Historic Pelham

Presenting the rich history of Pelham, NY in Westchester County: current historical research, descriptions of how to research Pelham history online and genealogy discussions of Pelham families.

Friday, May 25, 2018

Pelham Manor Cracked Down on Proliferation of Miniature Golf and Golf Driving Ranges in the Early 1930s


During the late 1920s and early 1930s, the nation's interest in golf was at a fever pitch.  Pelham was no exception.  

One manifestation of golf fever was the proliferation of so-called "midget golf courses."  These are courses we think of today as "short courses," akin to a smaller "par 3 course."  Another type of course that swept the nation was a "Tom Thumb course," otherwise known as a "putt putt course" -- what we think of today as a true "miniature golf course."  Indeed, I have written before of two such Tom Thumb courses that opened in 1930 in the Village of North Pelham.  See Tue., Dec. 09, 2014:  The Miniature Golf Craze Hits Pelham in 1930 as Two "Tom Thumb" Golf Courses Open.  

During this nationwide golf craze, driving ranges and a short course opened in the Village of Pelham Manor as well.  Today's Historic Pelham Blog article tells the story of those Pelham Manor driving ranges and short course. 

The Pelham Driving Range

By either late 1929 or early 1930, a man named Thomas Alton opened an extensive golf driving range along Boston Post Road in the Village of Pelham Manor near the Hutchinson River Parkway.  Alton named the facility "Pelham Golf Range."  It also was referenced as the "Pelham Driving Range" and the "Boston Post Driving Range."  



1932 Advertisement for the "Pelham Golf Range."  Source:
PELHAM GOLF RANGE, The Pelham Sun, Jun. 3, 1932,
p. 11, col. 8.  NOTE:  Click on Image to Enlarge.

As the advertisement above notes, when the range opened lessons were available and a pail of golf balls cost 35 cents.  The facility also advertised itself as "THE FINEST RANGE IN WESTCHESTER" (see advertisement immediately below).  


1931 Advertisement for the "Pelham Golf Driving Range."  Source:
[Mount Vernon, NY], Mar. 20, 1931, p. 22, cols 3-4.  NOTE:  Click
on Image to Enlarge.

The Pelham Golf Driving Range gained some notoriety when, on Sunday, May 10, 1931, a terrible electrical storm swept over Pelham.  As the lightning began, three employees of the facility began running for cover toward a small shed on the range.  As they ran, a massive lightning bolt struck near them, knocking all three unconscious.  Others nearby phoned the police.  

Motorcycle patrolman Thomas Fagan arrived and found James McFarland, 22, William Dorasch, 18, and Thomas Alton, 33 unconscious.  He applied first aid and brought two of the men back to consciousness.  An ambulance arrived and took the three men to New Rochelle Hospital where two were promptly released and the third was held for observation though he also recovered.

The Pelham Golf Driving Range had a constant problem with trespassers who would sneak onto the range at night and steal golf balls.  Finally the owner, Tom Alton, seemed to follow a zero tolerance policy and prosecuted all who were caught -- even when they were caught with as few as three golf balls.  Culprits were dragged into the Pelham Manor police court repeatedly -- and usually were residents of New York City, New Rochelle, and Mount Vernon.

By at least 1936 if not before, ownership of the driving range had changed.  Arthur Milton became the owner and the facility was renamed "Milton's Driving Range."  It became a location where members of the Pelham Memorial High School Driving Club practiced.

Although research has not yet revealed when the facility closed, it continued to operate as late as 1941.

The Pelham Manor Junior Golf Course

A man named Jules Kibel (also misspelled "Kibble") opened a golf short course on September 27, 1930 named the "Pelham Manor Junior Golf Course."  Although a number of newspaper references to its location were imprecise (and even erroneous), it was located southeast of the intersection of Boston Post Road and Pelhamdale Avenue in part of an area between today's Boston Post Road and Wynnewood Avenue once owned by Arthur W. Cole (through Colco Inc.).  The map detail immediately below shows the rough location of the short course and driving range.



