Crossroads revisited an earlier interview with Virginia Norfleet, founder of the Haverstraw African American Connection (HAAC), an organization that sponsors the annual Haverstraw Juneteenth Celebration. Norfleet was also instrumental in the founding of the African American Memorial Park in Haverstraw. Norfleet is also the 2019 recipient of the HSRC’s Margaret B. and John R. Zehner Award for contributions to the county's history.

The 2025 Juneteenth celebration in Haverstraw will take place over three days: June 19, 20 and 21. Learn more about this years events and programs here: https://www.thehaac.com/juneteenth

Juneteenth is a holiday observed annually on June 19. It commemorates the end of slavery in the United States. A combination of the words June and nineteenth, the holiday, also called Freedom Day, has been celebrated since 1866 and is considered to be one of the oldest continuing African American holidays. Juneteenth commemorates the June 19, 1865, announcement of the abolition of slavery in the U.S. state of Texas, and more generally the emancipation of enslaved African-Americans throughout the former Confederacy of the southern United States. This announcement came 2 1/2 years after The Emancipation Proclamation ended slavery. On June 17, 2021, Pres. Joe Biden signed legislation to make Juneteenth a federal holiday.

The mission of the Haverstraw African American Connection is to research, recover, preserve and teach the rich culture and contributions of African American’s with emphasis on the African American people of Haverstraw N.Y.

​H.A.A.C is a Non-Profit 501c3 agency. Through public outreach, dialogue, exhibits and other community initiatives, we will promote knowledge, acceptance and appreciation of our heritage.

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"Crossroads of Rockland History," is a program of the Historical Society of Rockland County. Join host Clare Sheridan as we explore, celebrate, and learn about our local history, with different topics and guest speakers every month. The recorded broadcasts are available for streaming on all major podcasts platforms.

The Historical Society of Rockland County is a non-profit educational institution and principle repository for documents and artifacts relating to Rockland County. Its headquarters are a four acre site featuring a history museum and the 1832 Jacob Blauvelt House located at 20 Zukor road in New City.

www.RocklandHistory.org

Crossroads of Rockland History, a program of the Historical Society of Rockland County, airs on the third Monday of each month at 9:30 am, right after the morning show on WRCR radio 1700 AM and www.WRCR.com. Join host Clare Sheridan as we explore, celebrate, and learn about our local history, with different topics and guest speakers every month. Our recorded broadcasts are also available for streaming on all major podcasts platforms and at our website.

The Historical Society of Rockland County is a nonprofit educational institution and principal repository for original documents and artifacts relating to Rockland County. Its headquarters are a four-acre site featuring a history museum and the 1832 Jacob Blauvelt House in New City, New York.

www.RocklandHistory.org

Episode originally aired on Monday, April 21, 2025 at 9:30 am, on WRCR Radio 1700 AM.

The topic of conversation was the Lawrence–Tonetti Waterfall in Palisades, NY. Also known as Peanut Leap Cascade, this natural waterfall was beautifully enhanced by sculptors Mary Lawrence and Francois Tonetti in the early 20th century by creating stream-fed pools, sculptural fountainheads, and a Roman-style pergola on the shore of the Hudson River.

John Ratcliff, the grandson of the sculptors, joined host Clare Sheridan to share memories of this extraordinary place, which was once part of the larger Lawrence property in Snedens Landing. The property is now contained within the Palisades Interstate Park, where thousands of hikers pass by its ruins as they descend the Shore Trail to the Hudson River.

We are pleased to share the details of an upcoming program at the Palisades Free Library:

The Lawrence-Tonetti Waterfall: A History of the Peanut Leap Cascade
from Snedens Landing to Palisades Interstate Park

When: Thursday, May 8, 2025, 6:30 pm

Where: Palisades Free Library, 19 Closter Road, Palisades, NY 10964, (845) 359-0136

About the program: Join Francesca Costa (Palisades Interstate Park Public Historian), Jennifer Rothschild (Historical Society of Rockland County Programming Director), and John Ratcliff, grandson of the sculptors Mary Lawrence and Francois Tonetti as they tell the story of "The Waterfall" and how it has become a popular hiking trail within the park. This slide presentation and panel discussion explores the fascinating history of The Waterfall, a natural feature enhanced by Lawrence and Tonetti in the early 20th century with stream-fed pools, a roman-style pergola, and sculptural fountainheads. Once part of the larger Lawrence property in Snedens Landing, it became a favorite spot for moonlit gatherings of guests who arrived by boat, including fellow sculptors and painters, as well as the renowned architects Charles McKim and Stanford White, who helped design the pergola. This magical spot is now contained within the Palisades Interstate Park, where thousands of hikers pass by its ruins as they descend the Shore Trail to the Hudson River.

