1873 Committee Report on Proposal to Have Westchester County Purchase City Island Bridge

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In 1872, the Board of Supervisors of Westchester County appointed a special committee to study and prepare a report regarding whether the county should purchase (and take over) City island Bridge between the mainland and City Island, then a part of the Town of Pelham.  The initiative was pushed by Pelham Town Supervisor Benjamin Hegeman who served as supervisor from 1861 until 1873.  Today's Historic Pelham article provides background and context for the report issued by the special committee.

Today we seem to think nothing of hopping onto I-95 with an EZ-Pass and paying tolls to travel the highway, cross the Tappan Zee, and -- frankly -- travel throughout the region.  Things were similar in the 19th century, though Westchester County decided to do something about it.  

In the 19th century there were tolls everywhere in the region as well.  The Harlem Bridge was a toll bridge.  Pelham Bridge was a toll bridge.  The Westchester Turnpike and Post Road, otherwise known as the section of today's Boston Post Road that passes through Pelham Manor, was a toll road.  Other bridges and highways in the county required tolls as well.  

The people of Westchester were not happy about it.  Thus, Westchester County pursued a lengthy initiative to open its bridges and thoroughfares to free use.  It rebuilt the Harlem Bridge and removed the toll.  It purchased Pelham Bridge from stockholders and made it a free bridge.  It purchased the Westchester Turnpike and Post Road and opened it to the public.  And, in 1872 and 1873, it considered purchasing City Island Bridge, then a toll bridge that exacted cash from every Pelhamite who used the bridge to get to and from their homes and businesses on the island.  

On December 8, 1872, during a meeting of the Board of Supervisors of Westchester County, Pelham Town Supervisor Benjamin Hegeman proposed a resolution to appoint a committee of three people to prepare a special report to the board regarding "the propriety and expediency of purchasing the City Island Bridge."  Under the Board's rules, the resolution was laid over until the following day.  The following day, the Board of Supervisors adopted the resolution.

Several days later, on December 23, 1872, the Chair of the Board of Supervisors, F. M. Carpenter, announced that he had appointed three members to the Special Committee to prepare a report on whether to purchase the City Island Bridge.  They were Odle Close (Supervisor of the Town of North Salem), Edmund G. Sutherland (Supervisor of White Plains), and George W. Davids (Supervisor of New Rochelle).   

The Committee worked for the next two weeks to study the matter, come to its conclusions, and prepare its special report.  The matter, however, was controversial and the Committee could not reach a consensus.  The Supervisors of White Plains (Mr. Sutherland) and New Rochelle (Mr. Davids) supported purchase of the City Island Bridge to make it free.  Supervisor Close of North Salem apparently opposed such a purchase.

On January 4, 1873, a "majority" of the Committee (i.e., the two members who supported purchase of the City Island Bridge) presented a report to the full Board of Supervisors.  The brief report, quoted in full below, sheds fascinating light on the history of the City Island Bridge.  

The report noted that City Island had a population of about one thousand.  It noted the economic importance to the County of the small island in the Town of Pelham.  It emphasized the importance of the oyster and ship building industries on the island and further noted that of the roughly 300 acres of land on the island, 250 acres were devoted to farming with a great deal of "gardening" on the remaining 50 acres.  

The report recounted a little of the history of the City Island Bridge.  It noted that the City Island Bridge Company was chartered in 1864 by an act of the State Legislature with a capital stock of $50,000.  Of that capital stock, the company issued $33,700 worth of shares to fund construction of the first wooden City Island Bridge which opened on July 4, 1869.  The bridge cost $33,689.98 to construct.  A majority of the stock was purchased by Pelham residents.  The remainder was bought by residents of Westchester County, New York City, and Brooklyn.  According to the report, the non-Pelham residents bought the stock "not as a valuable investment, but to afford a relief to the people of Pelham in getting to and from City Island, which is a portion of said town."

