Verplanck is a

hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play. Set in Denmark, the play (the ...

and

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counte ...

(CDP) in the

town A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...

of Cortlandt,

Westchester County, New York Westchester County is a County (United States), county located in the southeastern portion of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, bordering the Long Island Sound and the Byram River to its east and the Hudson River on its west. The c ...

, United States. As of the 2010 census it had a population of 1,729. Both the hamlet and

Verplanck's Point Verplanck's Point lies at the southernmost end of the hamlet of Verplanck in the town of Cortlandt, New York in the upper northwest corner of Westchester County. Both derive their name from the activities of the Verplanck family, established in ...

derive their name from the activities of the Verplanck family, established in

New Amsterdam New Amsterdam (, ) was a 17th-century Dutch Empire, Dutch settlement established at the southern tip of Manhattan Island that served as the seat of the colonial government in New Netherland. The initial trading ''Factory (trading post), fac ...

Abraham Isaacsen Verplanck Abraham Isaacsen Verplanck (1606–1690), also known as Abraham Isaacse Ver Planck, was an early and prominent settler in New Netherlands. A land developer and speculator, he was the progenitor of an extensive Verplanck (disambiguation), Verplanck ...

in the 1630s.

History

Verplanck lies on a small peninsula in the extreme northwest of the town of Cortlandt. Tucked along the east bank of the

Hudson River The Hudson River, historically the North River, is a river that flows from north to south largely through eastern New York (state), New York state. It originates in the Adirondack Mountains at Henderson Lake (New York), Henderson Lake in the ...

, it is bordered by Cortlandt's village of Buchanan and hamlet of Montrose.

Verplanck's Point

Verplanck's Point lies at Verplanck's southernmost end. The

Continental Army The Continental Army was the army of the United Colonies representing the Thirteen Colonies and later the United States during the American Revolutionary War. It was formed on June 14, 1775, by a resolution passed by the Second Continental Co ...

of General George Washington encamped at Verplanck's Point during the Revolutionary War, as a staging area for crossing the Hudson at adjacent Kings Ferry, lying between the Point and Montrose. Pursued by the army of British General William Howe, it crossed to Stony Point on the west bank, en route to

Fort Lee, New Jersey Fort Lee is a Borough (New Jersey), borough at the eastern border of Bergen County, New Jersey, Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, situated along the Hudson River atop The Palisades (Hudson River), The Palisades. As of the 2020 Uni ...

. From there it continued south to

Yorktown, Virginia Yorktown is a town in York County, Virginia, United States. It is the county seat of York County, one of the eight original shires formed in Colony of Virginia, colonial Virginia in 1682. Yorktown's population was 195 as of the 2010 census, while ...

, where Washington received the surrender of General Charles Cornwallis on October 19, 1781. A year later, in September 1782, Verplanck's Point, an alluvial plain and natural place for an encampment during the inherent bottleneck of an arduous and slow ferrying of men and materiel across the river, again became the site of the Continental Army's bivouac upon crossing the Hudson.

John Trumbull John Trumbull (June 6, 1756 – November 10, 1843) was an American painter and military officer best known for his historical paintings of the American Revolutionary War, of which he was a veteran. He has been called the "Painter of the Revolut ...

painted a full-length oil portrait of ''

Washington at Verplanck's Point ''Washington at Verplanck's Point'' is a full-length portrait in oil painted in 1790 by the American artist John Trumbull of General George Washington at Verplanck's Point on the North River in New York during the American Revolutionary War. T ...

'', and gifted it to

Martha Washington Martha Dandridge Custis Washington (June 2, 1731 Old Style, O.S. – May 22, 1802) was the wife of George Washington, who was the first president of the United States. Although the title was not coined until after her death, she served as the ...

. Based on its success he produced a much larger work scaled up to nearly four times its size for the City of New York, ''

George Washington George Washington (, 1799) was a Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the first president of the United States, serving from 1789 to 1797. As commander of the Continental Army, Washington led Patriot (American Revoluti ...

'', substituting Evacuation Day of New York City in 1783 as its backdrop for departing French commander-in-chief General Rochambeau's review of Washington's

troops on September 14, 1782.

Geography

Verplanck is located at (41.252930, -73.959664). According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the hamlet has a total area of , of which is land and , or 11.54%, is water.

Demographics

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2000, there were 777 people, 300 households, and 204 families residing in the hamlet. The population density was . There were 311 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the hamlet was 95.88%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 0.26% Asian, 2.19% from other races, and 1.67% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 6.82% of the population. There were 300 households, out of which 33.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.7% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 12.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.0% were non-families. 28.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.58 and the average family size was 3.17. In the hamlet the population was spread out, with 26.1% under the age of 18, 5.9% from 18 to 24, 31.0% from 25 to 44, 23.0% from 45 to 64, and 13.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 88.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.7 males. The median income for a household in the hamlet was $36,548, and the median income for a family was $51,375. Males had a median income of $50,526 versus $27,250 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the hamlet was $19,842. About 20.2% of families and 21.9% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 17.8% of those under age 18 and 38.0% of those age 65 or over. In 1985, Verplanck, New York was picked for introduction of the Yugo Hatchback car into the U.S. market.

Education

The school district is

Hendrick Hudson School District Hendrick may refer to: People * Hendrick (given name), alternative spelling of the Dutch given name Hendrik * Hendrick (surname) * King Hendrick (disambiguation), one of two Mohawk leaders who have often been conflated: ** Hendrick Tejonihokarawa ( ...

(HHSD).
Text list
/ref> Hendrick Hudson High School is the district's comprehensive high school.

Half Moon

Verplanck is the home of a replica of the ship the ''Half Moon'', with which

Henry Hudson Henry Hudson ( 1565 – disappeared 23 June 1611) was an English sea explorer and navigator during the early 17th century, best known for his explorations of present-day Canada and parts of the Northeastern United States. In 1607 and 16 ...

explored the

The Market on The River

From May through October, The Market on the River is hosted on Sunday at the Cortlandt Waterfront Park. Vendors include farmers, coffee roasters, food purveyors, and craft makers.

Sources

References

External links

Verplanck Resident's Association

{{authority control Hamlets in New York (state) Census-designated places in New York (state) Census-designated places in Westchester County, New York Hamlets in Westchester County, New York New York (state) populated places on the Hudson River