Corners of Erie & Liberty Street - 856-5375 Fax 858-2687
As one of the oldest glass companies in the United States, Gillinder is a name well known. Now, for the first time, you are invited to visit our factory and experience Gillinder Glass being created.
Enjoy watching skilled glass craftsmen at work. The time-honored techniques used to handcraft each piece of glass are the same as those used by Gillinder Glass for more than a century. Feel the excitement on the factory floor and the heat from the large furnaces as you watch molten glass being handled and transformed into beautiful, useful and decorative glass objects.
As you browse through our glass museum in our turn-of-the-century plant you will learn about the history of local glass making as well as Gillinder Glass' proud heritage. Our factory store includes many glass items produced from the original designs and molds in the Gillinder archives as well as some new favorites. Collectible then ... and now.
We look forward to meeting you and we will do our best to make sure you
enjoy your visit.
Admission: There is an admission fee for taking the factory tour.
Tour Hours: Monday through Friday 10:15 AM, 12:30 PM and 1:30 PM. Tour times are subject
to change during very busy days or because of changes in the factory work schedule. Group
tours welcome. Advance reservations recommended for groups of 20 or more. Call 845
856-5375 for details.
Store Hours: Monday through Friday 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM, weekends
seasonal. Store hours subject to change without notice.
Access: The Museum/Shop area is accessible to everyone. Easy parking
available.
Location: Right where the states of NY, NJ and PA meet.
Corners of Erie and Liberty Streets, Port Jervis, NY 12771. Exit 1 Interstate Route 84,
follow East and West Main Street through Port Jervis, less than 3 miles to the corner of
West Main and Liberty Streets. Turn right on Liberty - one block to factory. Routes 6,
209, 42 and 97 all meet on West Main Street in Port Jervis, NY at Homer's Coffee Shop.
Follow West Main Street approximately 1 mile to Liberty Street.
GILLINDER GLASS, PO BOX 1007
CORNERS OF ERIE & LIBERTY STREETS
PORT JERVIS NY 12771
Phone 845 856-5375 Fax 845 858-2687 or 0863
email cgglass@post
office.ptd.net
Collectible then... and now
138 Pike Street - 845-856-7313
One of the most important legacies of the Gilded Age in Port Jervis is the Carnegie Library at 138 Pike Street. There has been a library in Port Jervis since 1835, when state legislation allowed for the creation of school district libraries. Efforts to enhance the library began in 1848 along with the creation of the Port Jervis Literary Association in 1865, whose main purpose was to provide for a public library and reading room. As a result of this longstanding interest in a public library, Port Jervis became home to a Carnegie Library, the only one in Orange County and the surrounding five-county region. Now known as the Port Jervis Free Library, it was organized in August 1892, the first in New York State under the Free Library Law of 1892. Up until 1903 the library was located on the second floor of the Farnum Building on lower Pike Street.
By 1893, the library had outgrown its space and in 1899, efforts were begun by prominent businessmen to construct a library building in the village. Early on, it became apparent it would be too expensive to erect such a building with local funds only. After a long and dedicated effort library advocates convinced steel magnate Andrew Carnegie to donate funds towards its construction. With a contribution of land made by local businessman Peter Farnum, and a substantial donation of $30,000 by Carnegie, the building of a library became possible. In February 1901, local residents were, according to the local newspapers, "electrified" by the announcement of Carnegie and Farnum's donations.
The library was designed by W. S. Ackerman of the New York City architectural firm of Ackerman and Ross and was built by local contractor Lorenzo Wood. The cornerstone was laid in 1902 and opening ceremonies took place in 1903. The firm had also designed Carnegie libraries for Washington, D.C.; Atlanta, Georgia; San Diego, California; East Orange, New Jersey and Utica, New York. It was dedicated during the height of one of America's greatest and most famous philanthropies that ultimately amounted to $40 million. It is one of 1,679 libraries given to 1,412 towns and cities across America. Today it is one of only a few hundred Carneige libraries that survive and are still used for their original purpose or some other municipal function. Carnegie, known as the "Patron Saint of Libraries," is supposed to have said that, "The Library building is built to last." And, indeed it has.