Detail from 1929 Map With Arrow Indicating Approximate Location
of the Pelham Manor Junior Golf Course and Driving Range on Land
of Arthur Cole (Owned Through Colco Inc.).  Source:  G. M. Hopkins
Co., Atlas of Westchester County, Vol. 1, Pg. 2 (Philadelphia, PA:
G. M. Hopkins Co., 1929).  NOTE:  Click on Image to Enlarge.

At first the short course offered mere golf experience for those interested in playing short clubs on a small course chock full of hazards.  In early July, 1931, however, Jules Kibel announced the opening of a new driving range "installed alongside of the attractive fairways of the miniature golf course."  Thus, the facility offered "not only the popular approach game" on its short fairways, but also the opportunity to practice long drives on a range that even offered distance targets as "an opportunity for those who like to smack them out for great distances."  

The Pelham Manor Junior Golf Course on the Boston road east of Pelhamdale avenue is now equipped to suit all the requirements of the golfing enthusiast who likes his game to be centered in a small space.  A new driving range has been installed alongside of the attractive fairways of the miniature golf course.  Here not only the popular approach game can be played but there is also an opportunity for those who like to smack them out for great distances."

The new driving range at Pelhamdale Avenue and Boston Post Road charged fifty cents per bucket of balls.  It cost twenty-five cents for adults and fifteen cents for children to play a round of golf on the adjoining short course.  According to one advertisement, a competition was held each Wednesday night for a $5 prize and free automobile parking adjoining the driving range.  

Some in Pelham Manor welcomed the "midget golf course" as it often was called.  Before construction of the course, there stood on a portion of the property an "unsightly pile of bricks" that had been there "for several years."  According to one account, the course was "beautifully landscaped, shrubs have been planted and an ingenious brook winds its way across the fairways which offer many hazards."  Interestingly, the short fairways were not of grass.  They were a mixture of "sand, clay and green slate granules" which required grooming, but not the sort of grounds keeping maintenance of an ordinary golf course.  According to an advertisement when the short course opened in 1930:

"Over 24,000 square feet of the finest playing greens and fairways that can be found anywhere makes playing the popular miniature golf here the most pleasant and healthful sport of all!  The course is three times as large as the average and offers natural water and tree hazards and sand traps that are found only on the best of full-sized golf courses.  You'll need mashie-niblicks here as well as putters -- we supply them with the balls."

Efforts by Pelham Manor to Limit the Spread of Such Golf Facilities

Others in Pelham Manor were outraged at the opening of the new "midget course" known as the Pelham Manor Junior Golf Course.  First, they were offended that the facility opened at what then was considered the very heart of Pelham Manor:  Four Corners.  Second, they were fearful that with two relatively new golf facilities along Boston Post Road within a few hundred yards of each other, Pelham Manor soon would be "dotted" with such miniature courses.  

Indeed, there were substantial objections to the short course at Four Corners nearly from the beginning.  The day before the course opened and on the same day that a full page advertisement for the small course appeared in the local newspaper, the front page of the same newspaper (The Pelham Sun) reported on the status of a proposed zoning ordinance to ban driving ranges, miniature golf courses, and so-called "Tom Thumb" golf courses (so-called putt-putt courses or true miniature golf facilities.  The newspaper reported:

"Determined that the Village of Pelham Manor will not be dotted with miniature golf courses, the Board of Trustees has enacted an ordinance preventing the construction of any new golf course or golf range, conducted for profit, outside of the industrial district.  The miniature golf course which will be opened on the Boston road east of Pelhamdale avenue will not be ousted as the ordinance will not be effective until after a public hearing is held on October 6.  Mayor Lawrence F. Sherman told The Pelham Sun that the village could not block the opening of this course as no buildings are to be constructed thereon.  A permit for a caddy house was denied by the building department.  In the meantime a storm of protest has been heard from residents of the Boston road district.  Their contention is that the zoning ordinance bars any business except as an integral part of an apartment house.  Threats of suit to force the trustees to halt the construction of the course has been heard.  At the public hearing the trustees will be required to explain why the existing zone ordinance does not already prevent the construction of such courses as described in the amendment."

