THE TOWN OF WESTCHESTER. 295 



grand air-line extension, or Harlem River branch of the New Haven 

 Railroad — accommodated by the daily stoppage of twenty passenger 

 trains, connecting at North New York with the spacious swift, and 

 elegant boats of the Morrisania or Harlem Steamboat Companies, which, 

 starting about. every quarter of an hour in thirty minutes transport their 

 passengers by the East River to their landing at Fulton Slip, the south- 

 ern and business end of the great metropolis. At Westchester village is 

 a convenient landing for three or four sloops to the New York market. 

 The Westchester Creek, at high water, admits vessels of three hundred 

 tons to the landing. The bridge connecting Throckmorton's Neck with 

 the main, was erected at a very early period ; and maintained, as the 

 following document shows, by a rate levied on all taxable inhabitants 

 of the town : — 



" Att a town court held by the constable and overseers this, 9th of July, 1G7S. 



Present, 



Justice Pell, 



John Palmer, Const ible, 



Ckw. Ponton, ) 



Me. Muliner, - Overseers. 



Mk. Whitlock. ) 



" It is ordered that ye bridge betwixt Froggs Necke and the Towne be main- 

 tained and upheld by a rate to be levied and assissed upon all persons and estates 

 that are putt in the county rate belonging to the Township of Westchester, East 

 Chester excepted."** 



There are, also, several manufacturies and formerly two grist-mills ; 

 one of which, a tide mill, was destroyed by fire some years ago. The latter 

 was erected at a very early period, and was held by Col. Caleb Heath- 

 cote, one of the prominent officials under the Colonial Government, and 

 the first Mayor of the Borough. There are three school districts in the 

 town, namely : Westchester Village, Throckmorton's Neck, and Bear 

 Swamp. 



Westchester is by several years the oldest village in the county, its first 

 settlement (by the Puritans) having commenced in 1650. At this early 

 period, it formed a part of the Dutch district of Vrede-land (or land of 

 peace) and was, therefore, within the limits and jurisdiction of the New 

 Netherland. By the Dutch it was named Oosi-dorp, (East town) from 

 its situation east of the Manhattans. So early as 1657, Gov. Stuvvesant 

 ordered that Westchester should have four English or one Dutch mile 

 square of land for the town. 



During the Dutch dynasty, courts appear to have been holden regu- 



a Westchester Town Rec. 



