Archive for category: historian

Mahopac, NY — It was a special family reunion of sorts when former Mahopac resident Brad Smith recently visited his ancestor’s family plot at the now abandoned Mahopac Methodist Episcopal Cemetery, located off McMahon Place, the site of the original 1826 Methodist Church.

“My great grandparents, Nelson and Johanna Pierson, immigrated around 1880 from Sweden and settled in Mahopac. They were dirt poor but invested in a family plot but could not afford a headstone,” Smith says of the shady northeast corner of the cemetery. Until recently, the Pierson family plot had been simply marked off by iron rods with no family name or headstones to commemorate the lives of his great grandparents and approximately 5 other family members buried there.

Smith, now living in Connecticut, reached out to the Putnam County Historian’s Office to find out about cemetery records and tips on how to start arrangements for a family headstone. During this exchange he noted that two of his great uncles who served in World War I are buried there. Arthur Nelson Pierson served in Battery D and Charles Oscar, or Oscar Charles as everyone knew him, served in the 49th infantry in France. He also wanted to see to it that their graves be marked with flags in honor of their service.

A short time later, Brad arranged for free government issued granite headstones for both unmarked graves of his great uncles through the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Lorraine Hanner from Hillside Memorials then worked with Carmel Town Supervisor Kenneth Schmitt to secure approvals to set the headstones in the cemetery.

Recently, while attending his Mahopac High School 50th reunion weekend, Smith was joined by Allan Warnecke, former Putnam County Historian, and Mike Troy of the Putnam County Cemetery Committee to visit the new stones marking Arthur’s and Oscar’s graves. Warneke was able to regale the group with a story of the last Pierson family member burial that took place in 1969 when the cemetery had been neglected and had become so overgrown that Albert Pierson’s casket had to be carried over a stone wall. Since then, the cemetery has been cleared and is maintained by the Town of Carmel with support from Putnam County. Smith hopes to raise funds to set a Pierson family stone to commemorate all of his ancestors buried there. In the meantime, Warnecke, who places an American Flag at each Veteran grave in that cemetery every Memorial Day, will add the Pierson brothers to his list.

Brad Smith’s new contribution of the Pierson family members buried at the Old Methodist Cemetery will help build on the last listing done in 2002 by Karl H. von Ahn for his Eagle Scout Project while in Troop 1, Mahopac, NY, housed in the research library of the Historian’s Office

Remembering the Red Mills &  Falls of Mahopac

Some history on the names Red Mills and Mahopac Falls

According to Charles A. Raymond’s 1976 Historic Carmel, Mahopac and Mahopac Falls: a bicentennial profile, the region’s first mill, “Kirkham Mill”, was built around 1740 located in what we now refer to as The Red Mills Historic District in Mahopac Falls. A larger mill was built around 1760 and was originally in use to make plaster for use with brick, stone, or wood frame buildings.  At the time of the American Revolution, it became a grist mill and was grinding grain to feed and supply Continental Troops. Later, a carding mill and saw mill were built near the old mill, each depending on channels of water from the local lakes. At one point, the mills were painted red and from then on the area became known as “The Red Mills.”

By 1881, New York City had secured many farms, mills, and water rights for its reservoir system and razed the largest old red mill leaving only the “falls” from the millpond that had supplied the driving force of water for the mill wheel.  At this time, the name “Mahopac Falls” came into use. By 1900, the falls were removed to re-channel the outlets of water coming from Kirk Lake and Lake Mahopac.

Charles A. Raymond’s book on Historic Carmel, Mahopac and Mahopac Falls can be found in the Putnam County Historian’s Office Research Library as well as local history collections of Brewster, Carmel and Kent Public Libraries.

The Town of Carmel and the Red Mills Historic District Committee will hold their annual Independence Day Concert on July 4, 2019, from 6:30 – 8:00 pm in the gazebo at Red Mills Historic Park, Route 6N and Hill Street in Mahopac Falls where the  Historic District Celebrates the 4^th!

Courtesy of Carmel Historian Jim Meyer, we’re pleased to share that news of the Independence Day Concert on July 4, 2019 at the Red Mills Historic District.  It will feature an outdoor concert of patriotic music by the Norm Hathaway Big Band with a reenactment performance by the 2^nd NY Regiment Brigade of the American Revolution.  Attendees are encouraged to bring their own lawn chairs and blankets and enjoy. In the event of rain, the concert will be held on July 5^th at 6:30 pm.  The event is free to the public and is sponsored by Tompkins Mahopac Bank.  For further information call Jim Meyer, Town of Carmel Historian, at 914-844-6050 or Allan Warneke, Chairman Red Mills Historic District Committee, at 845-628-5705.

