More on the Westchester County Brewing Company that Operated in Pelham Before Prohibition

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Few realize that the extensive parking area behind the Village Hall building of the Village of Pelham on Sparks Avenue once was the site of a massive beer brewery, refrigeration stock house, and ice manufacturing facility operated by the Westchester County Brewing Company (often also referred to as the Westchester Brewing Company and, occasionally, as "Westchester Brewery").  The brewery operated from 1910 until about the beginning of Prohibition when it became a full-time ice manufacturing facility.

The brewery, stock house, and ice facility once was located along the Hutchinson River near Sparks Avenue in an area where, today, Tiffany & Co. (and other businesses) have back office operations.  In late 1909 and early 1910, that area was desolate and low-lying.  There were virtually no residences in the area except for a few homes (and businesses) along Wolf's Lane.  The brewery and ice facility was completed in about May, 1910.  The business had its "Office and Bottling Dept." located across the Hutchinson River in Mount Vernon.  Thus, the business often was referenced as the Westchester County Brewing Company of Mount Vernon, though its main plant was located in the Village of Pelham (Pelham Heights). 

Detail from 1914 Bromley Map With "WESTCHESTER BREWING CO."

Shown in Upper Left Quadrant of Detail Between Sparks Avenue and the

New Haven Main Line.   Source:  "Pelham and New Rochelle" in G. W. 

Bromley & Co., Atlas of Westchester County, N.Y. Pocket, Desk and

Automobile Edition, Vol. I, pp. 124-25 (NY, NY:  G. W. Bromley & Co.,

1914).  NOTE:  Click on Image to Enlarge.

I have written before about the history of the Westchester County Brewing Company.  See Wed., Jan. 07, 2015:  Westchester County Brewing Company Operated in Pelham Before Prohibition. Today's Historic Pelham Blog article documents additional research regarding the history of the company, its founders, and its facility in the Village of Pelham (Pelham Heights).  The focus of the research presented today is the serious set of financial difficulties faced by the business and its founders from its inception.

Early 20th Century Wooden Advertising Sign for the

Westchester County Brewing Company.  NOTE:

Click on Image to Enlarge.

There were two principal founders of the Westchester County Brewing Company:  William H. Ebling, Jr. of Pelham Heights who became President of the Company and William O. Hobby of Mount Vernon who became President after Ebling's untimely death.  In the months leading up to the completion of the main facility and its opening, the pair touted the new business as a sure "bonanza" and sold stock in the venture to investors throughout Westchester County and New York City.  

Although the United States economy was healthy in 1910, Ebling and Hobby over-extended themselves and their new business with debt at precisely the time the U.S. Economy moved from a twenty-year-period of rapid growth to a twenty-year-period of modest growth.  Indeed, the period from 1890 to 1910, generally, was one of economic growth in excess of 4%.  Beginning in 1910, however, there was a break as economic growth in the U.S. slowed to about 2.8% from 1910 to 1929.  The combination of slowing economic growth and too much debt turned out to be too much for the new business and its founders.

Indeed, financial strain may have played some role in the death of William H. Ebling, Jr.  He died "suddenly" on December 8, 1910, only seven months after the Westchester County Brewing Company opened its new facility near his home in Pelham Heights.  

In less than a year, the new business was in trouble.  On September 12, 1911, bankruptcy proceedings were commenced as a voluntary petition for dissolution of the business was filed.  In reality, the bankruptcy was merely a move to fend off creditors.  There were more than twenty lawsuits pending against the company at the time of filing with some nearing judgment.  According to one news account:

"The application was made because of the financial difficulties the corporation is in, and is preparatory to an application for a voluntary dissolution of the corporation.  It was also made to forestall having the plant and property levied on under judgments, as about twenty suits are now pending against the company, and have almost gone to judgment.  The bonded indebtedness of the company is secured by a mortgage for $250,000 held by the Empire Trust Company of New York to protect the bond holders.  There is due to different persons and corporations on promissory notes, the sum of $145,175.20, and for other debts and liabilities the sum of $95,496.87.  As against this immense debt, the corporation owns property buildings, plant, office furnishings, horses, wagons, harness, auto trucks and stock on hand valued at $395,568.20.  There are 114 stockholders of the corporation, scattered throughout Westchester County, New York City and in nearby Connecticut towns."

As the proceedings dragged along, the brewery continued to operate under receivers including William O. Hobby (the remaining living founder).  Hobby's own financial situation, however, grew increasingly bleak.  In March, 1915, Hobby filed for personal bankruptcy.  An account in the New York Times made clear how dire his situation had become.  It stated:

"WILLIAM O. HOBBY of Mount Vernon has filed a petition in bankruptcy, with liabilities of $182,664 and no available assets.  He has 1,000 shares of stock of the Westchester County Brewery, 720 shares Wauregan Hotel Company, 200 Elk Creek Oil and Gas Company, and 20 Mount Vernon National Bank, all of which are put in as of no value.  Most of his liabilities are for endorsing notes of the Westchester County Brewery, against which concern a petition in bankruptcy was filed here on Sept. 12, 1911.  William Hobby was President of the Company, and was also appointed one of the receivers for it.  Among his creditors are Philip Tillinghast, receiver of the Mount Vernon National Bank, $27,852; Mount Vernon Trust Company, $7,451; First National Bank of Jamaica, $4,184; Trustees of the First National Bank of Oneonta, $9,3331; Bollinger Brothers, Pittsburgh, $49,000; Frick Company, Waynesboro, Penn., $22,000, and Liberty Brewing Company, $6,631." 
 

 

Example of Beer Bottle of the "WESTCHESTER COUNTY BREWING

COMPANY" of  "MOUNT VERNON, N.Y." With Close-Up of the

Embossed Medallion of the Bottle Immediately Below.  NOTE:  Click

on Image to Enlarge.

