Peekskill - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

JMPolniaczek15 · 05-26-2001, 08:44 PM

Hi - I was just wondering if anyone knew whether or not there is any sort of FOL tribute in Peekskill? After all, that's where the show was set. It seems like there would be. Has anyone been there? What's it like?

Max Whittaker · 05-26-2001, 10:16 PM

I'm not sure.

05-26-2001, 10:27 PM

It's just like in the TV show. j/k! Actually, I have no idea.

07-11-2001, 10:29 PM

Just passing through and saw this post. I can answer it.

There never was a tribute to "The Facts of Life" in Peekskill--ever--and I, for one, think the city missed out on a golden opportunity to put itself squarely on the map in the '80s.

Peekskill, New York, if it hasn't been mentioned already on your board, is an over-the-hill river town about 50 miles north of New York City with a population of about 20,000 for as long as I've been alive. I should know, because I was born there and grew up during the time "The Facts of Life" was on the air. Peekskill is also known as the home of New York State Governor George Pataki and 1999 first-round NBA draft pick Elton Brand of the Chicago Bulls.

Peekskill's greatest asset is no doubt its marvelous view of the Hudson River, which citizens enjoy from the Riverfront Green Park. Edna's Edibles might actually work well now in the downtown district, which has been trying for 25 years to elevate itself to its glory days, which were dashed when a mall moved to the area about 10 miles away in nearby Cortlandt.

The city's downtown has recently been trying to recraft itself as an artists' community, with its centerpiece being the Paramount Center for the Arts on Brown Street, which began as a not-for-profit agency attempting to breathe life into the old Paramount movie theater abandoned around 1980. Today, it's a great place to see independent films and some respectable stage performances.

I still live about 25 miles from Peekskill and drive through there often to check in on how my childhood home is looking these days. (The rest of my family has long since moved away.) Many of Peekskill's homes are early 20th-century Victorian-style homes that many young families crave nowadays in this region. Prominent streets in Peekskill include Hudson Avenue, Washington Street, Depew Street, Elm Street, Main Street and Crompond Avenue. Nearby towns include Montrose, Buchanan, Croton-on-Hudson, Yorktown and Verplanck. Never heard of them on the show!

The Eastland Academy, as you may know, is actually based on a real-life Catholic private school for girls that sat atop a mountainside vista overlooking the river. The stony St. Mary's was supposedly in operation perhaps up until I was born in the late '60s. It's always been my speculation that one of the producers either went there or had a relative that went there, but I don't know that for a fact. Today, St. Mary's old dorm rooms have been converted into an expensive condominium complex.

Peekskill does in fact have a police department of about 15 or so officers, who occupy a building adjacent to the Field Library. Both blocky modern buildings were constructed in the late '70s, so it's likely the girls could have visited these buildings, had they really lived there, of course!

When I was in Peekskill High School, surprisingly little attention was paid to The Facts of Life and the fact that the show currently on the air actually took place in our hometown. I often had to remind people the show actually took place in Peekskill. Kids would look at me mildly amused and go on with their school lives.

There is a reference to a boys' school in the show, and this is probably a warping of true history, too. There was an all-male Peekskill Military Academy, which today is the high school and has been so for probably 35+ years now. I guess it was like a military/prep school of sorts. No further info on that, really. My grandmother knew of it. Before it moved to the PMA building, the high school was located a few blocks away on Ringgold Street at what is now the middle school.

Peekskill as a city has more historical interest than television. Founded by Dutchman Jan Peeck, for whom the town and river were "named" (The town was originally called "Peeck's Kill" meaning "Peek's River"), Peekskill was a key port on the Hudson for Washington during the Revolutionary War. West Point is about 25 miles north on the opposite shore. And, Abraham Lincoln visited the city once during a rail tour he made, I believe while runinng for President. A monument marks that occasion on South Street.

Peekskill grew as a major New York city during the mid-20th century through a vibrant industrial base. I understand stoves were a primary industry, and this is why a stove is part of the city seal. Peekskill became a chartered city in 1947, one of very few actual cities in the region. (Most are towns or villages by charter.) Don't know if a mention was made of a newspaper on the show, but the girls probably should have been reading the Peekskill Evening Star in the '80s. That newspaper merged into Gannett Newspapers around the time of the show, and the building which used to occupy the newspaper currently stands vacant, I believe, as do many of the historic buildings.

