What Do We Know of the Great "Race Field" of Pelham Used in the First Half of the 19th Century?

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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 attracted important wealthy thoroughbred owners from far and near who traveled to Pelham to test their horses, race them, bet, and enjoy the region.

What do we really know about this tradition of a great "Race Field?"

In his seminal book on the history of Pelham published in 1946, Lockwood Barr mentioned the Race Field.  He wrote:

"In some of the ancient books narrating life in Westchester, there are references to a famous Pelhamville Race Track, where Westchester squires who bred fast-trotting and pacing horses and were proud of their sporting proclivities, would meet to hold friendly brushes, each driving his own favorite steed; and they do say the side bets were often sizeable!  In the map room of the New York Public Library, is a map of Westchester dated 1851, showing this 'Race Field' in Pelhamville as being located west of the present New Haven Railroad Station, east of the Hutchinson River, extending from about where is now the old ice plant, up beyond where is now St. Catharine's Church.  The word 'Race' is on the south side, and 'Field' on the north side of the New Haven Railroad.  Since the Railroad began operation through Pelham in 1848, the Race Field must have been there long before that date."

Source:  Barr, Lockwood, A Brief, But Most Complete & True Account of the Settlement of the Ancient Town of Pelham Westchester County, State of new York Known One Time Well & Favourably as The Lordshipp & Mannour of Pelham Also the Story of the Three Modern Villages Called the Pelhams, pp. 133-34 (Richmond, VA:  The Dietz Press, Inc., 1946).  

The map referenced by Lockwood Barr in the quote above is the "Map of West Chester County, New York" published by Newell S. Brown (Philadelphia, PA) in 1851.  The Surveyor was Sidney & Neff.  A pertinent detail from that map appears immediately below.

Detail from 1851 Map of Westchester County Showing Northern

Tip of the Town of Pelham with "Race Field" Noted on Each Side

of the New Haven Railroad Line.  NOTE:  Click on Image to Enlarge.

A sporting magazine published in 1884 provided some interesting information about the great Race Field that once stood in Pelham in an article about famed local horse Barometer, winner of the 1884 Great Pelham Steeplechase.  The article stated in pertinent part:

"The neighborhood [surrounding the Country Club Steeplechase grounds that once stood along today's Shore Road] is also not without its turf history.  About a mile to the north, and in sight of the spire of the old Eastchester Church is the broad heath which, in the past generation was known as the Race Field.  Here it was that nearly a century since the Pells, the Morrises, the Delanceys, and others of the old Westchester families tested their thoroughbreds.  Racing had a well-defined existence even at that early day, as many of the settlers had brought with them their fondness for the sport. . . ."

Source:  Barometer, Winner of the Great Pelham Steeplechase, Owned and Ridden by J. D. Cheever, Esq., The Spirit of the Times, Oct. 25, 1884, Vol. 108, No. 18, p. 409, col. 1.  

In 1881, Robert Bolton, Jr. made a brief reference to the "Race Field" in the second edition of his seminal history of Westchester County.  There, Bolton was writing about the home that once belonged to James Hay known today as Pelhamdale (located at 45 Iden Avenue).  Bolton stated in pertinent part:

"Pelham Dale, the property of Hargous, is delightfully situated near the junction of the salt and fresh waters of the Acqueanouncke.  This estate formerly belonged to Colonel David Pell; and upon the division of his property, was purchased by the late James Hay, Esq.  The dwelling house is a handsome structure of stone, and commands a beautiful view of Hutchinson's River, together with the distant village and spire of Eastchester.  The garden contains a choice collection of trees and shrubs, and is also enlivened by a running stream.  About half a mile further up the valley is situated the 'Race Field,' once famous in the annals of the turf, adjoining which is the village of Pelhamville; here is a depot of the New Haven Railroad and a small Episcopal church, called the Church of the Redeemer. . ."

Source:  Bolton, Jr., Robert, The History of the Several Towns, Manors, and Patents of the County of Westchester from its First Settlement to the Present Time Carefully Revised by its Author, Vol. II, pp. 68-69 (NY, NY:  Chas. F. Roper, 1881).  

