576 HISTORY OF THE COUNTY OF WESTCHESTER. 



high hill of the flat lands— to wit, by the great kill, together with all the rights, 

 estate and title to them, the grantees, &c., &c. In testimony of the truth of 

 which, this is subscribed by witnesses. Done 3d of August, 1639, at Fort Am- 

 sterdam, in New Netherlands 



CoRXEUfS VAX DER IIOYKEX, > ^..p^ 



Davidt Piettebsex de Veies.j m * ltuesse8 > 

 In presence of me, 



Cokxelis Van* Tiextioyex, Secretary." 



How long the Dutch West India Company held the lands of Kekes- 

 hick, does not appear; but about the year A. D. 1646, we find the Indian 

 sachem, Tacharew, granting lands in this town to Adrian Van der 

 Donck. 6 In this sale the town is called Nepperhaemf an Indian name 

 frequently applied to the village. Eighty years later we find it varied to 

 Nept>erahf L ih& proper Indian orthography of which is evidently Nap-pe- 

 cha-mack, rendered literally the rapid water settlement, thus graphically 

 expressing the situation of the Mohegan village, at the mouth of the 

 Neperah, or rapid waters. e In the deep seclusion of the ancient forests 

 that once bordered this beautiful stream, were located other Indian vil- 

 lages, some of the sites of which tradition has preserved to us; one of 

 these occupied the eastern edge of Boar Hill. A Mohegan castle 

 ornamented the steep side of Berrian's Neck, styled in the Indian tongue 

 Nipnichsen. It was carefully protected by a strong stockade, from the 

 attacks of the war-like Sank-hi-can-ni, (fire workers,) inhabiting the 

 Jersey shores, and commanded the romantic scenery of the Spuyten 

 Duwel Creek and Hudson River. The junction of the two streams was 

 called, in the Indian, Shorackappock. The last settlement of the Nap- 

 peckamak Indians remembered in this town stood near the present 

 residence of Abraham Fowler, on a rising bank of the Neperah, (saw 

 mill.) The crystal waters of this sweet stream, (which runs principally 

 north and south,) arise from two perennial springs in the bosom of the 

 Chappequa hills. To this nymph of the valley the Indians (as their cus- 

 tom was) offered sacrifice, the perpetuity of her motion tipifying to 

 them the eternity of God. 



In the north-west corner of this town, west of the saw mill, (Neperah) 

 is situated the rock Meghkeckassin, Amackassin, or the great stone, some- 

 times called Meghkeekassin, and Macakassin, a name probably derived 

 from two Delaware words, " Machaak," signifying "great" " achsin," 



a Alb. Rec. c. c. 62. 



b Sometimes called the Younger Van Dunke. Assize, Rec. Alb. 47. 



c Alb. Rec. viii. T9, 80. Hoi. Doc. vi. 113. Book of Pat. I., 5C— O'Callaghan's Hist. N. N., 

 382. 



d Valentine's Receipts for rent. 



e Nipi, in the old algonkin, signifies water ; Niess, in the Mowtauk.— Trans. Amer. Antiq 

 80c. li. 



