Congers, New York
Encyclopedia
Congers is a hamlet (and census-designated place
), in the Town of Clarkstown
Rockland County, New York
, United States located north of Valley Cottage
; east of New City
, across Lake DeForest, south of Haverstraw
and west of the Hudson River
. It lies 19 miles north of New York City's
Bronx
boundary. As of the 2000 census
, the CDP population was 8,303.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the CDP has a total area of 3.9 square miles (10.1 km²), of which 3.2 square miles (8.3 km²) is land and 0.7 square miles (1.8 km²) (18.39%) is water. The high percentage of Congers that sits under water is due to the hamlet's emplacement within and between four lakes: Congers Lake, Rockland Lake, Swartwout (also Swarthout) Lake, and the county reservoir, Lake DeForest. Congers is adjacent to Rockland Lake State Park.
of 2000, there were 8,303 people, 2,695 households, and 2,244 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 2,635.9 per square mile (1,017.7/km²). There were 2,743 housing units at an average density of 870.8/sq mi (336.2/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 85.2% White, 1.8% African American, 0.2% Native American, 8.6% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 2.1% from other races
, and 2.0% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 7.6% of the population.
Estimated median household income in 2008: $99,833 (it was $79,493 in 2000) making it one of the highest earning CDP's in the county.
There were 2,695 households out of which 40.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 70.3% were married couples living together, 9.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 16.7% were non-families. 13.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.05 and the average family size was 3.36. In the CDP the population was spread out with 26.1% under the age of 18, 6.9% from 18 to 24, 29.7% from 25 to 44, 26.6% from 45 to 64, and 10.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 95.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.6 males.
In the 19th century the Congers railroad station, three churches, a school, the firehouse and the Central, and Globe hotels were built. The first floor of the then Globe hotel on the southeastern corner of Congers Road is presently the Last Chance Saloon. The Clarktown Dutch Reformed Church still stands at the corner of Congers Road and Kings Highway.
Kings Highway was the first major road in the county and for many years the only road from New York to Albany
.
Today there exist nine structures with recognized historical markers dating back to the 18th century, including the DeBaum House on Kings Highway, the Smith House on Gilchrest Road and the Snedeker House, where the Commander-in-chief
George Washington
is believed to have spent a night.
St Paul's Church on Lake Road built in the early 1890s was Clarkstowns' first Catholic Church.
DeForest Lake, built in 1955/6 was named after Henry L Deforest - President of the Spring Valley Works and Supply Company.
, which accepts students in grades PreK-12 and was founded in 1959.
Census-designated place
A census-designated place is a concentration of population identified by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes. CDPs are delineated for each decennial census as the statistical counterparts of incorporated places such as cities, towns and villages...
), in the Town of Clarkstown
Clarkstown, New York
Clarkstown is a town in Rockland County, New York, United States. The town is on the eastern border of the county, located north of the town of Orangetown; east of the town of Ramapo; South of the town of Haverstraw and west of the Hudson River. As of the 2000 census, the town had a total...
Rockland County, New York
Rockland County, New York
Rockland County is a suburban county 15 miles to the northwest of Manhattan and part of the New York City Metropolitan Area, in the U.S. state of New York. It is the southernmost county in New York west of the Hudson River, and the smallest county in New York outside of New York City. The...
, United States located north of Valley Cottage
Valley Cottage, New York
Valley Cottage is a hamlet , in the Town of Clarkstown Rockland County, New York, United States located north of West Nyack; east of New City; south of Congers and west of Upper Nyack...
; east of New City
New City, New York
New City is a hamlet , in the Town of Clarkstown Rockland County, New York, United States, part of the New York Metropolitan Area. The hamlet is a suburb of New York City, located 18 miles north of the city at the closest point, Riverdale, The Bronx...
, across Lake DeForest, south of Haverstraw
Haverstraw (village), New York
Haverstraw is a village in the town of Haverstraw in Rockland County, New York, United States located north of Congers; southeast of West Haverstraw; east of Garnerville, New York; northeast of New City and west of the Hudson River at its widest point...
and west of the Hudson River
Hudson River
The Hudson is a river that flows from north to south through eastern New York. The highest official source is at Lake Tear of the Clouds, on the slopes of Mount Marcy in the Adirondack Mountains. The river itself officially begins in Henderson Lake in Newcomb, New York...
