Hidden History of the Lower Hudson Valley

Stories from the Albany Post Road

Carney Rhinevault, Tatiana Rhinevault

• Publisher: The History Press
• Year: 2012
• Print ISBN:
  9781609496548
• eBook ISBN:
  9781614238225
• Topic: History
• Subtopic: North American History
• Index: History

Today's travelers between New York City and Albany are more familiar with the Thruway than with the old Albany Post Road. But for centuries, this was the main highway between the Big Apple and the capital, and many exciting events occurred along its path in the Lower Hudson Valley. The Dutch Philipse family of Sleepy Hollow engaged in piracy, and tales of such misdeeds from the region inspired Washington Irving to write some of his most beloved stories. Later, prisoners used the road as an escape route from the original Sing Sing prison. During Prohibition, a "beer hose" ran through Yonkers, allegedly placed along the route by beer baron Dutch Schultz. With illustrations by Tatiana Rhinevault, local historian Carney Rhinevault uncovers the stories hidden behind the old mile markers of the Albany Post Road.

Table of contents

• Front Cover
• Half Title
• Title Page
• Copyright
• Contents
• 1. The Philipse Family of Yonkers and Sleepy Hollow
• 2. Revolutionary War Spies on the Post Road—Part I
• 3. Revolutionary War Spies on the Post Road—Part II
• 4. Revolutionary War Spies on the Post Road—Part III
• 5. The Battle of Edgar’s Lane in Hastings
• 6. The Conspiracy to Kidnap Benedict Arnold
• 7. Washington Irving’s Post Road
• 8. Sing Sing Prison
• 9. The Blizzard of 1888
• 10. Stagecoaches and the New York–Ardsley Coach Run
• 11. The Beer Hose Mystery in Yonkers
• 12. Patrolman Patrick Whalen, the Hero Cop of Yonkers
• 13. The Millionaires of Tarrytown
• 14. Robber Baron Jay Gould and His Very Opposite Daughter
• 15. The New York City Aqueducts
• 16. 1949 Anti-Communist (Robeson) Riots at Cortlandt
• Notes
• Bibliography
• About the Author