A few months later, on May 13, 1931, the Pelham Manor Zoning Board followed the building department's lead and denied a permit for the Pelham Manor Junior Golf Course to build the "caddy house" it sought on the course.

There were other issues associated with the small golf facilities.  For example, police repeatedly had to respond to incidents of young people trespassing at the facilities as well as large thefts of range golf balls (as many as 3,000 in one instance).  

Despite such concerns, the Pelham Golf Driving Range and the Pelham Manor Junior Golf Facility with its driving range were popular recreation destinations for a number of years.

The proposed zoning ordinance banning such facilities passed.  Pelham Manor, it would seem, would be spared the horror of proliferating golf facilities.


Full Page Advertisement Announcing the Opening of the Pelham
Manor Junior Golf Course on September 27, 1930.  Source:  "THE
The Pelham Sun, Sep. 26, 1930, Vol. 21, No. 26, p. 5 (Full-Page Ad).
NOTE:  Text Transcribed Immediately Below; Click on Image to Enlarge.

"'The greens are marvelous -- so accurate and even!'

'The fairways are of sand, clay and green slate granules!'

'THE PELHAM MANOR JUNIOR GOLF COURSE' OPENS TOMORROW SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 27th

You and your friends are cordially invited to inspect Westchester County's most Beautiful and Scientific Miniature Golf Course.

Over 24,000 square feet of the finest playing greens and fairways that can be found anywhere makes playing the popular miniature golf here the most pleasant and healthful sport of all!  The course is three times as large as the average and offers natural water and tree hazards and sand traps that are found only on the best of full-sized golf courses.  You'll need mashie-niblicks here as well as putters -- we supply them with the balls.

PELHAM MANOR JUNIOR GOLF COURSE
North of Pelhamdale Avenue on the Boston Post Road Next to Manor Gas Station

CHILDREN -- 25 cents
ADULTS -- 35 cents
Until Six P. M.

ADULTS -- 50 cents Evenings, Saturday, Sunday and Holidays

FREE PARKING IN OUR WELL LIGHTED PARKING SECTION WHICH ADJOINS THE COURSE"



July 2, 1931 Advertisement Announcing Addition of a Driving Range at
the Pelham Manor Junior Golf Course at Pelhamdale Avenue and Boston
Post Road.  Source:  NEW SPORT AT JUNIOR COURSE IN PELHAM
Golf CourseThe Pelham Sun, Jul. 2, 1931, Vol. 22, No. 14, p. 11, col. 6.
NOTE:  Click on Image to Enlarge.



1930 Advertisement for the Pelham Manor Junior Golf Course.
MANOR JUNIOR GOLF COURSE, The Pelham Sun, Oct. 3, 1930,
Vol. 21, No. 27, p. 2, cols. 5-8.  NOTE:  Click on Image to Enlarge;
Transcription of Text Appears Immediately Below.


"There is a TOUCH OF REFINEMENT About the PELHAM MANOR JUNIOR GOLF COURSE That attracts Refined People

Over 24,000 square feet of the finest playing greens and fairways that can be found anywhere makes playing the popular miniature golf here the most pleasant and healthful sport of all!  The course is three times as large as the average and offers natural water and tree hazards and sand traps that are found only on the best of full sized golf courses.  You'll need mashie-niblicks here as well as putters -- we supply them with the balls.

PELHAM MANOR JUNIOR GOLF COURSE

NORTH OF PELHAMDALE AVENUE ON THE BOSTON POST ROAD

FREE PARKING IN OUR WELL LIGHTED PARKING SECTION WHICH ADJOINS THE COURSE"

*          *          *          *           *

"PREVENT SPREAD OF MIDGET GOLF COURSES IN MANOR
-----
Public Hearing on Zoning Ordinance Amendment to Be Held Oct. 6.  Opposition Strong.
-----

Determined that the Village of Pelham Manor will not be dotted with miniature golf courses, the Board of Trustees has enacted an ordinance preventing the construction of any new golf course or golf range, conducted for profit, outside of the industrial district.  The miniature golf course which will be opened on the Boston road east of Pelhamdale avenue will not be ousted as the ordinance will not be effective until after a public hearing is held on October 6.

