Burdett's Landing

Last updated
Painting from 1867 showing Burdett's Landing. John George Brown (1831-1913), On the Hudson, 1867, oil on canvas, 39 x 72 inches, Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. John D. Rockefeller 3rd, 1979.7.19 Edgewater On the Hudson.jpg
Painting from 1867 showing Burdett's Landing. John George Brown (1831-1913), On the Hudson, 1867, oil on canvas, 39 x 72 inches, Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. John D. Rockefeller 3rd, 1979.7.19

Burdett's Landing, also called Burdett's Ferry, is a site on the west bank of the Hudson River located in Edgewater, New Jersey. Ferries initially used Burdett's Landing as a departure point for transporting agricultural produce from New Jersey across to New York. In the Revolutionary War it played a role in the movement of American supplies and soldiers, and in the 19th century it served as a landing for steamboats. There is no longer a wharf or ferry service at the landing.

Contents

Location

Burdett's Landing plaque Edgewater Burdett's Landing.JPG
Burdett's Landing plaque

Burdett's Landing lay adjacent to a 250-foot (76 m) bluff formerly known as Mt. Constitution, [1] now known as Fort Lee Historic Park. The bluff slopes downward on the south side and levels out sufficiently to make access practical. Burdett's Landing was created here in a small cove. A 1900 history described it as lying at "the bottom of a clove [i.e., ravine] giving easy access to the top of the Palisades and at the outlet of a small watercourse known as Dead Brook." [2] The landing no longer exists, and the property lies in the current Edgewater Colony, an organization which owns all land cooperatively. [3] A plaque beside the Edgewater Colony's meeting hall, located about 100 feet (30 m) from the original site, commemorates Burdett's Landing.

History

Pre-Revolutionary War

The Lenni Lenape of the Algonquian nation were present in the vicinity prior to the founding of Burdett's Landing [4] and appear to have lived in the area for thousands of years before the arrival of Europeans. [5] Their presence diminished as contact with colonists led to illnesses and loss of their traditional lands through encroachment. [4] In the mid-18th century the land which would become Burdett's Landing was owned by a freed slave, who had received it in exchange for his work shoring up a road to the top of the bluff with several hundred yards of retaining wall. [6]

Stephen (né Étienne) Bourdette, a New York merchant of Huguenot heritage, purchased 400 acres (1.6 km2) in the Fort Lee/Edgewater vicinity from the freedman [6] in 1756. [4] He built a gambrel-roofed stone house in a forest clearing at the bottom of the gorge, [2] and moved his father, also named Étienne Bourdette, into the residence. [7] (Stephen anglicized his Christian name from Étienne. [7] His surname is seen in different spellings of Burdett and Bourdette.) Stephen Bourdette's parcel of land gained access to outlying areas via the Hackensack Turnpike, [2] a route followed today north and south by Hudson Terrace and a section River Road (County Route 505), connecting with Main Street in Fort Lee for destinations to the west. [8] A stage line also ran from the landing to Hackensack via Leonia. [9] For commerce with travelers, Bourdette founded a trading post and ferry service. In 1758 he began ferrying goods and people from a protected area of shoreline on the Hudson River in periaguas. [10] These were row-and-sail vessels with two masts and a shallow draft, capable of carrying heavy loads. [11] Initially Burdett's Landing was used by farmers sending their products across to the Bloomingdale section of Manhattan, [2] which at that time was the west side of New York between 23rd and 125th Streets. He is also noted as operating sloops to various points and a row-and-sail ferry to about 152nd Street in Manhattan. [12]

Stephen's brother, Peter, a farmer who had been living in Hackensack, came to Burdett's Landing with his wife in about 1760 to look after Étienne, Senior, in his old age. The father died at 80, and Stephen gave the property to Peter "several years before the war." [6]

Revolutionary War

Bourdette house, used by Gen. Washington during the Revolution Burdett's Landing house.jpg
Bourdette house, used by Gen. Washington during the Revolution

