Roslyn Landmark Society recently received a generous contribution from Janet Schechter, a Roslyn native and daughter of long-time Village of Roslyn judge Nathan Stern.
“I’m pleased to give this gift to the Roslyn Grist Mill project, my father was dedicated to Roslyn for many years. It only seemed fitting to honor him in this way,” said Schechter.
Nathan Stern served as a village justice for 44 consecutive years, longer than any of his three predecessors.
After graduating from Brooklyn law school in 1938, Stern started his law practice in his native Brooklyn. Judge Stern moved to Roslyn and began serving the Village of Roslyn. Judge Stern passed away 2002.
In November, Schechter visited Roslyn for a tour of the mill. Landmark’s Executive Director Jennifer Lister, and Howard Kroplick, co-president, gave an update of the project.
Said Lister, “We would like to thank Janet Schechter for her wonderful support in memory of her father, who served an important judicial role for our village for so many years.”
The Roslyn Grist Mill is a rare surviving Dutch-framed watermill built between 1715 and 1741.
It operated as a working water mill for over 150 years. On April 24, 1790, the mill’s owner, Hendrick Onderdonk was visited by President George Washington who referred to the mill in his diary.
From 1920 to 1974, the mill building served as a tea house and was a village tourist attraction. The building was placed on the National Historic Register of Historic Places in 1986.