Mayor Lawrence F. Sherman told The Pelham Sun that the village could not block the opening of this course as no buildings are to be constructed thereon.  A permit for a caddy house was denied by the building department.

In the meantime a storm of protest has been heard from residents of the Boston road district.  Their contention is that the zoning ordinance bars any business except as an integral part of an apartment house.  Threats of suit to force the trustees to halt the construction of the course has been heard.  At the public hearing the trustees will be required to explain why the existing zone ordinance does not already prevent the construction of such courses as described in the amendment.

In the meantime Jules Kibel, proprietor of the Pelham Manor Junior Golf Course has installed a picturesque miniature course on the property adjacent to the old Red Church building.  The ground is owned by Arthur W. Cole.  The golf course has replaced the unsightly pile of bricks that occupied the property for several years.  Kibel has laid his course out in a manner different to the usual variety of midget courses.

The course is beautifully landscaped, shrubs have been planted and an ingenious brook winds its way across the fairways which offer many hazards.

The new course will open to the public tomorrow afternoon."

Source:  PREVENT SPREAD OF MIDGET GOLF COURSES IN MANOR -- Public Hearing on Zoning Ordinance Amendment to Be Held Oct. 6.  Opposition Strong, The Pelham Sun, Sep. 26, 1930, Vol. 21, No. 26, p. 1, col. 6.  

"TRESPASS ON GOLF RANGE; FINED $2
-----

Four youths were fined $2 each on charges of trespassing brought by Thomas Alton, of No. 637 James street, Pelham Manor, owner of the Pelham Driving Range.  In Pelham Manor court last night Alton said that the youths had been very sarcastic when he had asked them to get off the range, which is located on the Boston Post road near the Hutchinson River parkway.

The youths were:  Charles Garetta, 21, of No. 109 South 12th avenue; Vincent Fagano, 22, of No. 211 South 12th avenue; Anthony Tusillo, 20, of No. 216 South 6th avenue; all of Mount Vernon; and John Sacco, 19, of No. 45 Seton avenue, Bronx.

The quartette was arrested by Patrolman Thomas Fagan on Tuesday night while they were crossing the Secor Lane dumping ground after leaving the golf range.  At that time they told the policeman that they were looking for rats.

The youths told Judge John C. Townsend last night that they had left after Alton had directed them to go.  They had no golf balls on their persons when arrested."

Source:  TRESPASS ON GOLF RANGE; FINED $2, The Pelham Sun, Sep. 26, 1930, Vol. 21, No. 26, p. 4, col. 3.  

"STEAL 639 BALLS, PAY TWO $25 FINES
-----

Fines of $25 were imposed on Anthony Cassino, twenty, and Nicholas Larusso, seventeen, of New Rochelle by Judge Floyd Price in Pelham Manor Court last night.  The youths pleaded guilty to a charge of stealing golf balls from the Pelham Driving Range at Hutchinson Parkway and the Boston Post Road yesterday morning.  

Sergeant Michael Grady of the Pelham Manor Police saw the boys collecting the balls, waited until they had filled a burlap bag, and then arrested them as they left the range. 

They had labored from sunrise to 7 o'clock in gathering 639 balls from the grounds, they said."

Source:  STEAL 639 BALLS, PAY TWO $25 FINES, The Daily Argus [Mount Vernon, NY], Nov. 21, 1930, p. 22, col. 5.  

"MIDGET GOLFERS READY FOR TINY TOURNAMENTS
-----
Driving Range and Miniature Golf Courses Will Soon Be in Shape For Enthusiasts.
-----

With the activity around local pint-sized golf courses, it is easy to imagine that in the spring a young man's fancy turns to light forms of golf.  The knights of the driving range and putting courses are eager to be back of their less tiring games and there is every indication that the season will soon be at the same height that it ws ere the chilly winds put an end to activities last fall.

Over in Pelham Manor the Boston Post Road Driving Range has gotten its game under way early, and hooks and slices have been mixing in with long drives for the last two weeks.  For those to whom golf means simply a bucket of balls and a driver the range is proving most attractive.

