HISTORY & MYSTERIES
As the weather in Croton gets warmer and we rejoice that the snow and ice are finally melting, let’s look back to a time when the Croton River ran wild and spring thaws would often bring massive freshets—river floods caused by heavy rain and/or melted snow and ice. On Tuesday, March 10, 1818—exactly 197 years … Continue reading A Croton River Disaster—197 Years Ago Today
Detail of the Hudson Highlands from Thomas Jeffreys' magnificent map, The Provinces of New York, and New Jersey; with part of Pensilvania, and the Province of Quebec. Drawn by Major Holland, Engraved by Thomas Jefferys, Geographer to His Majesty. Corrected and Improved, from the Original Materials, by Governr. Pownall, Member of Parliament 1776. London. Printed … Continue reading The Hudson Highlands, 1776
Detail from the 1779 map titled "A chorographical map of the Province of New-York in North America, divided into counties, manors, patents and townships; exhibiting likewise all the private grants of land made and located in that Province; compiled from actual surveys deposited in the Patent Office at New York, by order of His Excellency … Continue reading The “Mannor of Cortland,” 1779
Detail from the map A plan of the country from Frogspoint to Croton River shewing the positions of the American and British armies from the 12th of October 1776 until the engagement on the White Plains on the 28th. Since this map was made for military purposed it notes the location of Croton Ferry, at … Continue reading Croton Area in 1776
Detail from an engraving based on one of Robert Erskine's military maps, showing the Croton Area in 1778-1780. The full map is below. Since this was produced for military purposes it notes the location of Cortlandt Furnace (as well as the Sing Sing silver mine). This copy was printed and folded into Washington Irving's multi-volume … Continue reading Croton Area, 1778-1780
A sketch of the operations of His Majesty's fleet and army under the command of Vice Admiral the Rt. Hble. Lord Viscount Howe and Genl. Sr. Wm. Howe, K.B., in 1776. Detail from a British military map depicting the Battle of White Plains in 1776. The detail shows Sarah's Point, one of the many early … Continue reading Sarah’s Point, 1776
Detail of the "Mannor of Cortland" from A topographical map of Hudsons River, with the channels depth of water, rocks, shoals &c. and the country adjacent, from Sandy-Hook, New York and bay to Fort Edward, also the communication with Canada by Lake George and Lake Champlain, as high as Fort Chambly on Sorel River. The … Continue reading The “Mannor of Cortland”, 1776
Plates 9 and 10 from A Survey of the Roads of the United States of America by Christopher Colles. 1789, showing the Albany Post Road going through Croton. Plate 9, on the top, right side shows the road crossing the Croton River at the Van Cortlandt ferry, continuing north on plate 10. The numbers indicate … Continue reading Albany Post Road Through Croton, 1789
Detail of the Hudson Highlands from a 1775 map, showing Croton Point when it was called "Enock Pt." From A Map of the Most Inhabited Part of New England, containing the provinces of Massachusetts Bay and New Hampshire, with the Colonies of Conecticut and Rhode Island, Divided into Counties and Townships The whole composed from Actual … Continue reading Croton Point, 1775
This manuscript map (meaning a hand-drawn map, rather than one which is printed) was made when the French army was camped in northern Westchester in 1782. It records in exquisite detail the roads, bridges, settlements and more between Croton in the southwest, Peekskill in the north and Yorktown in the northeast. The map is in … Continue reading Position des Armées Amériquaine et Françoise, 1782
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