Historic Pelham

Monday, July 09, 2018

A Sheriff's Sale of William Parker's Property in 1852 Only Months After Parker Began Development of Pelhamville

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The "main line" of the New Haven opened in December, 1848. The "station" located within today's Village of Pelham soon was called "Pelhamville." During the early to mid-1850s, the United States economy was prosperous, fueled by the rise of railroads, improved transportation, and large amounts of gold mined in the west during the California Gold Rush. By about 1850, in the midst of this economic prosperity, land speculators converged on Pelham hoping to develop various sections of the town as a new railroad suburb serviced by the newly-opened New Haven Line.

In 1850, a building society known as the United Brothers' Land Society (apparently referenced occasionally, and erroneously, as the "Pelhamville Village Association") was organized to develop certain tracts of unincorporated property in the Town of Pelham lying north of the railroad tracks and east of the Hutchinson River. The association purchased the Anthony Wolf Farm (John Anthony Woolf) north of the railroad tracks, had the land surveyed, and began making lots available for installment payments to its members.

At about the same time (early 1850s), another section in the Town of Pelham was under development by another building society. The section was named Prospect Hill Village, developed by the Prospect Hill Village Association. It became one of the two principal real estate developments from which today's Village of Pelham Manor evolved. The other, of course, was the development of the Pelham Manor & Huguenot Heights Association organized on June 3, 1873 by Silas H. Witherbee, Henry C. Stephens, Robert A. Mitchill, Charles J. Stephens, Charles F. Heywood and other local landowners.

The Secretary of the Prospect Hill Village Association was named William Parker. He operated out of an office at 192 Canal Street in Manhattan. He and others including George Robinson, John T. Lynch, and Andrew Woolf were involved with the Association and owned land in the Prospect Hill neighborhood.

As I have noted before, clearly there were overlapping efforts on the part of developers involved with the two building associations that developed Pelhamville and Prospect Hill during the early 1850s. Indeed, William Parker served as the President of the United Brothers' Land Society as well as the Secretary of the Prospect Hill Village Association. He also owned land in both the Prospect Hill development and the Pelhamville development.

To learn more about these early Pelhamville and Prospect Hill development efforts and the two building associations, see, e.g.:

Bell, Blake A., The Founding of "Prospect Hill Village" in the Early 1850s, The Pelham Weekly, Vol. XV, Issue 25, Second Section, Jun. 23, 2006, p. 34, col. 1.

Tue., May 08, 2018: More Early References to Development of Prospect Hill by the Prospect Hill Village Association in the Early 1850s.

Fri., Feb. 10, 2017:  United Brothers' Land Society Involvement in Developing Pelhamville Lands in the Early 1850s.

Tue., Jul. 26, 2016:  More About the Prospect Hill Village Association in the Mid-19th Century.

Fri., Jun. 17, 2016:  More on Efforts to Invalidate Deeds of Many Prospect Hill Homes in 1900.

Fri., Feb. 12, 2010: Documentation of the Creation of the Building Association Known as Prospect Hill Village Association on August 11, 1852.

Thu., Feb. 11, 2010:  Prospect Hill Landowners Face Loss of Their Properties in 1900 Due to Allegedly Defective Deeds.

Thu., Oct. 15, 2009: 19th and Early 20th Century Newspaper Notices Relating to the Prospect Hill Village Association.

Wed., Jan. 07, 2009:  A Reference to Voluntary Dissolution Proceedings Involving the Prospect Hill Village Association Instituted in 1906.

Tue., Jul. 3, 2007:  1855 Tax Collection Notice for Pelhamville and Prospect Hill Village.

Fri., Apr. 14, 2006:  Three of the Original Homes of the Prospect Hill Village Association Founded in 1851.

Fri., Apr. 7, 2006:  A View from Prospect Hill Looking West Published in 1887.

Tuesday, April 4, 2006:  More Information About the Prospect Hill Village Association Formed in the Early 1850s.

Mon., Nov. 21, 2005: Prospect Hill and Pelhamville Depicted on the 1868 Beers Atlas Map of Pelham: Part I.

Wed., Mar. 30, 2005: Prospect Hill Village -- Yet Another Early Hamlet Within the Town of Pelham.

Some of the men involved in these early development efforts seem to have run into some sort of financial difficulties during the early to mid-1850s. Indeed, I previously have presented legal notices for Sheriff's Sales of Prospect Hill lands owned by William Parker and others involved with the Prospect Hill Village Association. See Tue., Jul. 26, 2016:  More About the Prospect Hill Village Association in the Mid-19th Century (reflecting notice of Sheriff's Sale of Prospect Hill Village Association lands in 1856 after judgment entered in lawsuit against William Parker, George Robinson, John T. Lynch, and Andrew Woolf).

Even earlier than that -- indeed, only months after development of Pelhamville began -- land owned by William Parker in the Pelhamville development was seized and subjected to notice of a Sheriff's Sale in a notice published on July 2, 1852. The text of that legal notice appears immediately below, followed by an image of the item as it was published.

"SHERIFF'S SALE. -- By virtue of an execution to me directed and delivered, I shall expose for sale at public auction, at the Rail Road Depot at Pelhamville, in the town of Pelham, in the County of Westchester, on the 26th day of July, A. D. 1852, at 10 o'clock in the forenoon of that day, all the right, title, and interest of William Parker, which he had on the 19th day of April, A. D. 1852, or at any time afterwards, in and to the following described premises, viz: All that lot of land in the town of Pelham, in the County of Westchester, known as lot Number 50 on a map entitled 'Map of Pelhamville, Westchester County, New York,' dated February 151, made by Henry Hart, Surveyor, and filed in Westchester County Clerk's office bounded and containing according to said map as follows, viz: on the north by Second Street one hundred feet; on the east by Fifth Avenue one hundred feet; on the south by Lot Number 35 one hundred feet; together with all and singular the appurtenances thereunto belonging -- Dated June 9, 1852.

BENJAMIN D. MILLER Sheriff
By JOSEPH M. KISSAM Deputy Sheriff."

Source: SHERIFF'S SALE [Legal Notice], Eastern State Journal [White Plains, NY], Jul. 2, 1852, Vol. VIII, No. 7, p. 4, col. 2.

Labels: 1852, Legal Notice, Pelhamville, Prospect Hill, Prospect Hill Village, Prospect Hill Village Association, Real Estate, Sheriff's Auction, United Brothers' Land Society, William Parker

Tuesday, May 08, 2018

More Early References to Development of Prospect Hill by the Prospect Hill Village Association in the Early 1850s

With the coming of the railroad to the Town of Pelham from New York City in late 1848, real estate developers seized on the opportunity. They formed a number of so-called "building societies" to develop the areas known as Pelhamville and Prospect Hill within the Town of Pelham. (Other building societies operated nearby at the same time, particularly in Mount Vernon.) Building societies were an early form of financial institution owned by members as mutual organizations. Building societies offered banking and related financial services, especially savings and mortgage lending to support new home construction and purchase.

