2i 8 The Story of The Bronx 



Lane is still called Macomb's Road; it connected Fordham 

 with Devoe's Point. 



Featherbed Lane is a road connecting Aqueduct Avenue 

 from near the Borough end of the Washington Bridge with 

 Jerome Avenue, down a steep and winding way. The author 

 has heard three different stories as to the origin of this peculiar 

 name. One is that during the Revolution, the inhabitants 

 living along the road contributed their feather beds for the 

 use of the patriots. A second, which he thinks the most 

 likely of all, is that the road was of so spongy a material that 

 to walk on it was like walking on a feather bed. A third is 

 that the road was so exceedingly rough that to secure any 

 degree of comfort in driving over it, it was necessary to have 

 a feather bed in the wagon for a seat — but this would answer 

 almost equally well for all the colonial roads. 



The Fordham Landing Road came under the care of the 

 commissioners in May, 1768, as on the third of that month 

 there is an entry in the ancient records to the effect that 



"Commissioners, at request of freeholders and inhabitants of 

 that part of the Manor of Fordham lying upon Harlem River 

 to the south of the old Dutch church, viewed the road (laid 

 out to the river by said church), beginning a little to the east- 

 ward of said Dutch church, and thence running southerly as 

 the said road runs to the landing at the back of the house 

 now occupied by Charles Doughty on the patent to Turneur; 

 and have at their request now laid out the same road as and 

 for a publick highway, to be two rods wide, with privilege to 

 hang gates on the same, provided they are kept in repair so 

 as to swing with conveniencey and not otherways." 



In early days another road led from the manor-house at 

 Morrisania to the borough-town of Westchester. This proba- 

 bly followed the line of the present Lafayette Avenue (so 



