91 thoughts on “High Tor: Magnificent Views of Hudson Valley – Tikun Olam תיקון עולם إصلاح العالم
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  1. Hi,

    I have just found 2 of your postings that mention Haverstraw. My late father, Douglas Warschauer, born 1925, grew up in Haverstraw. My family owned a small clothing store in town.

    Have you researched the history of the Jewish community in Haverstraw? I’d be interested in discussing this with you.

    Thanks,

    Jeff Warschauer
    Brooklyn, NY
    warschauer@aol.com

  2. No, I haven’t. While I’m sure my family was affiliated with the shul there, by the time I was around (starting in the 1950s) I don’t remember it playing a large role in my grandmother’s or father’s life. I know more about the Jewish community in Peekskill, where my father’s famiily originated before coming to Haverstraw.

    Glad to see that Haverstraw has as much of a pull on you as it does on me.

  3. Haverstraw is currently undergoing a $1 Billion restoration and urban renewal. I wasn’t sure if you were aware of this. There are plans for a popular art museum, world-class restaurants, a 3-mile promenade on the riverfront, a hotel and spa, performing arts center, and possibly an aerial tram that will be strung from the Village to the top of High Tor. These are exciting times. I hope it would prompt you to spend more time in Haverstraw, watch its development, and tell others to boost its economy by also visiting and spending their money. Thanks for your interest. I am glad to see someone else loves this amazing village.

  4. A tram on High Tor would ruin that landscape permanently. What is wrong with exercise? Hiking those trails the and enjoying the beauty before you is one of the most natural highs one can experience. The High Tor Ridge is a natural resource of the area I grew up in. How will the construction and blasting of a Tram undermine the already delicate ecosystem? Do you [think] the parks system that maintains High Tor would allow that?

    I understand the people that put in the housing at the old DePasquale property are trying to say that they own the Fowlers Gap where the Elks Club have a marina. The Elks were there before most of us were born. Although I don’t live in Haverstraw any more, my heart still lives there. I can still recall the aircraft beacon radiating through the night as a symbol of MY Haverstraw. A friend of mine once told me “You can take the boy out of Haverstraw, but you can’t take Haverstraw out of the boy.” When I visit the cemetery on 9W to visit my parents graves, I study that mountain, remembering the times [I] had as a child hiking and camping on it. If anyone wants to do something to make that mountain shine again, build another beacon atop that ridge, show what Old Haverstraw was. Change is always a good thing, but beware, change can also bite you when least expect it.

    1. HELLO, BACK IN THE 1970’S MY FRIENDS AND I WOULD DRIVE FROM NEW JERSEY TO HIKE TO THE TOP OF HIGH TOR OFTEN. I HAVE MANY FOND MEMORIES OF THIS. THE OTHER DAY, AFTER NOT HAVING BEEN THERE IN OVER 30+ YEARS, I ATTEMPTED TO FIND THE PATH THAT WE ALWAYS HAD USED, THE ONE ON ROUTE 9W. IT’S GONE! I BELIEVE THAT I FOUND THE SPOT WHERE IT USED TO BE. IF ANYONE HAS ANY INFO ABOUT HOW TO GAIN ACCESS TO WHAT MAY BE LEFT OF THAT PATH, PLEASE LET ME KNOW. I REMEMBER THAT WE WOULD PARK IN THE SMALL PARKING LOT OF A SMALL TAVERN ON 9W, THEN CROSS 9W TO GET ONTO THE HIGH TOR PATH. I BELIEVE THAT “C&M’ AUTO REPAIRS SHOP IS NOW ON THE SPOT WHERE THE TAVERN USED TO BE. IS THIS CORRECT ? ANY HISTORY/INFO WOULD BE GREATLY APPRECIATED…….THANKS!

  5. I’ve started a blog on the current developments in Haverstraw. Mainly about its restoration and plans for its future. History will be added. Check it out…there are a lot of changes coming to the Village.

  6. I’m interested in the “mythology” of High Tor. Many years ago I drank a lot of High Tor wine and am writing about the winery and the mountain. it seems to me I heard that there were legends etc. associated with the mountain, but I can’t track any of that down. Any advice/info would be greatly appreciated. Thanks. Herb McGrew / Napa CA

  7. I’m interested in the “mythology” of High Tor. Many years ago I drank a lot of High Tor wine and am writing about the winery and the mountain. it seems to me I heard that there were legends etc. associated with the mountain, but I can’t track any of that down. Any advice/info would be greatly appreciated. Thanks. Herb McGrew / Napa CA

    1. Are you the same McGrew who was part owner of Pickle Canyon Vineyard back in the 1970’s? If so, I visited you back then, pruned vines with you and we dined at Mustards together with our wives. Did you ever write that book about hiking through the French wine country?

