5. The Plantation on which the Van Cortlandt Family Built Their House was Once Known as ‘Little Yonkers.’
Until the late 19th century, the Van Cortlandt land was located in the southernmost end of Westchester County near the town of Yonkers, not yet a part of the Bronx. The addition of ‘Little’ to the name was in reference to the junior branch of the Van Cortlandt family who established the plantation there.