Echo Bay is an

embayment A bay is a recessed, coastal body of water that directly connects to a larger main body of water, such as an ocean, a lake, or another bay. A large bay is usually called a gulf, sea, sound, or bight. A cove is a small, circular bay with a narr ...

located off

Long Island Sound Long Island Sound is a marine sound and tidal estuary of the Atlantic Ocean. It lies predominantly between the U.S. state of Connecticut to the north and Long Island in New York to the south. From west to east, the sound stretches from the Eas ...

in the city of

New Rochelle New Rochelle (; older french: La Nouvelle-Rochelle) is a city in Westchester County, New York, United States, in the southeastern portion of the state. In 2020, the city had a population of 79,726, making it the seventh-largest in the state of ...

Westchester County Westchester County is located in the U.S. state of New York. It is the seventh most populous county in the State of New York and the most populous north of New York City. According to the 2020 United States Census, the county had a population o ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

. It is an anchorage for small craft and is generally fully occupied during the summer. The depths at the anchorage range from 4 to 15 feet, and launches can anchor in the shallow cove on the northeast side of the harbor, entering between Harrison Islands and the rocky, grassy islet off the northwest side of

Echo Island ''Echo Island'' is an Irish television programme for children and young adults, shown on RTÉ Network 2. It was shown at 17:00 during ''The Den'', after which programmes like ''The Legend of the Hidden City'' would air. The show effectively too ...

.U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey (1918) ''United States Coast Pilot'' U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey, Washington, D.C., p.142 Vessels frequently anchor between the entrance of Echo Bay and ''Hicks Ledge'', in depths of 20 to 24 feet. On the northwest side of Echo Bay a dredged channel 100 feet wide and 15 feet deep, marked by buoys, leads to the New Rochelle Municipal Marina at Beaufort Point (Hudson Park).

Coastal geography

Premium Point is on the northeast side of the entrance of Echo Bay. "Spindle Rock", lying 100 yards southwestward of Premium Point, is covered at high water, and is marked at its southwest end by a red buoy. "Table rock", bare at half tide, is on a reef which extends from the shore at a point 3/8 of a mile eastward of Premium Point. "Hicks Ledge", a small patch of rock with 8 feet over it, lies nearly 1/2 of a mile southwestward of Premium Point. The passage between "Spindle Rock" and Premium Point is practically blocked by rocks which are hidden even at low tide. "Baileys rock" is near the end of a reef which extends about 200 yards off the point of

Davenport Neck Davenport Neck is a peninsula in New Rochelle, New York, extending southwesterly from the mainland into Long Island Sound, and running parallel to the main shore. It divides the city's waterfront into two, with New Rochelle Harbor to the south an ...

on the southwest side at the entrance of Echo Bay. The rock is marked on its eastern side by a gas buoy. Islands within the bay include

Harrison Harrison may refer to: People * Harrison (name) * Harrison family of Virginia, United States Places In Australia: * Harrison, Australian Capital Territory, suburb in the Canberra district of Gungahlin In Canada: * Inukjuak, Quebec, or " ...

Echo In audio signal processing and acoustics, an echo is a reflection of sound that arrives at the listener with a delay after the direct sound. The delay is directly proportional to the distance of the reflecting surface from the source and the list ...

, Clifford,

Tank A tank is an armoured fighting vehicle intended as a primary offensive weapon in front-line ground combat. Tank designs are a balance of heavy firepower, strong armour, and good battlefield mobility provided by tracks and a powerful engin ...

and Big and Little Hassock islands. Southwest of Echo Bay there is a stone pier which protects a private boat landing on its southwest side. Pine Island is privately owned and covered with brush. Two bare rocks lie 200 yards southwestward of Pine Island. Southwestward of the rocks there is a long, bare ledge, the southwest end of which is marked by a spindle with a cage. Between the spindle and two other spindles southward of it, there is a channel used by small craft navigating between Echo Bay and New Rochelle Harbor.

History

In 1690, Jean Machet acquired the property that is now the New Rochelle Municipal Marina, from

Jacob Leisler Jacob Leisler ( – May 16, 1691) was a German-born colonist who served as a politician in the Province of New York. He gained wealth in New Amsterdam (later New York City) in the fur trade and tobacco business. In what became known as Leisler's ...

to develop his shipbuilding and trading business with the West Indies. He continued to own this land, as well as Echo Bay Island, until 1694 when he sold it to Joshua Ferris, a Tory, who renamed it Ferris Creek. Joshua Ferris ran a tavern on his property which became popular with Shubel Merritt and his gang of ruthless outlaws, the "Skinners". At the end of the Revolutionary War, Shubel Merritt was shot and killed in the Black Walnut Tavern at the corner of Old Town Dock and Pelham Roads.

Enoch Crosby Enoch Crosby (1750–1835) was an American spy and soldier during the American Revolution. His life may have been the basis for the character Harvey Birch in James Fenimore Cooper's novel '' The Spy''. Early life Crosby was born in Harwich, Mas ...

, General Washington's most celebrated spy was said to have started his career at the Ferris Tavern. In 1827, David Harrison purchased the land and built a dock in an attempt to revive it as a local landing site.'New Rochelle Waterfront: A Legacy', Leonard C. paduano; The Knickerbocker Press, 1988, pages. 10-11 Snuff Mill Creek, located next to Sutton Manor, was built in the early 18th century by Jacob Leisler Jr. and operated as a grist mill along with a mill at

Crystal Lake Crystal Lake or Crystal Lakes may refer to: Lakes Canada * Crystal Lake (Saskatchewan) * Crystal Lake (Ontario), drain into the Lynn River, which drains into Lake Erie United States * Crystal Lake, California, a mountain lake in Nevad ...

. It was later owned by David Lispenard and used as a snuff mill. Over succeeding years it passed through the hands of a number of Quakers, including one who was supposedly active in the movement to liberate slaves. The mill was said to have been used as a stop for the

underground railroad The Underground Railroad was a network of clandestine routes and safe houses established in the United States during the early- to mid-19th century. It was used by enslaved African Americans primarily to escape into free states and Canada. T ...

. This area eventually became the home of the New Rochelle Coal and Lumber Company. In 1945, the City acquired it for use as the Municipal Marina. It underwent a series of major improvements including the construction of a boat house and bulkheads, and the grading and paving of the dock area. The dredging of Ferris Creek and the construction of new piers and slips to accommodate small boats made the City into a boating center. In the 1960s, a $2.3 million investment by the City transformed the marina into a major boating facility. The 5.3 acre Municipal Marina, one of the largest on Long Island Sound, contains 100 moorings and 500 berths, 55 of which can accommodate vessels longer than 30 feet.

References

External links

USGS Geographic Names Information System(GNIS) - Echo BayNY Hometown Locator - Echo Bay
{{Authority control Geography of New Rochelle, New York Bays of New York (state) Long Island Sound