  8. Find the 1950’s made-for-TV movie with Bing Crosby and Julie Andrews. I[t] give[s] a little insight into the lore of High Tor including the flying dutchmen, etc. It’s a great movie!

  9. There are several local legends associated with High Tor. One is mentioned by Maxwell Anderson in his play about the lost crew of Henry Hudson on the ship, “Onrust”. Another legend is that when a bad storm is approaching and thunder is heard, the thunder is the sound of the Dutch spirits playing ten-pin (bowling). I’m sure there are many other legends associated with the peak. It was used as a Native American beacon before the settlers came. During the Revolution it was used as an American army beacon and as a post to view British ships coming up from British-held New York City. Check out more local information at http://www.HaverstrawLife.com

  10. Jared: Glad to know about your new blog/website featuring Haverstraw. It’s a great subject & I wish you well. You should try to add some oral histories of Haverstraw Old Timers & something from the Village historian whose name I believe is Casey (Tom?). Haverstraw history is amazing, varied & interesting.

    1. Hi Richard,

      I am assuming that your father was Jules Silverstein. I remember him well and with warm regards and respect. I also remember your grandmother. My father, Paul Korn, was a policeman in Haverstraw, my brother, Rich, and I taught for so many years at North Rockland High School. Our grandfather was one of the founding fathers of the synagogue. My memories of Haverstraw are good ones. I miss the sounds of the trains, the police whistle and the Little League Field. No matter where you go in this world, if you run into someone from Haverstraw, it feels like you have met “family.” Thanks so much for doing this article.

      Ellen Korn

      1. Yes, my dad was Jule. I wrote about him here. And my grandfather Marcy here. You might like to read some of my reminisences.

        I think I can remember by dad mentioning your brother, Rich’s, name.

        My own memories of Haverstraw: running out from my grandmother’s house at 103 Hudson Ave. to wave at the railroad man in the caboose of the trains that passed by. Also my grandfather, when the fire whistle would blow, would interpret, based on the intervals & number of whistles where the fire was and how many alarms it was. It was like knowing a magical language. When my dad brought me by the fire station the firemen offered me a ride and the chance to blow the fire truck’s horn. I was very shy and the prospect of the huge truck & the deafening horn scared the life out of me.

        I also remember lovely winter days after snowstorms when kids would make a tobaggon like run on the hill where the Civil War monument sits. What a great ride!

        I remember the synagogue was on the street just behind my grandmother’s house, but I don’t recall being in it though I prob. was as a child.

  11. Thanks for the Information on High Tor. I’m researching my Grandfather Francis A. Glass MD that lived in the house opposite the Elks Club in the early 40’s- I think 52 Front Street. He was a doctor there in Haverstraw and I’m looking into the people he knew as a way of seeing who he was.
    Francis Glass’s wife Dorothy was a patron of the arts.

    1. Hi Mike, I am a Haverstraw girl. My dad is Vince Perry who was the milkman in Haverstraw from the mid 1940’s until 1986. He talks of your Grandparents and Aunt Dorthea as if they were family. We visited their home several times. I even named my daughter Heather. Dad spent lots of time at Fowler’s, which is now the Elks Club. He refers to it as “bare ass beach”. He says he could always swim nude there. He said on the weekend during the summer months, the yachts would come up from the city and he would take them into the pier at Fowler’s. The people would have dinner in Haverstraw. My dad was extremely fond of your family.

      1. Thank Hope for replying to my question about my Grandfather. I never got to meet Francis Glass but I’ve been discovering many things about him. And it is wonderful that your father still remembers him. Here is is, pictured along side my father.

      2. Hi Hope,

        Your Dad was my Little League baseball coach for the Cardinals in 1961 & 1962. I remember that he was the “Milkman”, not to be confused with “Iceman” Jim Nixon, who I think coached the Dodgers.

        Dan Paulish

        1. My old friend and teammate Rich Coffey were talking last night about our coach on the dodgers, the great iceman nixon.

