The Kitch-a-wan burial ground occupied a beautiful location east of the fort, near Haunted Hollow. Local folklore spoke of "Walking Sachems of Teller's Point" — supernatural apparitions of deceased Indigenous people seen in groves and glens. Meeting with Mrs.

Miriam Williams: Lossing visited the village of Croton to meet twin sisters aged ninety (as of August 1860). Mrs. Miriam Williams possessed clear recollection of George Washington during his encampment near Verplanck's Point.

She recalled him dismounting before her father's house requesting food. He saw the twins and placed his hands on their heads, saying "You are as alike as two eggs. May you have long life." Washington then reverently asked a blessing, removing his hat as the children watched from the doorway.

Prickly Pear Hill: From the village, Lossing rode northward about two miles to Prickly Pear Hill (named for the abundant cactus growing there), reaching almost five hundred feet above the river. From this summit, Washington had encamped in 1782 and used the pinnacle as his chief observatory.