Peekskill, New York

Infobox Settlement
official_name = Peekskill, New York
settlement_type = City
nickname =
motto =

imagesize = 300px
image_caption = Downtown Peekskill


image_

|pushpin_

pushpin_label_position =
pushpin_map_caption =Location within the state of New York
pushpin_mapsize =


mapsize =
map_caption =


mapsize1 =
map_caption1 =

subdivision_type = Country
subdivision_name = United States
subdivision_type1 = State
subdivision_name1 = New York
subdivision_type2 = County
subdivision_name2 = Westchester
government_footnotes =
government_type =
leader_title = Mayor
leader_name = Mary E. Foster
leader_title1 =
leader_name1 =
established_title =
established_date =

unit_pref = Imperial
area_footnotes =
area_magnitude =
area_total_km2 = 14.2
area_land_km2 = 11.2
area_water_km2 = 3.0
area_total_sq_mi = 5.5
area_land_sq_mi = 4.3
area_water_sq_mi = 1.2

population_as_of = 2000
population_footnotes =
population_total = 22441
population_density_km2 = 2003.8
population_density_sq_mi = 5189.7

timezone = Eastern (EST)
utc_offset = -5
timezone_DST = EDT
utc_offset_DST = -4
elevation_footnotes =
elevation_m = 39
elevation_ft = 128
latd = 41 |latm = 17 |lats = 20 |latNS = N
longd = 73 |longm = 55 |longs = 12 |longEW = W

postal_code_type = ZIP code
postal_code = 10566
area_code = 914
blank_name = FIPS code
blank_info = 36-56979
blank1_name = GNIS feature ID
blank1_info = 0960097
website =
footnotes =

Peekskill is a city in Westchester County, New York. It is situated on a bay along the east side of the Hudson River.

This community was known to be an early American industrial center, primarily for its iron plow and stove products. The Binney and Smith Company, now makers of Crayola products, started as the Peekskill Chemical Company at Annsville in 1864.

Peekskill's manufacturing base operated well into the late 1900s, with the Fleischmann Company making yeast by-products under the Standard Brands corporate name.

The population is 22,441 according to the year 2000 census.

The well-publicized Peekskill Riots, which occurred in the summer of 1949, involving controversial entertainer Paul Robeson and area World War II veterans, actually occurred in nearby Van Cortlandtville.Fact|date=November 2007

Geography

Peekskill is located at coor dms|41|17|20|N|73|55|12|W|city (41.288903, -73.919987)GR|1 in northwestern Westchester County.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 5.5 square miles (14.2 km²), of which, 4.3 square miles (11.2 km²) of it is land and 1.1 square miles (3.0 km²) of it (20.99%) is water.

Demographics

As of the censusGR|2 of 2000, there were 22,441 people, 8,696 households, and 5,348 families residing in the city. The population density was 5,189.7 people per square mile (2,005.7/km²). There were 9,053 housing units at an average density of 2,093.6/sq mi (809.1/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 57.12% White, 25.54% African American, 0.42% Native American, 2.38% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 9.83% from other races, and 4.64% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 21.92% of the population.

There were 8,696 households out of which 30.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.7% were married couples living together, 16.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.5% were non-families. 31.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.55 and the average family size was 3.18.

In the city, the population was spread out with 24.4% under the age of 18, 8.3% from 18 to 24, 34.9% from 25 to 44, 20.9% from 45 to 64, and 11.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 94.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.0 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $47,177, and the median income for a family was $52,645. Males had a median income of $38,091 versus $34,757 for females. The per capita income for the city was $22,595. About 10.3% of families and 13.7% of the population were below the poverty line.

Transportation

Peekskill train station provides commuter service to New York City, 41 miles (66 km) away via Metro-North Railroad. The Bee-Line Bus System provides bus service to Peekskill on routes 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, and 31. The Bear Mountain Bridge, five miles to the northwest, gives road access to Bear Mountain State Park across the Hudson River, and to the United States Military Academy at West Point via US 6 and US 202. The Croton Expressway portion of US 9 ends here. NY 9A and NY 35 also run through the city.

History

New Amsterdam resident Jan Peeck made the first recorded contact with the native tribal people of this area, then identified as "Sachoes". The date is not certain, (possibly early 1640s), but agreements and merchant transactions took place, formalized into the Ryck's Patent Deed of 1684. Peeck's Kil (from "stream" in Dutch thus became the recognized name for this locale.

European style settlement took place slowly in the early 1700s. By the time of the American Revolution, the tiny community was an important manufacturing center from its various mills along the several creeks and streams. These industrial activities were attractive to the Continental Army in establishing its headquarters here in 1776.

The mills of Peek's Creek provided gunpowder, leather, planks, and flour. Slaughterhouses were important for food supply. The river docks allowed transport of supply items and soldiers to the several other fort garrisons placed to prevent British naval passage between Albany and New York City. Officers at Peekskill generally supervised placing the first iron link chain between Bear Mountain and Anthony's Nose in the spring of 1777.