The report recounted the recent history of the County in acquiring and opening to the public toll bridges and toll roads throughout the County.  It then concluded that:

"The town of Pelham has been called upon to pay its equal share, according to the taxable property of its inhabitants, of the expenses incurred in the purchase for erection and and repair of turnpikes and bridges, without enjoying an equal share of the benefits derived therefrom.  The undersigned are therefore of the opinion that the people of Pelham are justly entitled to relief at the hands of the County from the onerous and oppressive special taxation in the form of heavy tolls which they are called upon to bear in passing from one part of said town to another part of it.  No other town in the County is situated like the town of Pelham, it being divided by a body of water which cannot be crossed in the absence of a bridge except by a ferry boat or other vessel.  In view of these facts and circumstances the undersigned do not hesitate to recommend the purchasing of City Island Bridge, providing it can be purchased at a sum not exceeding $25,000, one half of the purchase money to be advanced by the County and the other half by the town of Pelham."

In effect, the report concluded that unlike most other toll roads and toll bridges acquired by the County and made free, the City Island Bridge would be acquired by the Town of Pelham and Westchester County.  Pelham residents, therefore, would pay more than other residents of the County for maintenance of the bridge since a portion of both their County and Town taxes would pay for such expenses.

The report concluded by recommending passage of the following proposed resolution:

"Resolved, That the Senator from this District and the Members of Assembly from the County be and they are hereby requested to procure the passage of an Act at the ensuing session of the Legislature, to authorize the Board of Supervisors of this County to purchase, at their discretion, City Island Bridge, at a cost to said County not exceeding $12,500, provided the town of Pelham shall pay the balance of the cost of said purchase, and that the said Act also provide for the issue of the bonds of the County and the bonds of the town of Pelham necessary to cover the amount of said purchase."

Immediately upon presentation of the Special Report by the Committee, Odle Close of North Pelham moved that consideration of the report by the Board of Supervisors "be indefinitely postponed."  The Board voted 14 to 4 in favor of postponing consideration "indefinitely."

This initiative to have Westchester County and Pelham purchase the City Island Bridge and make it free withered on the vine.  

"Old City Island Bridge" Source: "Chapter XX: City Island"

in History of Bronx Borough City Of New York Compiled for

The North Side News By Randall Comfort, p. 59 (NY, NY: North

Side News Press: 1906). NOTE: Click on Image to Enlarge.

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"WEDNESDAY, December 8 [sic; should be 18], 1872.

Board met pursuant to adjournment. . . .

Mr. HEGEMAN presented the following resolution:

Resolved, That a Committee of Three be appointed by the Chairman of this Board to inquire into and report to this Board as to the propriety and expediency of purchasing the City island Bridge, connecting said City Island with the main land in the town of Pelham.

Laid over under the rule."

Source:  ANNUAL SESSION OF THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS OF WESTCHESTER CO., p. 342 (1873).  

"THURSDAY, December 19th, 1872.

Board met pursuant to adjournment.

Present -- F. M. CARPENTER, Esq., Chairman, and a quorum of members. . . . 

2 O'CLOCK P. M.

Board reassembled.

Present -- F. M. CARPENTER, Esq., Chairman and a quorum of members.

Mr. HEGEMAN called up the resolution presented by him yesterday, relative to City Island Bridge, whereupon said resolution was considered and adopted. . . ."

Source:  ANNUAL SESSION OF THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS OF WESTCHESTER CO., p. 361 (1873).   

"MONDAY, December 23, 1872.

Board met pursuant to adjournment. . . . 

2 O'CLOCK, P. M.

Board re-assembled. . . .

The Chair announced the following Special Committees:

On City Island Bridge, Messrs. Sutherland, Close, and Davids.

Source:  ANNUAL SESSION OF THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS OF WESTCHESTER CO., p. 371 (1873).  

"SATURDAY, January 4, 1873.

Board met pursuant to adjournment. . . . 

1 1/2 O'CLOCK, P. M.

Board re-assembled. . . . 

[Page 448]

Dated January 4, 1873.

CHARLES E. JOHNSON,
Clerk of the Board of Supervisors.