By about 1850, in the midst of national economic prosperity, land speculators converged on Pelham hoping to develop various sections of the town as a new railroad suburb serviced by the newly-opened New Haven Main Line. Developers formed the freehold land society named United Brothers' Land Society to sell lots in Pelhamville. Another building society named the Prospect Hill Village Association was formed to sell lots in the Pelham neighborhood known today as Prospect Hill. There was some overlapping management and involvement between the two associations that strongly suggests a coordinated effort to sell real estate in the two sections of the Town.

The United Brothers' Land Society arranged purchase of the Anthony Wolf Farm (John Anthony Woolf) north of the New Haven Main Line railroad tracks and arranged for surveyor William Bryson to survey and prepare a development plan for the development of Pelhamville by mapping proposed streets and building lots. At about the same time, Bryson was involved in surveying and mapping another section for development in the Town of Pelham. The section was to be named Prospect Hill Village. The section eventually became one of the two principal real estate developments from which much of today's Village of Pelham Manor evolved. (The other section, of course, was the development of the Pelham Manor & Huguenot Heights Association organized two decades later on June 3, 1873 by Silas H. Witherbee, Henry C. Stephens, Robert A. Mitchill, Charles J. Stephens, Charles F. Heywood and other local landowners.)

On August 11, 1852, William Bryson filed a development map entitled "Map of Prospect Hill Village, Town of Pelham, Westchester County, New York." The map encompassed a prime area described by Lockwood Barr as "on the crown of the ridge near the Boston Post Road, bounded by what are now Highland, Prospect, Esplanade, New Haven Branch, Washington and Old Split Rock Road." 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, p. 123 (Richmond, VA: The Dietz Press, Inc. 1946).

Today's Historic Pelham Blog article transcribes a few very early newspaper notices seeking proposals for the surveys and grading necessary to develop the new Prospect Hill Village settlement. Included are images of the newspapers notices, followed by transcriptions of their text as well as citations and links to their sources.

The development area was about 96 acres owned by the Prospect Hill Village Association. The Society facilitated savings by its members to acquire building lots and, in some instances, to construct homes on the lots.

In early October, 1851, the Association sought proposals "for surveying and staking off the land." The proposals were to be submitted to the office of the President of the Association, Mr. Alfred S. Peace (after whom Peace Street on Prospect Hill is named) at 161 Third Avenue in Manhattan. The Association required all proposals to include "References as to ability" as well as "security . . . for the faithful performance of the work." A notice published in the October 1, 1851 issue of The New York Times placed by William Parker, Secretary of the Association, appears immediately below.

Prospect Hill Village Association Notice. Source: MISCELLANEOUS. --

PROSPECT HILL VILLAGE ASSOCIATION, N. Y. Times, Oct. 1, 1851,

p. 3, col. 3 (Note: Paid subscription required to access via this link).

NOTE: Click on Image to Enlarge. Transcription Immediately Below.

"MISCELLANEOUS.

-----

PROSPECT HILL VILLAGE ASSOCIATION. -- SEALED PROPOSALS for surveying and staking off the land (96 acres) belonging to the above Society, near New Rochelle, will be received until Monday, M., October 5th, by the President, Mr. Alfred S. Peace, 161 3d-av. References as to ability and security, will be required for the faithful performance of the work.
WM. PARKER, Sec'y.
192 Canal st.
ol-lt*"

Only a few weeks later, in January, 1852, the Association was ready to begin grading its land on Prospect Hill. Again the secretary of the Association, William Parker (who operated out of an office at 192 Canal Street in Manhattan), placed a notice in The New York Times asking for proposals to be sent to the President of the Association, Alfred S. Peace. Such proposals were due by January 10, 1852.

Soon, development of today's Prospect Hill neighborhood was underway. . . .

Prospect Hill Village Association Notice. Source: PROSPECT HILL

VILLAGE ASSOCIATION, N.Y. Times, Jan. 3, 1852, p. 3, col. 5 (Note:

Paid subscription required to access via this link). NOTE: Click on

Image to Enlarge. Transcription Immediately Below.

Labels: 1851, 1852, Alfred S. Peace, Development, Peace Street, Prospect Hill, Prospect Hill Village, Prospect Hill Village Association, Real Estate, William Parker

Thursday, May 25, 2017

Edward C. Cooper Tried to Resurrect His Solar Salt Works on City Island in 1852 and 1853

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One of the earliest commercial manufacturing enterprises constructed in the Town of Pelham was a small solar salt works built on City Island by Dr. Edward C. Cooper of 22nd Street in New York City during the early 1830's. A print in the collection of the New York Historical Society entitled "E.C. Cooper's Plan of Salt Works at City Island (1835)" shows a remarkable facility with a windmill built atop a platform in Long Island Sound that pumped water via a pipe to a tank above four "inclined planes" down which salt water was dripped onto a bed of gravel covering the inclined plane surfaces at precisely the correct rate so that water would coat the gravel and the heavier salt-laden brine would flow downward into "rooms" (also known as "pans") at the bottom of the inclined planes. There, a small and movable roof could be rolled over the pans during rain (and at night) and rolled away from the pans during sunlight. Evaporation of the liquid in the thick brine would leave salt crystals that could be harvested for profit.

"E. C. Cooper's Plan of Salt Works at City Island (1835) From an old print

in the New York Historical Society" Source: Jenkins, Stephen, The Story of

The Bronx From The Purchase Made by the Dutch from the Indians in 1639

to the Present Day, Opposite p. 626 (G. P. Putnam's Sons New York and

London, The Knickerbocker Press, 1912). NOTE: Click on Image to Enlarge.

I have written before about Cooper's solar salt works on City Island during the early 1830s. See Mon., Sep. 01, 2014: Solar Salt Manufacturing Plant Built on City Island in the Town of Pelham in the 1830's. In that article I wrote that "Diligent effort has uncovered no primary sources that address when, how or why Cooper's salt works on City Island failed (if the works actually 'failed')." I also wrote that "no record has yet been located to determine whether Edward C. Cooper ever sold stock to raise money for his plan to build a larger solar salt works. At present, however, it does not appear that any such sale of stock took place." It turns out, however, that additional research has revealed more to the story of Edward C. Cooper and his solar salt works on City Island in the Town of Pelham.

More than twenty years after his first effort to operate a solar salt manufacturing plant on City Island failed apparently due to lack of funds, Edward C. Cooper tried a second time. In late 1852 he reportedly began construction of a new solar salt manufacturing plant, once again, on City Island. From short descriptions of the second facility, it apparently was quite similar to the technology he patented and used to construct his first facility on City Island in the 1830s.

According to one account, Cooper began construction of his second facility so late in the season in 1852 that it was "too late in the season to form salt." Thus, according to the same account, he had to abandon the effort "for want of funds."

