Tucked along the east bank of the Hudson River, lies a small peninsula in the extreme northwest of the Town of Cortlandt. Bordered by the village of Buchanan and hamlet of Montrose, the hamlet of Verplanck has a long and storied history tracing back to Lenape and Wappinger people.
However, this story begins over 390 years ago when historians trace Dutch passenger lists pinpointing Jacob Albertsen Planck, from Edam, Holland, arriving in New Amsterdam (New York) on the ship Eendracht (Unity) in 1634. Likely joining Jacob Albertsen Planck was Abraham Isaac Verplanck, the patriarch of the original American branches of Verplancks.
Abraham Isaac Verplanck, the Dutch entrepreneur and merchant from Holland is believed to have purchased land for a trading post and farming settlement enabling him to trade Dutch goods with the local Native Americans. In due time, Abraham Isaac Verplanck became prosperous and married Maria Vigne Roos in 1635 and had children.
In 1664, the English navy appeared in New Amsterdam’s harbor and demanded the town’s surrender. The Dutch surrendered their colony without a shot fired, swore loyalty to the British Crown, and saw the city renamed New York.
In 1685, a Deed of Sale, known as the Rombout Patent, was approved by King James II of England. For the next forty-five years, Rombout, Stephanus Van Cortlandt and Verplanck descendants and various partners sub-divided, sold off and rented portions of this huge tract of land, while logging, hunting and planting crops on the land.
The story of the Verplanck family spans generations. The wealth the family attained, the legacies it established, the connections from Wall Street to Albany, and how the Verplanck Family furnishings made it into an entire room in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC will all be told as a historian from the Mount Gulian Historic Site tells the story of the famous family who once lived here.
“Meet the Verplancks” is free of charge sponsored by Let It Shine.org, The Verplanck Residents Association and The Society of Our Lady of Mt.Carmel. Refreshments will be provided by Paradise Restaurant free to all who attend. “Meet the Verplanks” will occur on Thursday, June 6th at the Mt. Carmel Hall on 8th Street in Verplanck. Doors open at 6 and the presentation begins at 6:15pm.
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