But for those who take their game seriously and meticulously tap a pellet around a course clogged with rabbit hutches, hollow logs and over teaspoon water hazards, the Tom Thumb links will soon be ready.  Joe Carraher who presides over the North Pelham Tom Thumb Course on Fourth street, hopes to get his links in shape for opening tomorrow.  Angelo Da Quisto and Vincent Smith who fought it out for the local championship last year are eager to get into the game again; so cries of 'fore,' and sometimes five and six will soon be heard on the midget course.

The Pelham Manor Junior Country Club on the Boston Road will also be in shape within a few days."

Source:  MIDGET GOLFERS READY FOR TINY TOURNAMENTS -- Driving Range and Miniature Golf Courses Will Soon Be in Shape For Enthusiasts, The Pelham Sun, Apr. 24, 1931, p. 11, col. 2.  

"3 MEN RENDERED UNCONSCIOUS BY LIGHTNING BOLT
-----
Sudden Storm Did Damage in Pelham on Sunday Night; Peculiar Accident at Golf Range.
-----

Three men, employees of the Pelham Golf Driving Range at Hutchinson River Parkway and Boston Post Road, Pelham Manor, were rendered unconscious Sunday night during the severe electrical storm when a bolt of lightning struck the range near them.

The trio, James McFarland, 22, of No. 416 Bedford Avenue, and William Dorasch, 18, of No. 259 South Third avenue, both of Mount Vernon, and Thomas Alton, 33, of 3565 Ropes avenue, New York City, were rushed to New Rochelle Hospital in an ambulance.

Motorcycle Officer Thomas Fagan who was detailed to the scene following a telephone call to headquarters that three men had been struck by lightning, found the men lying unconscious in the mud a short distance from a shed on the range.

Officer Fagan, immediately upon discovering the three bodies, applied first aid methods and brought two of the trio back to consciousness before the arrival of the ambulance.

At the hospital, all three were treated for shock and Alton held for observation.  Hospital officials desired to hold McFarland for observation but he refused to stay and was allowed to go home.

The men said that they had been working on the range and had headed for the shed for shelter when the storm broke.  They had almost reached the building when the lightning struck near them and they were rendered unconscious.

Damage by the storm in Pelham was slight with the exception of a large number of branches of trees that were blown down.  The streets of all three villages were littered with leaves.  

Homes in North Pelham were plunged into darkness shortly after 8:30 o'clock when the storm damaged lighting wires in that village.  Police notified the Westchester Lighting Company that all lights between First and Sixth Streets on First, Second and Third avenues were out.  Emergency crews got to work as soon as possible and repaired the damage so that service was resumed shortly after midnight.

In Pelham Heights, a large tree on First street was struck by lightning and one section of the trunk split and the bark peeled off."

Source:  3 MEN RENDERED UNCONSCIOUS BY LIGHTNING BOLT -- Sudden Storm Did Damage in Pelham on Sunday Night; Peculiar Accident at Golf Range, The Pelham Sun, May 15, 1931, Vol. 22, No. 7, p. 1, col. 6.

"Permit Denied
-----

The Pelham Manor Zoning Board of Appeals on Wednesday night reviewed the application of the Pelham Manor Junior Golf Course for a permit to construct a caddy house at the course which is located on the Boston road east of Pelhamdale avenue.  The permit was denied."

Source:  Permit Denied, The Pelham Sun, May 15, 1931, Vol. 22, No. 7, p. 1, col. 1.

"NEW SPORT AT JUNIOR COURSE IN PELHAM MANOR
-----
Driving Range Added to Sports Facilities of Attractive Miniature Golf Course.
-----

The Pelham Manor Junior Golf Course on the Boston road east of Pelhamdale avenue is now equipped to suit all the requirements of the golfing enthusiast who likes his game to be centered in a small space.  A new driving range has been installed alongside of the attractive fairways of the miniature golf course.  Here not only the popular approach game can be played but there is also an opportunity for those who like to smack them out for great distances.

Targets have been arranged for those who are able to regulate their direction accurately.

Jules Kibble is proprietor of the Pelham Manor Junior Golf Course."