      3. does your father remember the Broders? My Grandfather owned the butcher store on Broadway..64 Broadway. Louis and Yetta Broder, children Doris, Joseph and Blanche

    2. Hi Mike

      My mother is sitting here. She worked at NYS Rehab with your grandmother. My mother’s question is: is your mother Dr. and Mrs. Glass’s oldest daughter? If so, what was her name?

  12. My mother’s name is Alice. She was born in 1926 and was born and grew up in Haverstraw, N.Y. She went to the synagogue in Haverstraw and knows several of the families who posted comments here. I will check this site periodically and contact anyone who provides an email address.

  13. My father, Murray Korn, was born in Haverstraw in 1924 and much of our family is still in Rockland and the Hudson Valley. I have fond memories of Haverstraw, of the synagogue, and of our family’s hikes on the High Tor. Richard, of course, I remember you as well. Thanks so much for your piece on Haverstraw.

    1. And I, you from our little 2nd floor room in the house on Old Schoolhouse Road that served as New City Jewish Center’s first shul. Bygone days. So glad that you found this post & my blog. How is Risa?

      1. Richard,
        I enjoyed reading your piece on Haverstraw and Hi Tor- I remember you and Todd (I think you were in our class-Clarkstown ’71??) and your parents from New City. Our Rockland family is now based in Nyack, but the view of Haverstraw and the Hudson, as I approach on 9W, always takes my breath away.

        I’m alive and well outside of Boston, where I’ve been for the past many years. I hope all is well with you and yours.

        Risa

      2. Hi RIchard, My husband Tom and I grew up in Haverstraw. We both were very fond of your Dad. Tommy has a most memorable story about him. He and his friends were in Mr. Silverstein’s social studies class misbehaving. It must have been 1961 or 1962. The lesson was about Southeast Asia. Your dad scolded them and told them to pay attention as some day them may find out where Southeast Asia really is. Tommy found out in 1968 when he landed in Da Nang as a US Marine. He said his first thought was, “So this is Southeast Asia, Mr. Silverstein.” We have been in New City since 1974 and have raised our three children here. Our Haverstraw stories make them wish they had grown up there also. Hope Perry Jauntig

    2. My mother, Alice Wolff, remembers the Korn family from Haverstraw. Does your father still live in Rockland County?

      1. My father died 2 years ago, but my mother lives there, as does my brother, and I am not that far away. Many names are familiar to me, but, unfortunately, I don’t recall your mother’s name. I’m sure my father would have remembered…

    3. Hi Rachel,

      Thanks so much for passing this around to your cousins in Florida. Cousin Tony sent it to me and I will forward it to Linda and Rich. Hope all is well.

      Ellen

      1. Hi, Thanks to you and Tony for sharing this. I think it is great. We’re OK, and hope you are also.

        Rachel

    4. Do you remember the Broders? They lived on Broadway and ran the meat market.
      Louis and Yetta Broder. Children, Doris, Joseph and Blanche

  14. Thanks for your reply. Risa is fine. Actually, it was my brothern Morton who forwarded the blog to me (forwarded to him by a friend from New City). How is your family?

    1. I remember your younger brother, Mort.

      My mom lives in Florida. My brothers Marc and Scott live in Nanuet with their families. My youngest brother also lives in Rockland. Todd, who would be your age I believe (we won’t have to tell anyone, all right?!) is a chemistry professor in Oregon.

      I live and blog in Seattle. Been here since 1998.

      I’ve also written some about my dad’s family roots in Peekskill and its history.

  15. After reading all of the replies I feel as though I have stepped back in time as so many beautiful memories came rushing through my mind. Haverstraw is truly a family town. My father, Bernie Ring, owned Ring’s cleaners, and my mother, Mary Lu Ring (Brems) father was Justice of the Peace for many years. Her family also owned the New Main Hotel. She continues to tell us many stories; as my Dad and his cousins loved to do while my cousins sat around the holiday table and listened in amazement.

  16. Hi, Ro–

    I can’t stop reading this. Morton’s friend sent it to him, and he forwarded it to me and Risa. We really owe Richard Silverstein a big debt of gratitude for reminding us of times gone by…. and getting us to join the conversation.

    Hope you are all well.