A series of bad real estate projects--with far too much emphasis on government-funded public housing and tax-exempt facilities--plus the decline of industrialism in the northeast and America in general, led to the city's steady decline. Even suburban housing booms in the '80s and recently haven't managed to fully extract the city from its checkered past. This is a shame, and a testimony to how poor management can doom a community. George Pataki in virtually everyone's minds is the best mayor the city ever had and reversed the city's imminent decline into irrelevance in the '80s.

The city's local radio stations are WLNA-AM (1420) and WHUD-FM (100.7). The FM station plays mostly soft rock and easy pop. With those stations, plus other local stations and New York City, there are stations at every turn of the dial in the region.

Surprisingly, there are very few annual events in town, and this lack of trademark emphasis probably doesn't help rally the community either. Each year, there is a Farmer's Market in the downtown which draws people from many nearby towns to sample fresh produce from further upstate. But, its popularity has declined recently.

No, there are no palm trees (noted in another post). I took my Peekskill driver's test on a couple of suburban streets in the downtown area by the war monument. And Peekskill has no public-air television station. There is a cable access channel (Channel 6), but that's the extent of locally-based TV. We did get all the New York City stations, though.

Hope this doesn't dash some of your daydreams about the real Peekskill, but since you seem like such rabid fans, it's probably best that you know that there was never any celebration of the show. It may help you to know that when I tell people I am from Peekskill, some actually do say to me, "Oh yeah! The Facts of Life!" I happily nod. Maybe you can convince City Hall!

Enjoy the show. Maybe I'll pass you by in Peekskill, New York someday.

JoJoJoJoJoJoJoJoJo · 07-11-2001, 10:34 PM

wow, i dind't even know a peeksville existed!!

ks · 07-11-2001, 10:46 PM

Thank you SO much for taking the time to tell us that information. It was very helpful!

ks

Ralph_Malph · 07-11-2001, 10:46 PM

AWESOME!!! Thanks for all that info!!

------------------
"I STILL GOT IT"!

Michele35 · 07-11-2001, 11:14 PM

Hey,,,,thanks Peekskill...you are a virtual curnacopia of Peekskill information.

JoPolniaczeksbiggestFan · 07-12-2001, 01:49 AM

My dad worked there for a few years. He apparently felt the same way as Blair did about it. LOL! I don't know if there is a FOL dedication. But if i ever go there, I'll make one!

------------------
Jo's TwIn
Nancy's biggest fan
FOL Fanatic
_______________________
Jo: Hey, I'm goin. And I hate fresh air. It clogs my sinuses.
______________________
"Uh, In a minute your gonna be wearin' flared teeth."
_________________________
"Because I love to flirt with danger" -Jinny
_________________________

Magda : "What would you do if a guy didnt call? "
Jinny:"Oh, they always call me. They want to know me, they want to be a part of my life. They want to share."
Magda: "But if they didn't? "
Jinny: "I would breathe a big sigh of relief unless of course I liked him then i would just hunt him down and slash his tires."
_________________________
Jo:"Alright! I've had it with that hairy little creep!"
Mrs.G: "Oh. You shouldn't fight with Blair when she's sick."
_________________________
What Nancy said to me-Hi Madelyn! - Happy 15th! Hope your day was wonderful...
________________________
LuV ya NaNc

JMPolniaczek15 · 07-12-2001, 03:29 PM

Thank you - it was all very interesting!

------------------
"You're old, you're ugly, you live with it!" - Jo
*************************
"Why would you want to be popular? You have to smile and talk to peple and all that stuff!" - Jo
*************************
"...you may have read the new best-selling book, 'If I Have All the Cheese I Want, Why Am I Still Unhappy?'" - Rose Nylund
*************************
"Get back here, you deceitful little Sicilian gecko!" - Dorothy Zbornak
*************************
"I've got PMS and I've got a gun - any questions?" - Jinny Extead

05-26-2001, 08:44 PM	#1
JMPolniaczek15 Forum Regular Member Join Date: May 16, 2001 Location: Amongst the cornfields in Indiana... Posts: 707	Peekskill Hi - I was just wondering if anyone knew whether or not there is any sort of FOL tribute in Peekskill? After all, that's where the show was set. It seems like there would be. Has anyone been there? What's it like?