. It lies 19 miles north of New York City's
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
Bronx
The Bronx
The Bronx is the northernmost of the five boroughs of New York City. It is also known as Bronx County, the last of the 62 counties of New York State to be incorporated...
boundary. As of the 2000 census
United States Census, 2000
The Twenty-second United States Census, known as Census 2000 and conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2% over the 248,709,873 persons enumerated during the 1990 Census...
, the CDP population was 8,303.
Geography
Congers is located at 41°8′47"N 73°56′39"W (41.146445, -73.944036).According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the CDP has a total area of 3.9 square miles (10.1 km²), of which 3.2 square miles (8.3 km²) is land and 0.7 square miles (1.8 km²) (18.39%) is water. The high percentage of Congers that sits under water is due to the hamlet's emplacement within and between four lakes: Congers Lake, Rockland Lake, Swartwout (also Swarthout) Lake, and the county reservoir, Lake DeForest. Congers is adjacent to Rockland Lake State Park.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 8,303 people, 2,695 households, and 2,244 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 2,635.9 per square mile (1,017.7/km²). There were 2,743 housing units at an average density of 870.8/sq mi (336.2/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 85.2% White, 1.8% African American, 0.2% Native American, 8.6% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 2.1% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 2.0% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 7.6% of the population.
Estimated median household income in 2008: $99,833 (it was $79,493 in 2000) making it one of the highest earning CDP's in the county.
There were 2,695 households out of which 40.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 70.3% were married couples living together, 9.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 16.7% were non-families. 13.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.05 and the average family size was 3.36. In the CDP the population was spread out with 26.1% under the age of 18, 6.9% from 18 to 24, 29.7% from 25 to 44, 26.6% from 45 to 64, and 10.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 95.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.6 males.
History
Congers, named after Abraham B. Conger, was settled in the late 17th century by Dutch, German and English settlers and was known as Cedar Grove Corner and then Waldberg, which in German means "forest mountain".In the 19th century the Congers railroad station, three churches, a school, the firehouse and the Central, and Globe hotels were built. The first floor of the then Globe hotel on the southeastern corner of Congers Road is presently the Last Chance Saloon. The Clarktown Dutch Reformed Church still stands at the corner of Congers Road and Kings Highway.
Kings Highway was the first major road in the county and for many years the only road from New York to Albany
Albany, New York
Albany is the capital city of the U.S. state of New York, the seat of Albany County, and the central city of New York's Capital District. Roughly north of New York City, Albany sits on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River...
.
Today there exist nine structures with recognized historical markers dating back to the 18th century, including the DeBaum House on Kings Highway, the Smith House on Gilchrest Road and the Snedeker House, where the Commander-in-chief
Commander-in-Chief
A commander-in-chief is the commander of a nation's military forces or significant element of those forces. In the latter case, the force element may be defined as those forces within a particular region or those forces which are associated by function. As a practical term it refers to the military...
George Washington
George Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
is believed to have spent a night.
St Paul's Church on Lake Road built in the early 1890s was Clarkstowns' first Catholic Church.
DeForest Lake, built in 1955/6 was named after Henry L Deforest - President of the Spring Valley Works and Supply Company.
Education
Congers has two elementary schools, Congers Elementary and Lakewood Elementary. Students from these schools will attend Felix Festa Middle School and then Clarkstown North High School. Congers is also the home of Rockland Country Day SchoolRockland Country Day School
Rockland Country Day School is a private coed college-preparatory school that serves students in Pre-K through 12th grade. It is located in Congers, New York and was founded in 1959 as an alternative to public education in Rockland County...
, which accepts students in grades PreK-12 and was founded in 1959.
