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The earliest known settlers of the Town of Mount Pleasant were the
Weckquaesgeek tribe of Indians who were members of the Wappinger
Confederation, a loosely organized group of tribes of Algonquin speaking
Indians. Along with the confederations of Mohicans, Delawares, and
Montauks, these tribes occupied all of the land which is presently
Northern New Jersey, Long Island, Western Connecticut, and the Hudson
Valley as far north as Albany. Their immediate neighbors to the south,
who occupied all of the land from what is now Greenburgh and White
Plains to Long Island Sound, were the Siwanoys. Their immediate
neighbors to the north were the Sintsink tribe which occupied what is
now Ossining and Briarcliff. Indian homes were built in either circular or oblong shapes, usually depending upon the number of families which occupied the houses. The construction consisted of a series of poles driven into the ground and tied together at the top to form the dwelling's framework. This framework was usually covered with either bark or reed thatch, secured in place by poles placed horizontally over the outer covering. A hole was left at the top of the dwelling to allow smoke to escape from the fire placed at the center of the house. A series of low benches placed around the perimeter of the dwelling served as sitting and sleeping areas. The Weskquaesgeeks had little structured clan organization but instead grouped together in an extended biological family, very often occupying the same dwelling. Groups of these dwellings formed the Indian Village. Each of these villages was led by a chief who was usually an elder of a family. The family chief was then responsible to a tribal chief who represented the tribe in the confederation.
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