General George Washington issued orders to General Mercer to summon all available troops and erect a fort on the west side of the Hudson River. [13] The land to which Washington referred lay on the Bourdette property. [4] Construction commenced in July 1776 [14] on the new fort, to be called Fort Constitution. [4] It was located on the western side of the road that led up the hill from the landing. Concurrently, Fort Washington was being built almost directly across the river in New York. [7] At first efforts were concentrated close to the water level near the Bourdette dwelling. [7] Later, fortifications were added atop the bluff under the supervision of Joseph Philips, Battalion Commander of the New Jersey State Militia. [4] The Bourdette's ferry service was taken over by the Army, [10] and Peter Bourdette was forced to vacate his house; although as a patriot he considered it no sacrifice and offered the work of his slaves to General Mercer's construction efforts. [7] At the end of September 1776, Fort Constitution was renamed Fort Lee, for General Charles Lee of the Continental Army. [4] George Washington used the stone Bourdette house for his headquarters when he passed time at Fort Lee. [4] At this stage of the war the ferry operated as a supply line and the only link between Forts Lee and Washington. [2] [7]

The Ferry was the site of a minor skirmish on October 27, 1776, between two British frigates on the North River and various Colonial units in the area. The British came up the river either to attack the Ferry or to support their ground forces on Harlem Plain. However, they did little or no damage to the colonials, while one of the British ships was severely damaged by artillery on York Island before they withdrew. [15]

Peter Bourdette's sixteen-year-old son, also named Peter, provided assistance to the American war effort by direct use of the landing. During the week leading up to the evacuation of Fort Lee [7] he rowed back and forth across the river gathering information for General Washington on the anticipated movements of the British forces. [6] Well after dark on the night before the battle for New York at Fort Washington, George Washington was rowed from Burdett's Landing to the middle of the Hudson River for a strategy session with his senior officers in charge of New York, who rowed to meet him. [10] [16] On November 16, 1776, George Washington witnessed the battle for New York from across the river on the bluff of Fort Lee, above Burdett's Landing. [17]

General Washington ordered the retreat from Fort Lee on November 20, which left the Bourdettes in a dangerous situation with the approach of the enemy. [7] Peter Bourdette sent his wife, Rachel, and his family to safety, keeping his 16-year-old son to help him protect the homestead. They were ineffective in the face of troops, and the landing was plundered by the British regulars and Hessian mercenaries. [7] Rachel Bourdette returned to their home after the soldiers' departure and found all her supplies taken and her animals gone, except for one horse she had hidden. Although enemy troops periodically raided the area for supplies, the family survived the winter. Eventually the tide of war flowed away from the area. [7]

Post-Revolutionary War

After the war the ferry service returned to its farm trade. [2] Peter Bourdette died at the age of 91 in 1823. [7] Burdett's Landing experienced a transformation in the 19th century when steam power was applied to ships, and it became an important landing for steamboats. [12] The Crystenah left New York City's Pier 39 every evening at 6:30 and stopped at Burdett's Landing along its route. [18] In addition, Burdett's Ferry's own company, the Fort Lee & New York Steamboat Company, began operating in 1832 and ran until about 1920. Also known as The People's Ferry Company, it owned at least five steamboats which made stops along the Hudson running south, then crossing to New York City. [2]

A demand for paving stones developed in the 19th century as New York City sought to pave its streets. Quarrying operations designed to produce paving blocks appeared on the Palisades Cliff as a result. Burdett's Landing acquired the nickname, "Old Stone Dock," from its service as a transfer location for cobblestones onto lighters bound for New York. [19] This use for Burdett's Landing came to an end when the quarrying and accompanying destruction of the Palisades was brought to an end by the creation of the Palisades Interstate Park in 1900. [20]

Resort Hotel by Burdett's Landing Burdett's Landing Ft Lee hotel.jpg
Resort Hotel by Burdett's Landing

During the 19th century the Burdett's Landing neighborhood gradually developed as a resort. New Yorkers came to view the sleepy, pastoral little area as a recreational destination, [21] and in 1878 the large Fort Lee Hotel opened by the landing. [22] Also known as the Octagon House because of its design, the Fort Lee Hotel was accessible via ferry for New Yorkers. According to one pictorial history,

