The Bell in Firemen's Memorial Park at First Street and Wolfs Lane

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Firemen's Memorial Park is located in the Village of Pelham near the corner of First Street and Wolfs Lane.  The centerpiece of the park is a massive and extraordinarily-beautiful bell that sits atop an impressive stone monument.  

Though the bell in Firemen's Memorial Park bears a date of 1893 when the First Fire District of the Town of Pelham was founded, the bell actually was cast by the McShane Bell Foundry in Baltimore, Maryland in 1900.  It served for nearly three decades as the alarm bell used by the local fire department located in the Village of North Pelham. 

Before the McShane Fire Bell was first installed, the fire alarm for the Pelham Fire Department was an old railroad engine wheel.  It was suspended in a frame and was hit with a hammer worked with a chain.  When the alarm sounded, firemen ran to the scene of the fire from all corners of the settlement. 

Memorial in Firemen's Memorial Park

at Corner of First Street and Wolfs Lane.

Photograph by the Author, 2002.

Cast into the bell on the side facing the front of the monument is the following:

"1ST FIRE DISTRICT TOWN PELHAAM
ORGANIZED FEB., 1893.
BOARD OF FIRE COMMISSIONERS
V. BARKER, PRES.
C.A. BARKER, SEC'Y
J.H. YOUNG     A. ANDERSON
A. FLETCHER     J. F. FAIRCHILD, TREAS."

Carved into the front of the stone monument is the following:

"PELHAM FIRE DEPARTMENT
[Logo showing Minuteman with 'Battle of Pelham * 1776' inside a circle, and 'FOUNDED' above the circle with '1893' below the circle, a fire hydrant to the right of the circle and a hook and ladder to the left of the circle.]
In dedication to all those past, present,
and yet to come who have been and
always will be known as Pelham's Bravest.
This monument shall forever stand to honor those who selflessly put themselves
in harm's way time and time again to
protect the lives and property of this
community.  Let no one forget the
service they provide.
DEDICATED IN THE YEAR OF OUR CENTENNIAL
SEPTEMBER 11, 1993"

Carved into the left side of the stone monument when facing its front is the following:

"FIRST FIRE DISTRICT TOWN OF PELHAM
1893
LIBERTY ENGINE & HOSE CO. NO. 1
1893
RELIEF HOOK & LADDER CO. NO. 1
1893"

Carved into the right side of the stone monument when facing its front is the following:

"PELHAM HOSE CO. NO. 2
1911
LOCAL NO. 2213, IAFF
1973
FIRE DEPT., VILLAGE OF PELHAM
1975"

Although the monument located in Firemen's Memorial Park was dedicated on September 11, 1993 to commemorate, among other things, the centennial of the organization of the First Fire District of the Town of Pelham in 1893, it is important to note that the fire bell that was placed atop the stone monument was set aside 65 years earlier in 1928 as a memorial "to those who served the community in the early days, and organized the fire department."

Below is the text of an article published in the March 2, 1928 issue of The Pelham Sun noting that the fire bell had been set aside as a memorial and would be kept as a "trophy" by the firefighters in the Village of North Pelham.  The article is followed by a citation and link to its source. 

"Fire Bell Memorial To Fire Fighters Of Early Days Of Pelham
-----
Old Firemen's Hall Razed; Fire Bell Will Be Preserved as Memento of Olden Days
-----

A burning pile of assorted lumber and a disorder of broken up concrete flooring are all that remains of the building which housed the fire apparatus of the First Fire District for many years.  During the last week the old fire headquarters rapidly disappeared from its site on Fifth avenue near fourth street.  To the older members of the fire department who have been volunteers for the last quarter century the passing of Firemen's Hall was like the departure of an old friend.  Although physically non-existent, the old building will be vividly constructed out of the timbers of memory by many of the old timers who saw service with the building.  The new headquarters is a splendid monument, but the old building was home to the old timers. 

One relic of the earlier days of the fire department is to be preserved as the single memento.  The old fire bell whose deep intonations sounded so loudly in the small Pelham villages when the fire department was first organized, will hold an exalted position in the trophy collection of the fire department.

When the old bell tower was removed from the building many of the members of the department had their first glimpse of the old bell.  It was cast at the McShane Bell Foundry in Baltimore in 1900 and bears the following inscription:

'First Fire District of the Town of Pelham; Organized February 1893; Board of Fire Commissioners, Vincent Barker, president, C. A. Barker, secretary; John H. Young, A. Anderson, A. G. C. Fletcher, John F. Fairchild, Treasurer.'