From such sources we can surmise the following about the Great Race Field of Pelham.  It predated the construction of the New Haven Line, the first tracks of which were laid in 1847 and 1848.  For perhaps a decade or two before that, maybe longer, the broad heath that stood between the intersection of today's Fifth Avenue and 1st Street and today's Pelham Reservoir beyond the Hutchinson River Parkway was the site of the great Race Field.  Very roughly, the tracks of the New Haven Line built on an artificial berm to raise the tracks through the region split the broad heath where the great Race Field once stood.  A portion of the Race Field must have been located where the giant parking lot now sits behind the Village of Pelham Village Hall.  On the other side of the New Haven Line, the Race Field must have extended roughly to where St. Catharine's now stands.  Additionally, it would seem that Westchester families such as the Morrises and the Delanceys raced and tested their thoroughbreds on the great Race Field in days long gone.

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William Jay Bolton's Stained Glass Windows in the Episcopal Church of the Holy Trinity in Brooklyn

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William Jay Bolton was a son of the Reverend Robert Bolton, founder of Christ Church and owner of the Priory, built beginning in 1838.  His mother was Ann Jay.  The Priory, in Pelham Manor, has been known as The Priory, Bolton Priory, Pelham Priory, the Priory School for Girls, and Pelham Priory for Girls.  It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

William Jay Bolton was born in Bath, England.  He attended an evangelical school in Mill Hill near London and then attended Cambridge University.  In 1836, he and his family moved to Eastchester in Westchester County, New York.  In about 1838, the family moved to Pelham and began to build the Priory.  About 1839, famed author Washington Irving (a family friend), introduced William Jay Bolton to Samuel F. B. Morse.  He became a student of Morse at the National Academy of Design as he honed his skills as a talented artist.  According to one account:

"In 1841 Bolton went to Europe where he saw masterpieces of art, mostly in Italy. Here he did many drawings and sketches of these and bought art for the family home. In 1842 Bolton returned to Pelham where he earnestly began his work in stained glass. Here he had a small shop at the rear of a house near the "Pelham Priory," the Gothic Revival family home in Pelham. The equipment he had to work with was sparse. He had a muffle kiln, which was used for firing his work after he painted details on the coloured glass. Bolton's younger brother John (1818–1898) assisted him in making and designing stained glass."

Source:  "William Jay Bolton" in Wikipedia:  The Free Encyclopedia (visited Mar. 19, 2017).

William Jay Bolton was an exceptional artist eventually admitted to the National Academy of Design.  He taught himself the art of stained glass by creating a few small panels for the windows of the Priory.  He later created for Christ Church a monumental stained glass masterwork entitled "Adoration of the Magi."  It was the first figural stained glass window created in America.  (See image later in this article.)  The "Adoration of the Magi" figural stained glass work was completed and in place by the time the church was consecrated on September 15, 1843.  This work preceded his master work, the extensive stained glass windows at the Holy Trinity Church in Brooklyn, New York.

"Miriam and Jubal," Painted and Stained Glass Window by

William Jay Bolton with Assistance of His Brother, John

Bolton, Installed in Holy Trinity Church, Brooklyn, New York.

Source:  Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, William Jay Bolton.

NOTE:  Click on Image to Enlarge.

William Jay Bolton moved to England in about the late 1840s where he opened a stained glass studio in Cambridge.  After the death of his first wife, he ceased his stained glass work and became an ordained minister in an Anglican Church in about 1853.  He was Vicar of Stratford East Church in London from 1866 to 1881.  He also was associated with St. James Church in Bath from 1881 to 1884.  He died in Bath in 1884.  See "William Jay Bolton" in Wikipedia:  The Free Encyclopedia (visited Mar. 19, 2017).

William Jay Bolton's stained glass works in the Holy Trinity Church in Brooklyn are considered his masterworks.  The church, with its masterful Bolton windows, still stands at Montague and Clinton Streets, Brooklyn.  There are fifty windows in the series.  All were not only designed by William Jay Bolton, but also were personally executed by him.  Some believe he was assisted in the execution by a brother, John Bolton.  The church opened in 1847, although the Bolton stained glass windows reportedly were not complete at the time the church first opened.  According to one account, "neither the exact date of completion nor their original cost is recorded."

Today's posting to the Historic Pelham Blog transcribes the text of an extensive article published in 1933 about the Bolton windows.

"WILLIAM JAY BOLTON, A. N. A. 1816-1884"

NOTE:  Click on Image to Enlarge.

"Adoration of the Magi," America's First Figural Stained Glass Window.

Created by William Jay Bolton for Christ Church, Pelham Manor, NY.

