Historian Discusses Origins of Street Names in Peekskill
By Michael Giuliano
Peekskill native and historian John Curran spoke on Saturday to promote his newest book: “The History of Peekskill, New York Street Names.” Co-authored with fellow Peekskill author John Morabito, the book describes the origins behind the names of all the roads in Peekskill, from “Academy Street” to “Woods Brooke Drive.”
During the monthly meeting of the Van Cortlandville Historical Society, Curran gave a talk titled “On the Street Where You Live” (named after the song from “My Fair Lady”). Curran, who is the curator of the Peekskill Museum, discussed the merits of writing a reference book, emphasizing the historical significance it represents not only for Peekskill, but for communities everywhere.
“The names [of streets] have interesting secondary meanings and connotations that most people don’t even know [about],” Curran said. “It’s an event, it’s a person, and it’s something important.”
The book took a year to write, with nine months of that focused solely on research, and even then Curran said that some information regarding street names could not be completely verified.
“In most cases there’s no documentation at all,” Curran admitted. “It’s mostly secondary information.”
One particular instance is Pemart Avenue, which branches from the Bear Mountain extension to Division Street. The street is named after Captain Francis Pemart, who alternatively fought for both the British and the Americans during the Revolutionary War. Considering that the American government eventually had Pemart tried for treason, forcing him to flee to Nova Scotia, it’s interesting to find a street named after him in this day and age.
Curran revealed that, for the most part, streets get their names from the original landowners where the streets are located, and that very few roads received names from political designations. One specific street he pointed out was Lockwood Drive, the entry road into the Highland Park residential area, which was named after Edwin Lockwood. Lockwood was the original designer for the Highland Park development during the 1940’s and 50’s.
Another notable example is Pataki Farm Drive, in the northern section of Peekskill. The road is named after the farm once owned by the family of former New York Governor George E. Pataki. Pataki’s father, Louis Pataki Sr., has a street named after him as well: Louis Court, located off of Frost Lane.
Towards the end of the meeting Bob Foley, the program chairman of the historical society, opened the floor for questions, and brought up a topic that Curran was quite enthusiastic about: the “Yellow Brick Road” of Peekskill.
Curran is an avid supporter of the notion that the iconic Yellow Brick Road from “The Wizard of Oz” is based on the once-abundant Dutch bricks that lined the streets of Peekskill. During the 1860’s, L. Frank Baum was a teenager attending the Peekskill Military Academy, and Curran maintains that the yellow-colored bricks that lined the streets could have served as inspiration for the road used in the book. Still, there are many detractors to the theory, saying that there is no solid evidence to prove Curran’s theory.
“People say, ‘There’s no written record of it.’ The point is: it’s a story,” Curran said. “It’s a story that’s a part of a story.”
If nothing else, Curran maintains that preserving and highlighting what’s left of the old yellow brick road would be a boost for the Peekskill economy, by encouraging more tourism.
“This was really the only formal schooling that [Baum] had in his entire life,” Curran said. “He was home-schooled for the rest of his life. That should be enough.”
While most of the original yellow brick pavement is gone in Peekskill, a small stretch can still be found on South Water Street, leading up to the railroad tracks behind the Standard House on Hudson Avenue.
The Van Cortlandtville Historical Society is located in the Little Red Schoolhouse, at 297 Locust Avenue in Cortlandt. Meetings are held on the third Saturday of every month, and new members and visitors are always encouraged. More information can be found on their website, www.vancort.net.
Rick has more than 40 years’ experience covering local news in Westchester and Putnam counties, running the gamut from politics and crime to sports and human interest. He has been an editor at Examiner Media since 2012. Read more from Rick’s editor-author bio here. Read Rick’s work here: https://www.theexaminernews.com/author/pezzullo_rick-writer/
