tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-107046222024-03-16T07:18:31.107-04:00Historic PelhamPresenting 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.Blake A. Bellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06183891320236126637noreply@blogger.comBlogger2358125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10704622.post-73166667117930901382021-12-08T17:19:00.000-05:002021-12-08T17:19:14.770-05:00The Haunted History of Pelham, New York: Including Ghostly Tales of the Bronx, Westchester County, and Long Island SoundArchive of the Historic Pelham Web Site.Home Page of the Historic Pelham Blog.Order a Copy of "The Haunted History of Pelham, New York"Order a Copy of "Thomas Pell and the Legend of the Pell Treaty Oak."The latest Pelham history book has a spooky twist. It recounts local history of Pelham, City Island, the Northeast Bronx, and Long Island Sound in the context of local ghost lore. The Blake A. Bellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06183891320236126637noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10704622.post-57122246056996852682019-11-27T05:06:00.001-05:002023-04-11T11:04:01.776-04:00Take the Money and Run: Pelham Town Supervisor Sherman T. Pell and the Worst Political and Financial Scandal in Pelham HistoryArchive of the Historic Pelham Web Site.Home Page of the Historic Pelham Blog.Order a Copy of "The Haunted History of Pelham, New York"Order a Copy of "Thomas Pell and the Legend of the Pell Treaty Oak."
Small town scandals inevitably set small town tongues wagging. Pelham tongues were wagging from Pelhamville to City Island during the spring and summer of 1893. Democrat Sherman T. Blake A. Bellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06183891320236126637noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10704622.post-72159301914325438172019-11-25T04:57:00.001-05:002023-04-11T11:04:39.250-04:00What Do We Know of the Great "Race Field" of Pelham Used in the First Half of the 19th Century?Archive of the Historic Pelham Web Site.Home Page of the Historic Pelham Blog.Order a Copy of "The Haunted History of Pelham, New York"Order a Copy of "Thomas Pell and the Legend of the Pell Treaty Oak."
Tradition long has held that in the early 19th century there was an important horse racing area in the Town of Pelham that was known as the great "Race Field." The Race Field reportedly Blake A. Bellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06183891320236126637noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10704622.post-12571689426191352642019-11-22T04:38:00.001-05:002023-04-11T11:05:07.100-04:00Mystery of the Steel Engraving of the Melon Farmer at Pelham BridgeArchive of the Historic Pelham Web Site.Home Page of the Historic Pelham Blog.Order a Copy of "The Haunted History of Pelham, New York"Order a Copy of "Thomas Pell and the Legend of the Pell Treaty Oak."
Today presents another Pelham history mystery and, hopefully, a solution to the mystery.
There is a lovely 19th century steel engraving entitled "RIPE AND READY PELHAM BRIDGE, WESTCHESTER CO.Blake A. Bellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06183891320236126637noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10704622.post-81368179031827268582019-11-20T04:44:00.001-05:002023-04-11T11:05:32.837-04:00The Three Original Neighborhoods Planned by the Pelham Manor & Huguenot Heights Associations in the Early 1870sArchive of the Historic Pelham Web Site.Home Page of the Historic Pelham Blog.Order a Copy of "The Haunted History of Pelham, New York"Order a Copy of "Thomas Pell and the Legend of the Pell Treaty Oak."
During the 1870s, real estate speculators who owned lands in the area of today's Village of Pelham Manor began to dream. They formed the Pelham Manor & Huguenot Heights AssociationBlake A. Bellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06183891320236126637noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10704622.post-14170481063009975212019-11-08T05:11:00.001-05:002023-04-11T11:06:13.863-04:00More About Pelham Hose Company No. 2 of the Village of Pelham (Today's Pelham Heights)Archive of the Historic Pelham Web Site.Home Page of the Historic Pelham Blog.Order a Copy of "The Haunted History of Pelham, New York"Order a Copy of "Thomas Pell and the Legend of the Pell Treaty Oak."
