When L. Frank Baum wrote The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, could the yellow brick road have been inspired by a road in Peekskill, New York? City historian John Curran thinks so, and has done the research. Baum attended Peekskill Military Academy in 1868, when he was 12 years old. He did not enjoy the experience.
Mr. Curran believes the ordeal shaped the Wizard of Oz. “Whenever Baum had an emotional experience, such as his two years at Peekskill Military Academy, it showed up in the book,” Mr. Curran says during his Oz presentation at the museum. “Whenever the characters get off the yellow brick road, they get into trouble.”
In 2005, a Fulbright scholar and artist persuaded John Testa, who was the mayor of Peekskill at the time, to conduct an authenticity study on the road. Mr. Curran uncovered maps showing that West Street, which leads from the steamboat dock up a hill to the military academy, was indeed made of Dutch pavers, a common yellow-hued brick in the Dutch-settled area.
The maps showed Mr. Baum had to have walked along the road to get to school, Mr. Curran said.
Only a small part of the road is still brick. Curran would like to restore the road, or build a monument of some sort to Oz, but the city does not have the money for such a project.
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