News From the Pelham Press of June 4, 1897

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In 1896 and 1897, the new Village of North Pelham was so tiny that one could stand "in the center and see every neighbor across its boundaries."  Yet, the tiny little settlement previously known as Pelhamville had its own little newspaper:  the Pelham Press.  

The few reports from the Pelham Press that exist are extant only because the editor of the newspaper, J. Gardner Minard, provided transcriptions of news from the little newspaper to The Pelham Sun which published the news thirty years later, in 1926 and 1927, in a series of columns entitled "Pelham 30 Years Ago."  Historic Pelham has transcribed a number of such columns given their historical significance and interest.  See, e.g.:

Wed., Oct. 07, 2015:  The Week that Was in 1896: Pelham Press News of Pelham, November 19, 1896 to November 25, 1896.

Tue., Aug. 30, 2016:  News Reported by the Pelham Press on February 13, 1897. 

Wed., Jan. 31, 2018:  News from the Pelham Press Printed on May 21, 1897.

 Fri., Sep. 29, 2017:  Professor David A. Van Buskirk's Scandalous Musicale in North Pelham in 1897 (transcribing "PELHAM 30 YEARS AGO" that reproduced news from the Pelham Press published Jan. 23, 1897).

Today's Historic Pelham article focuses on news from the Pelham Press published on June 4, 1897.  The news, reprinted by The Pelham Sun on June 10, 1927, is transcribed at the end of today's article.  

As one might imagine, in a tiny settlement like North Pelham in 1897 with a series of dirt roads that criss-crossed the neighborhood, there were no street signs.  Though many of the dirt roads had street names, even some North Pelham residents did not know the name of the streets on which they lived.  Consequently, the Pelham Press began agitating for the erection of street signs.

As the Pelham Press noted, the expense necessary to erect such signs would not require the issuance of a bond.  The newspaper admitted, however, that it was "True it is no easy matter to get lost in a village where you can stand in the center and see every neighbor across its boundaries, but many local residents would like to be enlightened as to the name of the street on which he resides."  Interestingly, the paper cited one example involving Park Place in North Pelham, a tiny one-block street that still extends between Eighth Avenue and Ninth Avenue just north of today's Lincoln Avenue.  The newspaper said:  "One gentleman who has resided on Park place for over six months just learned from us yesterday the name of his street."

Another fascinating aspect of the news from the Pelham Press of June 4, 1897 involved the new-fangled "safety bicycle" that swept the nation during the last two decades of the 19th century.  A variety of news reports Pelhamville and, later the Village of North Pelham, make clear that from the time wood plank sidewalks were first established in Pelhamville in the mid-1880s, bicyclists using the sidewalks instead of the muddy, rutted roadways were an annoying and dangerous problem.  In 1897, the Village of North Pelham had a relatively new ordinance forbidding bicyclists from using its sidewalks to ply their hobby.

Despite the ordinance, bicyclists continued to avoid the roadways and use the local sidewalks.  The Pelham Press expressed sympathy for local bicyclists, however.  It noted:  "
North Pelham should repair the streets of the village, especially Fifth avenue, so as to make it passable in wet weather.  Who can blame bicyclists for using the sidewalks."

One bicyclist who found himself in the clutches of the law in the Village of North Pelham in 1897 was William Howe of nearby Mount Vernon.  Howe, it seems, was a resident of Third Avenue in Mount Vernon and was a long-time bicycle enthusiast.  He is noted in a local newspaper as early as 1892 as having fallen from his bicycle and "strain[ing] both hands."  

On Monday, May 31, 1897, William Howe was delivering a new bicycle to a family in the new neighborhood of Chester Park in North Pelham.  The family was none other than that of Mr. and Mrs. William T. Standen, the founders of Chester Park.  The couple had purchased a new "Safety Bicycle" for their daughter.

A "Safety Bicycle" as it then was called, was a bicycle that resembled what we think of today as an ordinary bicycle with two equally-sized wheels.  This distinguished it from the so-called "High Wheelers" with a giant front wheel and tiny rear wheel.  Such High Wheelers were difficult to mount, difficult to dismount, and could be wobbly and hard to maneuver.

Image from 1904 Dictionary of Technology Showing an 1880

"High Wheeler" Bicycle on the Left and a So-Called "Safety

Bicycle" on the Right.  Source:  "Safety Bicycle" in Wikipedia --

The Free Encyclopedia (visited Feb. 4, 2018).  NOTE:  Click on

Image to Enlarge.