Little study seems to have been made of the history of firefighting in Pelham Heights. I have collected some information about the early years of Pelham Heights' Bravest and have written Blake A. Bellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06183891320236126637noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10704622.post-76206520173144891482019-11-06T04:36:00.001-05:002023-04-11T11:06:41.987-04:00Was this the First Automobile Accident on Today's Pelham Bridge?Archive of the Historic Pelham Web Site.Home Page of the Historic Pelham Blog.Order a Copy of "The Haunted History of Pelham, New York"Order a Copy of "Thomas Pell and the Legend of the Pell Treaty Oak."
For about the last two hundred years, some form of bridge has stood above the waters of Eastchester Bay where the Hutchinson River meets Long Island Sound. The histories of the Blake A. Bellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06183891320236126637noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10704622.post-86485244084100155002019-11-05T04:42:00.001-05:002023-04-11T11:07:15.836-04:00The Election of Pelham Patriot Philip Pell III to Congress in 1788 Over Alexander Hamilton and OthersArchive of the Historic Pelham Web Site.Home Page of the Historic Pelham Blog.Order a Copy of "The Haunted History of Pelham, New York"Order a Copy of "Thomas Pell and the Legend of the Pell Treaty Oak."
Today is town-wide election day in the Town of Pelham! All Pelham residents in both villages should exercise their right and privilege to vote today!
In honor of election Blake A. Bellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06183891320236126637noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10704622.post-17810890359896248552019-11-04T04:08:00.001-05:002023-04-11T11:07:40.942-04:00How Did Pelham Get Its Name?Archive of the Historic Pelham Web Site.Home Page of the Historic Pelham Blog.Order a Copy of "The Haunted History of Pelham, New York"Order a Copy of "Thomas Pell and the Legend of the Pell Treaty Oak."
The precise origins of the name of The Town of Pelham in lower Westchester County, New York, are shrouded in the mists of time. Yet, after years of work by local historians and Pell family Blake A. Bellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06183891320236126637noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10704622.post-26423401171411966142019-11-01T05:07:00.001-04:002023-04-11T11:08:02.091-04:00Freak Storm Reportedly Drowned Dozens of People Off Pelham Shores in 1922Archive of the Historic Pelham Web Site.Home Page of the Historic Pelham Blog.Order a Copy of "The Haunted History of Pelham, New York"Order a Copy of "Thomas Pell and the Legend of the Pell Treaty Oak."
On a beautiful, lazy late afternoon in the spring of 1922, nearly twenty thousand people descended on City Island to swim and fish in Long Island Sound. It was June 11, 1922. Blake A. Bellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06183891320236126637noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10704622.post-33216960720044927862019-10-31T04:49:00.001-04:002023-04-11T11:08:22.207-04:00The Poltergeist of PelhamdaleArchive of the Historic Pelham Web Site.Home Page of the Historic Pelham Blog.Order a Copy of "The Haunted History of Pelham, New York"Order a Copy of "Thomas Pell and the Legend of the Pell Treaty Oak."
There is a lovely historic home located at 45 Iden Avenue in the Village of Pelham Manor. It is known as "Pelhamdale." Portions of the home including the rear basement with entrance and Blake A. Bellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06183891320236126637noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10704622.post-14693326662631683672019-10-30T05:15:00.001-04:002023-04-11T11:08:49.644-04:00Another Account of the Phantom Fire Ship of Long Island SoundArchive of the Historic Pelham Web Site.Home Page of the Historic Pelham Blog.Order a Copy of "The Haunted History of Pelham, New York"Order a Copy of "Thomas Pell and the Legend of the Pell Treaty Oak."
Long, long ago when three-masted merchant sailing ships plied the waters of Long Island Sound, one such ship departed New York Harbor for Newport, Rhode Island. Ominous dark clouds hung over theBlake A. Bellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06183891320236126637noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10704622.post-47584106680452819522019-10-29T05:04:00.001-04:002023-04-11T11:09:11.021-04:00Spirits of Bartow-Pell MansionArchive of the Historic Pelham Web Site.Home Page of the Historic Pelham Blog.Order a Copy of "The Haunted History of Pelham, New York"Order a Copy of "Thomas Pell and the Legend of the Pell Treaty Oak."
