The Pelhamwood Fire Patrol No. 1 Founded in 1922

Archive of the Historic Pelham Web Site.
Home Page of the Historic Pelham Blog.
Order a Copy of "The Haunted History of Pelham, New York"
Order a Copy of "Thomas Pell and the Legend of the Pell Treaty Oak."

During the early 1920s, the little neighborhood of Pelhamwood had a one-man fire department.  His name was Jack Carroll.  

Truth be told, it was not a formal fire department.  In reality, Jack Carroll of Young Avenue was the only resident of Pelhamwood who served in the local fire department in Fire District No. 1.  He was a member of Liberty Engine & Hose Company No. 1.  His neighbors in Pelhamwood jokingly referred to him as the local one-man fire department.  The neighborhood "joke," however, seemed to mask a deep-seated concern that Pelhamwood had no formal fire-fighting organization.

Jack Carroll was proud of his fire service and his department.  In May or June of 1922, he suggested to Pelham Fire Commissioner Walter H. McIlroy (who also lived in Pelhamwood) that a specialized fire company be recruited from among Pelhamwood citizens.  The company would be known as Fire Patrol Company No. 1 and would perform fire police work to control crowds and to guard fire scenes and would perform salvage work at fire scenes.  The intent was to reduce the burdens of such activities from the backs of Pelham firefighters.  

Commissioner McIlroy embraced the idea enthusiastically.  During a meeting of the Fire Commission on the evening of Tuesday, June 6, 1922, McIlroy presented the idea to his fellow Commissioners.  He noted that the First Fire District already had successfully raised a company of fire fighters from the tiny neighborhood of Pelham Heights and proposed that a company be raised from Pelhamwood to "act as fire police and as a salvage corps."  He further proposed that preparations should be made "in the future" for the purchase of a vehicle "to carry implements of salvage work such as tarpaulin, fire lines, etc."  Most significantly, he indicated that he could "have a company formed that would be a credit to the department" before "the end of the month."

On the evening of Thursday, June 15, Commissioner McIlroy appeared before members of the Pelhamwood Association to ask for volunteers to serve in a Pelhamwood fire company.  Members of the Pelhamwood Association volunteered enthusiastically.  McIlroy arranged for seventeen volunteers.  

The next day, The Pelham Sun reported:

"One of Fire Commissioner Walter H. McIlroy's ambitions is realized.  The Pelhamwood Fire Patrol No. 1 now has a membership of seventeen members, three more are needed to fill the company.  The new company will apply to the Board of Fire Commissioners for a charter.  Commissioner McIlroy addressed the meeting of the Pelhamwood Association at the Town Hall last night, and asked for recruits.  The following will be enrolled as members of the new company:  Harold Koevhling, Leslie Hart, Thomas Stewart, W. B. Haff, A. Koppell, James Thompson, C. B. Miller, William Uhler, J. Young, R. R. Mamlock, Dr. David Jones, P. E. Bacas, William Gehron, H. S. Clark, A. E. Andon, John O. Ball and Walter H. McIlroy.  The duties of the new company will be those of a salvage corps and fire police.  At the last meeting of the Board of Fire Commissioners it was stated that a piece of apparatus would be purchased for the company in the near future."

The subsequent history of The Pelhamwood Fire Patrol No. 1 is hazy.  More than two and one-half months later in early September, the company still had not been formally organized.  Thus, on the evening of Tuesday, September 5, 1922, Fire Commissioner McIlroy appeared before the Pelhamwood Association again and "reported that the Pelhamwood Fire Patrol would soon be organized and granted a charter by the Board of Fire Commissioners."

Yet, the proposed annual budget for the First Fire District in 1923 included a line item of $1,000 to purchase an "Apparatus for salvage corps."  The Pelham Sun reported that "The proposed budget carries a figure of $1,000.00 for the purchase and outfitting of a Dodge chassis for the newly formed Pelhamwood Fire Patrol, the salvage corps of the department." 

Though it would appear that the Pelhamwood Fire Patrol company was formed, research has not yet revealed its subsequent history.  

Page 2 of 1909 Pelhamwood Advertising Pamphlet.  Source:

Clifford B. Harmon & Co., Inc., PELHAMWOOD, p. 2 (NY: Clifford

B. Harmon & Co., Inc., 1909).  NOTE:  Click on Image to Enlarge.

*          *          *          *          *

"McIlroy To Organize Pelhamwood Fire Patrol
-----
Fire Commissioner Enthusiastic About Enlisting Residents of Pelhamwood As Firemen
-----

The Pelhamwood Fire Department is no longer to be a subject for the wit of the wags of Pelham.  At present the man-power of the department numbers one, but Fire Commissioner Walter H. McIlroy, who lives in Pelhamwood, will place plans before the Pelhamwood Association for the forming of Pelhamwood Fire Patrol No. 1, which will have a membership of twenty or more.

At present the only Pelhamwood member of the Fire Department of the First Fire District is Louis Sivitello [sic], the Pelhamwood street man.  For some time Sivitello [sic] has been known as the Pelhamwood Fire Department.

At the meeting of the Board of Fire Commissioners Tuesday night the subject of a company for Pelhamwood along the lines of that of Pelham Heights was discussed, and it was decided that the Pelhamwood company could act as fire police and as a salvage corps.  Preparations will be made in the future for the purchase of a piece of apparatus on which to carry implements of salvage work such as tarpaulin, fire lines, etc.

