Recreation, Leisure and Family Life

1400’s/1500’s

The Algonquins lived in the Hudson River Valley area. Women’s jobs were to cook, sew, help make canoes, and raise children until the age of six. They fished in the summer, as well as raised crops. The men primarily worked outdoors. They hunted, raised young boys, fished and raised crops. Neighboring tribes were the Weckquaesgeek, which lived in what is now Ardsley. Both the Weckquaesgeek and the Algonquins enjoyed playing lacrosse. This was their favorite sport. The Algonquins played warlike games, as well.

Recreation, Leisure and Family Life

1600’s

The Dutch came to settle in this area in the early 1600’s. The women in the families would cook, clean, tend herb gardens, and raise children. There were also women indentured servants, ages 18-25, that, in some families, did all of the household chores and worked in the fields, as well. The men cleaned the grounds, built houses, and tended the fields. The parents taught the children at home.

The men also did the milking, farming, fishing, trading, the cutting of wood and the raising of the boys. The women were also partners in the kitchen, garden and the fields with the men. They were especially helpful during harvest time. Children, too, helped out. As early as the age of 3, children had chores. They were trusted to do the work they were told to do; therefore they had less and less supervision as they got older. Once the boys were strong enough, they were expected to help their fathers on the land. In the autumn, they collected acorns (to feed the pigs) or gathered honey from the hives. The smaller boys were "armed with a string or a bow" to scare off the crows and the pigeons.

Their mothers taught girls how to be housewives. They learned how to cook, sew, collect eggs, milk the cows, and clean the house. Girls had to collect down for the mattresses, help with the wash and make candles, as well. They learned to take care of the smaller kids, too, and a rhyme which was sung was: Trip a trop a tronjes, Se varken in de loonjes. It means: From your throne upon my knee, The pigs out in the bean patch see.

A very popular indoor leisure activity during the 1600’s was playing cards. Card games were enjoyed greatly, a favorite being Triumph, which is today’s game of Whist. Other games played were chess, dice and backgammon. Some of the children’s favorite games were leapfrog, blind-man’s-buff and hide-and-seek.

Outdoor games included fishing, which was probably the most relaxing of all the others. Some of the more energetic activities included running, jumping, fencing and jousting.

Recreation, Leisure and Family Life

1700’s

One of the largest recreational activities during this time was the Pinkster Festival. This festival took place for one week just around the time of Pentecost. Both African American and Dutch colonists had one week off from work to enjoy themselves at this glorious occasion. This was a holiday which everyone looked forward to. At this festival, there was dancing, singing, and games, such as stilts and hoops. There would even be performers who came to play at this festival. This festival gave the African culture and Dutch culture a time to influence one another.

This was a huge celebration, especially in New York City and Albany. The cities would become noisy from the music and laughter of the many visitors. This was the biggest event of the year. As the festival continued, dancing groups moved in and out of the dance area. Three of the most noted dances were: ‘the double-shuffle heel-and-toe break-down,’ ‘the jug’ and the ‘sexually provocative,’ which was once described as "the most indecent dance that can well be imagined." As the pace of the music grew faster, the pace of dances increased.

This is taken from "The Pinkster Ode", written by Absolom Aimwell in 1803. It helps paint a picture of the festival.

Pinkster drew to a close with a parade through the streets of Albany. This was the signal of the end of the festival until spring of the following year.

In the 1700’s, everyone had to work. The children, once they had the strength, also had to help cut wood 365 days a year and feed the animals. There was not much time for recreation or fun and games, so they had to make their chores as much fun as possible. One game was simply gathering wool. The "Old Sheep" shed their wool all over the field. The children would run around collecting it all for yarn that would later be made.

Most of the slaves and colonists were relatively poor, so they had to entertain themselves with their own families. They knew many dance steps and all the words to several songs. Music, too, was the biggest form of entertainment in this time period. One of the major instruments of the Dutch was the fiddle. African Americans, on the other hand, had their own types of instruments that they brought over from Africa.

As the slaves and tenant farmers did business in the Philipsburg Manor Mill, they eventually began to socialize together. When slaves returned from Manhattan after trading goods, they would tell the news from the city to the many people at the docks. During Rent Day, the day when tenant farmers gave in their crops to their land owner, they would be reluctant to give up their goods. However, they were happy to see old friends.

Recreation, Leisure, and Family Life

1800’s

This was a time when large, wealthy families, with businesses, moved to the area. They built mansions, and had carriages and steam yachts. A popular activity was roller-skating in the Music Hall, while listening to music. Dancing was another pastime, with dances like 1-step, turkey trot, polka, and the waltz. Smith’s Opera House, on what is now Wildey & N. Washington St., was a very popular evening place. The most popular summer activity was driving to see Broadway Vehicles. People would dress up for this activity in their best clothes.

Many, during the late 1800’s came to Tarrytown in the spring, returning (in the summer) to their city homes, only to enjoy the beauty of this area. This area enticed many who had no desire for European mountains or other resorts.