Though Peekskill's terrain and mills were beneficial to the Patriot cause, they also made tempting targets for British raids. The most damaging attack took place in early spring of 1777, when an invasion force of a dozen vessels led by a warship and supported by infantry overwhelmed the American defenders. Another British operation in October 1777 led to further destruction of industrial apparatus. As a result, the Hudson Valley command for the Continental Army moved from Peekskill to West Point, where it stayed for remainder of that war.Fact|date=November 2007

Peekskill's first legal incorporation of 1816 was reactivated in 1826 when Village elections took place. The Village was further incorporated within the Town of Cortlandt in 1849 and remained so until separating as a city in 1940.

Peekskill was the landing point of a fragment of the Peekskill Meteorite, just before midnight on October 9, 1992. The meteoric trail was recorded on film by at least 16 different people. [http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap061119.html] This is only the fourth meteorite in history for which an exact orbit is known. The rock had a mass of 12.4 kg (27.3 lb) and punched through the trunk of Peekskill resident Michelle Knapp's red 1980 Chevrolet Malibu sedan as it struck.

The Centennial Firehouse, built in 1890, was located under a U.S. Route 9 bridge. During the original construction of the bridge in 1932 part of the roof of the firehouse was removed. As part of a highway reconstruction project it was to be relocated to a new historic district [http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/10/nyregion/nyregionspecial2/10firehousewe.html | A Peekskill Firehouse on the Move, The New York Times, August 9, 2008] . The city spent $150,000 in grant money in preparing the building. Unfortunately a mechanical failure during a turn caused the building to collapse [http://www.lohud.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080821/NEWS/808210453 | Historic Peekskill firehouse collapses in move, lohud.com]

The current mayor of Peekskill is Mary Foster.

chool District

The Peekskill City School District is headed by Superintendent Judith Johnson, the 2008 New York State School Superintendent of the Year. It consists of four elementary schools, one middle school, and one high school. The elementary schools operated on a "neighborhood" basis until 1997. Until that school year, each student attended the school closest to his or her home, beginning in kindergarten and ending with graduation from sixth grade. In 1997 the elementary schools were integrated, each school housing two grades. The middle school houses all seventh and eighth grade students. The high school serves grades nine through twelve.

Elementary Schools

*The Uriah Hill, Jr. School houses the district's Early Childhood Education program. The ECC consists of a pre-school and a kindergarten program. The Uriah Hill, Jr. school is located at 980 Pemart Avenue.

*Oakside Elementary School caters to the district's first and second grade students. The school is located at 200 Decatur Avenue.

*Woodside Elementary School houses the third and fourth graders. It is located on Depew Street.

*Hillcrest Elementary School educates the district's fifth and sixth graders. It is located at 4 Horton Drive.

econdary Schools

*Peekskill Middle School educates the district's seventh and eighth graders. It is located at 212 Ringgold Street. Peekskill Middle School currently does not have a principal. Under construction right now is the new Peekskill Middle school. After many delays it is set to open in 2009.

*Peekskill High School educates most of the district's ninth, tenth, eleventh, and twelfth graders. The high school is located on the grounds of the original Peekskill Military Academy at 1072 Elm Street.Fact|date=November 2007 For the second consecutive year Peekskill High School is listed on Newsweek's 2008 Washington Post Challenge Index of the top high schools in the nation. This year, the school ranked in the top 5% of all high schools nationally based on the ratio of graduating seniors and students taking Advanced Placement Tests. [http://projects.washingtonpost.com/challengeindex/2008/]

