A Walk through Peekskill – Bruised Apple Books

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At the end of my uphill trek, I ended up outside one of my favorite bookstores: Bruised Apple Books. I was tired and very thirsty, but I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to go in and look around. Thankfully it was air-conditioned.

The store describes itself as follows:

The Bruised Apple is as far from the big corporate bookstores as you can get. From the hand painted sign above the front door to the numerous hidden (and not so hidden) clippings and letters that decorate the store, everything is personalized by the family and friends of the Bruised Apple. Since 1993 we have been buying selling and trading all sorts of used, out of print and sometimes truly rare books, records and now also CDs and movies. We also carry an interesting selection of new books and maps about history and the outdoors in the Hudson Valley. We have about 50,000 titles organized into about 200 subject headings that are comfortably nestled along aisles wide enough to avoid the dreaded claustrophobia…

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I ended up coming out with two books in used but decent condition: Magnum Landscape and Photography: Essays and Images.

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Taken with a Sony RX10 IV

A Walk through Peekskill – Murals

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Peekskill has quite a lot of murals. In this particular location (Central Ave) there were several more. I only photographed these two. I’ve not yet been able to find any information about them (e.g. who created them, what they represent, why they’re there etc.), but while looking for such information I came across a person who described such murals as “putting lipstick on a pig”.

I don’t agree. I like the bright colors; they brighten up the place a lot.

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Taken with a Sony RX10 IV

A Walk through Peekskill – Lincoln Depot Museum

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According to the museum’s website:

Located by Peekskill Bay on the east bank of the Hudson River, The Lincoln Depot Museum is a 3,000 square foot freight and passenger rail depot where President-elect Abraham Lincoln stopped to greet New Yorkers on February 19, 1861 during his inaugural train ride between Springfield, IL and Washington, DC.

New York State Governor George Pataki aided the City of Peekskill with a grant to restore the old rail depot as a museum. County Legislator John G. Testa, then the Mayor of Peekskill, steered a volunteer board of directors to incorporate The Lincoln Depot Foundation, Inc. as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization established to restore the Depot as a museum that would illuminate and celebrate Lincoln’s relationship to New York and to New Yorkers before and during the Civil War. Remembering and recounting Lincoln’s ties to Peekskill has special resonance for those who treasure the history of the Hudson Valley as well as lovers of Civil War history.

The mission of The Lincoln Depot Museum is to explore, remember, and educate audiences about the place that our local history played on the national stage.

HISTORY

The Hudson River Railroad finally reached Peekskill in 1849. Early City Historian Carlton B. Scofield described the original station as a “grimy, wooden shack measuring twelve by fourteen feet.” Due to a fire and the expansion of the railroad line to Poughkeepsie in 1850 and then to Albany in 1851, it was clear a new and larger station was needed. The combination Greek and Gothic Revival station visited by Lincoln in 1861 is one of only two surviving original locations visited by Lincoln on his Inaugural Journey. The other is located in Springfield, Illinois, where Lincoln’s trip began. The depot originally served as a combination passenger station and freight depot. The depot was eventually abandoned for passenger use in 1874 when the present Romanesque Style station was opened on Railroad Avenue. Although there are no known records showing the exact date the depot was constructed, the earliest known map depicting the depot is from 1852. An original copy of this map is on display in the museum.

Abraham Lincoln left Springfield, Illinois on February 11, 1861 and arrived in Washington DC on February 23rd for his upcoming Inauguration as President of the United States. His stop in Peekskill on February 19th was his only stop in Westchester County. He stopped at the invitation of one of Peekskill’s most prominent citizens, William Nelson, a local lawyer and former Congressman serving with Lincoln from 1847-49. Two village residents attending Lincoln’s visit were Chauncey M. Depew (26 years old) and James W. Husted (27 years old). Both men were recent graduates of Yale and these local lawyers led the local supporters of Lincoln. Together, they formed the Highland Wide Awakes and led pro-Lincoln parades through the streets of Peekskill. Both would go on to prominence of their own. Depew was a NY State Assembly member, NY Secretary of State, Westchester County Clerk, US Senator and President of the NY Central Railroad; he played an important role in Lincoln’s reelection obtaining the votes of NY soldiers in the field. Husted served 22 years as a member of the NY State Assembly spending time as Speaker and Minority Leader and he became a Major General for the Fifth Division of the NY National Guard. Additionally, he spent time as Superintendent of Peekskill Public Schools and Harbor Master of NY.