Commissioner McIlroy was very enthusiastic about the Pelhamwood company and stated that he would push the matter through before the Pelhamwood Association, and by the end of the month would have a company formed that would be a credit to the department."

Source:  McIlroy To Organize Pelhamwood Fire Patrol -- Fire Commissioner Enthusiastic About Enlisting Residents of Pelhamwood As Firemen, The Pelham Sun, Jun. 9, 1922, p. 2, col. 4.

"To Have Fire Patrol

The Pelhamwood section is to have a fire company; that is, there will be a company known as Fire Patrol Company No. 1 which will do salvage work and guard places.  Fire Commissioner Walter H. McIlroy brought the matter to the attention of the fire board at its last meeting and stated that Jack Carroll of Liberty Engine Company, who resides on Young Avenue, Pelhamwood, has been known as the 'Pelhamwood Fire Department' and as he is the only fireman in the section, he suggested the formation of a separate company to be known as the Fire Patrol.  Commissioner McIlroy stated that there were many men in Pelhamwood who would be more than pleased to serve in such a company."

Source:  To Have Fire Patrol, The Daily Argus [Mount Vernon, NY], Jun. 13, 1922, p. 7, col. 4.  

"Pelhamwood Fire Patrol Has Seventeen Members
-----
Fire Commissioner Walter H. McIlroy Interests Members of Pelhamwood Association
-----

One of Fire Commissioner Walter H. McIlroy's ambitions is realized.  The Pelhamwood Fire Patrol No. 1 now has a membership of seventeen members, three more are needed to fill the company.  The new company will apply to the Board of Fire Commissioners for a charter.

Commissioner McIlroy addressed the meeting of the Pelhamwood Association at the Town Hall last night, and asked for recruits.  The following will be enrolled as members of the new company:  Harold Koevhling, Leslie Hart, Thomas Stewart, W. B. Haff, A. Koppell, James Thompson, C. B. Miller, William Uhler, J. Young, R. R. Mamlock, Dr. David Jones, P. E. Bacas, William Gehron, H. S. Clark, A. E. Andon, John O. Ball and Walter H. McIlroy.  

The duties of the new company will be those of a salvage corps and fire police.  At the last meeting of the Board of Fire Commissioners it was stated that a piece of apparatus would be purchased for the company in the near future."

Source:  Pelhamwood Fire Patrol Has Seventeen Members -- Fire Commissioner Walter H. McIlroy Interests Members of Pelhamwood Association, The Pelham Sun, Jun. 16, 1922, p. 9, col. 5.  

"Routine Matters Before Pelhamwood Association
-----
Committee Appointed to Await On Village Board In Regards to Pelhamwood Sewer Question
-----

The Pelhamwood Association met for its first fall meeting, at the Town Hall, Tuesday night.  There were about forty members present.  President Brainerd opened the meeting at 8.30 o'clock.

A committee was appointed to await on the Village Board at its next meeting and request that some action be taken on the matter of sewers of the New Rochelle portion of Pelhamwood, draining into those of North Pelham.  The committee is composed of R. H. Shaw, Wm. M. Uhler, M. M. Schwartzschild, Walter H. McIlroy and Charles DeFreest.

Fire Commissioner, W. H. McIlroy, reported that the Pelhamwood Fire Patrol would soon be organized and granted a charter by the Board of Fire Commissioners.

President Brainerd reported that the New Haven railroad company will investigate the matter of deeding the portion of Highbrook avenue from the center of the arch to the Washington avenue pavement, to the Village of North Pelham, in order that the concrete pavement can be carried through the arch.

The association resolved to request the Village Board to replace the street sign at Washington avenue and Fraser street, and to place a street sign at Clifford and Harmon avenues.  The matter of painting the street names on the pillars along Washington was also discussed.

The following membership committee was appointed:  For Highbrook avenue, A. D. Koppel; Young avenue, E. J. Dillon; Harmon avenue south, H. G. Weltmer, Harmon avenue north, R. R. Mamlock; Clifford avenue, A. E. Andon; Washington avenue, Frederick Worrall; Fraser street, J. O. Ball; Benedict place, N. F. Vought.

A resolution of thanks was ordered sent to the Rev. Dr. W. M. Hess, of the Congregational Church, for deeding the land at the corner of Washington and Highbrook avenues to the village, in order that the corner could be rounded.  The association will request the Church of the Redeemer to deed a portion of the corner of Fifth avenue and Harmon avenue, in order that a better approach to that street can be obtained, by rounding the corner.

The meeting adjourned at 10 o'clock."

Source:  Routine Matters Before Pelhamwood Association -- Committee Appointed to Await On Village Board In Regards to Pelhamwood Sewer Question, The Pelham Sun, Sep. 8, 1922, p. 6, cols. 4-5.

"Pelhamwood Fire Patrol.

The Pelhamwood Fire Patrol is being organized and will be the latest addition to the fire department of the first district.  Fire Commissioner Walter H. McIlroy, who is a resident of Pelhamwood, announced that the company is formed and will receive a charter from the board of fire commissioners.  This is something the department has sadly lacked in the past and will relieve some of the men from fire police duty to handling the hose and other equipment at fires."

Source:  Pelhamwood Fire Patrol, The Daily Argus [Mount Vernon, NY], Sep. 20, 1922, p. 14, cols. 1-2.  

