Historic Pelham

Presenting the rich history of Pelham, NY in Westchester County: current historical research, descriptions of how to research Pelham history online and genealogy discussions of Pelham families.

Friday, November 28, 2014

Formation of the Pilots' and Wreckers' Association in 1887


The Pilots of City Island served for much of the 19th and early 20th centuries as guides for shipping that traveled in Long Island Sound, through Hell Gate and in waters throughout the New York region.  Unfamiliar with navigation of the local waters, the masters of ships hired pilots to help them make their way through the unfamiliar waters.

In 1887, several young men of City Island formed an organization called the "Pilots and Wreckers Association" to provide assistance to City Island pilots and to serve as a means to facilitate apprenticeship into the profession.  Little is known of the organization except for a couple of brief references to its formation that listed its founding members.  

The young men of City Island who formed the organization were Henry Weaver, Frank Horton, and Henry Gruse.  The purposes of the organization were described as "to assist the regular pilots, whose duties are often a tax upon them more than they can bear, and also to prove a school of training for themselves."  The organization began with sixteen members who took rooms at the southern end of City Island.  


Map of Town of Pelham with Inset of City Island, 1868.
Source: Beers, F.W., Atlas of New York and Vicinity, p. 35
(NY, NY: Beers, Ellis & Soule, 1868).

Below are two news items published in 1887 that reference the formation of the organization.

"NEW ORGANIZATION. -- A number of young men of City Island have formed an organization to be known as the Pilots' and Wreckers' Association, their object being to assist the regular pilots, whose duties are often a tax upon them more than they can bear, and also to prove a school of training for themselves.  The officers are:  President, Henry Weaver; Vice President, Frank Horton; Secretary, Henry Gruse."

Source:  NEW ORGANIZATION, The Yonkers Statesman, Jan. 15, 1887, Vol. IV, No. 975, p. 1, col. 4.

"PELHAM AND CITY ISLAND.

Pelham Bay is completely frozen over, and work in the Bay is suspended temporarily.

There will be an interesting pigeon shooting contest, at Secord's, Bartow, to-morrow.  Mr. J. S. Secord and Mr. B. May are to shoot a match at 10 birds each, for $25 a side.  There will also be birds for sweepstakes and clay pigeons for shooting.  The sport will begin at one o'clock.

Mr. E. H. Gurney and Mr. I. C. Hill, of Pelhamville, went to Mr. Vendemark's near White Plains, Monday evening, with Mr. Gurney's team and sleigh.  As they were coming out of Mr. V.'s yard, the team ran away, throwing the occupants out of the sleigh, and smashing it to pieces and then ran home.  Neither of the gentlemen were hurt.

It is generally understood that the Molloy judgement [sic] against the town of Pelham will be appealed to the Court of last resort.  The proposition to appeal comes from property owners, within the limit of Pelham Park.  In order to allay fears and prevent opposition to the appeal, they say that the judgment is a lien on the property in the town and when the city takes the Park lands it will have to pay its proportionate share of the judgment.  It is a notorious fact that no judgement [sic] recovered against the land of individuals in the town until it goes into the tax levy, and then if unpaid, becomes a lien on the individual property, but if the Molloy judgement [sic] is appealed by the town authorities to accommodate the park gentlemen, the park property will be taken and paid for by New York city, while the judgement is being appealed and before it can get in the tax levy, thus imposing the whole burden upon the people of City Island and Pelhamville.

Although the weather has been extremely cold lately in this vicinity, many of the sportsmen have had quite a lively time.  Ducks of various kinds have made their appearance in the bay, no doubt for shelter from the continuous storm, and man of the crack shots who reside here and on the main, have had a good opportunity to test their skill with long range fowling pieces.  Numbers of them have been very successful.

Mr. Piepgras, shipbuilder of City Island, has secured from Mr. Iselin, of New Rochelle, a contract to build for him a steel plated yacht, from a model prepared by the celebrated builder, Mr. Burgess, of Boston.  He has already commenced to lay her down on the floor of his loft and make her moulds.  He has also a very large and new furnace partially constructed, to be used in heating the heaviest portions of the hull and frame.  No cost or pains will be spared to make her as fast, if not the swiftest craft of the fleet.  She will be finished in time to defend and maintain this season, the laurels long since won against all international competitors.  She will be sloop rigged, and about ninety-five feet over all.

