Murderers Creek

Murderers Creek (or Murderer's Creek) is a creek in upstate New York, United States, that flows into the Hudson River in Greene County, New York, just north of the town of Athens. It should not be confused with Moodna Creek, which is in Orange County and is also sometimes called "Murderer's Creek".

For the creek formerly known as Murderer's Creek, see Moodna Creek.
Murderers Creek
Mudenaer's Creek, Mudder Creek
Location
CountryUnited States
StateNew York
RegionHudson Valley
CountyGreene
TownsAthens, New York,
Physical characteristics
SourceSleepy Hollow Lake
 • locationAthens, New York
 • coordinates42°16′51.80″N 73°48′22.40″W
MouthHudson River at Athens, New York
 • location
Athens, New York
 • coordinates
42°16′20.00″N 73°48′4.00″W
Length0.68 mi (1.09 km)
Basin features
River systemHudson River

Name

The first reference to the name "Murderer's Kill" is from July 18, 1673 in a deed of land to Wyntje Harmense.[1] First governmental reference to the creek is in the New York State Act of March 7, 1788, as "...at the South Bank of the Mouth of the Murderer’s-Kill, at Lunenburgh" (Lunenburgh was the original name of Athens).[2] The name is thought to derive from Middle Dutch, "Mother's Creek", moeder and kille. It may have also been from the Middle Dutch modder meaning "muddy" similar to the river of the same name in Delaware, although the possessive apostrophe indicates otherwise.

In 1813, the body of a young woman named Sally Hamilton was found in the creek about half a mile north of its mouth. Local lore has it that the modern name of the creek originated from this event. Although the name predated the event by 140 years.[3]

References
  1. "Beers History of Greene County Athens". www.rootsweb.ancestry.com. Retrieved 2017-06-19.
  2. Beers, J.B. (1884). Beers History of Greene County. Athens, NY: Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church of Athens.
  3. Dorpfeld, David. "Murderers Creek". The Register-Star. Retrieved 24 September 2012.
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