"Budget Of First Fire District Shows Decrease
-----
Board of Fire Commissioners Are Ready To Submit Budget To Town Board
-----
Little Difference in Major Portion of Items Of Expense For Ensuing Year
-----

It will cost $21,440.00 to run the affairs of the First Fire District through the ensuing year, according to the estimated budget of the Board of Fire Commissioners.  Of this amount the taxpayers will have to raise $18,200.59, as there is about $3,239.41 left over from the budget of last year.  The budget was to have been submitted to the Town Board for approval Monday night, but owing to the fact that a quorum could not be present the matter was laid over to a future meeting.

The budget is approximately $4,000 lower than that of last year.  The decrease is explained by the fact that last year's budget carried an appropriation of that amount for the installation of 17 new fire alarm boxes.  

The proposed budget carries a figure of $1,000.00 for the purchase and outfitting of a Dodge chassis for the newly formed Pelhamwood Fire Patrol, the salvage corps of the department.  The item of light, heat and power shows an increase of $50.  Each of the three drivers have received a salary increase of $5 per month, so the item of drivers' salaries is increased from $4,860.00 to $5,046.00.  Provision for equipment shows an increase from $300 to $800.  Repairs to building have increased from $500 to $1000.  Maintenance of autos shows a drop from $1,000 to $500.  The item of salary for the clerk to the board is double that of last year.  The budget follows.

Principal on bond due July 1, 1923...............$1,550.00
Interest on outstanding bonds for one year..........600.00
Interest on outstanding bond of $1,550.00 for one year..............46.50
Hydrant rental or water supply for North Pelham...................4,950.00
Hydrant rental or water supply for Pelham....................2,000.00
Light, heat and power.....................756.00
3 janitors and chauffeurs at $1680 each...............5,040.00
Equipment..............800.00
Hose..................550.00
Repairs to building............................1,000.00
Insurance (automobile).....................130.00
Insurance (compensation)................284.00
Maintenance of autos.................500.00
Inspection and parade...............150.00
Contingent Fund.......................1,000.00
Clerk to board............................240.00
Legal expense...........................700.00
Apparatus for salvage corps....................1,000.00
Tarpaulins......................150.00
______________________________________
                                            $21,440.00
Left from 1922 budget.........   3,239.41

Total 1923 budget...............$18,200.59"

Source:  Budget Of First Fire District Shows Decrease -- Board of Fire Commissioners Are Ready To Submit Budget To Town Board -- Little Difference in Major Portion of Items Of Expense For Ensuing Year, The Pelham Sun, Jan. 19, 1923, Vol. 13, No. 47, p. 1, col. 5.

Archive of the Historic Pelham Web Site.
Home Page of the Historic Pelham Blog.
Order a Copy of "The Haunted History of Pelham, New York"
Order a Copy of "Thomas Pell and the Legend of the Pell Treaty Oak."

Early History of Pelham Girl Scouts and Pelham's First Girl Scout Gold Award Recipient

Archive of the Historic Pelham Web Site.
Home Page of the Historic Pelham Blog.
Order a Copy of "Thomas Pell and the Legend of the Pell Treaty Oak."

Virtually nothing has been written of the early history of Girl Scouts in Pelham.  Today's Historic Pelham article is intended to collect a little of that history to shed light on an important Pelham institution that, now, is nearly one hundred years old.

Early History of the Girl Scouts in Pelham
Pelham's first troop of Girl Scouts, Troop 1, was organized in 1921.  Troop 2 was organized a year later in 1922. 

As was the case with the Boy Scout program in Pelham, during the early years of the Roaring Twenties, the Girl Scout program in Pelham grew rapidly.  Demand for the program was so great that in 1923, Mrs. J. S. Kelly registered another Troop (Troop 3) with twelve girls.  That troop quickly expanded to forty girls so that Troop 3 had to be divided to create two troops (Troop 3 and Troop 4).  

By the fall of 1925 so many Pelham girls were interested in the Girl Scout program that two additional Girl Scout troops were registered in Pelham that year (Troop 5 and Troop 6).  The six troops together had more than one hundred registered Girl Scouts in 1925.  

With the program growing so quickly, program organizers needed help.  In late 1925 they organized a "Community Committee" to encourage interested Pelham residents to become involved in the Girl Scout program and to assist with such work as overseeing merit badge work and examinations.  

By 1928, the Girl Scouts of Pelham had 152 registered Scouts and the six troops had shaken out into four active troops.  The Girl Scout program had settled onto a solid foundation that has continued to this day.


The Girl Scout Gold Award

The Girl Scout Gold Award is the highest award granted by the Girl Scouts.  It represents the highest achievement in Girl Scouts and is awarded to "inspiring leaders whose Gold Award projects are impacting the worlds of STEM, education, agriculture, medicine, and more on a local, national, or global level."  See "Gold Award -- Are You Ready to Make a Difference in the World?", GirlScouts.org (visited Jan. 20, 2018).

The history of the Girl Scout Gold Award is, itself, quite interesting.  Girl Scouting in the United States is generally credited as beginning on March 12, 1912, when Juliette "Daisy" Gordon Low held the first "Girl Guide" troop meeting of eighteen girls in Savannah, Georgia.  
Beginning in 1916, Girl Scouts offered the "Golden Eaglet" insignia as the highest award in Girl Scouts.  The Golden Eaglet evoked the rank of Eagle Scout awarded in the Boy Scouts of America, the highest award issued by the Boy Scouts of America.  The Golden Eaglet was awarded from 1916 to 1939.  From 1940 to 1963, the highest award in Girl Scouts was called the "Curved Bar Award."  The name of the highest award changed again and, from 1963 to 1980, it was known as "First Class."  Finally, since 1980, the highest award has been known as the Gold Award.  Id.  

