Article Puts Peekskill Historian in High Demand

When a Wall Street Journal reporter contacted Peekskill historian John Curran a few weeks ago about the city’s Yellow Brick Road, he was thrilled that it might bring attention to the bricks he had talked about preserving for the past 10 years.

However, the June 1 article by Shelly Banjo gave Curran more than he expected. He has already taken calls from ABC and CBS News, and was heading to Beacon Friday morning to tape a spot for National Public Radio.

“It’s been a blitz of media attention,” Curran said. “I wasn’t prepared for it. I thought it was just going to be a little article, but the Wall Street Journal is very well read.”

Wizard of Oz author Frank Baum lived in the city briefly while a student at Peekskill Military Academy and Curran and many others believe Baum’s yellow brick road was inspired by a yellow brick walkway located behind the Standard House on Hudson Street. Curran, who spends much of his time at the Peekskill Museum on Union Avenue, said he was excited to be interviewed on NPR, which also has a large nationwide audience.

“The woman called from the [main] office in Washington D.C. and apparently her editor wanted to do the story, I guess because it’s a soft story and it is fantasy and everybody likes the story,” he said. “ It’s all part of the Hudson Valley’s Heritage.”

Curran said his Friday morning radio interview would be aired on a later date.

“It’s going to be like a 15 minute interview and they’re going to take maybe five minutes of it,” Curran said.

And while Curran said he appreciated being in demand, he said he was still getting used to the added attention.

“I think I should get an agent and get paid for all this,” he joked.

 

Click here to follow Daily Voice Peekskill and receive free news updates.