Historic Pelham: Map of Pelhamville Westchester County, New York Surveyed by William Bryson, Architect & Civil Engineer New Rochelle August 4, 1851

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Shortly after the railroad known today as the New Haven Line extended its tracks through Pelhamville, William Bryson surveyed that area for development purposes on August 4, 1851. Bryson was an architect and civil engineer located in New Rochelle. The development map was filed in the office of the Register of Westchester County and has been referenced in a wide variety of documentation over the years referencing homes and lots in North Pelham. See, e.g., Rupert v. Village of North Pelham, , 123 N.Y.S. 944, 945 (Sup. Ct., App. Div., 2d Dep't 1910) (referencing property that had been sold as "House and lot 54 in said Village of North Pelham, as shown on a certain map, entitled 'Map of Pelhamville, Westchester County, N.Y.,' dated August 4, 1851, made by William Bryson and filed in the office of the Register of Westchester County.").

What may be an original hand-drawn copy of that development map has turned up hanging in a home on Mount Tom Road. I recently received a series of images showing the map, its signature block and a detail showing the area around today's Hutchinson Elementary School together with permission to display the images and credit them to Anne Romita.

William Bryson's name has popped up periodically in the Historic Pelham Blog before. Bryson also created the development map entitled "Map of Prospect Hill Village, Town of Pelham, Westchester County, New York" dated August 11, 1852. See Barr, Lockwood, A Brief, But Most Complete & True Account of the Settlement of the Ancient Town of Pelham Westchester County, State of New York Known One Time Well & Favourably as The Lordshipp & Mannour of Pelham Also the Story of the Three Modern Villages Called The Pelhams, p. 123 (Richmond, VA: The Dietz Press, Inc. 1946). See also Mon., November 21, 2005: Prospect Hill and Pelhamville Depicted on the 1868 Beers Atlas Map of Pelham: Part I.

Each of the three images of the Bryson map appears below, followed by a brief note.

Image of the William Bryson Map of Pelhamville.

Detail from Bryson Map Reads "Note. Avenues and Streets 50 Ft. wide, Regular Lots 100 Ft. Square Irregular and Gore Lots as marked on the Map. --- Surveyed by William Bryson, Architect & Civil Engineer New Rochelle August 4th 1851."