Historic Pelham: The Closing of Split Rock Road in December, 1937

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Split Rock Road once wound its way from Shore Road near the parking lot for the clubhouse of today's Pelham Bay and Split Rock Golf Courses through today's Split Rock Golf Course past the giant Split Rock boulder and across today's I-95 expressway to join with what remains of Split Rock Road in the Village of Pelham Manor. The ancient road followed a more-ancient Native American trail from City Island to a location parallel to the Hutchinson River along today's Wolf's Lane and Fifth Avenue in the Town of Pelham.

Detail from 1893 Map Showing Split Rock Road Extending

from Shore Road Through Pelham Bay Park to Boston Turnpike.

Source: "Towns of Westchester and Pelham. (With) Villages of

Westchester and Unionport. (With) Village of Pelhamville"

in Atlas of Westchester County, New York. Prepared

Under the Direction of Josepoh R. Bien, E.M., Civil and

Topographical Engineer from Original Surveys and Official

Records, p. 3 (NY, NY: Julius Bien & Co. 1893).

Split Rock Road was fairly heavily traveled even before the Revolutionary War and was an unpaved dirt roadway for the vast portion of its existence. By the early twentieth century the roadway was paved and became a busy thoroughfare for vehicles moving between Shore Road and the Boston Turnpike. By 1937, however, the roadway's days were numbered.

With the opening of the Hutchinson River Parkway extension from the Boston Road to the Shore Road, Split Rock Road south of the New York City line was closed to traffic in late December, 1937. According to one account, "[t]he old narrow winding road was a traffic hazard and it was deemed inadvisable to continue it as long as the nearby express highway provided a safe thoroughfare for the traffic which previously operated through Split Rock Road."

During the week that began on Monday, December 27, 1937, work to tear up the asphalt pavement of the roadway started. The then-historian of the Town of Pelham, William R. Montgomery, immediately began lobbying the Park Department of the City of New York to restore and preserve a portion of the ancient roadway as well as stone walls that stood along the same portion of the roadway. He argued that a portion of the roadway with walls should be restored and preserved because they marked the site where a portion of the Battle of Pelham was fought on October 18, 1776 with Americans using such stone walls to slow the advance of British and German troops attempting to cut off the Continental Army's retreat toward White Plains.

The Park Department agreed and restored a potion of the roadway within the Split Rock Golf Course and associated stone walls. On October 18, 1938, The Park Department also erected a Historic Marker dedicated to the “Old Indian Path” long known as Split Rock Road.

Today the area restored by the Park Department is overgrown and difficult to access because it lies along one of the fairways of the Split Rock Golf Course.

Portion of Ancient Split Rock Road Sunken

from Surrounding Land Through Extensive Travel;

Part of the Roadway Restored by the Park Department

of the City of New York in 1938.

Photograph Taken by the Author in 2005.

NOTE: Click Image to Enlarge.

Portion of Stone Wall Along Ancient Split Rock Road Restored

by the Park Department of the City of New York in 1938. Photograph

Taken by the Author in 2005. NOTE: Click Image to Enlarge.

Below are a few newspaper articles regarding the closing and removal of the pavement of Split Rock Road in late 1937, and efforts by William R. Montgomery to convince the Park Department of the City of New York to restore and preserve a portion of the roadway with its stone walls.

"Split Rock Road to Be No More; New York Stretch Being Torn Up
-----

(Special To The Daily Argus)

PELHAM. Dec. 29. -- Split Rock Road, historic as an Indian trail, and a connecting link between Boston Post Road and Shore Road, has been closed within the New York City boundaries.

Because of the Hutchinson River Parkway extension which parallels the road, it has now become a dead-end street, running from Boston Post Road to Park Drive in Pelham.

Work of tearing up the pavement from Parkway Drive to the Shore Road was begun this week.

Split Rock Road has been used as a highway since the days of Lord Pell, for whom the Town of Pelham was named [sic]."

Source: Split Rock Road to Be No More; New York Stretch Being Torn Up, The Daily Argus [Mount Vernon, NY], Dec. 29, 1937, p. 12, cols. 3-4.

"PLAN TO PRESERVE OLD HISTORIC INDIAN TRAIL
-----
Town Historian Urges Park Department To Install Path In Place Of Colonial Highway
-----
William R. Montgomery's Plan Provides for Restoration of Section of Which Provided Shelter for Continentals at Battle of Pell's Point.

