layout, the only existing streets were Pearl Street and Washington Avenue. He drew a wide main street through the middle of town and called it Central Avenue. Parallel to Central Avenue he drew Franklin, after his hero, Benjamin Franklin
Benjamin Franklin
Dr. Benjamin Franklin was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. A noted polymath, Franklin was a leading author, printer, political theorist, politician, postmaster, scientist, musician, inventor, satirist, civic activist, statesman, and diplomat...
. To connect Washington, Central, and Franklin he drew three streets and named them William, John and Henry after his three sons.
Braunsdorf built:
- 1872 – The Aetna Sewing Machine Company – the largest factory in Pearl River – and ceded land to the railroad company so workers from New York City could get to his factory.
- 1872 – The Pearl River Post Office – and became the first PostmasterPostmasterA postmaster is the head of an individual post office. Postmistress is not used anymore in the United States, as the "master" component of the word refers to a person of authority and has no gender quality...
. - 1873 – Two brick train stations (Passenger/Freight) that are still in use today.
- The Pearl River Hotel
- Low-cost housing for the factory employees that he attracted from Germany and Scandinavia.
Pearl River may have remained a small hamlet had it not been for the railroad. The number of daily passenger trains totaled 30 each way in the early 20th century, about 50% more than today.
Geography
Pearl River is located at 41°3′50"N 74°0′37"W (41.063996, −74.010298).According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the CDP has a total area of 7.2 square miles (18.6 km²), of which, 6.8 square miles (17.6 km²) of it is land and 0.3 square mile (0.776996433 km²) of it (4.87%) is water.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 21,042 people, 5,539 households, and 4,209 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 3,273.2 per square mile (877.9/km²). There were 5,636 housing units at an average density of 823.8/sq mi (318.1/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 72.37% White, 6.39% African American, 0.05% Native American, 7.16% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.57% from other racesRace (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 0.68% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.44% of the population.
There were 5,539 households out of which 33.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.4% were married couples living together, 8.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.0% were non-families. 20.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.79 and the average family size was 3.26.
In the CDP the population was spread out with 25.3% under the age of 18, 6.0% from 18 to 24, 29.3% from 25 to 44, 24.7% from 45 to 64, and 14.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 93.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.3 males.
The median income for a household in the CDP was $76,692, and the median income for a family was $91,618. Males had a median income of $58,966 versus $39,452 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $31,417. About 2.2% of families and 3.4% of the population were below the poverty line
Poverty threshold
The poverty threshold, or poverty line, is the minimum level of income deemed necessary to achieve an adequate standard of living in a given country...
, including 3.1% of those under age 18 and 4.7% of those age 65 or over.
Pearl River is well-known for its large Irish community and hosts under the auspices of the Ancient Order of Hibernians the second largest Saint Patrick's Day
Saint Patrick's Day
Saint Patrick's Day is a religious holiday celebrated internationally on 17 March. It commemorates Saint Patrick , the most commonly recognised of the patron saints of :Ireland, and the arrival of Christianity in Ireland. It is observed by the Catholic Church, the Anglican Communion , the Eastern...
parade in New York state, typically on the Sunday following St. Patrick's Day. This large Irish and Irish American population also supports the largest youth Gaelic Athletic Football team in the United States.
Education
- Blue Ribbon AwardBlue Ribbon Schools ProgramThe Blue Ribbon Schools Program is a United States government program created in 1981 to honor schools which have achieved high levels of performance or significant improvements with emphasis on schools serving disadvantaged students. The program centers around a self-assessment conducted by the...
- In 2008, Franklin Avenue Elementary School became a Blue Ribbon School of Excellence Award winner by the U.S. Department of Education. This is the second consecutive year a school in Rockland County wins this award.
- In 2011, Pearl River Middle School became a Blue Ribbon School of Excellence Award winner by the U.S. Department of Education.
- St.Margaret's SchoolSt.Margaret's SchoolSaint Margaret School is a pre-Kindergarten through 8th-grade Elementary Catholic School in Pearl River, New York. It has been serving the Rockland County School District since 1953. The school is known for its music program; students performed at the Lincoln Center in 2009.-History:The church of...
, Catholic School, 2009 Middle States Accredited for four years in a row. - Pearl River School District won the Malcolm Baldridge National Quality Award in 2001.
- Pearl River High School, is located on 275 East Central Ave. in Pearl River and serves students in grades 8 through 12. It currently has 1055 students enrolled. The school's principal is William Furdon, and assistant principals are Cindy Mantas and Kevin McCahill.
- 96% of the class of 2009 continued on to college, university, or technical school.
Sports
On June 4, 2011, Pearl River softball team won their fourth – (four-peat) – straight Section 1 title defeating Eastchester 2-1 in eight innings in the Section 1 Class A championship girl’s softball game at North Rockland High SchoolNorth Rockland High School
North Rockland High School is a high school located in Thiells, New York, serving 10th to 12th grade students from the northern section of Rockland County, in southern New York. It is the only high school in the Haverstraw-Stony Point District....
in Thiells
Thiells, New York
Thiells, formally known as Thiells Corner in the 1850s, is a hamlet in the Town of Haverstraw Rockland County, New York, United States located north of Mount Ivy; east of Pomona; south of Tomkins Cove and west of Garnerville...
.
