Episode aired Monday, December 16, 2019, 9:30 am, on WRCR 1700 AM

Art Gunther, a lifelong Rocklander, spoke about what it was like growing up in Spring Valley: how it has changed and his fond memories of the old days of Rockland. Grade School, High School, shopping downtown, and Spring Valley's history as a resort commuity. Gunther also spoke about his 42-year career as a journalist for the Journal-News as well as his very popular column: The Column Rule. Read new columns at Gunther's online blog: www.thecolumnrule.com/

To purchase the collection of Column Rule columns, visit our publications page here: www.rocklandhistory.org/product.cfm?page=70

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The December episode of Crossroads of Rockland History was sponsored by the Town of Ramapo, Supervisor Michael Specht and the Ramapo Town Board. History is important in Rockland. That’s why the Town of Ramapo supports "Crossroads of Rockland History" and the Historical Society of Rockland County.

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"Crossroads of Rockland History," a program of the Historical Society of Rockland County, airs on the third Monday of each month at 9:30 am, right after the Steve and Jeff Morning Show, on WRCR Radio 1700 AM, with live streaming at www.WRCR.com. Join host Clare Sheridan as we explore, celebrate, and learn about our local history, with different topics and guest speakers every month.

The Historical Society of Rockland County is a nonprofit educational institution and principal repository for original documents and artifacts relating to Rockland County. Its headquarters are a four-acre site featuring a history museum and the 1832 Jacob Blauvelt House in New City, New York.

www.RocklandHistory.org

Crossroads of Rockland History, a program of the Historical Society of Rockland County, starts streaming new episodes on the third Monday of each month at 10am.   From October 2010 to May 2025, the program aired after the morning show on WRCR radio 1700 AM and www.WRCR.com. 

Join host Clare Sheridan as we explore, celebrate, and learn about our local history, with different topics and guest speakers every month. Our recorded broadcasts are also available for streaming on all major podcasts platforms and at our website.

The Historical Society of Rockland County is a nonprofit educational institution and principal repository for original documents and artifacts relating to Rockland County. Its headquarters are a four-acre site featuring a history museum and the 1832 Jacob Blauvelt House in New City, New York.

www.RocklandHistory.org

Broadcast originally aired Monday, November 19, 2019, 9:30 am

On this episode of our monthly radio show, we explored how the Volstead Act changed Rockland County. Rockland County Historian Craig Long joined host Clare Sheridan in the WRCR studios for a discussion about the impact of the Volstead Act, formally the National Prohibition Act, had on Rockland County. This U.S. law, enacted in 1919 (and taking effect in 1920), provided enforcement for the Eighteenth Amendment, which prohibited the manufacture and sale of alcoholic beverages.

Topics included bootlegging, saloons, law enforcement and the connection between religious revivalism, women's suffrage and prohibition.

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Crossroads of Rockland History, a program of the Historical Society of Rockland County, airs on the third Monday of each month at 9:30 am, right after the Steve and Jeff Morning Show, on WRCR Radio 1700 AM, with live streaming at www.WRCR.com. Join host Clare Sheridan as we explore, celebrate, and learn about our local history, with different topics and guest speakers every month.

The Historical Society of Rockland County is a nonprofit educational institution and principal repository for original documents and artifacts relating to Rockland County. Its headquarters are a four-acre site featuring a history museum and the 1832 Jacob Blauvelt House in New City, New York.

www.RocklandHistory.org

Crossroads of Rockland History, a program of the Historical Society of Rockland County, starts streaming new episodes on the third Monday of each month at 10am.   From October 2010 to May 2025, the program aired after the morning show on WRCR radio 1700 AM and www.WRCR.com. 

Join host Clare Sheridan as we explore, celebrate, and learn about our local history, with different topics and guest speakers every month. Our recorded broadcasts are also available for streaming on all major podcasts platforms and at our website.

The Historical Society of Rockland County is a nonprofit educational institution and principal repository for original documents and artifacts relating to Rockland County. Its headquarters are a four-acre site featuring a history museum and the 1832 Jacob Blauvelt House in New City, New York.

www.RocklandHistory.org

Broadcast originally aired on October 21, 2019.

Clare Sheridan welcomed Arlene Clinkscale, who made New York State education history when she became the first African American woman in the state to lead a school district: Nyack.