By the late Teens, with Prohibition looming, officials of the Westchester County Brewery Company negotiated a sale of the Pelham Heights facility off Sparks Avenue to the Knickerbocker Ice Company, a supplier of ice to lower Westchester County.  In 1933, as Prohibition came to a close, there were brief efforts to reinstate a brewery on the site, although Village building inspectors halted the work.  At least two lawsuits followed with one of those suits eventually resulting in a decision to relocate the proposed brewery elsewhere. 

*          *          *          *          *
 
"Wm. H. Ebling

Attended by many people of prominence from Pelham Heights, Pelham, New York and Philadelphia, and by the Mount Vernon Lodge of Elks, the funeral services of William H. Ebling, Jr., President of the Westchester County Brewery, who died suddenly on December 8th, were held on December 12th, at Pelham Heights, N. Y.

The services were conducted by the Rev. H. H. Brown, the rector of the Church of the Redeemer, in Pelham.  Following came the ritualistic burial service of the Elks, which was conducted by the Exalted Ruler Robert R. Kallman and the officers of the lodge.  Mr. Williams, of the Mount Vernon Lodge, sang 'Nearer, My God, to Thee' and 'The Vacant Chair.'

The floral tributes were numerous and beautiful.  The honorary pallbearers were F. F. Ballinger, of Pittsburgh, Pa., Sidney A. Syme, Leon St. C. Dick, John L. Fee, E. J. Farrell, Charles Wintermeyer, Henry Muck, and William Hobby.  The body was placed in a receiving vault in Woodlawn temporarily.

Among those in attendance at the funeral were:  Edward, Harry and C. Schmidt, of Philadelphia; from New York:  Mr. and Mrs. Peter Doger, Mr. and Mrs. Charles Zoller, M. Zoller, Jr., Mr. and Mrs. Theodore Heabler, Charles Warner, secretary of the Brewers' exchange; Louis Heidenheimer and Harry E. Rauch.  Many in the list are prominent brewers."

Source:  Wm. H. Ebling, The American Bottler, Vol. XXXI, No. 1, p. 63 (NY, NY:  Jan. 15, 1911).  

"TWO RECEIVERS NOW ACTING FOR THE BREWERY CO.
-----
William Hobby and Leo Oppenheimer are Appointed in the Bankruptcy Proceedings by Judge Hough.
-----
ANOTHER DECISION IN THIS LITIGATION NOW
-----
Proceedings Yesterday -- Bonds Fixed at $10,000 Each -- Status Is Now of Federal Jurisdiction -- What the Attorneys Say.
-----

Judge Hough yesterday named Leo Oppenheimer, of No. 60 Wall street, New York, and William Hobby, of Mount Vernon, receivers in bankruptcy for the Westchester county brewery.  On whose application the receivers were appointed does not seem to be agreed upon as Moos, Princ and Nathan, of New York, who represent a number of creditors, claim that the appointment was made on their application while Judge Syme for the brewery corporation, says it was on their application.  The bond of the receivers was fixed at $10,000 each.

It was stated at the office of Moose, Princ and Nathan this morning by Attorney Princ that in answer to the application made before Judge Hough that the Westchester county brewery be declared in bankruptcy last week, Receiver Hobby, through
-----
(Continued on page 13.)

TWO RECEIVERS NOW ACTING FOR THE BREWERY CO.
-----
(Continued From Page One)
-----

Attorney Syme denied that the brewery was insolvent -- and denied that the petition of creditors who made the application were creditors of the Westchester county brewery.

As such an answer was filed with Judge Hough, Moos, Prince and Nathan secured an order to show cause which was returnable Monday as to why the answer of the Westchester county brewery should not be stricken -- out, on the ground that it was 'false, a sham and frivolous and interpose for the purpose of delay.'  When argument were heard on this order to show cause Monday, Moos, Princ and Nathan presented to the court a certified copy of the proceedings in the supreme court of voluntary dissolution proceedings of the brewery, which showed that the brewery was insolvent.  Other facts were brought out about the proceedings and Judge Hough ordered that the answer be stricken out and declared the Westchester county brewery to be in bankruptcy.

After that an application was made to the court that two receivers be appointed in bankruptcy for the brewery and Judge Hough made the appointments yesterday as already told.

Mr. Princ was asked this morning why it was that he requested that Mr. Hobby be appointed a receiver with Mr. Oppenheimer when in the original application he had asked for the removal of Mr. Hobby and the appointment of a receiver to take his place.  Mr. Princ said that the thought that it would be well to have Mr. Hobby retained in view of the fact that he was familiar with the business and it would be better for the creditors to have him appointed to act with somebody else.  

Judge Hough refused to appoint a receiver on September 15 but it was afterward found that money had to be raised to pay for the licenses of customers on October 1 and that it was necessary to have a receiver to do this.  Judge Hough yesterday allowed the receivers to issue certificates for $47,800 to be a first lien on the assets ahead of the mortgages.  Of this amount $34,300 is to be issued to be used solely to pay the liquor tax certificates $13,500 is to be held in a trust company as security for any damages that may arise to the non-assenting bondholders.

Judge Syme, as counsel, for Mr. Hobby when seen this morning denied that Judge Hough appointed the receivers on the application of the New York attorneys.  He declared that Mr. Hobby went before Judge Hough yesterday and stated that he was unable to get any money from the local banks on receiver's certificates and so it was necessary for him to get the money in New York.  He said that such a step would be necessary to keep the business; if it was not done it would have to close.  He declared that Judge Hough consequently appointed Mr. Oppenheimer and Mr. Hobby as receivers.  '''This appointment really makes Mr. Hobby's position -- stronger than it was before,' said Judge Syme this morning.  We beat those New York lawyers in their application to have Mr. Hobby removed and we obtained the money an hour after the appointment was made.'  

The receivers were given authority by the court to carry on the business for thirty days."

Source:  TWO RECEIVERS NOW ACTING FOR THE BREWERY CO -- William Hobby and Leo Oppenheimer are Appointed in the Bankruptcy Proceedings by Judge Hough-- ANOTHER DECISION IN THIS LITIGATION NOW -- Proceedings Yesterday -- Bonds Fixed at $10,000 Each -- Status Is Now of Federal Jurisdiction -- What the Attorneys Say, The Daily Argus [Mount Vernon, NY], Sep. 29, 1911, No. 6653, p. 1, col. 3 & p. 13, col. 1.