NOTE:  Click on Image to Enlarge.

Bolton Cottage Used by William Jay Bolton as a Stained Glass

Studio During the Mid-19th Century, Since Razed.  Source: Courtesy

of the Office of the Historian of the Town of Pelham.  NOTE:

Click on Image to Enlarge.

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"Art Treasures in Church Windows
Rare Examples of Stained Glass Adorn Windows of Brooklyn Heights Church
By Esther A. Coster

STAINED glass has always made a strong appeal to lovers of beauty, not only for the fascinating play of color but for the romance that still surrounds the art in its most glorious period.  Many of the secrets of the matters of the Middle Ages have been lost, although modern craftsmen have evolved beauties in glass with increasing skill.

One of the stories showing the value placed upon stained glass windows is that of the capture of Francis I at the battle of Pavia and the subsequent demand that part of the ransom should consist of a specified window of the Middle Ages are still treasured and their loss or injury considered a national calamity.
, 
In the Episcopal Church of the Holy Trinity at Montague and Clinton Streets, Brooklyn, are some of the finest examples of stained glass windows in this country, and they are considered by art authorities to compare most favorable with the best of European glass.  These are all the work of one man, William Jay Bolton, who not only designed but personally executed the entire series of fifty windows.

His method was one essentially his own, being closely akin to the old Flemish manner with the design painted and fired into ground or colored glass, using the strong simple colors of the great artificers of the Thirteenth and Fourteenth centuries.  His colors are clear, strong and exceedingly brilliant.  His leads are so placed that they enhance rather than interrupt the drawing, and his shadows distributed with full understanding of the effect of light shining through rather than of realistic lines.

These windows are placed along the sides of the church, one set below and one above the gallery, in both sides of the clerestory, and in the choir loft.  The climax of the series is the huge chancel window of many panels, representing the 'Glorification of Christ,' often called 'The Ascension.'

The windows portray history as given in the Bible, the clearstory, giving Old Testament scenes beginning with Adam driven out of Eden.  Above the gallery the series is continued with the life of Christ, the original crayon drawing of the Babe for 'Adoration' being one of the treasured possessions of the church.  Below the gallery the windows deal with the genealogy of Jesus, closing with 'Joseph-Mary-Christ.'  The Tree of Jesse serves as a connecting thought in all.  In the choir are the four writers of the Gospels.

The windows as well as the church building were due to the foresight, devotion and generosity of Edgar John Bartow, one of the wealthy men of his time whose dream was to build and equip a beautiful church which should be free in every sense.  The Gothic design with its flamboyant stone tracery for the windows was the work of Minard Lafever.  His design was more simple than the donor at first desired, but the building, formally opened in 1847, remains today essentially as Lafever left it.  Unfortunately financial reverses prevented the complete fulfillment of Mr. Bartow's dream.

The windows were not completed when the church was opened, and neither the exact date of completion nor their original cost is recorded.  However, some indication of the difficulty in replacing Bolton's work is found in a recent accident to one of the choir loft windows.  Boys casting stones at pigeons pierced one of the windows through both the exterior protecting glass and the precious inner color.  A piece that happened to be the head of one of the Apostles was shattered.  The best expert available was engaged and at a cost of much study, considerable time, and $40 the small piece was restored as closely as possible to its original appearance.

The late Otto Heinigke, one of the leading stained glass workers of his time, said in January, 1906, of these windows:  'There is nothing in this wide country so worthy of our effort at preservation as this valuable work of one of our pioneers, based as it is on the best traditions of a most influential phase of the art, the Flemish style of glass painting.  Let us pray for the quality of courage that this man displayed when he dared to do such work.'

In the vestibule is a window of more modern date and type, but even the veriest amateur must at a glance note unfavorably the contrast in color and craftsmanship with the Bolton glass.

These windows of Holy Trinity belong in a class of which only four outstanding examples exist, and which are described as 'shrines of the glass lover.'  These are in Sainte Chapelle in Paris, Fairford near Oxford, Egmontiers and Sainte Foye at Conches.  Holy Trinity's windows are catalogued by foreign critics
-----
(Continued on page 17)

Art Treasures in Church Windows
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(Continued from page 7)

among the art treasures worthy of attention by visitors to this country, and are listed as one of the worthwhile 'sights' of New York City.

