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.

Tuesday, May 31, 2016

The "Sport" of Flounder Fishing in Pelham in 1889


Most Pelhamites know that during much of the 19th century, parts of the Town of Pelham were a sportsman's paradise.  Fowlers, fishermen, and outdoorsmen flocked to the shores of Pelham and adjacent waters.  Hunters and fishermen considered the area to be among the finest in the northeast.

Today's Historic Pelham Blog article transcribes the text of an article that describes what it was like to go on a fishing expedition on the opening day of flounder season off the waters of City Island in 1889.  The article provides an interesting glimpse of a time when New York City sportsmen made their way to Pelham for its excellent fishing.  

On March 31, 1889, a "blinding snowstorm" gripped the Pelham region.  According to one account, "flakes flew around in the nastiest kind of wet flurries."  

That day, flounder season opened in the waters off Pelham.  About 150 fishermen were ready with their equipment, despite the brutal weather.

At 6:50 a.m. that day, the fishermen gathered at the Harlem River station of the Branch Line railroad, just as the snowstorm began.  The fishermen crowded onto the tiny little train pulled by a steam engine.  The train clickety-clacked up the rails for thirty minutes until it reached Bartow Station.  There horse cars accepted as many passengers as they could carry and started for City Island.

According to one account, it was "during the horse-car trip that the 'sport' commenced."  Though the snowstorm swirled, each fisherman carried in a basket "a panacea for all such little grievances, which panacea could be and frequently was taken from the neck of a bottle."  

By the time the fishermen reached the boathouses on City Island, their panacea had "had a most cheering effect" so that "few seemed to mind the storm."  The fishermen rented boats and headed out into the storm on Long Island Sound to their favorite fishing spots.  

How did the fishermen do in Pelham waters that day?  According to the account:

"How they all fared cannot be definitely stated.  One boatload, which was out just three-quarters of an hour, got wet to the skin, and caught 24 fish, the aggregate weight of which was 11 pounds.  Then they were satisfied to return to shore.  The sport was not attractive enough to court a longer stay.  Many others got all the sport they desired in an hour and returned to shore.  Some staid [sic] out much longer for the reason that their bottled spirits held out longer.  By noon everybody had had enough fishing.  The snow was falling, with a rain accompaniment.  The enthusiasts found shelter in the most convenient places and wished they could get home, but they could not.  There was no train until 3 o'clock.  Consequently they related the most remarkable stories of previous 'floundering' expeditions.  This was kept up until it was time to take the horse car to Bartow Station and there board the New-York train.  At 4 o'clock the fishermen crossed the Harlem Bridge, so weary, so wet, and so bedraggled as to be objects of sympathy to the general public."


Detail from Engraving Published in 1884 Entitled
"BLACK BASS FISHING OFF PELHAM BRIDGE, NEW YORK."
NOTE:  Click on Image to Enlarge.

*          *          *          *          *

"AT CITY ISLAND.

The flounder fishing season at City Island was formally opened yesterday by 150 or more piscatorial enthusiasts from this city.  The affair, professionally termed a 'day's sport,' was characterized by all the personal discomfiture and ludicrous hardships that render such occasions enjoyable to some people.

The festivities opened at 6:50 A.M. at the Harlem River station of the Consolidated Railroad's Harlem Branch.  At that hour the sky was leaden and gave every promise of the storm which came shortly after.  The trip to Bartow station only consumed a half hour.  At Bartow Station horse cars were taken for City Island.  

It was during the horse-car trip that the 'sport' commenced.  Its first evidence was a blinding snowstorm.  The flakes flew around in the nastiest kind of wet flurries, but even this did not seem to affect the spirits of the fishermen.  Each carried in a basket a panacea for all such little grievances, which panacea could be and frequently was taken from the neck of a bottle.  These applications had a most cheering effect, and by the time the boathouses were reached few seemed to mind the storm.  Boats were procured and the fishermen started for their favorite spots.  

How they all fared cannot be definitely stated.  One boatload, which was out just three-quarters of an hour, got wet to the skin, and caught 24 fish, the aggregate weight of which was 11 pounds.  Then they were satisfied to return to shore.  The sport was not attractive enough to court a longer stay.  Many others got all the sport they desired in an hour and returned to shore.  Some staid [sic] out much longer for the reason that their bottled spirits held out longer.

By noon everybody had had enough fishing.  The snow was falling, with a rain accompaniment.  The enthusiasts found shelter in the most convenient places and wished they could get home, but they could not.  There was no train until 3 o'clock.  Consequently they related the most remarkable stories of previous 'floundering' expeditions.  This was kept up until it was time to take the horse car to Bartow Station and there board the New-York train.  At 4 o'clock the fishermen crossed the Harlem Bridge, so weary, so wet, and so bedraggled as to be objects of sympathy to the general public.  Doubtless that mattered little to them, however.  They had had a day's sport and opened the 'flounder season.'  That season will remain open for many weeks to come, and the special Sunday morning train will continue to accommodate those looking for sports. . . ."