"Hobby Brewery in Bankruptcy
-----
276 Claims, 32 Notes and Several Contracts Unpaid.

Greatly to the surprise of everyone who heard of it, Justice Tomkins this morning appointed William Hobby of Mount Vernon, as temporary receiver of the Westchester Brewery of Mount Vernon, on the application of the Board of Directors of the institution.  Mr. Hobby immediately qualified by filing a bond for $30,000 and takes charge at once.

The Westchester Brewery stock was sold about the county and 114 invested in it.  One of the heaviest of the local investors was Henry Fulle.  Mr. Fulle served the Westchester beer at his hotel and it is quite popular there.  

The directors are:  William Hobby, Sydney A. Syme, C. Davies Tinter, William M. N. Eglenton and Henry Fulle.

When the stock was being sold the scheme was held forth as a bonanza.  There would be a refrigerator, cold storage and ice making plant in connection with it.  Stockholders from White Plains are Chas F. Armbruster, two shares; Henry Fulle, ten shares; I. V. Fowler, five shares; C. D. Horton, seven shares.  There are 276 claimants, besides 32 notes.  Hobby claims $30,000 for services as manager.

What Financial Difficulties Are. 

The application was made because of the financial difficulties the corporation is in, and is preparatory to an application for a voluntary dissolution of the corporation.  It was also made to forestall having the plant and property levied on under judgments, as about twenty suits are now pending against the company, and have almost gone to judgment.  The bonded indebtedness of the company is secured by a mortgage for $250,000 held by the Empire Trust Company of New York to protect the bond holders.  There is due to different persons and corporations on promissory notes, the sum of $145,175.20, and for other debts and liabilities the sum of $95,496.87.  As against this immense debt, the corporation owns property buildings, plant, office furnishings, horses, wagons, harness, auto trucks and stock on hand valued at $395,568.20.  There are 114 stockholders of the corporation, scattered throughout Westchester County, New York City and in nearby Connecticut towns.

The Justice has also appointed Arthur Rowland, of Yonkers, as Referee and has directed that notice be given to all creditors of the corporation to show cause before Mr. Rowland at his office in Yonkers on October 27 next at 3 p.m. why the corporation should not be dissolved. -- Westchester Co. Reporter, Sept. 1."

Source:  Hobby Brewery in Bankruptcy -- 276 Claims, 32 Notes and Several Contracts Unpaid, New Rochelle Pioneer, Sep. 9, 1911, Vol. 53, No. 24, p. 3, col. 7.


"BUSINESS TROUBLES.
-----
Receivers for the Westchester County Brewery Will Protect Liquor Licenses.

Judge Hough yesterday appointed Leo Oppenheimer of 60 Wall street and William Hobby of Mount Vernon receivers in bankruptcy for the Westchester County Brewery of Mount Vernon.  They are authorized to carry on the business for thirty days.  Judge Hough allows the receivers to issue receivers' certificates for $47,800 to be a first lien on the assets ahead of the mortgages.  Of this amount $34,300 is to be issued for cash, to be used solely to pay liquor tax certificates for customers, and $13,500 is to be held in a trust company as security for any damage that may arise to the non-assenting bondholders. . . ."

Source:  BUSINESS TROUBLES-- Receivers for the Westchester County Brewery Will Protect Liquor Licenses, The Sun [NY, NY], Sep. 29, 1911, p. 13, col. 5.  

"BUSINESS TROUBLES. . . .

WILLIAM O. HOBBY of Mount Vernon has filed a petition in bankruptcy, with liabilities of $182,664 and no available assets.  He has 1,000 shares of stock of the Westchester County Brewery, 720 shares Wauregan Hotel Company, 200 Elk Creek Oil and Gas Company, and 20 Mount Vernon National Bank, all of which are put in as of no value.  Most of his liabilities are for endorsing notes of the Westchester County Brewery, against which concern a petition in bankruptcy was filed here on Sept. 12, 1911.  William Hobby was President of the Company, and was also appointed one of the receivers for it.  Among his creditors are Philip Tillinghast, receiver of the Mount Vernon National Bank, $27,852; Mount Vernon Trust Company, $7,451; First National Bank of Jamaica, $4,184; Trustees of the First National Bank of Oneonta, $9,3331; Bollinger Brothers, Pittsburgh, $49,000; Frick Company, Waynesboro, Penn., $22,000, and Liberty Brewing Company, $6,631."

Source:  BUSINESS TROUBLES. . . .  WILLIAM O. HOBBY, N.Y. Times, Mar. 24, 1915, Vol. LXIV, No. 20,878, p. 16, col. 3.

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Early History of the Parent Teacher Association in Pelham

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The early history of the organization that we think of today as the Pelham Parents Teachers Association is quite fascinating. The initial predecessor organization was known as the "Mothers' Club of the Pelham Heights SchooL' founded in 1908. According to one account, the initial "constitution" of the organization described its purpose as follows: "To foster closer association of teachers and parents and the promotion of all educational, social, and communal interests in our village."  I have written before about the predecessor organizations that evolved into the Pelham Parents Teachers Association.  See:  Mon., Dec. 25, 2006:  Early Organizations That Evolved Into the Pelham Parents Teachers Association (PTA).  

In the opening days of 1908, the kindergarten teacher at the tiny little school opened by real estate developer Benjamin L. Fairchild to serve a handful of school children who lived in Pelham Heights had an idea.  The teacher's name was Mrs. Moore.  She "realized that she could work more intelligently if she could reach the mothers and freely discuss school questions."  On January 14, 1908, Mrs. Moore held an organizational meeting and formed "The Mothers' Club of the Pelham Heights School."  Mrs. Harry Mulliken was elected the first president of the group.  Mrs. Moore was elected Secretary and Treasurer.