    Rachel

  17. linda and i remember your father well. he was my teacher and he was an especially good one. it was a pleasure to teach side by side with him for many years. he was a special basketball fan and was honored with a reserved seat with his name on it. i too have deep feelings towards haverstraw. it was a blue collar village with a lot of character. it was hurt badly by the mall and other economic developments that really dried up jobs in the village. the hudson river is of great interest to wealthy people, i just hope the end result of any “changes” will include meaningful economic revitalization for the people of the village. richard korn

    1. I’m so pleased to hear you speak well of my dad as a teacher. I can remember as a 5 yr old sitting on a high stool in the back of his class & listening to him teach a class. I couldn’t understand much but I was so proud that every student was intent on everything that MY DAD said to them. It really left an impression.

      After my dad died, he was inducted into the N. Rockland Sports Hall of Fame. I think he helped found the group as well. He was a real sports maven & N. Rockland really held a special place in his sports pantheon.

      There’s at least one Haverstraw blog which you might like to visit.

      I don’t know what it is about Rockland Country or Haverstraw or the Hudson River Valley that makes such an impression on you so that you remember it this strongly decades after you’ve lived there. Part of my attachment has to do for sure with my dad’s sense of the importance of history. Another part is the sheer majesty of the landscape.

      My children are growing up in Seattle. I wonder whether they’ll have this type of attachment to this specific place or it will feel more generic to them.

    2. Hi Kids,

      Richie, I’m so glad to see you online 😉

      Thank you (and Edie) for your recent cards

      Mary Lou

  18. I too find myself checking this site daily after I read it the first time. It has reminded us how close we all are, and how important this tiny town is to each of us (even though Rich had to stand between Haverstraw High and me – Ramapo, when I was on his “turf” during one of our football games).
    This is giving us all an opportunity to take a little time out and remember. One of the earlier comments regarding the Shul brought back the memories of my Grandmother’s house, which was across the street from the Shul. I loved spending the night there and hearing the train go by; and the smell of the roses and lilacs.
    Hope all is well with everyone.
    Love,
    Ro

    1. It is wonderful to read everyone’s comments-they bring back many memories, from the lilacs in my grandmother’s back yard, to the shul where Rachel and I went to Sunday school, to going to Haverstraw High School football games with my Dad as a child.

  19. What a thrill this has been to read because I’m connected in several ways.

    I, too, taught with Jule Silverstein at North Rockland High School. My mother was a Nurse’s Aide at the NYS Rehabilitation Hospital (now Helen Hayes Hospital) and worked on the same floor as Mrs. Glass (Dorothy?) the wife of Dr. Glass. Mrs. Glass was a head nurse there. My mom worked there from 1955-85. I took dancing lessons from Dorothea Glass Wolfe their daughter. Linda Korn and I went to high school with Dorothea’s daughter, Heather.

    My grandmother, Lucretia Petrone, was the first Italian child born in Haverstraw. It was July, 1888. Her father owned a grocery store on Broadway. One of the families that traded in the store was named Dillon. Their youngest son (“Babe”), Irvin Dillon, because a Justice of the Peace in Clarkstown. He married my parents in 1945 and his older son, Robert, married me in 1988.

    To complete this rather small circle, Bob Dillon taught at Clarkstown North and he had some of “the Silverstein boys” and “the Korn kids” as students!

    Can’t you just hear THE TWILIGHT ZONE theme song playing in the background???

    1. Hello, Mary Lou. You were one of my dad’s favorite colleagues at N. Rockland. And your husband, Bob, was one of my favorite teachers at Clarkstown. I did an informal independent study with him in which we discussed European history while he did lunch time hall duty. I got a top grade on the European history AP exam!

      I hope both of you are very well.

      1. thank you

        I’ll pass on the warm regards to Bob

        I called my mom (born on Broadway in Haverstraw) and she can’t wait to read what you’ve written about Haverstraw, Jule and Marcy. She knew both of them.

        Also…we LOVE Seattle and have family there

        another really funny connection…your brother, Todd, taught Chem in Walla Walla, Washington. He took the teaching position of my cousin who went to teach in Portland, Me.

        It is that cousin’s son who lives in Seattle. We’ve visited him several times.

        I really think that Rod Serling is watching over us. I’m so excited as I write that some of my sentences are just jabber.

        We’re having dinner with Rachel Korn Wasserman in about two hours!

        ml

        1. Wonderful. If you’re ever out here please let me know. I have 3 incredible children who would cheer you enormously (if you needed any!).

          For the stuff I’ve written about family & Rockland/Haverstraw just go to the “Hudson River Valley” category on the right sidebar & that will provide all the posts I’ve written. I even have a picture there of my grandfather with a semi pro baseball team in Peekskill from 1920! Wish I could find out what newspaper first published the image.

