The Underhill family was one of the earliest and most prominent in Westchester County’s history. Robert Underhill purchased Croton Point in 1804, and his son Richard eventually developed the property into a very successful vineyard and winery, with underground wine cellars built into the hillside on the property. Underhill and his sons’ grapes won many awards, and the family was known both for promoting the American grape industry and for developing new varieties of grapes. By 1873 the vineyards had fallen into decline, as the family turned its interest to the local brick industry. The wines remaining in the vaults were sold by Thurber & Co. of New York.