The concept of the club seems to have been modeled on the predecessor organization to today's National Parent Teacher Association.  That predecessor organization was the "National Congress of Mothers" founded by Alice McLellan on February 17, 1897 in Washington, D.C. -- only eleven years before the Mothers' Club of the Peham Heights School was organized.

Only about ten local mothers participated in early meetings of the new Mothers' Club of the Pelham Heights School.  Slowly, however, the group gained traction and grew as the Pelham Heights settlement grew.  In November, 1909, the group expanded its mission to encompass all schools within the Town of Pelham and, thus, changed its name to The Mothers' Club of Pelham.  

The club continued to grow.  It sponsored lectures, in-school art exhibitions, landscaping work at local schools and in local parks, and collaborative projects among Pelham teachers and the women of Pelham.  On October 11, 1911, the club changed its name again to "The Woman's Educational Club of Pelham."

By 1912 the club had grown to ninety members.  That year the club affiliated itself with the Housewives' League.  At about this time the business of the club became so pressing that it adopted a revised Constitution and began meeting twice a month rather than once a month.

Within a short time, the women of the Manor Club invited the Women's Educational Club of Pelham to join them.  According to one account:  "This invitation was at first declined but later accepted and in February 1915 the Women's Educational Club became a section of the Manor Club.  This alliance presented many problems and lasted only a year.  In 1916 the Women's Educational Club was again an independent club.  Another achievement of these active workers was securing the property right of way from Pelhamdale avenue to Siwanoy School."

Under the leadership of Mrs. Charles Bolte, President of the club, in 1923 the club voted to join the National and State Parent-Teacher Association and continues to this day doing its fine work in support of all Pelham school children.

*          *          *          *          * 

"Woman's Educational Club
-----

The success of the Woman's Educational Club of Pelham in its hearty cooperation with the teachers, has made it a helpful medium through which parents and teachers work out the problem they share in common -- the welfare of the child.

In 1908 when the Highbrook School was used for the children of Pelham Heights, there was a teacher, Mrs. Moore, who realized that she could work more intelligently if she could reach the mothers and freely discuss school questions.  Her suggestion to form a Mothers' Club was responded to.  The Mothers' Club was organized on January 14, 1908, and elected Mrs. Harry Mulliken, President, and Mrs. Moore, Secretary and Treasurer.

In reading the minutes of the club during the first year it is interesting to note that all the talks and lectures given at that time emphasized the important impulse in efficient school service -- intelligent co-operation.

It was the key-note upon which the work of the clerk was built and the note which still rings true.

The idea of intelligent co-operation for the better growth of the school was an appeal in such a broad sense to all women that it was deemed advisable to consider a change of name which would be comprehensive enough to embrace every public-spirited woman who saw the importance of school work.  On October 11, 1911, the name of Mothers' Club was changed to 'The Woman's Educational Club of Pelham.'

The history of the club reveals the same struggle and endeavor the individual experiences in attaining his ideal -- days when only faith in the usefulness of such organization saved it from dissolution.  But it has lived through those periods of depression and grown into a vital dominant factor in school affairs.

The work of the club has been broad and varied and through the interest of some of its most active members, talks and lectures by people of large experience have been given.

Mrs. Ashton Johnson, Mrs. Leo Meilziner, Dr. Leonard, Miss Cowing, Mr. Alexander Johnson, Dr. G. R. Pisek, Dr. Jacob R. Street, Mr. Lang and Mrs. McAfee are some of the lecturers who have taken an active interest in this club and contributed largely to its wider outlook.

The programs give accounts of the happy social gatherings -- the May Day tea, in 1911, the hallowe'en dance, tableaux for the school children and stereopticon entertainments.

One of the most thoroughly enjoyed entertainments of the club was the wonderful exhibition of etchings which was given through the courtesy of Frederick Keppel & Co. and attracted many lovers of good pictures.  This exhibition inspired a group of teachers to arrange another exhibition by the Elson Educational Art League, as a result of which some beautiful reproductions are now hanging in the school.

As the school is so closely allied to the interests of the home, a section on Domestic Science was the logical result of the talk given by Mrs. Julian Heath and Domestic Economics.

A discussion of sanitary questions brought to light conditions which were corrected by the concerted action of the committee on Civic Improvement whose work deserves even more than passing praise.  There were only a few women whose sense of civic responsibility actuated them to serve the community in such a generous way, but they won the admiration of the town officials and proved beyond doubt that any nuisance or unsanitary condition can be corrected if dealt with in a tactful, dignified way.

So that the two achievements of which the club may be proud, are the fine work done in connection with the Elson Art Exhibits and the 'clean-up' work by the civic committee.

The direct influence of the Woman's Educational Club on the school is difficult to measure or analyze.  It is safe to say, however, that the organization has brought beautiful pictures into the school, worked wisely with the teachers, encouraged a closer union of home and school interests, and is a great factor in helping to create the happy stimulating atmosphere which pervades our school.

'For the best interest of the school' is and always will be the motto of the Woman's Educational Club of Pelham, which, through its varied interests feel assured that this year work will find happy and willing cooperators and that only when every woman in this community helps in the work, will its ends be best served.

The following is the list of officers through whose diligence and earnest purpose the club has attained its present state of efficiency:

1908 -- President, Mrs. Harry Mulliken; Secretary and Treasurer, Mrs. Moore.

1908-09 -- President, Mrs. Fisher; Vice-President, Mrs. Kingsland; Second Vice-President, Miss Beaudry.

1909-10 -- President, Mrs. Fisher; First Vice-President, Mrs. Kingsland; Second Vice-President, Miss Beaudry; Treasurer, Mrs. Holmes; Secretary, Mrs. Steinbach.

1910-11 -- President, Mrs. Kingsland; First Vice-President, Mrs. Gerry; Second Vice-President, Miss Granger; Treasurer, Mrs. Herndon; Secretary, Mrs. Whitenack.

1911-12 -- President, Mrs. Kingsland; Vice-President, Mrs. Ferguson; Treasurer, Mrs. Lyons; Secretary, Mrs. Whitenack.

