Pearl River, New York

Panoramic map of Pearl River from q1924 with list of landmarks and images of several inset

In 1696, Pearl River was originally part of a larger portion of land known as the Kakiat Patent that was granted to Daniel Honan and Michael Hawdon. In 1713, the land was split into north and south plots. After the Revolutionary War, the land was further divided and sold.[3] Pearl River was a portion of land made up of woods and swamps originally called Muddy Creek.[4]

In the early 1870s, the town was divided into five different parts: Middletown, Sickletown, Pascack, Muddy Brook, and Naurashaun.[5]

There are conflicting accounts on how Muddy Creek came to be named Pearl River. According to some historians, a town resident named Dr. Ves Bogert found small pearls in mussels that thrived in Muddy Brook and, upon hearing this, Mrs. John Demarest, the wife of the president of the New Jersey and New York Railroad, suggested the name "Pearl River" to her husband.

Another account was that the name change was made to make the station stop sound more appealing on the railroad passenger schedules. The third account was that Julius E. Braunsdorf wanted to enhance the hamlet's business image by renaming it Pearl River.[3] In any event, there is no body of water near the hamlet called "Pearl River", the most significant stream is "Muddy Brook."

Muddy Creek was purchased by industrialist Julius E. Braunsdorf, a German immigrant, in 1870. He donated a long strip of land right through the center of his property to the New Jersey and New York Railroad to enable them to bring an extension of the line from Hillsdale, New Jersey north to Nanuet.

Braunsdorf was the "Father of Pearl River" and established Aetna Sewing Machine Company to produce his patented home sewing machine in 1872. Later that year the first post office was established in the hamlet and from then on it was known as Pearl River.[4]

Braunsdorf invented and manufactured the carbon-arc light bulb in 1873, 6 years prior to Thomas Edison's carbonized filament version. They were installed and used on ships in New York harbor for loading and unloading operations. He also designed generators, one of which powered the first incandescent electric lights, which he also invented,[6] in the nation's Capital.[3]

When Braunsdorf designed the street layout, the only existing streets were Pearl Street and Washington Avenue. He drew a wide main street through the middle of town and called it Central Avenue. Parallel to Central Avenue he drew Franklin, after his hero, Benjamin Franklin. To connect Washington, Central, and Franklin he drew three streets and named them William, John and Henry after his three sons.

Pearl River (Metro-North station), present

Braunsdorf built:

• 1872 – The Aetna Sewing Machine Company, the largest factory in Pearl River, and ceded land to the railroad company so workers from New York City could get to his factory.
• 1872 – The Pearl River Post Office and became the first Postmaster.
• 1873 – Two brick train stations (Passenger/Freight) still in use today.
• The Pearl River Hotel
• Low-cost housing for the factory employees that he attracted from Germany and Scandinavia.

In 1894, Talbot C. Dexter moved his Dexter Folder Company to Pearl River. On August 25, 1885, Dexter filed a patent for an automatic folding machine that changed the way newspapers, books, and magazines were folded and assembled. Between 1885 and 1913, Talbot C. Dexter filed many patents, some still in use today.[3]

Blue Hill Plaza skyscraper in Pearl River, New York

Dr. Ernest Lederle established the Lederle Antitoxin Laboratories in 1906. In 1930, it became Lederle Laboratories, a division of American Cyanamid, and during World War II, Lederle was a major supplier of blood plasma.

In 1931, Gottfried (Fred) Schmidt - Invented the automatic pinsetter. Brunswick was not interested in an automatic machine at that time. In 1937, AMF acquired the patent rights to this early machine—The “Sch-Bec-Roy” which stood for Schmidt (inventor), Beckerle (bowling alley proprietor) and McElroy (blueprint designer).[6][7]

Pearl River is located at 41°3′32.8″N 74°1′12.9″W (41.0591,-74.02025).[8] According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 7.2 square miles (19 km²), of which 6.8 square miles (18 km²) is land and 0.3 square miles (0.78 km²), or 4.87%, is water.

