A History of Nyack

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this post are those of the authors. As such, this writing reflects their perspective alone; historical errors or discrepancies are also their own. Names have been shortened or changed to protect individual privacy where necessary. 

When I heard that there were elephants buried in Moseley Field, I thought it was just a legend that upperclassmen had made up. My partner and I decided to dig deeper to find out the true history of this area before Nyack College came into existence. We enjoyed getting to know Ms. S. and listening to all of her stories. You know you are going to get a lot of information if you happen to interview a librarian, and Ms. S. has volunteered at the Nyack Library for 10 years so she is highly qualified to be in that category. 

Yoga in the Park

This story actually starts with Ms. S’s mother, who went to see her sister in Duluth, Minnesota and see if she could find work. She was hired as a nanny for a rich family. The children loved her so much, that the Thompsons asked if she would travel with them to Florida for the summer. She agreed to stay on with the family, and eventually the family travelled to Nyack, New York, but liked it so much they ended up staying there. That is where she met her husband, who had started off working with his father as a shoe manufacturer, then once the oil burners were invented, he began installing heating systems for the houses. This oil heating system was a big improvement to the coal furnaces, which had to constantly be replenished and they left soot and ash on the furniture and clothes. He worked all over town, and one of his jobs was to install a heating system in the famous Dr. Pierre Bernard’s elephant barn.   

Elephant balancing on beam

Dr. Bernard owned a lot of property in town and provided entertainment and new ideas from overseas. The Clarkstown Country Club (CCC) was for patrons to enjoy themselves, and also learn about eastern philosophies. There was a theatre, library full of Sanskrit literature, and even a circus with international actors. There were several acts that included the well-loved elephants, which had been brought in from India. “Mom”, a famous elephant, who was also the largest at the time, died of old-age, but she was well cared for, even in her last days. Dr. Bernard built a huge stadium, which had a baseball field and a track for dog races. Unfortunately that establishment no longer exists, for some apartment buildings now stand where the stadium once was. Dr. Bernard brought in professionals to play, but local teams could use it as well. Ms. S’s brothers played on a local team called the Wildcats. Dr. Bernard brought many ideas and philosophies from overseas, including yoga. This explains the name he was known by, “Oom the Omnipotent”. His wife Blanche DeVries, helped him run his establishment and taught yoga. "During Bernard's first year in Nyack, the townspeople summoned the state police because they saw yoga exercises being practiced on the lawn and thought that Bernard was establishing a love cult. 
Upon arrivalthe police found nothing suspicious and the matter was dropped." (New York’s Lower Hudson Valley)

Piermont Pier

Ms. S grew up during World War II. She remembers the panic of when soldiers would knock on her door asking if they could check in her chicken coop for Prisoners of War that had escaped from Camp Shanks. Camp Shanks was were the UnitedStatesian soldiers were equipped to go to Europe before being sent on their way out of the Piermont Pier, and where POWs were kept. Air raid drills were terrifying. Her parents put their coats on the kitchen windows so that she and her brothers could finish eating with the candles lit. In kindergarten, she would bring in 10¢ to get a stamp for her bond book to help with the war efforts. They also collected aluminum cans to be made into ammunition and weapons. Since her father worked in the oil heating business for Camp Shanks, he got to know a few soldiers, so Ms. S’s family would keep some of their cars in their yard until they got back.

The Clarkstown Country Club went into a financial decline and eventually had to close down during World War II. The same thing happened to the stadium. The Tappan Zee bridge was completed in 1955, since there had been a shortage of steel due to the Korean War. Ms. S said that “not that long ago she knew everyone in the area. But then after WWII, when the bridge opened up in the 1950s, the whole area changed. People came, people left...”