pocantico hills
Pocantico Hills is a small hamlet located in the town of Mt. Pleasant, Westchester County, New York and it is named after the Pocantico River which runs from the highlands of the region westward into the Hudson River. "Pocantico" is the Wecquaesgeek Indians name for the river meaning "running between two hills" which probably is a reference to the two highest hills in the region: Buttermilk Hill and Eagle Hill.
The land is indeed hilly, part of the Housatonic Highland range, typical of the lower Hudson River Valley. The soil is rocky and the trees a mixture of deciduous maple, oak, nut, elm, and ash; pine appears in small but very dense regions where the soil tends to be dryer and more acidic. The Wecquesgeek natives were the regions first inhabitants who likely used the Pocantico area for hunting the deer, turkey, and small game that are still seen today.
The arrival of the railroad changed Pocantico Hills, as it did with so many other small, rural communities. The old Putnam Railroad Line stopped here on it's way to Brewster; and it installed a real railroad station at the corner of Lake Road and Bedford Road. Two hotels, one of which was run by a stalwart spinster named Mrs. Clancy, thrived for many years across the street from the railroad station, and the hamlet was transformed into a popular summer retreat for some of New York City's wealthiest families.