Its 60 rooms each had gas lighting, and the hotel had its own ferry service from its grounds to 129th Street in Manhattan. Guests were provided with picnic grounds, band concerts, a roller-skating rink, outdoor shows, and rustic walkways. [21]

Fire destroyed the hotel in 1898, and the owners did not rebuild. [21] The pilings still are seen above the waterline of the Hudson just south of the Fort Lee bluff as a locator for the palatial resort. With the industrialization of Edgewater in the early 20th century the desire to use the area as a resort faded. [23] The house created by Stephen Bourdette for his father stood until 1899. [24] In the 20th century river crossings were handled by other ferries, and Burdett's Landing was no longer needed. [10] Its former location may be seen in an aerial view at the Edgewater Colony website noted in External links below. It was assimilated into the Colony's property when it incorporated in 1948. [25]

Sources

Notes

  1. Adams, Hudson River Guidebook, p. 106
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Adams, Arthur G. (1996). The Hudson River Guidebook . Fordham University Press. pp.  103-104. ISBN   978-0-8232-1679-6.
  3. "Edgewater Colony" . Retrieved 2009-03-11.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Revolution: Pre-Revolution". Archived from the original on 2009-03-01. Retrieved 2009-03-11.
  5. Winson, Terrie (March 2002). "Lenni Lenape" . Retrieved 2009-03-12.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Van Walen, James M. (1900). History of Bergen County, New Jersey. New Jersey Publishing and Engraving Co. p. 499.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Hoy, Carla. "History and Profile, Fort Lee Historical Highlights". Archived from the original on 2013-03-14. Retrieved 2009-03-10.
  8. Hall, Donald E.; Edgewater Cultural; Historical Committee (2005). Images of America: Edgewater. Charleston, SC: Arcadia. p. 9. ISBN   978-0-7385-3725-2.
  9. Adams, Hudson River Guidebook, p. 138
  10. 1 2 3 4 Renner, James (October 2003). "Burdett's Ferry". Archived from the original on 2007-12-13. Retrieved 2009-03-05.
  11. "A brief history of the Periauger". Archived from the original on 2008-08-28. Retrieved 2009-03-20.
  12. 1 2 Adams, Arthur G. (1966). Hudson Through the Years . Fordham University Press. p.  138. ISBN   978-0-8232-1677-2.
  13. Van Walen, History of Bergen County, p. 499
  14. "Wars and Battles, November 20, 1776" . Retrieved 2009-03-15.
  15. "Skirmish at Burdett's Ferry". Pennsylvania Journal. 6 November 1776. Retrieved 2012-11-29.
  16. Cheslow, Jerry (July 30, 1995). "If You're Thinking of Living In: Edgewater; Factory Town Is Now Bedroom Community". New York Times. Retrieved 2009-03-16.
  17. Adams, Hudson River Guidebook, p. 105
  18. "Summer Resorts". The New York Times. July 6, 1868. Retrieved 2009-03-17.
  19. Hall, Edgewater, p. 24
  20. "Palisades Interstate Park, New Jersey Section". February 1, 2009. Archived from the original on 2009-03-24. Retrieved 2009-03-16.
  21. 1 2 3 Hall, Edgewater, p. 63
  22. "History of the Edgewater Colony". Edgewater Colony website. Retrieved 2009-03-17.
  23. Hall, Edgewater, p. 21
  24. Hall, Edgewater, p. 9
  25. Hall, Edgewater, p. 17

40°50′02″N73°58′06″W / 40.833877°N 73.968440°W / 40.833877; -73.968440

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New Jersey Route 5</span> State highway in Bergen County, New Jersey, US

Route 5 is a 3.18-mile (5.12 km) state highway located entirely in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. It runs from U.S. Route 1/9 (US 1-9) in Ridgefield east down the New Jersey Palisades to end at County Route 505 at the Hudson River in Edgewater, forming a “wavy” path. The route is a two- to four-lane undivided highway its entire length, passing mostly through wooded residential neighborhoods. The route passes under Route 63 in Palisades Park, with access to that route provided by Bergen Boulevard, and intersects the southern terminus of Route 67 in Fort Lee.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edgewater, New Jersey</span> Borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States

