By EMILY GRUNES February 17th, 2022
Archeological evidence in Croton dates back to 4950 BC, but between then and now our village has been the home to a multitude of unique people and events. Here is a brief history of Croton-on-Hudson..
The Kitchawank tribe, part of the Wappinger Confederacy of the Algonquin Nation, was a vibrant people who first lived on this land. They were responsible for naming several places known in our Village today. They are called the land between Croton Point and the neck of Croton Senasqua, and the name Croton is believed to be named after the Chief Kenoten which means “wild winds”. They thrived off of the land and the once prolific Hudson River. Remnants of their oyster beds still exist at Croton point today and provide insight into how they once lived on this land.
In the mid 1600s, the Dutch settled the area. Stephanus Van Cortlandt, a mayor of New York city, built his manor in Croton, and the village became an enclave of the manor. In 1718, Croton had 91 inhabitants, mostly Dutch settlers and English Quakers who were farmers on Mount Airy or worked mills that developed along the Croton River. In the 19th century manufacturing, farming and railroad and Dam production became the main industries, bringing influx of Western European immigrants. By the early 1900s the population had grown to 1,700, and in 1913, Croton became the engine turntable where trains switched from electric to steam engines, bringing the village into a metropolitan hub for travelers. In fact, FDR used to visit the Croton schools on his way upstate to review the hallmarks of his New Deal plan that included funding for public schools.
In the 1930s Mount Airy Road became the home to the Red Hill, a community of left wing communists artists and intellectuals. The people of the Red Hill worked on The Masses, a monthly journal of socialist art and commentary, popular across the country. Through the 20th century, there existed conflict between the intellectuals and the Northern European Immigrants who had lived in Croton for decades.
Today Croton has a population of 8,155. Although much has changed in Croton, from the time of the Kitchawank people to the citizens of today, every resident of this land was drawn to the unique and beautiful landscape of our Village.