Selected
Place Names
of
Dobbs Ferry
Compiled by Henry Steiner,Village Historian, Sleepy Hollow
Ardsley: Formerly the estate of Cyrus W. Field which lay in Dobbs
Ferry and
Ardsley Country Club: Most of Ardsley Country Club lies in Dobbs Ferry.
Calendar Near
Church of the Sacred Heart, the: Established in 1862 as a small frame
building next to
Dingley Dell: Anna Peters, who
rented
Dobbs Ferry: The ferry established by John
Dobbs (or Jan Dobs), who lived in a tenant
farm house near the corner of Broadway and
Prior to the incorporation of the village, Dobbs Ferry was also the name for
the unincorporated hamlet of Dobbs Ferry which had sprung up around the ferry.
Dobbs Ferry, village of: The village named for Dobbs Ferry. It was initially incorporated as Greenburgh in 1873 and renamed in 1882. See Greenburgh.
Estherwood: The Paton estate, where Theodore Roosevelt lived as a youth around 1871. Also the Estate of J.J. McComb.
Ferry House, the: [no data]
Gould Landing: The landing just above Wickers Creek under the
ownership of Edwin Gould. It was destroyed in 1907 when the steamship
"City of
Gould's Pier: Formerly located just north of the mouth Wicker's Creek, this was the site of the first Catholic mass celebrated in the area of Dobbs Ferry. Father James Commisky said mass for workers on the Old Croton Aqueduct.
Gould's Ravine: An early twentieth century name for the ravine through which Wicker Creek runs.
Greenburgh, Village of: Dobbs Ferry was incorporated under this name in 1873. The village was renamed in 1882.
Howland’s Mills: [no data]
In earlier times the river was commonly know as the
Hyatt Manor farmhouse: John Hyatt occupied a four-room farmhouse at
152 Broadway. He paid nine pounds annual rent to Frederick Philipse I,
the founder of Philipsburgh Manor. This
historic house which burned in 1974, once served as the lodging of General
Charles Lee during the Revolutionary War. British General William Howe
occupied it briefly after the Battle of White Plains. During the
Revolution Lt. Thomas Hyatt was the tenant of record. It stood on the
Irving Corner, The: The baptistery of Zion Episcopal Church was so named for Washington Irving’s readiness to stand as godfather to infants.
John William Cooper Estate, the: This is now the site of
Juhring Tract: A seventy-five-acre parcel south of Ardsley Country Club purchased by the village in 1968 for use as a park.
Lawrence’s Plantation: This was a seventeenth-century agricultural establishment located at Wicker’s Creek.
Little White Church, the: Dobbs Ferry’s
first church (Presbyterian) sided with white shingles built in 1825 stood on
one acre of land at Ashford Avenue next to the old cemetery at Storm
Street. The church was torn down to make way for a hospital. A
Little
Livington’s Landing: A later
name for the landing from which Dobbs operated his ferry. In the early
nineteenth century, Philip Livingston and his son Peter owned roughly half of
what is today Dobbs Ferry. Philip Livingston purchased approximately 233
acres from the Commissioners of Forfeiture for 3,262 pounds.
Malvern: This was the estate of D.S. Appleton.
Manor of Philipsburgh: The lands of Dobbs Ferry were a portion of the large manor owned by the Philipse family, confirmed by royal charter to Frederick Philipse I in 1693.
Memorial Park: This village park is west of
Midgrove: This was the estate of
James Wilde (d. 1879) on the west side of Broadway (555 Broadway). In modern
times, it is the
Milestone 26*: An old
North Brook: This is the northern tributary of Wickers Creek rising from ponds in northeast Dobbs Ferry. It crosses Ardsley Country Club.
Old Croton Aqueduct, the: Completed in 1842…
Old Storm farmhouse, the: Was said to have been moved to
Old
Paton’s Pond: [no data]
Presbyterian Church: See South Presbyterian Church.
Prospect Hill: The hill on which Children’s Village is located.
Queen’s Highway, the: A name for Broadway (the Albany
Post Road) during the reign of Britain’s Queen
Anne. Also; the
Reilly’s Brook: A tributary of Wickers Creek.
Sisters of Mercy Property: An eighty-five-acre parcel which included Mercy College, Our Lady of Victory School, and the lands about Wickers Creek. The Sisters of Mercy acquired this property in 1958.
Sneden’s Landing*: In 1759, Molley Sneden took over took over the ferry operation from the Dobbs family. She ran the ferry from her landing on the west side of the river. The Sneden family operated the ferry until 1903.
South Brook: This is the southern tributary of Wickers Creek rising
near
South Presbyterian Church: Located at 343 Broadway and built in 1868, it is the second oldest church in Dobbs Ferry.
Stone Barn: [no data]
Villard Hill: This is the highest
point in Dobbs Ferry. It was part of 120 acres purchased by Civil War
correspondent Henry Villard in 1880. The hill is
between
Weckquaesgeck tract: The Dobbs Ferry portion of Frederick Philipse I's real estate acquisitions in the late seventeenth century.
Wickers Creek: The stream at Wickquaequeeck, an anglicized corruption of the term.
Wickquaegueeck: An Indian village at
the north end of the village Dobbs Ferry. This has been translated as
meaning the place of the bark kettle. The tribe of this name whose lands extended
from Dobbs Ferry to
Wilde House: Also known as Midgrove,
it was built in 1877 by James Wilde, and rented to Eliza Masters for her school
for young ladies. The structure was located at Broadway and
William Portugue’s Creek: This is another early name for Wicker’s Creek.
Willow Point: A small promentory near southern end of village.
Wilson’s Landing: May be named after
Daniel Wilse whose post Revolutionary 163 acre
farm occupied the land on which present day Mercy College. It appears to be the
same place as Gould’s Landing.
Zion Episcopal Church: Located at Cedar and Oak streets on a high parcel
of land donated by Peter Van Brugh Livingston.
The church, which included Washington Irving among its worshippers, is the
oldest still existing church in Dobbs Ferry. It was begun in 1833 and
consecrated in 1834. Also,
Interested in local place names? See a new book on the subject:
The Place Names of
Historic Sleepy Hollow and Tarrytown
Do you know of a Dobbs Ferry place name not listed here? Share your knowledge and comments—