Historical Markers
- Cuyper-Van Houten House, 66 Sickletown Road
- Johannes Perry House, 49 Elizabeth St
- Scherer House, 599 Orangeburg Road
Landmarks and places of Interest
- Braunsdorf Park Pearl River, Central Avenue & South Main Street – Named after Julius Braunsdorf, first industrial developer of Pearl River and inventor of various models of sewing machines, newspaper printing presses, carbon arc light bulbs, and electric generators. His sewing machine factory is now the Dexter industrial complex. Braunsdorf installed first indoor lighting in the world in U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C.
- Edward Salyer HouseEdward Salyer HouseThe Edward Salyer House is located on South Middletown Road in Pearl River, New York, United States. It is a wood frame house built in the 1760s....
. (NRHP)
- Jacob P. Perry HouseJacob P. Perry HouseThe Jacob P. Perry House is a historic home on Sickeltown Road in Pearl River, New York, United States. It was constructed around the end of the 18th century, one of the last houses in Rockland County to have been built in the Dutch Colonial style more common before the Revolution.It is a stone...
– 15 Sickletown Road – The Jacob Perry House was built in 1801 and is one of Rockland's oldest Dutch Colonial Style houses located in the historic NauraushaunNauraushaun, New YorkNauraushaun is a hamlet in the Town of Orangetown Rockland County, New York, United States located north of state of New Jersey, along the northwestern shore of Lake Tappan; east of Chestnut Ridge; south of Pearl River and west of Blauvelt. It derives its name from a creek tributary, which was also...
area. (NRHP) - Maria's Rock – Front lawn of Lederle Laboratories, North Middletown Road – An 18th- century legend tells of a little girl named Maria who wandered from her home in nearby TappanTappan, New YorkTappan is a hamlet in the Town of Orangetown, Rockland County, New York, United States located north of Old Tappan, New Jersey; east of Nauraushaun and Pearl River; south of Blauvelt and west of Palisades and Sparkill...
and died of hunger and exposure. Tradition says that villagers found her bones near the massive boulder. - Orangetown Museum & Archives – 213 Blue Hill Road.
- United States Post OfficeU.S. Post Office (Pearl River, New York)The U.S. Post Office in Pearl River, New York, is located at the junction of Franklin and Main streets in the village's downtown. It is a brick building from the mid-1930s, serving the ZIP Code 10965, which covers the village....
. (NRHP) - Van Houten Farms – 68 Sickletown Road – Located on the eastern edge of Pearl River. Adjacent is the Van Houten/Kuyper Dutch Sandstone House, the main section having been built in 1732 and purchased by Van Houten circa 1812.
- Louie's on the Avenue – located on 160 East Central Ave – popular restaurant in Rockland County
Achievements
- Pearl River High School is the home of the Pearl River Lady Pirates Softball team that reached State Finals two years in a row, both the 2008 and 2009 seasons.
- Pearl River is the home of the 2nd largest St. Patrick's Day Parade in New York.
- Sport stacking New York record holder, Mike McCoy, is from Pearl River .
- Actors Robert ClohessyRobert ClohessyRobert Clohessy is an American actor, known for playing Correctional Officer Sean Murphy on the HBO drama Oz. He was also a cast member in the final season of Hill Street Blues....
, Chris Carley, and Sean T. McGrath are graduates of Pearl River High School. - Dan Masterson, a resident of Pearl River was named Rockland’s first poet laureate on February 24, 2009. He has taught English at Rockland Community College for the past 45 years. He is the recipient of two Pushcart PrizePushcart PrizeThe Pushcart Prize is an American literary prize by Pushcart Press that honors the best "poetry, short fiction, essays or literary whatnot" published in the small presses over the previous year. Magazine and small book press editors are invited to nominate up to 6 works they have featured....
s, along with the Bullis, BorestoneBorestone Mountain Poetry AwardsThe Borestone Mountain Poetry Awards was an annual series of poetry anthologies first published in 1949. The poems were selected from those published in a given year in English-language magazines and books; in each volume, individual poems were designated as first, second, or third place in a...
, and Fels national poetry prizes, as well as, the State University of New YorkState University of New YorkThe State University of New York, abbreviated SUNY , is a system of public institutions of higher education in New York, United States. It is the largest comprehensive system of universities, colleges, and community colleges in the United States, with a total enrollment of 465,000 students, plus...
Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching. He is the author of four published books, On Earth as It Is, Those Who Trespass, All Things, Seen and Unseen and World Without End and his work has appeared in various publications including EsquireEsquire (magazine)Esquire is a men's magazine, published in the U.S. by the Hearst Corporation. Founded in 1932, it flourished during the Great Depression under the guidance of founder and editor Arnold Gingrich.-History:...
, The New YorkerThe New YorkerThe New Yorker is an American magazine of reportage, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons and poetry published by Condé Nast...
and The London Magazine.
Books on Pearl River
Knight, Robert P Centennial history of Pearl River, New York Pearl River Centennial Committee 1973 NCL 974.728 KNIMy Father's Gun: One Family, Three Badges, One Hundred Years in the NYPD by Brian McDonald
External links
- Pearl River Railroad
- Founding of Pearl River
- Pearl River Yahoo! Group
- Living in Pearl River – slideshow by The New York TimesThe New York TimesThe New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...