The Barons of Broadway #18
In this eighteenth episode we investigate Henry Palmer, a Revolutionary War hero, who arrived in Nyack in 1776 as our first Baron of Broadway. While his biography is sparse, we do know that he left a lasting impression on the Nyacks. Fleeing the British in New York City, Palmer and his wife, Hannah Knapp, headed to her family farm in Upper Nyack. Here Henry Palmer joined the Nyack Shore Patrol defending Nyack from British raids. After the war, Palmer purchased much of the old Knapp farm, residing near the intersection of the “Road to the Hook” (North Broadway) and the “Road to the Pond” (Old Mountain Road).
Henry Palmer, Patriot
Born in Brooklyn in1740, Palmer established himself in the “carrying trade”, distributing goods on a boat he owned for one of the largest mercantile firms in New York City. His prominence in trading would have made him a well-known figure to the British in New York City before the Revolutionary War. He married Hannah Knapp in 1868. They had eight children, notably two boys, Henry and William, who would later inherit his land.
It is unclear how Palmer met Hannah Knapp, but her connection to Nyack provided a refuge for the family after the start of the Revolutionary War. The British offered Palmer financial advantages to join their cause after the Battle of Bunker Hill. Instead, Palmer conveyed two cargos of arms and ammunitions to the Continental Army that had been seized by the Sons of Liberty. As a pariah to the British, it became necessary that he move to his wife’s family farm soon thereafter. The Palmers lived along the east side of North Broadway near Old Mountain Road.
Palmer lived until 1806, Hannah until 1833. Both are buried in the Old Palmer Burial Grounds.
The Knapp Farm in Upper Nyack
It is worth noting that Knapp farm, purchased by Benjamin Knapp around 1762 from the Kuyper family, the original colonial owners of Upper Nyack. At 220 acres, Knapp’s farm was one of the largest in the Nyacks. It ran from present-day Castle Heights Avenue to just north of Old Mountain Road and from the Hudson River in the east to the top of West Hook Mountain. Knapp lived in a Dutch-style, stone house at the site of today’s Upper Nyack Elementary School. Like many of the early dwellings, the eaves of the house nearly touched the ground creating covered exterior workspaces. The interior must have been extremely gloomy.
British Hatred of Nyack
Because of their dislike of Henry Palmer, the British used every opportunity to practice their distance cannonading aiming at Nyack farms. The British frigates, anchored near Tarrytown, would fire long distance. For years, after the War, farmers would uncover British cannonballs in their fields.
The Shore Patrol
Charged by Washington to defend the western shore of the lower Hudson Valley, Colonel Ann Hawkes Hay established a shore patrol and defenses for Snedens Landing, Nyack, and Haverstraw. At Nyack, he built earthworks at the Nyack docks. Farm owners Major John Smith, his brother Aury Smith, and neighbor Abram Sarvent, joined with Captain Henry Palmer to patrol the Nyack shoreline at night when the British used the cover of darkness to raid homes.
The Skirmish at Sargent’s Landing
One of the more notable defenses against a raiding party occurred in 1877 at Sarvent’s Landing when a British galley attempted to capture or destroy Sarvent’s sloop moored near his quarry. Palmer, Sarvent, Cornelius Cuyper, Peter Freeland, and Major Smith concealed themselves in Sarvent’s quarry near the river. Waiting until the British were in close range, the patriots opened fire. The galley pulled away and then made two more attempts to land. The patriots repulsed each attempt.
The galley then pulled up near Henry Palmer’s house just north of Sarvent’s landing. They shot their bow carronade. Every shot either hit the house or tore up the yard. Forced to flee, Mrs. Palmer fled west among brambles and shrubs along Upper Nyack Brook while holding an infant in her arms. Dirt splattered Hanah Palmer when one shot hit the bank beside her. According to historian Frank Green, nine British bodies floated ashore the next day.
Other British Incursions
Other British incursions proved to be more successful. The British succeeded in burning Major Smith’s stone house. Michael Cornelison was abducted from his house located near the Bight and held for ransom at the Sugar House prison in New York City. When his wife attempted to contact him, she too was imprisoned. Both were freed six months later.
Henry Palmer’s sons–William Palmer (1779-1859) & James Palmer (1793-1854)
William and James Palmer inherited their father’s farm in 1806. William inherited the southern half straddling today’s Birchwood Avenue, and James section straddled Old Mountain Road.