Image credits:  The Old Red Mill circa 1881, courtesy of Judy Agor from the Putnam County Historian’s Collection

Image credits: The Red Mills historic marker and gazebo at the Red Mills Historic District Park from the Putnam County Historian’s Collection

Putnam’s Women of World War II – WACS and WAVES

During these final days of Women’s History Month, the Putnam County Historian’s Office and the Putnam Veterans’ Museum is proud to build on the role of women in the military and remember some late, great female heroes.

Over the years, the Historian’s Office has had the privilege of honoring former Mahopac resident Corp. Gertrude Cassetta (nee Pearson), who trained at Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia and served in World War II as a cryptographer in the Signal Corps of the Army Air Corps as a WAC (Women’s Auxiliary Corps) in England and France.  In a 1994 article in the Courier Trader, Cassetta remembered June 6, 1944, a.k.a. D-Day, “It was a bright sunny day in England.  I awakened to hear the thunderous noise of planes.  The sky was literally darkened with planes going to France.” This was just one of her many memories of serving in Europe during the war. Cassetta gave Putnam County an ever-lasting gift through an oral history that is now housed in the Historian’s Collection (HC802, A16).

The Putnam Veterans’ Museum Photo Archive at the Putnam County Historian’s Office houses an entire photo album of Brewster’s own Rosemary Lally’s experiences with the WAVES (Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service) during World War II.  She trained at the U.S. Naval Training School, Women’s Reserve at Hunter College, in the Bronx, N.Y. and served 1 ½ years in Washington, D.C., and achieved rank of Pharmacist’s Mate 3^rd class.

Lastly, Dolores Beal Stephens penned a wonderful book in 2003 entitled Those Who Served, Those Who Waited, WWII Experiences as told by the Veterans and Civilians of Brewster/Southeast, NY, (included in the Research Library of the Putnam County Historian’s Office) where she paid tribute to many local WWII veterans including her own sister Joan Ross Beal Peckham, of Brewster, who was likely influenced by their father William Ross Beal who served in the U.S. Navy during World War I and returned to serve as a Captain in the U.S. Army during World War II.  Joan joined the U.S. Naval Reserve (WAVES) and was trained at the Great Lakes Naval Base, served at St. Alban’s Naval Hospital on Long Island, and then at Alameda Naval Hospital in California as a Corpsman. Involved in nursing work, Joan was responsible for taking care of badly burned and maimed sailors.  One of her patients was John “Butch” Santorelli of Brewster, N.Y., whose tank landing ship was struck by a torpedo at Normandy in June 1944.

During Women’s History Month, it is a particular honor to remember these women and their service.

Image captions:

• U.S. Navy’s John “Butch” Santorelli and Joan Ross Beal, WAVES, of Brewster, N.Y.
• June 2, 1994 Putnam Courier-Trader article on Gertrude Cassetta
• WAVES’ song book from the Rosemary Lally Collection of the Putnam Veterans’ Museum
• WAVES Parade at the U.S. Naval Training School, Women’s Reserve at Hunter College, in the Bronx, N.Y. from the Rosemary Lally Collection of the Putnam Veterans’ Museum
• WAVES in service in Washington, D.C., from the Rosemary Lally Collection of the Putnam Veterans’ Museum

As we approach Super Bowl LIII this weekend, here’s a throwback from Brewster High School’s football team.

70 years ago the Brewster Bears had a winning season of 5-1-1 and they were crowned County Football Champions.  Some of the great players that year included quarterback Jim Casey, left halfback Doug Ruffles and fullback Doug Scolpino.  This group and team photos are featured in the 1949 yearbook Resumé as part of the Putnam County Historian’s research library.

One of the earliest references to this team coined as the “Brewster Bears” can be found in an article in The Brewster Standard dated October 23, 1931 when the “Bears” clawed, blocked and tackled their way to beat Croton-on-Hudson 44-6. The full article can be found online through the archives available through the Brewster Public Library’s Links.

Thanks to a local estate sale donation by J. Rocco in 2016, the Historian’s Office has a number of BHS yearbooks from 1948-50 and 1952. You can also find assorted copies of Resumé from 1928 -2012 in the Local History collection of Brewster Public Library. Please be sure to keep them, and other local libraries and historical societies in mind if you have any old yearbooks or school photos to digitize or donate.

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BHS 1949 Back row—G. Fox, D. Scolpino, G. Vetare, E. Ritchie, E. Farrell, E. Wunner, R. Herdman, D. Ruffles, J. Palmer, F. VanCougnett, H. Salmon, J. Casey, C. Bruno.  Middle row—D. Bruen, Q. Puglsey, J. Sterry, J. Mattioli, E. Schneider, J. Heinchon, N. Prisco, T. Mastrangelo, A. Polverari, D. Stevens, A. Forschner.     Front Row—Coach Opdyke, J. Markel, D. Newcomb, J. Folchetti, D. Smith, G. Foster, E. LaMere, N. Blackwood.