The Patterson Environmental Park

A Short History of the Patterson Environmental Park
by Richard Saracelli

The Patterson Environmental Park was created in 1975 as a project of the Patterson Environmental Conservation Commission, hence the name. With the full support of the Patterson Town Board and the Patterson Highway Department the first piece of preserved land in the heart of the Great Swamp became a town park.

The original 22 acres of land that became the park had been through two very different uses in the previous 84 years. In 1891 The Beech Island Marble Company was formed by Ezra Hayt to quarry marble. Beech Island, which now is the center of the park, is an island in the swamp similar to Pine Island. Pine Island is a half mile south and is quartzite and gneiss, not marble. Beech Island, a marble outcropping, is so named after the beech trees that grow on it. Large blocks of marble were cut from the ground, some of which remain to this day. Since Beech Island is surrounded by swamp, a causeway was built to connect it to the New York and Harlem Railroad half a mile to the west. Originally a cable-operated narrow gauge railway ran on this causeway to carry the marble blocks out of the Swamp.

The Beech Island Marble Company was operated for several years. However, it was not profitable and was closed. At some point in the 20th century, the 22 acres became the property of the Town of Patterson when the defunct quarry no longer paid taxes.

In the 1940s and 50s, at a time when people didn't understand the value of wetlands, the land along the south side of the causeway became an open garbage dump. Bottles, cans, household goods, Ijunk cars and other refuse of that period was dumped along the causeway and left uncovered. This was the condition of the 22 acres when the park was created in 1975.

The Patterson Highway Department and the Patterson Environmental Conservation Commission supplied men and heavy equipment to remediate the garbage dump. Large items were hauled away and the remaining garbage was graded level and clean soil was used as backfill and the area was seeded with grass. In 1980 the town received a CETA grant from the federal government and further work was done.

In the 28 years since 1980 more improvements have been made to the park. With the help of FrOGS, The Nature Conservancy facilitated the purchase of 63 acres to the south of the original 22 acres which was added to the park in 2004. Ongoing improvements provided by the Patterson Highway Department have made the causeway an all-weather road providing Croton River access to hundreds of recreational boaters every year. In winter, when the swamp is frozen, cross-country skiing, ice skating and snowshoeing provide recreational opportunities. The Town Board remains committed to the ongoing maintenance and improvements to the park.

Today a network of trails exists for visitors to explore Beech Island and the Great Swamp. Wildflowers bloom in the spring and wwamp flora and fauna are to be seen at all times of the year. River otter, beaver, deer, turkey, mink, opossum, raccoons, bobcats and coyotes are some of the large animals that make their home in the Great Swamp. Come and share your recreational experience with them.