Episode 189 began streaming on Monday, August 17, 2026 at 10am.

Host Clare Sheridan welcomed Peter Bush of Friends of Harmony Hall for a conversation about a fascinating new exhibition now on view at the Jacob Sloat House in Sloatsburg: The Seven Taverns Which Saved the Ramapo Pass.

Harmony Hall’s new exhibition explores the historic taverns that once lined the Clove Road from Suffern to Highland Mills. Stephen Sloat’s Tavern in Sloatsburg, Suffern’s Tavern, Sidman’s in Sloatsburg, Galloway’s in Southfields, June’s at Harriman, Smith’s between Central Valley and Highland Mills, and Earl’s in Highland Mills were far more than places to rest and refresh. They were centers of news, politics, travel, and community life during a pivotal era in American history. Timed to coincide with the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution, the exhibition at the Jacob Sloat House highlights the often-overlooked role of the Ramapo Pass corridor in the fight for independence.

We’ll also hear a preservation update on Harmony Hall, including its restored front porch and freshly painted exterior. The restoration of the Jacob Sloat House is a remarkable story of perseverance, dedication, and community commitment.

The exhibition The Seven Taverns Which Saved the Ramapo Pass is on view now at the Jacob Sloat House in Sloatsburg. Visits are available by appointment. To schedule a visit, contact Friends of Harmony Hall at (845) 712-5220, or visit Friends of Harmony Hall | Jacob Sloat House, Sloatsburg, NY for more information.

The exhibition is based in part on a five-part series of articles by Richard J. Koke, published in volumes 19 through 23 of the Orange County Historical Society Journal between 1990 and 1994. Those articles are being made available on the Orange County Historical Society’s website HERE.

This episode of Crossroads of Rockland History is sponsored by the Town of Ramapo, Supervisor Michael Specht, and the Ramapo Town Board. We are grateful for their generous support of this program and of the Historical Society of Rockland County.

Crossroads of Rockland History, a program of the Historical Society of Rockland County, starts streaming new episodes on the third Monday of each month at 10am. From October 2010 to May 2025, the program aired 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

The July, 2026 episode of "Crossroads of Rockland History" begins streaming on Monday, July 20, at 10am on all major podcast platforms and on the HSRC website.

We turned our attention to the ironmaking villages that existed on Rockland's western border during the American Revolution.

In the decades leading up to the Revolutionary War, rich deposits of iron ore were discovered in the Ramapo Mountains. Early entrepreneurs who sought to capitalize on this resource by mining and smelting the ore into products, however, were thwarted by British laws that prohibited the manufacture of finished goods in the American Colonies.

HSRC Executive Director Susan Deeks will join host Clare Sheridan to discuss the ironmaking villages, the challenges they faced to protect their facilities, operations, and laborers; and their role in helping George Washington prevail over the British in the Hudson Valley.

About the speaker: Susan Deeks is the executive director of the Historical Society of Rockland County and a former director of the Friends of Long Pond Ironworks in West Milford, NJ. She has a master's degree in history, with a concentration in the industrial history of the Lower Hudson Valley and specialization in the historical iron mines, forges, and furnaces that operated in the Ramapo Mountains from 1764 to 1888.

Susan Deeks's presentation will take place Sunday, July 26, 2026, at 1:00 pm SHARP in the Lower-level Community Room, HSRC History Center, 20 Zukor Road, New City. Admission is $5.00 (Space is limited, and reservations are required).

Crossroads of Rockland History, a program of the Historical Society of Rockland County, starts streaming new episodes on the third Monday of each month at 10am. From October 2010 to May 2025, the program aired 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

This episode (187) began streaming on June 15, 2026.

On the June 2026 episode of Crossroads of Rockland History we turned our attention to the complex story of Peggy Shippen Arnold. Historian Char Weigel joined host Clare Sheridan to discuss the wife of America’s most notorious traitor, Benedict Arnold. Char's research centers entirely on primary source documentation, offering a nuanced and fascinating look at Shippen's role in the infamous plot to surrender West Point to the British.

Char Weigel will be coming to the Historical Society in September to speak about Peggy Shippen, so this will be an interesting sneak preview for that upcoming program.

About the speaker: Char Weigel is the vice-president of special projects for Revolutionary Westchester 250, Westchester County’s nonprofit working to encourage and amplify commemoration of the upcoming Semiquincentennial. She presents regularly and is the author of numerous articles on Westchester County history, the most recent of which, “Boot Papers: Double Betrayal in Documents Found in John André’s Footwear,” was published in New York State Archives Magazine. She is widely recognized for her primary-source research. Weigel is also a member of the board member of the Friends of Odell House Rochambeau Headquarters

Crossroads of Rockland History, a program of the Historical Society of Rockland County, starts streaming new episodes on the third Monday of each month at 10am. From October 2010 to May 2025, the program aired 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