It seems that, for a second time, Cooper had an idea and the desire to make it a reality, but lacked the necessary funds to succeed. He did not give up, however. Instead, he made a written appeal to the New York Chamber of Commerce in New York City asking for funds (its "patronage") to permit him to continue construction. Cooper submitted with his written request for aid a "plan" of the salt works he had begun construction on City Island. He estimated that $5,000 would enable him to construct ten acres, or more, of salt works, yielding upwards of 10,000 bushels of salt annually.

The New York Chamber of Commerce considered Cooper's request at its regular monthly meeting on the afternoon of Tuesday, March 1, 1853. After reviewing the communication, the organization ordered that it be placed "on file," effectively rejecting the request perfunctorily.

Once again, Cooper's grand plan to manufacture and operate a solar salt works on City Island in the Town of Pelham failed for lack of funds. Cooper does not appear to have tried again.

Page 1, United States Patent X8,821 Issued to E.C. Cooper for an

"Evaporator" by the United States Patent Trademark Office on

May 16, 1835. NOTE: Click on Image to Enlarge.

* * * * *

"SALT FROM OCEAN WATER. -- At a meeting of the New York Chamber of Commerce, on Tuesday, a communication was received from Edward C. Cooper in relation to the manufacture of salt from ocean water. The Journal of Commerce says: --

Accompanying it was a plan of salt works constructed last season on City Island, East River, but too late in the season to form salt, and abandoned for want of funds. They are formed of inclined planes, made on the earth, of hydraulic cement, taking four barrels to every thousand feet of surface. It is estimated that $5,000 would construct ten acres, or more, of works, yielding upwards of 10,000 bushels of salt annually. The patronage of the Chamber is requested. The communication was ordered to be placed on file."

Source: SALT FROM OCEAN WATER, Daily Albany Argus [Albany, NY], Mar. 5, 1853, Vol. XXVIII, No. 8339, p. 2, col. 5.

"CHAMBER OF COMMERCE.
-----

The New York Chamber of Commerce held its regular monthly meeting yesterday afternoon, at the Merchants' Bank. . . .

A communication was received from EDWARD C. COOPER, in relation to manufacturing salt from ocean water. Accompanying it was a plan of salt works constructed last season to form salt, and abandoned for want of funds. They are formed of inclined planes, made on the earth, of hydraulic cement, taking four barrels to every thousand feet of surface. It is estimated that $5,000 would construct ten acres, or more, of works, yielding upwards of 10,000 bushels of salt annually. The patronage of the Chamber is requested. The communication was ordered to be placed on file."

Source: CHAMBER OF COMMERCE, Morning Courier And New-York Enquirer [NY, NY], Mar. 2, 1853, Vol. XLVII, No. 8019, p. 3, col. 2.

"SALT FROM SEA WATER. -- Edward C. Cooper has memorialized the New York Chamber of Commerce to aid him in the construction of works, already commenced by him, on City Island, East River, for the manufacture of salt from ocean water. It is estimated that $5,000 would construct ten acres or more of works, yielding upwards of 10,000 bushels of salt annually."

Source: SALT FROM SEA WATER, The Baltimore Sun, Mar. 4, 1853, Vol. XXXII, No. 92, p. 1, col. 3.

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Labels: 1830, 1835, 1836, 1852, 1853, City Island, Edward C. Cooper, Manufacturing, New York Chamber of Commerce, Salt Works, Solar Salt Plant

Wednesday, May 17, 2017

More on the History of the Pelham Bridge Hotel that Burned Down on October 28, 1882

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On the evening of Tuesday, October 13, 1874, the Democrat delegates of the First Assembly District were in their places ready to begin their annual convention at Pelham Bridge Hotel to nominate a candidate for member of Assembly to represent the district during the upcoming year. Though the Pelham Bridge Hotel was lovely and convenient, there was the annoyance of the notorious hotel bar that was the scene of so many fights and shocking incidents. That night, it turned out, there was another such incident.

The convention was called to order and two men were nominated to serve as Chair of the meeting. That was as far as the meeting got. "[S]everal outsiders who were under the influence of bad liquor" began heckling and interfering with the meeting. Pelham Bridge Hotel was "far away from the protection of any police." Thus, the delegates rose to resist the disturbance and "a regular melee ensued." It seemed like something out of an old western as a fight broke out in the saloon and cowboys began fighting each other and smashing all the furniture in sight, finally drawing their revolvers on each other.

According to one account: "Furniture and other articles were smashed, revolvers were drawn, and a hasty retreat through the windows was resorted to by many." Having the edge in numbers, the delegates finally "overpowered and subdued" the "outsiders" so that the convention could proceed.

It was just another evening in the life of the little Pelham Bridge Hotel.

I have written about the hotel before. See Mon., Aug. 01, 2016: Pelham Bridge Hotel Used by Col. Delancey Astor Kane's Pelham Coach Burned Down in 1882. Today's Historic Pelham article provides additional information regarding the history of the once-famous (some would say infamous) Pelham Bridge Hotel.

By the time of the melee during the Democrats' annual convention at Pelham Bridge Hotel in 1874, the hotel had become a popular location for political meetings. It offered not only a convenient location, but also the sustenance of strong drink to fuel spirited political debates.

The Pelham Bridge Hotel was built in about the early 1850s. It stood on the side of the road at the southern end of Pelham Bridge. By 1882, the hotel complex included two buildings, one on each side of the road at the southern end of the bridge.

The first proprietor of the Pelham Bridge Hotel was a man named Larry Fowler. Fowler was succeeded by George P. Arcularius who ran the hotel for a number of years. In 1880, the owner of the hotel property offered it for lease to a new proprietor. That new proprietor was Robert S. Spurge who operated the hotel until it burned down on October 28, 1882.

Spurge reinvigorated the aging hotel. He repaired it and furnished it lavishly. He arranged for Colonel Delancey Kane to stop his Pelham "Tally Ho" coach at the hotel on its way from the Hotel Brunswick in New York City to New Rochelle (its terminus in 1881 and 1882).

Only weeks before the Pelham Bridge Hotel burned to the ground, Spurge invested in construction of a new causeway that extended one hundred feet into the waters of Eastchester Bay so that boats could access his establishment even at low tide. Ever the entrepreneur, Spurge also made the causeway available to fishermen "to enjoy themselves without rowing out into the bay." Such sportsmen, of course, would need to avail themselves of strong refreshments after a hard day of angling.
A terrible fire, about which I have written before, burned down the hotel in the early morning hours of October 28, 1882. Though the cause of the fire was never determined, it was believed to have begun in the kitchen of the hotel.
Care must be taken when researching the history of Pelham Bridge Hotel. Although the one that burned on October 28, 1882 was named the Pelham Bridge Hotel, there were other hotels located at Pelham Bridge over the years. Occasionally, references to other such hotels as "Pelham Bridge Hotel" were merely shorthand for the fact that it was a hotel located at Pelham Bridge. Indeed, in the years after the actual Pelham Bridge Hotel burned, the Grand View Hotel managed by William John Elliott frequently was referenced as the "Pelham Bridge Hotel."