Mr. SUTHERLAND, from Special Committee on purchase of City Island Bridge, presented the following report thereon:

To the Board of Supervisors:  

The undersigned, a majority of the Special Committee to whom was referred the question of the propriety of purchasing City Island Bridge, respectfully report, that they have had the matter under consideration, heard parties in relation thereto, and from the evidence presented and the circumstances of the case, have arrived at the following conclusions.

First -- That the City Island Bridge Company was chartered by an act of the Legislature of 1864, with a capital stock of $50,000, with the privilege of extending the amount to _________.  [Left blank in the original.]  That a majority of the stock was taken by a few liberal and public spirited residents of the town of Pelham, and the balance by persons in various sections of the County, and in New York and Brooklyn, who were induced so to subscribe therefor, not as a valuable investment, but to afford a relief to the people of Pelham in getting to and from City Island, which is a portion of said town.

Second -- That City Island, between which and the main land of said town the bridge is located, contains a population of about 1,000 persons, a portion of whom are engaged in the oyster business, one of the important industries of the country, and another 

[Page 448 / Page 449]

449

portion in ship building.  The Island contains about 300 acres, and 250 of which are devoted to farming purposes, and gardening is also carried on in the Island to a large extent.

Third -- That City Island Bridge was erected at a cost of $33,689.98, and was completed and opened for use on the 4th day of July, 1869, as a toll bridge.  It is built of the best timber, and is a substantial structure.  The shares of stock issued amount to $33,700.

Fourth -- The policy of the County, some years since initiated of opening our bridges and other thoroughfares to free use and travel, is in the opinion of the undersigned a wise policy, for obvious reasons which need not be here enumerated.  The Harlem Bridge, formerly a toll bridge, is now a free bridge, it having been rebuilt at the expense of the Counties of Westchester and New York.  Pelham Bridge, also formerly owned by an incorporated Company, exacting toll for passing over it, has been purchased from the stockholders, paid for by the County, and is now a free bridge.  The Westchester Turnpike and Post Road has likewise been purchased from the stockholders, and paid for partly by the County, and partly by the town, through which it passes, and its toll gate removed.  The Five Mile Turnpike in the upper part of the County was also purchased from the stockholders and made a free public highway.  The Central Bridge over Harlem River was erected at a joint expense of the Counties of Westchester and New York -- the Westchester portion of said expense being borne partly by the towns of Morrisania and West Farms, and partly by the County at large.  City Island Bridge is the only bridge or thoroughfare in the County of Westchester on which tolls are now exacted from our citizens.  

Fifth -- By a special Act of the Legislature passed in 186_, [Left blank in original] the bridges over the Croton River, including its branches, were thenceforth made a charge upon the County at large, and many thousands of dollars

[Page 449 / Page 450]

450

have been expended in the construction of iron and other costly bridges over that river, and no session of the Board of Supervisors passes in which more or less money is not required to be expended in the repair and superintendence of these expensive structures.

Sixth -- The town of Pelham has been called upon to pay its equal share, according to the taxable property of its inhabitants, of the expenses incurred in the purchase for erection and and repair of turnpikes and bridges, without enjoying an equal share of the benefits derived therefrom.  The undersigned are therefore of the opinion that the people of Pelham are justly entitled to relief at the hands of the County from the onerous and oppressive special taxation in the form of heavy tolls which they are called upon to bear in passing from one part of said town to another part of it.  No other town in the County is situated like the town of Pelham, it being divided by a body of water which cannot be crossed in the absence of a bridge except by a ferry boat or other vessel.  In view of these facts and circumstances the undersigned do not hesitate to recommend the purchasing of City Island Bridge, providing it can be purchased at a sum not exceeding $25,000, one half of the purchase money to be advanced by the County and the other half by the town of Pelham.

To this end the undersigned recommend the passage of the following resolution:

Resolved, That the Senator from this District and the Members of Assembly from the County be and they are hereby requested to procure the passage of an Act at the ensuing session of the Legislature, to authorize the Board of Supervisors of this County to purchase, at their discretion, City Island Bridge, at a cost to said County not exceeding $12,500, provided the town of Pelham shall pay the balance of the cost of said purchase, and that the said Act also 

[Page 450 / Page 451]

451

provide for the issue of the bonds of the County and the bonds of the town of Pelham necessary to cover the amount of said purchase.