An amateur club known as the Pilots and Wreckers Association, has been organized here recently, consisting of young men ranging in age from 18 to 21 years.  At present they number about 16 members.  Their rooms are situated at the southerly end of the Island.  The object of this association is to be an auxilary [sic] force to assist the regular Pilots who are residents of this place in the arduous duties that are consequent in their profession, and also receive the necessary instruction themselves that is so essentially necessary to fit them to become capable sailing masters holding certificates as regular graduates.  The officers are:  President, Mr. Henry Weaver; Vice President, Mr. Frank Horton; Secretary, Mr. Henry Gruse.

Some of the oyster dealers and growers of City Island, are having quite a harvest.  Captain Joshua Leviness sold in one day last week to New York speculators, six hundred dollars worth, and received the (boodle) cash down as soon as the sale was made.  He is also an extensive dealer nearly all through the eastern portion of this county, sending regularly every week with his heavy double team, from 70 to 80 baskets at one time, all through the towns of Eastchester and White Plains, where he has regular customers, who keep saloons and such like places of business.  The old veteran seems to be as lively as a cricket, and although he is drawing near four score years, seems to have all the vigor and more than hundreds have, who are 40 years his junior.  And those who call to see him at his Central Hotel never go away either hungry or dry.

Some of the Westchester boys who thought they would have some fun at the expense of the City Island boys, brought a very game bird over here one night last week, and selected a very game bird over here one night last week, and selected a very cozy room, and by standing the bedstead up endways in the corner, made room enough to test the game qualities of their rooster, and his opponent that some one of the crowd caught napping on his perch in the coop of Mr. Jacob Smith of this town.  It is said by some who know that the very instant Mr. Smith's bird was placed upon the floor, although just awakened out of his peaceful slumbers, he took in the situation at once, and in full view of his strange enemies and without any previous warning of such a conflict, gave one of the most defiant and high toned exhibitions of his cultured voice, and quickly went to business.  Although his opponent had fought many tough battles and always came off victorious, this time he was knocked out in less than ten minutes by the clock.  After the home bird had delighted the spectators with one more of his musical bonanzas, he was allowed to go home to spend the remainder of the night with company that he always prefers.  It was quite noticeable next day that some of the City Island boys' pockets were very much swollen and painful until they were greatly reduced.  It is now conceded to be a fact, even by the boys of Westchester, that the birds of City Island are very game at any time of the day or night as well as the boys.

OBSERVER."

Source:  PELHAM AND CITY ISLAND, The Chronicle [Mount Vernon, NY], Jan. 14, 1887, Vol. XVIII, No. 950, p. 1, col. 7.

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Thursday, November 27, 2014

By 1941, Most Pelhamites Celebrated "Franksgiving" Rather than "Republican Thanksgiving"


From 1939 through 1941, much of the United States celebrated what many called "Franksgiving" rather than "Republican Thanksgiving."  The term "Franksgiving" reportedly was coined by Atlantic City mayor Thomas D. Taggart, Jr. as a combination of "Franklin" (as in then-President Franklin Delano Roosevelt) and Thanksgiving.  Statistics on the sales of turkeys by local butchers in Pelham suggest that Pelhamites embraced the concept of "Franksgiving" wholeheartedly.  What, you may ask, was Franksgiving?

Since the time of President Abraham Lincoln, it had been customary for United States Presidents to issue proclamations declaring a general day of thanksgiving to be observed on the last Thursday of November.  In 1939, however, the final phase of the Great Depression continued to rage across the nation.  The late calendar date of the last Thursday of November that year (November 30) concerned many merchants who felt that after-Thanksgiving / pre-Christmas retail sales would be adversely impacted by the short holiday shopping season at a time when the United States economy needed all the help it could get.

An executive of an industry trade group known as the Retail Dry Goods Association reportedly warned the U.S. Secretary of Commerce that the late calendar date of Thanksgiving in 1939 likely would have an adverse impact on holiday retail sales.  President Roosevelt sprang into action.  FDR issued a proclamation declaring the second-to-last Thursday of the month of November that year, November 23, as the national day of general thanksgiving.  

Republicans were outraged.  The late change in the holiday date affected travel plans and holiday plans of many Americans.  Previously-scheduled Thanksgiving football games suddenly were no longer going to be played on Thanksgiving.  The President quickly announced that he planned to do the same thing the following year (in 1940) to give the nation time to plan for the following year as well.

Soon, the United States found itself celebrating two Thanksgiving holidays.  In 1940, thirty-two state governments (and the District of Columbia) observed the earlier Thanksgiving date set by the President's proclamation.  Sixteen states, however, chose to recognize what some called the "Republican Thanksgiving" on the last Thursday of November.  The following year (1941), President Roosevelt likewise proclaimed Thanksgiving Day as the second-to-last Thursday of the month of November.