          Todd now teaches at Willamette University in Salem, OR.

  20. Does anyone remember the candy store on Broad St. in Haverstraw owned by my grandmother Esther Wolff? I think she had the store until 1965.

    1. Dear Sheryl,

      My 88 year old mother is reading this and she doesn’t recall the candy store. She lived her entire life in Haverstraw. Do you have any other details?

      1. Mary Lou,
        My grandmother also sold sweaters. The candy store was located at a corner and was a grocery store the last time I visited. My mother is a few years younger than your mother, and her maiden name is Alice Wolff. She was born in Haverstraw and lived there until she was in her 20’s. Does your mother still live in Haverstraw? What is her maiden name?

        1. My mom lives in Garnerville…one of the “suburbs” of Haverstraw. Her maiden name was Melucci. My grandfather, Louis Melucci, owned a barber shop with Dan Cordisco. It was located on New Main Street right next to “The Times” office.

      2. Not sure if you will get this…my name is jennifer broder jones and my father, joseph broder was born and raised at 64 broadway. his parents owned the meat market. Louis and Yetta Broder. Do any of these names sound familiar?
        thanks
        jennifer

  21. Dear Everyone,

    Thank you for all the good news. We just had a great afternoon. Risa was down, and we had lunch with her, Rachel and Steven, and Morton and Kim. We enjoyed reading all of your messages.

    Bubbie Ann

    and we enjoyed

    Best to you all,

  22. Hello Everbody,

    I enjoyed reading everybody’s comments, and I lived at 102 Hudson Avenue, right across from your grandparents. Then it was the Marcy’s, the corner hang-out for us high school kids. I can’t remember how many times I climbed up to the beacon and looked over at New York City. I had my first cigarette up there. Now I sit on my patio smoking little cigars with my grandson, I gues I take after my father who smoked White Owls.

    I remember Dr Glass coming to our home to check on me for my chicken pox, and giving me a quarter for being so good and not scratching. I will never forget that. He was so wonderful, everybody loved that man. I can’t remember the name of the radio show where they had famous, well thought of people, and Dr. Glass was on that show.

    Before he was president, Franklin Roosevelt stayed at the New Main Hotel. The hotel was owned by my grandparents and my uncle, Chapman.

    There are so many memories of Haverstraw, and a lot of history, and even more nicknames; Mickey the Goose, Step-and-a-Half, Mouse Finnerty, Midnight, etc.

    My brother, Jimmy Brems, and his friends would often ice skate on the frozen Hudson River.

    I have enjoyed reading all of the comments. Stay tuned there will more stories to come.

    Mary Lu

    1. Hi Mary Lu

      My mom is reading this and we’re just wondering…was your mom’s maiden name Korn?

    2. Mary Lu,

      Thanks so much about those remembrances of my grandfather Dr Glass. Oh how I would love to hear the radio interview and hear the stories! My imagination is on fire. I was born fifteen or so years after his untimely death so I’m all ears when it comes to learning about him. Nice story about being rewarded for not scratching. thank you again. That made my day!

      mike

    3. I can’t believe you have just mentioned the same people that my father has told me about for years. He has told more stories about Micky the goose from when he was a child. I would love to hear more about what you remember. Please feel free to email me @ jabjones@mac.com

      Thank you ,
      Jennifer Broder Jones
      Joe Broder’s daughter
      Louis’s meat market 64 Broadway

  23. My cousin, Mike Warner, directed me to this wonderful site. These reminiscences bring me back to my early childhood when I lived in Haverstraw. Dr. Glass was my grandfather. He died in 1944, the year before I was born. I lived in his house on First Street until I was 7, along with my grandmother, Dorothy Glass, and Dr. Glass’s sister, Kitty, and my parents, Richard and Anne Glass.

    My mother is the daughter of John and Elizabeth Feeney, who lived at 67 New Main Street. My mother remembers the Korns, Jauntigs, Perrys and Brems, and said she like to hang out at Marcy’s when she was in high school.

    I have very fond memories of Haverstraw, and the time I spent playing by the river and around the Elks Club. There was a little candy store at Van Houten and West Streets. The owner was a blind man who could always tell what we were buying and make change for us.

    Richard, thank you for putting this site together.

    Frank Glass

    1. Dear Frank,

      Are you related to Fran Feeney? She was a student of mine and her dad was on the same floor as my dad at Summit Park in Pomona.

