WASHINGTON ROCK

Inscription

WASHINGTON ROCK
ON NOVEMBER 10, 1776,
GEORGE WASHINGTON SAT UPON
THIS ROCK AND ATE HIS
DINNER BEFORE MARCHING
HIS TROOPS TO PEEKSKILL.
NEW YORK FOLKLORE
WILLIAM G. POMEROY FOUNDATION 2022

Legends about places George Washington stopped or spent the night are commonplace across the thirteen original colonies. Mount Kisco has just such a place, one rock specifically, that has become legendary for its service to the Revolutionary War hero.

General Washington passed through Mount Kisco on November 10, 1776, as American troops were retreating from the Battle of White Plains to Peekskill. On what, at the time, was the Kirby estate, General Washington is said to have enjoyed his dinner seated on a large rock. The story of his evening meal has been handed down through the generations, and the rock is held in much esteem to this day.

Another George Washington-Mount Kisco story tells of a young girl, Mary Weeks, who encountered a company of Continental soldiers on her way home from school. She saw General Washington in his splendid officer’s uniform, became frightened, and attempted to flee. But the kind General Washington soothed the girl, saying, “Don’t be afraid, my little girl, we will not hurt you.”

Years later, on July 5, 1781, General Washington would make another important wartime visit to Mount Kisco, this time to meet the Comte de Rochambeau, the commander-in-chief of the French expeditionary force that would assist the Americans in defeating the British army.

As it turns out, little Mount Kisco played a surprising and charming role in the Revolutionary War effort.

Legends & Lore marker for Washington Rock.