Source:  ARDENT ANGLERS AT WORK -- THE FISHING SEASON OPENED ON A COLD DAY.  FISHERMEN AT THE FISHERIES AND WHAT THEY CAUGHT -- POINTS ABOUT FLOUNDERS -- NOTES, N.Y. Times, Apr. 1, 1889, p. 8, cols. 1-2.

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Monday, May 30, 2016

The Cannon That Roared: Pelham Sacrifices a Memorial for the Nation’s Sake


Ten years ago, on Memorial Day, May 29, 2006, members of Pelham American Legion Post 50 unveiled a bronze plaque long stored in the basement of Town Hall. It commemorates the Battle of Soissons that occurred July 18 – 20, 1918 in France near the close of World War I. The story behind the plaque says much about the citizens of Pelham and their admirable spirit.  Telling this story again seems important on this Memorial Day, 2016.

Introduction

On a crisp morning in January 2006, volunteers from the Office of the Town Historian unpacked boxes and files taken from a dank room in the basement of Town Hall.  The volunteers opened long-sealed cartons and unfolded brittle papers with a gleam in their eyes not unlike that seen in the crazed countenances of obsessed treasure hunters.

Precious metal, indeed, they found – not gold or silver but bronze.  It was a bronze plaque to be exact.  It read:


“BATTLE OF SOISSONS
FOUGHT JULY 18 – 19 – 20, 1918
THE MAIN ATTACK WAS MADE BY THE FIRST DIVISION U.S. REGULARS
(MAJ. GEN. CHARLES P. SUMMERALL, COMMANDING)
FIRST FRENCH MOROCCAN DIVISION
SECOND DIVISION U.S. REGULARS
THIS BLOW CUT THE ENEMY LINE OF COMMUNICATIONS AND
FORCED HIS WITHDRAWAL FROM THE CHATEAU THIERRY SALIENT.
DEDICATED MAY 30, 1926 BY
WALSH-MARVEL POST No. 307 – VETERANS OF FOREIGN WARS.”

Clearly the plaque had an important tale to tell. But its brief inscription revealed little.

The reference to the Battle of Soissons was a reference to an important battle during World War I.  The battle, considered by some to be a turning point of World War I, raged for days near the French town of Soissons.  American troops pounded the Germans so severely that the Germans lost momentum and, ultimately, the War.  Yet, the battle had its cost – more than twelve thousand American soldiers and marines dead, wounded or missing.  See generally Johnson II, Douglas V. & Hillman Jr., Rolfe L., SOISSONS, 1918 (Texas A&M Press 1999).

The mute metal plaque found in the basement of Town Hall referenced the Battle, but does not say why the plaque was dedicated.  It was time for detective work.  This article, originally published in the 2006 Memorial Day edition of The Pelham Weekly, details the results of that work.



Battle of Soissons Plaque Refurbished and Placed
Again at Memorial Park on Memorial Day, May 29, 2006.
Photograph by the Author Taken on May 28, 2016.
NOTE:  Click on Image to Enlarge.

A Captured German Cannon

At the close of World War I, shiploads of captured war matériel arrived in New York City.  John H. Young, a famous Broadway scenic artist who later lived at 228 Highbrook Avenue, had a friend responsible for one such shipload. His friend invited him to come to New York City and cart away one of the fieldpieces “of which there were a large number.”  See John Young, Designer of Stage Scenery, 86 – Constructed Sets for Many Leading Producers Here, N.Y. Times, Jan. 5, 1944, p. 17.  See also Will Not Permit War Memorial To Go To Scrap Heap, The Pelham Sun, Vol. 32, No. 13, Jul. 2, 1942, p. 1, col. 1.

Young paid Michael Lynch of North Pelham to send a “sand wagon” and a team of horses to the docks.  Id.  Lynch and his team hauled a captured German fieldpiece back to Pelham where, Mr. Young later recalled, Lynch dumped it in front of Town Hall where “the chief of police had custody of it.”  Id.  

The cannon seems to have been moved to the grounds of the new Pelham Memorial High School in the early 1920s. The site was perfect. The High School, built between 1919 and 1922, honored those Pelham citizens who served their country, and those who sacrificed their lives, during World War I. By 1924, however, the fieldpiece lay amidst debris on the high school grounds.  See Gardner Minard, Former Head of Veterans of Foreign Wars Post Objects to Scrapping Fieldpiece Memorial, The Pelham Sun, Vol. 32, No. 12, Jun. 26, 1942, p. 1, col. 4.

The Cannon Is Saved

J. Gardner Minard, an active member of the Walsh-Marvel Post No. 307 – Veterans of Foreign Wars in Pelham, rescued the cannon from the debris. (Minard later served as Commander of the V.F.W. Post and Village Historian of the Village of North Pelham.)

In 1925 or 1926, Minard had the fieldpiece removed from the high school and repaired.  Id.  Famed artist Remington Schuyler painted the cannon in camouflage style.  Id.  Local contractor John T. Brook, later head of the Pelham National Bank that failed during the Depression, constructed a large concrete block in Memorial Park on the lot next to Town Hall on which the cannon would rest.  Id.  