The library was the first in Orange County to have a seperate children's reading room and it was annually a leader in the state in acquiring new books, ranking in the top 30 per cent. It was the first library in the state to establish a permanent maintenance fund, a condition for the Carnegie donation. By 1903 there were 14,000 books in the collection, with 1,000 books being added per annum. A contemporary library report concludes that the "volumes of the best thought of the brightest minds of the world, ever ready to talk to us in the best of language" were available for loan, and that mission remains to this day. The library has a complete collection of the works of Stephen Crane and an excellent collection of materials related to him. In addition, a portrait of him hangs in the reference room. This building is also home to the Minsink Valley Historical Society which has an important collection of local history materials including photographs, books, pamphlets, files and materials related to Crane.
Pike & Sussex Streets
Photograph by Donna Lombardo, Courtesy Krauss Photo, Port Jervis
The city's first and arguably its most important park was enhanced greatly during the Guilded Age. Veteran's Memorial Park at Orange Square, located at the corner of Broome and Pike streets, was donated by the Delaware and Hudson Canal Company to the city in the early decades of the 19th century. It was named to honor the county, and was located in the center of the bustling canal village, though the center of town would ultimately move to the area of Jersey Avenue and Front Street.
The square was designed with a series of paths emanating from a central circle where a fountain was located, a pattern retained in the current design. An impressive, multi-tiered fountain, located in the center of the park, was later moved to a location near Sussex Street. At the center of Orange Square today is a monument dedicated on July 5, 1886, in the presence of some 10,000 people to the veterans of the Civil War. It was donated by Diana Farnum who left $8,000 for its construction in her will. Her two sons provided an additional $2,000.
A parade that had 850 participants and was three miles long marched to the square for the dedication ceremony. The local newspaper called it the "greatest day that Port Jervis ever had." The monument is 45 feet high and 14 feet square at ground level. At the base of the monument are four representations of the branches of services at the time: the infantry, cavalry, artillery and navy. The soldier at its apex is 7 feet tall and weighs 1 1/2 tons. The entire monument stands on a bed of bluestone and masonry that is 10 feet deep.
The architect was E.F. Carr of the firm of Frederick and Field, and when dedicated it was considered to be one of the finest and largest monuments in southeastern New York State. Contemporary accounts describe it as one of the most beautiful and finely finished monuments the firm ever designed. At the base of this newly erected monument, Stephen Crane interviewed veterans of the famed 124th New York Regiment, known as the "Orange Blossoms," and from those interviews formed the basis of his acclaimed novel The Red Badge of Courage. In 1974, a major restoration was undertaken to repair and clean the monument after it had been exposed to railroad soot and the perils of the environment for almost a century.
Port Plaza - Pike Street & Underpass
The Port Jervis turntable has a diameter of 115 feet and
the bridge, or the part of the structure that holds the locomotive, is approximately 19
feet wide. Previously, it was turned by two 40 horsepower, 440 volt, 3 phase electric
motors that were powered from a connection at the top of the gantry. The most recent
locomotive that was turned on it weighed 440 tons, or 880,000 pounds, fully loaded with
water and coal.
It is the largest operating turntable in the United States.
There are a number of other turntables in the region, including at least three in New
Jersey, two in New England, two in New York, and four in Pennsylvania. Some of them are
not operable and others are not in strategic locations where they can be used as this one
is.
The first turntable used here in Port Jervis was built
sometime before 1872. From at least 1872 until 1903 there were two turntables in the Erie
yards and shops here. The second turntable was located just beyond where the Burger King
is now. It was dismantled and is said to have been used as a bridge to cross the Erie Main
Line at the end of Shin Hollow Road in Huguenot.
The bridge of this turntable probably dates to the early
1900s. It is believed that the bridge was enlarged in the 1930s when the 3300 series steam
locomotives, also known as the Berkshires, were introduced on the Erie. The turning rail,
or the circular piece of rail in the base of the pit, was last replaced by the Abeex
Company of Chicago in 1948. Some repair work was done to the concrete in the 1940s.
It is believed that the turntable was last used in 1987 until the steam excursions were undertaken by Iron Horse Rambles in the fall of 1996. The remains of the roundhouse that surrounded the turntable was burned by an arsonist in 1987 and ordered demolished in 1988. Roundhouses were large structures used by the railroad in which steam engines were maintained.
The turntable and surrounding property is now owned and operated by the city of Port
Jervis. The area around and including the turntable was renovated in 1996 with the
generous assistance of many friends and donors including the Depot Preservation Society
which provided a substantial contribution. The Department of Public Works completed much
of the site work along with assistance from Otisville Correctional Facility and the Orange
County Sheriff's Department.
