By Peter Lyons Hall
On March 16, 2024, attendees of “I was There,” a reenactment of election day in Greenwood Lake 1924, will be able to join in an unusual, live replay of the meeting and vote either for or against incorporation, featuring actors portraying what it was actually like during the contentious moment when Greenwood Lake became a Village in the State of New York.
In 1924, after slow but steady growth of the village population and a year after the formation of Greenwood Lake’s Volunteer Fire Department, residents began gathering regularly at Minturn’s General store (the new name of the Pioneer Store) to meet their neighbors, pass the time of the day, and discuss the happenings of the village, according to early records published by Olga and Ed Cudney in commemorative edition of the Village’s 50th anniversary in The Greenwood Lake News in 1974.
At that time there was much to do in the community: roads were still unpaved, there was still no regular supply of drinking water, there were no street lights, and even though a Volunteer Fire Department was founded the year before, there was no reliable equipment for the members to deploy when fighting periodic fires that could erupt at any moment. Building codes at that time were ignorant of the typical dangers that we acknowledge today that affect commercial and residential structures.
“It was time for Greenwood Lake to act,” proclaimed stories in the newspaper. “A meeting was held at the Church of the Good Shepherd to decide what could be done and the citizens who had long discussed the future of Greenwood Lake decided to move for the only feasible solution, incorporation. On January 13, 1924 the people of Greenwood Lake voted for incorporation, with 72 people attending, the vote was 52 in favor and 20 against.” Following the vote for incorporation the group elected the first mayor and board of trustees: John Minturn was Mayor; Two-Year Term Trustee was Arthur Esche; One-Year Term Trustee was John H. Galloway; Treasurer (and Police Justice) was James Turner; Collector of Taxes was Harry J. Sudman; Village Clerk was George Hubbard. After filings with the State on January 28, 1924, the official birthday for the newly incorporated Village of Greenwood Lake was March 17, 1924, when the Village received a certified copy from the State of New York.
The ”I Was There” production of the election day in Greenwood Lake in 1924, will be performed in an immersive setting of the beautiful historic Church of the Good Shepherd. The audience can get right in the middle of the arguments and shenanigans that took place in the spring of 1924. Everyone who attends will move freely throughout the space to experience the story in whatever order they choose. It’s a chance to be part of the story, rather than just watching from a distance. Take a break from the performance and drink in the 1920s era tavern alongside the fellow villagers. (Drink tickets available at the bar). All donations will be given to the Church of the Good Shepherd.
For more details about this and other Centennial events, click on GWLCentennial.org.