During rainy Memorial Day ceremonies ninety years ago today, on May 30, 1926, the Town of Pelham unveiled the captured cannon resting on the impressive concrete base with a bronze plaque affixed to that base.  The plaque commemorated the Battle of Soissons.  The only surviving Civil War veteran then living in Pelham, Major Charles A. Walker, removed the veiling from the gun.  Rain Fails To Dampen Pelham’s Spirit in Memorial Day Tribute To Memory of World War Heroes, The Pelham Sun, Jun. 4, 1926, Vol. 17, No. 14, p. 1, col. 5.  He humbly said: “I don’t know why I have been selected for this honor; my part in this has been so small.”).  Id. 

Master of Ceremonies Lt. Col. David A. L’Esperance spoke of the memorial. He said, in part:

“it is a symbol of war and should be an example of what war really is, and its very being in this town will help to teach the younger generation what they must be trained to prevent.  There is none of you who is willing to stand in front of that gun and have it fired, but it will stand as an example to teach America to be so prepared as to never be forced to face such an implement.”  Id.  

Though the provenance of the German cannon may not have been known with certainty, virtually every reference indicates it was captured during the Battle of Soissons. J. Gardner Minard (who rescued the gun from rusting destruction) was among those citizens of Pelham who took part in the Battle of Soissons.  Gardner Minard, Former Head of Veterans of Foreign Wars Post Objects to Scrapping Fieldpiece Memorial, The Pelham Sun, Vol. 32, No. 12, Jun. 26, 1942, p. 1, col. 4.

As in so many other towns and villages throughout the nation, the fieldpiece next to Pelham’s Town Hall became a patriotic symbol of courage, sacrifice and conviction in the face of adversity.  For the next sixteen years, Pelham Veterans, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Cub Scouts and citizens ended each Memorial Day parade with a thoughtful ceremony beneath the mouth of the cannon that once had roared but now stood silently in reverence as a reminder of the liberties protected at so terrible cost by those who fought and died in the First World War.

The years passed. In 1936, the Walsh-Marvel Post No. 307 – Veterans of Foreign Wars in Pelham disbanded.  Id.  Still the cannon stood, a silent sentinel, until . . . World War II.

World War II and Salvage Drives

Following the dastardly attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 and the nation’s entry into World War II, Pelham mobilized.  Citizens created the “War Council of the Pelhams”.  Among the many divisions of that War Council was the Salvage Division. In the early months John A. Dittrich headed that Division. Later, Francis Lawton, Jr. chaired it.  See War Council of The Pelhams and the Office of Civilian Protection, p. 1 (Jun. 11, 1943) (pamphlet report with unnumbered pages; original in collection of The Office of The Historian of The Town of Pelham).

Within a few months, John Dittrich wrote Town Supervisor Tom Fenlon a letter stating, in part:

“There is a cannon – a memento of World War No. I that I feel will serve a much better and more definite purpose in being made available for scrap so that [it] might readily be converted into war material. . . . This was discussed with George Usbeck, Commander of Post 50, American Legion, and he is in favor of releasing this memento for salvage.”  

Two Huge Tires and German Gun Among Salvage, The Pelham Sun, Vol. 32, No. 11, Jun. 19, 1942, p. 1, col. 7.

A short time later, Commander Usbeck consulted with members of Pelham Post 50 and issued a letter to Supervisor Fenlon saying: “The Pelham Legion Post feels that the cannon at present located in Memorial Park should be given to the scrap material collection.  A committee will arrange for its removal providing this plan meets with the approval of the Town Board.  I feel certain that this item soon will be replaced by one made in Japan.”  Id. 

The Pelham Sun reported the correspondence on June 19, 1942.  That same evening, the Town Board held a special meeting at which it passed a resolution dedicating the gun for scrap provided that it could be confirmed that the Town owned the gun.  See All’s Quiet on The Eastern Front; Controversy Over Disposal of War Memorial Dies Down; Placque Reset, The Pelham Sun, Vol. 32, No. 14, Jul. 10, 1942, p. 1, col. 1.

J. Gardiner Minard’s heart must have skipped a beat when he read newspaper accounts of these developments.  The memorial cannon clearly symbolized to him the sacrifices of many.  It reminded him of the comrades with whom he had such close relationships during his years with the local V.F.W. post.  Perhaps most importantly, as one account noted, the plaque “constituted the last reminder of the existence of a Post of the V. F. W. in Pelham”.  See Gardner Minard, Former Head of Veterans of Foreign Wars Post Objects to Scrapping Fieldpiece Memorial, The Pelham Sun, Vol. 32, No. 12, Jun. 26, 1942, p. 1, col. 4.

J. Gardiner Minard Saves the Plaque

Fearful that the memorial would be scrapped soon, Gardiner Minard notified Village Police that he planned to remove the plaque and that if “anyone wanted to know where it was, he would have possession of it”.  Id.   He marched directly to the memorial and removed it.  Id.

Minard claimed ownership of the plaque and custody of the fieldpiece.  He asserted that: 

“he had a chattel mortgage on all the effects of the Walsh-Marvel Post, V. F. W., when it disbanded after having permanent headquarters in the Callan building north of the Town Hall for several years.  He foreclosed and became possessed of its effects, and he avers the responsibility for custody of the German gun.”  Id.  

