HISTORY & MYSTERIES
These images are taken from a topographic map of the "Haverstraw Quadrangle," which was surveyed in 1938 by the U.S. Department of the Interior Geological Survey and published in 19431. This map provides so many layers of information—buildings, roads, elevations, vegetation, bodies of water, place names, and more—that we can get a good sense of … Continue reading U.S. Geographical Survey Map, 1943
These details are from a map of the Town of Cortlandt which accompanied the 1940 census. According to a note on the map it was prepared in January, 1935 "in the office of the County Engineer, with workers supplied by the Westchester County Emergency Work Bureau." The map can be viewed and downloaded from the … Continue reading Census Map of Croton, 1935
"Camping at the City's Doors" was the title of an article in the June, 1905, issue of Country Life in America magazine, which described places where "one can feel as far away from civilization as upon an Adirondack lake, but a twenty minutes' row or paddle takes one across the river to catch a train, … Continue reading Camping at Croton Point, 1905
"Among all the rich and luscious terrestrial fruits which gladden the heart of man and delight his taste and renovate his health," wrote the Eclectic Magazine in April, 1864, "none surpass in variety and value the fruit of the vine. . . . In all ages and in all countries, where the soil and climate … Continue reading Dr. Underhill, a Patriarch and a Man of Renown
Below is issue 1 of Theodore J. Cornu's extraordinary hand-drawn, hand-lettered, self-published journal, Hudson Valley Echoes. When the publication opens you can click on the pages and enlarge them. The embedded viewer uses Flash, so if you don't see it below because your device doesn't support Flash, you can click here. Issues 2 to 4 … Continue reading Hudson Valley Echoes, Issue #1
The amazing thing about searching with Google is that not only can you find a needle in the internet haystack—sometimes you find needles you weren't even looking for, like this story of Richard T. Underhill's involvement in the West Side and Yonkers Patent Railway Company, the company that began the New York City transportation system. First … Continue reading R. T. Underhill—Doctor, Winemaker, and Investor in the First New York City Elevated Railway
In October 1867, Harper's Weekly published a full-page wood engraving of the Underhill vineyards. Entitled "Gathering Grapes—An October Scene on the Hudson," the image takes us back to the time when Richard T. Underhill was the "grape king" of Croton Point. How significant were the Underhill vineyards? In his multi-volume History of Wine in America, … Continue reading The Underhill Vineyards, 1867
This detailed Civil War period map of Croton Point is but a small detail of a magnificent 4 sheet, hand-colored map of the Hudson River, produced by the United States Coast Survey from 1861 to 1865. Kaaterskill Books, which offers fine, rare, and unusual books in a variety of fields, is offering this map for … Continue reading Croton Point, 1865
This map is from the 1924 Report of the Westchester County Park Commission, published during a period in which the Westchester park and parkway system was being greatly expanded. Thanks to the Oechsner Archive for this vintage map.
These photos are from the 1924 Report of the Westchester County Park Commission, published a year after the county acquired the land. The history of recreational use of Croton Point is described on the Westchester.gov website: Organized recreational use of Croton Point began about 1900 when Judge Decker of Croton leased the beach area and … Continue reading Croton Point, 1924
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