West Nyack, New York
Encyclopedia
West Nyack is a hamlet (and census-designated place
) in the Town of Clarkstown
Rockland County
, New York
, United States
located north of Central Nyack; east of Nanuet
; south of Valley Cottage
and west of Upper Nyack
. It is approximately 18 miles north of New York City
. The population was 3,282 at the 2000 census.
In 2010, The West Nyack Engine Co. No 1 which was incorporated on March 10, 1910, celebrated its 100th Anniversary.
physician, lived in a small house on Germonds Road in West Nyack. She devoted herself to the care of her only child, a son by a previous marriage, named Tobias Lowrie. She treated, with great results, neighbors that came to her with herbs and methods she learned from her late husband. But “Naut Kannif”, as she was called, seemed to have been exceedingly eccentric. According to the people at that time she dressed oddly with strange hairdos and was unsociable. She was regarded as insane - worse yet - a witch in an era of superstition. It was decided to take “Naut” to Auert Polhemus’s grist mill and using his great flour scales weigh her against the old Holland Dutch family Bible, iron bound, with wooden covers and iron chain to carry it by. If outweighed by the Bible, she must be a witch beyond any doubt, and must suffer accordingly. She was taken to the mill against her most earnest protest, put on the scales, and weighed. Weighing more than the Bible, she was released by the committee. This was the last witch trial in the state of New York.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the CDP has a total area of 2.9 square miles (7.5 km²), all land.
of 2000, there were 3,282 people, 1,107 households, and 892 families residing in the CDP. The population density
was 1,125.9 per square mile (435.5/km²). There were 1,132 housing units at an average density of 388.3/sq mi (150.2/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 88.03% White, 1.98% African American, 0.03% Native American, 7.59% Asian, 0.98% from other races
, and 1.40% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.58% of the population.
There were 1,107 households out of which 36.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 70.8% were married couples
living together, 6.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 19.4% were non-families. 14.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.95 and the average family size was 3.27.
In the CDP the population was spread out with 23.8% under the age of 18, 5.7% from 18 to 24, 29.2% from 25 to 44, 27.5% from 45 to 64, and 13.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 93.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.9 males.
The median income for a household in the CDP was $98,931, and the median income for a family was $106,576. Males had a median income of $67,326 versus $41,518 for females. The per capita income
for the CDP was $40,178. About 1.0% of families and 2.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.3% of those under age 18 and 5.2% of those age 65 or over.
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 Clarkstown
Clarkstown, New York
Clarkstown is a town in Rockland County, New York, United States. The town is on the eastern border of the county, located north of the town of Orangetown; east of the town of Ramapo; South of the town of Haverstraw and west of the Hudson River. As of the 2000 census, the town had a total...
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
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
located north of Central Nyack; east 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...
; south of Valley Cottage
Valley Cottage, New York
Valley Cottage is a hamlet , in the Town of Clarkstown Rockland County, New York, United States located north of West Nyack; east of New City; south of Congers and west of Upper Nyack...
and west of Upper Nyack
Upper Nyack, New York
Upper Nyack is a village in the town of Clarkstown Rockland County, New York, United States located north of the village of Nyack; east of West Nyack; south of Rockland Lake State Park and west of the Hudson River. The population was 1,863 at the 2000 census....
. It is approximately 18 miles north of New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. The population was 3,282 at the 2000 census.
History
In 1847, the hamlet was named Clarksville, renamed MontMoor and since 1891 has been known as West Nyack.In 2010, The West Nyack Engine Co. No 1 which was incorporated on March 10, 1910, celebrated its 100th Anniversary.
The Clarksville Witch 1816
Jane Kannif, the widow of a ScottishScotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
physician, lived in a small house on Germonds Road in West Nyack. She devoted herself to the care of her only child, a son by a previous marriage, named Tobias Lowrie. She treated, with great results, neighbors that came to her with herbs and methods she learned from her late husband. But “Naut Kannif”, as she was called, seemed to have been exceedingly eccentric. According to the people at that time she dressed oddly with strange hairdos and was unsociable. She was regarded as insane - worse yet - a witch in an era of superstition. It was decided to take “Naut” to Auert Polhemus’s grist mill and using his great flour scales weigh her against the old Holland Dutch family Bible, iron bound, with wooden covers and iron chain to carry it by. If outweighed by the Bible, she must be a witch beyond any doubt, and must suffer accordingly. She was taken to the mill against her most earnest protest, put on the scales, and weighed. Weighing more than the Bible, she was released by the committee. This was the last witch trial in the state of New York.
