The History of Peekskill New York Street Names 

by John J. Morabito and John J. Curran

Main Street
Main Street from the Hudson River to North Division Street was created by early settler and businessman Joseph Travis in 1748.  Mr. Travis was a sloop owner who established a dock that carried his name as Travis Landing.  When the Town of Cortlandt was incorporated in 1788, the "Road to Travis Landing" was named "North Street," to distinguish it from South Street.  When the Village of Peekskill was incorporated in 1839, it was renamed as Main Street.  The village square was located since Revolutionary War days just east of North Division Street, where General Washington's officers and cavalry guard resided and stabled their horses.  Auctions, cattle sales and speech making took place there in the early 1800s.  The Eagle Hotel on Main Street hosted a visit by U.S. president Martin Van Buren in 1839 to commemorate Peekskill's new village status.  This street lives up to its name by having a motel-restaurant, City Hall, Tompkins Park, Beach Shopping Center and a few residential developments along its Route 6 course.