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 The Dutch were the first white settlers in the Hudson Valley. And, by the mid-17th century, after initially settling in New York City and Albany earlier in the century, they began to settle in Westchester County. The City of Yonkers began as the estate of a young Dutch lawyer and was known as die Jonkheer’s (the young squire’s) before the name became anglicized by the English. Several Dutch families established manors in Westchester which include Philipse Manor Hall in Yonkers, Van Cortlandt Manor in Croton-on-Hudson, and Philipsburg Manor in Sleepy Hollow—all of which are preserved and open to the public. Washington Irving, the first American to make his living as a writer, had a great interest in the history of the Dutch in the Hudson Valley. Many of his best-known fictional works are based on that history, such as "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow." His home, Sunnyside, in Tarrytown is also open to the public. OLD DUTCH CHURCH OF SLEEPY HOLLOW 42 North Broadway, Tarrytown. The Old Dutch Church of Sleepy Hollow was constructed around 1685 on what was then the manor of Frederick Philipse, whose 52,000 acre landholdings stretched from Yonkers to Croton. The original bell, cast in the Netherlands, still hangs in the belfry. Guided tours of the burial ground, Sundays at 2pm from Memorial Day through October. 914-631-1123. www.olddutchburyingground.org PHILIPSBURG MANOR Route 9, Sleepy Hollow. A working 18th-century milling, farming, and trading complex owned by an Anglo-Dutch family. Tours offer insight into the former lives of enslaved Africans. Costumed guides and museum shop. Closed Tuesdays. 914-631-3992. www.hudsonvalley.org PHILIPSE MANOR HALL STATE HISTORIC SITE 29 Warburton Avenue, Yonkers. The Philipse Family, Dutch in origin, began building the Manor around 1682, nearly a century before Frederick Philipse III sealed the family’s fate by signing the Declaration of Dependence in 1776. Today, Philipse Manor Hall serves as a museum of history, art and architecture, as well as host to community organizations, meetings, educational programs and special events. Highlights include its 18th-century, high-style Georgian architecture, a 1750s papier-mache Rococo ceiling, a portrait collection, the Gothic Revival chamber and a Community Gallery. Guided tours are offered Tuesday – Sunday at 12, 2 and 3 p.m. from April to October and at 12, 1, and 2 p.m. from November - April. 914-965-4027, http://nysparks.state.ny.us/sites Events: www.philipsemanorhall.blogspot.com VAN CORTLANDT MANOR 525 So. Riverside Ave. Croton-on-Hudson. Once the home of the prominent Van Cortlandt family, the manor contains an outstanding collection of decorative arts, beautiful gardens, a tenant farmer’s house and a tavern. Open daily (closed Tuesdays) April – October; weekends only November and December. 914-271-8981. www.hudsonvalley.org |
