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History Blog

The Pits: Remembering a Tragedy Endured by a Hudson River Village

1/23/2018

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Harris Nelson woke up on a normal day in January, 1906 not knowing he, his son, and fifteen others would be swallowed by the earth just after lunch.
Picture
​Aftermath of the Great Haverstraw Landslide of 1906.
Harris was a merchant in the small but prosperous town of Haverstraw, located approximately 60 miles south of the Hudson River Maritime Museum in New York’s Rockland County. The day Harris Nelson died the town boasted around 6,000 residents, with a population nearly double that today. Inventively called “Bricktown” more often than not, Haverstraw in 1906 was still benefiting from the Hudson River brick industry boom following the great New York City fires of 1835 and 1845, which left hundreds of wooden structures destroyed and a huge demand for brick as a less flammable building material. The Hudson River Valley, with its abundance of clay deposits left behind in the wake of post-glacial lakes nearly 12,000 years ago, stood up to answer the demand. Including the one in Haverstraw, over 40 brick factories cropped up along the Hudson, and where there were factories, there were often mines. 
Picture
The Malley Brickyard in Southern Haverstraw, 1912.
​During most of the 19th century, clay was extracted from beneath Haverstraw until its residents lived and worked on hollow ground. The eventual and somewhat inevitable partial collapse of the mine began without fanfare, a slow cracking of the ground that some Haverstraw residents paid no mind. When it was evident homes and lives were in danger, it was too late for Harris and Benjamin Nelson, both of whom were either crushed in the collapse or killed by the ensuing fire, sparked by the toppled stoves of destroyed homes. The initial disaster took twelve lives, the additional five lost by men and women rushing to the aid of their neighbors.  
Picture
An 1812 map of Haverstraw (left) and recent google maps imagery of the same area. Compare the change in shoreline near Jefferson Street.
Picture
​Adding fuel to the literal fire was the frigid weather, which discouraged residents from leaving their homes, as well as a water main break that prevented fire-fighters from dousing the flames. It seemed that residents were attacked on several fronts by forces that merged to make the clay pit disaster an incredibly deadly one. And yet, Haverstraw’s residents carried on in its wake, and managed to rebound from the landslide of 1906 to continue as a place worthy of the name “Bricktown.” Remembering this dark spot in Hudson River history is not merely a cautionary tale in resource depletion; Haverstraw’s ability to carry on and grow into the diverse and history-rich village it is today also serves as a needed reminder that there’s a tomorrow after even the worst of times. 
Picture
The Haverstraw Brick Museum, located today on 12th Main Street in Haverstraw, NY.

Author

Audrey Trossen is a Hudson Valley native and worked as an intern with the Hudson River Maritime Museum during the summer of 2017. She is a current undergraduate student at Smith College in Northampton, MA where she majors in Geology and concentrates in Museum Studies.

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    Author

    This blog is written by:
    Allynne Lange, Curator Emerita;
    Carla Lesh, Collections Manager & Digital Archivist;
    ​Sarah Wassberg Johnson, Director of Education

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Hudson River Maritime Museum
50 Rondout Landing
Kingston, NY 12401

​845-338-0071
fax: 845-338-0583
info@hrmm.org

​The Hudson River Maritime Museum is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation and interpretation of the maritime history of the Hudson River, its tributaries, and related industries. ​

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  • Home
    • About
    • Contact Us
    • Board
    • News
    • Facility Rentals
    • Opportunities
  • Visit
    • Hours And Directions
    • Parking
    • Docking
    • Book A Charter
    • Rondout Lighthouse
    • Area Attractions
  • Museum
    • Exhibits >
      • Water/Ways
      • Online Exhibits
    • Lecture Series
    • Walking Tours
    • School Programs >
      • Field-Trips
      • Hudson River Stewards
      • YouthBoat
      • Sea Scouts
    • Museum Mates
    • Group & Bus Tours
  • Boat Tours
    • All Boat Tours
    • Meet Solaris
    • Esopus Meadows Lighthouse Tours
    • Rondout Lighthouse Tours
    • Industrial Waterfront Cruise
    • Sunset Cruise
    • 1 Hour Boat Ride
    • Bird Watching Cruise
    • Private Charters
  • Events
    • Events Calendar
    • Walking Tours
    • The Maritime Festival >
      • Sponorships
    • History Lecture Cruises
    • Visiting Vessels >
      • Coast Guard Cutter
      • Kalmar Nyckel
    • Lecture Series
    • Black History Conference
  • Boat School
    • Instructors
    • YouthBoat
    • Boat Building
    • Woodworking
    • Maritime Training
    • Paddle Boarding
    • RWBS Library
    • Restoration
  • Sailing
    • Sailing School
    • Adult Sailing
    • Youth Sailing Program
    • Sea Scouts
  • Rowing
    • Rowing School
    • Rowing Programs
    • Learn to Row
  • Research
    • Research Requests
    • Collections
    • History Blog
    • Submerged Resources Project
    • Pilot Log
    • Hudson River History >
      • Henry Hudson
      • The Hudson River
      • Sloops of the Hudson River
      • Robert Fulton
      • Hudson River Steamboats
      • New York Canals
  • Support
    • Donate Now
    • Join
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    • Wish List
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