Everyone agreed, as Supervisor Fenlon reportedly put it, that “[t]he need for scrap metal is not so great at the present time as to warrant a town dispute over dismantling the fieldpiece.  If it were really needed for scrap metal I don’t believe Mr. Minard or the Town Board would disagree over parting with it”.  Id.  

Nevertheless, Supervisor Fenlon was not happy with the removal of the plaque.  Nor was Mr. Minard satisfied with any possibility that so important a memorial might be scrapped unnecessarily. 

Despite the standoff, an amicable resolution followed within a matter of weeks.  By late July, a headline in The Pelham Sun reported that “All’s Quiet On The Eastern Front” as the “Controversy Over Disposal Of War Memorial Dies Down”. 

It seems that Gardner Minard quelled the dispute when, in early July, he quietly replaced the revered plaque on the concrete pedestal that supported the captured German cannon. The local paper reported that, as a consequence, “The Town Board . . . will probably rescind its resolution” agreeing to scrap the gun if the Town owned it.  See All’s Quiet on The Eastern Front; Controversy Over Disposal of War Memorial Dies Down; Placque Reset, The Pelham Sun, Vol. 32, No. 14, Jul. 10, 1942, p. 1, col. 1.

It seems that Gardner Minard quelled the dispute when, in early July, he quietly replaced the revered plaque on the concrete pedestal that supported the captured German cannon.  Id.  The local paper reported that, as a consequence, “The Town Board . . . will probably rescind its resolution” agreeing to scrap the gun if the Town owned it.  Id.  

Circumstances Change

Barely two weeks later, circumstances changed. On Saturday, July 18, 1942, the nation’s War Department issued a request that “obsolete military equipment, especially ‘German artillery pieces and like relics’ be taken off courthouse lawns and contributed to a nation-wide salvage campaign."  German Fieldpiece May Be Scrapped In War Dept. Campaign, The Pelham Sun, Vol. 32, No. 16, Jul. 24, 1942, p. 1, col. 4.

This time there was no hesitation. Uncle Sam needed scrap for the War effort. Though Gardner Minard knew what must be done, he expressed personal pain saying “I personally have a deep regard for that gun because I took part in the battle where it was captured, and I would regret to see it depart from its current location.”  Id.

Despite his regrets, Mr. Minard told the Town Board that because of the War Department’s request, he had no opposition to the scrapping of the gun.  See Ordered To Scrap German Cannon, A Veterans’ Memento, The Pelham Sun, Vol. 32, No. 19, Aug. 14, 1942, p. 1, col. 7.  Mr. Minard asked, however, that the concrete base and its plaque be kept intact “so that another war relic might be mounted thereon after the present war.”  Id.  

George S. Usbeck, Commander of Pelham Post No. 50, American Legion, appeared at the same Town Board meeting and urged the Board to give the cannon to the Salvage Division of the War Council.  According to one account, the “Board acquiesced to his request after Harry F. Mela, appearing as a private citizen, had made an appeal for the gun for salvage, and had donated a German helmet and an iron cross to the salvage collection.”  Id.  

Pelham and its citizens had decided to scrap a sacred memorial for the sake of the nation.

The Cannon Is Scrapped

On Wednesday, August 26, 1942, workers took the gun apart with an acetylene torch under the supervision of Vincent Lopardi, official “Salvager” for Pelham (and other Towns and Cities in Westchester County).  The plaque remained affixed to the concrete base.  In recognition of the significance of the memorial, the base was used as a salvage depot throughout the remainder of the War.  See German Cannon Goes To War For Uncle Sam, The Pelham Sun, Vol. 32, No. 21, Aug. 28, 1942, p. 1, col. 3.

The Pelham Sun reported that after taking apart and weighing the gun, an astonished Vincent Lopardi revealed that “the gun weighed 1776 pounds.”  Id.  That was, of course, minus the weight of the bronze plaque that later made its way to the basement of Town Hall. That plaque was unveiled, yet again, on Memorial Day, May 29, 2006, nearly ten years ago to the day.  It has stood proudly as an important memorial ever since.


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Friday, May 27, 2016

Was Max "Maxie" Martin the Man Who Was the Skipper on the Pelham Manor Trolley the Day Fontaine Fox Rode the Line and Was Inspired?


Trolley tracks once criss-crossed lower Westchester County carrying clattering streetcars throughout the region.  By 1899, travelers could journey between the Battery and any of New Rochelle, Pelham, Mount Vernon or Yonkers for a single fare of eight cents. 

Early last century, one of those trolley lines in the Village of Pelham Manor inspired the creative genius of a man named Fontaine Talbot Fox (1884-1964).  He created one of the most popular comics in the United States – “Toonerville Folks”. 

The cartoon centered around the quirky inhabitants of a town called “Toonerville” and its rickety and unpredictable trolley.  The operator of the trolley was “The Skipper.” 

Fontaine Fox, as he stated a number of times in published interviews and letters, based the comic on his experience during a trolley ride on a visit to Pelham on August 8, 1909.  “Toonerville Folks” ran in hundreds of newspapers from about 1913 to 1955 and brought national attention to Pelham. 

