Place:Yorktown, Westchester, New York, United States

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NameYorktown
TypeInhabited place
Coordinates41.283°N 73.8°W
Located inWestchester, New York, United States
source: Getty Thesaurus of Geographic Names
source: Family History Library Catalog


the text in this section is copied from an article in Wikipedia

Yorktown is a town on the northern border of Westchester County, New York, United States. A suburb of the New York City metropolitan area, it is approximately north of midtown Manhattan. The population was 36,081 at the 2010 U.S. Census.

History

the text in this section is copied from an article in Wikipedia

Yorktown has a rich historical heritage. It was originally inhabited by one or more bands of Wappinger people, including the Kitchawank. Most of Yorktown was part of the Manor of Cortlandt, a Royal Manor established by King William III for the Van Cortlandt family.

The Croton River, which runs through the southern part of Yorktown, was dammed by the New York City water supply system to provide the city with its first major source of clean and reliable water. The first Croton Dam was located in Yorktown and broke in 1842, causing significant damage to property and major loss of life.


During the American Revolution, Yorktown saw limited action. Late in the war, the Pines Bridge crossing of the Croton River was guarded by the 1st Rhode Island Regiment made up of White, African American, and Native American soldiers. Several of the soldiers were killed, including the regiment's commander, Colonel Christopher Greene, on 14 May 1781 at the Battle of Pine's Bridge in Croton Heights. A memorial was erected at the Presbyterian Church in Crompond, New York. Major John André, a British officer who communicated with Benedict Arnold, ate his final breakfast at the Underhill House at 370 Underhill Avenue on Hanover Street just before his capture and eventual hanging as a spy.

In 1788, the township was officially incorporated as Yorktown, commemorating the Revolutionary War victory of the Franco-American siege of Yorktown, near Yorktown, Virginia, on October 19, 1781. The area had previously been known as Hanover, with a now unwanted association with King George III.

Moving north after the battle of Yorktown, the French army camped at the site of today's French Hill Elementary School, where cannonballs and other relics have been found. Although rumors claim that George Washington passed through Yorktown, no factual records confirm this.

A Bicentennial Committee in 1988 reviewed the town's remaining historic sites and determined which should be preserved.

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