By 1941, it seems that Pelham was dutifully doing its patriotic part to help the American economy by celebrating "Franksgiving" rather than the later "Republican Thanksgiving."  Perhaps, however, Pelhamites were a little less political than might otherwise be suggested -- perhaps they just wanted their roast turkey and stuffing earlier in the month, not later!  In any event, in late November of 1941 a reporter for The Pelham Sun surveyed local butchers and uncovered evidence that most Pelhamites bought turkeys early in preparation for Franksgiving rather than later in preparation for Republican Thanksgiving.

That year, however, a U.S. Commerce Department analysis showed "no significant expansion of retail sales" due to the change in the Thanksgiving calendar by President Roosevelt.  Thankfully (pun intended), on November 26, 1941, President Roosevelt did away with Franksgiving by signing into law a joint resolution of Congress designating the fourth Thursday in November of each year as Thanksgiving Day.  Within a short time, most states changed their own laws to recognize the date of the nationally-observed holiday -- the fourth Thursday in November.  Franksgiving would be no more.

Below is an article that appeared in the November 28, 1941 issue of The Pelham Sun detailing the turkey purchasing habits of Pelhamites that year, only a few days after the President signed into law the statute doing away with Franksgiving.  




"There Was Little Demand For Turkey For 'Late' Thanksgiving In Pelham
-----
Reports of Butchers Indicate That Pelham Residents Have Become Used to Eating Their Turkey Early.
-----

The gentle passage of time is supposed to heal all wounds, and if the sale of Thanksgiving turkeys this week in Pelham markets is a true barometer, the passage of time is also an adjuster of holidays.

Last year when President Franklin D. Roosevelt suggested advancing the date of Thanksgiving, there was some protest, from those who adhere to tradition.  True it was that the majority of Pelhamites observed Thanksgiving on the date named in the Governor's proclamation, Nov. 20, 1940; but a number of Pelhamites observed Thanksgiving on Nov. 27.  The sale of 258 turkeys in local marrkets for 'late' holiday last year revealed this.

However, this year the butchers report that only 75 Thanksgiving turkeys were sold for the 'late' Thanksgiving. 

Apparently even over the brief span of a year the warmth of custom and tradition cools sufficiently to allow a knife and fork to be plunged deep into the soft meat of savory turkey a week earlier than usual -- or maybe it was impatience and an especially good appetite."

Source:  There Was Little Demand For Turkey For 'Late' Thanksgiving in Pelham, The Pelham Sun, Nov. 28, 1941, Vol. 31, No. 35, p. , cols-1-2.  

To read more about "Franksgiving" and "Republican Thanksgiving," see Franksgiving, Wikipedia - The Free Encyclopedia (visited Nov. 23, 2014).  

Happy Thanksgiving, Pelham!


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Wednesday, November 26, 2014

More Early References to Baseball Played in Pelham


It is easy to romanticize our national pastime of baseball, particularly when imagining how it was played in its earliest days.  Although research has revealed that from the mid-1860's through the end of the 19th century, the Town of Pelham was a hotbed of baseball activity, recent research makes it increasingly clear that the games and the unruly crowds they attracted were viewed as a nuisance by many in Pelham.  Nevertheless, it remains clear that citizens of the Town embraced the national pastime with gusto.  There were baseball grounds at Pelham Bridge, Bartow, City Island, in today's Pelham Manor, on the western edge of the Heights, and in Pelhamville.  

Recently I wrote that by 1896, the crowds for Sunday baseball games had grown too large, too unruly and out of control.  The noise of the raucous crowds disturbed the tiny new village known as the Village of Pelham.  The entire population was fed up with Sunday baseball.  During the summer of 1896, the Citizens League of the Village of Pelham voted to take steps to stop Sunday baseball.  See Thu., Nov. 13, 2014:  Baseball Crowds in Pelham Got Out Of Hand in 1896.

Recent research has uncovered a brief news item published in 1884 that not only describes baseball games played by the City Island teams known as the Beldenites and the Muffers, but also describes another instance where local constables halted an effort to play a baseball game, this time on City Island, out of fear that fans would be drunken and unruly.  Indeed, the brief reference to the actions of the constables sheds interesting light on what such games could be like.

