Opening from On This Site - Native Long Island

Rinnegackonck

Rinnegackonck is a Brooklyn placename associated with the plantation of George Rapaljee and early Dutch records near western Long Island. Rinnegackonck, also written Rinnegakonck and Rinnegaconk, is recorded as a tract of land associated with the plantation of George Rapaljee in Brooklyn. The name appears in Dutch colonial records describing land near Rapaljee's plantation and toward Mespaechtes. Dated records appear in the Historic Timeline with citation notes. Rinnegackonck is interpreted as on the pleasant land or a delightful place, from elements connected with pleasant, land, and a locative ending. Why Place Names Matter “Whether a name’s born of whimsy or faith, whether it was first written down by a cavalier in his log or a bureaucrat in a city hall, its “impression and enchantment” derives, too, from the truth that its meaning can’t be fully divorced from its roots.”...