But after the Van Cortlandt empire had been dismembered, the hum-drum days of trade and the ordinary ways and paths of peace found Croton-on-Hudson aspiring to be a village in the fullest sense of the word. That spirit cultivated an independent citizenry who have left their mark for good upon our village life. John W. Frost was a moving force in the Croton of one hundred years ago. Of Yankee family, he was the leading merchant in Croton for many years, the supervisor of Cortlandt Town for twelve years,

assemblyman, and director of the Westchester County National Bank, Peekskill. His sons also shed lustre on Croton. Cyrus Frost continued his father's merchantile business with signal success, was for years president of the same Westchester County National Bank. Orrin Frost operated his father's brick plants prosperously. Eugene Frost was harbor master of the Port of New York. Milton Frost graduated from Yale and became superintendent of the Westchester County schools. The Mortons, Barlows, Cockcrofts, Tuttles, Farringtons, Emenys, Ferrises, Lounsburys, Johnsons, Deckers, Crists, Bakers, Andersons, Bartons, Blinkers, Osterlings, Outhouses, Coglays, Grattans, Degnans, Gilberts, Boddingtons, Foxes, Hunts, Millers, Munsons, Purdys, Schnells, Haverlys, Williams and Zanglers were but few of the families prominent in Croton from fifty to a hundred years ago. Those were busy days before the iron horse came. More than a hundred years ago, the sprawling little village was designated as Collabergh Landing, but when Teller's Point was christened Croton Point, the natives made it unanimous by changing Collabergh to Croton Landing. Sloops and barges lay at anchor in Mother's Lap, waiting their turn to take on brick and ore for points up and down the Hudson. Steamboats from Peekskill and Poughkeepsie to down river villages churned into Croton Landing to take on freights. One of Croton's best known men sixty to seventy-five years ago was Harvey P.