History of the Dobbs Ferry Waterfront

Scan of 1986 Photograph of the waterfront, reproduced by kind permission of the Dobbs Ferry Historical Society, Dobbs Ferry, New York

Current residents may recall that the Dobbs Ferry Waterfront underwent a major renovation, with work beginning in 2011 until its and reopening in 2015. However many people may not be familiar with the history of the waterfront leading up to that point.

Pre-colonization, the Weckquaesgeek lived along the eastern side of the Hudson from Ossining to Manhattan. In the warmer months they would live along the shore. In the colder months they would move inland, close to Wickers Creek, with a large settlement at the mouth of the creek. Eventually, Dutch and English colonizers settled in the area and much of the indigenous population were eradicated by disease or forced or bought off their land.

Eventually John Dobbs built a farmhouse near where the current train station is located and started operating the ferry that crossed the river in 1729. The ferry was used during the Revolutionary War to move soldiers to locations that made it easier for them to get to Albany and other important sites. The ferrying continued into the 1940s until the final boat sank in a hurricane. In 1849, the first train station was opened. It burned down in 1975 but was eventually rebuilt.

At some point in its history, the waterfront was also turned into a landfill. It also served as a seaplane base in 1939 until a plane crashed into the Tappan Zee Bridge in 1952.  The base shortly thereafter became a privately owned marina.

One area of the park has a particularly interesting history: Willow Point – the southernmost section of the park. It was here where the indigenous populations would cross the Hudson to interact with the indigenous groups living across the river. Willow Point was also where the Dobbs’ ferry left and landed. At various times, it was the location of a coal yard, the seaplane base, and a lumber yard, as well as part of the landfill. 

In 1970, the first plan for turning the waterfront into a park was proposed. This plan included a pool, a beach, a parking lot, a vehicle ramp, tennis courts, a fishing pier, picnic area, playground, recreation office, concession stand, and more. The idea of having a pool at the waterfront had first been proposed in 1966, but fell through as the pool was to draw its water from the Hudson, which was not clean enough for pool use.

In 1971 a second plan for a park was proposed and approved. In 1972 the dump was filled with debris from road and building sites and an area for picnics was sodded. The dump was moved to the north of the waterfront. In 1977, the marina was repossessed by the village to add to the land for the waterfront. 

In 2003 discussion of a major revitalization of the waterfront park began; plans were approved seven years later in 2010. These efforts were spearheaded by Marie and Arch McKellar, who subsequently founded the nonprofit Friends of the Dobbs Ferry Waterfront Park.

Throughout its history, there have been many willow trees at the waterfront. In 2018, the Friends planted new willow trees at Willow Point. Since then, the Friends have continued to improve the waterfront with the addition of flower beds and select trees, keeping it a beautiful park for the village.

Author Helen Kupershlak is a former Dobbs Ferry High School student who served as an intern for Friends of the Dobbs Ferry Waterfront Park

Special thanks to the Dobbs Ferry Historical Society for providing resources.