Source:  NEW SPORT AT JUNIOR COURSE IN PELHAM MANOR -- Driving Range Added to Sports Facilities of Attractive Miniature Golf Course, The Pelham Sun, Jul. 2, 1931, Vol. 22, No. 14, p. 11, col. 6.

"PELHAM MANOR
CHARGE DISMISSED

A petty larceny charge against Ernest Garcian of Manchester, N. H., was dismissed by Judge Floyd Price in Pelham Manor Court last night.  Garcian had been picked up on the Boston Road by Sergeant Grady and Patrolman Smith.  He admitted having been on the property of the Pelham Driving Range, the manager of which appeared last night to press the charge of larceny of three golf balls."

Source:  PELHAM MANOR -- CHARGE DISMISSED, The Daily Argus [Mount Vernon, NY], Jul. 30, 1931, p. 14, col. 4.  

"BOYS CHARGED WITH GOLF BALL THEFT
-----

Four young New Rochelle boys were taken into custody by Pelham Manor police on Wednesday afternoon on complaint of Tom Alton of the Pelham Driving Range on Boston Post road, that they had stolen golf balls from his range.

When arrested the boys had 33 golf balls.  They were turned over to Children's Court authorities."

Source:  BOYS CHARGED WITH GOLF BALL THEFT, The Pelham Sun, Aug. 28, 1931, Vol. 22, No. 22, p. 1, col. 5.  

"BOYS CHARGED WITH GOLF BALL THEFT
-----

Charged with the theft of 80 golf balls from the Pelham Driving Range on Boston Post road, Pelham Manor, Edward Olson, 17, of No. 4029 Hill avenue, and Oscar Larson, 18, 2108 Strang avenue, both of the Bronx, pleaded not guilty before Judge Frank Roberson in Manor court last night.  The court found them guilty of petit larceny and suspended sentence.

The boys were arrested by Mount Vernon police on Wednesday afternoon on complaint of Thomas Alton, proprietor of the driving range.  Alton charged that the boys had stolen the balls from his property.  They were taken to Pelham Manor and later released in bail of $25.00 each, pending trial."

Source:  BOYS CHARGED WITH GOLF BALL THEFT, The Pelham Sun, Nov. 11, 1932, p. 8, col. 7.  

"Fine For Blasting Without A Permit
-----

Carlo Petrillo, contractor, of No. 114 Primrose avenue, Mount Vernon, was fined $15.00 in Pelham Manor  police court Friday night when he was found guilty by Judge James Male on a charge of blasting without a permit.  

Petrillo, who was summoned by Arthur W. Fawcett, acting chief of the Manor Fire Department, was charged with blasting rock on the golf driving range at Boston Post Road and the Hutchinson River Parkway."

Source:  Fine For Blasting Without A Permit, The Pelham Sun, Apr. 6, 1934, p. 12, col. 2.

"Reports Theft of 3,000 Golf Balls
-----

Three thousand golf balls, valued at $85.00 and the property of the Pelham Manor Driving Range at Boston road and Hutchinson River Parkway, were reported stolen Wednesday morning by William Scanlon, owner of the establishment.  Pelham Manor police sent out an alarm notifying county police departments of the theft in case attempts were made to dispose of the balls.  The balls were contained in cloth bags and were 'seconds.'

Scanlon discovered the theft Wednesday morning when he opened the frame building in which he stores his equipment.  Police investigated but were unable to find any trace of forced entry.  During the night the premises were inspected several times by policemen on their tours of duty, but everything was reported all right."

Source:  Reports Theft of 3,000 Golf Balls, The Pelham Sun, Apr. 20, 1934, Vol. 25, No. 5, p. 1, col. 6.  

"THEFT CHARGES ARE WITHDRAWN
-----
Driving Range Owner Drops Case Against Two Suspects
-----
(Special To The Daily Argus)

PELHAM MANOR, Aug. 26 -- Charges of petit larceny in connection with the theft of golf balls were withdrawn by the owner of the Pelham driving range in Village Court last night.

