Local city information for Suffern, NY

Suffern is a village in the Town of Ramapo, Rockland County, New York, United States located north of the State of New Jersey; east of Hillburn; south of Montebello and west of Airmont. As of the 2000 census, Suffern's population was 11,006.

The village is one of the more urban communities in Rockland County.


The Village of Suffern was founded in 1796. John Suffern, first Rockland County judge, 1798-1806, after whom the town is named, settled near the base of the Ramapo Mountains in 1773. It was originally called New Antrim, after Suffern's hometown in Ireland, to where his Huguenot ancestors had fled in 1685, following the revocation of the Edict of Nantes in France. New Antrim's location was considered strategically important in the American Revolutionary War due to its location near Ramapo Pass.

During the war, Commander-in-Chief General George Washington and his regiment made camp in the village. Lafayette Avenue, the main street of Suffern, is named in honor of Revolutionary War hero Marie Joseph Paul Yves Rock Gilbert du Motier, better known as the Marquis de Lafayette. On August 25, 1781, French troops encamped in New Antrim. A historical marker on Washington Avenue, near Lafayette Avenue, identifies the area as "Rochambeau's Encampment 1781-1782". Comte de Rochambeau made his headquarters at John Suffern's New Antrim Tavern. Thousands of French and Revolutionary soldiers camped here on their way to Yorktown, Virginia where they and 3,000 Virginia militia led by Lafayette, fought British General Lord Charles Cornwallis and his forces at the Siege of Yorktown, a pivotal battle that ultimately led to victory.

Other guest who took advantage of Suffern's hospitality included Lieutenant Colonel Aaron Burr, who later became the 3^rd Vice President of the United States, General George Clinton who became the first (and longest-serving) elected Governor of New York, and then 4^th Vice President of the United States under Thomas Jefferson and James Madison and Alexander Hamilton, 1^st United States Secretary of the Treasury under President George Washington.

'''Smith's Clove, Sidman's Clove - From Suffern to Monroe was a main route of travel through western Hudson Highlands. The main road was Albany Post Road, one of oldest roads in the state, which served as the stagecoach line between Albany, New York and New York City and was heavily traveled in winter when the Hudson River froze over. The of road through the Pass became the Orange Turnpike (now Route 17). In 1800, tolls were collected until 1886 to maintain and improve road. The New York State Thruway now runs through the Pass. The South entrance to the town was garrisoned during the Revolution.

The first railroad line across Rockland County (the Erie Railroad) was built in 1841 and ran from Piermont to Ramapo. By 1851, the line was extended to Lake Erie, and was considered an engineering marvel. The tracks are now owned by the Norfolk Southern line.

In 1897, Avon Products, known then as California Perfume Company, built a small (3000 square foot) laboratory in Suffern; by 1971 the lab would grow into the Avon Suffern Research and Development facility. In late 2005, construction was finished on a state-of-the art, facility that would become Avon's global hub for research and development. The new building was constructed on the same site as their previous R&D facility, which was demolished for site parking.

In 1916, what would become New York State Route 59, which reached from Nyack to Spring Valley in 1915, was extended to Suffern and Ramapo Hamlet.

In 1924, Lafayette Theatre, also named for the Revolutionary War hero the Marquis de Lafayette open its doors.

In 1972, the Salvation Army moved their School for Officer Training to a 30 acre site in Suffern.

In June, 2005 Phillip Esposito, a New York Army National Guard officer from Suffern, was killed in a fragging incident during the Iraq War.

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