The area of Riverside known today as Willowmere was first inhabited by the Nativen Americans of the Siwanoy tribe and later developed by early settlers into villages and farms. The farmers found the area’s access to water to be important for their shipping of potatoes and other vegetables to nearby New York. 

 

In 1872, Amasa Abraham Marks came to Willowmere from New York City and purchased 25 acres of land for $10,500. Marks was an inventor of artifical limbs and was attracted to the area for its abundant supply of willow trees, located on the shores of the Greenwich cove and Asamuck River. He found the willow wood to be pliable light and affordable – all perfect for what would become superior prosthetic devices for those days. Among his innovations were the rubber foot, rubber hand with ductile fingers, and the adjustable knee-joint. Marks’ business grew quickly as he supplied artificial arms and legs to veterans of the Civil War.

 

Marks built a grand house at 15 Willowmere Circle for $3,000, which he called The Homestead. Additionally, he restored a farm that became well-known throughout the country as a leading stock farm with “the largest fast horse and the fastest large horse in America”. Marks’ land was made available for sale following his death in 1905. Both developers and NYC businessmen, including a large number of publishers, writers and editors, chose the Willowmere area for their weekend homes.