Brewster

History

The village of Brewster derives its name from that of the landowner, Walter Brewster, who invited the New York and Harlem Railroad to build a depot on his property in 1848. Brewster's Station, New York (sometimes just "Brewster's"), appeared on maps, on postcards, and in directories of Putnam County throughout the second half of the 19th century. It was officially incorporated as the Village of Brewster, New York, in 1894. In 1886, historian William Smith Pelletreau published The History of Putnam County, New York. In his second chapter on the town of Southeast, he wrote: "The land now [1886] embraced within the limits of the village of Brewster consists of a farm which was sold by the commissioners of forfeiture to Peleg Bailey, in 1781. A portion of it afterward passed into the possession of Bailey Howes, his grandson, who sold 98 acres to Gilbert Bailey on April 1, 1833. Two other tracts containing 39 acres were sold to Gilbert Bailey, by William P. Downs and Frederick Parks in 1838. On February 17, 1848, Gilbert Bailey sold the whole tracts, estimated at 134 acres, to James and Walter F. Brewster, for the sum of $8,000." "At the time of the purchase, the New York and Harlem Railroad was finished and trains were running as far as Croton Falls. The road was surveyed as far as Pawling, and the prospect of its being continued to that point seemed certain, and to the new purchasers of the farm it seemed just the place for a station." During this period in American history, post offices were frequently located in the stores or businesses owned by the individuals who served as postmasters. This held true in the village of Brewster for the next century. In 1863, the Brewster Station post office relocated to the A.F. Lobdell General Store, across from the railroad…

Geography

Brewster is located along the East Branch of the Croton River at (41.396050, −73.615954), near the center of the town of Southeast. U.S. Route 6 runs through the village as its Main Street. U.S. Route 202 and New York State Route 22 run concurrently along the southern boundary of the village, and Interstate 84 passes just east of the village, intersecting Interstate 684. The Brewster train station is on the Harlem Line. According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , all land.

Race & ethnicity

Largest nearby schools

• CARMEL HIGH SCHOOL
  High · CARMEL · 1,365 students · 13.3:1 ratio
• MAHOPAC HIGH SCHOOL
  High · MAHOPAC · 1,254 students · 11.9:1 ratio
• GEORGE FISCHER MIDDLE SCHOOL
  Middle · CARMEL · 1,130 students · 11.8:1 ratio
• BREWSTER HIGH SCHOOL
  High · BREWSTER · 1,035 students · 11.9:1 ratio
• MAHOPAC MIDDLE SCHOOL
  Middle · MAHOPAC · 926 students · 10.1:1 ratio
• HENRY H WELLS MIDDLE SCHOOL
  Middle · BREWSTER · 668 students · 8.9:1 ratio
• C V STARR INTERMEDIATE SCHOOL
  Elementary · BREWSTER · 625 students · 10.8:1 ratio
• JOHN F KENNEDY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
  Elementary · BREWSTER · 599 students · 10.7:1 ratio