NORTH SALEM, N.Y. - In a town known for its rolling hills, wooded trails and quiet hamlets, four longtime friends have come together to capture what they see as the heart of their community — and preserve it in print.
The result is a new photo book dedicated entirely to North Salem, featuring 280 images that showcase the town’s nature, wildlife, landmarks and historic corners.
Created by local photographers Steve La Rocca, John O’Meara, John White and Chris Burke, the book highlights familiar sights such as the locally famous Balanced Rock, Mill Hollow waterfall and the Titicus Reservoir Dam. It also brings readers into the hamlets of North Salem, Croton Falls, Purdys and Peach Lake, while offering striking images of deer, eagles, swans and even a bobcat.
But the project is about more than beautiful pictures.
“It was so much fun,” La Rocca said. “I love the town. I love to hike and I like to take photographs. I’ve got some friends who occasionally send me their beautiful photographs of wildlife and things like that, and I said, ‘OK, let’s get together and put it all together and see what we have.’”
What began as friends sharing images quickly grew into a nine-month photographic effort, followed by another three months of editing, organizing and preparing the book for publication. Along the way, the project pushed each photographer to look at North Salem with fresh eyes.
La Rocca, an architect who has lived in town for 52 years, said the process deepened his appreciation for the community’s architecture and history. He presented historical facts in the book about the hamlets, Mill Hollow, the Titicus Dam and town buildings, noting the wide range of architectural styles found in the many restored structures throughout town.
North Salem’s historic core — particularly the hamlet of Salem Center — became an important focal point. Three of the four main town buildings are historic, and two were moved to make way for the reservoir more than a century ago. The book includes brief narratives in each of its 32 sections, offering readers context on geography, wildlife habitats and local history. Historical maps from 1840 show former mills, stores and industries, while a modern town map identifies lakes, rivers and roads.
“One of the challenges was getting a brief text to go along with the photos,” La Rocca said. “Enough to give you a glimpse — the dam was built 150 years ago and it was 500 feet long, things that help people understand more about the photos they’re looking at.”
For La Rocca, places like Mountain Lakes Park proved especially rewarding. Tucked into a corner of town and often overlooked because it is a county park, its dramatic boulders, waterfalls and winding trails offered unexpected photographic opportunities.
The Titicus Reservoir also emerged as a centerpiece. As the geographic and environmental heart of North Salem — its watershed covers about two-thirds of the town — it plays a major role in zoning, development and conservation. Through the lens of his collaborators, La Rocca said he gained a new appreciation for the reservoir’s wildlife habitat.
That wildlife is prominently featured thanks to his fellow photographers.
O’Meara captured many of the wildlife and farm animal images and handled the technical assembly of the book, preparing the layouts and coordinating with a publisher he uses for commercial work. White contributed dramatic images of eagles, swans, deer and a bobcat, as well as striking aerial views of the reservoir and surrounding countryside. Burke focused on his favorite hikes in Mountain Lakes Park and Baxter Road, photographing ducks, turkeys, herons and artistic views of bridges and water.
The photographers presented their work at the North Salem library in December, discussing equipment, techniques, favorite hiking routes and sources for historical research.
The book is dedicated to North Salem’s residents, town officials, volunteers and local organizations who work to preserve the town’s natural beauty, open spaces and historic character.
“It got me out and about,” La Rocca said of the project. “You drive by on Route 116 and you just zip through, watching traffic and trying to stay in the road. But if you pull off and really look at nature and the buildings, you find some pretty fascinating things.”
The book can be viewed at Ruth Keeler Memorial Library and school libraries, and copies are also available through the authors.
For the four friends behind it, the project was as much about collaboration as it was about photography — a shared effort to document the landscapes and landmarks that define North Salem, and to encourage neighbors to see their hometown in a new light.
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