Long before it became absorbed into the suburban sprawl of New York City, the town of Yorktown was carving out its own unique history, first as a Native American settlement, then as an English-style manor and a dairy farming hub.
Archaeologists have found sites belonging to the Mohegans of the Algonquin nation within Yorktown's current boundaries. Amawalk, Kitchawan, Mohansic and Osceola Indians also lived in the area.
Stephanus Van Cortlandt was the first white inhabitant to arrive. In 1697, Britain's William II issued him a patent to build a manor north of the confluence of the Hudson and Croton rivers.
After Van Cortlandt died, his land was divided up amongst his heirs, and some of it was sold as lots beginning in 1730. More settlers arrived---many of them dairy farmers---and a town developed.
The town was named Yorktown following the Revolutionary War in honor of the American and French defeat of the British Army at Yorktown, Virginia.
According to the local historical society, Yorktown started to become a tourist destination during the first half of the 20th century. At the same time, locals were leaving in search of a better life. After World War I, the population had fallen 50 percent from the prewar years to 1,500.
During the latter half of the 20th century, the town grew as new businesses like IBM arrived and the New York City metropolitan area expanded. "After World War II, a new era, in many ways our era, began," the Yorktown Historical Society writes.