Who Was the First Pelham Girl to Receive the Highest Award of Girl Scouts?

Who was the first Pelham Girl Scout to receive the highest award of the organization?  A young woman named Ellen Kelly received the Golden Eaglet insignia in 1927.

As one might expect, Ellen Kelly was an impressive young woman.  She was a daughter of John S. and Dolores D. Kelly of 1465 Roosevelt Avenue in the Village of Pelham Manor.  On June 16, 1927 at 8:00 p.m. -- six years after the Girl Scout program first began in Pelham -- she became Pelham's first recipient of the Golden Eaglet.

The occasion was auspicious.  The Girl Scout Court of Honor was so large with so many spectators that it had to be held in the gymnasium of the Pelham Memorial High School.  The evening was even more special for Ellen Kelly:  it was her eighteenth birthday as well.

Several hundred spectators witnessed the event including Pelham Girl Scouts and their families as well as guests invited to the event from Girl Scouts of Mt. Vernon, New Rochelle and Bronxville, as well as Boy Scouts of Pelham.  The local newspaper carried a stirring account of the Spring Court of Awards during which Ms. Kelly received her honor:

"County Director Carolyn Lewis spoke briefly preceding the presentation.  She explained the significance of the Golden Eaglet, the work that the Scout must do to earn it, and stressed the fact that the first Scout in Pelham to receive the highest award the organization confers was fitted in all respects.  One hundred Girl Scouts in uniform then marched into the hall singing the Scout hymn and stood in phalanx formation.  Director Lewis asked that Scout Kelly's captain present her to the audience and Mrs. J. C. Kelly, Scout Captain and Ellen's mother, stepped forward with her.  The unanimous consent of all the Girl Scouts in the community and the consent of every member of the Pelham Community Committee is necessary before a Scout may receive the Golden Eaglet.  This was signified in a most enthusiastic manner, after which Miss Lewis pinned the award on Scout Kelly's uniform.  Amidst the applause that followed, the Boy Scout cheer rang out spontaneously from the group who were seated in the balcony.  As the ceremony concluded, Scout Kelly was deluged with congratulations and praise."

The following autumn, Ellen Kelly began college at Wellesley where she was active in local Girl Scout programs.  After college, she continued her studies and, in 1932, received a "Master of Science Degree and the Certificate of the Department of Hygiene and Physical Education" from Wellesley.  She was appointed to the teaching staff of the Department of Physical Education for women at the University of Wisconsin.  During summers, she served as a counselor at Shantywell, a camp for young girls run by her mother at Lake Mahopac, New York. 

In an indication of just how difficult it was (and is) to achieve the highest award granted by the Girl Scouts, it was three years later in 1930 when the second Pelham Girl Scout achieved the Golden Eaglet.  That year, Pelhamite Polly Litchfield received the award.  Pelhamite Martha Stewart was the third to receive the award and, in 1934, Pelhamite Carol Kander became the fourth young woman of Pelham to be so honored.

 

Ellen Kelly in 1932.  Source:  
MISS KELLY TO JOIN COLLEGE STAFF IN FALL,

The Pelham Sun, Jun. 17, 1932, Vol. 23, No. 13, p. 3, col. 2.

NOTE:  Click on Image to Enlarge.

*          *          *          *          *

"Ellen Kelly First Pelham Scout To Earn Golden Eaglet
-----

Ellen Kelly of Troop 4, Pelham Girl Scouts, will receive the first Golden Eaglet ever presented in the Pelhams, at the Court of Honor on Thursday night, June 16th at 8 o'clock in Memorial High School gymnasium.  The occasion will be a particularly important one for Scout Kelly as she also celebrates her eighteenth birthday on that date.  The Golden Eaglet is the highest honor a girl scout can achieve."

Source:   Ellen Kelly First Pelham Scout To Earn Golden Eaglet, The Pelham Sun, Jun. 10, 1927, p. 8, col. 5. 

"GIRL SCOUTS OF PELHAM
-----

The Pelham Girl Scout Committee and those in charge of the recent Court of Awards are grateful to the following citizens of Pelham for their assistance in examining the Scouts for merit badges:  Scribe, Miss Mary Costello; Athlete, Miss M. McNemeny; Citizenship, Mrs. Henry E. Dey; Bird Finder, Mr. Barnard Pourrs; Cyclist, Mr. Burgess B. Field, Mr. Charles Koenig; Electrician, Mr. H. D. Welton; Height, Weight and Distance, Mr. Norman Litchfield; Musician, Mr. Albert Fregans; also to the Westchester Lighting Co. for cooking examinations.
* * *
The regular Scout meetings have been discontinued for the summer and the last Community Committee meeting was held on Thursday morning at the home of Mrs. Norman Litchfield.
* * *
About one hundred merit badges will be awarded to scouts of the various Pelham troops at the Court of Honor on Thursday evening, at 8 o'clock in Memorial High School gymnasium.  Ellen Kelly will receive the first Golden Eaglet ever presented to any Pelham Scout.  Girl Scouts of Mt. Vernon, New Rochelle and Bronxville, and Boy Scouts of Pelham are to be the invited guests.  Parents and all friends of scouting are urged to attend."