The old bell, now silent, will stand as a memorial to those who served the community in the early days, and organized the fire department."

Source:  Fire Bell Memorial To Fire Fighters Of Early Days Of Pelham -- Old Firemen's Hall Razed; Fire Bell Will Be Preserved as Memento of Olden Days, The Pelham Sun, Mar. 2, 1928, p. 4, col. 4.

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Below is a list of prior Historic Pelham Blog postings that touch on firefighting and the history of fire fighting units within the Town of Pelham.

Tue., Jun. 2, 2015:  Important Early Images of the Pelham Fire Department.

Fri., May 22, 2015:  History of Pelham's Beloved "Nott Steamer" Known as "Jim Reilly's Boiler."

Tue., Feb. 17, 2015:  More on the Early History of Organized Firefighting in the Settlement of Pelhamville.

Mon., Feb. 16, 2015: The Great Furniture Fight of 1896: Company of Pelhamville Firemen Resigned En Masse.

Thu., Feb. 12, 2015: Rare 19th Century Image of Pelhamville Firemen Who Served in Relief Hook and Ladder Company No. 1.

Fri., Dec. 12, 2014: Parade and Housewarming Hosted by Pelhamville Fire Department in 1894.

Thu., Jul. 24, 2014: Dedication of the New Fire Headquarters in the Village of Pelham on December 29, 1927.

Wed., Jul. 02, 2014: Election Shenanigans Involving Fire Commissioner Election in 1898.

Thu., Apr. 24, 2014: Information About the History of Fire Departments in the Town of Pelham Published in 1927.

Fri., Jan. 24, 2014: Early Days of Organized Fire Fighting in Today's Village of Pelham.

Fri., Jan. 15, 2010: Photograph of Augustine C. McGuire, President of the Board of Fire Commissioners of the First District Fire Department in 1913.

Thu., Jan. 14, 2010: 1913 Report of the Firemen's Benevolent Association in Pelham.

Thu., Dec. 10, 2009: More 19th Century Baseball and Firefighting References.

Tue., Dec. 08, 2009: The Darling Triplets: Three Brothers Among Pelham's Earliest Firefighters.

Thu., Oct. 08, 2009: Firefighting Units on City Island in Pelham During the Early 1890's.

Mon., Aug. 31, 2009: Contest in 1891 To Determine Which Steam Fire Engine Company Could Throw a Stream the Greater Distance.

Fri., Aug. 28, 2009: Reorganization of the Minneford Engine Company on City Island in February, 1891.

Thu., Aug. 06, 2009: Brief History of the Fire Department in the Village of North Pelham Published in 1913.

Wed., Aug. 05, 2009: Pelham Manor Fire Chief Pleads for Taxpayers to Authorize Purchase of Village's First Fire Engine.

Wed., July 15, 2009: Liberty Hose Company Election in 1898.

Thu., Jan. 19, 2006: Pelham Manor's Earliest Fire Fighting Equipment.

Mon., Aug. 01, 2005: An 1896 Inspection and Drill of the Fire Department in Pelham.

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What is That Bell Resting on a Stone Pedestal in Front of the Richard J. Daronco Townhouse at 20 Fifth Avenue?

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If you live in Pelham, NY, you likely have been inside the Richard J. Daronco Townhouse or at least passed it hundreds if not thousands of times. Though you may never have given it a second thought, perhaps you have noticed the large bell resting on a stone pedestal in front of the building to the left of the entrance. That bell, shown in the image below, is an interesting part of Pelham's history.

Bell Atop Pedestal with Cornerstone / Datestone

Embedded Below.  Source:  Photograph by the

Author, 2003.

If you inspect the bell and its stone pedestal closely, you will learn a little, but not much, about its origins. On its front (facing Fifth Avenue), the bell contains the following inscription:

"IN MEMORY OF
JOHN PELL LORD of the MANOR
PHILIP JACOB RHINELANDER
ANTONE LISPENARD
1669 + 1894 [+ = Maltese Cross]
PRESENTED by their DESCENDANTS
HOWLAND PELL WILLIAM RHINELANDER
T. J. OAKLEY RHINELANDER
PHILIP RHINELANDER & HENRY G. TREVOR
'COME FOR ALL THINGS ARE READY.'"

On the rear of the bell (facing the Town House) is the following inscription:

"CLINTON H. MENEELY
BELL COMPANY
TROY, N. Y.
A.D. 1892."

