Editing Port Chester, New York (section)

==History==
{{See also|Town of Rye, New York#History|l1=History of Rye (town), New York}}
In 1660, three settlers from Greenwidge (now [[Greenwich, Connecticut]])—Thomas Studwell, John Coe, and Peter Disbrow—arranged to buy Manursing Island and the land near the [[Byram River]] from the Native Americans. This First Purchase on Peningo Neck comprised the lower part of the present town of Rye, on the east side of Blind Brook. Over the next decade, additional purchases filled in the shoreline from Rye to Greenwich, made via land agreements with the Native Americans in the area.{{citation needed|date=October 2024}}

These Native Americans' tribal affiliation has been a source of considerable debate. They may have been small, independent families or tribes, or subgroups of larger tribes in the area. What is documented is the names of the natives who signed land agreements. Their names were written by the English, using their semi-skilled interpretation of the phonetics. In spite of the English phonetic variations, the land records still existent were clearly signed by the same people:<ref>{{Cite book |last=Bolton |first=Reginald Pelham |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bphEAQAAMAAJ&dq=Shuwannorocot&pg=PA327 |title=New York City in Indian Possession |date=1920 |publisher=Museum of the American Indian, Heye Foundation |language=en}}</ref>

Shawanórõckquot, aka Shanarockwell, aka Shanarocke (and other variations)

Cockho, aka Cokow, aka Cokeo (and other variations)

Cockinsecawa, aka Cokinseco, aka Cockenseco (and other variations)

Kamaque, aka Quaraiko, aka Rawmanquaie (and other variations)

Mehúmõw, aka Maowbert

Shanarocke was referred to by the others as their leader, or "sachem". These elder tribe members or "sagamores" made many of the tribal decisions, and there were several instances where agreements could not be signed because he was not present.

Shanarocke was a Wiechquaeskeck Native American. Wiechquaskeck settlements were well-documented in shore areas from present-day Pelham to the Byram or "Armonk" river on the Connecticut state line. Shanarocke is specifically named a "Wiechquaskeck sachem" or titled "Sachem of Poningoe" on deeds that include parts of the Bronx and Harlem River area, as well as parts of Queens and Nassau County.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Historic Pelham: Who Was Shawanórõckquot, a Native American Sachem Who Signed the Pell Indian Deed on June 27, 1654? |url=http://historicpelham.blogspot.com/2018/06/who-was-shawanorockquot-native-american.html |access-date=April 15, 2022 |language=en}}</ref>

"No Indian name more frequently occurs in the history of the county than that of ''Wechquaesgeek'', nor one the precise location of which there is more difficulty in determining. O'Callaghan says: 'This tract is described as extending from the Hudson to the East river. The name is from ''wigwos'', birch bark, and ''keag'', country—'the country of the birch bark.' Bolton gives the name to an Indian village which occupied the site of Dobbs' ferry, which he denominates 'the place of the bark kettle.'

In ''Albany Records'', III, 379, is this entry: 'Personally appeared ''Sauwenare'', sachem of Wieckqueskeck, ''Amenameck'' his brother, and others, all owners, etc., of lands situated on North river called Wieckquaeskeck, and declared that they had sold the same to Wouter Van Twiller in 1645" (source: Ruttenber, Edward Manning, ''History of the Indian Tribes of Hudson's River: Their Origin, Manners and Customs; Tribal and Sub-Tribal Organizations; Wars, Treaties, Etc., Etc.'', p.&nbsp;366 (Albany, NY: J. Munsell, 1872).<ref>{{Cite book |last=Ruttenber |first=Edward Manning |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=b7tAAAAAYAAJ&dq=Sauwenaare&pg=PA366 |title=History of the Indian Tribes of Hudson's River: Their Origin, Manners and Customs, Tribal and Sub-tribal Organizations, Wars, Treaties, Etc., Etc |date=1872 |publisher=J. Munsell |isbn=978-0-403-00303-7 |language=en}}</ref>

Wechqueskeck is not the name of a particular Native American tribe but the name applied to the territorial jurisdiction of a clan of Indians in Westchester County whose principal village was on the headwaters or tributaries of Armonck or Byram's River. The later treaties at West Farms and Hunts Point, where Shanarocke is labeled "Sachem of Rye", hint at his tribal affiliation. On that agreement are also the sachems of the Reckgawawancs.

As of the 21st century, researchers are identifying affiliations with the Wappinger, Lenape, Mohawk, Mohegan, and other Westchester County natives. Native Americans continued to live in Sawpit until the "white man" decreed thattheir presence a "nuisance".

The Saw Pit area remained largely untouched until Revolutionary times except for a few farms in the hills above the Byram River and a few taverns along the trail that became the Boston Post Road. Although Rye and Saw Pit were created within Fairfield County, Connecticut, the King of England gave the Duke of York large territories west of present-day Connecticut, forming the [[Province of New York|New York Colony]] in 1683.

The controversy of divided loyalties to the King and the Duke continued for 105 years. In 1788, the [[New York State Legislature|Legislature of New York]] ruled that Saw Pit was a part of the town of Rye, New York. Families from Rye and Greenwich began to settle the Saw Pit area just before the Revolution, but even as late as 1800 there were only a handful of established homesteads.

