This house was built by my Great Great Grandfather Harvey Polhemus in Valley Cottage, NY. This is the house I want to live in.
This house was built by my Great Great Grandfather Harvey Polhemus in Valley Cottage, NY. This is the house I want to live in.
10 Comments
Wow…..Small world.
Your Great Great Granpa may have built it :-) But sometime down the line my Family Lived in the house as well :-) My family is the Brooks. I have photos of My Great Great Grandpa , Great Grand pa, and my grand father sittin on the front porch. I have been tring to find someone who knows something about the house for many years. My family the Brooks raced horses,and use to tyrain them on the old race track that was destroyed years ago. I hope to build a house similar to it at some time in my life. What a BEAUTIFUL HOUSE. Wish I had paid more attention to it when I was a child :-( before they tore it down :-(
Lori Brooks
You can write me @ [email protected]
The race track was in Central Nyack (they called it West Nyack back then) and there is a famous painting of it http://americanart.si.edu/images/1976/1976.146.18_1a.jpg
I’ll make a post about it.
Polhemus was the county engineer and his signature can be seen on the plans of the old roads and county projects.
I’ve like to know more about the Brooks.
Keith
What a small world……..Comment to this post I forgot to check Notify me of comments…
Thanx,
Lori
How old are you Keith?…just wondering……There was indeed a racetrack between Kings Highway and 303. I wish again I had paid more attention when I was a child. Didn’t find out about Polhemus House until after my Grandfather died :-( He died at 95. Somewhere I found the evidence of the racetrack not to sure was a few years back. Prob at the Valley Cottage pictures, no picture but a mebtion of it.. Plus the historian of the library told me about it. My family Trained Maud S. an infamous race horse ( trotter). Edward Anderson Built the race track I think. He was married to Ada Brooks. Family records show that there were several Houses we owned. Including a garage that the family had a taxi business,….back then they called it touring cars……LOL….Was Strong TV for many years. We also owned the White house next to the Brega bus Co. And a rocks throw up Kings highway the Anderson Estate. There Is an old barn and there use to be old racing posters on the wall. My parents said. My Mom went to school with Butch Foley. A later owner of the property.
One day I have to go to the Rockland Co. Seat, and see just how much land we owned. Besides Polhemus house.
There was a Cracker Jacks comercial filmed on the outside of the house just before they tore it down. Mitch Miller I believe owned the house then. May even have been responsible for haveing it toen down.
It was a churh for a short time I was told. Have you seen the picture?
At some point someone enclosed in the porch :-( I can’t find it right now. But that too came from the V.C. Library archives. Actually My grandfater donated the picture. As well as the one of the olg garage on Kings highway.
Great to meet you Keith !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Lori
I found the picture………..Just cut and paste the link into your browser.
What a lovely house indeed. Looks like over the years some of the old articture was lost and some added. The widows walk for instance. The porch was enclosed. And a carport added. The original design was the best :-)Did your G G G Grandad design the articture of the house as well ?
Lori
Cut and paste this.
http://www.hrvh.org/cdm4/item_viewer.php?CISOROOT=/larc&CISOPTR=1856&CISOBOX=1&REC=11
Looks like just click on the link above……………
Dad told me that valley cottage was named after grandma’s house she called or her mother called it the “Valley Cottage” do you think this was it?
Dad said that there was a house where the Polhemus sisters, his great Aunts lived. They called the house, The Valley Cottage. People often came to visit the Valley Cottage and eventually everyone called the area Valley Cottage.
Keith
I came across this post again. While once again researching the house. As I’m always doing. I think I’m close to finding the Cracker Jacks Commercial that was filmed at the house in the late 60s. I have a few pixs of the house it you’re interested in them. People called it a mansion. Very interesting on that Valley Cottage was named after the house. It was surely a gem. These days homes like this are protected from demolition. Kills me to think it was destroyed.
As you can see. I continue to do research on the house…….my Email addy is…[email protected]. …Or you can find me on Facebook……Lori Brooks Allen. Love to hear from you soon.
Lori Brooks Allen
My Dad told me that the cottage in the valley was his Grandfather’s house – the one in the picture. Many people would visit my great grandfather’s daughters at the “cottage in the valley”. Of course, that whole side of the family told some whoppers over the years. This one has the ring of truth.
From wikipedia:
According to George H. Burke’s book Rockland County during the American Revolution, 1776-1781, Valley Cottage was once known as Storm’s Corner.
In 1876, just before the opening of the West Shore Railroad station, the residents assembled at the school room agreed on the name “Valley Cottage”, referring to the house nearest the station “that cottage in the valley”.
Another version has it that the name of the hamlet came about because of a famous trotting horse named “Cottage Maid”, owned by Ed Green who owned the land where the station, the Marcus store and other buildings stood.