1 85 HISTORY OF THE COUNTY OF WESTCHESTER. 



ing vines. From it the eye may take in, at a glance, Croton Bay (the 

 Kitchtawan of the Indians so-called on account of the abundance of 

 wild-fowl that frequented it), over which stretches the Hudson River 

 Railway. Croton Point, so famous for its grapes and wine, and the 

 broad expanse of the Tappan Sea, made classical by the genius of 

 Irving ; and the Hudson River, with both its shores, as far down as 

 Dobbs's Ferry on the east, and Point-no-point on the west. Turning to 

 the right, and looking over Croton Point (se-was-qua), the high and 

 rugged range of Tom Mountains, extending back of the village of Haver- 

 straw, breaks upon the vision ; while in the foreground is seen Haver- 

 straw Bay, famous with clustering associations of the treason of 

 Arnold and the fate of Andre. 



Eastward of the mansion, and lying parallel with the Croton, is a 

 spacious garden or pleasure-ground, rich with choice flowers and table del- 

 icacies. A long walk leads through this garden to the ancient "Ferry 

 House," about which gather memories of incidents of the old war for 

 Independence. A pleasant road up to the high bridge of the Croton at 

 the old head of navigation — a rickety structure, which seemed ready 

 to tumble into the stream more than a dozen years ago. During the 

 Revolutionary war there was no bridge between the mouth of the Croton 

 and the old "Pine Bridge," until the "Continental" or "New Bridge" 

 was erected, and that stood about a mile east of the present structure;" 

 so that old "Pines Bridge" which crossed the Croton about a mile above 

 the present dam, is the famous one so often spoken of in the narratives 

 of events on the "Neutral Ground" during the war for Independence. 

 This ancient Ferry did all the transportation between the latter region 

 and the American lines. The bay is making rapid progress toward 

 the condition of a salt meadow. In 1840, the swollen Croton River 

 broke away the dam connected with the aqueduct by which New York 

 city is supplied with water, and swept down into the bay, an enormous 

 quantity of earth, on which occasion the river, directly opposite the 

 mansion, rose suddenly to the height of eight feet above the ordinary 

 tide level, while up the river about half a mile to the eastward, it ex- 

 ceeded fifty feet. Where the Shad and Herring fishery was once car- 

 ried on successfully, is now an oozy marsh; where vessels before rode 

 at anchor, green grass may now be seen at low tide. It is said that the 

 bay was once famous, too, throughout the country as the favorite resort 

 of vast flocks of canvass back ducks. Into the mouth of that bay, — 

 according to the leagues, latitude and topograhy given in the log-book 



a Testimony of David Merritt of Cortlandtown. McDonald MSS. in possession of George 

 H. Moore, Esq., of Is'ew York liist. Society. 