1912-13 -- President, Mrs. Burnett; Vice-President, Mrs. Ferguson; Secretary, Mrs. Heath; Treasurer, Mrs. Emerson.

1913-14 -- President, Mrs. Burnett; Vice-President, Mrs. Ferguson; Corresponding Secretary, Mrs. Warner; Recording Secretary, Miss Beaudry; Treasurer, Mrs. Steward.

ELIZABETH E. GERRY."

Source:  Woman's Educational Club, The Pelham Sun, Dec. 20, 1913, p. 8, cols. 6-7.  

"PTA NEWS
-----
The Story of the Parent-Teacher Association in the Pelhams

This is the first in a series of three articles prepared by Mrs. Ben L. Fairchild, historian of the Parent-Teacher Association of the Pelhams, dealing with the history of the organization which is numbered among the most important in the community.

The Parent-Teacher Association of the Pelhams has a membership today of over 1100.  The tiny acorn from which this great oak grew was planted just thirty years ago, when about a dozen women organized on January 14, 1908, The Mothers Club of the Pelham Heights School.  The object of this club was to foster a closer association between parents and teachers.  At the first meeting, Mrs. Harry Mulliken, who now resides in Pelham Manor, was elected President, and Mrs. Moore, the kindergarten teacher in the Highbrook avenue school was the secretary-treasurer.  From the very beginning they were splendidly organized and appreciated that success rested upon the mutual sharing of activities by parents and teachers.  At the second meeting the minutes state a speaker, Miss E. Thornton of New Rochelle, spoke on 'Children's Literature.'  Here began the adult education movement in Pelham.  The club grew rapidly and in June, 1908 they evidently felt the need of increasing the number of officers from two to five, and at the same meeting they elected a program committee.  In October, 1909 the program for the current year was read and the president announced that it had been printed.  In November, 1909 they changed the name to The Mothers Club of Pelham, thus including the other two villages in their organization.

The women who served so faithfully in this pioneer movement may well be proud of their record and achievement.  They surely knew what they wanted and accomplished their desires and we Pelhamites of today are indebted to them for advantages we accept casually.  In reading the minutes of the meetings of this club one must continually look to the top of the page to convince oneself what Pelham women were doing in 1908 not 1938.  This club carried on its 'educational, social and communal interests' until October, 1911 when they became the Women's Educational Club of Pelham.  The president at the time was Mrs. E. Kingsland, who still resides in Pelham Heights.

MRS. BEN L. FAIRCHILD"

Source:  PTA NEWS -- The Story of the Parent-Teacher Association in the Pelhams, The Pelham Sun, Feb. 11, 1938, p. 7, col. 4.  

"PTA NEWS
-----
THE HISTORY OF THE P. T. A.

This is the second in a series of three articles concerned with the history of the P. T. A. in Pelham prepared by Mrs. Ben L. Fairchild, historian of the association.  The first installment appeared last week.

Women's Educational Club

The Women's Educational Club was an organization of which Pelham may well be proud.  The records indicate that the meetings were interesting and instructive as well as social and that the members were active in civic improvements.  In 1912 the club affiliated itself with the Housewives' League.  Mrs. E. F. Burnett was the President at this time.  Membership had grown and ninety are recorded at a meeting instead of ten as formerly.  November, 1912 the revised Constitution was adopted and the club was so active it was found necessary to hold bi-monthly meetings.  The spring of 1913 found them sponsoring a clean-up of Pelham Heights.  Mrs. W. W. Warner was chairman of this committee.  One seeing Pelham Heights today can hardly believe it could have once been in such disorder that 'over fifty cart loads of rubbish had been removed.'  Lots were cleared, and the park property near the station was weeded, planted and generally improved.  A goodly sum was received for this work by contribution and the village paid the balance.  Mrs. Irving Ferguson succeeded Mrs. Burnett.

The Manor Club invited the Women's Educational Club to join them.  This invitation was at first declined but later accepted and in February 1915 the Women's Educational Club became a section of the Manor Club.  This alliance presented many problems and lasted only a year.  In 1916 the Women's Educational Club was again an independent club.  Another achievement of these active workers was securing the property right of way from Pelhamdale avenue to Siwanoy School.

Other presidents were Mrs. Felix Hughes, Mrs. James Longley, Mrs. J. Migel, Mrs. W. H. Rose, and Mrs. Charles Bolte.  Under the leadership of Mrs. Bolte in 1923 the club voted to join the National and State Parent-Teacher Association.

MRS. BEN L. FAIRCHILD,
Historian, P. T. A. of Pelham"

Source:  PTA NEWS -- THE HISTORY OF THE P. T. A., The Pelham Sun, Feb. 18, 1938, Vol. 28, No. 46, p. 7, cols. 1-2.  

"PTA NEWS
-----
THE HISTORY OF THE PELHAM P. T. A.
-----

This is the third and last article in a series of three prepared by Mrs. Ben L. Fairchild, historian of the Pelham Parent-Teacher Association, dealing with the early history of the organization in the Pelhams.

The National Parent-Teacher Association was founded as the National Congress of Mothers in 1897, only eleven years before Pelham women founded our local Parent-Teacher Association at the Mothers' Club of Pelham Heights.  In its early years, Pelham Heights did not have sufficient population to justify the Board of Education supporting a school there.  The only schools in Pelham were the Hutchinson School, and the Jackson Avenue School.  Either was too great a distance away for the children of the Heights, so in about 1900 Mr. Ben. L. Fairchild established in Pelham Heights a free school.

He furnished the house, equipment, supplies and teacher, until the increased population warranted the Board of Education taking over, and building the Highbrook Avenue School, which opened in 1905.  This new local school was dear to the hearts of the women.  They evidently took charge of the building as to maintenance because the minutes give a report of 'Mrs. McGuire, Chairman and Treasurer of Committee in charge of the Highbrook Avenue Building' in which appears such an item as '10 tons coal - $64.00,' as well as salaries to janitors and receipts for rental of hall. 