Source:  GIRL SCOUTS OF PELHAM, The Pelham Sun, Jun. 10, 1927, p. 8, col. 4.

Source: 

"Ellen Kelly Is Pelham's First Golden Eaglet
-----

In the presence of several hundred enthusiastic persons, Scout Ellen Kelly of Troop 4 received the first Golden Eaglet to be won by a Girl Scout of Pelham.  The impressive and inspiring ceremony took place last Thursday evening in Memorial High School gymnasium at the Spring Court of Awards.  County Director Carolyn Lewis spoke briefly preceding the presentation.  She explained the significance of the Golden Eaglet, the work that the Scout must do to earn it, and stressed the fact that the first Scout in Pelham to receive the highest award the organization confers was fitted in all respects.  One hundred Girl Scouts in uniform then marched into the hall singing the Scout hymn and stood in phalanx formation.  Director Lewis asked that Scout Kelly's captain present her to the audience and Mrs. J. C. Kelly, Scout Captain and Ellen's mother, stepped forward with her.  The unanimous consent of all the Girl Scouts in the community and the consent of every member of the Pelham Community Committee is necessary before a Scout may receive the Golden Eaglet.  This was signified in a most enthusiastic manner, after which Miss Lewis pinned the award on Scout Kelly's uniform.  Amidst the applause that followed, the Boy Scout cheer rang out spontaneously from the group who were seated in the balcony.  As the ceremony concluded, Scout Kelly was deluged with congratulations and praise.

Awards of merit badges won by the Girl Scouts at the recent Court of Honor were then presented.  Mrs. William Holland Davis, chairman of the Court of Awards read the name of each Scout as she stepped forward and Director Lewis presented the merit badges won.  The following Scouts received the awards listed:  Dorothy Nowa, second class, observer, citizenship, scribe, health winner, cook, homemaker; Eleanor Ochs, second class, observer; Mary Elizabeth Parsons, second class; Gloria Pitman, second class, cyclist, cook; Margaret Stobie, second class; Sylvia Smith, second class; Martha Stewart, second class, craftsman, scholarship; Alida Van Ness, second class; Anita Zacchio, second class; Jean Ackland, scholarship, homemaker; Barbara Bartlett, scribe, needlewoman, hostess, homemaker; Florence Dickenson, second class; Marjorie Chittenden, observer, home nurse, cyclist, homemaker, first aid; Kate Davis, observer; Mildred Eichelberger, cook, scribe, needlewoman, rockfinder, homemaker; Betty Hart, observer, laundress, first aid, home nurse; Carman Hart, first aid, home nurse; Phyllis Haight, observer, cyclist, hostess, homemaker; Beverly Hull, homemaker, hostess; Marietta Jordan, homemaker, cook; Ellen Kelly, electrician, musician, cyclist, milliner; Polly Litchfield, home nurse, first aid; Muriel Mackintosh, needlewoman, home nurse, first aid; Alam Monroe, cyclist, cook; Ruth Prentice, home nurse, first aid; Paula Webster, home nurse, first aid; Emily Litchfield, hostess, electrician, path finder, scholarship badge ringed for very high average; Jane Allen, second class; Juliette Bolte, second class, scholarship; Elizabeth Brehm, second class, scholarship, scribe; Ruth Carnes, second class, laundress, health winner, observer, scholarship, cook, hostess, craftsman; Lialete Childs, second class; Jeanette Davies, second class, health winner; Betty Dean, second class, health winner; Marion Flynn, second class, health winner; Capt. Sarah Haight, second class, homemaker; Mary Knowles Higgins, second class; Yvonne Heading, second class, health winner, observer; Capt. Dolores Kelly, second class; Evelyn Koenig, second class, observer, cyclist, rockfinder, flower finder; Grace Langeler, second class; Emma Nichols, second class, observer, cyclist, rockfinder; Isabel Macgregor, first class; Harriet Walker, first class, home nurse, first aid; Irene Longley, hostess; Consuelo McKenna, observer, cook, cyclist; Dororthea McCoy, scholarship, citizenship, cook, cyclist; Elizabeth Pearce, hostess, bird finder, scholarship badge ringed for very high average, home nurse, first aid; Barbara Pitman, cook, cyclist, homemaker; Maude Van Riper, scholarship, homemaker; Alicia Knapp, first class, laundress, home nurse, first aid, electrician, homemaker, scholarship badge ringed for very high average.

Those receiving a gold star for perfect attendance during the year were:  Dorothea McCoy, Consuelo McKenna, Jeanette Davies.  Those awarded a silver stripe for good attendance with not more than three legitimate excuses were:  Gloria Pitman, Barbara Pitman, Lucile Scudder, Carol Jackson, Emily Litchfield, Alicia Knapp, Mary Emily Leary, Ellen Kelly, Alida Van Ness, Susan Larrimore, Muriel Mackintosh, Hattie Petrikat, Anita Zacchio, Alma Monroe."

Source:  Ellen Kelly Is Pelham's First Golden Eaglet, The Pelham Sun, Jun. 24, 1927, p. 6, col. 4.  

"GIRL SCOUTS OF PELHAM . . .

Ellen Kelly, Pelham's first Golden Eaglet is at Wellesley and she writes that she has joined the Wellesley College Scout Troop and that she is about to join the Massachusetts order of Golden Eaglet. . . ."