Winter

During the late 1800’s, one major activity was sledding. Many held sleighing parties. The sleighs could hold 8-10 people with comfort. The horses were dressed in holiday attire with bells and plumes. The sleds were made with cushions (to sit on), iron rims for feet, and metal wheel. The streets between the Hudson and Broadway were open to sleds. Sunnyside Lane was most popularly on moonlit nights. During dark nights, torches were put up at dangerous points for people to see. At the bottom of the hill, horses and people waited to pull up the sleds to the top. At 10 o’clock, the party started at the house. Before the house party, the group would have gone sledding. The sledding began around thanksgiving, and ended around March.

Riding and driving parties were also popular with the children, for they had donkeys or ponies that they would attach to carts and ride around the block.

Summer

Days and nights were spent in ballrooms, drawing rooms, tennis courts and golf courses. Bowling, archery, croquet, and bicycling were a few popular activities during this time. Summers were a time of full charm, beauty, and social intercourse.

In 1880, tennis was introduced into Tarrytown though the Howard Jaffray family, who came from England. From England they brought all the equipment for the game. On Broadway, the location of the tennis court, passers-by watched the game to see what it was all about. Once they caught on, the townspeople spent many hours playing fun games of tennis.

In the early 1880’s a cooking class for young girls was started. There were eight young women who participated in the program. They took this very seriously. They held meetings every week, at various homes. They would always prepare a meal and their jobs alternated. One Brought -- Soup Course One Brought -- Biscuits One Brought - Light Dish (chicken concoction, mushrooms, broiled chops, or eggs) The Hostess Brought -- Principle Course   They then had salad, dessert and coffee. When all was over, they went home.

Towards the end of the century, a major leisure activity was making scrap books. These contained obituaries, wedding announcements and poetry.

Recreation, Leisure, and Family Life

1900’s

During the early 1900’s, many took pleasure in pleasing natural scenery in their Victorian Gardens. In these gardens, it was considered unchristian to block the sight of others from the beauties of nature. Those who had these gardens always seemed to advertise to all that passed where their lot began and where it ended. They were unhappy when the dividing lines were not accurately shown.

One leisure activity for the family was using the stereo opticon. This machine would allow you to look at slides, which were in a series. This was somewhat like watching a movie.

Young girls during this period had common hobbies. They would sew, stitch, and put scrap books together of their work. Some girls, though, would stitch, on a large piece of fabric, letters of (sometimes) poems.

During the 1900’s there was a great desire for pictures of places and events. There also was the desire for faster news. Those who desired this went to different stores for their news. Such places, like the Tarrytown’s Drugstore, provided the sports news.

Tarrytown, NOW, offers something for everyone, whether it’s restaurants, stores, history, or the nature found in it. Many visit the historic Music Hall which provides a variety of entertainment. People from Theodore Roosevelt to Dizzy Gillespie have performed in the Music Hall.

Nowadays, people from afar (as well as the locals) visit the many historical attractions in Tarrytown:

Sunnyside - (914) 631-8200

Lyndhurst - (914) 631-4481

Historical Society of the Tarrytowns Museum - (914) 631-8374

The North Hudson Cruise - This is run by NY Waterway from May to Oct. - 1800-533-3779 for more info.

Located on North Broadway in Tarrytown is Patriot’s Park. The park allows the Tarrytowners to enjoy their lunch on a park bench and it has a playground for the children to play on.

(914) 631-8389

Many can enjoy a walk with a beautiful view of the Hudson, picnic, play basketball or tennis, or fish at Pierson Park, located on West Main Street. (914) 631-8389

Old Croton Aqueduct Trailway is a trailway that runs through Tarrytown, and is one of the best ways to view the spectacular Hudson River. (914) 889-4100

One of the best places to walk and enjoy the river view, or picnic is at Kingsland Point Park. (914) 631-1068

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Recreation, Leisure and Family Life

Bibliography

1) Hawke, David Freeman. "Everyday Life in Early America." New York: Harper and Row Pub., 1988.

2) Keller, Allan. "Life Along the Hudson." Tarrytown: Sleepy Hollow Book, 1976.

3) "Historic River Towns of Westchester." http://www.hudsonriver.com/rivertowns/ tarrytown.htm. (28 Feb. 1997)

4) Mahon, Bernard. "New Amsterdam 1626, Now NYC." Columbia Publishing Company, 1992.

5) Black, Jennie Prince. "I Remember." USA: Thomas Claydon Printing CO., 1938.

6) Dunn, Shirley W. "The Mohicans and Their Land 1609-1730." New York: Purple Mountain Press, 1994.

7) Scott, Frank J. "Victorian Gardens." New York: D. Appleton & Co., 1870.

8) Cohen, Doris Darlington. "Wechquasqeek." Ardesly Historical Society, 1982.

9) Canning, Jeff and Burton, Wally. "History of the Tarrytowns." New York: Purple Mountain Press, 1975.

10) Ruge, Valice F. "IMPRINT." American Historical Print Collectors Society, Vol. 15 #, 1990.

11) Baumgardener, Holly. April 17, 1997. Philipsburg Manor.

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