A Croton River Disaster—197 Years Ago Today

On March 10, 1818, the Westchester Herald reported on a devastating freshet—a spring flood caused by rapid snow thaw and heavy rain—that struck the Croton River. The disaster destroyed valuable mill infrastructure owned by General Philip Van Cortlandt.

The Damage

"The rapid thaw on Saturday...attended with heavy rain, occasioned the Croton river to rise to a considerable height, and floated down ponderous shoals of ice." One merchant mill was displaced from its foundation, its water-wheel destroyed and hundreds of barrels ruined. The second mill's upper floor was swept away, destroying over 1,000 bushels of feed. A neighboring saw-mill was entirely swept away. Total losses exceeded $3,000—approximately $55,000 in modern dollars.

Historical Significance

The mills, built by the Underhill family in 1792, represented major commercial operations that purchased raw wheat and sold processed flour. Their water power made the location valuable despite repeated destruction. By the 1840s, iron processing replaced flour milling at the site.

The 1818 freshet foreshadowed greater catastrophe: the Great Freshet of 1841 partially collapsed the earthen Old Croton Dam and destroyed the Van Cortlandt mills completely, along with all riverside structures.

Today, only scattered remains survive—a brick archway marking the mill race's end and iron bolts drilled into riverside boulders.