Detail from Engraving Published in 1884 Showing Old Iron Pelham Bridge

Where David Blizzard and Augustus Lawrence Served as Bridge Keepers.

Source: "PELHAM PARK, NEW YORK. -- DRAWN BY CHARLES GRAHAM.", Harper's

Weekly, Vol. XXVIII, No. 1442, 1884, pp. 514 & 521. Note that the iron arches of the bridge

are visible in the distance on the right edge of the image.

NOTE: Click on Image to Enlarge.

* * * * *

"POLITICAL ITEMS. . . .

The Democratic Assembly Convention of this district will meet at the Central Hotel, White Plains, next Tuesday.

The Democratic Assembly Convention of the First District will meet on the same day at Pelham Bridge Hotel. The convention will also elect eight delegates to the congressional convention. . . ."

Source: POLITICAL ITEMS, The Chronicle [Mount Vernon, NY], Oct. 9, 1874, p. 1, col. 2.

"FIRST ASSEMBLY DISTRICT.

The delegates from the city of Yonkers, the town of Westchester, and the three old towns of West Farms, Kingsbridge, and Morrisania, (now constituting the 23rd and 24th wards of the city,) to the convention called to nominate a candidate for member of assembly met at Pelham Bridge Hotel Tuesday, and had rather a stirring time, in consequence of the presence of several outsiders who were under the influence of bad liquor, and of the unfortunate circumstance that they were far away from the protection of any policy.

Mr. Wm. Havens, of Westchester, called the meeting to order, and the names of Mr. Hugh Lunny and Mr. Abraham S. Radcliffe were proposed for Chairman of the convention. Then the disturbance was commenced by outsiders, and was resisted by the delegates, so that a regular melee ensued. Furniture and other articles were smashed, revolvers were drawn, and a hasty retreat through the windows was resorted to by many. The outsiders were finally overpowered and subdued, so that the business of the convention was proceeded with, and Mr. Lunny was elected Chairman. From the 23d and 24th wards of the city of New York, and two wards of the city of Yonkers, there were two sets of delegates, the respective claims of which to seats in the convention were adjusted by a committee appointed for that purpose, and the following were admitted.

Twenty-third Ward -- Charles Monk, Michael Lennon, John F. Rice, James Reilley, John Robertson, John Mooney, P. Kane, D. Malone, T. Conners, Lawrence Green, Lawrence Dacy, Pat O'Hare, Wm. Balmer, Wm. Lennehan.

Twenty-fourth Ward -- John Bussing, P. McCarthy, M. E. Reilley, Fred Meyer, Charles Clark, B. B. Valentinie, Chris Keenan, Pat Gormly, J. Coffin, Wm. Martin.

Westchester -- Hugh Lunny, Pat. J. Kellett, Thomas Bible, Thomas O'Brien, W. H. Waters.

Yonkers -- John Lacy, Thomas Eigan, John Kennedy, G. W. Rau, Jacob Reid, John McCall, Michael Welsh, J.J. Widman E. Whalon, Robert Neville, Pat Curran, John McGowan, M. Mooney.

The names of Hon. J. C. Courter and Dennis R. Shiel were proposed as candidates for member of Assembly.

It was stated by some of the friends of Mr. Courter that he did not desire the nomination, and on taking the first ballot Mr. Shield received 30 of the 43 votes cast, whereupon his nomination, and on taking the first ballot Mr. Shield received 30 of the 43 votes cast, whereupon his nomination was declared unanimous, and the nominated appropriately acknowledged the compliment.

The following persons were chosen delegates to the Congressional Convention: Charles Monks and John Rogge of Morrisania; M. E. Reilley and B. B. Valentine of West Farms; Patrick Gormley, of Kingsbridge; Hugh Lunny, of Westchester; Thomas Eagan, and Peter U. Fowler of Yonkers."

Source: FIRST ASSEMBLY DISTRICT, The Chronicle [Mount Vernon, NY], Oct. 16, 1874, p. 2, col. 1.

"LOCAL NEWS. . . .

Mr. R. S. Spurge, the well-known and hospitable host of the Pelham Bridge Hotel, has built a new causeway, extending 100 feet into the water; and making his float accessible for boats at the lowest tide. It also enables fishermen to enjoy themselves without rowing out into the bay. . . ."

Source: LOCAL NEWS, The Chronicle [Mount Vernon, NY], Sep. 8, 1882, p. 3, col. 1.

"CITY ISLAND AND PELHAM.

At two o'clock last Saturday morning, the old Pelham Bridge Hotel comprising two buildings, one on each side of the road at the southern end of Pelham Bridge was burned to the ground. Thirty years ago, Larry Fowler became landlord. After Fowler, Geo. P. Arcularius ran the house for a number of years. Recently, R. S. Spurge has kept the place. Col. Delancey Kane's Tally-ho coach always stopped at the inn, when running to New Rochelle. The cause of the fire is unknown. The loss is $15,000. Mr. Spurge's principal loss is on the furniture on which there was but a small amount of insurance. . . ."

Source: CITY ISLAND AND PELHAM, The Chronicle [Mount Vernon, NY], Nov. 3, 1882, p. 3, col. 3.

"A Landmark Removed.

As briefly stated in our last issue, at 4 o'clock on Saturday morning last, the old Pelham Bridge Hotel, at Pelham Bridge, was burned to the gournd. Thirty years ago Larry Fowler became landlord. The house was then in its glory. Not a driving party thought of going by without stopping. Commodore Vanderbilt always stopped to have his horses watered, and all the sporting men of New York, New Rochelle and throughout Westchester County, occasionally passed a merry evening there. It was on the only good drive from the city. The road began at Corporal Thompson's place, which was a frame building, where the Fifth Avenue Hotel now stands, and cutting diagonally across Madison Square Garden to Harlem Bridge, and so along to the inn, six miles beyond. After Fowler, Harry Arcularius ran the house for a number of years. Last spring, R. S. Spurge, who formerly ran the Huguenot Hotel of this village, leased the hotel and premises now burned, and furnished and kept the same in magnificent style. Col. De Lancy [sic] Kane's Tallyho coach always stopped at the inn when running to New Rochelle. Mr. Spurge was in the city at the time of the fire. It is thought that the fire broke out in the kitchen. The loss is supposed to be between $10,000 and $15,000. William Layton was the owner."

Source: A Landmark Removed, The New Rochelle Pioneer, Nov. 4, 1882, p. 3, col. 3.

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Labels: 1852, 1882, Hotel, Pelham Bridge, Pelham Bridge Hotel, Robert Spurge, Spurge's Hotel

Friday, February 10, 2017

United Brothers' Land Society Involvement in Developing Pelhamville Lands in the Early 1850s

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Introduction

Between about 1845 and late 1848, plans for a "New-York and New-Haven Railroad" through the Town of Pelham became a reality. 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 new line to New Haven. They returned the next day. See Thu., Sep. 11, 2014: Cattle Were Frightened; Animals Careened Round the Fields - The First Run of the New Haven Line Through Pelham in 1848.