Introduction
Though it is a New York City showplace, the imposing Greek Revival mansion on Shore Road known as the Bartow-Pell Mansion almost blends into the inky blackness of each night.&Blake A. Bellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06183891320236126637noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10704622.post-40976557460843527232019-10-28T04:49:00.001-04:002023-04-11T11:09:36.198-04:00The Luminous Lantern-Bearer of Baychester and Pelham BridgeArchive of the Historic Pelham Web Site.Home Page of the Historic Pelham Blog.Order a Copy of "The Haunted History of Pelham, New York"Order a Copy of "Thomas Pell and the Legend of the Pell Treaty Oak."
Heinrich Nieman made a single mistake. Actually, it was a teeny-tiny mistake. Even a teeny-tiny mistake, however, typically is disastrous in Nieman's business.
Heinrich Blake A. Bellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06183891320236126637noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10704622.post-13681041756255701442019-10-25T04:05:00.001-04:002023-04-11T11:10:02.478-04:00The Ghost of the Haunted Hardenbrook House on Shore RoadArchive of the Historic Pelham Web Site.Home Page of the Historic Pelham Blog.Order a Copy of "The Haunted History of Pelham, New York"Order a Copy of "Thomas Pell and the Legend of the Pell Treaty Oak."
Halloween is nearly upon us. As has been the tradition for years, on each of the five business days until Halloween beginning today, Historic Pelham will present another new Pelham ghostBlake A. Bellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06183891320236126637noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10704622.post-17977915964259474202019-10-23T04:43:00.001-04:002023-04-11T11:10:26.532-04:00More on Installation of "Silent Cop" Traffic Lights and Traffic Semaphores in Pelham in the 1920sArchive of the Historic Pelham Web Site.Home Page of the Historic Pelham Blog.Order a Copy of "The Haunted History of Pelham, New York"Order a Copy of "Thomas Pell and the Legend of the Pell Treaty Oak."
Pelham has had automobile traffic issues for as long as, well, as long as there have been automobiles. Indeed, from the earliest years of the twentieth century until today, Pelham lies in Blake A. Bellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06183891320236126637noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10704622.post-18523321313344770192019-10-21T04:44:00.001-04:002023-04-11T11:10:55.342-04:00Revolutionary War Patriot David Jones Pell Served as Westchester County Coroner After the WarArchive of the Historic Pelham Web Site.Home Page of the Historic Pelham Blog.Order a Copy of "The Haunted History of Pelham, New York"Order a Copy of "Thomas Pell and the Legend of the Pell Treaty Oak."
John Ryer was drunk. He was really, really drunk. He also was a ne'er-do-well who came from a respected and affluent cattle family. He was, however, a black sheep of the familyBlake A. Bellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06183891320236126637noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10704622.post-21432553182045897472019-10-18T04:40:00.001-04:002023-04-11T11:11:26.984-04:00More on the Use of High Island as an "Actors' Paradise" by Famous New York Stage Legends in the 19th CenturyArchive of the Historic Pelham Web Site.Home Page of the Historic Pelham Blog.Order a Copy of "The Haunted History of Pelham, New York"Order a Copy of "Thomas Pell and the Legend of the Pell Treaty Oak."
High Island is roughly an 18-acre island a few hundred feet off the northeastern tip of City Island. It is one of the "Pelham Islands" that once were part of the Town of Pelham but sinceBlake A. Bellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06183891320236126637noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10704622.post-44361246514967628772019-10-16T04:50:00.001-04:002023-04-11T11:11:53.695-04:00More on Nathaniel Henry Bouldin Who Died in Pelham's Confederate Prisoner of War CampArchive of the Historic Pelham Web Site.Home Page of the Historic Pelham Blog.Order a Copy of "The Haunted History of Pelham, New York"Order a Copy of "Thomas Pell and the Legend of the Pell Treaty Oak."