On Sunday, August 10, 1884, a sailing ship docked at City Island in the Town of Pelham.  It carried a base ball club from Yonkers with a band playing festive music.  As the team and its band disembarked in the hope of playing a game on the island, they were "promptly confronted" by three constables.  The constables made clear that it "would be unhealthy" for the team to attempt to play a game there.  The team "reembarked and sailed away."  According to a news account published a few days later, local bar owners were not particularly happy:  "Some of the gin dealers considered this action on the part of the constables an outrage, since they might have captured a few nickels, while the residents suffered from the noise and presence of drunken men."

The same news account noted that on Thursday, August 14, 1884, the Beldenites of City Island played a ballgame against the Clippers Base Ball Club of New Rochelle.  The Clippers roundly defeated the Beldenites 24 to 7.  

The news account also described a game halted by rain that was scheduled for later completion.  On Saturday, August 9, 1884, the Muffers traveled to Willet's Point and played a team from that place.  (The Muffers later disbanded with most players joining the Beldenites in a move that substantially strengthened the Beldenites.)  Before completion of the bottom half of the second inning, heavy rain halted the game.  The score stood Willet's Point 8, Muffers 6.  The game was scheduled for completion the following Saturday, August 16.  



Undated Photograph (Ca. 1896) of the Pelham A.C. Jr. Baseball Team.
Although Difficult to See in This Low Resolution Version of the Image,
There Are Many Children Whose Eyes Can Be Seen Peering, and
Whose Fingers Extend, Through the Cracks Between the Boards Behind the Team.

Below is the complete text of the news account referencing the various baseball events described above.  It is followed by a citation to its source.

"PELHAM AND CITY ISLAND.

--It is announced that there is to be an evening party given at Flynn's Pavilion, during the present month.

--The yacht Gracie is to be raffled at Mount Vernon during the present month.  There is to be one hundred chances at $2 each.

--The Clippers Base Ball Club, of New Rochelle, and the Beldenites of this place, played [a] game of ball here on Thursday, which resulted in favor of the Clippers by a score of 24 to 7.

--The Muffers visited Willet's Point on Saturday, and started a game of base ball with the picked nine of that place.  The game was interrupted by the heavy rain, after the Willet's Point nine had played two innings and the Muffers one.  The score stood Willet's Point 8, Muffers 6.  The game will be completed to-day.

--Astor's new steam yacht anchored a short time off here on Sunday.  Capt. 'Sam' Freestone made a flying visit to his home, after which the yacht proceeded to Newport.  All who saw this beautiful vessel were readily convinced that she is indeed the handsomest, as well as the largest steam yacht afloat.  People here naturally take a great pride in the vessel as she was designed by, and constructed under, the superintendence of Mr. Gustave Hillman, and is commanded by Capt. Sampson W. Freestone, both of this place.  

--A base ball club from Yonkers came to the Island with a band of music on Sunday last.  They were promptly confronted by three constables bold, and were convinced that it would be unhealthy to undertake a game of ball there.  They reembarked and sailed away.  Some of the gin dealers considered this action on the part of the constables an outrage, since they might have captured a few nickels, while the residents suffered from the noise and presence of drunken men.

--The excursion of the Merry Ten to Roton Point on Wednesday proved to be one of the most enjoyable occasions of the season.  The two barges and the steamboat were completely filled and the company was all that could be desired.  The music was good and the arrangement, for refreshment, were [sic] perfect.  As a pecuniary venture the club have no reason to regret the undertaking, and the people here will long remember the excursion and will be happy when they can go on another excursion under the same management."

Source:  PELHAM AND CITY ISLAND, New Rochelle Pioneer, Aug. 16, 1884, p. 3, col. 6.  


*          *           *          *          *

Below is a listing, with links, of my previous postings and a published article on the topic of 19th century baseball in Pelham.





Thu., Jan. 28, 2010:   News About Pelham Manor and Pelhamville in 1895 - Lighting Districts, Gas for the Village, Baseball and More.

Tue., Dec. 15, 2009:  Baseball Games Played by the City Island Beldenites and the City Island Rivals in 1884.  

Mon., Dec. 14, 2009:  Baseball Games Played by the City Island Shamrocks in 1889.  

Fri., Dec. 11, 2009:  Earliest Reference Yet to Baseball Played in Pelham.  

Thu., Dec. 10, 2009:  More 19th Century Baseball and Firefighting References

Wed., Dec. 9, 2009:  City Island Shamrocks Base Ball Club Changed its Name to the Minnefords in 1888.

Wed., Nov. 25, 2009:  Even More Early References to Baseball Played in Pelham.

