Croton’s 120th Anniversary

Today marks the 120th anniversary of the incorporation of the Village of Croton-on-Hudson, which took place on February 12, 1898.

The Manual of Westchester County, published the same year, noted that a special election was held “on the question of incorporation” and “the electors of that locality . . . cast seventy-four (74) votes in favor of the proposition and twenty-one (21) votes against.” Croton’s population at the time of incorporation was 1,244 people. Today, it is more than 8,000.

Brickmaking was still a major industry in the village and the construction of New Croton Dam, which began in 1892, had finally reached the point where the Croton River had been diverted around the construction site, 1,821,400 cubic yards of earth and 400,250 cubic yards of rock had been excavated and the immense foundation was finally being laid.

Despite all the digging for clay along the Hudson River and the incessant construction of the dam, the Manual of Westchester County noted something about Croton that is still true today— “the village is attractive as a residence locality and its citizens are progressive.”