Dr. Clinkscale has distinguished herself in the field of education since 1950. She came to Rockland County in 1960 after ten years of teaching elementary school in Virginia. She taught in Pearl River and Spring Valley for six years before assuming a series of senior administrative positions in the East Ramapo and Nyack Central school districts, rising to the rank of district superintendent in Nyack in 1981. She also served as principal for Englewood Public Schools in addition to assistant superintendent and acting superintendent. Her most recent position in the public school system was in Roslyn, NY, on Long Island, where she served as educational consultant for Minority Affairs. In addition to her public school service, Dr. Clinkscale taught as an adjunct faculty member of the City University of New York. She is a past chair of the Board of Trustees of Rockland Community College and the recipient of many awards, including the Women Pioneers of Education Award from the CEJJES institute in 2013.

When she was interviewed by Ebony Magazine in 1983 for a feature artcle titled “Superwomen of Public Education,” Dr. Clinkscale said that the problems she encountered because of her sex and race came not while she was in Nyack but as she journeyed throughout the State of New York. “The first superintendent’s meeting I attended, I was the only Black woman there,” she said. “It’s hard to distinguish whether problems are the result of being Black or being female … and some people expect you not to be able to do the job.”

***

Crossroads of Rockland History, a program of the Historical Society of Rockland County, airs on the third Monday of each month at 9:30 am, right after the Steve and Jeff Morning Show, on WRCR Radio 1700 AM, with live streaming at www.WRCR.com. Join host Clare Sheridan as we explore, celebrate, and learn about our local history, with different topics and guest speakers every month.

The Historical Society of Rockland County is a nonprofit educational institution and principal repository for original documents and artifacts relating to Rockland County. Its headquarters are a four-acre site featuring a history museum and the 1832 Jacob Blauvelt House in New City, New York.

www.RocklandHistory.org

Crossroads of Rockland History, a program of the Historical Society of Rockland County, starts streaming new episodes on the third Monday of each month at 10am.   From October 2010 to May 2025, the program aired after the morning show on WRCR radio 1700 AM and www.WRCR.com. 

Join host Clare Sheridan as we explore, celebrate, and learn about our local history, with different topics and guest speakers every month. Our recorded broadcasts are also available for streaming on all major podcasts platforms and at our website.

The Historical Society of Rockland County is a nonprofit educational institution and principal repository for original documents and artifacts relating to Rockland County. Its headquarters are a four-acre site featuring a history museum and the 1832 Jacob Blauvelt House in New City, New York.

www.RocklandHistory.org

Broadcast originally aired Monday, September 16, 2019 at 9:30am, on WRCR 1700AM

Clare Sheridan interviewed George Hoehmann, Supervisor of the Town of Clarkstown to speak about the current state of historic preservation in Clarkstown. They discussed municipally owned open space, parkland and historic sites. Further discussion included updates on the two major historic preservation projects in Clarkstownt: The Traphagen Historic Site including the Talman-Budke House (18th C. Sandstone Dwelling) and the Vanderbilt-Trapahgen House (c. 1820); and the Cropsey Barn which is part of the Cropsey Community Farm.

***

Crossroads of Rockland History, a program of the Historical Society of Rockland County, airs on the third Monday of each month at 9:30 am, right after the Steve and Jeff Morning Show, on WRCR Radio 1700 AM, with live streaming at www.WRCR.com. Join host Clare Sheridan as we explore, celebrate, and learn about our local history, with different topics and guest speakers every month.

The Historical Society of Rockland County is a nonprofit educational institution and principal repository for original documents and artifacts relating to Rockland County. Its headquarters are a four-acre site featuring a history museum and the 1832 Jacob Blauvelt House in New City, New York.

www.RocklandHistory.org

Crossroads of Rockland History, a program of the Historical Society of Rockland County, starts streaming new episodes on the third Monday of each month at 10am.   From October 2010 to May 2025, the program aired after the morning show on WRCR radio 1700 AM and www.WRCR.com. 

Join host Clare Sheridan as we explore, celebrate, and learn about our local history, with different topics and guest speakers every month. Our recorded broadcasts are also available for streaming on all major podcasts platforms and at our website.

The Historical Society of Rockland County is a nonprofit educational institution and principal repository for original documents and artifacts relating to Rockland County. Its headquarters are a four-acre site featuring a history museum and the 1832 Jacob Blauvelt House in New City, New York.

www.RocklandHistory.org

Broadcast originally aired Monday, August 19, 9:30 am, on WRCR 1700 AM

Our topic was summer history reading -- fiction and nonfiction. Joining Clare Sheridan are Brian Jennings and Joe Barbieri from the New City Library. We shared all the new great titles and opened up the phone lines for listeners' suggestions.

