May, 2001 issue

In her letters Ms. Buske points out, "Croton Point Park, although designated a recreational facility, contains County State and National Heritage. We would like to see a balance. The recreation is there. We want to see the history the park contains preserved with educational interpretation."

Ms. Buske has an ongoing commitment to archaological and historic issues. In 1992 she was presented the Award of Meritorious Service for contributing to the advancement of New York State Archaelogy at the New York State Archaeological Association. She is currently Director of Programming for the Material and Archives and Laboratory for Archaeology located at Croton Point Nature Center and a member of the Croton Historical Society.

During the 20 plus years she has lived in the village the experienced amateur archaeologist has explored all aspects of Croton Point -- from cross country skiing to kayaking around the marshlands. Ms. Buske has watched professionals unearth remnants of the past and collected voluminous written material on the site.

The earliest known study was conducted in 1899 by M. Raymond Harrington for the American Museum of Natural History. It focused on the western portion of the Croton Neck bluffs. (Croton Neck is the area to the north of the entrance to the park.) Harrington noted that Croton Point would have been an ideal location for Native Americans to have lived. It is surrounded by the Hudson River, which would have yielded fish and oysters, the Croton River and a good supply of fresh water, and is easily defensible.

The archaeologist recorded an extensive earthwork on top of the bluff. He described it as "a low embankment, nowhere more than two and a half feet high. The earthwork was some 1,200 feet long and 600 feet wide." Harrington excavated 10 mounds in the area, and found skeletal material in eight of them.

In 1925, the Westchester County Park Commission undertook further work at the site and prepared a map of the earthworks. It concluded that it was possible the area was used for a long period - before and after the arrival of Europeans.

A further excavation by Mary Butler of Vassar College in 1940 and another in the 1970's, exposed more evidence of oyster shells, animal bones and ceramic pottery.

Although Harrington's only excavations were on Croton Neck, he also observed, "the outer Plateau, there is hardly a place that does not show traces of Indian occupation, in the shape of chips, fire broken stones, and like Indian debris...the large aboriginal shell deposits, some several feet in depth, which are still visible, especially on the North and South Points."

Local archaeologist Louis Brennan excavated several sites in the Enochs Neck area during the 1960s. (Enochs Neck is the northern tip of Croton Point.) In his notes Brennan recorded that the oyster shells in one of the middens averaged six inches in length. A sample of charcoal tested by radiocarbon suggested the accumulation of shells began about 3900 B.C.

Early reports of excavations at Tellers Point (the southern tip) are not available, but studies in the 1980s suggested it was also the site of a village.

Numerous other documents note discoveries of projectile points, flint chips, other prehistoric artifacts and a musket ball.

The earliest recorded purchase from the Native Americans on Croton Point was made by Cornelius Van Bursum in 1682. The deed is signed by Ackimak and nineteen others and describes the area purchased "for, and in consideration of, a certain sum of Wampum, and divers other goods..."

A later, but undated petition for the same tract of land, indicates the purchase by the William Teller family. Because Native Americans did not have the same concept of privately owning land, it is not uncommon for there to be several records of purchase for the same properties.

In an 1816 letter, Phillip Van Cortlandt, of nearby Van Cortlandt Manor, wrote:
"Wm. Tellor and Sarah his wife obtained permission from the Indians to Settle on the point and became Indian traders..."

Records in the Westchester County Historical Society Archives indicate that members of the Teller family continued to live at Croton Point throughout the 18th century.

One of the turning points of the Revolutionary War occurred at Croton Point in 1780. Major John Andre of the British Army conspired with the American traitor General Benedict Arnold to deliver plans of West Point to the British. He had sailed up the Hudson from Manhattan on the Vulture, and met with Arnold on the west shore of the river.

The Vulture reportedly moored off the western tip of Croton Point to await his return. A small boat approaching the shore from the Vulture was spotted by two American militiamen, George Sherwood and John Petersen, who fired their muskets at the boat.

This incident was reported to Col. James Livingston, who was in command of the American battery at Verplanck's Point. He dispatched a small cannon and crew to Croton Point. They fired on the Vulture, which retreated, forcing Andre to take an overland route. He was captured in Tarrytown by the American patriots Paulding, Williams and Van Wart.

In May 1779 the British sent a fleet of 5,000 men up the Hudson River with orders to take Fort Lafayette at Verplanck's Point as well as the fort at Stony Point on the west bank. A "strong detachment" landed at Teller's Point and probably camped overnight before marching off to capture Fort Lafayette.

Then on July 1, 1781, Teller's Point was supposedly used as an embarkation point for boats carrying a force of some 800 men under the command of General Lincoln as part of a movement to attack British positions in New York.

On November 6, 1804, Elijah Morgan and his wife Ann (Teller), conveyed their Croton Point property to Robert Underhill. Previously Underhill had operated a grist mill on the Croton River, about three quarters of a mile below the Croton Dam.

At Croton Point he turned his attention to agriculture and was savvy enough during the war of 1812 to devote 80 or 90 acres to watermelons. They could not be supplied by the southern farmers, and boats on the Hudson River waited patiently for them to ripen for the New York City markets. He also successfully exported apples and tried castor beans.

An attempt to start a vineyard on Croton Point failed because the European wine grapes suffered a variety of diseases.

After Underhill's death in 1829, his sons Richard and William purchased the property from his other heirs. Richard, who was a physician practicing in Manhattan, acquired 85 acres on the southern tip of Croton Point and hired a German winemaker to be caretaker of the vineyards.