      Mary Lou Dillon

      1. Hi Mary Lou,

        Fran is my cousin. Her father, Jim, is my mother’s younger brother. Their older sister, Betsy, still lives at the house on New Main Street. Jim was staying there also before he went to Pomona and I understand that Frances was spending a lot of time with him also.

        My mother has enjoyed hearing about this website. I’ll tell her about your message. (She doesn’t have a computer).

        Frank

        1. Dear Frank,

          There is still another connection. You’ll note that Hope Perry Jauntig has posted at this site. Hope and I grew up across the street from each other in Garnerville. Another family that lived near us was the Cravens (Bob, Lynn, Nicki, Fran and Laurie). Their mom, Marian, was a Feeney, too, I think!

          Mary Lou

  24. Mary Lou,

    Great to hear from you about this. Marian was my mother’s older sister. The Craven’s house was one of my favorite places to visit when I was a kid, with all the hiding places and a big cherry tree in the back yard. It was quite sad to learn that the house was torn down.

    Frank

  25. Hi to all.

    First thanks to Mary Lou Dillon for alerting me to this site, and Richard — Thank you so much for this place to collect
    memories.

    My Dad, Ben (97) would often tell a story from his childhood about collecting sugar syrup your grandmother prepared at her home and delivering it via his homemade express wagon to Marcy at the Broadway store.

    I warmly remember your Dad from my student days at HHS,
    and later as a colleague.

    Best wishes.

    John

  26. SHERYL: “The Old Fashioned Candy Store” – as my family called it, was our favorite spot in Haverstraw in the 50’s. I remember the layout of the entire store and where all the different penny candies were kept. The wax milk bottles, full of colored sweet liquids, were in the window. Your aunts and uncle (there were 3 elderly people who worked there) would come out from behind a curtain, which I suppose lead to their living space, to take our money. There was a bell hooked up to the front door, which would signal them that there were children wanting to purchase candy. Do you have any photos of them or of the store. I rmember the creeky old wooden floors. Very best to you,
    Hallie

    1. Hallie,
      I don’t have any photos. What was your maiden name? I will check to see if my mother knows you.

  27. Hi Sheryl,
    Your mom wouldn’t know me, as I came from New City, in the early 50s. It’s COLETTA, though. But, perhaps she knows my boyfriends parents who both grew up in Haverstraw. They are: Raymond Tribert and Beatrice June.

    Best.

  28. I was just looking for photos of Haverstraw from High Tor. Feeling a little homesick. What a FIND to click on to you. To see so many familiar names and places. Hi Hope and Mary Lou. I spent many days playing with you on Stanley Rd, in Garnerville, while visiting my cousin Gary Martino. (That would be Joanne, Donna and Michael Fitzula). Remember the Gizzi’s ? We had some fun times with them too. As for Mr. Tommy Jauntig….no one had a bigger crush on a high school football star than I. Life on Hillside Ave, in Haverstraw, would not have been the same without living near the Jauntigs and McCabes.
    What a wonderful stroll down memory lane.

  29. My sister, Joanne, replied above. If Mr. Silverstein was a teacher in the old Haverstraw School system that became the Haverstraw Stony Point School system, he had to have known our Mom, Thirza Fitzula. She worked in the school system from the early 1960’s until she retired in the early 1990’s. Our Dad was a Trustee in the Village of Haverstraw in the early 1970’s and then a Councilman for the Town of Haverstraw, under Phillip Rotella, until the early 1990’s when he and Mom and Dad retired to Florida in 1994.

    Our family history in Haverstraw goes way back on my father’s side. His mother was Caroline Holt and that side of the family lived in Haverstraw a very long time. Caroline’s Dad was the horse and buggy “taxi” in the town for many years in the early 1900’s. Caroline (our NaNa) relayed stories to us about the the day when a lot of Haverstraw was lost to the Hudson River because of all the clay mining under the homes! Half her back yard was gone that night. The Holt family is one of the cornerstones of Haverstraw. The George M. Holt Funeral Home (my grandmother’s brother) still carries on the family name in the town.