Historical markers
- Congers Lake Dam, Gilchrest Road
- Congers School - 9 Lake Road
- Congers Station - Lake Road & Burnside Avenue
- Dr. Davies Farm - Dr. Davies Road off Route 9W
- Kings Highway - Kings Highway & Congers Road
- Kings Highway & the Long Clove, Old Haverstraw Road
- Paul Farmhouse - Gilchrest Road
- Snedeker Farm - 74 Endicott Street
- Snedeker Landing - Route 9W & Long Clove Roads
- St. Paul's Church- Lake Rd. Congers at the church
Landmarks and places of interest
- Congers Historical Museum - Second floor of the century-old Congers Railroad Station Park building - Lake Road & Burnside Avenue
- Congers United Methodist Church - On April 3, 1831, Easter Sunday, the first service was held. The congregation consisted of Presbyterians and former members of the Dutch Reformed Church. Originally, the Congers Church was named the Waldberg Dutch Reformed Church. In 1968, the Evangelical United Brethren Church merged with the Methodist Church and became known as the United Methodist Church. The church's 175th anniversary was celebrated in 2006.
- Dr. Davies Farm - The farmhouse, part of a 450 acres (1.8 km²) farm that ran from Rockland Lake to the Hudson River was built in 1836 and is of the early frontier federalist style. In 1891 Arthur B. Davies and Dr. Lucy Meriwether married and purchased what is now the Davies home farm for $6500.00. Lucy Virginia Meriweather Davies, M.D. was a relative of Meriwether Lewis (of the Lewis and Clark ExpeditionLewis and Clark ExpeditionThe Lewis and Clark Expedition, or ″Corps of Discovery Expedition" was the first transcontinental expedition to the Pacific Coast by the United States. Commissioned by President Thomas Jefferson and led by two Virginia-born veterans of Indian wars in the Ohio Valley, Meriwether Lewis and William...
) and a general practitioner who, in her time, delivered a significant part of Rockland's population: 7,000 babies. She also farmed the land which her descendants operate today. In 2007 the present Davies owners gifted with no tax benefits 6-8 acres of its property to Rockland Center for the Arts - (RoCA) located in West Nyack, New YorkWest Nyack, New YorkWest Nyack is a hamlet in the Town of Clarkstown Rockland County, New York, United States located north of Central Nyack; east of Nanuet; south of Valley Cottage and west of Upper Nyack. It is approximately 18 miles north of New York City...
.
- Rockland Lake Museum - Rockland Lake State ParkRockland Lake State ParkRockland Lake State Park is located on a ridge of Hook Mountain above the west bank of the Hudson River, in the hamlet of Congers, which is in the eastern part of the Town of Clarkstown in Rockland County, New York. The park sits between the west bank of the Hudson River and Route 9W...
- Open all year, but call the office in advance to make sure someone can unlock the room in which the exhibit is contained. Free. Exhibits releating to the local ice industry and community life in Rockland Lake Village, including ice harvesting tools. - John Mini Distinctive Landscapes [Corporate Campus] - The company's 19 acres (76,890.3 m²) main corporate campus in housed in Congers, making it one of the largest landscape contractor properties in the nation.
- Self-Transcendence MarathonSelf-Transcendence MarathonThe Self-Transcendence Marathon is a marathon around the shores of Rockland Lake State Park, located in Congers, New York, north of New York City. Inaugurated in 2002, the event attracts around 900 international runners. The Marathon takes place in the last week of August.-External links:* - 'Sri...
- Held the last week of August at Rockland Lake State Park.
Notable residents
- Peter O'BrienPeter O'Brien (filmmaker)Peter James O'Brien is an independent filmmaker and author from Congers, NY. He is best known for directing, producing, and editing the thrash metal documentary, "Riphouse 151: Could've Been's & Wanna Be's." - Biography :...
: Director of "Riphouse 151: Could've Been's & Wanna Be'sRiphouse 151: Could've Been's & Wanna Be'sRiphouse 151: Could've Been's & Wanna Be's is a 2008 retrospective documentary film. It chronicles the rise and fall of Riphouse, a thrash metal band from Rockland County, New York. The film was directed by Peter O'Brien and features interviews with Rob Dukes , Don La Greca of ESPN radio, Rob...
"http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1757480/ - Will CunnaneWill CunnaneWilliam Joseph Cunnane is a former right-handed Major League Baseball pitcher. He graduated from Clarkstown High School North in New City, New York in 1992, where he played baseball and ran cross country...
