DISCOVERING ROCKLAND
BY KIDS FOR KIDS
DISCOVERING ROCKLAND
BY KIDS FOR KIDS
Background: Finding age-appropriate material for children studying Rockland has always been a challenge. Although the county is rich in historical material, it is not readily available to youngsters. By allowing children to publish their historical research on this web site we hope to create a growing collection of material appropriate for children studying Rockland County.
If you wish to contribute materials related to this project please e-mail us.
Rockland, a triangle of about 176 square miles, is the smallest county in the state of New York. Its topography is unique, with mountain peaks over 1,200 feet high only a few miles from the Hudson River tidewater. An area of many rock ridges formed by glaciers of the past ice age was to become Rockland County. The area is divided into 5 towns: Ramapo, Haverstraw, Stony Point, Orangetown, and Clarkstown.
Rockland played an important role in the Revolutionary War due to its strategic location along the Hudson. Most of the fighting took place at the mouth of the Hudson River in 1776. One important battle that took place in Rockland was the Battle of Stony Point.
A few years after the death of the infamous pirate, Captain Kidd's first mate Bolton, made a decision to return to New York to divide the treasure-laden ship's booty. As the pirates arrived at Dunderburg Mountain in Stony Point, a terrible tempest was wrecking havoc. Because of the storm, it was decided to scuttle the ship and the pirates were to take as much treasure as they could carry and then hide the remainder.
To raise the ship and its wreckage, a stock company called "The Kidd Salvage Company" was organized. A great amount of stock was put onto the market and representatives were sent to England to circulate the stock.
A large amount of money was spent on expensive machinery and on building a dam, called Kidd's Dam. The Dam was needed to pump the water out of the Hudson River to raise the artifacts. Four years after the project began, the workmen all disappeared.
Many serious attempts to locate the ship and the remainder of the treasure have been unsuccessful. Despite these failures, many believe that someday, the treasure will be found in the Dunderburg area.
Imps were men with terrible tempers. Their leader was Heer. If the captain of a passing sloop refused to lower his shipmast as a sign of respect to them, Heer would raise up a squall yelling his orders through a trumpet.
River captains of today pass through this mountain area and raise a hand and salute as they pass by. Who knows? Somewhere, the Imps may still be hiding, wanting to create a storm for an unexpected ship.
Once, two boys were lost in the woods and Comboan helped find them. He brought the two children home. When the French and Indian War broke out, the settlers were afraid that Comboan was a spy for the Indians.
Comboan was driven away from the community and banished from Nyack. Some say he died of a broken heart. It was said that ghostly tracks of moccasin feet could be seen on trails that Comboan loved so well. This area become known as Spook Hollow.
Even now, there are people in the area who have sworn they have heard padded footsteps, but when they turn around no one is there.
Could it be the spirit of Comboan is still with us?
Spook Rock is the largest of the cluster of rocks located on Spook Rock Road and Highview Avenue in Tallman. According to the legend, there once was a Dutch farmer who happened to be frugal. He had traded with the Lenape Indian tribe. The Lenape tribe felt offended when they had been conned by the farmer. To get even with the farmer, the Lenape Indians kidnapped the farmer's daughter. She was placed atop the sacrificial rock they had used for worship. The daughter of the farmer was put to death. Almost immediately after the sacrifice, the girl's spirit arose and terrified the Chieftain and his followers.
There are those who say that even today the ghost of the girl appears on the anniversary of her death.
On September 16th a minor battle was fought at Harlem Heights, where Columbia University now stands. The Americans withdrew toward Westchester County. Washington withdrew and was cut off from Fort Washington. The British then took over the territory. The same day Washington took his army across the Hudson River to King's Ferry in Stony Point in Northern Rockland. During the Revolutionary War King's Ferry carried both British and American troops and many times General George Washington .
During 1777 the Hudson River occupied an important place in the plans of the British to cut New England off from the other states. A British army was to ascend the Hudson to Albany, where it would meet Burogoyne's army coming from Canada through the Chaplain Valley and St. Leger's army coming from Canada to through the Mohawk Valley. To prevent British ships from taking an invading army up the Hudson, the Americans strengthened their fortifications along the river, and stretched a huge iron chain on logs across it at West Point, just about where the Bear Mountain Bridge is located. But the British commander, Sir Henry Clinton, had little difficulty over coming these impediments when he went up to the Hudson with his army in October. He easily captured two forts, Montgomery and Clinton, that guarded the great chain and that had been considered impregnable by the Americans. Then the chain was easily broken, and the British ships continued onward up the Hudson. But the British plan to cut off New England from the other colonies did not succeed because both St. Leger and Burgoyne were defeated in the north.
During 1778 there was little military activity at the mouth of the Hudson. New York City was the strongest British military base in America, and was too strong to worry about any American attack. American army movements were confined to the northern section of Westchester County, around King's Ferry, where American forces shuttled back and forth across the Hudson . This crossing was the most important military route connecting New England with all the southern states. The only military action of any importance in that year culminated in one of the most bloody massacres of the Revolutionary War. It occurred on September 27, approximately 3 miles southwest of the village of Tappan in Rockland County.
One of the most famous battles with the British forces occurred at midnight, on July 15, 1779. General "Mad" Anthony Wayne led a daring attack on the British to regain control of the Hudson River. From Stony Point, the American army marched across Rockland County to Suffern.
In 1783 he became a major general and retired from the army. Wayne established a fort in 1783 and called it Fort Wayne. He died at Presque Isle which is now Erie, PA.
When Anthony Wayne was in charge of the Light Infantry of the Line, he realized that there were three elements to success. The first element was surprise. It was an attack planned to take place at midnight, as quietly as possible with unloaded muskets. Only blades were used if needed. The second element was discipline. Any soldier would not be allowed to either halt, step back, or load their musket. The officers were commanded to instantly kill any soldier who disobeyed. The third element was confidence. Each man had to know that every other man would perform his duty very well. Cash rewards were offered to the first 5 men to go into an enemy fort. Upon entering the fort, the men would shout Wayne's watchwords over and over, "The Fort's Our Own".
During the war, King's Ferry was in constant use for military purposes. In October, 1777, under cover of heavy fog, the British troops crossed King's Ferry on their way to attack Forts Clinton and Montgomery.
On September 18, 1780, one of the most dramatic crossings took place. George Washington and Major Benedict Arnold arrived at the ferry from West Point, and sat side by side in the barge that took them to Verplank's Point in Westchester. They never met again.
A few days later, Major John Andre, with plans of West Point hidden in his boots, crossed King's Ferry to Verplank's Point, but was captured at Tarrytown the next day.
Nearly all of the heroes of the Revolutionary War left their footprints on this soil, making King's Ferry historic ground.