When Fontaine Fox made his now-famous visit to Pelham on August 8, 1909, the trolley line that inspired him ran along today's Pelhamdale Avenue to a stop near the railroad bridge of the New Haven Branch Line above Pelhamdale not far from today's Grant Avenue and Manor Circle.  Barely a year later, the Westchester Electric Railway extended the Pelham Manor trolley line along Pelhamdale Avenue to Shore Road near the New York Athletic Club.

Who was the trolley operator the day Fontaine Fox took his fateful ride?  I have speculated before that it may have been James Bailey.  Several different men, however, seem to have claimed to have been the trolley operator who inspired the character of The Skipper in "Toonerville Folks."

One man who may have the strongest claim to being the trolley operator on the day of Fontaine Fox's fateful ride who inspired the comic character known as The Skipper was a New Rochelle resident named Max ("Maxie") Martin.  Maxie began service as the operator of the Pelham Manor trolley in 1900 when the trolley line opened and served until 1924 when he retired and opened a stationery store and news stand in New Rochelle.  

Maxie was beloved by all of Pelham.  Pelhamites told many stories of his many idiosyncrasies and his countless kindnesses.  One oft-told story was of the time he left the Pelham Manor station in the rickety one-man trolley car and headed up Pelhamdale Avenue on his way to meet the next train at the Pelham Train Station in the Village of North Pelham.  He saw a woman running down Pelhamdale Avenue on her way to the Pelham Manor Station.  He stopped the trolley, picked her up, turned the trolley back toward Pelham Manor Station and delivered her safely there, waiting at the station until the train departed with the woman safely on board.  He then turned back toward the Pelham Train Station in North Pelham to meet the next train.

Maxie died on March 19, 1931.  According to one of his obituaries:  "Services for 'The Skipper' were conducted this morning [March, 20, 1931] at his home at 355 North Avenue, New Rochelle, by Rabbi Rosenberg of Mount Vernon.  He was a member of the Congregation Brothers Israel here, and he leaves his wife, Mary; three sons, Samuel of New York City, Sidney of Mount Vernon, and Isadore of New Rochelle; also two daughters, Lillian of New Rochelle and Mrs. Rose Sondon of New York City."

Both of the local obituaries published at the time of Maxie Martin's death noted that he was the trolley operator on the Pelham Manor trolley who inspired the comic character "The Skipper" in Fontaine Fox's "Toonerville Folks" comic.



U.S. Postage Stamp Honoring the "Toonerville Folks" 
Showing the Toonerville Trolley and its Skipper; Issued
by the United States Postal Service in 1995.
NOTE: Click Image to Enlarge.


Example of a Toonerville Folks Comic Featuring the
Toonerville Trolley and its Skipper.  NOTE:  Click
Image to Enlarge.


Trolley car that ran from Pelham Station along Wolfs Lane
with a short stint on Colonial Avenue then along the length
of Pelhamdale to Shore Road where it turned around and
repeated the trip. The two trolley operators standing in front
of the car were Skippers Dan and Louie (on Right). NOTE:
Click on Image to Enlarge.


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"'MAXIE,' ORIGINAL 'SKIPPER' OF THE 'TOONERVILLE' RINGS UP LAST FARE
-----
Beloved Old Character, Who Inspired Fontaine Fox, Was Favorite With Residents of Pelham Manor; Many Amusing Incidents Recalled by Old Residents At Death of 'Skipper.'
-----

Max Martin, who for 24 years presided as 'Skipper' at the helm of the Pelham Manor trolley car, the original 'Toonerville Trolley' in its meanderings between the New Haven station and the Shore Road, was buried in Sherwood Park Cemetery, Yonkers, on Friday.  He was 65 years old.

In passing, 'Maxie' as he was familiarly known to his passengers, leaves behind  host of memories in the minds of numerous local residents who at one time or another were the recipients of those little courtesies and favors that endeared him to many.

'The Skipper' who was the original of Fontaine Fox's cartoons depicting the peregrinations of the Toonerville Trolley, died last Thursday at the Post Graduate Hospital in New York city from a foot infection and now 'Louie' who has served on the Manor line for nearly the same length of time, is alone with only his memories.

Chief Philip Gargan of the Pelham police and Patrolman James Butler of the same department, both recall many incidents regarding the Skipper.  They tell of how Maxie was always willing to help his passengers and how one time in particular, after he had started for Pelham, he saw a woman running for a train at the Pelham Manor station.  Despite the fact that he had just left the station, 'Maxie' backed up the Toonerville, picked up the woman and took her to the station.  As she boarded the train the Skipper retraced his route towards North Pelham.

The Skipper also aided the police in those days, Chief Gargan tells of how when he was a new patrolman on the force 'Maxie' would occasionally tell him of 'suspicious' characters who had ridden on the Toonerville.

In 1924, 'Maxie' left his Toonerville to be Skipper of a stationery store and news stand in New Rochelle, in the period that has followed since that time, his customers have come to have the same feeling towards him that his passengers on the trolley had.

Funeral services were conducted Friday at his home at No. 355 North avenue, New Rochelle, by Rabbi Rosenberg of Mount Vernon.  He was a member of the Congregation of Brothers of Israel in Mount Vernon.