Also in the minutes one reads that two committees were appointed 'one to investigate a vacuum cleaner, with the idea of having the new school cleaned by that process and the other to see about a piano for the school.'  It was in this school within three years of its opening that the women laid the foundation of an association, the Constitution of which stated its object was 'to foster closer association of teachers and parents, and the promotion of all educational, social and communal interests in our villages.'  The firmness of their foundation can be guaged by the success of the movement.

There has been an unbroken line of service and achievement right through the years.  The annual reports, all on file in the High School, show high aims and purposes with splendid work accomplished.  The changing times brought changing problems but always a steadfast group to carry on.  The Presidents following Mrs. Bolte were Mrs. R. G. Adams, Mrs. C. H. Stewart, Mrs. C. T. Chenery, Mrs. H. Scott, Mrs. F. Anderson, Mrs. M. Hull and at present Mrs. Wm. R. Butler.

Our P. T. A. today still sponsors the welfare of our school children.  It functions under a Board of Directors comprising the President and five executive officers, the Chairman of each School Unit and the Chairman of each Standing Committee.  Each school unit is self-governing.  It has a Chairman and executive officers who are elected annually.  In co-operation with school officials three main projects are sponsored, and from 1933 to 1937 the money appropriated by the P. T. A. to these projects has been:  College Loan Fund, $2,400; Dental Clinics, $3,560; Orthopedics, $800.

The aim of the P. T. A. is that no Pelham child should be deprived of college assistance or dental service.  The association cooperates with the Board of Education in carrying out the health program.  It makes available studies in child psychology, and presents speakers of national reputation to the community.

ELINOR FAIRCHILD,
Historian, P. T. A. of Pelham."

Source:  PTA NEWS -- THE HISTORY OF THE PELHAM P. T. A., The Pelham Sun, Feb. 25, 1938, Vol. 28, No. 47, p. 7, cols. 1-2.  

"WOMEN OF PELHAMS HAD IMPORTANT PART IN PROGRESS OF EDUCATION
-----
Parent-Teacher Association Was Instituted in 1909 as ] by the Mothers' Club; Address by Robert A. Holmes in First Year of Club Shows His Great Education of Pelham Children.
-----

Women of the Pelhams have been deeply interested in matters of education, and the Parent-Teacher Association, which is the representative educational organization of the local school district recognized as one of the outstanding organizations of its kind in Westchester County.  The organization was established in 1909 [sic; actually 1908] when the local school district was in its infancy.

It was first known as the Mothers' Club, and later became the Women's Educational Club.  As the organization broadened its role to include both parents and teachers in the local schools, it became a branch of the national movement known as the Parent-Teacher Association.

Through the courtesy of Mrs. Robert A. Holmes, a former president of the Mother's Club, The Pelham Sun reprints an address made before the Club in 1910 by the late Robert A. Holmes who was president of the Board of Education at the time.  The address shows the great interest of Mr. Holmes in the affairs of the Pelhams and particularly the school district and also is a good ruler on which to judge the ad[illegible] of the local school system.  The address follows:

I accepted gladly your President's kind invitation to speak to you this afternoon because it has been my desire, ever since this group was organized to express to you personally, as a citizen of Pelham and officially as President of the Board of Education, my thanks for the interest you are showing in our public schools and my appreciation of the work which you are doing -- a work which cannot help but be farther reaching in its influence than your imagination or mine can conceive.

There is something peculiarly unsettling -- almost pathetic -- to me in this whole school work.  The guidance of these little minds into the right paths of thinking, learning [illegible] teaching them to recognize, when they come to the parting of the ways, the mile post which will point them toward the good; is a work which may make the strongest and wisest look with suspicion on their fitness for the task.  It is then natural and proper that the interest of the mothers of Pelham in the schools should be awakened and encouraged by such an organization as this, for

'Tis a mother's large affection
Hears with a mysterious sense
Breathings that escape detection,
Whisper faint, and fine inflection
Thrill in her with power intense,
Childhood's honeyed words untaught
Hiveth she in loving thought,
Tones that never thence depart;
For she listens -- with her heart.

In order to bring to any public business its fullest measure of [illegible] a live public interest must be aroused and kept alive -- and to my mind, may be best accomplished in this community through the medium of your club.  I remember one year just before the annual meeting a disturbed citizen came to me and said there was trouble ahead for the School Board.  It was reported that a teacher with whom the Board had had some differences and the results of her work was stirring the people up to come to the meeting and express their views to the members of the Board.  This well meaning informant told me that he was doing all he could to suppress it.

'Don't do that,' I said.  'Help him stir it up.  Anything in the world to get the people out to the annual meeting?'

[Illegible] P. T. Barnum did [illegible]

instilling in the youngster a desire to go to school but on the mother frequently falls the trouble of deciding whether or not it is a nine o'clock headache or whether a visit to the city is of sufficient importance to offset the loss of a day which can never be wholly made up.  The Board receives monthly a report of the attendance of each class in the district and sometimes it is a discouraging one.  I sincerely hope that this club can see its way clear to give to this important question of regular attendance the attention which it emphatically deserves.

'Again there should be cooperation between the parent and the Board of Education.  On the parents, father and mother alike, rests the great responsibility of the selection of men for this office and in them primarily should fall the blame for poor work, if through their neglect or indifference proper selections are not made.  I serve notice on you mothers today that the terms of office of three members of this board expire next August.

'Do not leave the selection of their successors to the chance of the meeting night, I pray you.  Let this mother's club look into the question far enough ahead to pick out the right men and see that they are elected.  You should co-operate with your School Board by holding up their hands when they are doing right and just as sincerely condemning them when they are wrong.  But you have no right to complain if you shirk the duty or ignore the privilege of taking part in their selection.  

'I believe that a great deal could be gained by a personal acquaintance with the men whom you delegate to carry on the school work in this town and the teachers who have charge of your children.  I know that it would do the Board good to know you.  I wish you might arrange some sort of a reception and invite the Board of Education and all of the teachers to meet you.  I want the Board to see for itself the Mother's Club.  I want it to appreciate and take a lively interest in, the work this club is doing.

