... from the archives of The Croton Historical Society.
Most of you have visited Croton Dam or at least driven by it and undoubtedly read some of the history surrounding its construction but here are some tidbits you might not know about its history.
The Italian stonecutters came principally from Southern Italy (Calabria, Potenza, Napoli and Trieste) and were professional masons. Almost all the houses in Italy were made from stone.
There were three houses of “ill-repute” and twelve saloons available to the workers at the Dam in addition to the saloons in the village.
There were no electric lights at the Dam when it was built. The first lights came to Croton in 1898, at Arthur Morton’s home.
All over Croton are homes, church buildings and foundations made of stone from the Croton Dam. The stone was removed when the core wall was taken down and given to people who worked on the project.
Dr. Thomas J. Acker went daily to the dam and charged 50 cents for a house call. Another Croton doctor, Dr. William N. Miller often rode his bike out to the site to administer to patients.
St. Michael’s Catholic Church was located at the base of the Dam led by Pastor, Father Constantine Cassenetti.
The temporary village at the base of the Dam (current Route 129) was known as “The Bowery”. Another settlement was called “Larkinville”.
The New Croton Dam was certified on the National Register of Historic Places by the United States Department of the Interior under an Act of congress in 1966.
A skilled stonecutter probably earned about $3.00 a day for his labor. He undoubtedly had to pay the padrone (a sort of Italian employment agent) to get the job even though he was contracted in Italy for the job. The padrone also collected a sum from the contractor at the site.
