Whang hollow

Whang Hollow is a picturesque valley nestled between rising ridge lines found in the northern portion of the town of Kent, New York, United States.

It is steeped in the history of Native American and European predecessors. The lowest valley floor forms a "U" shape around a high ridge in the middle of the valley, running from the base of Mt. Nimham north to Kentwood Lake, east to Horsepound Brook, and south to Reservoir "D" and the Nichols Street Causeway. The valley itself runs roughly from the area just west of Schrade Road and Farmers Mills Road in the north, then east to Horsepound Brook, and south to Reservoir "D". The other segment extends southward to Pine Pond and the base of Mt. Nimham on Gipsy Trail Road. It includes a natural lake (Pine Pond), a wetland basin which is now known as Kentwood Lake, several streams including Horsepound Brook and Whang Brook, rising ridge lines, and at times rugged hills to the east and west. The western wall of the valley is formed by Big Buck Mountain, Little Buck Mountain, Stockholm Hill, Big Hill and Mt. Nimham. The eastern valley wall is comprised of Kent Hills, Townsend Ridge, Horsepound Hill, Barrett Hill, Beaver Hill, and Hemlock Ledge.

The valley includes steep slopes, rocky outcrops, and numerous wetland areas. The northern-most branch of Whang Brook originates in the wetland area on the eastern base of Big Buck Mountain near Ressique Street, and flows in an east-southeast direction until it merges with Horsepound Brook. The southern branch of Whang Brook also originates at Big Buck Mountain, but flows in a southeastward direction, roughly in parallel with Schrade Road, until it merges with the northern branch east of Whang Hollow/Whangtown Road, and then flows into Horsepound Brook.

Whang Hollow, and much of the northern part of Putnam County, was home to the Nochpeem tribe, one of the seven tribes that formed the Wappinger Confederacy. These tribes traced their roots to the Algonquins, who extended up the east coast to the southern end of Maine. The earliest Native Americans most likely came to this area following the recession of the last glacial activity, known as the Wisconsin Glacier, though many Native Americans believe their ancestors preceded the glaciers.

The original Whang Hollow/Whangtown Road of the late 1700s throughout the 1800s followed the central portion of Whang Hollow from north to south, and ended on Gipsy Trail Road northwest of Pine Pond. When the Gipsy Trail property was privatized in the early 1900s, the southern segment of Whang Hollow/Whangtown Road effectively disappeared, and is just a trail in the woods today. Currently, Whang Hollow Road, located off Gipsy Trail Road north of the Gipsy Trail clubhouse, leads into the southwestern portion of Whang Hollow, and is the original southern end of Whang Hollow/Whangtown Road. Current maps errantly show Whang Hollow/Whangtown Road turning eastward toward Horsepound Road just before reaching the Gipsy Trail property. However, this was originally a separate east-west connecting road formally known as “Washington Road".

Many of the early homes in the area, such as the Warren Sprague and Ladue Sprague Houses, the Patent Houses for Lots No. 5 and 6, the Caldwell House, the Gouverneur house, the Lewis Nichols home, the Northrup houses, and the Whang Farm are still standing and remain part of the fabric of the history of Whang Hollow. The impressive glacial erratic known as Hawk Rock serves as a spiritual reminder of the Native Americans who hunted, fished, and worshiped within this valley for at least 10,000 to 12,000 years before the arrival of the European explorers.

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