The coming of the railroad was, of course, a monumental event for the rural and undeveloped area encompassed by the Town of Pelham. Interestingly, the timing of the opening of the railroad fundamentally affected the very soul of two large residential areas in the Town in ways that can easily be seen today.

In 1848 when the first part of the New Haven line opened through Pelham, The mid-Victorian Freehold Land Movement that spread throughout England and the U.S. was reaching its peak. "Freehold Land Societies" (also known as Building Societies and Building Associations) were active throughout the region as land developers seized on the movement as a way quickly to sell many small plots to members of the working class who dreamed of owning their own homes. In short, the movement encouraged the formation of small terminating building societies to assist members of the working class to buy homes as a step toward self respect and shared, mutual improvement.

The movement has been studied for many years. As one expert has noted:

"It was usual . . . for mid-Victorians to think of house-ownership as the preserve of a section of the upper working class . . . a quirk of a small minority of skilled artisans who set especial store on thrift and respectability, saw them as ideally embodied in house-ownership, and successfully pursued their ambitions through the machinery of local terminating building societies. . . . Freehold land societies provided their members with freehold properties, together with the associated advantage of a parliamentary vote. In the years following the embarrassment of Chartism in 1848, the freehold land movement came close to dominating popular politics. Its roots were those common to Chartism: the imperative to extend the franchise, working-class self-respect and mutual improvement, and agrarian idealism. . . . Such societies were a powerful means of converting thrift into consumption. . ."

Source: Chase, Malcom, "Out of Radicalism: the Mid-Victorian Freehold Land Movement" in Engl. Hist. Review, 1991, Vol. CVI (CCCCXIX), pp. 319-45, & 319.

With the coming of the railroad to Pelham, New York City in late 1848, real estate developers seized on the opportunity and formed a number of building societies to develop the areas known as Pelhamville and Prospect Hill within the Town of Pelham. (Other building societies operated nearby at the same time, particularly in Mount Vernon.) Developers formed a freehold land society named United Brothers' Land Society to sell lots in Pelhamville. Another building society named the Prospect Hill Village Association was formed to sell lots in Prospect Hill. There was some overlapping management and involvement between the two associations that strongly suggests a coordinated effort to sell real estate in the two sections of the Town.

I have written extensively about the Prospect Hill Village Association. For examples, see:

Bell, Blake A., The Founding of "Prospect Hill Village" in the Early 1850s, The Pelham Weekly, Vol. XV, Issue 25, Second Section, Jun. 23, 2006, p. 34, col. 1.

Tue., Jul. 26, 2016: More About the Prospect Hill Village Association in the Mid-19th Century.

Fri., Feb. 12, 2010: Documentation of the Creation of the Building Association Known as Prospect Hill Village Association on August 11, 1852.

Thu., Oct. 15, 2009: 19th and Early 20th Century Newspaper Notices Relating to the Prospect Hill Village Association.

Mon., Nov. 21, 2005: Prospect Hill and Pelhamville Depicted on the 1868 Beers Atlas Map of Pelham: Part I.

Wed., Mar. 30, 2005: Prospect Hill Village -- Yet Another Early Hamlet Within the Town of Pelham.

Today's Historic Pelham article tells the story of the United Brothers' Land Society involved in the development of a portion of Pelhamville (as well as some of the overlapping ties between that society and the Prospect Hill Village Association).

United Brothers' Land Society

The United Brothers' Land Society was organized in New York City on June 3, 1850. The organization was limited to 500 members. Its object was "to procure a sufficient quantity of land in our locality, so as to enable each of its members to have 100 feet square (four City lots) for a Homestead at the expiration of one year from the date of organization." Based in New York City, the Society held periodic meetings at a variety of Manhattan locations including 127 Grand Street and Convention Hall at 175 Wooster Street.

The Society promptly acquired about 110 acres of land in Pelhamville with frontage of about 800 feet on the New-York and New-Haven Railroad line. It appears that among the land acquired by the Society was the Anthony Wolf homestead (i.e., the home and farm of John Anthony Woolf). The Wolf home once stood on the north side of Third Street between today's Fifth Avenue and Sixth Avenue. For more about John Anthony Woolf and his farm, see:

Thu., Aug. 27, 2015: More About Anthony Wolf of Wolfs Lane Fame Who Built the Wolf Homestead that Once Stood in Pelhamville.

Wed., Aug. 26, 2015: Stories About The Old Wolf Homestead in Pelhamville, Told by J. Gardiner Minard.

The Society purchased the Pelhamville lands for $16,000. It agreed to pay that sum through installments over the course of one year as it took membership fees and sold rights to own lots to its members. Interestingly, numerous secondary sources (that seem to base their assertions on the work of Lockwood Barr in his seminal history of Pelham published in 1946) contend that a land association named the Pelhamville Village Association bought the Wolf farm, subdivided it, and sold off the lots. There does not, however, seem to be any compelling evidence to support that claim. It seems certain that the United Brothers' Land Society was the "Associative movement of the Mechanics and Laboring men" of New York City responsible for purchasing and subdividing the land -- not any organization often referenced as the Pelhamville Village Association. It seems that such a misnomer was applied in some contexts as a shorthand reference for the United Brothers' Land Society. In any event, it is clear that the United Brothers' Land Society was the building society that developed much of Pelhamville.

The first order of business for the Society was to whip up interest among prospective purchasers to convince them to join the association and begin installment payments on Pelhamville lots to get money flowing into the organization so the organization could make its own installment payments toward its $16,000 debt. What better day than Thanksgiving Day for a "Festival" at Pelhamville to whip up such interest!

Thanksgiving was not yet a national holiday but, by 1850, it had become a national tradition. It was celebrated on different dates near the end of the year in different States and territories. In New York, Thanksgiving was celebrated on December 12, 1850.

That day, the United Brothers' Land Society sponsored a special "First Festival at Pelhamville." A special train departed from the New-Haven Depot at Canal Street at 10:00 a.m. for Pelhamville. There, in almost a caricature of the traditions followed by building societies throughout our region, a brass band led prospective purchasers from the train to the lands offered for sale. According to a notice of the event: "The cars will return at 3 P.M. on account of the ladies and children." (See below.)

The United Brothers' Land Society raised roughly $21,000 through sales of certificates entitling members to specified lots in Pelhamville, leaving about a $5,000 surplus to permit construction of a railroad depot and "for cutting streets, grading, &c." It appears that the money was handled as follows.

Prospective "members" paid an "entrance fee." After paying the fee, they selected their plot(s) and received a certificate reflecting their choice(s). Thereafter, the members began making periodic installment payments with the goal of paying for their selected plot(s) within one year. Some fell into arrears, though the Society periodically provided opportunities to bring such arrears current. Once the installment payments were paid in full, members were provided an opportunity to exchange their certificates for the deeds to their land.

