A high ridge, called the Stone Hill (the watershed of tin- county), passes from the town of Mount Pleasant on the Hudson eastward through the towns of New Castle, Bedford, Pounolridge, and Salem into Connecticut, in spite of this exception, however, the general trend of the hills is north and south, a fact illustrated by the almost uniformly southerly course of the more considerable streams, and by the usually level character of the roads running north and south, as contrasted with the conspicuous unevenness of those which extend east ami west. Famous in our county's history are the North Castle or Chappaqua Hills, above White Plains, into which Washington retired with the Continental army after the engagement near the latter place (October 28, 1776), and, on account of the strength of the new position thus gained, compelled General Howe, with his greatly superior force, to return to New York. The highest point in Westchester County ( ac-

HISTORY

WESTCHESTER

COUNTY

cording to the figures of the United States Coast Survey) is Anthony's Nose, 900 feet above half tide level.

PHYSICAL

DESCRIPTION

COUNTY

Of the streams of Westchester County the names of two, the Croton and the Bronx, haYe become widely familiar. The former river is the chief source of the water supply of New York City; the latter -- which, by the way, also furnishes water to New York -- has many historic and romantic associations, dear to New Yorkers as well as Westchester people, and its name has been adopted for one of the beautiful new parks of the city, and also for one of the five grand divisions which constitute the Greater New York. Some half dozen streams of noticeable size find their outlets in the Hudson. Peekskill Creek gathers its waters from the hills of the northwestern corner of the county, and flows into the Hudson just above the village of Peekskill.