On January 8th, 1906, a catastrophic landslide destroyed a large portion of Haverstraw in Rockland County, NY, and took the lives of 19 people.
On the anniversary of this tragic event, we commemorate the lives lost and the bravery of so many: the rescue teams, search parties, and members of the S.W. Johnson Steam Fire Engine Company that saved many despite the cold and harsh winter.
Since about 1815, the downtown riverbanks on the Hudson River were continuously excavated for clay for the region’s brick-making industry. Gradually, the banks became increasingly more steep and precarious from over-digging.
In 1902 the Army Corps of Engineers issued warnings to halt digging when deep cracks appeared in the streets but the brickyards continued to dig. Ultimately, this is what led to the landslide.
It initially began at 11 pm on the 8th, but it occurred in three stages. The first stage sent many villagers into the streets, some of them still barefoot. Stoves and kerosene lamps were knocked over, causing fires that set buildings ablaze.
The second stage began at 11:20 pm, which caught many by surprise and leaving them trapped to be killed by the third stage of the landslide at about 11:30 pm.
You can learn more about the landslide in this short documentary.
A similar landslide occurred in the brick yards in Troy earlier in the 19th century.
Illustrations, from above: the 1906 landslide (courtesy Haverstraw Brick Museum); and a 1912 map showing Haverstraw brick works (courtesy Hudson River Maritime Museum).
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