Sloatsburg, New York

Sloatsburg is a village in Rockland County, New York. The population was 3,117 at the 2000 census. The village is named after Stephen Sloat, an early landowner.

The Village of Sloatsburg is in the western end of the Town of Ramapo. It sits at the southern entrance to Harriman State Park.

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History

The land that would become the village of Sloatsburg was part of the hunting grounds of the Minsi tribe of the Leni Lenape Indians. The area was also the site of a major Indian path through the Ramapo Mountains. The path would subsequently become the New York to Albany road and, in 1800, the Orange Turnpike; it remains an important thoroughfare today-- the New York State Thruway, New York Route 17 and the Norfolk Southern railroad line run along its route.

Wynant Van Gelder purchased the area from the Minsi in 1738, and in 1747, gave it to his father-in-law, Isaac Van Deusen. Stephen Sloat married Marritje Van Deusen and was given the land in 1763. There he established Sloat's Tavern, which became a regular stop on the New York to Albany stage route.

During the American Revolutionary War the stage route became an important military route and the Ramapo pass an important strategic point, occupied by American troops throughout the war. George Washington travelled through the area several times and stayed in Sloat's Tavern at least once, on June 6, 1779.

After the war, the Sloats added a tannery and a cotton mill, which continued in operation by the family until the American Civil War, when it closed due to a lack of cotton. In the early 1800s, Abram Dater built a forge on the Ramapo River, and a grist mill and a saw mill soon followed.

Between 1836 and 1841, the Erie Railroad built a line through Sloatsburg, resulting in a major increase in the population and prosperity of the village.

Born in 1781, Commodore John D. Sloat, who claimed California for the United States in 1846, was a direct descendant of the founding family.

After the Civil War the village prospered until the great flood of 1903 destroyed most of the factories in the town, many of which were never rebuilt.

Due to its position astride the Orange Turnpike, the rise of the automobile early in the twentieth century had a profound impact on the area-- prior to the construction of the New York State Thruway and the Palisades Parkway in the 1950s, Sloatsburg was cut in half by automobile traffic, which could back up for miles in the forties and fifties. Over the Fourth of July weekend in 1952, the backup extended for eight miles.

In 1929, with a population of 1,559, Sloatsburg was incorporated as a village.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 7.0 km?(2.7 mi?. 6.9 km?(2.7 mi? of it is land and 0.1 km?(0.04 mi? of it (1.11%) is water.

The western part of the village borders Orange County.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 3,117 people, 1,046 households, and 826 families residing in the village. The population density was 449.1/km?(1,162.0/mi?. There were 1,078 housing units at an average density of 155.3/km?(401.9/mi?.

There were 1,046 households out of which 38.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.6% were married couples living together, 10.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.0% were non-families. 15.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.7% had someone living independently who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.91 and the average family size was 3.27.

In the village the population was spread out with 26.1% under the age of 18, 7.0% from 18 to 24, 31.1% from 25 to 44, 24.2% from 45 to 64, and 11.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 99.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.3 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $70,721, and the median income for a family was $78,529. Places of Interest

• Harmony Hall - original home of Jacob Sloat, built 1848. Peter Bush, a Sloat descendent and members of the Friends of Harmony Hall-Jacob Sloat House Committee have restored most of the home. Peter Bush has stated that 95 percent of the 1840s footprint of the house has survived. In 2007, six rooms were open to the public; only three were the year prior.