Early roads in the area grew from native trails. The [[Boston Post Road]], [[New York State Route 120A|King Street]], and Grace Church streets are some of the early migration paths in the Saw Pit/Rye settlement. Water transportation was equally important.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Baird|first=Charles Washington|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qXsVAAAAYAAJ|title=Chronicle of a Border Town: History of Rye, Westchester County, New York, 1660-1870, Including Harrison and the White Plains Till 1788|date=1871|publisher=Anson D.F. Randolph|language=en}}</ref> The local waterways (the [[Byram River]] and [[Long Island Sound]]) were a key part of the growth and development of Saw Pit/Port Chester. Early residents took part in farming and fishing. After the Revolution, the harbor area became a shipbuilding site, with the Lyon family operating a considerable shipyard that produced some of the best sloops and seafaring fishing vessels. By the time the village of Saw Pit incorporated as Port Chester, it was considered a major [[seaport]].

The Byram river provided a decent harbor, which became a factor in the industrialization of Port Chester at the beginning of the 19th century. The railroad's arrival in 1849 turned Port Chester into a destination for manufacturing and wealthy NYC families, with hotels, theaters, and large estates. These exclusive properties included some of the East Coast's grandest mansions, but slowly gave way to the crushing need for housing. Successive waves of immigrants from Germany, Ireland, and Italy each brought industry and prosperity as the village grew.

[[Steamship]]s regularly sailed from Port Chester to New York City from 1870 until the [[World War I|First World War]]. The last two decades of the 19th century saw public services expand, and roads were widened and paved in the 1920s.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|title=Port Chester Village, Westchester County, New York (NY)|url=https://www.livingplaces.com/NY/Westchester_County/Port_Chester_Village.html#:~:text=By%20the%20time%20Port%20Chester,station%20and%20a%20few%20dozen|access-date=July 11, 2020|website=www.livingplaces.com}}</ref> Over 5,000 men from Port Chester served in the First and Second World Wars. After the [[World War II|Second World War]], numerous corporations established headquarters or production centers in Port Chester. Examples include [[Life Savers]], whose former factory is now a residential building, evidence of Port Chester's progression from an industrial center to a suburban residential municipality.

On June 30, 1974, a nightclub fire killed 24 people. The [[Gulliver's nightclub fire]] was the deadliest dance club fire in the U.S. in more than a generation (the November 28, 1942, [[Cocoanut Grove fire]] in Boston killed 491), and called attention to the dangers of herding young people into windowless underground rooms without smoke alarms, sprinklers, fire-resistant walls, or occupancy limits.

Despite the fire, there was no comprehensive [[Fire code|New York State Fire Code]] reform until the 1980s.<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.nytimes.com/1999/07/01/nyregion/25-years-later-disco-fire-haunts-its-survivors.html?src=pm | work=The New York Times | first=Joseph | last=Berger | title=25 Years Later, Disco Fire Haunts Its Survivors | date=July 1, 1999}}</ref> Fire code enforcement remains a top priority in Port Chester.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://portchesterny.virtualtownhall.net/Pages/PortChesterNY_Manager/VM%20Goals%20Ranking%20Sheet.pdf|website=virtualtownhall.net|title=Port Chester, New York Manager}}</ref>

In 1999, the village of Port Chester established a "redevelopment area" and relegated regulatory authority in that area to private developer Gregory Wasser from G&S Port Chester, LLC, including power to condemn private property.<ref>[https://www.forbes.com/forbes/2008/0324/040.html Forbes Magazine], "The Taking of Port Chester", accessed July 17, 2009.</ref><ref>[http://www.freep.com/article/20090716/OPINION05/90716072/1231/opinion/Eroding-constitutional-limits-on-governmental-takings Detroit Free Press], "Eroding constitutional limits on governmental takings", accessed July 17, 2009.</ref> The decision spawned several lawsuits, including ''[[Brody v. Village of Port Chester]]'',<ref>Brody v. Village of Port Chester, 345 F.3d 103 (2d Cir. 2003)</ref> ''Edward Eways v. Village of Port Chester'', and ''[[Didden v. Village of Port Chester]]''.<ref>[http://vlex.com/vid/didden-village-port-chester-summ-ord-20315525 Didden v. The Village of Port Chester] (Summary Order), 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals (April 5, 2006). Accessed July 17, 2009.</ref><ref>[http://www.edmecka.com/articles/ny-eminent-domain-fight-appealed-to-the-us-supreme-court--property-owners-seek-protection-from-extortion.html Edmeka.com], "N.Y. Eminent Domain Fight Appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court", accessed July 17, 2009.</ref><ref>[https://www.forbes.com/2009/05/27/sotomayor-supreme-court-justice-business-opinions-contributors-didden.html Forbes.com], accessed July 17, 2009.</ref>

In the late 20th and early 21st century, Port Chester underwent several redevelopment proposals and projects.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Rom|first=Gabriel|title=Port Chester unveils plan to revamp downtown|url=https://www.lohud.com/story/news/local/westchester/2018/11/01/port-chester-unveils-plan-revamp-downtown/1810009002/|access-date=July 11, 2020|website=The Journal News|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Morris|first=Sebastian|date=January 20, 2020|title=Port Chester Officials to Review Nine-Story Mixed-Use Development at 30 Broad Street|url=https://newyorkyimby.com/2020/01/port-chester-officials-to-review-nine-story-mixed-use-development-at-30-broad-street.html|access-date=July 11, 2020|website=New York YIMBY|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Rom|first=Mark Lungariello and Gabriel|title=Timeline: Deal transformed Port Chester's waterfront from struggling to a destination|url=https://www.lohud.com/story/news/investigations/2019/09/26/port-chester-bulkhead-timeline/2272995001/|access-date=July 11, 2020|website=The Journal News|language=en-US}}</ref> The Port Chester Historical Society is dedicated to learning and teaching the public about Port Chester's history.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://pcnyhistory.com|website=Port Chester Historical Society|title=Port Chester Historical Society}}</ref>