Old Croton Dam

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Site of Old Croton Dam
Croton Reservoir.jpg
The Old Croton Dam lies submerged in the New Croton Reservoir
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LocationS of Yorktown Heights on NY 129, Yorktown, New York
Coordinates 41°14′00″N73°48′02″W / 41.23333°N 73.80056°W / 41.23333; -73.80056 Coordinates: 41°14′00″N73°48′02″W / 41.23333°N 73.80056°W / 41.23333; -73.80056
Area110 acres (45 ha)
Built1842
Architect John B. Jervis; Multiple
NRHP reference No. 73001289 [1]
Added to NRHPJune 19, 1973

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, [2] [3] [4] with heavy downstream damage and loss of life.

Contents

History

The gravity dam was constructed with a rubble core and granite ashlar foundation. It was 57 feet (17 m) high and 670 feet (200 m) long. The dam impounded water from the Croton River 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 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). [5] [6]

The dam site was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973. [1]

1872 engraving showing the dam YorktownNY OldCrotonDam.jpg
1872 engraving showing the dam

See also

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">New Croton Aqueduct</span> Aqueduct supplying part of New York Citys water

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Croton Watershed</span>

[[File:Crotonrivermap.png|thumb|right|Map of the Croton River watershed. Note that this is not identical with the New York City water supply system's "Croton Watershed"{{efn|Numerous small natural lakes and ponds, as well as large Lake Mahopac, are part of the Croton River's watershed but not part of New York City’s supply system. A map of the actual Croton Watershed is found here. ]]

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Croton River watershed</span> Drainage basin in New York State, USA

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References

  1. 1 2 "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  2. Fyfe, Joan J. (Fall 2004). "Preserve the Past - Enlighten the Future" (PDF). Yorktown Historical Society. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-04-02. Retrieved 2011-11-03.
  3. "Croton Water Supply System". ASCE Metropolitan Section. Retrieved 2016-11-12.
  4. Tompkins, Christopher R. (2000). The Croton Dams and Aqueduct. Images of America. Charleston, SC: Arcadia Publishing. p. 8. ISBN   0-7385-0455-6.
  5. "Cultural Resource Information System (CRIS)". New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. Archived from the original (Searchable database) on 2015-07-01. Retrieved 2016-08-01.Note: This includes Rennenkampf, Lenore M. (April 1973). "National Register of Historic Places Registration Form: Site of Old Croton Dam" (PDF). Retrieved 2016-08-01. and Accompanying four photographs
  6. Lange, Robie S. (October 1991). "National Register of Historic Places Registration Form" (PDF). National Park Service . Retrieved 2011-11-03.