Source:   GIRL SCOUTS OF PELHAM, The Pelham Sun, Oct. 14, 1927, p. 3, col. 3.

"Girls Of Pelhams Have Found Many Advantages In Scouting
-----
Eight Years of Girl Scouting In the Pelhams Have Proven Of Great Benefit.  Next Year Holds Much For Members Of Local Troops
-----
By MRS. ROBERT J. BENDER

With the beginning of this holiday season the Pelham Girl Scout Organization celebrates its eighth winter of activities for the growing girls of Pelham.  In 1921 the First Troop was founded, the members of that Troop have grown up and gone to College.  Troop 2 was registered in the following year and that Troop is one of the active ones now, each year adding new girls.  Miss Mary Keating is Captain.

In 1923, Mrs. J. S. Kelly registered a troop with twelve girls and within a year that grew to 40 girls and was divided to make Troop 4.

The fall of 1925 started with four Troops, not enough to take care of many eager girls who were clamoring to be Scouts.  Troops 5 and 6 were registered that year.  Mrs. James MacGregor taking charge until Miss Eleanor Seed became Captain of Troop 5.

With nearly a hundred registered Scouts that year the need of a Community Committee was felt and that was formed to further the interest in Scouting.  The Community Committee's formation in that year meant that plans for the Girl Scout required that there would be a group of interested workers who could plan ahead for the work necessary Merit badges of The Scouts.

In 1927 the first ceremony conferring the Golden Eaglet to the first eligible Pelham Scout was held at the Pelham High School.  Ellen Kelly, of Troop 3, was the first to receive the honor.

This year opens with four active Troops and 152 registered Scouts.  From the work already done and the things planned for the following months it is sure to be the best and most successful in accomplishment.

Thirty two meetings in Troops makes up the winter schedule but that does not mean that summer time sees no work for Scouting.  At Rock Hill Camp at Mahopac, New York, the Scout Summer Camp which most of our Pelham Scouts enjoy, the Merit Badge work goes on with renewed vigor.  The Nature work the woodcraft, the birds, the trees and the all day hikes are more enjoyable if worked out from the camp.

Swimming Badges can easily be earned at camp as there is always at hand a professional instructor from the Red Cross Life Saving Corps.  Pelham has the distinction of having its Girl Scout Swimming Team beat the Boy Scout Swimming Team.

The Father-Daughter Dinner in October was attended by more than 200.  It was entirely cooked and served by the Scouts.  November offered National Girl Scout Week and our Pelham Scouts held an exhibit at the station which was intended to acquaint those of the entire town with the work of the beginners as well as to show them what advanced Scouting can do for girls.  December is kept free for the usual Christmas activities but in January there will be Group singing under the direction of Mr. Munro Hubbard and Troop Drills with Colonel Haight.

Girls of ten or over are eligible for Scouting and can join a troop any season of the year.

The first chairman of the Pelham Community Committee was Mrs. James MacGregor.  Mrs. Charles Hart guided the Scouts for two years later.  The present Community Committee consists of Mrs. Stuart Wilder, chairman; Mrs. J. S. Kelly, Mrs. Wm. H. Davis, Mrs. Edwin Van Riper, Mrs. R. B. Hull, Mrs. G. Munro Hubbard, Mrs. Herbert Wyckoff, Mrs. Chas. Bolte, Mrs. Norman Litchfield, Mrs. Raymond Smith, Mrs. Roscoe Ingalls, Mrs. Chas. Hart, Mr. H. J. Phillips and Mrs. Robert J. Bender."

Source:  Bender, Mrs. Robert J., Girls Of Pelhams Have Found Many Advantages In Scouting -- Eight Years of Girl Scouting In the Pelhams Have Proven Of Great Benefit.  Next Year Holds Much For Members Of Local Troops, The Pelham Sun, Dec. 14, 1928, Vol. 19, No. 41, p. 3, cols. 1-3. 

"Polly Litchfield Wins Golden Eaglet
-----
Highest Honor in Girl Scouts Awarded for the Second Time in Pelham.  Many Other Awards at High School Friday.
-----

The Girl Scouts of the Pelhams had their final Court of Awards of the season in the high school auditorium Friday evening.  One hundred and thirty-two badges and awards of merit were given to the scouts at this time and one girl scout, Polly Litchfield, was awarded the highest honor that the scouts give, the Golden Eaglet.  Miss Litchfield is the second girl scout of Pelham to win this distinction, a most difficult one to attain which means the winner must have character and a fine spirit and goes only to the highest type of girl scout.  Mrs. Charles M. Hart made the award to Miss Litchfield.  Pelham's first Golden Eaglet girl scout was Miss Ellen Kelly of Pelham Manor who is now away at college.

Mrs. G. Munro Hubbard of Pelham Manor, vice-chairman of the Pelham Girl Scout Community Committee presided at the Court of Awards in the absence of Mrs. J. A. Migel, chairman and spoke a few explanatory words about the work of the scouts.

After hearing some of the requirements for the various badges of which there are a great number, no one would wonder what the girl scouts did with their spare time.  It must be a load off their parents'  minds to know that young Sally or Jane holds a 'housekeeper's badge' and that Mary is a 'laundress' and a 'Child's Nurse.'  These youngsters are equipped to step into all sorts of domestic crises, apparently and carry off the honors of the day.

