Suffern, New York

Suffern, New York
—  Village  —
Suffern, New York Location within the state of New York
Coordinates: 41°6′43″N 74°8′45″W
Country	United States
State	New York
County	Rockland
Area
• Total	2.1 sq mi (5.5 km2)
• Land	2.1 sq mi (5.4 km2)
• Water	0.0 sq mi (0.1 km2)
Elevation	312 ft (95 m)
Population (2000)
• Total	11,006
• Density	5,265.8/sq mi (2,033.2/km2)
Time zone	Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
• Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code	10901
Area code(s)	845
FIPS code	36-71894
GNIS feature ID	0970678

Suffern is a village in the Town of Ramapo, Rockland County, New York, United States located north of the State of New Jersey; east of Hillburn; south of Montebello and west of Airmont. As of the 2010 census, Suffern's population was 10,723.

The village is one of the more urban communities in Rockland County.

History

Downtown Suffern

"The Point of the Mountains" or "Sidman's Clove" were names used in designating the present village of Suffern before the Revolution. The area originally was inhabited by the Ramapough (Monsey (Minsi)) Indians, who were a division of the great Delaware or Lenape Indian Nation. Upon Sidman's death this land passed into the hands of his son-in-law, John Smith, who sold it to John Suffern.

The Village of Suffern was founded in 1796. John Suffern, first Rockland County judge, 1798–1806, settled near the base of the Ramapo Mountains in 1773, and called the place New Antrim, after his home in County Antrim, Ireland, where his Huguenot ancestors had settled circa 1585. New Antrim's location was considered strategically important in the American Revolutionary War due to its location near Ramapo Pass. General George Washington and other important military leaders used John Suffern's home as headquarters when they were in the area.

Suffern is part of the Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route National Historic Trail, the W3R-NHT, under the auspices of the National Park Service. This trail commemorates the route followed by General Washington and French comte de Rochambeau as they traveled to Yorktown, VA. In 1780, King Louis XVI of France had sent the comte and approximately 5,000 troops to aid the Americans in their struggle for independence from British rule. The comte de Rochambeau landed in Newport, Rhode Island on July 10, 1780. A year later, he led his troops across New England, making encampment with thousands of French and Revolutionary soldiers in Suffern on the night of August 25, 1781 (as denoted on a marker in Suffern, other dates around this time are listed for this encampment). In Yorktown, the troops led by General Washington and the comte joined forces with 3,000 Virginia militia led by the Marquis de Lafayette. They fought British General Lord Charles Cornwallis and his forces at the Siege of Yorktown, forcing surrender on October 19, 1781. This victory ultimately led to the end to America’s War of Independence.

Rochambeau made encampment in Suffern again on September 13, 1782, as he retraced his steps to return home. An historical marker on the Washington Avenue side of the Lafayette Theatre identifies this site of "Rochambeau's Encampment 1781–1782." At the time of the encampment, this site was directly across the road from village founder, John Suffern's home and tavern where the comte de Rochambeau actually stayed. The Suffern Furniture Company now is located where this house once stood. (An article on the website of the W3R-US offers additional information: www.w3r-us.org "Our W3R Ancestors/John Suffern" )

During the war, Commander-in-Chief General Washington and his regiment made camp in the village several times. Lafayette Avenue, the main street of Suffern, is named in honor of Revolutionary War hero Marie Joseph Paul Yves Rock Gilbert du Motier, better known as the Marquis de Lafayette.

Other guests who took advantage of Suffern's hospitality included Lieutenant Colonel Aaron Burr, who later became the 3rd Vice President of the United States, General George Clinton who became the first (and longest-serving) elected Governor of New York, and then 4th Vice President of the United States under Thomas Jefferson and James Madison and Alexander Hamilton, 1st United States Secretary of the Treasury under President Washington.