All of which is respectfully submitted.

E. G. SUTHERLAND,     }
                                        } Special Com. on Purchase of City Island Bridge.
GEO. W. DAVIDS.          }

Mr. CLOSE moved that the consideration of said report be indefinitely postponed.

The Chair put the question upon the motion and it was determined in the affirmative -- ayes 14, nays 4.  

On motion of Mr. CLOSE the Board adjourned until Saturday, January 18th next, at 10 1/2 o'clock, A. M."

Source:  ANNUAL SESSION OF THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS OF WESTCHESTER CO.  pp. 448-51 (1873).  

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To learn more about the City Island Bridge, early efforts to develop a bridge from the mainland to City Island and about Benjamin Palmer, Samuel Rodman, and others involved in efforts to build such a bridge, see the following.

Fri., Jun. 09, 2017:  The Big Picture: Controversy in the 1880s Over Who Should Pay to Rebuild or Replace City Island Bridge.

Mon., Jun. 05, 2017:  For Once, Pelham Manor Mainlanders Told City Islanders "No" in 1883.

Mon., Aug. 08, 2016:  More on Unsuccessful Efforts in 1884 by Town of Pelham to Replace the Wooden City Island Bridge.

Wed., Jul. 20, 2016:  Bill Introduced in 1884 to Authorize the Town of Pelham To Build a New City Island Bridge.

Wed., May 06, 2015:  Another Interesting History of City Island Published in 1901.

Fri., Mar. 13, 2015:  An Important History of the City Island Bridge Built in 1868 and the Way Brothers' Ferry That Preceded It.

Mon., Dec. 15, 2014:  Brief History of City Island Including the Legend of the Macedonia Hotel with Photographs Published in 1906.

Thu., Dec. 04, 2014:  Park Department Commissioners Condemned -- But Didn't Close -- the "Dilapidated" City Island Bridge in 1894.

Tue., Oct. 07, 2014:  Legislative History of the 1775 Statute Authorizing Construction of City Island Bridge.

Fri., Oct. 03, 2014:  1775 Statute Authorizing Construction of City Island Bridge.

Tue., Jul. 22, 2014:  Stories of City Island Bridge Published in 1892.

Wed., May 28, 2014:  Description of City Island in the Town of Pelham Published in 1868.

Wed., Mar. 10, 2010:  1899 Article About City Island's New Bridge Describes History of Area and Includes Wonderful Images.

Wed., Dec. 05, 2007:  Photograph of the Old Wooden City Island Bridge.

Tue., Dec. 26, 2006:  1775 Statute Authorizing Samuel Rodman and Benjamin Palmer to Build City Island Drawbridge.  

Tue., May 02, 2006:  Benjamin Palmer's Advertisement in 1756 To Raise Subscriptions To Fund a Free Bridge From Manhattan.

Wed., May 17, 2006:  More About Benjamin Palmer's Involvement With Raising Funds for a Free Bridge from Manhattan. 

Fri., May 05, 2006:  1763 Announcement That City Island in the Manor of Pelham Has Been Laid Out in Lots for Sale.

Mon., May 15, 2006:  Resales of Lots in the 1760s on the Island Known Today as City Island.

Thu., Apr. 19, 2007:  An Account of How Soldiers Were "Recruited" in Pelham in 1758 for the French and Indian War.  

Mon., Jan. 29, 2007:  Palmer Family Offers One Thirtieth of City Island for Sale in 1785.

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Town of Pelham Seeks Grant of Underwater Land to Build Town Dock in 1871

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In 1871, Elbert J. Roosevelt owned lands in the Manor of Pelham on the shore of Long Island Sound near and south of today's Shore Park.  That year he conveyed to the Town of Pelham a right of way over his lands extending from Shore Road to the Sound in exchange for an agreement by the Town to build and maintain a dock at the end of the right of way for use of the Town of Pelham.  