His widow, Mary; three sons, Samuel of New York City, Sidney of Mount Vernon, and Isadore of New Rochelle; and two daughters, Lillian of New Rochelle, and Mrs. Rose Sondon of New York City, survive him."

Source:  "MAXIE," ORIGINAL 'SKIPPER' OF THE 'TOONERVILLE' RINGS UP LAST FARE -- Beloved Old Character, Who Inspired Fontaine Fox, Was Favorite With Residents of Pelham Manor; Many Amusing Incidents Recalled by Old Residents At Death of "Skipper," The Pelham Sun, Mar. 27, 1931, p. 9, cols. 1-2.  

"'SKIPPER' OF TROLLEY DIES
-----
Max Martin, Veteran on Pelham Manor Line, Had Great Career
-----

'The Skipper,' who for 24 years plied his 'Toonerville Trolley' between the villages of North Pelham and Pelham Manor, is dead.

The man who for nearly a quarter of a century accommodated the villagers in many homely ways, and who is credited by some with having been the original 'Skipper' in Fontaine Fox's comic strips, lives no more.  There has been some dispute about the original of the cartoon, one story being that he was a Jersey man who died about three months ago.

In real life 'The Skipper' was Max Martin.  To his friends in the Pelhams, and they were all his friends, he was known as Maxie.

And today, 'Louie,' -- they know him only by that name in the Pelhams -- 'Louie,' who has been on the line for almost as long as Maxie, carries on alone, as he has done since 1924, when 'The Skipper' retired to open his stationery story and news stand on North Avenue in New Rochelle, his home town.

'Maxie' and 'Louie' are a tradition in the Pelhams.  After the services for Maxie, who died at the age of 65 yesterday afternoon in the Post Graduate Hospital in New York, and after his remains were buried this morning in Sherwood Park Cemetery.  'The Skipper's' old friends in the Pelhams recalled this afternoon some of the little incidents of years ago that made 'Maxie' the lovable character that is known so far and wide.

Among those who knew him perhaps more intimately than any others were Chief of Police Philip Gargan and Desk Officer James Butler of Pelham Manor, and Chief of Police Michael J. Fitzpatrick of North Pelham, each of whom has seen about a quarter of a century of service in their respective departments.

When 'The Skipper' first went to work as conductor on the 'Toonerville Trolley' about thirty years ago, the residents in the Pelham villages were few in number, and the homes few and far between.

One day, about 16 years ago, 'Toonerville' was bound for North Pelham with Patrolman Frank Mulligan on board, 'Maxie' saw a woman running for a train at the Pelham Manor Station which he had just left.

'Maxie' had the trolley back up to pick up the woman and take her to the station.  Not until she was safely on board the train did the 'Toonerville' head back for North Pelham.  

This was one of the things that endeared 'Maxie' to the folks whom he served.

Services for 'The Skipper' were conducted this morning at his home at 355 North Avenue, New Rochelle, by Rabbi Rosenberg of Mount Vernon.  He was a member of the Congregation Brothers Israel here, and he leaves his wife, Mary; three sons, Samuel of New York City, Sidney of Mount Vernon, and Isadore of New Rochelle; also two daughters, Lillian of New Rochelle and Mrs. Rose Sondon of New York City."

Source:  "SKIPPER" OF TROLLEY DIES -- Max Martin, Veteran on Pelham Manor Line, Had Great Career, The Daily Argus [Mount Vernon, NY], Mar. 20, 1931, p. 2, col. 4.

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Below is a bibliography including links to a few of my many previous postings dealing with the topics of the "Toonerville Trolley," horse-drawn railroad cars, electric trolleys and other trolley-related information pertinent to Pelham, New York.

Bell, Blake A., Pelham and the Toonerville Trolley, 82(4) The Westchester Historian, pp. 96-111 (Fall 2006).


Bell, Blake A., Pelham and the Toonerville Trolley, The Pelham Weekly, Vol. XIII, No. 11, Mar. 12, 2004, p. 10, col. 1.

Thu., Sep. 10, 2015:  Pelham Manor Citizens Voted to Reject Bus Service and Keep Their Toonerville Trolley in 1936.

Fri., Jul. 24, 2015:  The Day the Brakes Failed on the Pelham Manor Trolley, Inspiration for the Toonerville Trolley.

Wed., Mar. 19, 2014:  Another Confirmation the Famous "Toonerville Trolley" was Inspired by the Pelham Manor Trolley in 1909.

Wed., Mar. 25, 2009:  Another Brief Account by Fontaine Fox Describing Trolley in Pelham Manor as Inspiration for Toonerville Trolley Comic Strip.

Tue., Apr. 19, 2005:   Pelham Manor Residents Fight Construction of the Toonerville Trolley Line

Fri., Jun. 17, 2005:  "Skipper Louie" of Pelham Manor's Toonerville Trolley

Tue., Sep. 20, 2005:  Pelham's "Toonerville Trolley" Goes to War

Tue., Oct. 11, 2005:  The Toonerville Trolley Pays Its Bills -- Late!


Thu., Mar. 09, 2006:  Photographs of the H Line and A Line Trolleys on and Near Pelhamdale Avenue.

Thu., Jul. 06, 2006:  Who Was the Skipper on the Pelham Manor Trolley the Day Fontaine Fox Rode the Line and Was Inspired?

