Dutch legacy fading

The wind carried the salty scent of the Atlantic as Willem van der Veen stood at the edge of the river, gazing at the city that had once been New Amsterdam. He traced his fingers along the crumbling brick of an old warehouse—one of the last remnants of the Dutch legacy in a city now known as New York.

As a historian, Willem had spent years uncovering the Dutch influence in America, yet each time he walked these streets, he felt like an outsider in a world that had all but erased his ancestors. The Dutch had been the first Europeans to explore the lands that would become Connecticut, sailing up the river that still bore their name—the Connecticut River, once called the Versche Rivier (Fresh River). They had built trading posts, fostered relationships with native tribes, and laid the foundations for future settlements. But where was their memory now?

Willem sighed as he stepped into an old church, one of the few buildings that still bore traces of his ancestors’ presence. A carved wooden pulpit, inscribed with Dutch script, stood untouched in a forgotten corner. He imagined the voices that once filled this space—traders, settlers, ministers preaching in Dutch, the language of his forefathers. But now, those voices were silent.

In Connecticut, the Dutch had been pushed aside as the English arrived, bringing a new wave of settlers who gradually absorbed and erased Dutch traditions. The same had happened in New Amsterdam, where Peter Stuyvesant’s determined leadership could not stop the inevitable English takeover. The city’s name was changed, and with it, much of its past. Sadly.