Tue., Nov. 24, 2009:  Yet Another Reference to Early Baseball in Pelham.

Mon., Nov. 23, 2009:  Additional Brief Accounts of Baseball Played in Pelham in the 19th Century.

Fri., Nov. 20, 2009:  More Accounts of Early Baseball Played in Pelham.

Fri., Nov. 13, 2009:  1894 Account of Developments in Pelham Including a Reference to a Baseball Game Played that Year.

Thur., Nov. 12, 2009:  More Early References to Baseball Played in Pelham.

Wed., Sep. 30, 2009:   Score of June 1, 1887 Baseball Game Between the Country Club and The Knickerbocker Club.

Fri., Mar. 20, 2009:   Another Reference to 19th Century Baseball in Pelham.

Tue., Mar. 4, 2008:   Another Brief Reference to 19th Century Baseball in Pelham.

Mon., Nov. 26, 2007:  Box Score of a Baseball Game Played on Travers Island in Pelham Manor in July 1896.

Wed., Nov. 21, 2007:  Baseball on Travers Island During the Summer of 1897.

Fri., Jul. 20, 2007:  Account of Early Baseball in Pelham: Pelham vs. the New York Athletic Club on Travers Island in 1897.

Fri., Nov. 10, 2006: The Location of Another Early Baseball Field in Pelham.

Mon., Oct. 9, 2006:   Reminiscences of Val Miller Shed Light on Late 19th Century Baseball in Pelham and the Early Development of the Village of North Pelham.

Thu., Mar. 23, 2006:  Baseball Fields Opened on the Grounds of the Westchester Country Club in Pelham on April 4, 1884.  

Tue., Jan. 31, 2006:  Another Account of Baseball Played in Pelham in the 1880s Is Uncovered.  

Thu., Oct. 6, 2005:   Does This Photograph Show Members of the "Pelham Manor Junior Base Ball Team"?

Thu., Sep. 15, 2005:  Newspaper Item Published in 1942 Sheds Light on Baseball in 19th Century Pelham.  

Thu., Feb. 10, 2005:  New Discoveries Regarding Baseball in 19th Century Pelham.  

Bell, Blake A., Baseball in Late 19th Century Pelham, The Pelham Weekly, Vol. XIII, No. 17, Apr. 23, 2004, p. 8, col. 2.

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Tuesday, November 25, 2014

Too Smart for Late 19th Century Scammers: Mrs. Hazen's School for Girls


As local developers and land owners worked to subdivide and develop properties in the sleepy little settlement known as Pelham Manor during the 1880's, one of the issues that arose was the adequacy of local public schools.  In an effort to attract potential residents and real estate purchasers, local citizens pressed for the development of private schools to supplement the public school system. 

The Masters School in Dobbs Ferry, New York had a star teacher in the 1880's. Her name was Emily Hall Hazen.  A few Pelham Manor landowners coveted the teacher’s talents and experience.  They still were trying to develop the remnants of the subdivision planned by the Pelham Manor and Huguenot Heights Association founded in the early 1870's.  To attract “upper class buyers,” a Pelham Manor landowner named Silas H. Witherbee recruited Mrs. Hazen to open a girl’s preparatory school in Pelham Manor.  According to one account, “although Mrs. Hazen was urged to locate elsewhere, she yielded to the persuasion and promise of support given by the residents of Pelham Manor.”  In 1889 the little school opened, only to become one of the finest girls’ schools in the country before it closed twenty-five years later at the end of the 1914-1915 school year.  The school, officially named "Pelham Hall," was known far and wide as "Mrs. Hazen's School for Girls."  As the school reached its last years, it had served over a thousand students from forty-two States and over two hundred and fifty towns and cities throughout the country.

I have written about Mrs. Hazen's School for Girls on many occasions.  I have included a list of links to numerous such articles at the end of today's posting.  

As headmistress of an all girls school, Ms. Emily Hall Hazen had seen it all.  She was intelligent but, more importantly, she was crafty.  Most importantly, and her husband had imparted to their daughter, Miss Edith Cunningham Hazen, that same intelligence and craftiness.  The subject of today's posting to the Historic Pelham Blog is an entertaining account that demonstrates just how savvy Mrs. Hazen and her daughter were after running Pelham Hall during its first decade.  It seems that unscrupulous scammers identified Edith Hazen as a potentially-easy mark.  They made their move.  Miss Hazen, however, was too smart for them.  The account of the attempted scam appeared in the New-York Tribune on July 16, 1897.  It is transcribed below, followed by a citation to its source.