Geography
West Nyack is located at 41°5′28"N 73°58′8"W (41.091096, -73.968785).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 2.9 square miles (7.5 km²), all land.
Accident
February, 1902 – a stagecoach-train collision in West Nyack, New York. Eight students returning from a night basketball game in a horse-drawn stagecoach were killed by a train, after getting trapped between manually-operated railroad crossing gates. First train-school vehicle collision in the United States.Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 3,282 people, 1,107 households, and 892 families residing in the CDP. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 1,125.9 per square mile (435.5/km²). There were 1,132 housing units at an average density of 388.3/sq mi (150.2/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 88.03% White, 1.98% African American, 0.03% Native American, 7.59% Asian, 0.98% from other races
Race (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 1.40% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.58% of the population.
There were 1,107 households out of which 36.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 70.8% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 6.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 19.4% were non-families. 14.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.95 and the average family size was 3.27.
In the CDP the population was spread out with 23.8% under the age of 18, 5.7% from 18 to 24, 29.2% from 25 to 44, 27.5% from 45 to 64, and 13.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 93.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.9 males.
The median income for a household in the CDP was $98,931, and the median income for a family was $106,576. Males had a median income of $67,326 versus $41,518 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the CDP was $40,178. About 1.0% of families and 2.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.3% of those under age 18 and 5.2% of those age 65 or over.
Education
- Strawtown Elementary School became a 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...
winner in 2007. This is the second school in Rockland County to win this award. - Clarkstown High School South is located in West Nyack.
Historical markers
- Clarksville - West Nyack & Sickletown Roads
- Clarksville Inn - One Strawtown Road. Built by Thomas Warner in 1840 as a hotel, the blacksmith shop still remains and is used as a retail shop. The Inn now serves as a restaurant, open for dinner seven evenings.
- Colonial Clarkstown - 135 Strawtown Road
- DeClark-Polhemus Mill - Intersection of Germonds, Strawtown & Old Mill Roads
- Mount Moor African American CemeteryMount Moor African-American CemeteryMount Moor African-American Cemetery, also known as Mount Moor Cemetery, is a historic African American cemetery located at Palisades Center, West Nyack in Rockland County, New York. It was established in 1849 and contains approximately 90 known graves....
- Off Route 59 at West Nyack Road. "This: Burying ground for Colored people, was deeded on July 7, 1849 by James Benson and Jane Benson his wife to William H. Moor, Stephen Samuels and Isaac Williams, trustees. The cemetery has provided burial space for colored people, including veterans of the American Civil WarAmerican Civil WarThe American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, the Spanish American War, World War l, World War ll and the Korean WarKorean WarThe Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
. The grounds have been maintained since 1940 by the Mount Moor Cemetery Association, Inc." - Old Clarkstown Reformed Church Cemetery - 254 Germonds Road
- Pye's Corner - Strawtown & Germonds Roads
- Site of First Reformed Protestant Dutch Church of New Hempstead - 254 Germonds Road
- The Nyack Turnpike - West Nyack Road & West Nyack Way
- The Old Parsonage - 106 Strawtown Road
- Van Houten Fields - Van Houten Fields & Sickletown Roads
- Washington's Encampment - 134 Strawtown Road
- West Nyack's Last Horse Trough, West Nyack Free Library 65 Strawtown Road
- West Nyack's and New York's largest Shopping Center, Palisades CenterPalisades CenterThe Palisades Center Mall, often referred to as the Palisades Mall, in West Nyack, New York is the eighth largest shopping mall in the United States by total area, and sixth largest by gross leasable space...
Mall, Route 59. Tenth largest in the United States.
Landmarks and places of interest
- Palisades CenterPalisades CenterThe Palisades Center Mall, often referred to as the Palisades Mall, in West Nyack, New York is the eighth largest shopping mall in the United States by total area, and sixth largest by gross leasable space...
, one of the largest malls in the country, is located along Route 59, Route 303 and the New York State ThruwayNew York State ThruwayThe New York State Thruway is a system of limited-access highways located within the state of New York in the United States. The system, known officially as the Governor Thomas E. Dewey Thruway for former New York Governor Thomas E. Dewey, is operated by the New York State Thruway Authority and...
(I-87 and I-287), exit 12. - Clarkstown Reformed Church - 107 Strawtown Road - Site of First Reformed Protestant Dutch Church of New Hempstead (name in reference to many who moved here from Hempstead. L.I.). built 1750-51, replaced 1871 by present Clarkstown Reformed Church, 107 Strawtown Road. Note gravestones inscribed in Dutch and those bearing names of 40 veterans of Revolutionary War and War of 1812 and of the Hill family, which produced three generations of artists and a renowned scientist.
