Murderers Creek facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Murderers Creek |
|
|---|---|
| Other name(s) | Mudenaer's Creek, Mudder Creek |
| Country | United States |
| State | New York |
| Region | Hudson Valley |
| County | Greene |
| Towns | Athens, New York, |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Main source | Sleepy Hollow Lake Athens, New York 42°16′51.80″N 73°48′22.40″W / 42.2810556°N 73.8062222°W |
| River mouth | Hudson River at Athens, New York Athens, New York 42°16′20.00″N 73°48′4.00″W / 42.2722222°N 73.8011111°W |
| Length | 0.68 mi (1.09 km) |
| Basin features | |
| River system | Hudson River |
Murderers Creek is a small stream in upstate New York, United States. It flows into the Hudson River in Greene County, just north of the town of Athens. It is important not to confuse it with Moodna Creek, which is in Orange County and sometimes has a similar name.
What's in a Name? The Story of Murderers Creek
The name "Murderer's Kill" was first written down on July 18, 1673. This was in a land deed given to Wyntje Harmense. The first time the government mentioned the creek was in a New York State law from March 7, 1788. It referred to the "South Bank of the Mouth of the Murderer’s-Kill, at Lunenburgh". Lunenburgh was the original name for Athens.
How the Name Came About
The name is thought to come from Middle Dutch words. "Moeder" meant "mother" and "kille" meant "creek". So, it might have originally meant "Mother's Creek". Another idea is that it came from the Middle Dutch word "modder", which means "muddy". This is similar to the Murderkill River in Delaware, which has a similar name. However, the apostrophe in "Murderer's" suggests it was named after a person or group, not just mud.
Local Lore and the Name
In 1813, the body of a young woman named Sally Hamilton was found in the creek. This happened about half a mile north of where the creek flows into the Hudson River. Some local stories say that the creek got its modern name from this event. However, the name "Murderer's Creek" was actually used about 140 years before this event happened.