Louis De Caprio, twenty-eight, and Guisseppe Fuselli, twenty-one, both of New York City, were arrested Sunday on the complaint of Arthur Milton, owner of the range.  Milton told the Court he wished to withdraw the charges, but stipulated the men must keep away from Pelham.

'We are continually having golf balls stolen,' Mr. Milton said, 'but I don't want to press charges, because Caprio is trying for a Civil Service position.'

Fuselli received a suspended sentence for driving without a registration card."

Source:  THEFT CHARGES ARE WITHDRAWN -- Driving Range Owner Drops Case Against Two Suspects, The Daily Argus [Mount Vernon, NY], Aug. 26, 1936, p. 4, col. 5.  

"LEGAL NOTICE
-----
APRIL, 1938
PROPOSED ZONING ORDINANCE for the VILLAGE OF PELHAM MANOR New York
Prepared by RUDOLPH P. MILLER Consulting Engineer
New York, N. Y.
Revised by the ZONING COMMISSION of the Village of Pelham Manor after a public hearing on March 21, 1938. . . . 

Section 32 -- GENERAL RESTRICTIONS.

     1. -- New Buildings and Uses.  No building or structure shall hereafter be erected, and no existing building or structure shall hereafter be enlarged or otherwise structurally altered, to be used or occupied for any purpose other than a use permitted in the district in which the building or land is located.

     2. -- Existing Buildings and Uses.  (a)  The lawful use of a building heretofore erected, or of a building heretofore authorized by a building permit lawfully issued and the construction of which, at the time this ordinance became effective, was actually begun and diligently prosecuted, may be continued, although such use does not conform with the provisions of this ordinance.

     (b)  No non-conforming use shall be extended so as to displace a conforming residential use.

     3. -- Non-Conforming Use. (a) The lawful use of any land existing at the time of this ordinance is adopted may be continued, although such use does not conform with the provisions of this ordinance.

     (b)  Whenever a non-conforming use of a building or of any land has been discontinued such building or land shall not be used or occupied for any purpose other than a use permitted in the district in which the building or land is located.  A change of ownership or tenancy shall not be deemed a discontinuance of use, provided the occupancy is not changed to a use of different classification.

     4. -- Prohibitions.  Except as hereinafter specifically provided, the following prohibitions shall apply throughout the Village of Pelham Manor: . . . .

     (e) No building or structure shall be hereafter erected or altered, nor shall any land be used as an amusement park or motordrome, or as a driving range, Tom Thumb course, miniature golf course, or golf course of any kind, if in any case it is to be conducted or operated for hire or profit. . . ."

Source:  LEGAL NOTICE ----- APRIL, 1938 PROPOSED ZONING ORDINANCE for the VILLAGE OF PELHAM MANOR New York, The Pelham Sun, Apr. 22, 1938, p. 11, cols. 1-8 & p. 12, cols. 1-8.  

"GOLF GROUP PRACTICES ON DRIVING RANGE
-----

Pelham High School golf group held its first practice driving session on Monday afternoon at Milton's Driving Range, Boston Post road, Pelham Manor.

The club is composed of ten boys interested in learning the finer points of golf.  It is sponsored by Carl Schilling every Monday afternoon.  The club includes:  Victor Armell, Edward Casanave, George Gow, Charles Lang, Jack Newitz, Robert Riesner, Frank Ward, Dave Hayman, Charles Schrotter and Robert Moberg."

Source:  GOLF GROUP PRACTICES ON DRIVING RANGE, The Pelham Sun, May 2, 1941, Vol. 31, No. 4, p. 3, 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."

Labels: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Wednesday, February 28, 2018

New Clubhouse for the Iroquois Tribe No. 476 of the Improved Order of Redmen in North Peham in 1929


On Thursday, November 4, 1909, three hundred members of the various Lodges of the Improved Order of Red Men from Mount Vernon, New Rochelle, Port Chester, and Mamaroneck gathered in Firemen's Hall in the local firehouse on Fifth Avenue in the Village of North Pelham for a solemn, yet grand occasion.   That evening, the Lodge from Port Chester formally installed a new Lodge in the Village of North Pelham:  Iroquois Tribe No. 476 Improved Order of Red Men.  

