Piermont or Tappan Landing

Text from William wade

Piermont, on the left bank of the Hudson, twenty-four miles from the city of New York, is the terminus of the New York and Erie railroad. It is remarkable for a pier, more than a mile long, extending from the shore to the channel of the river. This pier, with the mountain which terminates the Palisades, near by, has given its name to the town. Some three miles from the Hudson is the old village of Tappan, memorable as having been once the head-quarters of Washington, and the place where Andre was executed, October 2, 1780. A small heap of stones thrown together, with an upright stake, is the only monument to mark the place of his death. The following extract from an eye-witness's account of Andre's execution, is taken from the New York Historical Collections. "Not many minutes after he took his stand on the coffin, the executioner stepped into the wagon with a halter in his hand, on one end of which was what the soldiers in those days called a hangman's knot, which he attempted to put over the head and around the neck of Andre, but by a sudden movement of his hand this was prevented. Andre took off the handkerchief from his neck, unpinned his shirt collar, and deliberately took the end of the halter, put it over his head, and placed the knot directly under his right ear, and drew it very snuglv to his neck; he then took from his coat-pocket a handkerchief and tied it over his eyes. This done, the officer that commanded spoke in rather a loud voice, and said that his arms must be tied. Andre at once pulled down the handkerchief which he had just put over his eyes, and drew from his pocket a second one, and gave it to the executioner, and then replaced his handkerchief. His arms were tied just above the elbows, and behind the back: the rope was then made fast to the gallows overhead. The wagon was very suddenly drawn from under the gallows, which, together with the length of the rope, gave him a most tremendous swing back and forth, but in a few moments he hung entirely still." In August, 1831, the remains of this gallant officer were disinterred, and carried to England by J. Buchanan, the British consul.

Arthur Adams writes of Piermont's beginnings in The Hudson River Guidebook:

"In the early days this village was known as Tappan Site or Tappan Landing and sometimes Bogertown. Prior to the Revolution a grist mill was built here, and a store was operated by Abraham Mabie, who kept it to the close of that war." The railroad contributed to the growth of industry in Piermont so when the Erie terminal was relocated to Pavonia in 1852, industries moved elsewhere.