A Van Cortlandt Manor Treasure - on eBay!

The Westchester County Historical Society (WCHS) acquired an important historical document: a 22-page notebook from surveyor George W. Cartwright. The journal documents his detailed survey of Van Cortlandt Manor conducted between 1837-1838.

Cartwright referred to the area as "Van Cortlandt Manor Farm" in his initial entry. The organization believes a survey map held by Historic Hudson Valley was created from these very notes. By comparing the notebook with the existing map, researchers hope to discover new information about the region.

Cartwright was a respected civil engineer whose maps and surveys represent significant sources regarding the Croton and Ossining areas during the early-to-mid 1800s. His work included a 1820 map of the "Villages of Sing Sing and Sparta." During the 1820s, he surveyed the entire Croton River, calculating that "twenty million gallons of water a day flowed in the river near Pines Bridge." This data informed planning for the Croton Aqueduct. The Westchester County Clerk maintains several Cartwright maps online, including his 1835 downtown Sing Sing depiction.

This acquisition follows WCHS's purchase of an 1804 Bible previously owned by Abraham I. Underhill, one of three brothers who operated a flour mill on the Croton River.