HISTORY OF YORKTOWN: EARLY BEGINNINGS
The Town of Yorktown has a rich historical heritage beginning with the earliest known inhabitants -- Mohegan, Osceola, Amwalk, Kitchawan and Mohansic -- all familiar names of local places. The Mohegans of the Algonquin Nation had habitations within the boundary of Yorktown.
In 1683, Stephanus Van Cortlandt, with a license issued by the Royal Governor of New York, made his first purchase of land from the Indians. By 1697, when he confirmed his patent with the authorities, he had acquired roughly 80,000 acres. A patent for the Manor of Cortlandt was granted by the British King, William the Third, June 17, 1697. The Manor house was located north of the confluence of the Hudson and Croton Rivers.
After the Revolutionary War and at the time of its incoporation in 1788, the township was officially designated as Yorktown in commemoration of the American's decisive victory at Yorktown, Virginia in October 19, 1781.
During the town's bicentennial in 1988, Yorktowners took stock of their historic heritage including that of the 19th and 20th centuries and commemorated their community's participation in events that led up to the birth and growth of the United States. A Bicentennial Committee reviewed the Town's still remaining historic sites and determined which were to be preserved as a reminder of that past and a link betwee the Yorktown of yesterday and the Yorktown of tomorrow.
To learn more about the history of the Town of Yorktown, you are invited to link to the Yorktown Historical Society web site using the menu to the left. Historic Hudson Valley, a nonprofit organization that maintains the Van Cortlandt Manor as well as other historical sites in the region, also offers a web site you may wish to visit. For general information on the Hudson Valley Region, including historical information and cultural events, visit the Hudson Valley Network.
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