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Recommendations from the “Summer Reading 2019” episode of “Crossroads of Rockland History”:

• Gringos and Other Stories by Michael Rumaker
• Instructions for a Funeral: Stories by David Means
• Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland by Patrick Radden Keefe
• Kids Lost in History: Rambling on the Hudson’s West Shore by Shannon Fuller and Megan O’Prey, with guidance from editor Richard O’Prey.
• The Forgotten Hilltop by Dylan Frawley
• Low Tor by Frank Eberling
• Demarest Kill by Frank Eberling
• Theater of the World: The Maps that Made History by Thomas Reinertsen Berg
• Woodstock Live: 50 Years Hardcover by Julien Bitoun (Author), Michael Lang (Foreword)
• D-Day Girls: The Spies Who Armed the Resistance, Sabotaged the Nazis, and Helped Win World War II by Sarah Rose
• Ask Again, Yes by Mary Beth Keane
• Fever by Mary Beth Keane
• Toni Morrison – ANYTHING and EVERYTHING!

For Kids:

• Revolutionary Rogues by Seline Castrovilla
• Big Snow by Berta and Elmer Hader
• The Little Red Lighthouse and the Great Gray Bridge by Hildegarde H. Swift (Author), Lynd Ward (Illustrator)

Book Clubs at New City Library: newcitylibrary.org/book-groups

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Crossroads of Rockland History, a program of the Historical Society of Rockland County, airs on the third Monday of each month at 9:30 am, right after the Steve and Jeff Morning Show, on WRCR Radio 1700 AM, with live streaming at www.WRCR.com. Join host Clare Sheridan as we explore, celebrate, and learn about our local history, with different topics and guest speakers every month.

The Historical Society of Rockland County is a nonprofit educational institution and principal repository for original documents and artifacts relating to Rockland County. Its headquarters are a four-acre site featuring a history museum and the 1832 Jacob Blauvelt House in New City, New York.

Crossroads of Rockland History, a program of the Historical Society of Rockland County, starts streaming new episodes on the third Monday of each month at 10am.   From October 2010 to May 2025, the program aired after the morning show on WRCR radio 1700 AM and www.WRCR.com. 

Join host Clare Sheridan as we explore, celebrate, and learn about our local history, with different topics and guest speakers every month. Our recorded broadcasts are also available for streaming on all major podcasts platforms and at our website.

The Historical Society of Rockland County is a nonprofit educational institution and principal repository for original documents and artifacts relating to Rockland County. Its headquarters are a four-acre site featuring a history museum and the 1832 Jacob Blauvelt House in New City, New York.

www.RocklandHistory.org

Broadcast originally aired on Monday, July 15, 2019 9:30am, on WRCR AM1700

Did you know that 2019 marks the 240th anniversary of the storming of Stony Point?

Michael Sheehan, historian at the Stony Point Battlefield State Historic Site, joined Clare Sheridan to discuss the history (and some misconceptions) surrounding this important victory for the Continental Army and recap the weekend’s 240th Anniversary commemorative events.

To learn more about the Stony Point Battlefield and Lighthouse, visit their facebook page here: www.facebook.com/StonyPointBattle…dNAB_vcPR-WsjMFg

Crossroads of Rockland History, a program of the Historical Society of Rockland County, airs on the third Monday of each month at 9:30 am, right after the Steve and Jeff Morning Show, on WRCR Radio 1700 AM, with live streaming at www.WRCR.com. Join host Clare Sheridan as we explore, celebrate, and learn about our local history, with different topics and guest speakers every month.

The Historical Society of Rockland County is a nonprofit educational institution and principal repository for original documents and artifacts relating to Rockland County. Its headquarters are a four-acre site featuring a history museum and the 1832 Jacob Blauvelt House in New City, New York.

www.RocklandHistory.org

Crossroads of Rockland History, a program of the Historical Society of Rockland County, starts streaming new episodes on the third Monday of each month at 10am.   From October 2010 to May 2025, the program aired after the morning show on WRCR radio 1700 AM and www.WRCR.com. 

