Ossining

Village of Ossining, New York (Enter Ossining's Hudson River Gallery)

The area that became the Village of Sing Sing and later Ossining was first settled by the Sint Sinck tribe of Native Americans. Some time after the Europeans arrived, the area was purchased by Frederick Philipse and became part of Philipsburg Manor. For much of the 18th and 19th centuries farmers from across the northern part of the county brought their crops to Sing Sing to be shipped to market. The village’s port was one of the busiest along the Hudson.

Incorporated as a village in 1813, Sing Sing was the first village to be incorporated in the county. In 1825 New York State decided to build a prison in Sing Sing largely because of its proximity to river transport and to marble quarries where the prisoners could labor productively. In 1901 the village changed its name from Sing Sing to Ossining in order to avoid confusion with the prison. Although the official name of the prison is now the Ossining Correctional Facility, to most people it will always be known as Sing Sing.