Smith's Clove, Sidman's Clove – From Suffern to Monroe was a main route of travel through western Hudson Highlands. The main road was Albany Post Road, one of oldest roads in the state, which served as the stagecoach line between Albany and New York City and was heavily traveled in winter once the Hudson River froze. The 20 miles (32 km) of road through the Pass became the Orange Turnpike (now Route 17). Tolls were collected from 1800 until 1886 to maintain and improve the road. The New York State Thruway now runs through the Pass. The south entrance to the town was garrisoned during the Revolution with General Washington ordering as many as 400 soldiers be stationed there at all times.

The first railroad line across Rockland County, the Erie Railroad, was built in 1841 and ran from Piermont to Ramapo. By 1851, the line was extended to Lake Erie, and was considered an engineering marvel. The tracks are now owned by the Norfolk Southern line. In consideration for the right-of-way given it by Judge Edward Suffern, son of founder John, to lay track across his six miles of land, the Erie Railroad named their depot "Suffern's," and the village became known as Suffern, not New Antrim as it had been called by John Suffern.

Suffern is designated as a gateway to the Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area: www.hudsonrivervalley.com

In 1897, Avon Products, known then as California Perfume Company, built a 3,000-square-foot (280 m²) laboratory in Suffern; by 1971 the lab would grow into the 323,000-square-foot (30,000 m²) Avon Suffern Research and Development facility. In late 2005, construction was finished on a state-of-the art, 225,000-square-foot (20,900 m²) facility that would become Avon's global hub for research and development. The new building was constructed on the same site as their previous R&D facility, which was demolished for site parking.

Lafayette Theatre

In 1916, what would become New York State Route 59, which reached from Nyack to Spring Valley in 1915, was extended to Suffern and Ramapo Hamlet.

In 1924, Lafayette Theatre, also named for the Revolutionary War hero the Marquis de Lafayette, opened its doors.

In 1972, the Salvation Army moved their School for Officer Training to a 30-acre (120,000 m²) site in Suffern.

In June 2005, Phillip Esposito, a New York Army National Guard officer from Suffern, was killed in a fragging incident during the Iraq War.

Geography

Location of village within the Town of Ramapo and Rockland County, New York.

Manhattan skyline from Nordkop Mountain in Suffern.

Suffern is located at 41°6′43″N 74°8′45″W (41.111828, −74.145796).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 2.1 square miles (5.4 km²), of which, 2.1 square miles (5.4 km²) of it is land and 0.04 square miles (0.10 km²) of it (1.42%) is water.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 11,006 people, 4,634 households, and 2,836 families residing in the village. The population density was 5,265.8 people per square mile (2,033.2/km²). There were 4,762 housing units at an average density of 2,278.4 per square mile (879.7/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 86.83% White, 3.53% African American, 0.26% Native American, 2.83% Asian, 0.09% Pacific Islander, 4.52% from other races, and 1.94% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 12.87% of the population.

There were 4,634 households out of which 25.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.6% were married couples living together, 10.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.8% were non-families. 32.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.36 and the average family size was 3.00.

In the village the population was spread out with 20.1% under the age of 18, 7.4% from 18 to 24, 32.9% from 25 to 44, 24.7% from 45 to 64, and 14.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 92.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.7 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $59,754, and the median income for a family was $74,937. Males had a median income of $46,959 versus $36,093 for females. The per capita income for the village was $29,208. About 3.5% of families and 5.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.6% of those under age 18 and 6.4% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Suffern Middle School is the junior high school of the Ramapo Central School District. It is located in Suffern, New York.It is 2 stories high. It educates students from Airmont, Suffern, Montebello, Hillburn, Sloatsburg and parts of Monsey. It educates around 1,200 students in grades 6-8. A variety of interesting subjects can be learned here, including band, orchestra, keyboard music,digital music, guitar, performance arts, and media arts. Also, there are two annual spring musicals; one for the seventh and eighth grade, and one for the sixth grade. Previous Plays include: Singin' in the Rain, You're a Good Man Charlie Brown, Grease, Aladdin, School House Rock etc. The honors program begins at the seventh grade level and teaches advanced math and science to qualified students. There are many sports available at this school, and all home games are played at the schools large sports stadium, consisting of 2 astroturf fields, 2 soccer fields, a softball field, and a baseball field. A variety of sports are also available for seventh and eighth grade students to play which includes volleyball, soccer, basketball, baseball, and skiing. Many after school programs exist including the Technology Club, movie club, homework help, and open gym. Suffern Middle School is also the first middle school in the world to have established a learning presence in the virtual world of Teen Second Life. The virtual presence is called Ramapo Islands. Suffern Middle School is also one of the very few schools to have a fitness center/workout room, a kitchen classroom, and SMS is the proud to support the Full Value Project. The middle school also offers a variety of four languages; Chinese, Spanish, French, and Italian.