Join host Clare Sheridan as we explore, celebrate, and learn about our local history, with different topics and guest speakers every month. Our recorded broadcasts are also available for streaming on all major podcasts platforms and at our website.

The Historical Society of Rockland County is a nonprofit educational institution and principal repository for original documents and artifacts relating to Rockland County. Its headquarters are a four-acre site featuring a history museum and the 1832 Jacob Blauvelt House in New City, New York.

www.RocklandHistory.org

Broadcast originally aired Monday, June 17, 2019 at 9:30 am, on WRCR 1700AM and www.WRCR.com

Did you know that Rockland County is rich in historical places located within the area’s woodlands and parklands? Gordon Wren joined Clare Sheridan to discuss some of the interesting local history that can be explored through historical hikes.
Hikes such as

• Claudius Smith's Den
• Northwest Airlines Crash Site
• Sterling Forest Mines
• Ramsay Conklin Site

Organizations in our area that cater to history enthusiasts who love to explore the outdoors were also discussed (NY/NJ Trail Conference and the Historical Society of the Palisades Interstate Park Region).

Crossroads of Rockland History, a program of the Historical Society of Rockland County, airs on the third Monday of each month at 9:30 am, right after the Steve and Jeff morning show, on WRCR radio 1700AM and www.WRCR.com. Join host Clare Sheridan as we explore, celebrate, and learn about our local history, with different topics and guest speakers every month.

The Historical Society of Rockland County is a nonprofit educational institution and principal repository for original documents and artifacts relating to Rockland County. Its headquarters are a four-acre site featuring a history museum and the 1832 Jacob Blauvelt House in New City, New York.

www.RocklandHistory.org

Crossroads of Rockland History, a program of the Historical Society of Rockland County, starts streaming new episodes on the third Monday of each month at 10am.   From October 2010 to May 2025, the program aired after the morning show on WRCR radio 1700 AM and www.WRCR.com. 

Join host Clare Sheridan as we explore, celebrate, and learn about our local history, with different topics and guest speakers every month. Our recorded broadcasts are also available for streaming on all major podcasts platforms and at our website.

The Historical Society of Rockland County is a nonprofit educational institution and principal repository for original documents and artifacts relating to Rockland County. Its headquarters are a four-acre site featuring a history museum and the 1832 Jacob Blauvelt House in New City, New York.

www.RocklandHistory.org

Broadcast originally aired on Monday, May 20, 2019 9:30 am, WRCR.com and WRCR 1700AM

The show focused on the exhibition at the Historical Society of Rockland County (HSRC) entitled “Influencers: Art and History on South Mountain Road.”

Susan Deeks, the HSRC’s executive director, discussed this important artist colony where modernism flourished. South Mountain Road in New City was the home of artists, writers, and musicians who influenced one another and future artists, as well. "Influencers" was produced in collaboration with the Rockland Center for the Arts and was on view at the Historical Society  of Rockland County. 
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Exhibition Information:

Influencers: Art and History on South Mountain Road
A Joint Exhibition by the HSRC and Rockland Center for the Arts

When:  April 24-October 27, 2019
Where: HSRC History Center, 20 Zukor Road, New City
Price: $FREE

Details here: www.rocklandhistory.org/program.cfm?page=669

***

Crossroads of Rockland History, a program of the Historical Society of Rockland County, airs on the third Monday of each month at 9:30 am, right after the Steve and Jeff morning show, on WRCR radio at www.WRCR.com. Join host Clare Sheridan as we explore, celebrate, and learn about our local history, with different topics and guest speakers every month.

The Historical Society of Rockland County is a nonprofit educational institution and principal repository for original documents and artifacts relating to Rockland County. Its headquarters are a four-acre site featuring a history museum and the 1832 Jacob Blauvelt House in New City, New York.

Crossroads of Rockland History, a program of the Historical Society of Rockland County, starts streaming new episodes on the third Monday of each month at 10am.   From October 2010 to May 2025, the program aired after the morning show on WRCR radio 1700 AM and www.WRCR.com. 

Join host Clare Sheridan as we explore, celebrate, and learn about our local history, with different topics and guest speakers every month. Our recorded broadcasts are also available for streaming on all major podcasts platforms and at our website.

