Remember the Days? by James F. Leiner
A Young Boy & His Dream Maurice Oliver used to sneak into the back of the Opera House on the corner of Franklin & Depew to listen to music back in the “roaring twenties.” He dreamed of being a musician. He wasn’t interested in the normal careers available to African-American kids during the depression. Maurice had a dream: he longed to be a drummer. He made friends... Read More
Mystery on South Mountain by James F. Leiner
If the brown stone walls of Sky Island Lodge could talk they might tell you a thousand and one tales of courage, mystery and secrets. This month’s column reveals a mystery that surrounds another baffling character: Pierre A. “Doc” Bernard. Bernard never owned Sky Island Lodge, but he sure was involved with those who did! The story this month is but a tidbit of the legends... Read More
A Man and His Dream, by James F. Leiner
It was 150 years ago when a 32- year old Episcopal priest boarded a sailing sloop in Tarrytown to bring him to Nyack. Along with a few meager possessions he was bringing a dream with him. There was no Episcopal Church in Nyack and Franklin Babbitt was determined to start one. He arrived at the dock at the foot of Burd Street, and after finding lodging with friends, Reverend Babbitt... Read More
A Nyack Hero Firefighter, by James F. Leiner
For more than a decade Teddy Bartley ran a small grocery in a portion of the building on the northeast corner of Piermont Avenue and Burd Street. His little neighborhood store wasn’t very large, occupying only the extreme South side of the building. Most of the building, on land sloping down towards the Hudson River, was made up of seven apartments. Teddy closed at his usual... Read More
Nyack’s Track Coach by James F. Leiner
I’m sure you’ve taken one of those personal improvement tests over the years—you know—the test where you’re asked to identify the five people who most influenced your life. I surmise that most of us would include one of our high school teachers on that list. If you attended Nyack High in the 60s and 70s, a certain art teacher is probably on a number of those lists. ... Read More
Bowling in Nyack, by James Leiner
Do you know how many strikes you need to bowl a perfect game? Chances are if you lived in Nyack before May, 1966 you know the answer to my question. Back then a great many folks in and around Nyack came to the Nyack Bowling Center every week to bowl in the numerous leagues and have some fun. All that changed when a fire in the NBC on the night of May 3, 1966 ended bowling... Read More
Flashback on a Nyack Street, by James F. Leiner
I was enjoying a cup of coffee in the window of what for decades was Hawvermale’s Hardware store when the fire whistle started blowing. Like the fire engine chaser that I am, I counted the alarm code and knew the fire trucks would soon be racing up Main Street to a call at Nyack College. Only a few minutes passed and the rescue rig of Nyack Fire Patrol flew by followed... Read More
Another Nyack Hero by James F. Leiner
If you were in Nyack in the 50s, you might recall Kerchman’s. Perhaps you were with your mother or grandmother when they shopped in the store on the southwest corner of Main & Broadway. Opened in August 1944, it was for twenty years, one of the premier ladies’ shops in Nyack, but this isn’t a story about shopping. This is a story about the middle son of Max and Regina... Read More
