Sparkill History Day

WHAT: Sparkill History Day -- A twin-themed event including an exhibition of Sparkill historical materials supplied by the Sparkill History Project and by attendees, and a celebration of Christ Episcopal Church's 2011 listing on the New York State and National Registers of Historic Places

WHEN: Saturday, July 23, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

WHERE: Christ Episcopal Church, 41 New St., Sparkill

WHO: Co-Sponsored by the Sparkill History Project and Christ Church Sparkill

CONTACT: For more information, contact Larry Vail at 845-365-1159 or sparkillny@gmail.com, or the Christ Church at 845-359-2858, or visit the church's website at: www.christchurch-sparkill.org.

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Sparkill History and Christ Church’s Historic Status to be Celebrated July 23

Echoes of yesteryear resonate across Sparkill’s compact landscape: from the Gothic revival architecture of the Christ Episcopal Church; to historic Depot Square, where passenger trains once chugged along the Northern Valley Railroad from Jersey City; to the unchanging rhythms of the Sparkill Creek, the meandering stream that originally drew settlers to the area and after which this quaint Orangetown hamlet is named.

The rich history of Sparkill is to be celebrated July 23 at Christ Church Sparkill during a twin-themed event dubbed Sparkill History Day. Co-sponsored by the newly formed Sparkill History Project group and Christ Church, the exhibit has a dual purpose: to celebrate Christ Church’s 2011 listing on the New York State and National Registers of Historic Places, and to invite Sparkill residents and former residents to share their “attic treasures” such as vintage photos and documents, maps, family trees, heirlooms and other items evoking Sparkill’s past.

The Sparkill History Project, a group of local residents dedicated to recognizing, preserving and promoting the hamlet’s history, has assembled a collection of materials that will be showcased at the event. These include historical photos and postcards of such well-known Sparkill sites as the train station; Christ Church and St. Charles AME Zion Church; the ice pond, dam and ice house owned by Henry Boss; the Bauer Crowley insurance building; the old Sparkill Elementary School; Paulding Engine Co. firehouse; Sparkill Hotel; Mountain House; and various views of Main Street and other thoroughfares in the hamlet. Other highlighted artifacts include historical paintings of the depot and its environs in the “downtown” area.

“We realize our collection is modest and that residents have so much expert knowledge still to be discovered,” said Larry Vail, organizer of the Sparkill History Project. “We’re hoping the exhibit will whet residents’ appetites for their communal history and that they respond by bringing anything they want to share or need to know more about.” The history group intends to follow up attendees’ inquiries with further research and to provide digital copies of their materials. Also planned are short walking tours in close proximity to Christ Church and the downtown, and the presence of authorities on local history to answer attendees’ questions.

Plenty of history resides within the sturdy fieldstone walls of Christ Church, the first officially established Episcopal church in Rockland County. The church was founded as a missionary parish in 1848, in a converted Piermont warehouse once owned by Eleazar Lord, the first president of the Erie Railroad. The current church, which dates to 1864, sits on the Piermont-Sparkill border, two blocks east of the downtown business district.

Research within the past year by Christ Church members revealed that the church was designed by the Rev. Charles Babcock, one of the preeminent architects in America at that time and a founder of the American Institute of Architects. It was further discovered that Babcock donated the architectural plans to the church as a token of gratitude to the Rev. Solomon Hitchcock, the rector at Christ Church, who also performed yeoman missionary duty at several other fledgling Episcopal parishes in the Diocese of New York, including Babcock’s St. John’s parish in Greenwood, near present-day Arden in Orange County.

Babcock had designed a fieldstone Gothic church at St. John’s (which still stands) in 1863, when he was months from his ordination as a priest and the start of his rectorship at St. John’s. The prevailing view held that Babcock felt indebted to Hitchcock for his mentorship and for guiding his new parish at Greenwood through years of services. The story of Babcock’s generous gift to the Christ Church is recounted in Freely Given, a 20-page illustrated narrative that can be found on the church’s website, www.christchurch-sparkill.org.

Christ Church’s historic designation falls under the category of a religious property deriving primary significance from architectural or artistic distinction or historical importance. With its Gothic architecture and Norman-influenced interior, it is quite similar to the many small "chapel-churches" found in the English or Irish countryside. It retains an original chapel altar installed in 1898, and its stone façade is accented by a stained-glass rose window obtained by the church in 1938 from the Wayside Chapel in Grand View when it was converted to a private residence.

Sparkill History Day runs from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information, contact Larry Vail at 845-365-1159 or e-mail him at sparkillny@gmail.com. You may also call the church at 845-359-2858 or visit its website, www.christchurch-sparkill.org.