Elbert J. Roosevelt died in 1885. The Town of Pelham built the dock. The people of the Town used the dock for years.  Immediately below is an image (admittedly of rather poor quality) from a map of the area published in 1889 noting the location of the dock.  Travers Island is visible just north of the dock.

By 1902, the dock was in a terrible state of disrepair.  It even lacked flooring boards and supporting stringers across the decrepit piers driven into the land beneath the waters of the Long Island Sound.  According to one account, no use of the dock had been made for many years "except that men and boys occasionally 'fished from the dock and went in swimming'". 

In September, 1902, persons including Augustus V. H. Ellis purchased the land that included the right of way to what was left of the dock.  The new owners claimed that the Town had breached a condition in the grant of the right of way to the dock by failing to maintain it. They commenced a lawsuit to clear title to the land. Ultimately, New York courts agreed with their claim. The Town of Pelham lost its right to use what was left of the dock for access to Long Island Sound. To read one of the number of reported opinions issued by courts in the case, see Ellis, et al. v. Town of Pelham, 94 106 A.D. 145, 94 N.Y. Supp. 103 (App. Div. 2d Dep't 1905).

Today's posting to the Historic Pelham Blog transcribes a notice that appeared in local newspapers in May, 1871 regarding the Town of Pelham's plans to use the underwater land conveyed by Elbert J. Roosevelt.  The notice followed special legislation enacted by the State of New York the previous month to authorize the Town of Pelham to use the underwater land as a town dock.

I have written about the Pelham Town Dock before.  See Fri., Jan. 06, 2006:  Pelham Loses its Right To Use the Town Dock in the Early 1900s.

"NOTICE OF APPLICATION FOR A GRANT OF LAND UNDER WATER. -- Notice is hereby given that the town of Pelham, in the county of Westchester, in pursuance of an act of the legislature of the State of New York, passed April, 1871, with the consent of Elbert J. Roosevelt, the owner in fee and occupant of the upland adjoining high-water mark of the waters of Long Island Sound, at a point called Shoal Harbor, in said town of Pelham, will make application to the Commissioners of the Land Office of the State of New York, in the city of Albany, on Wednesday, the 5th day of July, 1871, at ten o'clock in the forenoon of that day, for a grant from the State to the said town, for the purpose of building a dock for the use of the people of the town of Pelham, and between high and low-water makr, and to promote the commerce of the State, and which lands are situated in the said town of Pelham, Westchester County, and State of New York, and are bounded and described as follows:  Beginning at original high-water mark on the northwesterly shore of Long Island Sound, at a point on the land of Elbert J. Roosevelt, distant from the Pelham road ninety-seven feet, at a point on said Pelham road forty-seven feet from the easterly line of land owned by Miss Annette [sic] Bolton; thence running north, twenty-nine degrees east, fifty-seven feet; thence south, twenty-nine degrees west, sixty feet; thence north, sixty-one degrees west, fifty-seven feet; thence north, twenty-nine degrees east, thirty feet, in the place of beginning.  The upland in front of and adjacent to the said land -- a grant of which is to be applied for -- is situated as aforesaid, and owned by Elbert J. Roosevelt, and is bounded on the east and west by lands owned by Miss Annette Bolton, and on the north by the Pelham road, and is occupied by the said parties. -- Dated May 15, 1871.  

BENJAMIN HEGEMAN, Supervisor.
JAMES HYATT, Town Clerk.
C. H. Roosevelt, Att'y and Counsel."

Source:  NOTICE OF APPLICATION FOR A GRANT OF LAND UNDER WATER, Eastern State Journal [White Plains, NY], May 26, 1871, Vol. XXVII, No. 5, p. 4, col. 4.

Detail of 1881 Map of the Town of Pelham Showing "DOCK" Area.