The Historical Society of Rockland County is a nonprofit educational institution and principal repository for original documents and artifacts relating to Rockland County. Its headquarters are a four-acre site featuring a history museum and the 1832 Jacob Blauvelt House in New City, New York.

www.RocklandHistory.org

Broadcast originally aired Monday, April 15, 2019 at 9:30 am, on WRCR.com

We discussed the new exhibition at the Orangetown Historical Museum and Archives entitled Shanks Legacy. The U.S. Army's largest port of embarkation on the East Coast in World War II, Camp Shanks saw some 1.3 million troops pass through on their way to England and North Africa. Elizabeth Skrabonja (curator) and Mary Cardenas (Museum Director and Orangetown Historian) were interviewed.

They spoke about how the camp looked and operated and how it transitioned into the residential Shanks Village. They also discussed the meaning of Shanks to the development of the Town of Orangetown.

Shanks Legacy opened on Saturday, April 13, 2019, at the DePew House and will run through November. Admission is free (donations accepted).

For more information, visit the website at www.orangetownmuseum.com

Crossroads of Rockland History, a program of the Historical Society of Rockland County, airs on the third Monday of each month at 9:30 am, right after the Steve and Jeff Morning Show, on WRCR radio at www.WRCR.com. Join host Clare Sheridan as we explore, celebrate, and learn about our local history, with different topics and guest speakers every month.

Orangetown Historical Museum and Archives
196 Chief Bill Harris Way, Orangeburg, NY 10962
(196 Blaisdel Road in GPS)
(845) 398-1302
[email protected]

Crossroads of Rockland History, a program of the Historical Society of Rockland County, starts streaming new episodes on the third Monday of each month at 10am.   From October 2010 to May 2025, the program aired after the morning show on WRCR radio 1700 AM and www.WRCR.com. 

Join host Clare Sheridan as we explore, celebrate, and learn about our local history, with different topics and guest speakers every month. Our recorded broadcasts are also available for streaming on all major podcasts platforms and at our website.

The Historical Society of Rockland County is a nonprofit educational institution and principal repository for original documents and artifacts relating to Rockland County. Its headquarters are a four-acre site featuring a history museum and the 1832 Jacob Blauvelt House in New City, New York.

www.RocklandHistory.org

Broadcast orginally aired Monday, March 18, 2019, on WRCR.com

We learned all about the newly renovated Haverstraw Brick Museum. Jared Rodriguez shared news about efforts to expand the organization to become a catalyst for preservation while continuing to share the rich history of the river town of Haverstraw. Rodriguez’s passion for Hudson Valley history stems from his family’s lineage in Haverstraw, which dates to the mid-19th century.

The website for the Haverstraw Brick Museum is haverstrawbrickmuseum.org

The link to the museum's Facebook page is www.facebook.com/HaverstrawBrickMuseum

Upcoming Events for Haverstraw History include:
--June 2, 1-5 pm, rain or shine. Haverstraw Food Crawl. Haverstraw Riverwide Arts and the Village of Haverstraw, NY are celebrating the diverse culinary options Downtown with "The Flavors of Haverstraw" – a small plates or tapas-focused "food crawl" or food sampling walking tour. The Comprehensive Plan Team will be at the Beer Garden to Share, Listen and Learn. The Food Crawl map will be available in May. Learn more at haverstrawriverwidearts.org/taste-haverstraw.

--June 8. Day-long "Secret History of Haverstraw" Guided Walk with Jared Rodriguez

--June 15-16. Juneteenth Celebration. Visit Haverstraw African American Connection Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/HaverstrawAfrica…ericanConnection
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Crossroads of Rockland History, a program of the Historical Society of Rockland County, airs on the third Monday of each month at 9:30 am,right after the Steve and Jeff morning show, on WRCR radio at www.WRCR.com. Join host Clare Sheridan as we explore, celebrate, and learn about our local history, with different topics and guest speakers every month.

Crossroads of Rockland History, a program of the Historical Society of Rockland County, starts streaming new episodes on the third Monday of each month at 10am.   From October 2010 to May 2025, the program aired after the morning show on WRCR radio 1700 AM and www.WRCR.com. 

Join host Clare Sheridan as we explore, celebrate, and learn about our local history, with different topics and guest speakers every month. Our recorded broadcasts are also available for streaming on all major podcasts platforms and at our website.

The Historical Society of Rockland County is a nonprofit educational institution and principal repository for original documents and artifacts relating to Rockland County. Its headquarters are a four-acre site featuring a history museum and the 1832 Jacob Blauvelt House in New City, New York.

www.RocklandHistory.org