For more information on the turntable, efforts to restore it and future steam excursion trips to Port Jervis go to Steam Excursions.
125-133 West Main Street - 914-856-2375
The stone house was built in 1760 and burned by Joseph Brant and his Indian raiders during a Revolutionary War raid in 1779. It is the museum of the Minisink Valley Historical Society and is open to the public Saturdays from 1 to 4 p.m. through October. The house was rebuilt in 1793 by Martinus Decker and served as a hotel and tavern during the years when the Delaware and Hudson Canal was being built. John B. Jervis, one of the canal's chief engineers and the man for whom Port Jervis is named, stayed here in the 1820s.
After that the house served as a private residence until 1965 when Minisink Valley Historical Society bought it and developed it as a museum and center for its activities. It is open to the public on Saturdays beginning in June and continuing until the end of September and also for the Christmas holiday season.
Photograph by Donna Lombardo, Courtesy Krauss Photo, Port Jervis
East Main Street
This churchyard, owned by the Deerpark Reformed Church of Port Jervis, New York, is one of the oldest graveyards in present-day Orange County, New York. There are about 300 people buried here, many of whom were the earliest settlers in this area. The earliest burials date from the 1740s and continue until the 1850s. There are a number of Revolutionary War veterans buried here, including Martinus Decker, the man who built Fort Decker, a fortified house still standing at 127 West Main Street, Port Jervis.
This graveyard is currently being restored through the efforts of the Deerpark Reformed Church, the Minisink Valley Historical Society, the City of Port Jervis and many friends throughout the area. For further information call the church at (914) 856-1946 or the society at (914) 856-2375. Donations are being accepted for this historic preservation project and can be sent to the Minisink Valley Historical Society at Post Office Box 659, Port Jervis, New York 12771.
East Main Street
This cemetery may have been the first in Orange County to be designed by a landscape architect, a trend that became popular in the 1850s. It was designed by B.F. Hathaway and the roads and plantings still reflect his artistic design. Please treat this place reverently and do not litter as the cemetery is undergoing a major renovation effort to restore the grounds to their former beauty. Some 15,000 people are buried here and there are an extraordinary and diverse number of monuments, tombstones and mausoleums representing the "golden age" of mortuary art in the late 19th century.
Junction of Neversink and Delaware rivers, Laurel Grove Cemetery
Photograph by Donna Lombardo, Courtesy Krauss Photo, Port Jervis
One of the city's most famous landmarks is the Tri-States Rock where a person can stand on three states at one time. The rock is located just under the Interstate Route 84 bridge. This is also the site where a 100-year boundary dispute between the colonies of East and West Jersey and New York was finally resolved in 1769. At this location, Philadelphia astronomer David Rittenhouse took the measurements that were the basis for the western termination point of the land boundary between the two colonies.
In the 1880s, it was discovered that many of the monuments from the 1774 marking of the boundary, had disappeared and a new effort was made to mark the line. The witness monument located here is one of the official markers now recognized by both states, the United States Congress and the Federal Government. It also marks the end of the New Jersey and New York boundary line.
The Delaware River winds its way past the monument to Delaware Bay, some 255 miles to the south. The Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area begins 8 miles south of here, and the Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River begins 6 miles to the north. Both areas are managed by the National Park Service. The Neversink River, a world class trout stream, merges with the Delaware at this point. It originates in the Catskill Mountains, many miles away.
Point Peter and Mount William
Entrance on Route 97 westbound side of road
As you proceed along West Main Street you pass beneath Point Peter and Mount William. They are on the edge of the large Appalachian Plateau that extends across the southern tier of New York State. Above, on the plateau, is the city-owned Elks-Brox Park with picnic areas, bathrooms and trails. It was during the Gilded Age, from 1880-1920, that the entire nation began to yearn for open spaces that were fast disappearing as the west was being settled. Noted Wisconsin historian Frederick Jackson Turner lamented the closing of the nation's last frontiers.
It was during this time that the National Park system and Forest Reserves were being created by the U.S. Congress and the Catskill and Adirondack preserves were being created by New York State. Port Jervis has long associated itself with the Catskill and Shawangunk mountains. Its proximity to the forested wild areas was cause for great self promotion. In one brochure, it was called the "Scenic Queen of the Shawangunk Range."