Undated Post Card Showing Mrs. Hazen's School, Circa 1906
(Between Esplanade and Edgewood Avenue).  Note:  Continue
Clicking on Image to Continue Enlarging Photograph.

"CLEVER SWINDLING SCHEME.
-----
MISS HAZEN BLOCKS A PRETENDED NAVAL OFFICER'S GAME.

A clever swindling scheme was attempted not long since upon Mrs. John Cunningham Hazen, principal of Pelham Manor School.  Through the quick wit of her daughter, Miss Hazen, the scheme proved unsuccessful, but it has been perpetrated with better success upon a nyumber of principals of girls' schools.  The plan was as follows:

A man, representing himself as a surgeon in the United States Navy, called upon Mrs. Hazen with a letter of introduction from the Rev. Dr. T. L. Cuyler, and said that he wished to place in her school a young girl whose father, also an officer in the Navy, was on a cruise, and whose grandfather was on the eve of sailing for Europe.  The plot was carefully planned and executed so as not to arouse suspicion.  Arrangements were made for the child to enter the school next term, and, as the terms in the best schools are always payable in advance, 'Dr. S. Shelden,' as he called himself, handed Mrs. Hazen a check for $350 drawn on the Chemical Bank of New-York, and signed by the alleged grandfather.  Mrs. Hazen reminded him that the tuition was only $300, and he replied:  'You may give me a receipt for $300 and your check for the balance.'  Miss Hazen, however, began to suspect something, so she wrote simply a receipt for the full amount ($350), saying she would give him the $50 when he brought the child.  

No more was heard of the expected pupil, who was to have been placed in the care of a governess during the summer, and when the check was presented it was returned with 'Fraud' written across the face.

The Chemical Bank has had many more of these checks from the same source, and Dr. Cuyler's name has been used in many other schools.  Miss Fisher, of New-Brunswick, N. J.; Mrs. Life, of Rye, and a number of others have been defrauded by the same man, and a large sum of money has been secured.  Detectives are at work on the case."

Source:  CLEVER SWINDLING SCHEME -- MISS HAZEN BLOCKS A PRETENDED NAVAL OFFICER'S GAME,  New-York Tribune, Jul. 16, 1897, Vol. LVII, No. 18,506, p. 5, col. 6.  



952 Pelhamdale Avenue, Once Part of Mrs. Hazen's
School for Girls and, Later, Part of the Taft School for Boys.
Photograph Taken in 2005 by the Author.  Note:  Continue
Clicking on Image to Continue Enlarging Photograph.


As noted above, I have written extensively about the private school known as "Mrs. Hazen's School for Girls."  For a few of the many examples, see:

Bell, Blake A., Mrs. Hazen's School for Girls: Pelham Hall, The Pelham Weekly, Vol. XIII, No. 40, Oct. 8, 2004, p. 12, col. 1.

Tue., Mar. 11, 2014:  An Early History of Mrs. Hazen's School For Girls in Pelham Manor, Published in 1913.

Mon., Aug. 15, 2005:  952 Pelhamdale Served as a 19th Century School for Girls, Then a School for Boys. 

Fri., Oct. 14, 2005:  A Reunion of Alumnae of Mrs. Hazen's School for Girls

Tue., Aug. 22, 2006:  Early Advertisements for Mrs. Hazen's School for Girls in Pelham Manor.  

Wed., Sep. 6, 2006:  Pelham Hall Shelter, a "Refuge for Erring Girls", Founded by Alumnae of Mrs. Hazen's School for Girls in Pelham Manor.  

Thu., Jul. 12, 2007:  The Infamous Burglary of the Girls of Mrs. Hazen's School for Girls in Pelham Manor in 1905.  

Mon., Mar. 3, 2008:  1891 Advertisement May Reflect Summer Rental of One of the Dormitories of Mrs. Hazen's School for Girls.

Fri., Jul. 24, 2009:  Late 19th Century Photos of Students with Tennis Rackets at Mrs. Hazen's School for Girls in Pelham Manor.

Tue., Feb. 16, 2010:  Photograph of Only Known 19th Century Women's Baseball Team in Pelham, New York.


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Monday, November 24, 2014

Tablet Honoring Anne Hutchinson Placed on Split Rock on May 3, 1911

On May 3, 1911, the Colonial Dames of New York unveiled a memorial tablet honoring Anne Hutchinson.  The monument was affixed to Split Rock, a Pelham landmark.  An interesting account of the event and the efforts of The Colonial Dames of New York to get to Pelham Bay Park for the event appeared the following day in a New York City newspaper.  That account is quoted in its entirety below, followed by a citation to its source.


