Croton in the 1850s — from Benson John Lossing's "The Hudson, from the Wilderness to the Sea" (1866) Source: https://www.crotonfriendsofhistory.org/croton-in-the-1850s Croton Point (Teller's Point): The peninsula was originally called Se-nas-qua by Native Americans and Sarah's Point by English settlers, named after Sarah Teller. William Teller acquired it from Indigenous peoples for "a barrel of…

A dam was built at the aqueduct's head to create a reservoir fountain. A major flood in early 1841 destroyed the original dam, filling Croton Bay with earth and gravel. The dam was rebuilt at greater altitude, creating a lake nearly six miles long holding approximately 500,000,000 gallons. The reservoir sat 166 feet above mean tide-water at New York and supplied 40,000,000 to 50,000,000 gallons da…

The stone mansion, erected in the early eighteenth century by John Van Cortlandt (eldest son of the manor's first lord), was over 150 years old at the time of Lossing's visit. The original family name was Stevens or Stevensen; "Van Cortlandt" derived from "van (from) Courland," referring to the Duchy of Courland in Russia. The family emigrated to Holland, then to America, settling in New Amsterdam…

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 …

The panorama revealed the Highlands, Fish Kill Mountains, Peek's Kill, Verplanck's and Stony Points, Haverstraw (where Arnold and Andre conferred), Teller's Point (where the Vulture lay), King's Ferry, Pine's Bridge, Tarrytown (Andre's capture), and Piermont near Tappan (Andre's execution).