It is difficult to overestimate the significance of the Byram River to the historical development of Port Chester. Its association with trade and business was established in the very early stages of the community’s history. The river was originally known as the Armonck. However, the Native Americans who traded their furs on the coast for rum would so often approach the merchants on the river with the phrase “buy rum” that the river’s name eventually changed to Byram.

The Abendroth Foundry, pictured here in 1915, was established by William P. Abendroth on the banks of the river in 1840. It grew to be the largest employer in Port Chester and was a well established business by the time Port Chester became a village in 1868. It was one of the largest foundries on the East coast, producing stoves and furnaces that were shipped around the world.

This record is associated with:
Port Chester