Kensico, New York

Kensico is a former hamlet in central Westchester County, NY, which was relocated and flooded to build the Kensico Reservoir, one of the central storage reservoirs for the New York City Reservoir system.

Neighboring towns and hamlets included North Castle, Mount Pleasant, Chappaqua, Valhalla, Armonk, and White Plains, New York.

Kensico was named after the Siwanoy Indian chief, Coken-se-co, a signatory of the deed for the city of White Plains. Prior to the town being flooded and removed from existence, Kensico was a stop on the Harlem Line out of Grand Central Station in New York City, shortly north of the White Plains stop. It was also one of three settlements in the area, Kenisco, Wright's Mills, and Davis Brook.

In 1845, residents of Kensico, about 2.5 miles away from Davis Brook, successfully appealed to change the name of the railroad station at Davis Brook to Kensico.

The hamlet, located in a valley between two larger mountains, featured a large red mill in its center, portions of the Bronx and Byram Rivers, and a Methodist Episcopal church.

Despite being a sleepy farming village in Westchester, the town had some reputation for quirky controversy. In 1882, storeowner Albert Montfort was found murdered in his store, the apparent weapon an axe, and his murderer was never found. On June 16, 1884, four intoxicated workers from the new dam entered the Joseph Reed Hotel and assaulted the bartender - Two were arrested, and two escaped after returning to Grand Central Station in New York City. On November 6, 1884, farmer John Donnelly died from mysterious injuries he obtained after a day of drunken carousing, his injuries presumably inflicted by a group of highwaymen who attacked him for unclear reasons.

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