This monstrous piece of machinery once helped power the main industry in a tiny Rockland County river town more than 100 years ago. Installed in 1902, it generated power for a factory that became the livelihood for many a local resident. In fact, the nearby high school offered classes to its students in the 1950s that were tailor-made to ensure jobs at the factory upon graduation. The industry survived until the mid-1980s, when the factory closed and the property was sold. Its history wouldn’t go down without a fight, however; when the developer tried to remove the relic, a wrecking ball just bounced right off of it. So here it remains, a testament to the proud industrial past of a former “shot and a beer” town that’s become more high-style than any of its former residents could have imagined.
