Trip to Irvington

Irvington-On-Hudson

Yesterday, I took a trip to the village of Irvington-on-Hudson, a village in the town of Greenburgh, in Westchester County, New York. It was named for famed American author, Washington Irving. The village is situated on the east bank of the Hudson River, near the Mario M. Cuomo bridge. It is to the north of New York City and has a population of around 6,500 people.

History

The area of Irvington was the home of the Wickquasgeck, a native tribe part of the Wappinger people. In the 1600’s, the Dutch, and later the British, took control of the area and sold it to Frederick Philipse in 1682. During the American Revolution, Irvington and the surrounding land became a 30 mile wide neutral zone, separating the British and their land, from the Patriots. After the conclusion of the war, New York state seized the land from Philipse’s grandson, who was a British supporter, and sold it to Patriot farmers. It eventually wound up in the hands of the grandson of Founding Father Jon Jay in 1848. In 1863, Irvington was involved in the New York Draft Riots. The violence was stopped by police led by James Hamilton, the son of Alexander Hamiltion. Slowly, the village developed into a modern area, as it was connected by railroad to New York City, and lumber and coal plants were built. The area has many commuters to New York City and has wonderful parks and buildings.

My Trip

I went to the Irvington Riverwalk, a park directly on the Hudson. It has baseball fields, basketball courts, playgrounds, walking areas, and is right next to the train station. I found a telescope there and saw a great view of New York City in the distance.

The Mario Cuomo bridge is also quite near and Irvington is close to both Tarrytown and Dobbs Ferry.