To the east of Jerome Park is the farm of Michael Varian, in whose family the lands on which the old stone house stands have been held for nearly, if not more than, a century. Upon the crest of the high ridge, overlooking the Bronx Valley to the eastward, stood an earthwork erected by General Heath in 1776, so as to command the crossing of the Bronx at Williams' Bridge. This site has now been acquired by the city of New York for a reservoir, in which the waters

HISTORY OF WESTCHESTER COUNTY.

of the Bronx River are to be stored and from which they will be distributed through the city.

Still farther east, and at the northeast corner of what was formerly West Farms, is the small village of Williams' Bridge. The ancient highway which passes through this section east and west and descends the steep hill to the Bronx was the former road to Connecticut and the other New England States, and before the construction of Harlem Bridge was the only traveled route to New England. It is still known as the "Boston road," but should not be confounded with another highway farther to the eastward in Morrisania, also called by the same name. In the valley to the east of the residence of Mr. Varian is the residence of Hon. W. W. Niles, a prominent lawyer in New York City, who has represented the district several times in the New York Legislature. He is a friend of Hon. Samuel .1. Tilden and is recognized as a leading man in the counsels of the Democracy.