Myths and Legends of Our Own Land — Volume 02 : the Isle of Manhattoes and nearby — A Closer Reading

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In Category - Fantasy Classics

Authors: Skinner, Charles M. (Charles Montgomery), 1852-1907 Digital Source: Project Gutenberg Gutenberg Release Year: 2004 First Publication Year: Not confirmed

Key Word: Folklore -- United States Target Reader: Readers of public-domain and historical texts

Book Edition: Project Gutenberg digital edition Book Language: en

Edition facts

Words 11,393

Reading time 50 min

Text sections 2

The catalog record for Myths and Legends of Our Own Land — Volume 02 : the Isle of Manhattoes and nearby — A Closer Reading provides practical reading context through 11,393 words, 50 min estimated reading time, and 2 detected text sections.

The text analysis averages about 26.6 words per sentence, while the detected sections provide another way to judge how the source is divided.

Project Gutenberg metadata also associates the work with “Folklore -- United States,” connecting these edition facts with the source record’s subject description.

Source: Project Gutenberg record #6607

This volume collects New York-area folklore from the early 20th century, including tales of haunted houses, buried treasure, and ghostly apparitions. Skinner's narratives blend local history with supernatural elements, focusing on Dutch colonial settings and moral lessons.

Editorial Edition Score 4.5/5

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Description quality20 pts
Title & short description10 pts
Source metadata20 pts
Text length15 pts
Chapters / structure15 pts
EPUB file integrity20 pts

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She was the granddaughter, and a pretty one, of a farmer named Britton; but though Britton by descent and name, she was no friend of Britons, albeit she might have had half the officers in the neighboring camp at her feet, if she had wished them there. Once, while mulling a cup of cider for her grandfather, she was interrupted by a self-invited myrmidon, who undertook, in a fashion rude and unexpected, to show the love in which he held her. Before he could kiss her, the girl drew the hot poker from the mug of drink and jabbed at the vitals of her amorous foe, burning a hole through his scarlet uniform and printing on his burly person a lasting memento of the adventure. With a howl of pain the fellow rushed away, and the privacy of the Britton family was never again invaded, at least whilst cider was being mulled.

THE DEVIL'S STEPPING-STONES

When the devil set a claim to the fair lands at the north of Long Island Sound, his claim was disputed by the Indians, who prepared to fight for their homes should he attempt to serve his writ of ejectment. Parley resulted in nothing, so the bad one tried force, but he was routed in open fight and found it desirable to get away from the scene of action as soon as possible. He retreated across the Sound near the head of East River. The tide was out, so he stepped from island to island, without trouble, and those reefs and islands are to this day the Devil's Stepping-Stones. On reaching Throgg's Neck he sat down in a despairing attitude and brooded on his defeat, until, roused to a frenzy at the thought of it, he resolved to renew the war on terms advantageous entirely to himself. In that day Connecticut was free from rocks, but Long Island was covered with them; so he gathered all he could lay his hands on and tossed them at the Indians that he could see across the Sound near Cold Spring until the supply had given out. The red men who last inhabited Connecticut used to show white men where the missiles landed and where the devil struck his heel into the ground as he sprang from the shore in his haste to reach Long Island. At Cold Spring other footprints and one of his toes are shown. Establishing himself at Coram, he troubled the people of the country for many years, so that between the devil on the west and the Montauks on the east they were plagued indeed; for though their guard at Watch Hill, Rhode Island, and other places often apprised them of the coming of the Montauks, they never knew which way to look for the devil.

THE SPRINGS OF BLOOD AND WATER

A great drought had fallen on Long Island, and the red men prayed for water. It is true that they could get it at Lake Ronkonkoma, but some of them were many miles from there, and, beside, they feared the spirits at that place: the girl who plied its waters in a phosphor-shining birch, seeking her recreant lover; and the powerful guardians that the Great Spirit had put in charge to keep the fish from being caught, for these fish were the souls of men, awaiting deliverance into another form. The people gathered about their villages in bands and besought the Great Spirit to give them drink. His voice was heard at last, bidding their chief to shoot an arrow into the air and to watch where it fell, for there would water gush out. The chief obeyed the deity, and as the arrow touched the earth a spring of sweet water spouted into the air. Running forward with glad cries the red men drank eagerly of the liquor, laved their faces in it, and were made strong again; and in memory of that event they called the place the Hill of God, or Manitou Hill, and Manet or Manetta Hill it is to this day. Hereabouts the Indians settled and lived in peace, thriving under the smile of their deity, making wampum for the inland tribes and waxing rich with gains from it. They made the canal from bay to sea at Canoe Place, that they might reach open water without dragging their boats across the sand-bars, and in other ways they proved themselves ingenious and strong.

