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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Rye, New York
Rye is a city in Westchester County, New York, United States. It is separate from the Town of Rye (which, despite its name, is larger than the city). The City, formerly the Village of Rye, was part of the town until 1942, when it was received its charter as a city, the most recent to be issued in New York State. The population was 14,955 at the 2000 census.
The city is the site of the boyhood home and final resting place of John Jay, a Founding Father and the first Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. Original milestones, fixed in 1763 by Benjamin Franklin along the Boston Post Road during his term as Postmaster General still mark the 24th, 25th, and 26th miles from New York City.
Playland, an historic amusement park and designated National Historic Landmark, is located in Rye. Playland features one of the oldest wooden roller coasters in the northeast, the Dragon Coaster.
Rye is also the home of Rye High School, an honorable mention as one of the Best High Schools in the US by the US New and World Report. Rye also houses Rye Country Day School, a college preparatory school.
History
The oldest house in the town, the Timothy Knapp House, is owned by the Rye Historical Society and dates in its original version to around 1667.
The Historical Society also owns a former inn/tavern built in 1730, the Square House, which it operates as a museum. George Washington stayed at the Square House on two separate occasions, remarking favorably on his stay in his diaries.
The Jay Property at 210 Boston Post Road where New York State's only native born founding father John Jay grew up and where he is buried is now the home of the not-for-profit organization, Jay Heritage Center. The Center's mission is to restore and preserve the 1838 Peter Augustus Jay House which occupies the original site of the Jay family farm, The Locusts. Restoration of the Jay mansion overlooking Long Island Sound is an official project of the Save America's Treasures Program. At 170 years old, the Jay Mansion is also the oldest National Historic Landmark (NHL) structure in New York State with a geothermal heating and cooling system and the first in Westchester County to have such an energy efficient system. The Jay Heritage Center was recently designated a member site of the Hudson River Valley Heritage Area. It is also listed on Westchester County’s African American Heritage Trail. John Jay is well known for advocating emancipation, serving as President of the Manumission Society and establishing the first African Free School.
Rye is an affluent suburb of New York City, with a Metro-North rail station in its downtown with service taking 33 minutes on an express train to Grand Central Terminal in Manhattan. The City of Rye is home to Rye Country Day School, a college preparatory private school.
Rye is also known for its famous theme park, Rye Playland. Rye Playland was a very popular destination in the early 20th century, where people were able to take their boats right up to the park. Its famous roller coaster, The Dragon Coaster, was at one point in time a top ten wooden roller coaster in the world. Glenn Close and Ellen Latzen ride the roller coaster in the 80's thriller, "Fatal Attraction." Playland is also the setting for several key scenes in the movie "Big," starring Tom Hanks.
Rye is also famous for the annual Rye-Harrison football game, which has been played for more than seventy years and is the number one schoolboy football rivalry in Westchester County. The Rye High School football team has won three recent NYS championships, two consecutively, and has defeated Harrison in six consecutive meetings. Harrison leads the all-time series with a record of 42-33-3.
Rye is served by three public elementary schools. Osborn, Milton, and Midland. Rye Middle and Rye High School follow; they are on the same campus, and the two buildings are connected. |