- DeClark-Polhemus Mill Remnants still exist on the southwest corner of Strawtown Rd & Germonds Road, West Nyack. The last witchcraft trial in New York State supposedly took place at this gristmill in 1816. Jane (Naut) Kannif, a widow of a Scottish physician, was knowledgeable about herb medicines and was accused of practicing witchcraft. At the mill, Naut was weighed against a large brass-bound Dutch Bible on the large flour balance. Jane outweighed the Bible, was judged innocent and set free. The mill operated into the 20th century to grind flour. The hub of the water wheel still exists as does the dam and mill pond. Historical Marker on site.
- Mount Moor CemeteryMount Moor African-American CemeteryMount Moor African-American Cemetery, also known as Mount Moor Cemetery, is a historic African American cemetery located at Palisades Center, West Nyack in Rockland County, New York. It was established in 1849 and contains approximately 90 known graves....
- Mount Moor Cemetery sits in the shadow of the Palisades Center Mall, just north of Route 59. This well kept cemetery is maintained by the Mount Moor Cemetery Association located at 1 Milford Lane, Suffern, New York 10901. Although several stones appear to have been professionally restored, many are too badly worn to read. There are also many field stones often used as burial markers with no inscriptions as well as a plain wooden cross. One of the graves at Mount Moor is that of Lafayette Logan, a Buffalo SoldierBuffalo SoldierBuffalo Soldiers originally were members of the U.S. 10th Cavalry Regiment of the United States Army, formed on September 21, 1866 at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas....
who fought in the American Civil WarAmerican Civil WarThe American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
with the legendary black 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry54th Massachusetts Volunteer InfantryThe 54th Regiment Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry was an infantry regiment that saw extensive service in the Union Army during the American Civil War. The regiment was one of the first official black units in the United States during the Civil War...
, the unit made famous in the motion picture "Glory" About six others members of the Buffalo Soldiers are buried here. (NRHP) - Rockland Center for the ArtsRockland Center for the ArtsRockland Center for the Arts is a non-profit cultural center in West Nyack, Rockland County, New York.The Center, co-founded by Pulitzer Prize winner Maxwell Anderson, celebrated its 40th anniversary in 1987....
- RoCA has been a vibrant cultural center in County of Rockland for 57 years presenting a variety of highly acclaimed cultural arts programs including an extensive School for the Arts, exhibitions, a performing arts series and RoCA's Summer Arts Day Camp. RoCA provides opportunities for artists to exhibit, perform, create & teach. - Terneur-Hutton HouseTerneur-Hutton HouseTerneur-Hutton House is a historic home located at West Nyack in Rockland County, New York. It was built about 1731 and is a -story dwelling in the Dutch Colonial style. The first floor is constructed of sandstone, with painted shingles above....
- 160 Sickelton Rd., National Register of Historic Places. (NRHP)
Notable residents
- Mary Mowbray-Clarke - Designed the "Dutch Garden" in New CityNew City, New YorkNew City is a hamlet , in the Town of Clarkstown Rockland County, New York, United States, part of the New York Metropolitan Area. The hamlet is a suburb of New York City, located 18 miles north of the city at the closest point, Riverdale, The Bronx...
in 1933-34 as memorial to county's early settlers, and won "Garden of the Year" from Better Home and GardensBetter Homes and Gardens (magazine)Better Homes and Gardens is the fourth best selling magazine in the United States. The editor in Chief is Gayle Butler. Better Homes and Gardens focuses on interests regarding homes, cooking, gardening, crafts, healthy living, decorating, and entertaining. The magazine is published 12 times per...
magazine in 1935. She played an important role in the founding the Museum of Modern ArtMuseum of Modern ArtThe Museum of Modern Art is an art museum in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, on 53rd Street, between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It has been important in developing and collecting modernist art, and is often identified as the most influential museum of modern art in the world...
in New York CityNew York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
and along with Dr. Lucy Virginia Meriweather Davie's husband Arthur Bowen Davies of CongersCongers, New YorkCongers is a hamlet , in the Town of Clarkstown Rockland County, New York, United States located north of Valley Cottage; east of New City, across Lake DeForest, south of Haverstraw and west of the Hudson River. It lies 19 miles north of New York City's Bronx boundary...
were responsible for gathering the works of Picasso, Van Gogh, RenoirRenoir-People with the surname Renoir :* Pierre-Auguste Renoir , French painter* Pierre Renoir , French actor and son of Pierre-Auguste Renoir* Jean Renoir , French film director and son of Pierre-Auguste Renoir...
