South River hasn’t changed much in the past 200 years, aside from a few minor details like the addition of electric street lights and stop lights. It’s unknown precisely when the first immigrants arrived. There are references to a ferry/port on the South River as early as 1683, and there were a few residents in the area. For a time, this settlement was called Willetstown in honor of a prominent townsman, Samuel Willett. In 1784, as General Washington gained some reputation, the town voted to change its name to Washington Village. Nearly a hundred years later, the town once again elected to change the name to South River.