'I must not impose too long on your patience nor wear out my welcome by too much talk but I do want to say a word about the new school which is soon to be erected.

(Editor's note -- This was the Siwanoy School).

'The bonds have been sold very satisfactorily to bear 4 per cent interest at a total premium of a little under $500.  The architects, a well known firm in New York, have been selected and affairs are shaping themselves rapidly.  We have a beautiful site and when the time comes I shall ask this club to appoint a committee to take under its charge the beautifying of the grounds and the encouragement of the children to keep them beautiful.  In the meantime I should like to have this club see the plans and express their opinion before they are finally accepted.

'I thank you for your courtesy in giving me this opportunity to speak to you and in closing I want to leave with you these words of Walter Savage Landor, which beautifully justify the existence of a Mother's Club.

'Children
Walter Savage Landor
-----

Children are what the mothers are.
No fondest father's care
Can fashion so the infant heart 
As those creative beams that dart, 
With all, their hopes and fears
fears upon
The cradle of a sleeping son.

His startled eyes with wonder see
A father near him on his knee, 
Who wishes all the while to trace
The mother in his future face;
But 'tis to her alone uprise
His wakening arms; to her those eyes
Open with joy and not surprise.'"

Source:  WOMEN OF PELHAMS HAD IMPORTANT PART IN PROGRESS OF EDUCATION -- Parent-Teacher Association Was Instituted in 1909 as ] by the Mothers' Club; Address by Robert A. Holmes in First Year of Club Shows His Great Education of Pelham Children, The Pelham Sun, Jul. 31, 1931, p. 6, cols. 1-2.  

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Earliest Known Use of "Pelhamite" to Reference Residents of Pelham, New York

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Recently, Historic Pelham asked (and attempted to answer) the following:

"Why are we called Pelhamites? Why not "Pelhamanians," "Pelhamians" or "Pelhamers?" Perhaps even "Pelhamaniacs!" How long have we been known as "Pelhamites?" Actually, just what is a Pelhamite? What do the residents of such communities as Pelham, New Hampshire and Pelham, Georgia call themselves? Will we ever really know the answers to such earth-shaking questions as these?"

Source:  Mon., Jul. 13, 2015:  What is a "Pelhamite" and For How Long Have We Been Called That?

That article documented the then-earliest-known use of "Pelhamite" to reference residents of our little town of Pelham, New York. It noted that on October 8, 1910, The Pelham Sun used the term as follows:

"The Town of Pelham, although one of the smallest in the county, did itself proud, for a Pelhamite, Col. F. J. Hoyle, of Pelham Manor, was made permanent chairman of the [Westchester County Democratic] convention, and later our Supervisor, Edgar C. Beecroft, was unanimously chosen as the candidate for District Attorney amid thunderous applause." 

Source: THE COUNTY DEMOCRATS SELECT A GRAND TICKET, The Pelham Sun, Oct. 8, 1910, Vol. 1, No. 27, p. 1, cols. 1-2 (emphasis supplied)

Clearly Pelhamites of Pelham, New York have referred to themselves as such for more than a century. In doing so, however, we may not be as special and unique as we otherwise might have believed. Virtually every other community in the world named "Pelham" also seems to use the demonym "Pelhamite" for its citizens. It seems, therefore, that the term may originate simply from the ease with which it flows as a shorthand reference to someone from Pelham. Indeed, the term certainly seems to flow from the tongue more easily than "Pelhamaniacs."

We now can say with certainty that the earliest use of the term Pelhamite to reference Pelham, New York citizens can be moved back more than thirty years earlier to December 5, 1877.  Indeed, sharp-eyed students of Pelham history may already have noticed this fact.  

In the most recent Historic Pelham article published on Friday, April 6 about the formal installation of Rev. Dr. Henry Randall Waite as the first permanent pastor of the Huguenot Memorial Presbyterian Church, a newspaper report about the event published that date noted that after the installation ceremony clergymen and other "visitors were entertained by the hospitable Pelhamites at their homes."  See  A HUGUENOT INSTALLATION -- THE NEW CHURCH THAT HAS BEEN ERECTED AT PELHAM MANOR, N. Y. Herald, Dec. 5, 1877, No. 15,080, p. 4, col. 4.

It appears, dear Pelhamites, that we have been referred to as Pelhamites for at least 140 years and likely much longer than that.  Hopefully additional research will push that date back even more!

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More on Extension of the Pelham Manor Trolley Line in 1910

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Trolleys once were a principal means of transportation throughout our region.  By 1899, one could travel between the Battery in lower Manhattan and any of New Rochelle, Pelham, Mount Vernon or Yonkers for a single fare of eight cents. 

Early last century, one of those trolley lines in the Village of Pelham Manor inspired the creative genius of a man named Fontaine Talbot Fox (1884-1964).  He created one of the most popular comics in the United States – “Toonerville Folks.”  The cartoon centered around the quirky inhabitants of a town called “Toonerville” and its rickety and unpredictable trolley.  The operator of the trolley was “The Skipper.”  Fontaine Fox, as he stated a number of times in published interviews and letters, based the comic on his experience during a trolley ride on a visit to Pelham on August 8, 1909. 

“Toonerville Folks” ran in hundreds of newspapers from about 1913 to 1955 and brought national attention to Pelham.  When Fontaine Fox made his now-famous visit to Pelham on August 8, 1909, the trolley line that inspired him ran along today's Pelhamdale Avenue to a stop near the railroad bridge of the New Haven Branch Line above Pelhamdale not far from today's Grant Avenue and Manor Circle.  

Barely a year later, the Westchester Electric Railway extended the Pelham Manor trolley line along Pelhamdale Avenue to Shore Road near the New York Athletic Club. I have written about that extension of the Pelham Manor Trolley line once before.  See Tue., Jan. 06, 2015:  Extension of the Toonerville Trolley Line in Pelham Manor in 1910.

Today's posting to the Historic Pelham Blog provides additional detail regarding the process of extending to Shore Road the little trolley line that inspired Fontaine Fox. At the end of today's article, I have listed links to the many previous articles I have posted about trolleys and the Toonerville Trolley.