    My Dad’s father came over from Italy in 1907 and settled in West Haverstraw. Joseph Fitzula (Fezzugulio) was seven years old. His father, Michael, and wife, Juliette, carved out a life for their family here in America on Benson Street. Joe’s father died in 1927. Juliette later remarried and she and Grandpa Vinci ran a grocery store on Benson Street for years and I still remember visiting it in the early 1960’s as our family moved to 24 Hillside Avenue in 1960. Joe, my grandfather, had a sister Mary Fitzula Gamboli and a brother Bill Fitzula. I am sure you remember Fitzula Jewlers in West Haverstraw (owned by his son) BUT before that is was an ice cream store and soda fountain run by my great Uncle Tony Fezzuguli and later by his son.

    My grandfather, Joe Fitzula, was the ABC Commissioner for 44 years for Rockland County, very active in politics over the years and resided on Hillside Avenue in Haverstraw from the 1940’s until his death in 1984. His daughter, Julia Fitzula Martino (remember Martino’s meat market in Myers’s store at the Bank Corner?) still resides on Hillside Avenue in Haverstraw. She is 88. Our Dad, Michael Fitzula, formerly of Hillside Avenue has resided in Florida since 1994. He is 90. Our Mom, Thirza, died in 1997.

    High Tor……….what a place. After we moved to Hillside Aveue in 1960, we became aware of a path in our back yard that led us to the top of the mountain! After the city gals got used to climbing the mountain, we visited High Tor and the Beacon (remember the beacon?) many times and took our friends up there. The vista of Haverstraw and the huge Hudson River at Havertraw Bay are memories forever etched in our minds! “Climbing” the mountain became a very usual thing fo us to show all visitors the magnifiicent views of “our home.”

    Lots of history between all the Haverstraw families. Would love to hear from people who grew up in Haverstraw, are still there and ones that left (like I did). Haverstraw was the dream place of a very young child, the place growing up where the dream came true and the very special place cherished in my heart.

    I just visited two weeks ago. It is so sad that “My Haverstraw” and that of our families is not there anymore BUT I will always remember the Haverstraw I knew. Memories are everything.

    Donna Fitzula Lee

    1. Hi, Donna–

      I was introduced to this website in the summer of 2009 and love going back to it. I wonder if you know any of the Korns from Haverstraw. My dad was Murray Korn. He was born in Haverstraw and had an accounting firm in Haverstraw for many years. I grew up in New City, where I knew Richard Silverstein who started this site. Many in our family have written on the site.

      Best wishes to all.

      Rachel Korn Wasserman

      1. Thanks so much Rachel for those kind words. I’m so proud there are 63 comments in this thread & that it serves as a means to bring people from the community together no matter how many yrs it’s been since we actually we’ve actually stepped foot in town. There definitely should be a Facebook page for Haverstraw families & alumni if there isn’t already!

    2. Oh, yeah…I forgot to mention, Donna and Joanne, I taught in “your mom’s building” for 32 years…along with Richie Korn.

      BTW…about 10 years ago, George Jochum was invited back to school to speak at the anniversary of the building. He’d been ill but was recovering nicely. When he took out his notes…they were not organized correctly…to fill the gap while organizing his notes he said, “Thirza! Where are my glasses?” Those of us who’d been there for those days
      roared! So nice to remember.

  30. Hi Donna,

    I’m Mary Lou Gohring Dillon. My parents, John and Louise, lived next door to your Aunt Julia before she relocated to Hillside Avenue.

    When you still lived in Queens and came to Haverstraw to visit we’d play together.

    Good to hear from you.

  31. Hi, All. I’m always so excited when I get an email that there is a new posting on this site. Mary Lou, it is good to hear from you. Hope you and Bob are well. Take care. Best wishes to everyone.
    Rachel Korn Wasserman

  32. First off, I’d like to thank Richard Silverstein for initiating this “trippy” walk down memory lane. I grew up in Haverstraw (78 Sharp Street). My father was Jake Korn and he owned a pool hall down on Main Street. It’s so true that I may have left the village but the village will remain in my heart and soul till the day I croak. It was an amazing place to grow up.

    One small anecdote: I always knew Mr. Perry, as “Perry the Milkman” and he always had this mellifluous voice that rang out “milkman” when he brought his dairy goods to drop off in the metal container we kept on the front porch. It was slightly corny but totally endearing. Bottled milk! And I would always ‘noodge’ my mother (Sylvia) into buying a bottle of chocolate milk.

    There are sooooo many memories and I could spend the next 5 years blogging about it. But I shall spare you!

    Regards to all the Korn clan.