The experiment was a success, and is thought to be the first commercial vineyard in the country. Grapes were sold as fruit in New York City, as well as being made into wine. It is reported Underhill provided wine for Queen Victoria's wedding "breakfast."

The historic wine cellars, on the southern portion of Croton Point are still intact and occasionally tours are provided by one of the curators of the Nature Center. A master plan prepared by Westchester County at the time of the capping of the landfill, called for an interpretive vineyard to be planted nearby.

Dr. Underhill built an ornate Italianate mansion, "Interwasser," on the tip of Teller's Point and planted four yew trees, which have developed into specimen trees. They have been listed by Westchester County's forester.

William also practiced viticulture, but not on the grand scale of his brother. He began the manufacture of bricks in 1837 -- which also became a major industry in the area.

The scale of the industry is revealed in old photographs at the Croton Historical Society, but it was literally unearthed during Hurricane Floyd in September 1999. One of the large willow trees in the vicinity of Mother's Lap (northern area on Haverstraw Bay) was uprooted by the storm. Woven in its roots were hundreds of old bricks, many with the distinctive W.A.U. initials, and it appeared to have exposed the remains of a brickyard building.

Westchester County Department of Parks, Recreation and Conservation hired professional archaeologists Linda Stone and Arnold Pickman to perform field investigations in the area. In her report, Ms. Stone considers the site "most likely represents the lower portion of the four 'arches' comprising a scove-type kiln."

She also concluded that, "Certainly enough interest exists to make the site into more than a buried, unknown part of the history of Croton Point." It has been filled in for the safety of park visitors.

Several of the historic brick buildings remain standing, with some currently used by the parks department as a maintenance area. The largest, labeled on an 1851 map as "Fruit Ho." may have been used at first for agricultural purposes and later as a boarding house for the brick yard workers. Another smaller one, referred to as the "School House" has been converted into a toilet room.

The industry thrived, at times employing hundreds of men, until about the turn of the century, when supplies of clay ran out.

Another activity on Croton Point was shad fishing. An historical record from 1848 states that "two thousand one hundred and fifty-four shad, and seven thousand herring, have been taken in single lifts from adjoining waters."

Letters in the Van Cortlandt papers explain that the Tellers, Underhills and Van Cortlandts gave permission to others to use their land for fishing, in return for a portion of the catch. The system did lead to some arguments between the families, which were resolved in 1817.

Use of Croton Point for recreation began in 1900 when Judge Decker of Croton leased the beach area and started the Croton Point Club. Summer bungalows were built along the beach and leased to 168 individuals.

By 1923, entrepreneurs were trying to attract visitors from New York City's African-American community and plans for a real estate development by the East Hudson Development Company were published. A later historian claimed that the proposed development prompted the purchase of the land by Westchester County.

The park was opened to the public in the summer of 1924.

At that time, 70 acres were set aside as the County Landfill, and were used until the landfill was capped in the 1990s.

In addition to Harrington's early study and Ms. Stone's findings, there have been several other archaeological reports on Croton Point. Arnold Pickman developed an extensive Stage Ia Archaeological Survey for the Croton Point Park Landfill Closure Project in 1991. In 1993, Edward Lenik of Sheffield Archaeological Consultants prepared a Stage Ib "Cultural Resources Investigation of the Proposed Tent Camping and Ballfield Areas, Wine Cellars, Interpretive Area and Teller's Point Overlook Stair Access to Shore."

More recently, in 2000, Greenhouse Consultants put together a Stage 2 Survey to assess the potential for eligibility to the New York and National Registers of Historic Places and document the boundaries of a prehistoric archaeological resource of a planned picnic pavilion in the Croton Neck area.

They recommended that either the location of the pavilion be moved to avoid a location where many shells were found or that further archaeological excavations be completed prior to construction.

On March 12, the Westchester County Committee on Budget & Appropriations unanimously approved a Proposed Bond Act authorizing $100,000 in Serial Bonds for Master Plan Parks, Recreation & Conservation. The funds will be used to finance an archeological study of the County park system to include identification of archeological sensitive sites as they relate to the park system and future undertakings.

The Westchester Planning Department has also completed thorough documentation of sites and buildings on Croton Point which could be used for applications to the historic registers.

In response to Ms. Buske's letter, Ned Sullivan, Executive Director of Scenic Hudson, wrote to Westchester County Executive Andrew Spano, "Scenic Hudson hopes that as the County endeavors to increase the public's use of Croton Point Park, it will not forget the park's important historic associations. Staff from our Riverfront Communities Program recently spoke with Deputy Park Commissioner Jack Robbins, who reports that within the next few years the maintenance shop will be moved to a more appropriate location and the wine cellars and brick kiln will be preserved."

He continued. "We understand that several buildings in the park are eligible for listing on the State and National Registers of Historic Places. Scenic Hudson hopes the County will apply to have these eligible structures listed so they might be duly recognized and protected."

As Ms. Buske, who describes herself as a Preservation Advocate, points out in her letter to the governor, "The park is in a National Heritage Area. The historic buildings should be open to all visitors."

Readers who would like to endorse Ms. Buske's efforts can e-mail Governor Pataki at gov.pataki@chamber.state.ny.us or write to him at Governor George E. Pataki, State Capitol, Albany, NY 12224. Alternatively they can sign peitions at The Black Cow Coffee Company, 51 Maple Street, Croton-on-Hudson or at Kathleen's Tea Room in Peekskill.