Governance of the organization seemed to involve a board of trustees, a few officers, and several committees comprised of members of the Society. One such committee was the Finance Committee. Another was the Land Committee. A third was the Surveying Committee. Another was the Committee on Arrangements. Officers included:

William Parker, President
T. Huxley, Vice President
Charles Keen, Secretary
Henry Marsden, Trustee
Charles Wilkie, Chairman of the Executive Committee
Alfred B. Duncombe, "on the Land"

Among the things the United Brothers' Land Society did was construct the first railroad station built in Pelham. The tiny little station was described as "a neat and commodious depot" and was reported as "on point of completion at a cost of $1,350" in a letter to the editor of the New-York Daily Tribune published on June 17, 1851.

The Society claimed success in its mission. The one-year anniversary of the organization passed on June 3, 1851. Three days later on Friday, June 6, 1851, members of the Society met at the Fourteenth Ward Hotel, southeast corner of Elizabeth and Grand streets, "for the purpose of winding up the affairs of the society."

Two days later, on Sunday, June 8, 1851, the Society published the following notice in the New York Herald:

"in accordance with the resolution passed at the last meeting, they shall meet at the New York and New Haven Railroad Station, on Monday morning, June 9, 1851, at seven o'clock, for the purpose of proceeding to Pelhamville, where the distribution of lots will take place. N. B. -- The house and lot, formerly occupied by Andrew Woolf, will be sold by auction after the distribution."

The following day, Monday, June 9, 1851, the Pelhamville lots were distributed to those who purchased them.

In a matter of weeks, the Society published a notice soliciting proposals "for grading and regulating the streets and avenues; also, for sinking and stoning up a well, to contain five feet of pure water, at the railroad depot." It appears as though the Society was using the "surplus" funds it had received to develop the streets of the new settlement.

It appears that there were a number of surplus lots and an "old building" with a quantity of cut wood that remained unsold after lots were distributed to members on June 9. Accordingly, a brief notice appeared in the pages of the New York Herald on September 11, 1851. The item announced an auction of all "surplus lots" of the United Brothers' Land Society in Pelhamville and further stated that the society's building and all its "Cut Wood" would be included in the auction. An image of the advertisement and a transcription of its text appear immediately below.

PELHAMVILLE LOTS AT AUCTION [Advertisement],

The New York Herald, Sep. 11, 1851, No. 6895, Morning

Edition, p. 3, col. 5.

"PELHAMVILLE LOTS AT AUCTION. -- BY ORDER OF the United Brothers' Land Society, the surplus lots marked on map from A to Y inclusive, will be sold on the ground at Pelhamville, on Monday next, the 15th instant at one o'clock, by public auction, to the highest bidder. Also one old Building and all the Cut Wood belonging to the Society. Twenty per cent to be paid on lots when sold, and the balance on delivery of the deeds. The building and wood to be paid for in full at the time of sale.

H. MARSDEN, Trustee.

The New Haven cars leave Canal street at half-past eleven o'clock, A.M."

The following month, on Monday, October 13, 1851, members of the Society met at Convention Hall at 175 Wooster Street, "to hear the report of the executive committee, and transact general business, preparatory to an early close of the society." It appears, however, that the Society still had not dissolved as of six months later. Thus, in late April, 1852, a series of notices appeared in New York City providing as follows:

"UNITED BROTHERS' LAND SOCIETY. -- BY ORDER of the Society, the south half of lot No. 128, in Pelhamville, is to be sold. Persons wishing to buy will please send in their bids, with names and residences, in writing, to Henry Marsden, No. 40 Thompson street, before Monday evening, April 26th, in order that the Executive Committee may award it to the highest bidder. Terms cash, on delivery of the deed."

Research has not yet revealed when the United Brothers' Land Society actually closed down. It seems to have been sometime soon after late April in 1852. Though it would be years before any meaningful number of people built homes on the lots and settled in Pelhamville, the work of the United Brothers' Land Society had formed the basic layout that defines much of today's Village of Pelham.

Overlaps Between United Brothers' Land Society and Prospect Hill Village Association

There are some obvious and long-known overlaps between the development of Prospect Hill and Pelhamville. For example, both were developed at essentially the same time. Both relied on a New Rochelle architect and civil engineer, William Bryson, to prepare survey and lot maps. Both were known to have been developed by land societies.

The overlaps, however, seem to go much deeper. For example, William Parker, who served as the President of the United Brothers' Land Society, also served as Secretary of the Prospect Hill Village Association and owned land in both the Prospect Hill development and the Pelhamville development. See, e.g., Prospect Hill Village Association, New-York Tribune, Vol. XI, No. 3266, Oct. 6, 1851, p. 2, col. 1 (Prospect Hill Village Association notice of meeting signed by "WM. PARKER, Secretary, No. 192 Canal-st.").

There also is admittedly circumstantial evidence that advertising for the two building societies was coordinated. On a number of occasions, advertisements for both appeared in the same sections of the same publications. Occasionally, notices published by the two associations even appeared adjacent to one another.

Meeting Notices for Both the United Brothers' Land Society

and the Prospect Hill Village Association that Appeared Adjacent

to One Another. Source: UNITED BROTHERS' LAND SOCIEty

and PROSPECT HILL VILLAGE Association, The Sun [NY, NY],

Aug. 4, 1851, No. 5551, p. 3, col. 1. NOTE: Click on Image to Enlarge.

Map of Pelhamville Published in 1868. Source: Beers, F.W., Atlas

of New York and Vicinity from Actual Surveys By and Under the

Direction of F.W. Beers, Assisted By A.B. Prindle & Others, pg. 36

(NY, NY: Beers, Ellis & Soule, 1868) (Detail from Page 36 Map

Entitled "Town of New Rochelle, Westchester Co., N.Y.

(With) Pelhamville). NOTE: Click on Image to Enlarge.

* * * * *

Below is the text of a number of items that relate to the subject of today's article. Each is followed by a citation and link to its source.

"MEETINGS THIS EVENING. -- The City Industrial Congress at their rooms, New City Hall; Benevolent Society of Operative Masons, 76 Prince st. near Broadway; and the United Brothers Land Society, 127 Grand st."

Source: MEETINGS THIS EVENING, New-York Daily Tribune, Sep. 24, 1850, p. 4, col. 5.

"First Festival at Pelhamville of the United Brothers' Land Society, who have founded the above village on a beautiful site in Westchester County, adjoining the New-Haven Railroad, on Thanksgiving Day. A Special Train of Cars will be in readiness at the New-Haven Depot in Canal-st. at 10 o'clock, A. M. with a fine Band of Music to accompany the Society to their lands. The public are respectfully invited to attend. The cars will return at 3 P.M. on account of the ladies and children. By order of the Committee of Arrangements.
WM. PARKER, President.
CHARLES KEEN, Secretary. d11 lt*"

Source: First Festival at Pelhamville, New-York Daily Tribune, Dec. 11, 1850, Vol. X, No. 3012, p. 1, col. 2.

