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🏘️ Croton Local History
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Benjamin Smith, who “refused to take the oath” and “accordingly withdrew.” After dispensing with other business “a Letter from the Delegates of the Colony at Continental Congress of the 2nd July . . . on the subject of Independence, and requesting
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Instructions from this Congress, was received and read.” Because events had been moving quickly they then read a second letter from the delegates in Philadelphia—this one “enclosing the Declaration of Independence,” the full text of which they
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recorded in the minutes. The letters and the Declaration were then referred to a committee chaired by John Jay. When the Provincial Congress reconvened that afternoon “the Committee appointed to take into consideration the letter from our Delegates
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in Continental Congress, and the Declaration of Independence, reported the following, which was unanimously agreed to, and is in the words following, that is to say: In Convention of the Representatives of the State of New-York, White Plains, July 9,
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1776. Resolved, unanimously, That the reasons assigned by the Continental Congress for declaring the United Colonies free and independent States, are cogent and conclusive; and that while we lament the cruel necessity which has rendered that measure
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unavoidable, we approve the same, and will, at the risk of our lives and fortunes, join with the other Colonies in supporting it.” The Representatives (of what they now referred to as the State of New-York) also resolved that the Declaration of
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Independence be published “to the beat of a drum” in White Plains and throughout the “State of New-York.” They finished by resolving that “the Delegates of this State in Continental Congress, be, and they are hereby, authorized to consent to and
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adopt all such measures as they may deem conducive to the happiness and welfare of the United States of America .” The Westchester County Archives has graciously allowed us to use an image of their exceedingly rare copy of the broadside, printed in
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New York City by John Holt as a result of the July 9 resolution. 3 The Provincial Congress ordered that 500 copies be printed and “sent to all the County Committees in the State.” Today, there are only five known copies. 4 There is one significant
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word missing from this and all the other July 1776 broadsides and newspaper printings. When the engrossed copy of the Declaration was made on vellum in early August 5 , 1776, the heading was changed as a result of the actions Pierre Van Cortlandt and
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the other patriots took in White Plains. The heading of the vellum copy reads “The unanimous declaration of the thirteen United States of America.” Reading of the Declaration of Independence, White Plains, July 11, 1776. From a painting by George
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Albert Harker. Courtesy of the Library of Congress. All quotes from the minutes of the July 9 meeting are from Peter Force’s American Archives , volume 1, fifth series, pages 1385-1392. ↩ Abbott, Wilbur Cortez. New York in the American Revolution .
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New York, London: C. Scribner’s Sons, 1929. ↩ Holt also printed the Declaration as a full-page in the July 11 issue of his newspaper, the New-York Journal . The opposite page had a note which read “ The Declaration of the United States of America, is
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inserted in this paper . . . to oblige a number of our Customers, who intend to separate it from the rest of the paper, and fix it up, in open view, in the Houses, as a mark of their approbation of the INDEPENDENT SPIRIT of their Representatives .” ↩
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Three other copies are at the New York Public Library, the Huntington Library and the Cincinnati History Library and Archives. An additional copy is in private hands. ↩ It was not signed on July 4th and some signatures were not added until years
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later. ↩ Share this: Print (Opens in new window) Print Email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email Share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook Share on X (Opens in new window) X Share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) Pinterest Share
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on Tumblr (Opens in new window) Tumblr Share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn Like Loading... Related Tagged Declaration of Independence Pierre Van Cortlandt Published July 5, 2013 July 2, 2019
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In September 1859, The Gardener’s Monthly published an account of a trip to Croton Point, which the author says was “visited through the summer by numerous travellers, who are permitted to drive through the grounds.” We’re lucky that Dr. Underhill
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allowed such free access to his property because this brief article gives us tantalizing details about the scope of his business—the fruit he grew in addition to grapes, the “deer-park and fish-pond” on Croton Point and his “near at hand . . . Mount
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Green farm,” which suggests that Underhill also owned land along Mount Green Road in Croton. 1 “Croton Point, where Dr. Underhill has . . . been engaged in the formation of one of the largest vineyards in this country . . . to see how well he has
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succeeded it is only necessary take the boat . . . to Sing-Sing, whence you readily reach the vineyards. They are daily visited through the summer by numerous travellers, who are permitted to drive through the grounds. . . . the northwest and
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southeast slopes are covered with vines so arranged, that a perfect draught of air is kept up between the rows. The land for these has been prepared at a cost of over four hundred dollars per acre; and from a soil apparently poor, you see thousands
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and thousands of grape-vines springing forth with luxuriant growth and full of green, white, pink, and purple fruit. The odor these vineyards, when the vines are in bloom, is exceedingly fragrant . . . At the end of the Point is situated the house, a
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beautiful Italian villa, from the tower of which is the most charming view perhaps on the whole Hudson. Immediately around the villa, you see a large and choice variety of pear trees, whose luscious fruit might tempt a sated Sybarite. As shown at the
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end of this ad—published the same year as the Gardener’s Monthly article—Apple-Qunice was another fruit grown on Croton Point. A little farther up the Point are the deer-park and fish-pond. In the former are some beautiful deer, that seem free to
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wander where they will. Over the whole of the farm there is scarcely a fence, and these deer are shut in by wires stretched from tree to tree, so that the view is in no way interrupted . . . Around the bounds of the fish-pond (through which the
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Doctor has ingeniously contrived that the tide shall so ebb and flow as to permit the fish to enter, and having entered, not go forth again) he has a most select variety of plum trees, whose and golden fruit hangs out over the water . . . In addition
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to his vineyards at Croton Point, the Doctor has near at hand his Mount Green farm, which he contemplates covering with vines. You need not go to the Rhine to see vineyards and enjoy scenery. . . .” Mount Green Road is off Old Post Road North, near
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Lounsbury Road. ↩ Share this: Print (Opens in new window) Print Email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email Share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook Share on X (Opens in new window) X Share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
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Pinterest Share on Tumblr (Opens in new window) Tumblr Share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn Like Loading... Related Published July 14, 2013 July 14, 2013