It was also during the Gilded Age that the largest park in the city was developed, the Elks-Charles Brox Memorial Park, located on what was then called the Twin Mountain Tract, or Point Peter and Mount William. As early as 1911, local citizens became concerned with the future of the property that overlooked the city and had an important view of the Shawangunk and Kittatinny mountains, along with the Delaware and Neversink river valleys. At that time, the owner, Almira St. John Mills had just died, and the property was about to be disposed of by her estate. Port Jervis residents turned down a proposal to buy it, by a vote of 191-123, but immediately after the vote, Port Jervis Lodge No. 645 of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks began discussions to purchase the property.
In 1914, the Elks, seeing the possibilities of the development of the
area as a public park, raised the necessary funds to purchase the tract under the
leadership of the Rev. William J. Donohue, then pastor of the Most Sacred Heart Church.
The property was named Elks Park. In the years that followed, Skyline Drive, a four-mile
road that ran along the crest of the two mountains, was built and other improvements to
the park were made. In 1932, Sarah Belle Thorne made a substantial donation in memory of
her brother-in-law, Charles Brox, and the property was conveyed from the Elks to the city
and became known as
the
Elks-Brox Memorial Park.
In later years, part of it was used as a Girl Scout Camp and as late as the 1980s, a public campground. In 1996 the park was reopened and new picnic areas, trails, and bathrooms were constructed. Of all city's parks, none is as beautiful or serves as such a focal point of interest as the Elks-Brox Park with its panoramic vistas of the Neversink Valley.
Skyline"
Whoever visits Sky-Line Drive,
And views its rugged beauty
Must spread its glories far
and wide
To others, as a duty
All Hail the Elks, who gave the park
A proof of civic spirit!!
They merit, all, our gratitude;
Would all were here to hear it!
The Drive Approach first meets our gaze,
A prospect most inviting;
With promises of scenes ahead,
Our Nature-love delighting
What changing vistas greet the eye,
As on and up we travel;
A secret sealed in every rock.
Which we would fain unravel.
The Delaware, beneath our feet,
Flows winding through the mountains,
Fed by the sparkling water-brooks
Of God's unfailing fountains.
A higher climb, another turn -
The Valleys lie before us!
The birds join, in their escasty,
A thrilling, happy chorus!
Each curve we round, each ridge we top
But adds to our elation
We pause on Peter's lofty height
In awe and adoration
The nestling town, the sunny fields,
The shining streams that bound us ---
What pen can write, what tongue can tell?
The Hills of God surround us
C. I. Peck, Jr.
July 22, 1932
C. Peck was a member of an old Port Jervis family that owned the Peck's Hardware Store
on Jersey Avenue in Port Jervis, New York.
The Riverside Park begins at the end of River Street. The city has a long-range plan to develop this property in a number of ways including the construction of additional sports facilities, boating and fishing access areas and the creation of additional trails and picnic areas. The area was once a roadbed for the Erie Railroad.
West End Beach is owned and operated by the city and is open during the summer with lifeguards on duty. Also available are picnic facilities, a basketball court and baseball field. Public access is available for boaters and fishermen.
The Historic Tree Grove at Fort Decker
The entire history of our country can be seen in the rings of one tree. Some species of trees, like the giant sequoias and bristlecone pines, can live to be 6,000 years old. In fact, trees are the only living witnesses to the signing of the United States Constitution 200 years ago. During its writing in 1787, Convention members gathered under the cool shade of a mulberry tree in Philadelphia while debating this historic document. Many of our founding fathers were avid tree planters including George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin.
Our local tree grove project began when former Councilman Janis E. Brown, on behalf of the City of Port Jervis, applied to take part in the American Forestry Association's Famous and Historic Tree Grove project. With a donation from Laurel Grove Greenhouses, seedlings from the historic trees were purchased and maintained at the greenhouses until the spring of 1989 when they were planted at Fort Decker, a 1793 stone house that serves as the Minisink Valley Historical Society's museum. Since that time, several other trees have been planted in the grove.
By planting these trees, the agencies, organizations and individuals involved have established a living memorial to the past, while making a beautiful commitment to the future.