    -The Black Sheep-

    PS – To Rachel & Risa: I still have a picture in my Bar Mitzvah album where you were both supposed to kiss me on each cheek and I ducked and hardy har har – you kissed each other! What a kibbitzer, eh!

    Peace!!

    1. Michael,
      My mother is in her 80’s and grew up in Haverstraw. I would go there as a kid to visit my grandmother, who owned a candy store on Broad Street. My mother knows your family. Where do you live now and how old are you? I am interested in corresponding with you by e-mail.
      Sheryl, from Warren County, NJ

    2. Hi,
      My name is Jennifer Broder Jones and My dad was from the other Butcher in town. Louie’s Meat Market. Louis Broder, wife, Yetta Broder. My father is Joe Broder. The market was on Broadway…64 Broadway. My grandfather sold it to the Specios before he moved away.

      My dad remembers so many people from there Benny the ice man, Micky the Goose, Definitely All the Korns, the movie theatre, Dr. Hirsch( he delivered my father and his sister in the house). His Aunt Rose and Uncle owned a variety store in town too. Nat and Blanche Simon took it over later. He remembers the football coach, ED Demosky, And O’reilly his assistant.

      He has told me stories for years about his life growing up there. Tough times but in someway I find myself wishing towns were like that again. Everyone knew everyone and there is something that is sweet about that.

      I am not sure what year you lived there but wondered if any of these names sound familiar to you,
      thanks so much,
      Jennifer

    3. Michael,
      Jake was #1 in my book. Gave me a job racking pool and cleaning up when I was 12 and told every one I was 16. Became a regular hang out, though I never quite mastered the game. My sister, Susan, went to school with your cousin, Richard.

  33. Hi, Michael. I don’t remember the Bar Mitzvah picture, but it is good to hear from you. Hope all is well. I love this site.

    Rachel

  34. I grew up in Congers at the end of Old Haverstraw Rd. My brother and I kept a small motorboat down on the hudson just past the road leading down by the rock conveyer. I worked up at High Tor Vinyards for Everett Crosby, and have fond memories of climbing up to High Tor.

    My highschool sweetheart and I discovered the old Katz estate and would sneak up there occasionally to wonder what it must have been like to live there.

    Looking at Google maps the areas has changed since I left in 1965. I am visiting the area this September for my High School 50th reunion. I look forward to trying to find some of the sites we used to haunt back then.
    Walt Wager

  35. My name is Jennifer Broder Jones. My father Joseph Broder grew up in Haverstraw with his sisters and parents. My grandfather owned the meat market on Broadway and they lived behind the store. His name was louis broder and my grandmother was yetta.

    My father has told me so many stories about growing up. He has mentioned a police officer, Mickey the goose, dr. hirsch and many more. There was a young man Sheppard the son of Getrude{i think blackwell was the last name}
    Just wondered if anyone remembered them.

    thanks
    jennifer

    1. Jennifer,

      Where on Broadway was your father’s meat market? The reason that I’m asking is that my mother, soon to be 91, grew up on “upper Broadway.” That is where Broadway and Westside Avenue intersect.

      In my childhood (I’m soon to be 63) there was a Kosher meat market on Broadway near to St. Peter’s Church. Was that your father’s?

      I’ll ask my mother about your family…but I usually need to be specific about where some business was located.

      Mary Lou Dillon

  36. My Dads market was Louis Meat Market and it was 64 Broadway. His wife was Yetta and three children,
    Doris, Joseph (Joe) and Blanche. My father is Joe and he is now 83, soon to be 84. I know that my grandfathers place was not kosher but that there was one in town.

    His store was down the street and across form the movie theatre and they lived in the back of the store.

    Ask your mother if she remembers any of them…What was her family name?

    Thanks
    jennifer

    1. My mother remembers them well. Her maiden name was Louise Meilucci. My grandfather was Louis Melicci. He and Dan Cordisco had a barber shop on New Main Street near the Times office.

    2. Jennifer,

      My mother, Alice Wolff, knew your father, Joe. She also knew Doris and Blanche. Tell your father. Where does everyone live now?

  37. So Richard, your father was a teacher at Haverstraw? Then your grandmother was my landlady at 103 Hudson Ave. We lived there in the mid sixties, up stairs.

  38. I remember going to High Tor Vineyards several times in the 1980’s. They served brunch on weekends. We always had 8-10 people with us. The meals were excellent and the wine outstanding. Afterwards we would walk to the top of the mountain and take in the views. I just wish I could share those special times with my daughter but time marches on !

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