Source: Bromley, George Washington & Bromley, Walter Scott,

"Town of Pelham, (With) Pelham-Manor. (From Actual Surveys and

Official Records by G.W. Bromley & Co., Civil Engineers, Published

by Geo. W. & Walter S. Bromley, 1881)" in Atlas of Westchester

County, New York, From Actual Surveys and Official Records,

pp. 56-57 (Washington, D.C.: G.W. Bromley & Co. 1881).  NOTE:

Click to Enlarge the Image.

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Historic Pelham Trivia Test: One of the World's Most Difficult Exams!

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Welcome to the Historic Pelham Trivia Test, one of the world's most difficult exams.  Hopefully, you will find the questions interesting and will learn some odd, unusual, and interesting things about Pelham history as well.  

Test your knowledge.  The answers to a number of the questions have appeared in some form or another on the Historic Pelham Blog or the Historic Pelham Web Site at some point in the past.  In all instances, the answers are available online.  Additionally, the answers to each question appear at the end of today's post.

Question 1:  For more than a century, the Pelham Country Club has had many illustrious members including captains of finance, industry, and the arts.  The Club boasts one President of the United States among its members.  Which President was once a member of the Club?

Question 2:  Which Vice President of the United States once owned property in the Town of Pelham? 

Question 3:  Famed aviation pioneer and author Amelia Earhart was the first female aviator to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean.  During an attempt to make a circumnavigational flight of the globe, Earhart disappeared over the central Pacific Ocean near Howland Island on July 2, 1937.  According to one newspaper account, Pelhamites have seen Amelia Earhart in person.  Under what circumstances did Earhart appear in Pelham?

Question 4:  Pelham has its own peat bog that once ignited and burned for many months, though no one knows how the conflagration began. The burning bog belched smoke from the ground for many, many weeks.  Where is the infamous Pelham Peat Bog located?

Question 5:  The current Supervisor of the Town of Pelham is Peter D. Dipaola who has been elected and re-elected resoundingly since he first became Supervisor.  Supervisor DiPaola, however, may never match the record of one of his predecessors.  One Supervisor of the Town of Pelham received every single vote cast by every single voter in the Town of Pelham in six successive elections for the post of Town Supervisor.  Alas, the string was broken in the seventh election when he received all votes cast by all voters except for two votes!  Who was this beloved Town Supervisor and when did he serve?

Question 6:  Before the newspaper The Pelham Sun was established in 1910, a few start-up local newspapers vied for lucrative advertising from the Town of Pelham when the Town was required to print tax sale notices.  In one instance, on the very eve of the publication of such tax sale notices, the Town of Pelham designated a "new" newspaper that had never even published a single issue as the "official newspaper" of the Town for such notices.  When the first issue of the newspaper came off the press "a roar of laughter" stretched across all of Pelham because the entire issue of the newspaper was nothing but the official tax sales advertisement without a single line of news.  The newspaper appeared three more times, as required for such notices, with the only change being the date of the "news" paper on each of those three occasions.  The publishers collected their advertising fees from the town and then suspended publication forever.  What was the name of this four-issue Pelham newspaper that never contained any news?

Question 7:  Samuel J. Tilden served as the 25th Governor of the State of New York and was the Democratic candidate for the United States Presidency in the disputed election of 1876, winning a popular vote majority but ultimately losing the Electoral College vote to Rutherford B. Hayes.  Tilden once delivered a series of speeches in Pelham.  When, where, and why did he deliver the speeches?

Question 8:  The Town of Pelham has one of the nation's most active so-called "high adventure" Boy Scout Troops.  The Troop's activities routinely include scuba diving, dog sledding, snow shoeing, rock climbing, horseback riding, zip lining, whitewater rafting, kayaking and the more routine camping, hiking, and more.  The Troop is the last remaining Boy Scout Troop of many such Troops that once existed in Pelham.  It is known as "Troop 1."  Troop 1, however, did not begin as Troop 1.  Its name was changed in 1923.  What was the original name of Pelham, New York Troop 1, Boy Scouts of America?  