Preservation of the old Indian trail that marked the route of the historic Split Rock Road from Long Island Sound to the Boston Road has been urged by Town Historian William R. Montgomery. With the tearing up of Split Rock Road south of the New York City line to provide wider fairways for the Split Rock Golf Course, it was feared that the trail would be forgotten. Mr. Montgomery has enlisted the aid of Maj. Gilmore D. Clarke of Pelhamwood, landscape consultant of the New York Park Department and there is now under consideration a plan to construct a permanent path along the old trail in order that visitors to the park may follow the course of the historic highway.

Split Rock Road south of the New York City line was closed to traffic late in December with the opening of the Hutchinson River Parkway extension from the Boston Road to the Shore Road. The old narrow winding road was a traffic hazard and it was deemed inadvisable to continue it as long as the nearby express highway provided a safe thoroughfare for the traffic which previously operated through Split Rock Road.

However, inasmuch as the road followed the old Indian trail, and had played an important part in the Battle of Pell's Point, on October 16th [sic], 1776, local residents interested in the preservation of historical relics were grieved at the abandonment of the road. Mr. Montgomery has had several conferences with Mr. Clarke and park officials in the last few weeks, and he is assured that the proposed program will be to the liking of all.

According to Mr. Montgomery the plan for landscaping the trail provides for the restoration of a 100-foot section of stone wall as a memorial to the gallant Continentals of Col. Glover's regiment which fought in the Battle of Pell's Point. The stone walls lining Split Rock Road provided cover for the Continentals as they fired on General Howe's British troops passing through the highway in an attempt to cut off Gen. Washington's retreat to White Plains."

Source: PLAN TO PRESERVE OLD HISTORIC INDIAN TRAIL, The Pelham Sun, Jan. 14, 1938, p. 1, col. 1.

"HOW WELL DO YOU KNOW PELHAM? . . .

Split Rock Road, which followed the old Indian trail from Long Island Sound inland, was closed by the New York City Park Department last year [sic] at the time of the opening of the Hutchinson River Parkway extension from the Boston Post Road to the Shore Road.

It was the highway from City Island inland long before the Revolutionary War. Along its course the British troops which landed at Rodman's Neck in October, 1776, marched on their way to cut off Washington's army which was retreating to White Plains. They were opposed by the Westchester farmers who fought them from behind the stone walls along the roadway and were detained by this skirmish long enough to permit General Washington to be ready at White Plains where the Continental Army was successful. The fighting in Pelham became known as the Battle of Pell's Point.

Split Rock Road will become a national shrine, under the direction of the New York City Park Department. At the request of Pelham's Town Historian William R. Montgomery 100 feet of the road is being restored as it appeared in Colonial days.

The road gained its name from the split boulder that is situated within 200 feet of the Pelham Manor line. It is believed that Anne Hutchinson, religious refugee from the Massachusetts Bay Colony, who settled here in 1642, had a cabin near [sic] the Split Rock. Legend has it that she hid within the crevice of the rock during an Indian raid on her settlement. . . ."

Source: HOW WELL DO YOU KNOW PELHAM?, The Pelham Sun, Jul. 28, 1939, p. 5, cols. 1-3.

"OLD EASTCHESTER LEAGUE DEMANDS REDISTRICTING
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Residents of Northeast Bronx Fear Closing of Split Rock Road Will Close Access to Polling Place -- Legislature Petitioned
-----

Proposed redistricting of the Bronx, now being considered at Albany, to bring relief to the extreme Northeast Bronx, is being pushed by members of the Old Eastchester Community League.

A battle of many years for establishment of an election district with polling booth in the Old Eastchester section fought by the league and other civic and political groups, has reached a crisis with the coming closing of Split Rock Road.

The road is the only means residents in the district have of reaching City Island, their polling station for many years. Unless a booth is opened in Old Eastchester, voters next Fall will have to go around by way of Pelhamdale Avenue, Pelham Manor.

The club has sent many committees to Bronx Democratic Headquarters in the last feew months with demands for the new station, which must be established by Albany before the Legislature adjourns March 21, in order to provide relief before the next election.

New forces will be added to the League's ranks shortly, members believe, when Edenwald women complete organization of a new Democratic Club in the Dyre Avenue section."

Source: OLD EASTCHESTER LEAGUE DEMANDS REDISTRICTING, The Daily Argus [Mount Vernon, NY], Mar. 7, 1935, p. 10, cols. 2-3.