The Improved Order of Red Men is a fraternal and charitable organization established in 1834.   Its rituals and regalia reportedly are "modeled after those assumed to be used by Native Americans."   Although membership in the organization reached a high of about half a million in 1935, its membership today reportedly has declined to "a little more than 15,000."

I have written before about the early history of this fraternal and charitable organization established in the Village of North Pelham.  See Fri., Oct. 21, 2016:  Iroquois Tribe No. 476 of the Improved Order of Redmen in the Village of North Pelham

By the end of the Roaring Twenties, in 1929, the ranks of the Iroquois Tribe No. 476 Improved Order of Red Men had swelled to 90 members.  Additionally, the group began a membership drive to expand its membership to 150 members.  It was time for the group to acquire a clubhouse.

Only a week or two before the Great Stock Market Crash of 1929 that began on October 24, 1929, the group formed a corporation named the Iroda Building Corporation, obtained a certificate of incorporation from the New York Secretary of State, and purchased a residential property located at 20 Third Avenue for renovation to create a new clubhouse.  (The home that stands at that location today is not the same structure, having been built in 1945.) 

The Iroda Building Corporation had a capitalization of $20,000 in $10 shares.  Its directors were North Pelham residents Louis Kurtze, Irving J. Wallach, and George Lambert.  

In early December, the organization announced that it expected to have its new clubhouse ready for occupancy "in about a month."  The building committee planning the work was led by Irving J. Wallach of North Pelham.  Renovation work was scheduled to begin in mid-December to turn the second floor of the structure into a meeting hall.  Plans for the first floor included rest rooms, a parlor and a reading room.  A "modern kitchen" was planned for the basement. 

The clubhouse was completed as planned.  Meetings, dinners and events were held there throughout the 1930s.  By at least 1941, however, the Red Men were holding their meetings in the local Masonic Temple and, by 1945, another residence was built on the site of the structure that once had served as their clubhouse.

Once again, the face of Pelham was changing.




 Example of 1889 Membership Certificate of the Improved Order
of Red Men. NOTE:  Click on Image to Enlarge.


*          *          *          *          *

"CORPORATION WILL OWN REDMEN'S CLUBHOUSE
-----

Certificate of incorporation was issued this week by the Secretary of State for the Iroda Building Corporation of North Pelham.  This organization recently purchased a dwelling house at No. 20 Third avenue, which will be used as a clubhouse for Iroquois Tribe, Order of Redmen and Degree, of Pocahontas.

Capitalization is $20,000, in $10 shares.  Directors are:  Louis Kurtze, No. 518 Fifth avenue; I. J. Wallach, No. 212 Fifth avenue; and George Lambert, No. 52 Sixth street."

Source:   CORPORATION WILL OWN REDMEN'S CLUBHOUSE, The Pelham Sun, Oct. 18, 1929, p. 5, col. 3.

"RED MEN WILL HAVE NEW HOME
-----
Purchase Jackson Residence for Pelham Quarters
-----

The Iroquois tribe of Red Men of Pelham will have its new home ready for occupancy in about a month.  The building purchased by the Pelham Red Men recently, was formerly the Jackson residence at 20 Third avenue.  Work will be started next week on the alterations and additions necessary to convert it into a modern club house. 

The second floor will be turned into a meeting hall.  On the first floor will be rest rooms, a parlor and a reading room.  A modern kitchen will be fitted up in the basement.  Irving J. Wallach is chairman of the building committee.

A membership drive has been launched by the Pelham tribe under the direction of membership chairman, Louis Kurtz.  The present membership of 90 will be swelled to 150 if the plans of the tribe are realized.  The Pelham Red Men will hold their next meeting on Thursday night when reports will be heard on membership and on the progress of the building committee."

Source:   RED MEN WILL HAVE NEW HOME -- Purchase Jackson Residence for Pelham Quarters, The Daily Argus [Mount Vernon, NY], Dec. 3, 1929, p. 12, col. 3.

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."

Labels: , , , , , , , , ,

Thursday, January 25, 2018

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


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.

Labels: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,