Taken with a Sony RX10 IV

A Walk through Peekskill – The Standard House

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According to Wikipedia:

The Standard House is a landmark in the city of Peekskill in Westchester County, New York, built in 1855. It is located at 50 Hudson Avenue between South Water Street and the Metro-North Hudson Line train tracks.

An Italianate brick building, it and the Union Hotel across the street are the only two hotel buildings remaining from the period of Peekskill’s industrial height as a center for the manufacture of stoves. It continued to be in use as a hotel after that industry declined, but couldn’t survive the decline of the railroad in the mid-20th century. Vacant and neglected through most of the later years of that century, it was restored early in the next. In 2000 it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Currently it houses a retail store on the ground floor, and the city’s economic development offices.

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As you’ll see from the sign The Standard House also houses Dylan’s Wine Cellar. According to their website:

[It] dates back to 1853 when a prominent Peekskill resident, Thomas Nelson sold the property the Standard House was built on in 1853 for $525 to another Peekskill resident, Issac Reynolds. Mr. Reynolds began construction of the Standard House likely between 1853 and 1858. During this time the Peekskill waterfront was hustle and bustling with lots of foundries, factories, salons, and hotels. The waterfront was a hub for transportation between the docks and train depot with the transportation of freight and passengers from New York and surrounding areas.

Early assessment documents listed the history of the Standard House has the following:

  • 1879 “Store”
  • 1881 to 1883 “Salon”
  • 1883 to 1890, the Standard House was sold numerous times.
  • April 1, 1890 John Galligan purchased the Standard House and the assessment records indicated the Standard House as a salon. An advertisement in the Annual Directory of Peekskill in 1900 read “Standard House” bar well stocked with the choicest liquors, wines, ales and cigars.
  • 1901-1911 “Hotel”.
  • November 17, 1911 the Standard House was sold to Patrick O’Neil Jr. who sold the building a short time after to A. Hupfels Sons Brewing Company.
  • September 9, 1920 John J. Carbon bought the Standard House. Mr. Carbone operated, Carbones, a well-known Peekskill restaurant and bar. The Standard House stayed in the Carbone family as Carbones and the Central Grill from 1920 to 1997. Unfortunately, over the years, the Standard House was neglected and fell into disrepair. Sometime in the early 90’s there was a fire on the third floor and the building suffered fire and water damage. After the fire the building was boarded up and left to deteriorate.
  • December 17, 1998, the Standard House was given new life when Peekskill residents, Richard and Kathy Cerreta, purchased the building. Once purchased, the Cerreta’s paid the back taxes and all building violations and began work. Instead of building new, the Cerreta’s were very meticulous with restoring the building, refurbishing most of the original materials and architecture. In 18 short months, the Standard House was transformed from a building that was dilapidated to a pristine work of art. The Cerreta’s were at the forefront of the revitalization of Peekskill and they created a high “standard” of historic restoration of Peekskill’s architectural history.

Accolades

  • The Standard House has been awarded New York State Register of Historic Places (4/4/00)
  • National Register of Historic Places (National Landmark Status) (9/22/00)
  • Peekskill’s first Local Historic Landmark (2/26/01).

The Cerreta’s have also been recognized with many awards for their preservation of the Standard House. Today, the building is owned by the Zwick family, owners of Dylan’s Wine Cellar. They intend to preserve and continue the rich history of the Standard House by keeping the building original and in the family.

For lots more information on The Standard House see: Standard House.

Taken with a Sony RX10 IV