398 The Story of The Bronx 



inst. the Court-house at that place was unfortunately burned 

 to the ground. We have not yet heard how it happened." 



The building was repaired, and courts were held here until 

 November 6, 1759, when the county-seat and court were re- 

 moved to White Plains. The restored court-house was again 

 burned early in the Revolution. 



The old causeway, first mentioned in the town records of 

 July 9, 1678, still connects Throgg's Neck with the mainland. 

 On the south side of the Westchester end of the causeway, 

 there formerly stood an old tide mill, which had been erected 

 at a very early period by Colonel Caleb Heathcote. Behind 

 its walls, the outpost, consisting of Hand's Riflemen, took 

 refuge and prevented the crossing of the creek by the British 

 on October 12, 1776. The old mill was operated until Feb- 

 ruary, 1875, when it took fire from an overheated stove and 

 was completely destroyed. The causeway is crossed by a 

 trolley line which goes as far as the Eastern Boulevard ; ulti- 

 mately, it will go to the United States Government reservation 

 on Throgg's Neck. 



Several of the Westchester inhabitants were engaged in the 

 sloop trade with New York in the first half of the nineteenth 

 century, and the owners of the trade found it very lucra- 

 tive; later, small steamers plied between the two places. 

 Among the sloop owners was Sydney B. Bowne, a respected 

 Quaker of the town, who, after the restoration of peace, also 

 conducted a store in the village, which was easily the most 

 famous of the three or four stores of which the Borough was 

 possessed. It was said that "Syd" Bowne always had what 

 was asked for, and that he never turned a customer away 

 empty-handed. Once, on a wager, some gentlemen asked 

 for a goose-yoke, a rather rare article, but it was furnished on 

 the instant. On a similar occasion of a wager, the article 