Elected representation

The Village of Suffern's chief executive is the mayor. Currently, the mayor is Dagan LaCorte. The village is represented in the United States House of Representatives by Eliot Engel. In state government, it is represented by Senator David Carlucci and Assemblywomen Ellen Jaffee and Annie Rabbitt. The Village of Suffern falls within the borders of the Town of Ramapo, run by Supervisor Christopher St. Lawrence. The village is represented in county government by County Executive C. Scott Vanderhoef and Legislators Alden Wolfe and Joseph Meyers.

The Village of Suffern, New York, viewed from the top of Nordkop Mountain

Suffern family

• John Suffern – Founder and first judge of Rockland County 1798–1806, is buried beside the Ramapo Reformed Church in Mahwah, NJ.
• Edward Suffern – John Suffern's son and District Attorney 1818–1820. County Judge 1820–1847; Granted right-of-way across his six miles (10 km) of land to Erie RR with ribbon-cutting to open September 23, 1841. Also was a backer and Trustee of the Nyack Turnpike.
• Andrew E Suffern – Grandson of John, son of Judge Edward Suffern and District Attorney 1853 – 1859. County Judge 1859–1880.
• Edward Suffern – Assemblyman in 1826 and 1835.
• John I Suffern – Assemblyman in 1854.
• James Suffern – Assemblyman in 1867 and 1869.
• Edward Suffern – (1810–1877) Grandson of John, son Elizabeth – 1st graduate civil engineer in world per Ripley's, graduated RPI 1835.
• Edward Suffern – School Commissioner 1858–1860.
• Thomas W Suffern – School Commissioner 1885–1890.

Notable residents

• Carole Radziwill – author/journalist
• Claudio Sanchez – Vocalist and guitar player for the band Coheed and Cambria.
• Chris Caffery – Guitarist for Savatage and Trans-Siberian Orchestra, now solo artist
• Christine Andreas – Singer and two-time-nominated Broadway actress, Broadway credits include "My Fair Lady", "Oklahoma!", and "On Your Toes".
• Dave Annable – Actor, best known for playing the role of Justin Walker in ABC's show Brothers & Sisters
• Gia Farrell – Singer
• Jay Beckenstein of jazz fusion group Spyro Gyra built his recording studio, BearTracks Studios, in Suffern.
• Joe Lockhart – White House Press Secretary under President Bill Clinton
• Jon Pousette-Dart of the Pousette-Dart Band
• Jonah Shacknai - CEO of Medicis Corporation
• Keith Bulluck – NFL Middle Linebacker for the New York Giants
• Keith Raniere – Controversial founder and leader of NXIVM
• Margaret Salmon – Award winning Filmmaker Artist.
• Michelle Pantoliano – Anchor for Naked News
• Ralph Borsodi – Economist and social critic who moved to a family homestead in Suffern in 1920 and eventually founded the School of Living nearby.
• Ryan Grant – NFL Running Back for the Green Bay Packers
• Ryan Mollica – Infielder for the Rockland Boulders
• Sabine Singh – Actress, best known for stint as Greenlee Smythe No. 2 on All My Children.
• Spencer Tunick – Artist and photographer
• Thomas Meehan – Tony award winning author of Annie and The Producers
• Tim Daly – Actor, best known for TV sitcom Wings and TV drama Private Practice
• Tommy Murphy – Major League Baseball player
• Tyne Daly – Actress, best known for TV dramas Cagney & Lacey and Judging Amy
• Valerie Harper – Actress, best known for her role as Rhoda Morgenstern on the 1970s TV sitcom The Mary Tyler Moore Show
• Walt Weiss – Former baseball player for the Oakland Athletics, Florida Marlins, Atlanta Braves, and Colorado Rockies
• Will Cunnane – Minor League pitcher for the Memphis Redbirds, has played for the Atlanta Braves, San Diego Padres, Milwaukee Brewers, and Chicago Cubs.

