'To lose our history is to lose our destiny'

If you heard the bell ringing at Edgehill Church of Spuyten Duyvil last Sunday, it was because the Kingsbridge Historical Society was holding its very first meeting at its new headquarters.

“It’s still hard to believe that this is a reality,” said the society’s president, Nick Dembowski. “But I’m just happy you are all here. I haven’t seen a crowd like this in this building ever. It’s a wonderful experience. It’s been a long-time coming.”

The president explained how in 2019, he reached out to the former chairperson of the church, Carolyn Abernathy, about the possibility of holding a meeting inside the building. By that point church services were no longer being held in the building as there was a burst water pipe in the undercroft.

Eventually the idea of holding one meeting turned into the idea of it being the KHS’ headquarters. They officially acquired the church last December. And it was especially fitting because the pastor of Edgehill, Rev. William Tieck, was the first president and founder of the society in 1949.

“The connection between the historical society and the church sort of made everybody involved feel comfortable with the transfer,” Dembowski explained. “They knew that the church would be in good hands, that the historical society would take care of it.”

There were numerous people who made the opening possible such as Abernathy for her hand in passing the landmark building down and Dan Padernacht, who became a lawyer for both the KHS and the church and helped close the deal for the new headquarters.

Peter Ostrander, the vice president and former president of the society, sang the praises of Earl Harewood, a Spuyten Duyvil resident who constantly volunteered his time to upkeep the church and prevent it from becoming an eyesore. He’d mop and vacuum the floors, unclog the gutters, cut the grass outside, and clean the trees and dirt.

“One of those terms we always use is an unsung hero,” Ostrander said. “There’s somebody in the community that just does it, doesn’t ask for anything, just comes out. And Earl will come here almost everyday.”

Dembowski also thanked Ostrander who took over KHS when the original founding members of 1949 were still a part of it. Over time the members passed away.

“It’s not easy to carry the torch in those kinds of circumstances,” Dembowski said. “But Peter (Ostrander) kept our archives safe. He kept the society going, this could have never happened without all (his) work.”

Another person who was a huge help to the church was Councilman Eric Dinowitz, who provided the society with $10,000 in discretionary grants and also helped bail them out of a situation where the department of finance sent out a $40,000 tax bill, despite the society being a non-profit organization. The councilman reached out then to the department to sort out the situation.

Dinowitz’s legislative and budget director, Adam Staropoli, was in attendance on behalf of the councilman who was not able to attend.

“The importance of local history really can’t be emphasized enough,” Staropoli said. “The idea that members of our community here can come out, walk on their streets, and see and learn the things that have happened over the years is really something that we’re happy to support.”

The money that the society received from the grants and many contributions from others allowed them to remove an old rusty oil tank in the undercroft, get rid of a non-working boiler and reconnect the building to the municipal water supply so they had a working bathroom. With that said, there is still a lot of work to be done at the church.

The building still does not have a heating system, which makes holding meetings in winter a lot more difficult. One Tiffany studio window is held up by a rotting window sill, Dembowski said. Estimates for getting the heating is $70,000, for the gutters it’s $30,000, and for the roof a whopping $160,000.

It is for that reason Dembowski encouraged members spread the word about their Go Fund Me so people can help them make more restorations.

Dembowski highlighted how the church can be a community hub in an area that doesn’t have many. Before the church’s closing it was a place where people went for church services, baptisms, and weddings, but also for Christmas caroling, film screening, concerts and even a magic show. Now, he says, it can be a place for lectures, events for kids, presentations, book club meetings, a community board meeting and even perhaps a place to vote.

“What makes me happy is just seeing people in the building,” Dembowski said to The Riverdale Press. “If you hear that noise over there, everyone talking, that’s what I think this place will be about. People in the community, getting together, talking history, talking current events or whatever.”

With the first meeting at the church, also came the first history lesson there, where Dembowski took a deep dive into the rich history of Spuyten Duyvil. He explained how tearing down the Berrian/Johnson house of Spuyten Duyvil in 1952, which predated the American Revolution, acted as a catalyst for the historical society and for preservation in the area.

“Our motto at the Kingsbridge Historical Society is ‘To lose our history, is to lose our destiny,” Dembowski said. “It makes more and more sense to me as I get older because I see those people, why they came up with those words was that they’re watching their beloved community change.”

If you are looking to donate to the society’s fundraiser, you can visit gofundme.com/f/edgehill