, Cézanne and Monet for the Armory Art ExhibitArmory ShowMany exhibitions have been held in the vast spaces of U.S. National Guard armories, but the Armory Show refers to the 1913 International Exhibition of Modern Art that was organized by the Association of American Painters and Sculptors...
in 1913. As co-owner of a small avant-garde book store on 31st street in NYC, she provided a place for future writers (Ernest HemingwayErnest HemingwayErnest Miller Hemingway was an American author and journalist. His economic and understated style had a strong influence on 20th-century fiction, while his life of adventure and his public image influenced later generations. Hemingway produced most of his work between the mid-1920s and the...
, Eugene O'NeillEugene O'NeillEugene Gladstone O'Neill was an American playwright and Nobel laureate in Literature. His poetically titled plays were among the first to introduce into American drama techniques of realism earlier associated with Russian playwright Anton Chekhov, Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen, and Swedish...
, Edna St. Vincent MillayEdna St. Vincent MillayEdna St. Vincent Millay was an American lyrical poet, playwright and feminist. She received the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry, and was known for her activism and her many love affairs. She used the pseudonym Nancy Boyd for her prose work...
...) to read their works of literature and display their art work. She helped establish the Rockland Foundation for the Arts and is also credited for the saving of Hi-Tor Mountain which is now a part of the Palisades Interstate Park CommissionPalisades Interstate Park CommissionPalisades Interstate Park and its creator, the Palisades Interstate Park Commission, was formed in 1900 by governors Theodore Roosevelt of New York and Foster M. Voorhees of New Jersey in response to the destruction of the Palisades by quarry operators in the late 19th century...
and local geographical landmark, from being quarried. - John William HillJohn William HillJohn William Hill or often J.W. Hill was a British born American artist working in watercolor, gouache, lithography, and engraving. Hill's work focussed primarily upon natural subjects including landscapes, still lifes, and ornithological and zoological subjects...
(1812–1879) - British born American artist. He was the son of John Hill who resided in West Nyack and was known as "Master of the Aquatint". - Morris KantorMorris KantorMorris Kantor was a Russian-born American painter based in the New York City area. Born in Minsk in 1896, Kantor was brought to the United States as a child in 1906. He made his home in West Nyack, New York for much of his life, and died there in 1974...
(1896–1974) - Russian-born American painter. - Charles Wright MillsC. Wright MillsCharles Wright Mills was an American sociologist. Mills is best remembered for his 1959 book The Sociological Imagination in which he lays out a view of the proper relationship between biography and history, theory and method in sociological scholarship...
(August 28, 1916, Waco, Texas – March 20, 1962, West Nyack, New York) was an American sociologist. - Arthur S. TompkinsArthur S. TompkinsArthur Sidney Tompkins was a U.S. Representative from New York, and a justice of the New York Supreme Court.-Early life:...
- (August 26, 1865 - January 20, 1938) was a U.S. Representative from New York, and a justice of the New York Supreme CourtNew York Supreme CourtThe Supreme Court of the State of New York is the trial-level court of general jurisdiction in thestate court system of New York, United States. There is a supreme court in each of New York State's 62 counties, although some smaller counties share judges with neighboring counties...
. - John FlahertyJohn FlahertyJohn Timothy Flaherty is a television baseball broadcaster and a retired Major League Baseball player. Flaherty was a catcher, and last played in the major leagues for the New York Yankees.-Early life:...
- (October 21, 1967-) a major league baseball player and broadcaster. - Michael ParkMichael Park (actor)Michael Park is an American actor, best known for his role of Jack Snyder on As the World Turns . Park won back to back Daytime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series in 2010 and 2011.-Career:...
- (July 20, 1968-) Emmy Award winning actor. - Jake T. AustinJake T. AustinJake T. Austin is an American actor and voice actor. Beginning a career as a child actor at the age of seven, Austin is a five-time Young Artist Award nominee, best known for his role as Max Russo, the youngest of three wizards on the Disney Channel original series Wizards of Waverly Place, and as...
- an actor, Wizards Of Waverly PlaceWizards of Waverly PlaceWizards of Waverly Place is a Disney Channel Original Series that premiered on October 12, 2007. It won "Outstanding Children's Program" at the 61st Primetime Emmy Awards in 2009...
.