The artist Bolton was grandson of an Englishman  who settled in Georgia and became a prosperous planter.  His father was a clergyman who lived for some years in England where William was born, in 1816.  The family returned to American in 1843 and erected Bolton Priory at Pelham, Westchester County.  There, anticipating the William Morris movement, they developed art and handicrafts.  William turned his attention to stained glass and executed some of the windows in Bolton Priory.  These and the Holy Trinity windows are the chief examples of his work in America, as he established a glass studio in Cambridge, England, soon after the Trinity windows were completed.  There he restored the windows in King's College Chapel, Cambridge.

Dr. Robert L. Dickinson, one of the enthusiastic admirers of the work of Bolton and Lafever and to whom the church owes the collection of photographs and drawings of the windows, told of a visit he made to England to visit a daughter of Bolton, who though bedridden for many years recovered sufficiently to visit America to see the windows of which her modest father had never spoken.

In her garret home Dr. Dickinson discovered the drawing of the baby for the 'Adoration' window, which had been lost for sixty years, and brought it back to become one of Holy Trinity's historic treasures.  

The Gethsemane window with its three panels is one of the designs that is planned especially to be viewed at a distance.  In this also in one of those 'asides' introduced as a personal link between the artist and the beholder.  Dr. Dickinson speaks of this as 'the dove, the spirit of peace, dropping down out of the dark toward the lonely figure that kneels in the central panel.'

Above the panels of every window is a marvelous rose window effect with each small inset of glass perfect in design and color and allied in significance with the window beneath.  In many of the windows the text in the Bible upon which the design is based is painted in the glass.

The entire interior of the church glows with the rich color that flows through the glass.  One's first impression is of a very limited palette of strong hues, but then the delicate shadings become evident and give an indescribable effect of harmony and peace."

Source:  Coster, Esther A., "Art Treasures in Church Windows -- Rare Examples of Stained Glass Adorn Windows of Brooklyn Heights Church" in The Eagle Magazine, pp. 7 & 17 Section G. of The Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Oct. 8, 1933 (Brooklyn, NY).  

Immediately below are black and white images of some of the Bolton windows that were published with the article above, on page 7 of The Eagle Magazine.  

NOTE:  Click on Images to Enlarge.

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I have written before about William Jay Bolton and his stained glass creations.  For a few of many examples, see:

Fri., May 08, 2015:  More About William Jay Bolton of Pelham: Creator of First Figured Stained Glass Windows in America.  

Wed., Sep. 24, 2014:  Where Was the Bolton Family Cottage Where Stained Glass Windows Were Created?

Tue., Oct. 09, 2007:  Biographical Data About William Jay Bolton of Pelham.

Fri., Jan. 19, 2007:  The Harp of Pelham: A Book Published in 1844 by William Jay Bolton of Pelham Manor.

Mon., Apr. 4, 2005:  Art and Poetry of William Jay Bolton of Bolton Priory in Pelham.

Thu., Apr. 7, 2005:  Another Volume of William Jay Bolton's Sketches and Ruminations Located? 

Fri., Apr. 1, 2005:  The Earliest Newspaper in Pelham?

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Cattle Were Frightened; Animals Careened Round the Fields - The First Run of the New Haven Line Through Pelham in 1848

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One of the principal catalysts in the development of the Town of Pelham was the opening of the New York and New Haven Railroad line through the area that came to be known as Pelhamville in 1848.  Another was the opening of the Harlem River branch of the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad in 1872 through the area that became the Village of Pelham Manor.  

The New York and New Haven Railroad line in 1848, as one would expect, was vastly different than the line today.  It was a single track line on which ran early steam locomotives.

"ENGINE No. 27 OF N.Y. & N.H. R.R."

Image of an Early New Haven Steam Locomotive (About 1860).

Source:  Wikipedia.

Construction of the line occurred in 1847 and 1848.  When opened, the line snaked its way in a surprisingly winding course passing through Westchester County from the Connecticut line through the following towns (at that time):  Rye, Harrison, Mamaroneck, New Rochelle, Pelham and Eastchester.  The winding nature of the original line has been explained as follows:  "[t]he numerous curves on the road were caused by the restricted financial condition, making it necessary, as far as possible, to avoid cuttings and embankments.  The desire had been to build the road in a substantial and permanent manner, but it was found difficult to complete it in any shape."  Source:  Scharf, J. Thomas, History of Westchester County, New York, Including Morrisania, Kings Bridge, and West Farms Which Have Been Annexed To New York City, Vol. I, pp. 480-81 (Philadelphia, PA:  L. E. Preston & Co. 1886).

