It’s time to celebrate Haverstraw’s Second Annual Juneteenth, a celebration commemorating the ending of slavery in the United States! … More Juneteenth and the Forgotten: Haverstraw’s Underground Railroad
Virginia ‘Ginny’ Norfleet, is more than just a resident of Haverstraw; she connects with and brings people within community together. Her passion, dedication and love for Haverstraw has helped to unearth a hidden history within the town. There were African slaves in Haverstraw during the 1800s. Ginny has dug deep to uncover the untold stories of the brickyard workers here in Haverstraw, and has built a memorial park to honor and respect those whose voices were silenced. But this is just the beginning of Ginny’s journey to bring forth the deep, rich history that Haverstraw is hiding beneath the clay. … More Community Spotlight: Virginia ‘Ginny’ Norfleet
Haverstraw, N.Y. is a microcosm of the region. From taking in crisp morning air on top of a mountain peak, to lunch in a diverse urban downtown, and ending with a rivertown sunset, you can have it all in Haverstraw. Garnerville brings us yet another type of experience that makes Haverstraw even more unique. If you’ve … More Going GAGA for GARNER: Weaving Art into a Community
This article was previously and originally featured in the Rockland County Times. Photos by Thomas McGuire. To find a true, growing and bustling economy in Rockland County, one must look to the 19th century. Prior to Euclidean zoning rules, which effectively ended real economic growth in the suburbs and thereby forcing further dependency on New … More The Garnerville Company Town
The deadliest man-made disaster to strike Haverstraw was the the Great 1906 Landslide, which claimed the lives of 19 while they were sleeping on the night of January 8, 1906. The ground beneath their homes gave way and slid into the adjacent excavation pit as the Village’s brick making companies routinely undermined the Village of … More Headlines from the Great 1906 Landslide
Mayor Kohut, a resident of the village of Haverstraw, and successfully carries out a dual role as both a government official, and an active member of the community. HaverstrawLife got an inside scoop into the life of Mayor Kohut, both in and outside of the office! … More Community Spotlight: Mayor Michael Kohut
Lucas Candies, the oldest Chocolate Shop in New York State, celebrated their 120th anniversary by handmaking traditional candy canes. … More Lucas Candies Celebrates 120 Years With Famous Handmade Candy Canes!
#thestrawny is the probably the best instagram hashtag for good Haverstraw pictures. Check it out soon.
Downtown Haverstraw is chock full of amazing history. The events listed here are only a small excerpt of all the history that Haverstraw holds. … More Haverstraw is Rich in History
Organized in 1895, Relief Hose No. 3 was intended to provide additional fire protection to the ever-growing Village downtown. In the days of horse-drawn water pumps and low-pressure hand pumps, additional firehouses were needed to cover new neighborhoods that sprung up in the North West corner of Haverstraw. The newly formed fire department was housed … More Fighting Fire and Preserving History at Relief Hose No. 3
Jakriborg, Sweden, a medieval village of 500 families and a major tourism destination can fit within a relatively small area in the Village of Haverstraw. Such an exercise in scale really shows how zoning can have such a major impact on the built environment and the economy. How many Jakriborgs can your town fit? Better … More Visualizing Scale & Density
I stared writing a monthly column in the Rockland County Times called “Reconnecting Rockland.” In it I focus on planning, engineering, real estate development, and architecture issues that are facing the County. Check out Part 1 and Part 2, aptly named “Back to Our Roots.” … More “Reconnecting Rockland” Column in the Rockland County Times
“Every day we’re faced with choices: Buy from Home Depot or the guy that owns the hardware store in the Village? Get a cup of coffee from Starbucks or the local coffee shop? In these difficult economic times, to me it makes more sense to shop, buy, and dine at our local businesses. Buying local strengthens … More Why Buy Local?
Artist Bill Batson takes on the ‘House by the Railroad‘ with his sketch of the famed house in Haverstraw (left) that inspired Edward Hopper to paint and Alfred Hitchcock to kill off his leading lady on-screen in “Psycho.” Read more about Batson’s take on Edward Hopper and the house that started it all. Batson discusses … More Bill Batson’s Take on the ‘House by the Railroad’
Jane Jacobs was one of the first writers to document the effects of cars on urban fabric. By “urban,” I mean “old-fashioned” or traditional towns and downtowns. Densely populated cities and villages throughout the United States were beginning to take steps to incorporate automobiles into the built environment. Planners and politicians began to see parking … More How or Why Cars Erode Cities & Villages
HaverstrawLife.com 