Mrs. Stuart Wilder, former chairman of the Pelham Community Committee and a member of the County Board made the presentation assisted by Mrs. E. E. Pringle who had charge of the Court of Awards assisted by Mrs. W. H. Davis.  Mrs. Wilder spoke words of friendly commendation to the girls as they received their awards and explained the significance of them in some instances.

The singing of the Star Spangled Banner, the Flag Salute and the recitation of the Girl Scout Laws and Promises were part of the evening's program.  Following the award of the Golden Eaglet badge to Miss Polly Litchfield she was presented with a gift, the presentation being made by Mrs. G. Munro Hubbard."

Source:  Polly Litchfield Wins Golden Eaglet -- Highest Honor in Girl Scouts Awarded for the Second Time in Pelham.  Many Other Awards at High School Friday, The Pelham Sun, May 23, 1930, p. 17, cols. 5-7.  

"MISS KELLY TO JOIN COLLEGE STAFF IN FALL
-----

Miss Ellen Kelly of No. 1465 Roosevelt avenue, has returned to Pelham after a year of graduate study at Wellesley College.  At the commencement exercises next week she will receive the Master of Science Degree and the Certificate of the Department of Hygiene and Physical Education.  

Miss Kelly has been appointed to the teaching staff of the Department of Physical Education for women at the University of Wisconsin where she will take part next fall in a new experimental program of activities for the women students and faculty.

This summer Miss Kelly will be head counselor at Shantywell, a camp for junior girls at Lake Mahopac, New York.  She is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. J. S. Kelly."

Source:  MISS KELLY TO JOIN COLLEGE STAFF IN FALL, The Pelham Sun, Jun. 17, 1932, Vol. 23, No. 13, p. 3, col. 2.

Archive of the Historic Pelham Web Site.
Home Page of the Historic Pelham Blog.

Order a Copy of "Thomas Pell and the Legend of the Pell Treaty Oak." 

Decision in 1923 to Extend the As-Yet Unbuilt Hutchinson River Parkway

Archive of the Historic Pelham Web Site.
Home Page of the Historic Pelham Blog.
Order a Copy of "Thomas Pell and the Legend of the Pell Treaty Oak."

During the early 1920s, the open rolling lands alongside the Hutchinson River in the Town of Pelham and the river itself were beauties to behold.  A string of reservoirs and lakes dotted the countryside throughout undeveloped lands between Pelham's border with New York City all the way north to Scarsdale.  The Hutchinson River and its watershed throughout the entire region was an important water supply system that provided drinking water to such communities as Pelham, Mount Vernon, New Rochelle, Eastchester, Bronxville, and Tuckahoe, among others.  

At the time, Westchester County wanted to protect the gorgeous countryside and the water supply system.  What better way than to purchase a lengthy tract along the Hutchinson River to create an undeveloped "Parkway."  The parkway would be the envy of the nation, much like the nearby Bronx River Parkway that was begun in 1907. 

The Hutchinson River Parkway was envisioned as a true park with a quiet winding road adjacent to bridle paths, pedestrian paths, reservoirs and lakes.  The roadway and its bridges and overpasses were intended to be modern but quaint-looking and aesthetically pleasing.  All expected the roadway to be a signature destination for Sunday drivers who wanted a jaunt in their fanciful early automobiles on a beautiful day through a beautiful countryside.

And then it began. . . . . . . 

Even before construction started on the new Parkway in 1924, local officials were pushing to expand the length of the roadway at both ends.  The Hutchinson River Parkway originally was envisioned to end at Lincoln Avenue, Mount Vernon (then connected to 4th Street in Pelham, now also known as Lincoln Avenue).  Their intentions were good -- at least at the outset.  They wanted to protect as much land and watershed as possible within a beautiful Parkway.  "Alea iacta est" as Julius Caesar supposedly said when he crossed the Rubicon with his legions to begin a civil war:  the die [was] cast.  There would be no return.

Thus, during the summer of 1923 while engineers were still trying to survey the expected route of the Parkway and at a time when the exact course of the Parkway had not even been determined, the Westchester County Board of Supervisors approved an extension of the planned Parkway from its planned terminus at Lincoln Avenue all the way to Pelham Bay Park at the New York City border.  

A Commission advising the Board of Supervisors recommended the extension.  The Board received the recommendation and immediately approved it for implementation.  The Commission reported to the Board of Supervisors, in part, as follows:

"While there is no question of the desirability of acquiring these lands for park use, it would not be feasible to interfere with the water supply at this time.  The important thing is to insure that this picturesque tract will eventually be available as a public park.  The Commission is, therefore, negotiating with the New Rochelle Water Company for the purchase of these lands on the basis of the Water Company's retaining the right to use the same for water supply purposes for a period of twelve to fifteen years, by which time it is assumed that the population will have so increased as to affect the purity of the water supply and at the same time the demand for park spaces will be more urgent.  Such an arrangement would operate to materially reduce the purchase price to the county and at the same time insure the county against the certain rise in value during the fifteen year period.  Negotiation[s] to this end are in progress and if satisfactory arrangements can be concluded with the Water Company, the Commission will recommend to your Board the acquisition of this tract."

The goal of preserving the additional lands to the south of Lincoln Avenue adjacent to the Hutchinson River to the New York City line seemed laudable at the time.  Indeed, construction of the Hutchinson River Parkway in the midst of a beautiful park setting began the following year in 1924 and continued for several years.