Detail from 1845 Map Reflecting Survey of Planned Route of

the New York and New Haven Railroad Line.

Source:  Anderson, P., Map Exhibiting The Experimental and Located

Lines for the New-York and New-Haven Rail-Road . . . Projected

and Drawn by P. Anderson Civil Engr. (NY, NY:  Snyder & Black

Lithographers, 1845) (Strip map over ten feet long, digitized by the

David Rumsey Map Collection, DavidRumsey.com).

Although many sources indicate that the line opened "before" or "by" 1849, there are sources that indicate that the line was completed when the last rails were laid over the Cos Cob Bridge on Christmas Day, 1848.  The same day, a trainload of "gentlemen" departed from New York for a trip on the line to New Haven.  They returned the next day.  According to Scharf, the line then "opened for business on the following day."  (See below.)

Scharf further notes that elements of the administration of the new railroad line relied on the traditional techniques used to administer stage coach lines.  "It is a curious fact that when the trains first commenced to run, the passengers were booked as in the old stage-coach times, their names being duly reported by the conductors to the company."  Scharf, supra, pp. 480-81.

The Stamford Historical Society uncovered two entertaining accounts of the first day the New Haven line ran including one by the founder of the Stamford Sentinel who was a guest on the first trial run.  William H. Holly wrote:  "The train had to remain at Cos Cob Bridge some three hours for the last rails to be laid over it and the delay gave ample opportunity to the people to come and witness the wonderful feat.  The general impression among them seemed to be, that the first train that attempted to cross this pass would also be the last."  Source:  Cos Cob (Metro-North station), Wikipedia.com > (visited Sep. 7, 2014).

Edgar Hoyt, editor of the Stamford Advocate, wrote more colorfully:  "The citizens of the village as well as the horses, cattle, etc., were nearly frightened out of their propriety . . . by such a horrible scream as was never heard to issue from any other than a metallic throat.  Animals of every description went careening around the fields, snuffling the air in their terror."  Id.  

Below is an account of the opening of the New York and New Haven Railroad line in 1848 and the opening of the Harlem River branch of the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad in 1872 published in 1886, followed by a citation to its source.

"The New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad extends through the county, making a junction with the Harlem, at Washingtonville in the town of East Chester, and so passes into the city.  It runs in its course from the Connecticut line through the towns of Rye, Harrison, Mamaroneck, New Rochelle, Pelham and East Chester, covering a distance of 13.61 miles.  The work of contructing this part of the road was carried on during the years 1847 and 1848.  On Christmas day, 1848, a party of gentlemen made an excursion over it from New York to New Haven, returning the next day.  The road was opened for business on the following day.  The character of the ground of the road in this county is described as 'heavy with rough heavy cuttings.'  It was at first a single track road.  The line as surveyed was followed.  At Pelhamville the original embankment was as it is now.  The numerous curves on the road were caused by the restricted financial condition, making it necessary, as far as possible, to avoid cuttings and embankments.  The desire had been to build the road in a substantial and permanent manner, but it was found difficult to complete it in any shape.  Mr. Sidney S. Miller, one of the original contractors and most active of the projectors of the road, is still living at Madison, N.J.  It is a curious fact that when the trains first commenced to run, the passengers were booked as in the old stage-coach times, their names being duly reported by the conductors to the company.  This company was originally 'The New York and New Haven,' but in 1872 was consolidated with the Hartford and new Haven Company, and the new system took the name by which it is now known.  In 1873 the company leased the Harlem River and the Port Chester Railroad, between the Harlem and New Rochelle, and opened it for use.  It runs from its depot at the Harlem River through the towns of Morissania, Westchester, Pelham and New Rochelle, where it joins the New Haven road.  It is sometimes denominated, the Harlem River Branch of the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad, and has opened out one of the most beautiful portions of the county.  In the spring of 1872, the work of construction began by filling in the bulkhead at the Harlem River, and a fine dock and slip of land was formed.  Blasting had to be done on the Morris estate where rock of a laval-like appearance was found, and seams and colors of the same in fine curves, angles, etc.  The pile building came in for a share of careful attention, as after passing Port Morris piles of sixty and eighty feet in length were used, which made a substantial job throughout.  The rock cut at Hunt's Point bridge caused a great deal of trouble on account of the wet, spongy nature of the soil, -- one would have expected the softest nearest the water.  The Bronx River was bridged by a strong Jackknife Draw.  Filling for embankment across Pelham Salt Marsh was a tedious job, as firm bottom was hard to find.  East Chester Bay reached a fine piece of work was done in building the pile-bridging across it.  Too much praise cannot be given to E.W. Reid, General Superintendent of the New York, New Haven and signed and was succeeded by Robert M. Galloway, who has retained the position till the present time.  The first secretary was Calvin Goddard, who still holds the position.  When the road was built, its New York terminus was at High Bridge, but an extension, something over a mile in length, connects with the Eighth Avenue Elevated Road.  This extension was made under a separate organization known as 'the West Side and Yonkers Railroad,' and furnishes the most direct road for rapid transit between New York and the interior of Westchester County."  


