National Register of Historic Places

Old Croton Dam, Site of

Ossining, Westchester County, New York
Listed
June 18, 1973
Type
Site
Period
Listed
Ref No.
73001289

About this property

The Old Croton Dam is a historic dam located in Yorktown, Westchester County, New York, now lying submerged beneath the waters of the New Croton Reservoir. The dam was built on the Croton River between 1837 and 1842, and was the first substantial masonry dam in the United States. Construction was delayed by a January 1841 storm that washed away most of the dam, with heavy downstream damage and loss of life. The gravity dam was constructed with a granite ashlar foundation and a rubble core. It was 57 feet (17 m) high and 670 feet (200 m) long. The dam impounded water from the Croton Watershed, forming a reservoir several miles long to the northeast along the path of the Croton River. Water flowed to New York City through the Old Croton Aqueduct, which started just upstream of the dam, carrying water down the Croton River valley toward the Hudson River, then roughly following the Hudson River south. The dam and aqueduct constituted a major part of the original New York City water supply system. The New Croton Aqueduct opened in 1890, augmenting the original system until supply from the Delaware and Catskill aqueducts was sufficient to take it offline in 1955. When the New Croton Dam was completed in 1906, the old dam was submerged to a depth of 34 feet (10 m). The dam site was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973. National Register of Historic Places listings in northern Westchester County, New York

Location

Ossining, Westchester County, New York
41.23398, -73.80182

Categories

ENGINEERINGARCHITECTURE
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Nearby Historic Sites

Young, Isaac, House
Industrial
2.8 mi
Yorktown Heights Railroad Station
Industrial
2.8 mi
Sarles' Tavern
Early Republic
2.9 mi
Resnick, Solomon, House
Industrial
3.4 mi
Williams-DuBois House
Industrial
3.6 mi

Questions about this property

When was Old Croton Dam, Site of listed on the National Register?

Old Croton Dam, Site of was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on June 18, 1973.

What type of historic resource is Old Croton Dam, Site of?

Old Croton Dam, Site of is classified as a site in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Old Croton Dam, Site of?

The period of significance for Old Croton Dam, Site of is recorded as the listed era.

Can I research the history near Old Croton Dam, Site of?

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