Williamsburg Southern Catalpa
The Southern Catalpa is located on the north side of the Fort Decker Compound. Catalpa trees line the Palace Green in Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia. They were planted in the early 1930s as the restoration of that national landmark was getting underway. Thomas Jefferson, in his plan of the Governor's Palace, noted "the rows of trees 100 feet apart." While Jefferson did not mention the species, the translator of a manuscript journal kept by General de Lauferdeiere gives this entry for July 1782: "The Governor of Virginia also had in Williamsburg a very fine palace, built at the extremity of a handsome street planted with catalpas."
Carter's Grove Black Locust
The Black Locust is planted at the outside corner of the Fort Decker Compound near the firehouse. This tree began as a sapling taken from the locusts planted at Carter's Grove to commemorate the centennial celebration of the American victory at Yorktown in 1881 by Edward G. Booth, Sr., who had only recently acquired this James River Plantation eight miles southeast of Williamsburg. In 1876, Booth was also involved in the centennial celebrations in Philadelphia. Apparently, the planting of a locust grove became something of a tradition for the celebration of independence.
Wye Mills Oak
The Wye Oak comes from the largest White Oak in the United
States, and has been the National Champion since the beginning of the American Forestry
Association's National Big Trees Program in 1940. Wye Mills, Maryland, is the original
location of this magnificent tree, and it dates from 1672 and probably before. The town is
named for a water-powered mill that ground flour in colonial days. Estimated to be in
excess of 400 years of age, the oak was there long before the village. The sapling from
that tree is planted in the back corner of the Fort Decker Compound.
White Plains Sycamore
The original White Plains Sycamore, a registered historic
tree, stands close to a house used as a headquarters by General George Washington at White
Plains, New York, and shades the bedroom where the general and his wife slept. The Battle
of White Plains was fought on October 28, 1776 and again during the summer of 1778. There
are two of these trees on the compound, side by side, one next to the city of Port
Jervis's firehouse and the other next to the Robert Kleinstuber House. The latter tree was
planted on Arbor Day in 1989 as part of Port Jervis's Tree City program.
Tulip Tree
The Tulip Tree in front of Fort Decker was planted in
memory of the late Dr. Daniel P. Schultz, a board member of the Minisink Valley Historical
Society and a beloved doctor in Port Jervis for many years. It was planted on Arbor Day in
1990 and is a typical 18th centry period tree that was found in this area and is known for
its straight column, sturdiness and leaves and spring flowers which resemble tulips.
Jackson White Oak
"The Tree That Owns Itself" is now in its second generation in Athens, Georgia. In 1820, William H. Jackson willed the original white oak, "for and in consideration of the great love I bear this tree, entire possession of itself and of all land within 8 feet of the tree on all sides." The tree died in 1942. One of its offspring was set in the same spot to become the second "Tree that Owns Itself," the only tree in the world inheriting the land on which its forebear stood. There is a sapling of this tree on the Fort Decker Compound between Fort Decker and the Kleinstuber House near the flagpole.
Japanese Cherry Tree
Trees of this type line the Tidal Basin in Washington,
D.C., and were a gift from the people of Japan to the people of our nation earlier in this
century. A cherry tree, donated by Alma LaRue, is planted in front of the Kleinstuber
House and was dedicated to the people of Port Jervis in honor of the 20th anniversary of
Earth Day.
Sugar Maple
The sugar maple is next to the sycamore by the firehouse
and was planted to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Minisink
Valley Historical Society in 1989. Sugar maples are known for their production of maple
syrup and was, in earlier times, an excellent firewood.
Photograph by Donna Lombardo,
Courtesy Krauss Photo, Port Jervis
In 1995, the Port Jervis Memorial Rose Garden was recreated through the efforts of Kathleen Shortell, a councilman from the 1st Ward. Jackson and Perkins, a company known nationally for its roses donated the plants that are now in the garden. This garden replaces the city's original memorial rose garden that was on Canal Street and fell into disrepair and was finally eliminated when a new firehouse was constructed on the location.
A memorial plaque was placed on a stone by the City of Port Jervis and the Minisink Valley Historical Society in the garden on the 50th anniversary of the end of World War II on September 2, 1995.
There are now several hundred roses that bloom all summer, much to the delight of city residents and visitors alike. For further information regarding volunteering to help maintain the garden or for making donations one contact the mayor's office at the Port Jervis Municipal Building at 845-858-4017.
Copyright © 2005 The City of Port Jervis, New York.
All rights reserved.
Revised: April 01, 2005.