Scharf, J. Thomas, History of Westchester County, New York, Including Morrisania, Kings Bridge, and West Farms Which Have Been Annexed To New York City, Vol. I, pp. 480-81 (Philadelphia, PA:  L. E. Preston & Co. 1886).

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History of A Few of the Earliest Public Schools in the Town of Pelham

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For many, many years I have assembled research on the history of education in the Town of Pelham.  A small part of that quest has been trying to identify the earliest school in our town.  Recently, Jorge Santiago of the East Bronx History Forum sent me a copy of a wonderful article by former Bronx Historian John McNamara.  (The East Bronx History Forum is the most active group of serious local historians I yet have encountered )

As I have noted many times, the principal population center of our Town for much of its history was City Island, annexed by New York City during the mid-1890's.  That alone, of course, suggests the unquestionable likelihood that the earliest efforts to provide organized and formal education to our children was in that part of our Town.  

The article Jorge Santiago provided me was written by John McNamara, Bronx Historian who died in 2004.  I had never run across the article before.  It provides important information about the early public school system on City Island when that area was part of the Town of Pelham.

According to that article, three of the earliest efforts to educate the young people of City Island were:  (1) a teacher named Rachel S. Fordham who conducted classes in her home during some unspecified time in the 1830s; (2) the opening of the first City Island public school (a one-room schoolhouse) on June 3, 1839; and (3) the construction of a newer and larger school house on property purchased in 1860 at the corner of Orchard Street and Main Street (now City Island Avenue).  

Rachel S. Fordham

According to family genealogists, Rachel S. Fordham was born in about 1822 in Essex, Middlesex County, Connecticut.  She was a daughter of Rufus Fordham (1782-1868) and Rebecca Shipman Fordham (1786-1823).  Clearly, if John McNamara's account is correct, Rachel Fordham would have been quite a young teacher during the 1830s -- perhaps in her mid-teens late in that decade.  

Two sources indicate that before the Town of Pelham opened a one-room school house to serve the children of City Island in 1839, classes were held in the home of Rachel S. Fordham.  See below (McNamara article).  See also Scott, Catherine A.,  Images of America:  City Island and Orchard Beach, p. 34 (Charleston, SC:  Arcadia Publishing, 1999).  Although the 1868 Beers map of City Island (see detail below) shows a home and two lots owned by someone named "Fordham," I have been unable, so far, to confirm that a woman named Rachel S. Fordham taught classes in her home on City Island at any time during the 1830s.  

The One-Room Schoolhouse Opened June 3, 1839

In 1838, the Town of Pelham created City Island School District No. 2.  See Scott, Catherine A.,  Images of America:  City Island and Orchard Beach, p. 34 (Charleston, SC:  Arcadia Publishing, 1999).  The Town raised the money necessary to build a tiny one-room schoolhouse and began construction in 1838.  Additionally, the "school board raised money through assessments to cover various expenses, such as yearly fuel."  Id.  According to Bronx Historian John McNamara, the schoolhouse opened on June 3, 1839 (see below).  The one-room schoolhouse, shown in the image below, was located on the site of the current playground of Public School 175, 200 City Island Avenue, City Island, The Bronx, NY, 10464.  See Images of America:  City Island and Orchard Beach, p. 34.  

In 1847, the number of children attending the tiny school had grown such that the school was enlarged and a new teacher, Mary A. Tooker, was hired.  

Undated Photograph of the One-Room Schoolhouse

Built in About 1838 in City Island on Land Now Thought To

Be the Current Playground of Public School 175 Located

at 200 City Island Avenue, City Island, The Bronx, NY, 10464.