To register, go to: https://southorangetownlibraries.librarycalendar.com/event/lawrence-tonetti-waterfall-snedens-landing-palisades-interstate-park-33538

Crossroads of Rockland History, a program of the Historical Society of Rockland County, airs on the third Monday of each month at 9:30 am, right after the morning show on WRCR radio 1700 AM and www.WRCR.com. Join host Clare Sheridan as we explore, celebrate, and learn about our local history, with different topics and guest speakers every month. Our recorded broadcasts are also available for streaming on all major podcasts platforms and at our website.

The Historical Society of Rockland County is a nonprofit educational institution and principal repository for original documents and artifacts relating to Rockland County. Its headquarters are a four-acre site featuring a history museum and the 1832 Jacob Blauvelt House in New City, New York.

www.RocklandHistory.org

A 30-minute version of this interview originally aired on Monday, March 17, 2025 at 9:30am on WRCR Radio 1700AM.

Crossroads celebrated both Women’s History Month and Saint Patrick’s day with a discussion about an exciting program coming up at Harmony Hall in Sloatsburg. Eve Kahn, the former Antiques Editor for the New York Times and Elizabeth Stack the Executive Director at the American Irish Historical Society will joined host Clare Sheridan to discuss Anna Frances Levins, the Irish American artist and entrepreneur who traveled widely to photograph remotest Ireland and created portraits of sitters ranging from Pope Pius X to martyred Irish revolutionaries.

Anna Frances Levins founded her own company, Levins Press, which published lavish books about the history of Ireland and Irish Americans, and her photos appeared by the hundreds in books, newspapers, and magazines. Levins also helped the newest Irish arrivals at Ellis Island, combating her era's bitter prejudices against immigrants. She eventually married one of her portrait sitters, an Irish baronet. Despite all of this, Levins has ended up in contemporary obscurity.

About the guests:

Eve Kahn is an Independent scholar and former Antiques Columnist at The New York Times. She is an award winning author who writes about art, architecture, and design for the Times among other publications.

Elizabeth Stack, PhD, is the Executive Director of the American Irish Historical Society in New York City. Dr. Stack was previously the executive director of the Irish American Heritage Museum in Albany, NY and before that she taught Irish and Irish American History and was an Associate Director at Fordham University’s Institute of Irish Studies. She completed her PhD at Fordham, writing about Irish and German immigrants in New York at the turn of the twentieth century, as they grappled with the immigration restriction movements of that time.

About the Program: Anna Frances Levin on Sunday, March 30th, 2:00 pm at Harmony Hall, Jacob Sloat House in Sloatsburg, NY.

Tickets available at https://www.friendsofharmonyhall.org/events

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The American Irish Historical Society will also host Eve Kahn for "Rediscovering Anna Frances Levins” on March 25th at 6pm. Info here: https://aihsny.org/events-2/rediscovering-anna-frances-levins-forgotten-irish-american-photographer-publisher-political-activist-and-baroness

Crossroads of Rockland History, a program of the Historical Society of Rockland County, airs on the third Monday of each month at 9:30 am, right after the morning show on WRCR radio 1700 AM and www.WRCR.com. Join host Clare Sheridan as we explore, celebrate, and learn about our local history, with different topics and guest speakers every month. Our recorded broadcasts are also available for streaming on all major podcasts platforms and at our website.

The Historical Society of Rockland County is a nonprofit educational institution and principal repository for original documents and artifacts relating to Rockland County. Its headquarters are a four-acre site featuring a history museum and the 1832 Jacob Blauvelt House in New City, New York.

www.RocklandHistory.org