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🏘️ Croton Local History
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was discovered in the collection of the Manchester Historical Society in Manchester, Connecticut. When the curator did some research and realized that “Oscawanna” (properly spelled Oscawana) was in New York State, he sent them to the Peekskill Museum
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with a handwritten note. “I am sure there is an interesting story to go with them. Found them in our collection. No further information on them.” Who was the photographer? Was it the same person who wrote the note? And what did they mean by “our
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Oscawanna?” For the full story of the Rum Plane, see this post . Share this: Print (Opens in new window) Print Email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email Share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook Share on X (Opens in new window) X
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Share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) Pinterest Share on Tumblr (Opens in new window) Tumblr Share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn Like Loading... Related Tagged Oscawana Published January 27, 2018
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Riverside Avenue in the early 1900s. Today marks the 120th anniversary of the incorporation of the Village of Croton-on-Hudson, which took place on February 12, 1898. The Manual of Westchester County , published the same year, noted that a special
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election was held “on the question of incorporation” and “the electors of that locality . . . cast seventy-four (74) votes in favor of the proposition and twenty-one (21) votes against.” Croton’s population at the time of incorporation was 1,244
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people. Today, it is more than 8,000. Brickmaking was still a major industry in the village and the construction of New Croton Dam, which began in 1892, had finally reached the point where the Croton River had been diverted around the construction
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site, 1,821,400 cubic yards of earth and 400,250 cubic yards of rock had been excavated and the immense foundation was finally being laid. Photograph of the New Croton Dam construction site in 1898, the year the Village of Croton-on-Hudson was
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incorporated. Despite all the digging for clay along the Hudson River and the incessant construction of the dam, the Manual of Westchester County noted something about Croton that is still true today— “the village is attractive as a residence
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locality and its citizens are progressive.” Share this: Print (Opens in new window) Print Email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email Share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook Share on X (Opens in new window) X Share on Pinterest
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(Opens in new window) Pinterest Share on Tumblr (Opens in new window) Tumblr Share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn Like Loading... Related Published February 12, 2018
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Clifford B. Harmon is well-known to Crotonites as the famous aviator and real estate developer who created what he modestly advertised as “HARMON, the New City on the Hudson—the most important and extensive suburban development in the history of New
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York.” But how many of us have heard about his brother and partner, William E. Harmon? A serendipitous discovery on the blog of the libraries of the Smithsonian reveals that Clifford’s brother left a legacy more interesting and more important than a
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real estate development. “When wealthy real estate developer William Elmer Harmon founded the Harmon Foundation in 1922, it originally supported causes as varied as playgrounds, biblical films and nursing programs. But it is better known today as one
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of the first major supporters of African American creativity and ingenuity. Harmon grew up in the Midwest, where his father was an officer in the 10th Cavalry regiment, a black unit known as the Buffalo Soldiers. Growing up among the soldiers likely
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had an impact on his attitudes toward blacks, and in particular, Harmon himself became interested in supporting them after meeting an artist who was unable to sell his paintings because of his race. The Harmon Foundation gained its now well-known
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focus in 1925 when it began presenting cash awards to blacks for distinguished achievements in eight fields: business, education, fine arts, literature, music, race relations, religious service, and science. Between 1928 and 1933, the Foundation was
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one of the first to give national recognition to the achievements of African Americans. It is best known for its impact on African American art of the Harlem renaissance. Only a few years after the first awards were presented, the annual program was
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receiving such large numbers of high-quality art works that the Harmon Foundation began organizing a corresponding exhibition to provide an opportunity for the candidates to show and sell their work. These awards exhibitions gained even more national
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attention when they were toured to art museums, colleges, public libraries, and even YMCAs all around the country.” Read the rest here . Share this: Print (Opens in new window) Print Email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email Share on
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