After the peace of 1660, a house (huys aent strandt) was constructed on the Rondout Creek, near the place where ships coming in from the Hudson River found a suitable anchorage. The construction was presumably located at about a distance of four kilometres (“a march of one hour and half” ) from the village, on the north bank of the Creek, in the area where streets called Dock Street, Rondout Landing, and East Strand Street indicate the maritime background. It is possible, although more research is required, that the ‘house’ (later on usually called the redoubt (reduyt)) was connected to Wiltwijck by what now is called Foxhall Avenue, which shows up on early maps.
In the wake of the Indian attack of June 1663, the redoubt played an important role as a communication hub. Although only a few soldiers manned the redoubt, the Esopus Indians did not attack it. The day after the Indian assault, a group of ten horsemen galloped from the village to the redoubt, carrying a letter calling for help, which was immediately sent on to New Amsterdam with a yacht. During the war against the Esopus Indians in the following months, the redoubt continued to be manned by a small garrison and served as a conduit for communication and transport of goods between Wiltwijck and the Hudson River, both for colonists and Indians from neighbouring groups, such as the Wappingers.