Larger School Built in the Early 1860s

By the early 1860s, the growing population of City Island required a bigger school.  In 1860, land owned by David Scofield located at the intersection of Orchard Street (today's Hawkins Street) and Main Street (today's City Island Avenue) was acquired for a new school.  During the early 1860s, that larger school was built and opened.  (See below.  See also Images of America:  City Island and Orchard Beach, p. 34.)  It operated until 1898, after City Island was annexed by New York City, when New York City built a replacement school at 190 Fordham Street (today's City Island Historical Nautical Museum), on the site of City Island's first cemetery.  (See Images of America:  City Island and Orchard Beach, p. 34.)

The school budget for oversight of this larger school seems quite quaint today.  The newspaper announcement of the passage of the budget for City Island School District No. 2 published on October 14, 1882 read as follows:

"The annual school meeting of District school No. 2, of Pelham, was held at the school house, City Island, on the 10th inst.  Mr. Thomas Martin was elected Trustee, Wm. Anderson, Clerk, William E. Loundes, Collector.  After which the following appropriation made:

For teachers salary, - $1,800
" janitor, - - - - - - - - - -       100
" fuel, - - - - - - - - - - - -       100
" cleaning school, - -         100
" taken census - - - - -         20
" incidental expenses -      50

Total - - - - - - - - - - - - - $2,195  [NOTE:  Total does not agree with the entries above.]

Seven hundred dollars is received from the State school fund.  The yearly salaries of the three under teachers were raised $100 each.  After which the meeting adjourned until the second Tuesday in October, 1883."

Source:  COUNTY MATTERS, The Pioneer [New Rochelle, NY], Oct. 14, 1882, Vol. XXIII, No. 27, p. 3, cols. 6-7.  

By 1895, shortly before City Island was annexed into, and became part of, New York City, the schoolhouse was in a dilapidated condition.  It was described as follows:

"PELHAM.

City Island School.--Francis Ward, principal and teacher of first, second and third grammar grades; one grammar teacher, two primary teachers.

The old frame structure used as a school at City Island was found in a dilapidated and unsanitary conditioin.  It is on a low, sunken lot, and Mr. Maclay suggested that the proper disposition of this would be to sell the property and to purchase a new site on higher ground, and erect a new and suitable building.  Such a site in a central part of the town was inspected by the committee."   

Source:  "A GREAT TERRITORY -- THE NEW DISTRICT AND ITS SCHOOLS" in School - Devoted to the Public Schools and Educational Interests, Vol. VI, No. 44, Jul 11, 1895, pp. 367 & 372 cols. 1-2.

The City of New York seemed to agree.  Soon the City Island School became part of the 24th Ward of the so-called "Annexed District" of The Bronx.  Then, during 1897 and 1898 the City of New York built the school that became Public School 17 located at 190 Fordham Street.  h

Detail from Map of "City Island, Pelham Township, Westchester Co.,

N.Y. [with] Town of Pelham, Westchester Co., N.Y.," Published by 

F.W. Beers in 1868 in the "Atlas of New York and Vicinity from

Actual Surveys by and Under the Direction of F.W. Beers, 

Assisted by A.B. Prindle & Others."  NOTE:  Shows the Location 

of the Second Dedicated School Building on City Island

on Property Acquired in 1860 from David Scofield on the Northwest

Corner of the Intersection of Orchard Street and Main Street (Now

City Island Avenue)

Below are a few random local newspaper references to the second school on City Island built in the early 1860s.

"City Island, April 29, 1878.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE CHRONICLE:

SIR--On last Friday [April 26, 1878] and Saturday evenings a school exhibition was given by the pupils of the Public School of City Island and so favorable an opinion concerning it has never been expressed of any entertainment given here before.  The representations were most admirably managed and the characters well sustained.  From the opening of the first little scene, when nearly the whole school sang in concert, until the end of the 'May Queen,' one could but look at the stage and listen to the spoken words of the charming little actors with delight, and wonder how so many little performers had been taught so sell.  The management of the whole affair was in the hands of our indefatigable principal, Mr. C. A. Bien and his worthy assistant, Miss L.M. Byrnes; and with praiseworthy skill and perseverance did they carry the affair through to a successful termination.  There are a number of pupils in our school whose talents are worthy of careful cultivation.  And we are all proud of our teachers -- Mrs. M.E. Lockwood and Miss Sara Scofield not to be forgotten in the list.  If our little ones shall long continue to be guided by such excellent mentors, we shall have a school at the head of any in the county.  May we all soon have another opportunity to witness the performance of the little ones.

