One of the neat things about the old river towns like Ossining is the pre war architecture, the likes of which we'll never see replicated. Nothing demonstrates that more than the churches in the village, many of which are located downtown off Main Street on South Highland Avenue. It is a menagerie of steeples as you drive through. Many of the churches deserve their own postings, which I'll do in the future. Here are a few highlights.
Ossining Gospel Assembly is actually up Croton Avenue about a mile from downtown, but the beautiful stone structure should be included.
Trinity Episcopal is a beautiful Gothic building with a courtyard between the church and parish hall.
First Baptist is at the corner of Main and South Highland. It dates, as I recall, from the Civil War era, and may be the oldest church downtown. There is often a pithy message on their sign. The bell tower framed against a blue sky is impressive.
First Presbyterian is one of the highest steeples in the village. There are other more impressive angles of sight for the building, but I liked how First Baptist can be seen in background.
The inscription above the First Presbyterian main entrance reads "To The Triune God." I remember, vividly, how Mrs. Rimm, a family friend, explained what that meant to me when I was about 5.
Ossining United Methodist has beautiful stained glass and is the hardest to photograph. I chose the side of the whole building this time around.
Saint Ann's Catholic Church on Eastern Avenue. I was baptized, confirmed and married here. On the far right you can see the top of Trinity Episcopal.
Saint Augustine's had a beautiful building on North Highland Avenue for many years which was razed when the road was widened. They built this building in the mid 1980's on the old Campus of Mary Immaculate Girls High School, which closed in 1976. The view of the Hudson is breathtaking. The whole campus is gorgeous and worthy of another posting.
Ironic, isn't it, that a town with Maryknoll Mission and such beautiful churches is also home to one of the most infamous prisons in the country-Sing Sing!
Perhaps next Sunday I'll pick one of the churches and do it justice.
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This is Saint Ann's Church. I was baptized here, confirmed here, eulogized my father here, married here, and had three of my children baptized here as well. I graduated 8th grade from St. Ann's school up the hill in 1981.
This is 32 Linden Avenue. I was here almost every day from the age of 6 months until the 3rd grade. My mother worked as an RN, and my babysitter lived here. She's like a mother to me, and her 5 children are like siblings. I knew every nook and cranny of that old house. It went on the market earlier this year and I walked through for the first time in 33 years. It was a powerful experience. This house is the reason I love old homes, especially homes with porches. Back when that porch was enclosed by screens I read about 1000 Sgt Rock comic books sitting in it as the world went by, with the breeze blowing my cares away. 
This is the infamous Sing Sing Prison, the genesis of the phrase "up the river" from old gangster movies, as it is up the Hudson about 30 miles from Manhattan. It is still in operation, and the Hudson line of Metro-North runs right through it before stopping at the Ossining station. Surrounded by walls, of course- That looks really cool on Google Earth. 
This is Southside Market, on the corner of Spring Street and Lafayette, about a block away from Sing Sing. It used to be a little deli called Pindt's. My friend's Dad bought it in the early 80's, renamed it Southside, and made it a thriving enterprise. I started out as a stockboy there in high school (rotate the stock. New stuff goes behind, older stuff up front) and worked counter in college. I remember the rush of the 11:30pm shift of prison guards coming in after getting off duty. They all seemed to want Italian Combos. 3 meats and 2 cheeses. Those guys were grouchy after a long shift with inmates. And hungry. Ralph, my friend's Dad, was one of the best men I ever knew. We spent hours on end together in there, working and talking about life. I eulogized Ralph too.
This is downtown Ossining on Main Street (creative name huh). When I was a kid the area was derelict and blighted because all the commerce from that once bustling downtown migrated to the Arcadian shopping center. It has taken decades for the downtown to come back, but it is back and getting better.
This is my old home where I grew up. The original house (mostly on the left) was a 3 bedroom baby boom era ranch. My father made 3 additions to it.