"THE UNITED BROTHERS' LAND SOCIETY MEET this evening, at 7 1/2 o'clock, at the Hall 127 Grand street. Members who have only paid an entrance fee, and those in arrear, are requested to come forward and pay up. A few shares are yet left. Respectable and industrious men are requested to join this society. Every member of the Land and Surveying Committees are urgently requested to meet at the Hall, at 6 1/2 o'clock. By order of the President.

WM. PARKER
CHAS. KEEN, Sec'y."

Source: THE UNITED BROTHERS' LAND SOCIETY MEET [Advertisement], New York Herald, Mar. 18, 1851, p. 5, col. 2.

"The United Brothers Land Society will hold a meeting at the Fourteenth Ward, S. E. corner of Elizabeth and Grand sts. on FRIDAY EVENING, June 6, at 7 1/2 o'clock. N. B. -- The Finance Committee meet daily at 127 Grand st. for the purpose of winding up the affairs of the Society.
WM. PARKER, President.
CHAS. KEEN, Secretary. je3 2t*"

Source: The United Brothers Land Society, New-York Daily Tribune, Jun. 5, 1851, Vol. XI, No. 3162, p. 1, col. 1.

"THE UNITED BROTHERS LAND SOCIETY WILL hold a meeting at the Fourteenth Ward Hotel, southeast corner of Elizabeth and Grand streets, on Friday, June 6th, at 7 1/2 P.M. N. B. -- The Finance Committee meet daily at 127 Grand street, for the purpose of winding up the affairs of the society.

W. PARKER, Pres't.
C. KEEN, Secretary."

Source: THE UNITED BROTHERS LAND SOCIETY [Advertisement], New York Herald, Jun. 6, 1851, p. 3, col. 1.

"THE UNITED BROTHERS' LAND SOCIETY ARE hereby notified that, in accordance with the resolution passed at the last meeting, they shall meet at the New York and New Haven Railroad Station, on Monday morning, June 9, 1851, at seven o'clock, for the purpose of proceeding to Pelhamville, where the distribution of lots will take place. N. B. -- The house and lot, formerly occupied by Andrew Woolf, will be sold by auction after the distribution.

W. PARKER, President."

Source: THE UNITED BROTHERS' LAND SOCIETY [Advertisement], New York Herald, Jun. 8, 1851, p. 3, col. 3.

"Homes for the Working Men.

To the Editor of the Tribune:

SIR: As you take an interest in the Associative movements of the Mechanics and Laboring men of our City, I thought a brief account of the commencement and successful termination of the United Brothers Land Society would prove acceptable to your readers.

The U. B. L. Society was organized on the 3d day of June, 1850. Their number was not to exceed 500 men. Their object was to procure a sufficient quantity of land in our locality, so as to enable each of its members to have 100 feet square (four City lots) for a Homestead at the expiration of one year from the date of organization. The land (110 acres) is situated in Westchester Co., about 17 miles from the City Hall, having a front of about 800 feet on the New York and New-Haven Railroad. On Tuesday, 3d of June, the year expired, and on Monday, 9th, the distribution of lots took place at Pelhamville, and the object for which we are associated was successfully accomplished, we having paid the last installment of $16,000, (the amount agreed upon for the land,) on that day, leaving a surplus of about $5,000 for cutting streets, grading, &c., at a cost of about $51 to each man. We have a neat and commodious depot on point of completion at a cost of $1,350.

No little credit is due the officers, and especially Mr. James [sic; should be William] Parker, President of the Association for the self-sacrificing energy and perseverance he has manifested in bringing the affairs of the society to a final and successful termination, thereby enabling numbers to escape the power of the Landlord, and opening before them the vista of a bright and happy future.

JOHN W. LINSTED, 109 Eldridge-st."

Source: Homes for the Working Men, New-York Daily Tribune, Jun. 17, 1851, p. 7, col. 3.

"UNITED BROTHERS LAND ASSOCIATION AT PELhamville. -- Proposals will be received for grading and regulating the streets and avenues; also, for sinking and stoning up a well, to contain five feet of pure water, at the railroad depot. All information will be given by applying to

WILLIAM PARKER, President, or
ALFRED B. DUNCOMBE, on the land."

Source: UNITED BROTHERS LAND ASSOCIATION [Advertisement], New York Herald, Jun. 26, 1851, p. 3, col. 6.

"UNITED BROTHERS' LAND SOCIETY. THE NEXT REGULAR MEETING will be held at Mechanics' Hall, 160 Hester st. between Elizabeth and Mott sts. on Monday evening, July 11th, at 8 o'clock. N. B. -- Every constitutional member of the society is requested to be present to attend to his own interests, and the future welfare of the association. By order of the President, WM. PARKER.CHAS. KEEN, Sec'y. 153"

Source: UNITED BROTHERS' LAND SOCIETY -- THE NEXT REGULAR MEETING, The Sun [NY, NY], Jul. 14, 1851, No. 5533, p. 2, col. 1.

"UNITED BROTHERS' LAND SOCIEty -- The next regular meeting will be held on Monday, August the 4th, at 8 o'clock P.M. at Mechanics' Hall, 160 Hester st., between Elizabeth and Mott sts. CHAS KEEN, Sec'y. T. HUXLEY, Vice President. 148

PROSPECT HILL VILLAGE Association -- On Monday evening, 4th of August, at 8 o'clock, this Society will hold its next regular meeting at American Hall, corner of Broadway and Grand sts., for the purpose of receiving new members, &c. Every person who wants a plot of land in the most healthy location in Westchester Co. is requested to attend, get a prospectus and constitution, and by weekly installments, pay for their future home. For further information apply to ALFRED S. PEACE, Presdt. 161 Third ave. or of WM. PARKER, 192 Canal st. Secy. 83"

Source: UNITED BROTHERS' LAND SOCIEty and PROSPECT HILL VILLAGE Association, The Sun [NY, NY], Aug. 4, 1851, No. 5551, p. 3, col. 1.

"PELHAMVILLE LOTS AT AUCTION -- BY Order of the United Brothers Land Society, the surplus lots marked on map from A to Y inclusive will be sold on the ground at Pelhamville, on Monday next, the 15th inst., at 1 o'clock, by public auction to the highest bidder. Also, one old building, and all the cut wood belonging to the Society. Twenty per cent. to be paid on lots when sold, and the balance on delivery of the deeds, the building and wood to be paid for in full at the time of sale. H. MARSDEN, Trustee. The New Haven cars leave Canal st at half past 11 o'clk a.m. s11 41s*112"

Source: PELHAMVILLE LOTS AT AUCTION, The Sun [NY, NY], Sep. 11, 1851, No. 5584, p. 3, col. 6. See also PELHAMVILLE LOTS AT AUCTION, The New York Herald, Sep. 11, 1851, p. 3, col. 5.

"PELHAMVILLE LOTS at AUCTION. -- By order of the United Brothers' Land Society, the SURPLUS LOTS marked on map, from A to Y, inclusive, will be sold on the ground, at Pelhamville, on MONDAY next, the 15th inst., at 1 o'clock, by public auction, to the highest bidder. Also, one old Building, and all the cut Wood belonging to the Society. Twenty per cent. to be paid on Lots when sold, and the balance on delivery of deeds; the Building and Wood to be paid for in full at the time of sale. H. MARSDEN, Trustee.