Prominent Peekskill residents

* Former New York Governor George Pataki (served 1995–2006) was born in Peekskill. [ [http://www.peekskillartscouncil.org/peekskill.php Peekskill Arts Council 2007 Arts District Galleries Exhibits Artists Photographers Sculptors Dancers Videographers Painters Teachers Westchester County New York ] ] He also served as mayor from 1981-1984.
* Richard E. Jackson, a former Peekskill mayor, was the first African-American mayor in New York State. [ [http://www.peekskillartscouncil.org/peekskill.php Peekskill Arts Council 2007 Arts District Galleries Exhibits Artists Photographers Sculptors Dancers Videographers Painters Teachers Westchester County New York ] ]
* Chauncey M. Depew was chairman of the board of the New York Central Railroad and then served as a United States senator for New York. [ [http://www.peekskillartscouncil.org/peekskill.php Peekskill Arts Council 2007 Arts District Galleries Exhibits Artists Photographers Sculptors Dancers Videographers Painters Teachers Westchester County New York ] ]
* Cornelius A. Pugsley was a congressman and preservationist whose name is still attached to a national preservation award for public parks. [ [http://www.peekskillartscouncil.org/peekskill.php Peekskill Arts Council 2007 Arts District Galleries Exhibits Artists Photographers Sculptors Dancers Videographers Painters Teachers Westchester County New York ] ]
* William Nelson was a colleague to Abraham Lincoln, leading to President-elect Lincoln's brief 1861 stop at the Peekskill village on his way to the Washington D.C. inauguration. [ [http://www.peekskillartscouncil.org/peekskill.php Peekskill Arts Council 2007 Arts District Galleries Exhibits Artists Photographers Sculptors Dancers Videographers Painters Teachers Westchester County New York ] ]
* Henry Ward Beecher was an influential Civil War-era minister who built his impressive family mansion on East Main Street in 1878. [ [http://www.peekskillartscouncil.org/peekskill.php Peekskill Arts Council 2007 Arts District Galleries Exhibits Artists Photographers Sculptors Dancers Videographers Painters Teachers Westchester County New York ] ]
* Moses S. Beach was responsible for initiating the Associated Press (AP) while publisher of the New York Sun newspaper. [ [http://www.peekskillartscouncil.org/peekskill.php Peekskill Arts Council 2007 Arts District Galleries Exhibits Artists Photographers Sculptors Dancers Videographers Painters Teachers Westchester County New York ] ]
* T. C. Boyle (b. 1948), a novelist, is a former Peekskill resident. [ [http://www.peekskillartscouncil.org/peekskill.php Peekskill Arts Council 2007 Arts District Galleries Exhibits Artists Photographers Sculptors Dancers Videographers Painters Teachers Westchester County New York ] ]
* Actors Mel Gibson, Paul Reubens and Stanley Tucci were born in Peekskill. [ [http://www.peekskillartscouncil.org/peekskill.php Peekskill Arts Council 2007 Arts District Galleries Exhibits Artists Photographers Sculptors Dancers Videographers Painters Teachers Westchester County New York ] ]
* Former NFL lineman Tre Johnson graduated from Peekskill High School, and had a stellar nine-year NFL career highlighted by his selection to the 2000 Pro Bowl with the Redskins.
* Basketball stars Elton Brand and Hilton Armstrong are Peekskill High School graduates. [ [http://www.peekskillartscouncil.org/peekskill.php Peekskill Arts Council 2007 Arts District Galleries Exhibits Artists Photographers Sculptors Dancers Videographers Painters Teachers Westchester County New York ] ]
* Hayward Burns graduated from Peekskill High School before going on to be editor of the Harvard Law Review and to help draft the constitution of South Africa. [ [http://www.peekskillartscouncil.org/peekskill.php Peekskill Arts Council 2007 Arts District Galleries Exhibits Artists Photographers Sculptors Dancers Videographers Painters Teachers Westchester County New York ] ]
* John Leslie, a Peekskill native, was working for IBM in 1957 when he conceived of the idea that a computer could prepare a tax return. [ [http://www.peekskillartscouncil.org/peekskill.php Peekskill Arts Council 2007 Arts District Galleries Exhibits Artists Photographers Sculptors Dancers Videographers Painters Teachers Westchester County New York ] ]
*Longtime Marvel Comics artist Herb Trimpe ("The Incredible Hulk") was raised in Peekskill. [http://www.geocities.com/jonhulkholt/trimpe.interview.1.html Green Skin's Grab-Bag: "An Interview with Herb Trimpe"] ]
* Former United States Attorney General Benjamin Civiletti. In 2005 he became the first U.S. lawyer to charge $1000 an hour. Ben is currently a Senior Partner in the Washington, D.C. law firm of Venable LLP.

Culture

Peekskill has drawn a number of artists and art appreciators to its environs recently. Local highlights include: Paramount Center for the Arts (Theater), which regularly screens independent films, the Hudson Valley Center for Contemporary Art, and the Peekskill Coffee House, which showcases local acts.

ister City

Peekskill's sister city is Castlebar, Ireland.

Popular Culture

On the popular 1980s sitcom "The Facts of Life", Peekskill was the location of two fictional educational institutions: Eastland School for Girls and Langley College. Also located in the fictional version of Peekskill were the shops Edna's Edibles and Over Our Heads, therefore making the town the setting for most of the action on the series.

ee also

*Depew Park
*Peekskill Freight Depot
*Standard House

References

* [http://www.comicreaders.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=1275 http://www.comicreaders.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=1275]
* [http://michelesworld.net/dmm2/lulu/peekskil.htm http://michelesworld.net/dmm2/lulu/peekskil.htm]
* [http://www.peekskillartscouncil.org/peekskill.php Article about Peekskill which includes St. Mary's as being influential to "The Facts of Life" ]

External links

* [http://www.ci.peekskill.ny.us/ Peekskill official Web site]
* [http://www.ci.peekskill.ny.us/page.cfm?pageID=4 A thorough look into Peekskill's fascinating and rich history.]
* [http://leroy.cc.uregina.ca/~astro/mb_5.html Peekskill Meteorite] Mapit-US-cityscale|41.288903|-73.919987
* [http://www.yorktownag.org Great Church Minutes From Peekskill]
* [http://www.firsthebrew.org/ First Hebrew Congregation of Peekskill]
* [http://www.peekskillcsd.org/home.asp Peekskill City Schools]
* [http://www.1911encyclopedia.org/Peekskill 1911 Britannica article]
* [http://GuideToPeekskill.com/ Peekskill Business Directory]