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05-26-2001, 10:16 PM	#2
Max Whittaker Senior Member I want Serenity back Join Date: Apr 30, 2001 Posts: 6,150	I'm not sure.

05-26-2001, 10:27 PM	#3
Devastation26 Posts: n/a	It's just like in the TV show. j/k! Actually, I have no idea.

07-11-2001, 10:29 PM	#4
IWasBornInPeekskill Posts: n/a	Just passing through and saw this post. I can answer it. There never was a tribute to "The Facts of Life" in Peekskill--ever--and I, for one, think the city missed out on a golden opportunity to put itself squarely on the map in the '80s. Peekskill, New York, if it hasn't been mentioned already on your board, is an over-the-hill river town about 50 miles north of New York City with a population of about 20,000 for as long as I've been alive. I should know, because I was born there and grew up during the time "The Facts of Life" was on the air. Peekskill is also known as the home of New York State Governor George Pataki and 1999 first-round NBA draft pick Elton Brand of the Chicago Bulls. Peekskill's greatest asset is no doubt its marvelous view of the Hudson River, which citizens enjoy from the Riverfront Green Park. Edna's Edibles might actually work well now in the downtown district, which has been trying for 25 years to elevate itself to its glory days, which were dashed when a mall moved to the area about 10 miles away in nearby Cortlandt. The city's downtown has recently been trying to recraft itself as an artists' community, with its centerpiece being the Paramount Center for the Arts on Brown Street, which began as a not-for-profit agency attempting to breathe life into the old Paramount movie theater abandoned around 1980. Today, it's a great place to see independent films and some respectable stage performances. I still live about 25 miles from Peekskill and drive through there often to check in on how my childhood home is looking these days. (The rest of my family has long since moved away.) Many of Peekskill's homes are early 20th-century Victorian-style homes that many young families crave nowadays in this region. Prominent streets in Peekskill include Hudson Avenue, Washington Street, Depew Street, Elm Street, Main Street and Crompond Avenue. Nearby towns include Montrose, Buchanan, Croton-on-Hudson, Yorktown and Verplanck. Never heard of them on the show! The Eastland Academy, as you may know, is actually based on a real-life Catholic private school for girls that sat atop a mountainside vista overlooking the river. The stony St. Mary's was supposedly in operation perhaps up until I was born in the late '60s. It's always been my speculation that one of the producers either went there or had a relative that went there, but I don't know that for a fact. Today, St. Mary's old dorm rooms have been converted into an expensive condominium complex. Peekskill does in fact have a police department of about 15 or so officers, who occupy a building adjacent to the Field Library. Both blocky modern buildings were constructed in the late '70s, so it's likely the girls could have visited these buildings, had they really lived there, of course! When I was in Peekskill High School, surprisingly little attention was paid to The Facts of Life and the fact that the show currently on the air actually took place in our hometown. I often had to remind people the show actually took place in Peekskill. Kids would look at me mildly amused and go on with their school lives. There is a reference to a boys' school in the show, and this is probably a warping of true history, too. There was an all-male Peekskill Military Academy, which today is the high school and has been so for probably 35+ years now. I guess it was like a military/prep school of sorts. No further info on that, really. My grandmother knew of it. Before it moved to the PMA building, the high school was located a few blocks away on Ringgold Street at what is now the middle school. Peekskill as a city has more historical interest than television. Founded by Dutchman Jan Peeck, for whom the town and river were "named" (The town was originally called "Peeck's Kill" meaning "Peek's River"), Peekskill was a key port on the Hudson for Washington during the Revolutionary War. West Point is about 25 miles north on the opposite shore. And, Abraham Lincoln visited the city once during a rail tour he made, I believe while runinng for President. A monument marks that occasion on South Street. Peekskill grew as a major New York city during the mid-20th century through a vibrant industrial base. I understand stoves were a primary industry, and this is why a stove is part of the city seal. Peekskill became a chartered city in 1947, one of very few actual cities in the region. (Most are towns or villages by charter.) Don't know if a mention was made of a newspaper on the show, but the girls probably should have been reading the Peekskill Evening Star in the '80s. That newspaper merged into Gannett Newspapers around the time of the show, and the building which used to occupy the newspaper currently stands vacant, I believe, as do many of the historic buildings. A series of bad real estate projects--with far too much emphasis on government-funded public housing and tax-exempt facilities--plus the decline of industrialism in the northeast and America in general, led to the city's steady decline. Even suburban housing booms in the '80s and recently haven't managed to fully extract the city from its checkered past. This is a shame, and a testimony to how poor management can doom a community. George Pataki in virtually everyone's minds is the best mayor the city ever had and reversed the city's imminent decline into irrelevance in the '80s. The city's local radio stations are WLNA-AM (1420) and WHUD-FM (100.7). The FM station plays mostly soft rock and easy pop. With those stations, plus other local stations and New York City, there are stations at every turn of the dial in the region. Surprisingly, there are very few annual events in town, and this lack of trademark emphasis probably doesn't help rally the community either. Each year, there is a Farmer's Market in the downtown which draws people from many nearby towns to sample fresh produce from further upstate. But, its popularity has declined recently. No, there are no palm trees (noted in another post). I took my Peekskill driver's test on a couple of suburban streets in the downtown area by the war monument. And Peekskill has no public-air television station. There is a cable access channel (Channel 6), but that's the extent of locally-based TV. We did get all the New York City stations, though. Hope this doesn't dash some of your daydreams about the real Peekskill, but since you seem like such rabid fans, it's probably best that you know that there was never any celebration of the show. It may help you to know that when I tell people I am from Peekskill, some actually do say to me, "Oh yeah! The Facts of Life!" I happily nod. Maybe you can convince City Hall! Enjoy the show. Maybe I'll pass you by in Peekskill, New York someday.