"Anne Hutchinson on Trial" by Edwin Austin.

"TABLET TO ANNE HUTCHINSON.
-----
Colonial Dames Unveil a Monument in Her Memory.

The Colonial Dames of New York unveiled in Pelham Bay Park yesterday a memorial tablet to Anne Hutchinson, whose religious beliefs led to her banishment from Boston by the Puritans in 1638.  The tablet is of bronze and is set in one part of Split Rock, which is about a mile above the Bartow station.  The inscription sets forth that Anne Hutchinson was banished from the Massachusetts Bay Colony because of her devotion to religious liberty, that she sought freedom from persecution in New Netherland, and in 1643 she and her household were massacred by the Indians.  Her home was not far from Split Rock.

About one hundred members of the Colonial Dames went from their headquarters in West Fortieth street to Pelham Park in sightseeing automobiles.  There was a delay in getting one of the autos started.  When it got to Forty-eighth street one of the women who had been chilled by the cold breezes as the others were too -- stopped for rugs and wraps.  Then the suggestion was made that the auto continue on up Fifth avenue.  This proposal was opposed by one of the Colonial Dames who insisted that she would not be seen on the avenue in a sightseeing car.  She carried her point, and the auto took the Seventh avenue route.  

On the return trip the steering gear of one of the machines began to misbehave near the Bartow station.  The driver was confident that he could coax it to run back without mishap, but the women were frightened and they desterted the machine.  Luckily the Bartow railroad station was handy.  

Mrs. William Robinson, State president of the society, presided at the exercises.  The speakers were William B. Hornblower, the Rev. James de Normandie of Boston and J. Edward Weld.  Mr. Weld is a lineal descendant of Joseph Weld of Roxbury, Mass., in whose house Mrs. Hutchinson was imprisoned before she was banished.  When the idea of the memorial originated Mr. Weld suggested that it should be erected by the descendants of the persecutors of Mrs. Hutchinson as a sort of atonement for the sins of their ancestors and the Colonial Dames took up the idea.

Mr. Hornblower in his speech said that we shouldn't be too harsh on the Puritans, that we should overlook their faults and give thanks for their virtues.  He reviewed the history of the life of Mrs. Hutchinson and of her time.  He said that she had failings and undoubtedly at times was an uncomfortable neighbor.  

Just before Mrs. Robinson removed the American flag that covered the tablet Archibald M. Howe of Cambridge, Mass., made a short and unannounced speech in which he praised William Hutchinson, Anne's husband, of whom nothing had been said hitherto.  Mr. Howe thought the occasion should not be passed without a mention of Mr. Hutchinson's 'modesty and humility' and he said it and was applauded."

Source:  TABLET TO ANNE HUTCHINSON -- Colonial Dames Unveil a Monument in Her Memory, The Sun [NY, NY], May 4, 1911, Vol. LXXVIII, No. 246, p. 8, col. 7.  

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Friday, November 21, 2014

Another Advertisement for Fair Held in 1842 to Fund Construction of Christ Church


Christ Church, Parish of Christ the Redeemer, in the Village of Pelham Manor was built in 1843..Built of native granite, the cornerstone of the sanctuary was laid on Friday, April 28, 1843.  The church building was completed and was consecrated on September 15, 1843.  

The opening of the church building was the culmination of a dream long held by the first rector of the church, The Rev. Robert Bolton.  Father Bolton was born in Savannah, Georgia in 1788, the son of a prominent merchant also named Robert.  As a young man, Robert Bolton traveled to England and became a merchant in Liverpool, England.  

In 1838, the Bolton family built Bolton Priory in Pelham Manor.  The home still stands and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.  In 1840, Reverend Bolton -- in addition to his ministerial duties in Eastchester -- began holding a Sunday service in his residence, Bolton Priory.  By 1842, an effort was underway to organize a parish and construct a church building.

Today's posting to the Historic Pelham Blog transcribes an advertisement published on July 26, 1842 for a fair to be held the next day on the Priory grounds to raise money for the construction of an "Episcopal Chapel" in Pelham Manor.  I have written before about a related advertisement that appeared in the July 25, 1842 edition of The Brooklyn Daily Eagle.  See Fri., Aug. 29, 2014:  Announcement of Two-Day Fair in Pelham in 1842 to Raise Money to Build Christ Church.  



