NEWS!

Ken Rose, long time OCHS Trustee, Dies

Kenneth R. Rose passed away on Monday morning, May 8, 2023 at his home in Suffern, NY. He was 79.

Ken served as a Trustee of the Historical Society from 1982 until 2022. His historical research was often displayed in the Society Journal. His article on Sidman's Bridge is featured on the Society website.

A visitation for Kenneth will be held Wednesday, May 17, 2023 from 11:00 AM to 12:30 PM at Wanamaker & Carlough Funeral Home, 177 Route 59, Suffern, New York 10901. More Details.

2023 Spring Society Speakers Program

Michael J Worden
Lynched by a Mob! The 1892 Lynching of Robert Lewis in Port Jervis, New York
10:30 a.m., Saturday, June 10, 2023
OCHS Headquarters Building
21 Clove Furnace Drive, Box 55, Arden, New York, 10910

Join author, Michael Worden, as he describes his recently published story of the 1892 Lynching in Port Jervis. On the evening of June 2, 1892, a frenzied mob dragged Robert Lewis nearly a half a mile through the streets of Port Jervis, New York, before hanging him from the limb of a tree. Lewis, an African American, was no stranger to the village: he had lived and worked in Port Jervis all his life. But on that fateful night, Lewis stood accused of brutally raping a young, white woman named Lena McMahon, and for that he would suffer an ignominious death. Local authorities and civic leaders were powerless to stop the raging mob, and, despite the large number of witnesses present, nobody was ever held accountable for his murder. 130 years later the complete story of the lynching is told. Was Lewis set up to commit the crime? Who instigated the mob? Why wasn't anyone held accountable? Author Michael J. Worden has spent years researching the details of the case, uncovering court documents that haven't been seen in 130 years, and tracking down the ultimate fate of Lena McMahon.