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Charles M. Skinner's Myths and Legends of Our Own Land — Volume 02 focuses on the region around the Isle of Manhattoes, drawing from Dutch colonial folklore and early American storytelling. The tales often hinge on supernatural encounters—ghostly visitations, hidden gold, and eerie coincidences—that serve as moral or cautionary narratives. Skinner's prose is brisk and anecdotal, favoring direct action over atmospheric description. The volume's structure moves from longer, more developed stories like "Dolph Heyliger" to shorter vignettes, each anchored by a specific location or local legend.

Recurring Patterns of Trespass and Consequence

Several tales in this volume follow a similar arc: a protagonist crosses a boundary—entering a haunted house, eavesdropping on strangers, or disobeying a warning—and is punished or rewarded accordingly. In "Dolph Heyliger," the hero investigates a doctor's farm despite rumors of ghosts, leading to a spectral guide and a treasure hunt. In "Van Wempel's Goose," the titular character overhears pirates discussing gold and attempts to steal it, only to be shot into a creek. The pattern reinforces a folkloric logic: curiosity and greed invite danger, while bravery and obedience may yield reward. Skinner's narrators rarely moralize explicitly, but the outcomes speak for themselves.

Movement Between Urban and Wilderness Settings

The stories frequently shift from settled areas to wild or liminal spaces. Dolph Heyliger moves from New Amsterdam to a desolate farm, then up the Hudson to Storm King and Albany. Van Wempel travels from his home to a tavern and then to a tide-mill on the marsh. These journeys often involve water—rivers, creeks, or the sea—and the characters' fates hinge on their navigation of these thresholds. The settings are not merely backdrops but active elements: the haunted well, the stormy river, the marshy mill. Skinner uses these transitions to heighten tension and to mark the point where ordinary life gives way to the supernatural.

The Role of Dreams and Intuition

Dreams and premonitions drive key plot points. Dolph Heyliger "brooded long upon these things and dreamed of them in bed," and it is in obedience to his dreams that he boards a schooner. In "The Weary Watcher," a wife's suspicion is confirmed by a chance sighting, but the story's supernatural element—a ghostly vigil—suggests that intuition can persist beyond death. Skinner treats dreams as reliable guides, not mere fantasies. This aligns with folk belief in omens and prophetic visions. The characters who heed their dreams are rewarded; those who ignore warnings (like Van Wempel) suffer. The narrative voice presents these events without skepticism, accepting the supernatural as part of the world.

Objects as Catalysts and Symbols

Specific objects recur as triggers for action or as symbols of fate. In "Dolph Heyliger," a Bible and catechism provide courage; a well conceals treasure. In "Van Wempel's Goose," a plucked goose becomes both evidence and absurd prize. The gold pieces in that tale spill from a canvas bag, and Van Wempel stuffs his breeches with coin—a comic image that underscores greed. These objects are not magical in themselves but gain significance through their placement in the narrative. Skinner uses them to ground the supernatural in tangible, often mundane, details. The goose, for instance, is stolen from a farm, linking the fantastic to everyday life.

Readers approaching this volume should attend to the interplay between the ordinary and the extraordinary. Skinner's legends are not merely quaint tales; they reflect anxieties about property, marriage, and community in early America. The brevity of each story invites comparison across the collection, revealing shared motifs and local variations. This edition preserves the original text, allowing modern readers to encounter these myths as they were first compiled.

There’s a particular ache in these old Manhattan tales—the way buried treasure stays buried, the way ghosts linger near the same crossroads. It reminds me of sitting with Grimm's Fairy Stories — Inside the Classic as a child, feeling that same strange weight: every story a small, stubborn hope that something lost might still be waiting, just beneath the soil.