07-11-2001, 10:34 PM	#5
JoJoJoJoJoJoJoJoJo Senior Member A and J Join Date: May 31, 2001 Location: .S.C. Posts: 3,058	wow, i dind't even know a peeksville existed!!

07-11-2001, 10:46 PM	#6
ks Senior Member Certifiably Insane Join Date: Dec 21, 2000 Location: I live in my hole... Posts: 5,479	Thank you SO much for taking the time to tell us that information. It was very helpful! ks

07-11-2001, 10:46 PM	#7
Ralph_Malph Forum Regular Member Join Date: Jul 03, 2001 Posts: 258	AWESOME!!! Thanks for all that info!! ------------------ "I STILL GOT IT"!

07-11-2001, 11:14 PM	#8
Michele35 Forum Regular Jazz Girl Join Date: Dec 08, 2000 Location: Los Angeles,CA Posts: 803	Hey,,,,thanks Peekskill...you are a virtual curnacopia of Peekskill information.

07-12-2001, 01:49 AM	#9
JoPolniaczeksbiggestFan Frequent Poster Member Join Date: Apr 07, 2001 Location: Jo Land, USA Posts: 105	My dad worked there for a few years. He apparently felt the same way as Blair did about it. LOL! I don't know if there is a FOL dedication. But if i ever go there, I'll make one! ------------------ Jo's TwIn Nancy's biggest fan FOL Fanatic _______________________ Jo: Hey, I'm goin. And I hate fresh air. It clogs my sinuses. ______________________ "Uh, In a minute your gonna be wearin' flared teeth." _________________________ "Because I love to flirt with danger" -Jinny _________________________ Magda : "What would you do if a guy didnt call? " Jinny:"Oh, they always call me. They want to know me, they want to be a part of my life. They want to share." Magda: "But if they didn't? " Jinny: "I would breathe a big sigh of relief unless of course I liked him then i would just hunt him down and slash his tires." _________________________ Jo:"Alright! I've had it with that hairy little creep!" Mrs.G: "Oh. You shouldn't fight with Blair when she's sick." _________________________ What Nancy said to me-Hi Madelyn! - Happy 15th! Hope your day was wonderful... ________________________ LuV ya NaNc

07-12-2001, 03:29 PM	#10
JMPolniaczek15 Forum Regular Member Join Date: May 16, 2001 Location: Amongst the cornfields in Indiana... Posts: 707	Thank you - it was all very interesting! ------------------ "You're old, you're ugly, you live with it!" - Jo *********************** "Why would you want to be popular? You have to smile and talk to peple and all that stuff!" - Jo ********************* "...you may have read the new best-selling book, 'If I Have All the Cheese I Want, Why Am I Still Unhappy?'" - Rose Nylund ********************* "Get back here, you deceitful little Sicilian gecko!" - Dorothy Zbornak *********************** "I've got PMS and I've got a gun - any questions?" - Jinny Extead