214 HISTORY OF THE COUNTY OF WESTCHESTER. 



day next, it being the 17th of this instant, A. D. 1675."* The above 

 structure (commonly called the General Fort) was erected by the village 

 farmers, on the hill north-west of Mr. Philemon Fowler's residence . b 

 The ruins of this Fort were distinctly visible thirty years ago. 



Upon the 1st day of Dec. 1675, Samuel Drake, sen., was appointed 

 by the inhabitants of Eastchester " to appear at the honorable Court of 

 Sessions against Mr. Pell, concerning Eastchester work as not being a 

 fort." c 



By the Governor's orders it appears to have been dismantled the fol- 

 lowing year; for on the 4th of Sept., 1676, we find the inhabitants agree- 

 ing " to employ a man to tear or to take down the stockadoes accord- 

 ing to our Governor's order ; also on the same occasion, Richard Shute 

 was chosen to go to Westchester to hire or make an agreement with 

 John Hudson to carry the stockadoes of Eastchester down to 

 Yorke." rf 



Near the fort, was located the general fold, into which all cattle were 

 driven nightly for protection. The fold appears to have been construct- 

 ed sometime prior to 1684. 



The first school-house was erected in 1683, for at a public meeting of 

 the inhabitants, held on the 15th of October of that year, it was ordered, 

 " that a school-house be erected upon a site between the property of 

 Richard Shute and William Haiden, and encouragement given to Mr. 

 Morgan Jones to become the school-master." 6 



This building occupied the site of the present village school-house. 

 Thus the ground has been used for this purpose one hundred and sixty- 

 four years. 



In 1685 it was agreed to build a town house, fourteen feet long and 

 twelve feet broad, and to set it up by the highway side between the 

 houses of Captain William Haiden and Richard Shute. 



Beside the home lots, the proprietors held equal shares in the planting 

 lands, (situated on the west side of Rattlesnake brook,) the commons, 

 or Conoval meadows, and the sheep pasture. 



At a town meeting, held 21st February, 1705, the inhabitants did 

 agree by vote, " that all the land below Annhooks brook, and also a 

 strait line from the old meadow to the head of Rattlesnake brook, beside 



a Town Rec. vol. 1. 



b This gentleman who for nearly half a century tilled the office of senior warden of St. Paul's 

 church, Eastchester, was a descendant of Henry Fowler, one of the original patentees of this 

 town. His father was William Fowler, the son of Joseph, whose family once held the Seton 

 farm. The brother of Joseph was Col. Jonathan Fowler, the father of Abraham, whose son. 

 the Rev. John Fowler, now owns the old Fowler mansion and estate. 



c Town Rec. 



d Town Rec. 



e Town Rec. 



