Who was John Suffern? | Rockland Secrets · Moshe Kohen

At $1,000,000, New York State charges the buyer an extra 1% "mansion tax."

$999,999 → $0 tax. $1,000,000 → $10,000 tax.

That's why you see so many homes listed at $999K. 🏡

"Sneaky Snitch" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com), CC BY 4.0

Who was John Suffern? 🇮🇪

The story goes, during the Revolution, George Washington used his tavern as headquarters.

After the war he became Rockland's very first county judge.

When the railroad came, his son gave the land for the tracks, so the station was named Suffern. New Antrim? Gone.

Today about 11,000 people live in a village named after one Irishman.

"Celtic Impulse" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com), CC BY 4.0

Public domain / CC0: George Washington by Gilbert Stuart (1796); Giant's Causeway, Co. Antrim, by Jriley17 (CC0); "The Express Train", Currier & Ives (1870); Suffern station, James E. Bailey (c.1910); "Gavel", Angeline Starr (c.1940), National Gallery of Art (CC0)

Spring Valley used to be called Scotland. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

The new name came from one big natural spring that bubbled up into a pond right in the valley.

The spring + the valley = Spring Valley.

Today it's Rockland's biggest village, home to about 33,000 people.

"Thatched Villagers" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com), CC BY 4.0

Public domain: Erie Railroad station, Spring Valley NY, c. 1910 postcard (Wikimedia Commons)

Until 2000, Rockland shared 914 with Westchester.

Then there were too many phones, so on June 5, 2000 the area code split.

Westchester kept 914. Rockland (and much of the Hudson Valley) got 845.

So if your neighbor still has a 914 number... they're OG 😉

"Carefree" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com), CC BY 4.0

The owner had told everyone it had ghosts. A buyer from the city signed the contract, found out, and sued.

In 1991 the court let him walk away from the deal.

Because of that case, New York law says a seller doesn't have to tell you about ghosts... unless you ask.

So... ask. 🏚️

"Ghost Story" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com), CC BY 4.0

Music: “Feelin Good” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com), CC BY 4.0

Music: “Upbeat Forever” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com), CC BY 4.0

Music: “Impact Moderato” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com), CC BY 4.0

In the 1840s, Rockland was all farms. Then the Erie Railroad came through Suffern, and New York City was suddenly a train ride away.

Wherever the train stopped, life showed up. Suffern became a village in 1896, Spring Valley in 1902.

Then in 1967, Pomona neighbors said "not here" to apartments on land meant for one-acre homes, and formed their own village to make their own rules.

Wesley Hills, Chestnut Ridge, Montebello and Kaser followed. New City and Monsey never did. They're still hamlets.

"Americana" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com), CC BY 4.0

Public domain: "American Farm Scenes No. 1" (Fanny Palmer for N. Currier, 1853) & "The Express Train" (Currier & Ives, 1870), Library of Congress; Suffern station (James E. Bailey, c.1910); Spring Valley Erie station postcard (1910). Map: © OpenStreetMap contributors

The Dutch settlers called a giant boulder here "spook," Dutch for ghost.

Legend has it a girl was killed at that rock, and her spirit never left.

Others say two forbidden lovers died right beside it. Nobody knows the truth.

Today? Some of the nicest homes in the county are on this road, like 131 Spook Rock. 🏡

"Danse Macabre" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com), CC BY 4.0

A lot of NYC's bricks came from right here in Haverstraw.

Haverstraw had the clay. The Hudson was the road to market.

By the 1880s there were more than 40 brickyards along the river.

Rockland wasn't just where people moved from the city. It helped build it.

Music: "The Builder" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com), Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Photos: Brooklyn Bridge & Lower Manhattan by Jakub Hałun (CC BY 4.0); Orange Street, Brooklyn Heights by Beyond My Ken (CC BY-SA 4.0); Haverstraw Bay Park by Roadgeek Adam (CC BY-SA 2.0); Brooklyn Heights townhouses by Rickbern (CC BY-SA 3.0), all via Wikimedia Commons.

Map: Rockland County with Haverstraw highlighted by Rcsprinter123 (CC BY 3.0, recolored).

Public domain: Haverstraw brickyard stereograph, c.1924 (Keystone View Co., Library of Congress); Haverstraw postcards, c.1906 (Souvenir views of the Hudson River); New York skyline, c.1902 (Irving Underhill, Library of Congress).

But almost 340,000 people live here.

Small county. Big demand.

That's why homes here go fast. 🏡💨

Music: "Voxel Revolution" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com), Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Rockland was one town. 🤯

Haverstraw split off in 1719.

Then Clarkstown, Ramapo and Stony Point came out of Haverstraw.

Now it's 5 towns. 📍

Music: "Hustle" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com), Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Map: town boundaries from the U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files (public domain).

There's no river in Pearl River. Look it up. 🤔

So where'd the name come from? Pearls found in mussels, train schedules, or a businessman's branding. Nobody knows for sure.

Credits: photo by Daniel Case (CC BY-SA 3.0), via Wikimedia Commons; Pearl River station photo by NHRHS2010, 1915 Erie Railroad postcard, 1893 NJ & NY Railroad timetable, G. F. Kunz pearl illustration and 1924 aero-view (Library of Congress), all public domain. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors. Music: "Limit 70" by Kevin MacLeod (public domain).

In 1950 the Port Authority controlled crossings within about 25 miles of the Statue of Liberty, so the bridge went just past the line, at Nyack.

It opened in 1955. Rockland went from 89,276 people in 1950 to 229,903 by 1970.

Credits: photos by Ac530 (CC BY 4.0), Nrbelex (CC BY-SA 2.5), Bjoertvedt (CC BY-SA 3.0) and Chester Higgins/NARA (public domain), via Wikimedia Commons. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors. Music: "Limit 70" by Kevin MacLeod (public domain).

Monsey isn't a town. Neither is New City. 🗺️

Villages have their own mayor. Hamlets are run by the town.

Pomona? Split between Ramapo and Haverstraw.

It decides your taxes, your zoning, even who plows your street.

Map data: U.S. Census Bureau (2023 cartographic boundaries). Music: "Limit 70" by Kevin MacLeod (public domain).

Music: “Inspired” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com), licensed under CC BY 4.0

Music: “Airport Lounge” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com), licensed under CC BY 4.0