Transportation

Suffern station serves both local and express trains, operated by New Jersey Transit to Hoboken Terminal with connecting service at Secaucus Junction to Pennsylvania Station. Most New Jersey Transit Main Line trains terminate at Suffern; Metro-North Railroad-supported Port Jervis Line trains continue into Orange County to Port Jervis. Transport of Rockland bus service serves Suffern.

U.S. Route 202 New York State Route 59, Interstate 287, and Interstate 87, also known as the New York State Thruway go through Suffern.

Tourism

Suffern Piermonnt Branch Station

The Soldier's Monument at Washington and Lafayette avenues.

U.S. Post Office

Historical markers

• Rochambeau Encampment, Lafayette & Washington Avenues
• Soldier's Monument, also known as Washington Ave. Monument, Washington & Lafayette Avenues (NRHP)
• Suffern’s Depot, 1 Erie Plaza
• Suffern Grammar School, 41 Wayne Avenue
• Suffern's Sacred Heart Parish, 129 Lafayette Avenue
• Suffern’s Tavern Site, Washington & Lafayette Avenues – Suffern's tavern sheltered many Continental Army officers, including Gen. Washington and Aaron Burr, commander of the troops guarding the Ramapo Pass. Torn down about 1856.

Landmarks and places of interest

• Brooklands Park – Lake Road – Site of Brooklands, home of Daniel Carter Beard, a founder of Boy Scouts of America.
• Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area – Suffern is a designated gateway to the HRVNHA.
• Lafayette Theatre – 97 Lafayette Ave Rockland’s only surviving movie palace, built 1924, renovated in 1927 and having a renovated 1931 Wurlitzer pipe organ installed by the Theater Organ Society in 1992.
• Suffern Free Library – (The Ramapo Room contains historical books, clippings and photographs of western Ramapo.) 210 Lafayette Avenue [1]
• Suffern Railroad Museum – 1 Erie Plaza
• Suffern Village Museum – 61 Washington Ave. • 357-0649 – Exhibits relating to the history of Suffern and the Ramapo area. Includes displays relating to American Indians, original Avon products, nearby iron mines and Dan Beard, one of the founders of the Boy Scouts of America. Traveling Trunk program is available for classroom use, 4th–7th grade. Trunk holds items representing Rockland history from 1741–1841. Open Sunday, 2–4 pm, September through June.
• U.S. Post Office – Built during the New Deal, is located on Chestnut Street between NY 59 and US 202, on the northern edge of the village's downtown business district. (NRHP)
• Washington Avenue Soldier's Monument and Triangle – Washington Avenue (NRHP)
• Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route

External links

• Suffern Official Website
• Suffern Chamber of Commerce
• Suffern Downtown
• Suffern Fire Department
• Suffern Free Library
• Suffern Police Department
• Suffern Sacred Heart Parish
• Ramapo Times, Online Community News
• The Journal News, the local newspaper
• Rockland Magazine
• Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area
• Washington Rochambeau Revolutionary Route