James married Catherine Smith, age 18, the daughter of Major John Smith in 1798.They had three children. Unfortunately, Catherine died shortly after the birth of their third child., James deeded two properties during his lifetime to benefit the community. In 1826, he deeded land for the Upper Nyack School located on the west side of Old Mountain Road just east of Midland Avenue. In 1837, he deeded property for a burial ground on Old Mountain Road, today known as the Old Palmer Burial Ground. The graveyard contains the remains of the Cuypers, the first settlers of Upper Nyack along with the remains of Revolutionary War heroes Henry Palmer, Aury Smith, and Major John Smith, among others.
The Old Palmer Burial Ground on Old Mountain Road is a “who’s who” of early Upper Nyack. The Knapp and Palmer families are buried here.
William Palmer married Anna Bogert in 1804. William became one of the founding members of the methodism in Nyack. In 1812, William Palmer, Nicholas Williamson, and John Green met at Green’s house to organize the Methodist Episcopal church. Palmer donated the ground and sandstone from his quarry to build the new church. The Old Stone Church opened in 1813 and remains the oldest original church building in Rockland County. It is known that the Williamson’s donated slave labor to build the church. Census records for the period do not list any enslaved people at the Palmer farm.
John Palmer’s Vineyard
William Palmer’ son John, farmed one of Nyack’s largest vineyards. Described in 1860 in detail in the Rockland County Journal, Palmer farmed some 1,200 vines yielding 8 tons of grapes per year. The main vineyards stretched up the hillside above the Palmer house where Birchwood Avenue is now located. The vines planted ten feet apart were all carefully nurtured. Vines were pruned after the season. In Palmer’s case leaves were left on the vines to protect the grapes from sun bleaching. Catawba was one of the principal grapes of the time. The sight of blossom break in the spring and the heavy clusters of grapes in the early farms must have been quite a sight on the hills west of North Broadway.
The Palmer Legacy
Henry Palmer, Nyack’s Revolutionary War hero, became the first of the many wealthy Barons who purchased old Nyack farms. His sons contributed to the welfare of their community. By 1867, the old Palmer farm had passed to people outside of the family. One of the new owners, James Crumbie and his family became important Upper Nyack citizens. They built Glenholme, one of Nyack’s most iconic homes, on a hill above North Broadway. The story of the Crumbies and Glenholme appears in our next segment.
Barons of Broadway Series
#1 The Magnificent Saga Of Larchdell
#2 Revisiting Underclyffe–A Lost, Gilded Age Mansion
#3 The Adriance Era At Underclyffe Manor
#4 The Flying Dutchman Lands at Underclyffe Manor
#5 The Saga of Rivercliff”s Storied Residents
#6 The Winding Saga of River Hook
#8 The Legacy of Belle Crest: From Clockmakers to Tennis Champions
#11 The Dynamite Baron- Wilson P. Foss Legacy at Under Elms
#12 Atlas Acres – The Botanist in Under Elms’ Garage
#13 The Baroness of Shadowcliff
#14 The Peace Room at Shadowcliff – The Story of the Fellowship of Reconciliation
#15 The Troubled Legacy of Williamson Manor
#16 The Moorings: A Confederate General & the Cottages
#17 The Moorings: A Glimpse into the Clarkstown Country Club Era
Mike Hays lived in the Nyacks for 38-years. He worked for McGraw-Hill Education in New York City for many years. Hays serves as President of the Historical Society of the Nyacks, and Vice-President of the Edward Hopper House Museum & Study Center. Married to Bernie Richey, he enjoys cycling and winters in Florida. You can follow him on Instagram as UpperNyackMike.
Editor’s note: This article is sponsored by Sun River Health and Ellis Sotheby’s International Realty. Sun River Health is a network of 43 Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) providing primary, dental, pediatric, OB-GYN, and behavioral health care to over 245,000 patients annually. Ellis Sotheby’s International Realty is the lower Hudson Valley’s Leader in Luxury. Located in the charming Hudson River village of Nyack, approximately 22 miles from New York City. Our agents are passionate about listing and selling extraordinary properties in the Lower Hudson Valley, including Rockland and Orange Counties, New York.