Edgewater is a borough located along the Hudson River in Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 14,336, an increase of 2,823 (+24.5%) from the 2010 census count of 11,513, which in turn reflected an increase of 3,836 (+50.0%) from the 7,677 counted in the 2000 census

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Palisades (Hudson River)</span> Steep cliffs along the west side of the lower Hudson River

The Palisades, also called the New Jersey Palisades or the Hudson River Palisades, are a line of steep cliffs along the west side of the lower Hudson River in Northeastern New Jersey and Southeastern New York in the United States. The cliffs stretch north from Jersey City about 20 miles (32 km) to near Nyack, New York, and are visible at Haverstraw, New York. They rise nearly vertically from near the edge of the river, and are about 300 feet (90 m) high at Weehawken, increasing gradually to 540 feet (160 m) high near their northern terminus. North of Fort Lee, the Palisades are part of Palisades Interstate Park and are a National Natural Landmark.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Timeline of Jersey City, New Jersey-area railroads</span>

For the purposes of this article, the Jersey City area extends North to Edgewater, South to Bayonne and includes Kearny Junction and Harrison but not Newark. Many routes east of Newark are listed here.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Palisades, New York</span> Hamlet in New York, United States

Palisades, formerly known as Sneden's Landing, is a hamlet in the Town of Orangetown in Rockland County, New York. It is located north of Rockleigh and Alpine, New Jersey; east of Tappan; south of Sparkill; and west of the Hudson River.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fort Lee Historic Park</span> Reconstructed historic site in Fort Lee, New Jersey, United States

Fort Lee Historic Park is located atop a bluff of the Hudson Palisades overlooking Burdett's Landing, known as Mount Constitution, in Fort Lee, New Jersey, United States. The park was conceived as early was 1952.

New Bridge was a prosperous mill hamlet, centered upon a bridge strategically placed at the narrows of the Hackensack River. In the American Revolution, New Bridge Landing was the site of a strategic bridge crossing the Hackensack River, where General George Washington led his troops in retreat from British forces November 20, 1776. Eleven engagements took place here throughout the war. The current Draw Bridge at New Bridge was installed in 1889 and added to the National Register of Historic Places on July 5, 1989. The area is now a New Jersey historic site in portions of New Milford, River Edge, Hackensack and Teaneck in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hudson River Waterfront Walkway</span> Park in the United States of America

The Hudson River Waterfront Walkway, also known as the Hudson River Walkway, is a promenade along the Hudson Waterfront in New Jersey. The ongoing and incomplete project located on Kill van Kull and the western shore of Upper New York Bay and the Hudson River was implemented as part of a New Jersey state-mandated master plan to connect the municipalities from the Bayonne Bridge to the George Washington Bridge with an urban linear park and provide contiguous unhindered access to the water's edge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Weehawken Terminal</span> Former intermodal terminal in Weehawken, New Jersey

Weehawken Terminal was the waterfront intermodal terminal on the North River in Weehawken, New Jersey for the New York Central Railroad's West Shore Railroad division, whose route traveled along the west shore of the Hudson River. It opened in 1884 and closed in 1959. The complex contained five ferry slips, sixteen passenger train tracks, car float facilities, and extensive yards. The facility was also used by the New York, Ontario and Western Railway. The terminal was one of five passenger railroad terminals that lined the Hudson Waterfront during the 19th and 20th centuries; the others were located at Hoboken, Pavonia, Exchange Place and Communipaw, with Hoboken being the only one still in use.