At the foot of the stone pedestal is a memorial plaque that reads as follows:

"IN LOVING MEMORY
OF
MY BELOVED PARENTS,
JAMES AND HELEN LEALE
HARPER
FROM THEIR DEVOTED DAUGHTER
HELEN LEALE HARPER, JR."

At the very base of the pedestal is a large datestone that contains a cross and the date "1892" carved into it.

The bell and the datestone are from The Church of The Redeemer in Pelhamville. That church began as a mission station of Christ Church in the Manor of Pelham in 1859 when a resident of Pelhamville (today's Village of Pelham north of the New Haven Line railroad tracks) asked Nanette Bolton to come and hold a Sunday school for the neighborhood. The first meeting was held in an orchard under the trees.

Soon it was apparent that local residents would support a church in the neighborhood. One of Robert Bolton's sons, the Rev. John Bolton, began holding services in the "upper room" of the tiny little wooden Pelhamville railroad station on the New Haven Line and, later, in the loft of a nearby carpenter's shop that had to be entered by a ladder.

Attendance at the services grew. The services were moved to the little wooden Pelhamville schoolhouse that stood near today's Hutchinson School.

The Senior Warden of Christ Church in Pelham Manor and the Rector arranged the purchase of a lot on Fourth Avenue as well as an old "carpenter's shop" that was moved and placed on the lot to become the first permanent church building in the area.

The parish had some early difficulties and was even reorganized in 1881. One of Robert Bolton's sons, the Rev. Cornelius Winter Bolton became the first Rector of the newly-reorganized church.

In 1892, as the datestone beneath the bell indicates, the parish built a lovely stone church of modified English Gothic style. The congregation worshipped in the lovely building for many decades.

By 1920, however, the leaders of the parish conluded that the "Church could have no future, if it remained where it was" on Fourth Avenue. They purchased a lot at 20 Fifth Avenue to build a new church.

Preparations took years, but on September 28, 1928, the cornerstone for a new Parish House was laid on the lot at 20 Fifth Avenue. The Parish House, which we know today as the Richard J. Daronco Town House, was built of colorful stone from quarries in Yonkers. The opening exercises and dedication of the new Parish House took place on May 5, 1930. The bell and datestone from the lovely church building on Fourth Avenue were placed as a memorial in front of the new church.

The Church of The Redeemer served residents of the Village of North Pelham for many decades. According to a recently prepared history of the Parish of Christ The Redeemer, however, by the early 1970s "it had become clear that the town of Pelham could no longer support two Episcopal parishes."

At about this time, the Episcopal Diocese pursued a project called "Mission 72" requiring every parish to formulate meaningful plans for the future. As a recent history of the parish puts it: "Mission 72 provided the impetus for Christ Church and the Church of The Redeemer to look seriously at merging into one parish."

After careful consideration by the two congregations and both vestries, "a decision was made to become the united Parish of Christ the Redeemer. Christ Church was selected as the house of worship and the property of the Church of the Redeemer was turned over to the Town of Pelham to be used for a municipal hall, a center for senior citizens and a child care facility." This, of course, is what we know today as The Richard J. Daronco Town House located at 20 Fifth Avenue.

Residents of Pelham donated the bell to The Church of The Redeemer. Among those residents, who believed themselves to be descendants of John Pell, 2nd Lord of the Manor of Pelham, was Howland Pell, a local historian who had studied and written about the history of the Pell family and Pelham.

The Clinton H. MeNeely Bell Company, Troy New York

Clinton H. Meneely, who lived from 1839 to 1923, was the youngest of three sons of Andrew Meneely. During the late 1860s, Clinton Meneely opened a bell foundry on the east bank of the Hudson River opposite a foundry started by his father and run by his two brothers. Though they were family, they competed intensely with one another for the nation's bell casting business.

Early in the history of the firm, Clinton Meneely worked with a man named George Harzard Kimberly whose sister had married into the Meneely family. The firm initially was named "Meneely and Kimberly". It was located in Troy, New York on the east side of River Street between Washington Street and Adams Street.

According to a variety of sources, Meneely & Kimberly cast its first bell in January, 1871. In about 1880 the firm changed its name to the Clinton H. Meneely Bell Co. The firm shipped its last Bell in April, 1951 after which it closed.

There is a large amount of excellent information about the Clinton H. Meneely Bell Co. available on the Web. To learn more about the company, and the related company begun by Clinton H. Meneely's father, Andrew, see:  Meneely Bell Online Museum.

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