, Played Major League Baseball - Chief Edward R Gleason Jr.: Palisades Interstate Park Police Chief http://www.policememorial.com/Html/chief_edward_gleason.html
- Lucy Virginia Meriweather Davies, M.D. was a relative of Meriwether Lewis (of the Lewis and Clark ExpeditionLewis and Clark ExpeditionThe Lewis and Clark Expedition, or ″Corps of Discovery Expedition" was the first transcontinental expedition to the Pacific Coast by the United States. Commissioned by President Thomas Jefferson and led by two Virginia-born veterans of Indian wars in the Ohio Valley, Meriwether Lewis and William...
) and a general practitioner who, in her time, delivered a significant part of Rockland's population: 7,000 babies. She was one of the first graduates of Women's Medical College in New York City and was the main physician for the quarryQuarryA quarry is a type of open-pit mine from which rock or minerals are extracted. Quarries are generally used for extracting building materials, such as dimension stone, construction aggregate, riprap, sand, and gravel. They are often collocated with concrete and asphalt plants due to the requirement...
and ice industry workers in Rockland County. - Lide Meriwether, Lucy Virginia Meriweather Davies' mother, was a well-known southern suffragist who was a friend of Susan B. AnthonySusan B. AnthonySusan Brownell Anthony was a prominent American civil rights leader who played a pivotal role in the 19th century women's rights movement to introduce women's suffrage into the United States. She was co-founder of the first Women's Temperance Movement with Elizabeth Cady Stanton as President...
and Lucy StoneLucy StoneLucy Stone was a prominent American abolitionist and suffragist, and a vocal advocate and organizer promoting rights for women. In 1847, Stone was the first woman from Massachusetts to earn a college degree. She spoke out for women's rights and against slavery at a time when women were discouraged...
, and was instrumental in the ratificationRatificationRatification is a principal's approval of an act of its agent where the agent lacked authority to legally bind the principal. The term applies to private contract law, international treaties, and constitutionals in federations such as the United States and Canada.- Private law :In contract law, the...
of the Nineteenth AmendmentNineteenth Amendment to the United States ConstitutionThe Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution prohibits any United States citizen to be denied the right to vote based on sex. It was ratified on August 18, 1920....
in 1920. The Meriwethers lived next door to Jefferson Finis DavisJefferson DavisJefferson Finis Davis , also known as Jeff Davis, was an American statesman and leader of the Confederacy during the American Civil War, serving as President for its entire history. He was born in Kentucky to Samuel and Jane Davis...
, President of the Confederate States of AmericaPresident of the Confederate States of AmericaThe President of the Confederate States of America was the Head of State and Head of Government of the Confederate States of America, which was formed from the states which declared their secession from the United States, thus precipitating the American Civil War. The only person to hold the...
in Memphis, TennesseeMemphis, TennesseeMemphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
. - Devon HarrisDevon HarrisDevon Harris in a Jamaican retired bobsledder and military officer. He was one of the founding members of the Jamaica national bobsled team, which first competed in the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary, Alberta...
, 3-time OlympianOlympic GamesThe Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
, member of the Jamaican Bobsled Team. - Frank Maresca: reality show contestant on I Love New York 2I Love New York 2I Love New York 2 is a reality television show on VH1 that stars Tiffany "New York" Pollard who is on a quest to find her true love. Her relationship with season one's winner, Tango, ended shortly after the season concluded. Unlike the first season, Mauricio Sanchez did not return as "Chamo", New...
and I Love MoneyI Love MoneyI Love Money is an American reality television series airing on VH1, and is a spin-off of Flavor of Love, Charm School, I Love New York, Rock of Love, Real Chance of Love, For the Love of Ray J, Daisy of Love and Megan Wants a Millionaire. Former contestants on these shows compete in physical and...
. - Mark Triscott: Award winning microbiologist, responsible for a number of coagulatory assay patents. http://www.patentgenius.com/patent/5985582.html
- Adam GussowAdam GussowAdam Gussow is a scholar, memoirist, and blues harmonica player.Gussow is currently an associate professor of English and Southern Studies at the University of Mississippi in Oxford...
: writer and blues harmonica player, member of the duo Satan and AdamSatan and AdamSatan and Adam, a blues duo consisting of Sterling "Mister Satan" Magee and Adam Gussow , were a fixture on Harlem's sidewalks in the late 1980s and early 1990s...
. - Edward J. Kiernan (Big Ed): Former New York City Patrolmen's Benevolent Association President. President Emeritus of the I.U.P.A.: International Union of Police Associations.