Mollie Sneden born as Mary Dobbs was the operator of a ferry service at Palisades, New York, in the United States, before and after the American Revolution. During the war she was prohibited from running the ferry because of her British sympathies. Mollie Sneden is listed as a Woman of Distinction by the New York Senate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hudson Waterfront</span> Place in Hudson and Bergen

The Hudson Waterfront is an urban area of northeastern New Jersey along the lower reaches of the Hudson River, the Upper New York Bay and the Kill van Kull. Though the term can specifically mean the shoreline, it is often used to mean the contiguous urban area between the Bayonne Bridge and the George Washington Bridge that is approximately 19 miles (31 km) long. Historically, the region has been known as Bergen Neck, the lower peninsula, and Bergen Hill, lower Hudson Palisades. It has sometimes been called the Gold Coast.

The English Neighborhood was the colonial-era name for the towns in eastern Bergen County, New Jersey, along the Hudson Palisades between the Hudson River and the Hackensack River, particularly around its main tributary, Overpeck Creek. The region had been part of the Dutch New Netherland colony of Bergen, whose main town was located at Bergen Square in modern Jersey City. The name refers to the geography of the region, bergen being the Dutch word for hills. Earlier attempts at settlement at Achter Col and Vriessendael had been compromised in conflicts with the precolonial population, bands of the Lenape known by their exonyms, the Hackensacks and the Tappans.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bulls Ferry</span> Populated place in Hudson County, New Jersey, US

Bulls Ferry is an area along the Hudson River, just north of Weehawken Port Imperial in the towns of West New York, Guttenberg and North Bergen in New Jersey. It takes its name from a pre-Revolutionary settlement belonging to the Bull family, who operated a row-and-sail ferry to the burgeoning city of New York across the river.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shadyside, Edgewater</span> Populated place in Bergen and Hudson Counties, New Jersey, US

Shadyside is the southernmost neighborhood of Edgewater, New Jersey that overlaps the waterfront of neighboring North Bergen, New Jersey. It likely takes its name from the fact that its position on the west bank of the Hudson River is sometimes in the shadow of the Hudson Palisades. It lies north of the neighborhood Bulls Ferry, a major river crossing of the period. Shadyside was developed in the late 19th century as a manufacturing village, and railroad terminal for New York, Susquehanna and Western Railway at the end of the Edgewater Tunnel, and site of a major explosion at a glucose plant in 1906. North of this are the neighborhoods of Sunnyside, Undercliff, and Burdett's Landing . The Public Service Railway operated streetcar lines from the Edgewater Ferry Terminal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Palisade Avenue (Hudson Palisades)</span>

Palisade Avenue is the name given to a historic road which parallels the eastern crest of Hudson Palisades in northeastern New Jersey. It travels between Jersey City and Fort Lee, passing through Jersey City Heights, North Hudson, and Cliffside Park, with various parts carrying Hudson and Bergen county route designations. The avenue re-aligns itself at several places along its route as it crosses traditional municipal boundaries created in the 19th century. As a primary route running along the top of the Hudson Palisades, many segments offer scenic views of the Hudson River and the New York skyline. Since 2020 there is proposed state legislation to restrict building heights that would rise above the cliffs or on the eastern side of Palisade along the entire corridor from Jersey City to Fort Lee.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">West Midtown Ferry Terminal</span> New York City passenger bus and ferry terminal

The West Midtown Ferry Terminal is a passenger bus and ferry terminal serving ferries along the Hudson River in New York City and northeastern New Jersey. It is located at Pier 79 in Hudson River Park adjacent to the West Side Highway at West 39th Street in Midtown Manhattan. The facility first opened in 1986 with the start of NY Waterway commuter ferry service.

The Edgewater Cemetery is a cemetery in the Bergen County, New Jersey community of Edgewater.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edgewater Branch</span>

The Edgewater Branch was a branch of the New York, Susquehanna and Western Railway (NYS&W) that ran about 3.174 miles (5.108 km) through eastern Bergen County, New Jersey in the United States. Starting from a rail junction at the Little Ferry Yard, it went east through the Edgewater Tunnel to Undercliff to the Hudson Waterfront.

Grantwood is an unincorporated community straddling the boroughs of Cliffside Park and Ridgefield, just south of Fort Lee, in eastern Bergen County, New Jersey, United States.