As of the census[9] of 2000, there were 21,042 people, 5,539 households, and 4,209 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 3,273.2 per square mile (877.9/km²). There were 5,636 housing units at an average density of 823.8/sq mi (318.1/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 72.37% White, 6.39% African American, 0.05% Native American, 7.16% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.57% from other races, and 0.68% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.44% of the population.

There were 5,539 households out of which 33.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.4% were married couples living together, 8.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.0% were non-families. 20.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.79 and the average family size was 3.26.

In the CDP, the population was spread out with 25.3% under the age of 18, 6.0% from 18 to 24, 29.3% from 25 to 44, 24.7% from 45 to 64, and 14.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.3 males.

The median income for a household in the CDP was $76,692, and the median income for a family was $91,618. Males had a median income of $58,966 versus $39,452 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $31,417. About 2.2% of families and 3.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.1% of those under age 18 and 4.7% of those age 65 or over.

Pearl River has a large Irish community and hosts under the auspices of the Ancient Order of Hibernians the second-largest Saint Patrick's Day parade in New York state, typically on the Sunday following St. Patrick's Day.[10] This large Irish-American population also supports the largest youth Gaelic Athletic Football team in the United States.[11]

Pearl River is the site of Blue Hill Plaza, Rockland County's first commercial skyscraper, with 21 stories of office space.[12] Companies with offices in Blue Hill Plaza include Syncsort and Hunter Douglas.

Blue Hill Plaza office space in Pearl River, New York. In the far distance is New York City.

In 1906, Ernest Lederle, the former commissioner of the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, founded Lederle Laboratories (which became Wyeth and is now Pfizer) on a farm which now encompasses 550 acres (2.2 km²), 40 buildings, and until recently employed around 3,200 workers. The number of employees here has dwindled to the hundreds since the Pfizer takeover.[13][14]

Blue Ribbon

The community is served by the Pearl River School District. Pearl River High School is located at 275 East Central Avenue and serves students in grades 8 through 12. It currently has 1055 students enrolled. 96% of the class of 2009 continued on to college, university, or technical school.

• In 2001, the Pearl River School District won the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award.
• In 2008 & 2014, Franklin Avenue Elementary School was a U.S. Department of Education Blue Ribbon School of Excellence Award winner.
• In 2011, Pearl River Middle School was a Blue Ribbon School of Excellence Award winner.
• Saint Margaret School is a Catholic school serving grades Pre-K through 8.
• Pearl River School District
  • In 2017 U.S. News & World Report ranked Pearl River High School with a Silver award as the 76 Best High School in New York State and 727 nationally.
  • In 2018, ranked 214 Best School Districts in Pearl River by Niche's.
  • Pearl River High School was named the #1 high school in Rockland County by US News in 2019.

Josephine Pucci, a member of USA Hockey's Women's National Team, is from Pearl River.

The Pearl River High School Pirates have athletic programs such as baseball, basketball, football, swimming, softball, ice hockey, field hockey, bowling, soccer, track, and wrestling.[18]

The 2010 Pearl River High School girls softball team won the New York State Championship.

• Lori Barbero, drummer and musician[19]
• Christopher Carley, actor
• Robert Clohessy, actor
• Macduff Everton, photographer
• John Flaherty, television baseball broadcaster and retired Major League Baseball player
• Dan Fortmann, professional football player and physician, member of Pro Football Hall of Fame
• Brian Gaine, professional football player, General Manager of the Houston Texans
• Aline Griffith, socialite, spy, and writer
• Dan Hanzus, sports writer for NFL Media, host of the Around the NFL Podcast
• Mary Beth Keane, writer
• Dan Masterson, poet
• Josephine Pucci, United States women's national ice hockey team member and Olympic silver medalist

• Knight, Robert P. Centennial history of Pearl River, New York. Pearl River Centennial Committee, 1973
• McDonald, Brian. My Father's Gun: One Family, Three Badges, One Hundred Years in the NYPD

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Pearl River, New York.

• Pearl River history
• The Railroad in Pearl River
• Pearl River Yahoo! Group
• Living in Pearl River – slideshow by The New York Times