Christ Church, Shortly After It Was Constructed, as Depicted in the 1848
First Edition of Bolton's History of Westchester County, Volume 1.

"A Fair will be held on the Grounds of Rev. Robert Bolton, Pelham Priory, near New Rochelle, on Wednesday the 27th, and Thursday the 28th inst. to aid in the erection of an Episcopal Chapel for Pelham.  The Fair will be open from 11 to 7 o'clock.  

The price of each article will be marked on it.

If the weather should prove unfavorable on the 27th, the Fair will be opened on the first fair day and continue two days.  Refreshments of various kinds will be provided at reasonable prices.  

The steamboat Fairfield, Capt. Peck, will leave New-York from Fulton Market slip for New-Rochelle, on Wednesday the 27th, if fair, and if not, on the first fair day thereafter, at 9 o'clock A. M.; and returning leave New-Rochelle at 5 P. M.  Fair 37 1/2 cents each way.

Pelham, July 20, 1842.

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Source:  A Fair, New-York Daily Tribune, Jul. 26, 1842, Vol. II, No. 91, p. 3, col. 1.  



1842 Advertisement for Fair to Fund Construction
of "Episcopal Chapel" in Pelham Manor, New York.
Source:  A Fair, New-York Daily Tribune, Jul. 26, 1842,
Vol. II, No. 91, p. 3, col. 1.  

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Thursday, November 20, 2014

Pelham Responds to the Financial Panic of 1857; Steps to Alleviate Plight of the Poor of the Town


On August 24, 1857, the Ohio Life Insurance and Trust Company, an Ohio Bank, failed.  The failure of the bank focused attention on the financial state of the overextended railroad industry and the inflated real estate markets associated with the railroad industry.  Financial confidence quickly waned and, on October 13, 1857, a financial panic gripped the New York Stock Exchange.  By the time the panic settled, hundreds of banks had failed.  Individual investors were ruined.  Although the financial crisis began to level off and the U.S. economy began to stabilize by 1859, a true recovery was not felt until after the American Civil War.  



"RUN ON THE SEAMEN'S SAVINGS' BANK DURING THE PANIC."
Source:  Harper's Weekly, Oct. 31, 1857, Vol. I, p. 692.  NOTE:  This
Engraving Shows an Unruly Crowd Outside a Seamen's Bank Shoving
and Gesturing.  A Ragpicker Can Be Seen Picking Up Worthless Stock
Certificates and a Pickpocket Can Be Seen Working the Crowd.

The brief entry quoted below is from an account of the Proceedings of the Board of Supervisors of the County of Westchester following the Board's annual session in late 1857.  During that session, Pelham Town Supervisor George Washington Horton of City Island offered a resolution that was adopted by the Board authorizing the Town to raise $50 "for the temporary relief of the poor in said town" and to assess taxes to raise, among other sums, $20 "to defray the expenses for house for town paupers."  The entry suggests that, like many small communities in the New York region, only weeks after the panic the Town of Pelham was struggling to assist citizens who had been affected by the Financial Panic of 1857 and the subsequent financial downturn.

The pertinent entry appears immediately below, followed by a citation to its source.

"Proceedings of the Board of Supervisors.
-----
ANNUAL SESSION, NOVEMBER, 1857.

Members of the Board:

Towns.             Names. . . . .

Pelham............George W. Horton. . . . 

Mr. G. W. Horton presented the Abstract of Town Accounts of the town of Pelham; and thereupon presented the following resolution, which was adopted:

Resolved.  That the Accounts of the town of Pelham, as audited by the Board of Town Auditors, Nov. 5, 1857, amounting to $247, be levied, assessed, and collected, in said town.

Mr. G. W. Horton offered the following resolution, which was adopted:

Resolved, that the sum of $50 be raised in the town of Pelham, for the temporary relief of the poor in said town, pursuant to a resolution passed by the Board of Town Auditors.

Mr. G. W. Horton also offered the following resolution, which was adopted:

Resolved, That there be levied and assessed upon the real and personal property in the town of Pelham the sum of $2,020, of which sum $20 was voted to defray the expenses for house for town paupers; $500 which was voted to be raised for working roads and building bridges in said town; also $1,500, which was voted according to the Act of the last Legislature, for the purpose of building a Town Hall for the town of Pelham."

Source:  Proceedings of the Board of Supervisors -- Annual Session, November 1857, Eastern State Journal [White Plains, NY], Dec. 18, 1857, Vol. XIII, No. 32, p. 2, cols. 6-7.

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