ANSWERS TO THE HISTORIC PELHAM TRIVIA QUESTIONS APPEAR AFTER THE IMAGE

Answer to Question 1:  U.S. President Warren G. Harding was made an honorary member of the Pelham Country Club in 1921.  Source:  Pelham Country Club Web Site, "History" Available Via "Visitor Information" and "History" (visited Nov. 28, 2004) ("One week after opening the new course here at Pelham, Jim Barnes [the Club Pro] went down to Columbia Country Club in Washington, D.C. and handily won the 1921 U.S. Open Championship. Barnes also bested the field in the first P.G.A. Championship played at neighboring Siwanoy C.C., and in 1916 was presented the U.S. Open Trophy by the President of the United States, Warren G. Harding. Instantly, Pelham Country Club was the center of the golfing world. President Harding was made an honorary member of the Club and a tremendous welcome home gala was held at the Club for Jim Barnes, the new 'Pride of Pelham'.").

Answer to Question 2:  The third Vice President of the United States, Aaron Burr, who served as Vice President during the presidency of Thomas Jefferson and who fought a duel with, and mortally wounded, Alexander Hamilton on July 11, 1804, married Theodosia Bartow Prevost of Pelham and bought a farm in the area near today's Split Rock Road on February 26, 1790.  Burr soon sold the farm to one of his stepsons, Augustine J. F. Prevost.  Sources:  Deed from Nicholas Wright and William Wright to Aaron Burr, Westchester County Archives, Elmsford, NY, Register of Deeds, Liber L, 363-66; Deed from Aaron Burr to Augustine J. F. Prevost, Westchester County Archives, Elmsford, NY Records of Land Conveyances, Liber G, Folio 367.  

Answer to Question 3:  Before her disappearance, Amelia Earhart and her husband, George Palmer Putnam, joined prominent Pelham citizens on June 10, 1934 to attend a theatrical event on a transformed cargo barge anchored in Eastchester Creek in the "Pelham Manor industrial district" in an area near today's BJ's Wholesale Club.  Source:  Days Of Old Melodrama Return With The Opening Of Periwinkle's Season, The Pelham Sun, Jun. 15, 1934, Vol. 25, No. 13, p.2, cols. 1-2 ("A prominent group of Broadwayites and social leaders of Westchester found their way to the Pelham Manor industrial district . . . They delighted in the novelty of attending an old-time theatrical production in the unique setting.  Their members included George Palmer Putnam and his wife Amelia Earhart").  See also  http://www.fultonhistory.com/Newspaper%2018/Mount%20Vernon%20NY%20Daily%20Argus/Mount%20Vernon%20NY%20Daily%20Argus%201934/Mount%20Vernon%20NY%20Daily%20Argus%201934%20-%202739.pdf 

Answer to Question 4:  The peat bog (or, at least, any that remains of it) is located beneath the ground at First Street and Pelhamdale Avenue.  Source:  Railroad Station Once at Sparks Avenue in Pelham, The Pelham Sun, Feb. 24, 1928, Vol. 18, No. 55, p. 4, cols. 1-2 ("Another interesting thing was the story of the peat bog which exists at First street and Pelhamdale avenue where apparently there is an unfathomable morass.  A few years ago the peat became ignited and smoke could be seen rising from the ground.  How it began no one knew but it continued to burn for many months.").

Answer to Question 5:  Democrat and City Island resident Benjamin Hegeman served as Supervisor of the Town of Pelham from 1862 until his death at the age of 46 on April 23, 1873.  He was considered a particularly strong Supervisor due to his leadership and support of the Union cause during the Civil War.  In his first six elections running for the post of Town Supervisor (such elections were held annually at the time), Hegeman received every single vote cast by every Pelham voter.  During the Town Supervisor election of 1868, however, he received "only" 158 out of 160 votes cast.  This was quite a feat at the time since there was a massive political divide between the "Islanders" of City Island and the "Mainlanders" of the remainder of the Town of Pelham.  Source:  Elections . . . PELHAM, Eastern State Journal, Apr. 3, 1868, Vol. XXIII, No. 49, p. 2, col. 3 ("PELHAM.  BENJAMIN HEGEMAN (Dem.) is returned to our next Board by 156 majority.  Says a correspondent:  'We return Benjamin Haegeman, Esq., from the town of Pelham to the Board of Supervisors.  We polled 160 votes -- of which Mr. Hegeman received 158.  Six of the years out of seven which Mr. Hegeman has been elected to the office of Supervisor, he has received all of the votes cast in said town for the office of Supervisor but two -- of which the color must have been variegated.'").

