Originally the Croton Aqueduct was built to provide fresh water to New York City. It was 41 miles and ran from northern Westchester County down to what is now the New York Public Library in mid-Manhattan and to the Great Lawn in Central Park. It took five years to build and by the 1880's was obsolete. The population had exploded and this Aqueduct could not provide all of the water that was necessary and so construction began on the New Croton Aqueduct. The Old Croton Aqueduct provided water to New York City until 1965 even though it was not the sole source of water any longer.
In 1968 New York State purchased 26.2 miles of the original aqueduct from New York City. There is now a scenic path over the underground aqueduct with biking, hiking, bird walking, cross country skiing. Detailed maps are available at 15 Walnut Street in Dobbs Ferry or at 10 other locations along the aqueduct. Further information is available on the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation site, here.
Copyright © by Miriam Bernstein, All Rights Reserved*Old Croton Reservoir*
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