Wed., Aug. 9, 2006:  The Saddest Day in the History of Pelham Manor's "Toonerville Trolley"


Tue., Sep. 19, 2006:  Toonerville Trolley Cartoons Available For Free Viewing Online.  


Mon., Mar. 05, 2007:  An Ode to the Toonerville Trolley and its Skipper Published in 1921.

Mon., May 28, 2007:  Brief Biography of Henry De Witt Carey, 19th Century Pelham Justice of the Peace.

Thu., Jul. 30, 2009:  Pelham-Related Trolley Franchises Granted in 1897.

Mon., Aug. 17, 2009:  Efforts by Pelham Landowners in 1900 to Halt Construction of a Trolley Line on Shore Road.

Thu., Aug. 27, 2009:  October 19, 1898 Report that the Tracks of the Toonerville Trolley Line Had Been Laid in Pelham.  

Wed., Dec. 23, 2009:  Attack on the Toonerville Trolley Line by Strikers in 1916

Wed., Dec. 30, 2009:  Opening of the Extension of the Pelham Manor Trolley Line in 1910 -- The Toonerville Trolley Line.

Tue., Jan. 05, 2010:  More on the Extension of the Pelham Manor Trolley Line in 1910 -- The Toonerville Trolley Line.


Wed., Mar. 05, 2014:  Trolleys Come to Pelham in the 1890s.

Tue., Jan. 06, 2015:  Extension of the Toonerville Trolley Line in Pelham Manor in 1910.


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Thursday, May 26, 2016

A Brief History of the Tuesday Afternoon Club Before It Merged Into the Manor Club of Pelham Manor


In about 1898, a small group of about a dozen Pelham Manor women gathered periodically to do "fancy work" (i.e., ornamental needlework including crocheting and knitting).  As they worked, a chosen member of the group read aloud a lecture by an historian "about some famous character in history."  These informal weekly gatherings occurred during the winter months of the year.  

Soon the women tired of the lectures that were read to them.  They opted for having a chosen member read novels during their informal gatherings.  According to one report, this period represented the "lowest ebb intellectually" of those who gathered to socialize.  

Such novels likewise failed to satisfy the intellectual yearnings of the Pelham Manor women who gathered weekly during the winter months.  An early history of the group noted they still had a "desire for more worthy things."

In 1900, the group organized formally as "The Tuesday Afternoon Club."  It elected as its first president Mrs. Joan E. Secor.  She was the only president the club ever had, serving until The Tuesday Afternoon Club merged with the Manor Club when Pelham Manor women took over that club in 1914.  Other early officers of The Tuesday Afternoon Club were Mrs. Charles B. Hull, vice-president; Mrs. Evelyn Randall, secretary; and Mrs. Charlotte E. Cowles, treasurer.

The club met in one of the alcoves of the original Manor Club building that once stood on the site of today's clubhouse.  At the time, the Manor Club was run by men of Pelham Manor and was experiencing difficulties including financial difficulties.  According to one account, the Manor Club "was glad to encourage the use, at a nominal fee, of the building by the women's club."  

At about the time the club organized more formally and installed Joan Secor as its president, members embarked on an initiative to raise the level of the studies embraced by members of the club.  As part of this initiative, members of The Tuesday Afternoon Club spent a winter season reading Homer's Iliad and studying the Hellenic period.  As part of the program, members of the club prepared a number of scholarly papers that were read to the club.  The enhanced program was deemed a success.

During the next two winter seasons, members of the club read and studied the Divine Comedy of Dante and then the Renaissance period in various countries.  During the winter season in which they studied the Renaissance, the women departed from their previous practice of centering their studies around a book.  Instead, they prepared a lesson plan that allowed them to study more broadly the Renaissance period.  

During this time, The Tuesday Afternoon Club thrived and grew while the male-dominated Manor Club continued with its difficulties.  Each year, during a four-month winter season, the women of The Tuesday Afternoon Club met weekly in an alcove of the Manor Club building.  One season they studied Goethe's Faust.  The following two seasons thereafter they studied works of Shakespeare, followed by a season when they studied a "group of leaders of modern thought."

By about 1909, however, things were beginning to change. First, the club was growing tremendously.  Within only a few short years it would reach one hundred members.  Second, the rise of the suffragette movement and the growth of feminism gripped members of the club and prompted a shift away from studies of the arts.  Instead, the club satisfied its "sense of responsibility toward practical mundane affairs" by embarking on studies of "Political Economy, Elementary Law and kindred civic subjects" for several winter seasons. 

Soon the tide turned again as members of the club hungered for studies of the arts.  During the winter season of 1912/1913, members of the club studied "the art of the Diana."

By 1913, The Tuesday Afternoon Club had reached more than one hundred members.  The quality of its programming likewise had grown.  During the 1913/1914 winter season, members of the club heard eight lectures on the Theory of the Theatre by Clayton Hamilton, of Columbia University.  They also conducted forums and discussions on "eight subjects of present day interest, such as socialism, suffrage, modern religion, modern literature, music and art."

