| INTRODUCTION |
Welcome to Friends of the Old Croton Aqueduct site. Within you'll find a brief history of the Aqueduct, information about our organisation, how to obtain a map, and more. We welcome your questions and comments. Please browse the site and contact us by phone, mail or e-mail.
Construction began in 1837 and the first Croton water entered the Aqueduct on June 22, 1842. The first chief engineer of the Aqueduct was succeeded by John B. Jervis of Rome, New York. The Aqueduct carried water 41 miles from the Old Croton Dam in Westchester County, north of New York City, to two reservoirs in Manhattan - on the present sites of the Great Lawn in Central Park and the New York Public Library on Fifth Avenue from where it was distributed.
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2008 ANNUAL MEETING Sunday, March 30; 2 PM, Irvington Public Library
Trail Manager Peter Iskenderian Moves to New Post... and a New Manager is Appointed: Steven Oakes
ATTENTION:::::Access to North End of Aqueduct Trail at Croton Dam
2008 ANNUAL MEETING Sunday, March 30; 2 PM, Irvington Public Library
The Croton Aqueduct is a masonry tunnel that brought New York City its first supply of clean, plentiful water, and thus contributed to its development as a great metropolis. The Aqueduct was built in response to the fires and epidemics that repeatedly devastated New York City in the late 1700s and early 1800s, owing in part to its inadequate water supply and contaminated wells.
Presentation by Dr. Sidney Horenstein of the American Museum of Natural History
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Highlights from our Winter 2007/08 No. 28 Newsletter
Friends Meet with Tappan Zee Bridge Planners
The Friends of the Old Croton Aqueduct met with a group of planners & engineers, let by officials from the State Dept. of Transportation, as part of the state's public outreach process concerning the future of the Tappan Zee Bridge. The Friends wanted to provide planners with information on existing Aqueduct conditions; help identify potential physical impacts of the bridge project on the Aqueduct; and make planners aware of our position that the Aqueduct trail should be reconnected where it is interrupted by the NYS Thruway.
Sleepy Hollow High School Update
Dr. Howard Smith, Superintendent of the school district, tells us the school construction project is on schedule & that we can expect the trail to reopen in spring-summer 2008.
ANNOUNCEMENTS - EVENTS
The Croton Gorge County Park access road off Rt 129 and the bridge into the park are temporarily closed. Instead, take Rt 129 another .2 miles past the closed entrance to the former dam access road (no cars allowed to cross the dam). Alternatively, there is a small parking area on the southeast end of the dam, where the Old Croton Aqueduct starts. To reach it from the traffic light in Croton at the intersection of Rt 129 and Old Post Road South, take Rt 129 north for .7 mile to Quaker Bridge Rd. On Quaker Bridge Rd, stay right at the fork and cross Quaker Bridge. Turn left from the bridge and drive .6 mile and take another left onto Quaker Ridge Rd. Stay left at Apple Bee Farm Rd, then turn left onto Croton Dam Rd to the parking area at the dam barrier. This route is 3.4 miles from the light in Croton. 914 862 5290.
Presentation by Dr. Sidney Horenstein of the American Museum of Natural History