Sparta, Ossining

Sparta[1] is a neighborhood of the village of Ossining in New York. Sparta borders the Hudson River south of most of the village of Ossining. The neighborhood was a hamlet of the town of Ossining, and remains its oldest community. Sparta was founded by Dutch settlers in the 17th century. It has zip codes 10510 and 10562. The elevation is 56 feet.

Sparta in 1868 before incorporation within Ossining village

The neighborhood includes the Sparta Historic District,[2] the Jug Tavern, and the Sparta Cemetery.[3][4] The New Croton Aqueduct, Old Croton Aqueduct, Old Croton Trailway State Park, and Trailways State Park Aqueduct transverse the neighborhood.[5]

1 Rockledge Avenue, built c. 1790 and one of the oldest remaining houses in Sparta

About a mile south of the village green is the Sparta Mine, a silver and lead mine that was worked prior to the Revolutionary War.[6][7]

Rockledge Avenue is one of the oldest existing houses in Sparta, and was built about 1790 for Josiah Rhodes, a man who operated a mustard mill on Sparta Brook with William Kemeys. The house was rumored to be one of George Washington's headquarters during the Revolutionary War. Frank A. Vanderlip expanded and renovated the house in 1921 and added two new wings.[8] He also bought about 70 nearby homes and business buildings. He tore down dilapidated structures, turned some to face the river, and moved at least one house to a new location.

Notes
  1. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Sparta
  2. The Sparta Historic District is a local historic district, and not on the National Register of Historic Places.
  3. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Sparta Cemetery
  4. Reynolds, William Joseph (4 July 2011). "Ossining's Sparta Cemetery, Rich in History". The Ossining Daily Voice.
  5. "Sparta (Sparta Historic District) neighborhood in Ossining, New York". City-data.com.
  6. "Sparta Mine, Ossining, Westchester Co., New York, USA". Mindat.org. Archived from the original on 18 September 2007.
  7. Stearns, Charles (1852). "The First Mining Operations in North America". Merchant's Magazine. 27: 747–749.
  8. "Village of Ossining, New York - Significant Sites and Structures Guide" (PDF) (second ed.). Village of Ossining. April 2010. Archived (PDF) from the original on 30 May 2014.

Further reading
  • Ossining Restoration Committee (1976). A Walking Tour of Sparta: A Guide Book and History of Ossining's Oldest Community. Ossining, New York: Ossining Restoration Committee. OCLC 11249570.
  • Home, Philip Field (1976). A Land of Peace (PDF). Ossining, New York: Ossining Restoration Committee. Retrieved March 4, 2015.


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