The New-Haven Cars leave Canal-st. at 11 1/2 o'clock.
s11 4t*"

Source: PELHAMVILLE LOTS at AUCTION, New-York Daily Tribune, Sep. 12, 1851, Vol. XI, No. 3246, p. 9, col. 6. See also id. at p. 1, col 6.

"PELHAMVILLE LOTS AT AUCTION -- BY Order of the United Brothers Land Society, the surplus lots marked on map from A to Y inclusive will be sold on the ground at Pelhamville, on Monday next, the 15th inst., at 1 o'clock, by public auction to the highest bidder. Also, one old building, and all the cut wood belonging to the Society. Twenty per cent. to be paid on lots when sold, and the balance on delivery of the deeds, the building and wood to be paid for in full at the time of sale. H. MARSDEN, Trustee. The New Haven cars leave Canal st at half past 11 o'clk a.m. s1141s*112"

Source: PELHAMVILLE LOTS AT AUCTION, The Sun [NY, NY], Sep. 13, 1851, No. 5586, p. 3, col. 5.

"PELHAMVILLE LOTS AT AUCTION. -- BY ORDER OF the United Brothers' Land Society, the surplus lots marked on map from A to Y inclusive, will be sold on the ground at Pelhamville, on Monday next, the 15th instant at one o'clock, by public auction, to the highest bidder. Also one old Building and all the Cut Wood belonging to the Society. Twenty per cent to be paid on lots when sold, and the balance on delivery of the deeds. The building and wood to be paid for in full at the time of sale.

H. MARSDEN, Trustee.

The New Haven cars leave Canal street at half-past eleven o'clock, A. M."

Source: PELHAMVILLE LOTS AT AUCTION [Advertisement], New York Herald, Sep. 15, 1851, p. 3, col. 4.

"THE PROSPECT HILL VILLAGE ASsociation meet on Monday evening, Aug. [illegible], at 8 o'clock, at American Hall, corner of Broadway and Grand st. A few more members will be admitted. For further information and constitution apply to ALFRED S. PEACE, Prest. 161 3d st. (or of W. PARKER Secy., 192 Canal st. 66 . . . .

PELHAMVILLE LOTS AT AUCTION -- BY Order of the United Brothers Land Society, the surplus lots marked on map from A to Y inclusive will be sold on the ground at Pelhamville, on Monday next, the 15th inst., at 1 o'clock, by public auction to the highest bidder. Also, one old building, and all the cut wood belonging to the Society. Twenty per cent. to be paid on lots when sold, and the balance on delivery of the deeds, the building and wood to be paid for in full at the time of sale. H. MARSDEN, Trustee. The New Haven cars leave Canal st. at half-past 11 o'clk a.m. s11 41sb112"

Source: THE PROSPECT HILL VILLAGE and PELHAMVILLE LOTS AT AUCTION, The Sun [NY, NY], Sep. 15, 1851, No. 5587, p. 3, cols. 1 & 6.

"UNITED BROTHERS LAND SOCIEty. The members are requested to attend a public meeting of the Society, at Convention Hall, No. 175 Wooster st. between Houston and Bleecker sts. on Monday, Oct. 13th, at 8 o'clock P.M., to hear the report of the executive committee, and transact general business, preparatory to an early close of the society. CHARLES WILKIE, Chairman. c1931s* 133"

Source: UNITED BROTHERS LAND SOCIEty, The Sun [NY, NY], Oct. 10, 1851, No. 6008, p. 3, col. 1.

"UNITED BROTHERS LAND SOCIETY. -- THE MEMbers are requested to attend a public meeting of the society at Convention Hall, No. 175 Wooster street, between Houston and Bleecker streets, on Monday, October 13, at 8 o'clock, P. M., to hear the report of the Executive Committee, and transact general business preparatory to an early close of the society.

CHARLES WILKIE,
Chairman of the Executive Committee."

Source: UNITED BROTHERS LAND SOCIETY [Advertisement], New York Herald, Oct. 11, 1851, p. 5, col. 5.

"UNITED BROTHERS' LAND SOCIEty. The members are requested to attend a public meeting of the Society, at Convention Hall, No. 175 Wooster st., between Houston and Bleecker sts., on Monday, Oct. 13th, at 8 o'clock P.M., to hear the report of the executive committee, and transact general business, preparatory to an early close of the society. CHARLES WILKIE, Chairman. . . ."

Source: UNITED BROTHERS' LAND SOCIEty, The Sun [NY. NY], Oct. 13, 1851, No. 6010, p. 3, col. 1.

"United Brothers Land Society. -- The Members who have not delivered to Messrs. Barnard & Parsons, Attorneys, No. 16 Wall st., the certificate for their lot at Pelhamville, are requested to do so immediately, or they may have to wait twelve months for their deed. Those who left their certificate previous to October 23 can have their deed by applying as above.

H. MARSDEN, Trustee.
j13 utTuTh&S*"

Source: United Brothers Land Society [Advertisement], New-York Daily Tribune, Jan. 13, 1852, p. 1, col. 2.

"UNITED BROTHERS' LAND SOCIETY. -- BY ORDER of the Society, the south half of lot No. 128, in Pelhamville, is to be sold. Persons wishing to buy will please send in their bids, with names and residences, in writing, to Henry Marsden, No. 40 Thompson street, before Monday evening, April 26th, in order that the Executive Committee may award it to the highest bidder. Terms cash, on delivery of the deed."

Source: UNITED BROTHERS' LAND SOCIETY [Advertisement], New York Herald, Apr. 21, 1852, p. 4, col. 5. See also UNITED BROTHERS' LAND SOCIETY [Advertisement], New York Herald, Apr. 24, 1852, p. 5, col. 6 (same); UNITED BROTHERS' LAND SOCIETY [Advertisement], New-York Daily Tribune, Apr. 24, 1852 p. 3, col. 2 (same).

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Labels: 1851, 1852, Alfred B. Duncombe, Charles Keen, Charles Wilkie, Henry Marsden, Pelhamville, Prospect Hill, Prospect Hill Village Association, T. Huxley, United Brothers' Land Society, William Parker

Historic Pelham

Monday, July 09, 2018

A Sheriff's Sale of William Parker's Property in 1852 Only Months After Parker Began Development of Pelhamville

Tuesday, May 08, 2018

More Early References to Development of Prospect Hill by the Prospect Hill Village Association in the Early 1850s

Thursday, May 25, 2017

Edward C. Cooper Tried to Resurrect His Solar Salt Works on City Island in 1852 and 1853

Wednesday, May 17, 2017

More on the History of the Pelham Bridge Hotel that Burned Down on October 28, 1882

Friday, February 10, 2017

United Brothers' Land Society Involvement in Developing Pelhamville Lands in the Early 1850s

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