Soon, however, the automobile became king and the region throbbed with cars trying to get from one place to another using the tiny little Parkway.  As the years passed, the Parkway was expanded in sections (even as late as 1941) until it grew to become a major highway artery running north and south from New York City through Westchester County to the New York - Connecticut state line at Rye Brook.

Today the Hutchinson River Parkway is a nearly 19-mile mess of a thoroughfare that is so crowded with traffic day and night that, at times, it can be so congested that it nearly is impossible to navigate.  The narrow, winding lanes (long since expanded well beyond their original capacities) begin at the Bruckner Interchange in the Throggs Neck section of the Bronx and proceed north, having junctions with I-95 (the Cross-Bronx Expressway), I-295 (Cross Bronx Expressway Extension), I-678 (the Whitestone Expressway), and I-278 (the Bruckner Expressway).  Any time issues arise on any of these connected roadways, traffic piles onto "the Hutch," often bringing that roadway to a near standstill.  To make matters worse, anytime a truck wanders onto the Hutch (trucks are banned on all New York Parkways) and smashes into any of the low overpasses built in the 1920s to allow Model-T automobiles to pass beneath, traffic comes to an absolute standstill for hours and hours.  

Savvy Pelhamites long have known to avoid the Hutch most times of the day and night.  All Pelhamites long for the good old days when the Hutch was, in fact, a Sunday parkway set in a beautiful park. . . . . . 

"Photo 42. View of the parkway looking south from the East Third

Street Bridge, August 31, 1927. This view shows workmen preparing

the roadways for paving. (Westchester County Archives, Park

Commission Photograph Collection, PPC5389)"  Source: LoRusso,

Mark S., An Historic American Engineering Record Level II Documentation

of the East Third Street Bridge Spanning Hutchinson River Parkway

and Hutchinson River NYSDOT PIN 8BOW.01.101 City of Mount

Vernon and Village of Pelham Westchester County New York, p. 94

(2017: Sponsored by The Federal Highway Administration and the

New York State Department of Transportation, Part of the New York

State Museum Cultural Resource Survey Program). NOTE: Click on

Image to Enlarge.

*          *          *          *          *

"River Parkway To Go Through Three Villages
-----
Board of Supervisors Also Want Glen Island Bought For Bathing Park
-----
Definite Course Of Road Through Pelham Not Yet Determined But Surveyors Are Now At Work
-----
River Parkway to Go Through

At a joint meeting held in White Plains on Monday, the County Board of Supervisors formally requested the Park Commission to extend the proposed Hutchinson River Boulevard from its termination at East Lincoln Avenue all the way to Pelham Bay Park in New York City.

The exact course of the parkway has not yet been determined, but engineers are now surveying and the Park Commission will soon begin to look over the property.  The cost of acquiring land in the various localities will determine the course.  Nine hundred thousand dollars is the estimated cost of acquiring the property for the Hutchinson River Parkway.

Glen Island, if the request of the Board of Supervisors is complied with, will be purchased and turned into a public park.  A large bathing beach will be constructed and in all probability a bridge will be built from the mainland to the island.

The report of the Commission to the Board of Supervisors met with such favor that the Board went further and requested that the Hutchinson Parkway be extended and that Glen Island be purchased.  Part of the report follows:

Another project of country-wide importance and of particular interest to the Pelhams, the cities of Mount Vernon and New Rochelle and the town of Eastchester, includes a protective strip along the Hutchinson River from Lincoln Avenue, Mount 

(Continued on page 3)

Hutchinson River Parkway Approved
-----
(Continued from page 1)

Vernon to Eastchester Road and from thence a considerable portion of the lands in the Hutchinson River Valley now used for water supply purposes, extending to Drake Road in the village of Scarsdale and connecting with the Bronx River Parkway at the New Rochelle Water Company's crossing between Crestwood and Scarsdale.

The Commission has no doubt of the desirability of acquiring between 800 and 900 acres in this section.  The lands are particularly beautiful and for the most part already developed as a park.  The three lakes or reservoirs are splendid park features.  However, these lands and lakes now constitute the greater part of an important water supply system, furnishing water to the city of New Rochelle, the town of Eastchester and the villages of Bronxville and Tuckahoe.

While there is no question of the desirability of acquiring these lands for park use, it would not be feasible to interfere with the water supply at this time.  The important thing is to insure that this picturesque tract will eventually be available as a public park.  The Commission is, therefore, negotiating with the New Rochelle Water Company for the purchase of these lands on the basis of the Water Company's retaining the right to use the same for water supply purposes for a period of twelve to fifteen years, by which time it is assumed that the population will have so increased as to affect the purity of the water supply and at the same time the demand for park spaces will be more urgent.  Such an arrangement would operate to materially reduce the purchase price to the county and at the same time insure the county against the certain rise in value during the fifteen year period.  Negotiation[s] to this end are in progress and if satisfactory arrangements can be concluded with the Water Company, the Commission will recommend to your Board the acquisition of this tract."

Source:  River Parkway To Go Through Three Villages -- Board of Supervisors Also Want Glen Island Bought For Bathing Park -- Definite Course Of Road Through Pelham Not Yet Determined But Surveyors Are Now At Work -- River Parkway to Go Through, The Pelham Sun, Jul. 6, 1923, p. 1, col. 6 & p. 3, col. 5.

Archive of the Historic Pelham Web Site.
Home Page of the Historic Pelham Blog.

Order a Copy of "Thomas Pell and the Legend of the Pell Treaty Oak."