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From Pirate House to Country Clubs – The Evolution of Baron Hugh Maxwell’s Estate

Barons of Broadway #26

Hugh Maxwell’s large Upper Nyack estate entered a new chapter even before the contentious resolution of his will. In 1890, the quiet brick home transformed into the boisterous clubhouse for the Nyack Country Club at 336 N Broadway. During its time as a social hub, the house underwent significant expansions and renovations, becoming the epicenter of Gilded Age revelry. Nyack’s affluent residents gathered there for a variety of entertainments.

As Maxwell’s legacy faded, a whimsical legend emerged: the house had been built by a French pirate during the War of 1812. A mysterious stone tunnel beneath North Broadway, supposedly used for smuggling goods, seemed to support the story. The romantic tale persisted and added an air of intrigue to the estate’s history. Later revelations proved the “pirate’s tunnel” was merely a drainage duct.

This photo and caption taken from the 1927 Rockland County Red Book demonstrates the prevalence of the myth of the building’s French pirate origins. The photo is one of the few to show the rear of the building with its sunporches. Note the people standing on the second level.

After World War I, the property shifted identities, first becoming the Braeburn Country Club under Pierre Bernard’s ownership and later the Clarkstown Country Club when Bernard relocated the center to his larger South Nyack estate. The once-glorious Maxwell estate settled into a quieter existence as a gymnastic center and guesthouse. Without proper maintenance, the house fell into disrepair and was demolished in 1951 to make way for Upper Nyack Elementary School.

The Nyack Country Club: Gilded Age Splendor

This post card shows a man standing in front of a carriage at the Nyack Country Club circa 1890s.

The Nyack Country Club served as a vibrant social hub for wealthy locals and summer visitors. Its grounds featured tennis courts along North Broadway, a nine-hole golf course, archery fields, horse show venues, billiards rooms, and baseball diamonds. Members enjoyed Shakespearean performances, card games, and Saturday night dances, with lawns illuminated by fairy lamps and Japanese lanterns. The clubhouse restaurant, sometimes staffed by a French chef, added a touch of sophistication to the club’s offerings.

A detail from the 1892 Sanborn insurance map of Nyack showing the layout of the country club. Their map depicts the old house with a small veranda, later extended along with the casino addition that included a stage and a balcony. A second building of unknown function was built behind the dance hall. The tennis court is shown along North Broadway. Two stables are shown north of the clubhouse.

The club operated from May to November, its shaded drive bustling with activity. Newspapers frequently highlighted its tennis tournaments and high-profile events, cementing its status as a cornerstone of Nyack’s Gilded Age society.

A view of the country club tennis courts looking toward Broadway. Note the archery target. Tennis and archery were popular among both men and women during the Gilded Age.

Grand Opening of the Clubhouse

In June 1891, the Nyack Country Club unveiled its newly renovated clubhouse. The Victorian interior, decorated in the club’s gold and white colors, showcased antique oak furniture, wood floors, and lush palms. Over 30 engravings by Charles Frederick William Mielatz adorned the walls, likely curated by Julian O. Davidson, a local artist and club member.

An etching by Mielatz from the 1890s bears a remarkable similarity to the Maxwell house.

A spacious new addition provided room for dances, performances, and gatherings. The house itself dazzled visitors with its robin’s egg blue music room, terra-cotta-adorned dining room, billiards rooms, and card lounges. Golden-hued electric lighting—a rare novelty—bathed the entire space in a warm glow.

The grand opening culminated in an evening of formal festivities. Guests in elegant attire danced to music by New York’s Professor Rosenkranz, while club members provided a sumptuous supper.

A view showing the large front porch. Just behind the left side of the porch is the casino or dance hall added to the house by the club.

Tennis and Sporting Events

This 1908 postcard of the club shows a doubles tennis match underway. From the lack of leaves on the trees it is either early spring or late fall. A car is parked near house. The rear extension of the old house and its sun porches are visible. The casino or dance hall is visible on the right above the extended veranda.

Tennis reigned as the club’s centerpiece, drawing star players like Nyack champion Augusta Bradley Chapman and international icon Molla Bjurstedt Mallory. The U.S. National Lawn Tennis Association sanctioned the club’s courts, which hosted tournaments covered by major publications like The New York Times.

This postcard, published by Harrison & Dalley, Nyack’s famous department store, shows a full view of the house and tennis courts. On the far left, the Rossiter house (now the Nyack Field Club) can be seen near Midland Avenue. The golf course was located in the open space.

In a 1906 article titled “Women Play Fast Tennis,” The Times vividly described the scene: “Brown and bare-armed, the women lawn tennis players enlivened the competitions on the Nyack Country Club courts at Nyack-on-the-Hudson.” Beyond tennis, members flocked to golf, billiards, and horse shows. Upper Nyack quarry owner and billiards champion Wilson Foss became a prominent figure in these events, and the club’s annual horse shows along Midland Avenue became a beloved tradition.

Image of Bjurstedt from her book on tennis.

Social Life and Entertainment

The club’s Saturday night dances were legendary, often accompanied by music drifting onto verandas lit with fairy lights. Special events included Shakespearean plays, charity performances, and elaborate card parties. Women-only gatherings, like Musical Mornings, emphasized the club’s progressive flair, though women still faced restrictions on membership privileges.

End of an Era

By 1917, the Nyack Country Club’s golden age had faded. The rise of automobiles allowed members to explore entertainment options farther afield, while the 1907 opening of the Rockland Country Club lured away many golfers. World War I further diminished the club’s vibrancy, as the local population of young men dwindled. That year, the Nyack Country Club relocated to the former Tappan Zee House in South Nyack, merging with the Nyack Art Club to form the Nyack Club.

This post card depicts a man standing on the front walkway with a dog.

The Braeburn Era and the Great OOM

In 1920, Pierre Bernard, known as the Great OOM, purchased the estate, then operating as the Braeburn Country Club. Bernard, a colorful and controversial figure, introduced yoga, circus acrobatics, and cosmopolitan visitors to the quiet village. Locals watched with a mix of fascination and dismay as women in bloomers and leotards practiced yoga on the lawn, sparking rumors of scandal.

Women in yoga poses at the Clarkstown Country Club

The press seized on the spectacle with sensational headlines about “society women vanishing” and the infamous “pirate house tunnel,” rumored to hide women or provide Bernard with an escape route. Despite investigations by Nyack police, no wrongdoing emerged. Bernard’s assertion that his members spent $6,000 a month in the village eventually won over local leaders. A grand birthday celebration cemented his acceptance into Nyack society.

A view of the Clarkstown Country Club’s gymnastic center in the old country club “casino” or dance hall.

The Brick House’s Last Act

During its final years, the Brick House hosted lectures, performances, and acrobatic exhibitions. Many guests stayed at the nearby Moorings, an estate also owned by Bernard. As Bernard shifted his focus to his South Nyack property, the estate’s prominence dwindled. Despite its decline, the legend of the French pirate endured in newspaper articles and local lore.

A 1935 view of the aging house with a parked automobile. The house became known as the Brick House during the Bernard era.

In 1950, the Nyack School District purchased the property, and the house was demolished the following year to make way for Upper Nyack Elementary School. Years later, historian Win Perry investigated the remnants of the tunnel, confirming it as a drainage duct. Over time, the myths of the Pirate House and memories of the Gilded Age and Bernard’s yoga pioneers faded from the village’s collective memory.

Note: Postcards in this article are from the Courtwright Postcard archive in the collection of the Historical Society of the Nyacks.


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, Vice-President of the Edward Hopper House Museum & Study Center, and Upper Nyack Historian. . 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 RealtySun 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. 




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