DOCK STREET HISTORICAL MARKER

2900 East Tremont Avenue

This marker notes the spot of a small, but important battle of the New York campaign of the Revolutionary War that occurred on October 12, 1776. After taking control of Lower Manhattan but failing to dislodge General George Washington and his troops from Harlem, British General William Howe (brother of British Admiral Richard Howe) sought to flank the Americans by landing at Throgs Neck, which was virtually an island, utilizing a bridge over the Westchester Creek. Near the point at which East Tremont Avenue currently spans the now-submerged creek, a group of Americans repelled Howe’s advance over the bridge, providing time for Washington to begin his retreat from Upper Manhattan towards White Plains. The northern reaches of the Westchester Creek were buried over time so that the stream now emerges south of the Lehman High School football field. Starting in the Dutch period, Dock Street, which now serves as a driveway for businesses on Ferris Place, was the point of disembarkation for ships approaching the village via Westchester Creek. Although the creek sees much less maritime traffic than in years past, a marina, constructed in 1957, provides recreational boaters with slips amidst the otherwise industrial environs of the canal.

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