Editing Peach Lake, New York (section)

==History==

{{original research|section|date=February 2019}}
{{essay|section|date=February 2019}}

Peach Lake is located in two towns, North Salem and Southeast, and two counties, Westchester and Putnam. Originally surrounded by farming families, the Bloomer and Palmer families lived on the western side, the Ryder family lived on the northwest side, and to the east were the Vail family.<ref>{{Cite book|title=History of Westchester County, New York|author=French, Alvah P.|date=1925–1927|publisher=Lewis Historical Pub. Co|oclc=80431015}}</ref>

Prior to 1731, the eastern edge of the Bloomer farm was the border of [[Connecticut]].<ref>{{Cite book|last=Blake|first=William J|title=The History of Putnam County, N.Y.: With an Enumeration of Its Towns, Villages, Rivers, Creeks, Lakes, Ponds, Mountains, Hills, and Geological Features : Local Traditions, and Short Biographical Sketches of Early Settlers, Etc|publisher=Baker & Scribner|year=1849|location=Harvard University|pages=2}}</ref> The area from there to the current state border was given to New York as part of the OBLONG, EQUIVALENCY or Connecticut's Panhandle agreement.

The area was a strong dairy community from the 1850s through 1915, when the Borden Condensed Milk factory was in production in [[Brewster, New York|Brewster]]. By 1915, the factory closed after New York City condemned much of the property along the rivers and lakes in the area to protect the water quality flowing into the newly created [[New Croton reservoir|Croton Reservoir]] system.

The Bloomer family, originally from [[Rye (town), New York|Rye, New York]], started farming the property on the west side of the lake prior to 1760. In 1762 they purchased the land and built, along with the Palmer family, the Peach Lake Meeting House ([[Quaker]] Meeting house) at the southeastern corner of the Lake. This Peach Lake meeting house, like many others, starting at [[Long Island Sound]] and heading north, was built in the disputed area between the Connecticut and New York colonies called the Oblong.

The Vail family ran the dairy farm on the eastern side of the lake.

The Ryder family, who have for generations controlled the Putnam County National Bank, have farmed land on the northwest side of Peach Lake since the 18th century.

North Salem was part of the tribal land of a [[Wappinger|Wappinger Indian]] band known as the [[Wappinger#Kitchawank|Kitawonks]] (or Kitchawanks), who laid claim to all the lands bordering the Kitchewan or [[Croton River]] that separates North Salem from present-day Somers. Although the name of the lake is Peach Lake, there was no peach orchards in the surrounding area.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.lakelubbers.com/peach-lake-2407/|title=Peach Lake, New York, USA Vacation Info|website=Lakelubbers|access-date=2019-03-26}}</ref> During the 1600s and 1700s, the lake was called Lake Pehquenakonck. Dutch documents, such as Van der Donck’s 1656 ''History of New Netherland'', mention the area. Other maps from Dutch archives, circa 1685, show the "Indian Tribes of the New World" and locations of Indian villages, include Lake Pehquenakonck. The area was later named as Peach Pond, derived from the Indian word Pech-Quen.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.lakelubbers.com/peach-lake-2407/|title=Peach Lake, New York, USA Vacation Info|website=Lakelubbers|access-date=2019-03-26}}</ref> By the mid-1800s, the name was changed again, to Peach Lake.

The bulk of North Salem's residential properties are made up of 1,900 single-family homes - some from the 18th and 19th centuries.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Hodara |first=Susan |date=2017-03-15 |title=North Salem, N.Y.: The Country Life |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/15/realestate/living-in-north-salem-new-york-the-country-life.html |access-date=2024-07-04 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>