Liberty Street School Cornerstone Dedication

NYACK - Salvage work by Nyackers Smokey and Marion Wanamaker saved from the wrecking crew the 1884 Liberty Street School cornerstone to be rededicated at a 3 p.m. ceremony Saturday, October 22, 2005, at the Depew Avenue school site on Nyack Plaza grounds.

Mr. Wanamaker and his wife will describe how they preserved the historic stone which bears the names of the late 19th century school board members. An historic marker will note the permanent location. Liberty Street School was replaced by newer elementary level buildings in 1969, and urban renewal leveled the old building in 1979.

The event is sponsored by the Historical Society of the Nyacks, which invites a competition to determine the ceremony attendee who was in the earliest and the most recent graduating class. A token prize will recognize each "winner." A continuous slide presentation and refreshments will follow the ceremony at the Nyack Senior Center on Depew Avenue.

Now "in residence" on the lawn of the Edward Hopper House Art Center on Broadway, the marker will be moved to its permanent site by the Helmke family of Hudson Valley Landscaping. Renowned artist Edward Hopper attended Liberty Street School as a Nyack youth.

Contact: Rosemary McPhillips 845-358-4005 or e-mail info@nyackhistory.org