In 1914, The Tuesday Afternoon Club joined with the Manor Club and the women replaced the men as officers.  Mrs. Joan E. Secor was elected president of the new Manor Club and continued her service as president until she moved from Pelham to the west coast in 1925.  The women of The Tuesday Afternoon Club oversaw a turnaround of the fortunes and finances of the Manor Club and even oversaw construction of the new clubhouse that still stands when the cornerstone was laid in 1921 and the clubhouse was completed the following year.  

Though The Tuesday Afternoon Club no longer exists, its heart and soul remain in the guise of today's Manor Club, still a social and cultural force in Pelham more than one hundred years later.



Photograph of the Manor Club's "Manor House"
Published in 1892. Source: Manor Club "Memory
Book."  NOTE:  Click on Image to Enlarge.

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Below is the transcribed text of an article that appeared in the December 20, 1913 issue of The Pelham Sun providing a brief history of The Tuesday Afternoon Club.  The text is followed by a citation and link to its source.  

"The Tuesday Afternoon Club
OF PELHAM MANOR
-----

The Tuesday Afternoon Club is a woman's study club, which meets weekly for four months each winter to give its members an opportunity to come together and to study some subject more or less seriously.

Its aim is to give purpose to the reading of the busy housewife so that the years may not drift by in desultory fashion but with passing time may yield some substantial intellectual accomplishment, some definite spiritual gain.  

Of course, not every member can nor will give the time necessary for serious work, but lecturers and books are supplied, and members are encouraged to go as deeply into a subject as they can.

In the beginning, some fifteen years ago, the club was a little group of perhaps a dozen women who met to do fancy work while some one read aloud one of Dr. Lord's lectures about some famous character in history.  The women were too timid to write papers or to read them if they had been written.

In course of time the lectures proved tiresome and a novel was ventured upon which proved still more fatiguing.  The club was at its lowest ebb intellectually.  But a decided reaction set in which showed itself by a desire for more worthy things and which lasted for some years.

The first expression of this desire was a season spent in reading Homer's Iliad and in studying the Hellenic period, and excellent papers were not only prepared but read.

Refreshed by contact with virile Greek life the club women then pressed on to another great masterpiece and read the entire Divine Comedy of Dante which was followed by a season's study of the Renaissance in various countries.  This latter year was the first time that the club had ventured to do without a text book, depending entirely upon a plan arranged by itself.  Many of us remember with pleasure the hard work of these two seasons, especially the study of this medieval poem and its early Italian background.

Coming a little closer to modern times another great poem was chosen for study, and a season was well spent in reading both parts of Goethe's Faust.  This poem proved heavier reading than most busy women cared to undertake alone, but under the stimulus of weekly meetings and the companionship of earnest minds, many of them persevered to the end which brought its own reward.  

Two delightful seasons were then given to Shakespeare, which were followed by the study of a group of leaders of modern thought.  

A winter's study of Browning was to have rounded out the cycle of the masters of literature, but the club now grown large, decided to turn its attention away from the realm of the imagination and toward the problems of daily living.  The growth of feminism brought with it a certain sense of responsibility toward practical mundane affairs which caused the club to give several seasons to the study of Political Economy, Elementary Law and kindred civic subjects until after a time another current turned the tide in the direction of the arts.

Because it was the most vital and personal of the arts as well as one which combined not only literary and pictorial interest but the representation of human emotion and struggle, the art of the Diana was chosen as the subject both for last year and this.

It is gratifying to look back and to note the healthy development of the Tuesday Afternoon Club during the past fifteen years, from a dozen members to more than a hundred, and from the reading of a printed lecture to the program for the present season of 1914, when the members of the club will listen to eight lectures on the Theory of the Theatre by Clayton Hamilton, of Columbia University, and will themselves conduct discussions upon eight subjects of present day interest, such as socialism, suffrage, modern religion, modern literature, music and art.

The spirit of the club is most generous and kindly and there is shown a steadily increasing interest in the higher things of life, both intellectual and spiritual, which is due in large measure to the influence and inspiration of the President of the club, who has held that office since the beginning.

EVELYN RANDALL."

Source:  Randall, Evelyn, The Tuesday Afternoon Club of Pelham Manor, The Pelham Sun, Dec. 20, 1913, p. 8, col. 2.  

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I have written about the Manor Club and its history on a number of occasions.  Seee.g.:  

Bell, Blake A., Early History of the Manor Club, The Pelham Weekly, Vol. XIII, No. 20, May 14, 2004, p. 12, col. 2.

Tue., Dec. 13, 2005:  The Manor Club's First Clubhouse Built in 1887-1888

Wed., Dec. 28, 2005:  The Mystery of the "Manor Club Girl" That Set Pelham Tongues Wagging in 1913

Fri., Aug. 4, 2006:  Early Images of the Original and Current Clubhouse Structures of the Manor Club in the Village of Pelham Manor, New York.

Mon., Feb. 15, 2010:  Early History of the Manor Club in the Village of Pelham Manor.

Thu., Sep. 25, 2014:  The Manor Club's Celebration of its Golden Anniversary in 1932.

Mon., Feb. 08, 2016:  Laying of the Cornerstone of the First Manor Club Clubhouse on Thanksgiving Day in 1887.

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