In the late 19th century, the little Pelham Manor trolley line shuttled back and forth between the Town of Pelham's two principal commuter railroad stations:  Pelham Station on the New Haven Main Line and the Pelham Manor Depot on the New Haven Branch Line.  The trolley "met all the trains" -- a fact that Fontaine Fox played up in his "Toonerville Folks" comic strip when referencing his famous Toonerville Trolley.  

Until Labor Day in 1910, the Pelham Manor trolley began each run from a spot on Wolfs Lane near Pelham Station in the Village of Pelham (today's Pelham Heights) about where the buildings housing, among other things, Kravitz Real Estate, are located at present.  The trolley ran along Wolf's Lane to Colonial Avenue where it turned eastward (left) and proceeded the short distance along Colonial Avenue to Pelhamdale Avenue.  There it turned southeastward (right) and proceeded along Pelhamdale Avenue with intermediate stops along the way such as stops at the intersection of Witherbee Avenue and at Red Church Corner (today's Four Corners).  

When the trolley reached a point on Pelhamdale Avenue in the Village of Pelham Manor about where the New Haven Branch Line railroad overpass crossed the roadway, the trolley operator had to exit the vehicle, reverse the overhead connection of the trolley car to the electric wires and then begin a return trip along the same route back to the Pelham Station, always paying mind to the arrival times of all trains on both the Main and Branch Lines so as to meet all such trains.

By 1910, it was apparent to the Westchester Electric Railway, operator of the Pelham Manor trolley at the time, that so many people used the New Haven Branch Line to get to and from the New York Athletic Club facility and Long Island Sound at the end of Pelhamdale Avenue where it met Shore Road that it warranted extending the trolley line from its terminus near the Pelham Manor Depot all the way to the end of Pelhamdale Avenue at Shore Road.

In about early July of that year, the Westchester Electric Railway began staging work along Pelhamdale Avenue to prepare for laying trolley tracks along the roadway.  Because laying the tracks would require closure of the road, the Village of Pelham Manor asked Westchester Electric Railway to delay the work for a time because the only other way then possible to move through that portion of Pelham Manor was via Split Rock Road which then ran from Shore Road all the way to Boston Post Road.  That roadway was "practically closed" for repairs in July, 1910, thus prompting Pelham Manor to request a delay in closing Pelhamdale Avenue to lay the trolley tracks for the extension.

Although laying the trolley tracks for the Pelhamdale Avenue extension was delayed for a short time, during the week of July 19, 1910, the poles necessary to carry the overhead wires for the trolley extension were erected along Pelhamdale Avenue. 

By August, work to lay the trolley tracks beneath the New Haven Branch Line railroad overpass and along Pelhamdale Avenue to Shore Road was underway in earnest.  There was, however, a bit of a problem.

The giant rocky outcropping at the end of Shore Road known as the "Haunted Cedar Knoll" made the roadway at the intersection with Pelhamdale Avenue a little too tight for the small Pelham Manor trolley car to be maneuvered to a stop to allow passengers to disembark.  Track laying crews had to blast out about 100 feet of rock on Shore Road to make way for the trolley extension.

On Thursday, September 1, 1910, Superintendent William B. Wheeler of Westchester Electric Railway announced that all necessary poles and overhead wires had been erected and that the laying of the tracks for the extension was "practically completed."  He further announced that blasting of the 100 feet of rock on Shore Road was about to begin and the last 200 feet of rails would then be laid.  He further revealed that trolley cars would begin running on the extension on Labor Day, Monday, September 5, 1910.

Detail from a Photograph in the Collections of the Westchester County

Historical Society Showing "Four Corners," the Intersection of

Pelhamdale Avenue and Boston Post Road Before 1937. The "H Line"

Trolley is Returning from Shore Road Toward the Intersection. At this

Intersection, Trolley Tracks Along Pelhamdale Avenue Split With Some

Tracks Turning Onto Boston Post Road Toward New Rochelle and Others

Continuing Along Pelhamdale Avenue. The Trolley in the Photograph is

The Little Pelham Manor Trolley (i.e., The Toonerville Trolley).

NOTE: Click on Image to Enlarge.

*          *          *          *          *

"TROLLEYS TO SHORE MONDAY
-----

According to an announcement made Thursday morning by Superintendent Wheeler of the Westchester Electric Railway, the extension of the Pelham Manor trolley line from the old terminus at the foot of the hill on Pelhamdale avenue to the Shore Road, will be in operation on Labor Day.  Superintendent Wheeler expects to start the cars running on the extension on that day.  

It is not known how many cars will be operated, but Superintendent Wheeler said that it all depended upon the amount of traffic.

The construction is now practically completed.  There is about 100 feet of rock on the Shore Road that will have to be blasted out, and as soon as this work is done, 200 feet more of rails will be laid, and then the extension will be ready for operation.  The poles are all up and the wires have been strung.

It is believed that this extension will be a money maker, as many people will use the trolleys from Westchester County and various parts of New York in order to reach the Sound and the grounds of the New York Athletic Club."

Source:  TROLLEYS TO SHORE MONDAY, New Rochelle Pioneer, Sep. 3, 1910, Vol. 52, No. 23, p. 4, col. 3.

*          *          *          *          *

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

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

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

Fri., Feb. 23, 2018:  Toonerville Trolley Accidents in Pelham Manor.

Thu., Feb. 22, 2018:  More on the 1916 Trolley Strike That Brought Violence to Pelham.

Fri., Jan. 06, 2017:  Has One of the Most Enduring Pelham History Mysteries Been Solved? The Mystery of Charles A. Voight!

Thu., Sep. 15, 2016:  Pelham Manor Residents Complained of Awful Service on the Toonerville Trolley Line as Early as 1899.

Fri., May 27, 2016:  Was Max "Maxie" Martin the Man Who Was the Skipper on the Pelham Manor Trolley the Day Fontaine Fox Rode the Line and Was Inspired?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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

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