Very truly,

L"

Source:  City Island, The Chronicle [Mount Vernon, NY], May 3, 1878, Vol. IX, No. 450, p. 2, col. 5.

"It has been ascertained that the persons who took Sammy Davis from in front of the school house, City Island, on Monday the 3rd inst., were the boy's mother, who has obtained a decree of divorce from Mr. Davis, and Officer Bloom of New Rochelle.  Mr. Davis has not yet succeeded in finding the boy."  

Source:  Pelham, The Chronicle [Mount Vernon, NY], Mar. 14, 1879, Vol. X, No. 495, p. 2, col. 6.  

"Mr. C.A. Bien, principal of the school on City Island has resigned and Mr. Stearns, of Long Island has been appointed in his place."

Source:  City Island, The Chronicle [Mount Vernon, NY], Aug. 19, 1881, Vol. XII, No. 622, p. 2, col. 2.  

"The closing exercises of the public school of City Island will be concluded this evening."  

Source:  CITY ISLAND, The Chronicle [Mount Vernon, NY], June 29, 1883, Vol. XIV, No. 719, p. 3, col. 4.  

"The closing exercises of the public school of City Island were held Wednesday last [June 25, 1884], and were very interesting.  The school will be closed until September 1st."  

Source:  PELHAM AND CITY ISLAND, The Chronicle [Mount Vernon, NY], July 4, 1884, Vol. XV, No. 772, p. 3, col. 5.  

"The school on City Island opened Monday [August 31, 1885], with a good attendance.  The new principal Mr. Ward entered upon his duties under very favorable auspices."

Source:  PELHAM AND CITY ISLAND, The Chronicle [Mount Vernon, NY], Sep. 4, 1885, Vol. XVI, No. 833, p. 2, col. 4.  

Research Note:  The City Island Historical Nautical Museum has in its collections a set of materials designated as the "City Island Schools Collection, [ca. 1838-1976]" that includes, among other things, an attendance register (1873-1899).  

*         *           *

"The Bronx In History By John McNamara:  1830s' First City Island Teacher, Rachel Fordham, Used Own Home

Historian Alfred Fordham records the fact that the first school teacher on City Island was Rachel S. Fordham, who conducted classes in the 1830s.  She taught in her own home, prior to the formation of the City Island School District No. 2, and continued to do so until the first school was opened on June 3, 1839.  

The school house was located on Main St. (now City Island Ave.) at about where the office of the H. B. Nevins shipyard is now located; it was a one-room building which was enlarged in 1847 in order to take care of the increased number of children attending it.  The teacher was Mary A. Tooker.  

The school remained there until a newer and larger one was erected and opened at the corner of Orchard and Main Sts., where the City Island Park is now located.  It was on property purchased from David Scofield in 1860.  This schoolhouse continued to be used until after annexation of City Island to the City of New York, according to the Sessions Laws of the State Legislature for the year 1895.  Some islanders now living attended that school and received their education in the Three R's, and quite a few of the graduates went on to enter colleges of higher learning and to enter various professions and become successful.  

In passing I mention only two, and hope I shall be forgiven for not mentioning many more:  Frederick Lawrence, M.D., son of Cornelius Lawrence, carpenter, builder and Long Sound and Hell Gate pilot, was born at City Island and was educated in the school on the island.  He attended N.Y.U. Medical School from 1891 to 1895 and established himself in the practice of medicine in his home town and continued to do till the time of his death in 1930.  Many people now living revere his memory; many people living here are alive because of hiim and his knowledge and experience and I am one of them.

The other man whom I have chosen is Charles McAllister, born at City Island and educated in that same school, eventually to study at Cornell University and engage in naval construction.  Later he became head of the Revenue Cutter Service (now known as the Coast Guard) and at the time of World War I, served as the head of the Shipping Board until his death.

(Next week:  City Island was worth its salt.)"

Source:  McNamara, John, The Bronx In History:  1830s' First City Island Teacher, Rachel Fordham, Used Onw Home, Bronx Press-Review, Jul. 15, 1965 (copy in possession of the author of this Blog posting).  

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