West Farms 385 



Borough; and their exertions resulted in the alteration in the 

 lines of the proposed streets near the grave, and the formation 

 there of a public park. This is eminently proper; as Drake 

 was born in New York and lived and died here, and his body 

 should continue to lie near the Bronx, which he so dearly loved. 



At the end of the point, there is under construction some 

 fourteen hundred feet of docks. Near the south end of the 

 point, we come across an old, weather-beaten and dilapidated 

 building, the Hunt mansion, or "Grange," in which Drake 

 used to live. At the end of the building is an octagonal tower 

 which serves as a beacon to the pilots on the East River and 

 has thus gained for the old mansion the name of the "Pilot 

 House." The old homestead and farm have been occupied 

 for many years by German market gardeners who rented them 

 from a land company that owned this portion of the neck. 

 The original part of the house was of stone with a great stone 

 chimney and Dutch doors. The havoc of the winter snows 

 and summer rains has wrecked the old place and brought it 

 in these last years to a melancholy state of dilapidation. 

 Before us is the mouth of the Bronx River, with the low shores 

 of Cornell's Neck on the opposite side, and beyond that over 

 the East River, the high hills of Long Island ; to the southward 

 lie Leggett's Point, Port Morris, the Brother Islands and 

 Riker's Island. The waters of the river and the passing vessels 

 constitute an enchanting picture which fully accounts for 

 Drake's fondness for the place as a residence. 



Retracing our steps to beyond the ancient cemetery, we take 

 a road to the left and visit Barretto's Point. This received 

 its name from Francis Barretto, a merchant of New York, 

 who settled here many years ago, and who represented West- 

 chester County in the Assembly for several terms. The point 

 was called Waddington's Point at the time of Mr. Barretto's 



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