Though it seems hard to believe today, a Confederate prisoner of war camp once stood within the Town of Pelham during the final weeks of the Civil War. The POW camp opened the very month Blake A. Bellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06183891320236126637noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10704622.post-58216572242040077772019-10-14T04:38:00.001-04:002023-04-11T11:12:25.782-04:00Sixteen-Year-Old Received a Reward of a Nickel for Saving Six Lives in PelhamArchive of the Historic Pelham Web Site.Home Page of the Historic Pelham Blog.Order a Copy of "The Haunted History of Pelham, New York"Order a Copy of "Thomas Pell and the Legend of the Pell Treaty Oak."
In 1892 a smart aleck and street-smart sixteen-year-old newsboy nicknamed "Swipes" (after a famous prize fighter of the day to be a subject of a future Historic Pelham article) saved the lives Blake A. Bellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06183891320236126637noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10704622.post-46592521778562791432019-10-11T05:16:00.001-04:002023-04-11T11:12:55.234-04:00Is This the Earliest Documented Professional Prize Fight Held in the Town of Pelham?Archive of the Historic Pelham Web Site.Home Page of the Historic Pelham Blog.Order a Copy of "The Haunted History of Pelham, New York"Order a Copy of "Thomas Pell and the Legend of the Pell Treaty Oak."
Though difficult to imagine, the Town of Pelham once was one of the most popular havens for prize fights in the New York City region. Bare-knuckled brawls were held in Pelham because it Blake A. Bellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06183891320236126637noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10704622.post-5944964011820809372019-10-09T05:04:00.001-04:002023-04-11T11:13:35.988-04:00Claim that 49 of the 60 Men Pelham Sent to Fight in the Civil War DiedArchive of the Historic Pelham Web Site.Home Page of the Historic Pelham Blog.Order a Copy of "The Haunted History of Pelham, New York"Order a Copy of "Thomas Pell and the Legend of the Pell Treaty Oak."
One of the most glaring holes in Pelham history, long a Pelham history mystery, is the list of Pelham men who left the little town to fight in the Civil War and never returned. Indeed, for Blake A. Bellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06183891320236126637noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10704622.post-3739137746091396102019-10-07T05:23:00.001-04:002023-04-11T11:14:06.390-04:00Pelham Founder Thomas Pell Served as a 17th Century Physician in the Colony of New Haven and in FairfieldArchive of the Historic Pelham Web Site.Home Page of the Historic Pelham Blog.Order a Copy of "The Haunted History of Pelham, New York"Order a Copy of "Thomas Pell and the Legend of the Pell Treaty Oak."
Thomas Pell of Fairfield in the Colony of Connecticut acquired from local Wiechquaeskeck Native Americans the lands that became the Manor of Pelham on June 27, 1654 (old-style Julian calendar)Blake A. Bellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06183891320236126637noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10704622.post-87820101374643199322019-10-04T04:56:00.001-04:002023-04-11T11:14:35.285-04:00Multiple Additional Early Accounts of Sightings of the Sea Serpent of Long Island Sound in 1823Archive of the Historic Pelham Web Site.Home Page of the Historic Pelham Blog.Order a Copy of "The Haunted History of Pelham, New York"Order a Copy of "Thomas Pell and the Legend of the Pell Treaty Oak."
A sea serpent known variously as The Sea Serpent of the Sound, The City Island Sea Serpent, and other appellations has been sighted off Pelham shores on many more occasions than Nessie has beenBlake A. Bellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06183891320236126637noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10704622.post-38700279875240178472019-10-02T05:08:00.001-04:002023-04-11T11:15:02.762-04:00Prank Pulled on Editor of Pelham Newspaper by Pelham Manor Prankster in 1897Archive of the Historic Pelham Web Site.Home Page of the Historic Pelham Blog.Order a Copy of "The Haunted History of Pelham, New York"Order a Copy of "Thomas Pell and the Legend of the Pell Treaty Oak."
It was an early instance of unintended Fake News! In 1897, Pelham had -- for the first time in its history -- competing weekly newspapers. J. Gardiner Minard of the Village of Blake A. Bellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06183891320236126637noreply@blogger.com0