Dutch influence can be found all over the New York area. (Case in point – New York City used to be called New Amsterdam.)
One of the things Marco and I saw on the way to Bailey’s Smokehouse was this sign in front of a home:
You can read more by going to the Rockland Historical Society‘s page about the house. Apparently the first Dutch settler arrived in the area in 1683. Here is a quote from the page about the name “Blauvelt”:
“There are many guesses as to why the name Blauvelt was chosen. Some suggest that it is because in English, Blauvelt means blue field, this stemmed from the blue flowers which abounded in Gerritt Hendrickson’s grain fields. Another possibility is that Blauvelt originally was Gerritt’s family name when he arrived from Holland, but he just did not use it when he arrived in America. The blue field refers to the predominant color in his family’s coat of arms.” – read more
It really is all about the Dutch! At least on the east coast…
Hi Niki,
This is very interesting! I love history, so thanks for sharing 🙂
Bye bye!
Naomi
It was pretty cool to read the sign, yes. It’s all about the Dutch!
And for the record, “Blauvelt” is blauw veld in modern Dutch which also translates into blue field. 🙂
I just remember the blauwe rozen you gave me all those years ago. 😉
I also still dig the dutch plaque at battery park. We were an enterprising bunch back in the day..