Howe rode the Safety Bicycle through North Pelham on his way to deliver it to Chester Park that day.  As he rode, a Town Constable at the corner of Fifth Avenue and First Street near Lyman's Pharmacy saw him and shouted at him to stop riding on the sidewalk.  According to the Pelham Press, "Howe was going at a good speed and tried to obey the command but not fast enough to please Marks who promptly placed him under arrest."  Howe was hauled before Judge Lyon who fined him $10 under the new bicycle ordinance (about $355 in today's dollars).  After Howe protested and threatened to test the new ordinance in court, Judge Lyon reduced the fine to $5.

The Pelham Press further criticized the Town Constables for what it believed was uneven and unequal enforcement of the North Pelham bicycle ordinance.  The newspaper claimed that the ordinance was enforced against non-residents, but was not enforced against North Pelham residents.  As the newspaper put it:

"Complaint is being received at this office that the local constables are drawing a distinction in making arrests for violation of the North Pelham ordinances, especially the one relating to the riding of bicycles on the sidewalks.  We have seen enough evidence to give this report much color and would suggest that these officers of the law enforce against all, local as well as outsiders."

The Pelham Press of June 4, 1897 also reported on the status of efforts by the Village of Pelham Manor to install new sewers.  The village sewer commissioners, according to the account, voted during a meeting held on Friday, May 28, 1897 to award a contract for installation of the new sewers to Smith Brothers, a contracting firm based in the Village of North Pelham.

It is difficult to imagine a time in Pelham when the main news of the day involved the need for street signs so people would know the name of the street on which they lived, the enforcement of ordinances against riding new-fangled "Safety Bicycles" on the local wood plank sidewalks, and a contract to construct new sewers.  Yet, such was the time in Pelham on June 4, 1897 before our little town grew up.

 

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"PELHAM 30 YEARS AGO
(Pelham Press, June 4, 1897)
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Bruce T. Dick and family have removed to Prospect Hill, Pelham Manor.
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A meeting of the board of trustees of the village of North Pelham will be held next week for the purposes of appointing a village treasurer.
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At the meeting of the sewer commissioners of the village of Pelham Manor held last Friday night, the contract for the installation of the new sewers was awarded to Smith Bros.
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Frank Benz killed a large muskrat in the stream in the rear of his residence last Sunday.  Frank says the stream is swarming with them.
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North Pelham should repair the streets of the village, especially Fifth avenue, so as to make it passable in wet weather.  Who can blame bicyclists for using the sidewalks.
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The Ivanohoe Giants of New Rochelle defeated the Pelham Manor Field Club last Saturday to the tune of 23 to 20.
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Louis Schwab, a driver for John Grab, a New Rochelle beer bottler, was arrested by Constable Marks last Friday for selling bottled beer in North Pelham in violation of the village ordinance in peddling without a license.  Schwab protested that he was only receiving orders and later delivering them, but was unable to produce an order book for evidence.  Judge Lyon found him guilty and imposed a fine of $5.
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The young son of John Lowery of Fifth avenue was run over last Tuesday by a wagon belonging to J. Trohn of New Rochelle.  The little fellow was crossing the street near Heisser's grocery store when he was struck and the rear wheel passed over his leg.  He was not seriously hurt, however.
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William Howe of Mount Vernon was arrested last Monday afternoon by Constable Marks for riding his bicycle on the sidewalk.  Howe was on his way to Chester Park to deliver a safety bicycle to the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. William T. Standen.  Marks was on the corner of 5th avenue and First street at the time and shouted to Howe to get off the sidewalk.  Howe was going at a good speed and tried to obey the command but not fast enough to please Marks who promptly placed him under arrest.  Before Judge Lyon he was fined $10 but protested and the fine was reduced to $5.  This he paid with a threat to have the case tested in the higher courts to decide whether the paths in North Pelham come under the laws governing sidewalks.
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Relief Hook and Ladder company received an invitation from Clinton Hook and Ladder company to be its guests at the parade in Mount Vernon last Monday.  Unfortunately the invitation had to be declined with with thanks as the local company is reduced to five members while Clinton has sixty.
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One of the most necessary improvements in North Pelham and one which will require no bond issue is the installation of street signs.  True it is no easy matter to get lost in a village where you can stand in the center and see every neighbor across its boundaries, but many local residents would like to be enlightened as to the name of the street on which he resides.  One gentleman who has resided on Park place for over six months just learned from us yesterday the name of his street.
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Complaint is being received at this office that the local constables are drawing a distinction in making arrests for violation of the North Pelham ordinances, especially the one relating to the riding of bicycles on the sidewalks.  We have seen enough evidence to give this report much color and would suggest that these officers of the law enforce against all, local as well as outsiders."

Source:   PELHAM 30 YEARS AGO (Pelham Press, June 4, 1897), The Pelham Sun, Jun. 10, 1927, Vol. 18, No. 16, p. 10, cols. 1-3.

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