Answer to Question 6:  The Pelham Post  (no relation to the modern monthly newspaper distributed in today's Town of Pelham and also known as The Pelham Post).  Source:  Minard, J. Gardiner, MANY NEWSPAPERS HAVE ENTERED PELHAM FIELD SINCE PELHAM PRESS WAS PUBLISHED IN 1896, The Pelham Sun, Apr. 5, 1929, p. 9, cols. 1-6.  

Answer to Question 7:  Tilden delivered his Pelham speeches in 1855 at Fred Case's Hotel that once stood on Fifth Avenue near 3rd Street during his unsuccessful campaign for New York State Attorney General.  Source:  Montgomery, William R., DO YOU REMEMBER WHEN - ?, The Pelham Sun, Dec. 16, 1927, p. 3, cols. 1-2. 

Answer to Question 8:  Troop 3.  Source: Christmas Season Finds Scouts At End of Five Year Period Of Remarkable Growth and Progress, The Pelham Sun, Dec. 16, 1927, p. 10, cols. 1-6 ("From Christmas 1922, to Christmas 1923, was a year of suddenly awakened activity in Pelham Scoutdom. . . . Membership in the two troops began to increase and a third troop was organized, to meet in the Congregational Church with W. B. Brown as Scoutmaster.  This new troop was designated as Troop 3 and the old Troop 3 became Troop 1.").  

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Description of City Island in the Town of Pelham Published in 1868

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Before its annexation by New York City in the mid-1890's, City Island was part of the Town of Pelham.  The area that included City Island, surrounding islands and the mainland adjacent to the area was considered one of the most magnificent and beautiful areas anywhere near New York City.  With the creation of Pelham Bay Park, much of the area has been preserved in a lovely, pristine state.

I have written on many occasions about City Island and various aspects of its history.  I have included a lengthy list of such postings with links at the end of this brief article.  

Today's posting to the Historic Pelham Blog transcribes an article that appeared in the Eastern State Journal on September 18, 1868 describing City Island.  At the time, the bucolic island had a population of about 800 people -- the vast majority of the entire population of the Town of Pelham.

Map of Town of Pelham with Inset of City Island, 1868.

Source:  Beers, F.W., Atlas of New York and Vicinity, p. 35

(NY, NY:  Beers, Ellis & Soule, 1868).

"CITY ISLAND.
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ITS RESOURCES - ATTRACTIONS - AND THE NEW BRIDGE.
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This neck of land, which projects from the main land at Pelham, is one of the most pleasant and desirable locations of the many which abound on the shores of Westchester County.  There is a population of eight hundred souls, two churches, public schools, one hundred dwellings, three hotels, two shipyards, with railways for hauling out vessels, and all the necessary appliances for building or repairing vessels, of which there is a good deal done.  It was at the yards on the Island that the celebrate yacht, Vesta, was built; and the Henrietta, the property of James Gordon Bennett, Jr., was lengthened previous to her famous ocean race.  It is from this Island, also, that our famous Saddle Rock oysters are brought, and for which the inhabitants of New York and the surrounding country are indebted.  

The approach to the Island from the main land is from New Rochelle, or Mount Vernon Station, a distance of about four miles, through a magnificent country, studded with some of the most beautiful farms in our State, and forms a most desirable drive of fifteen or twenty minutes, which to those visiting the Island from the city, more especially, is a pleasant relaxation from the heat, dust, and inconvenience of the cars.

Until the present year, the means of access to the Island from the main shore was by a boat or a large barge, which was propelled by means of ropes, stretched from one shore to the other, and by which the boat was drawn forward and back; but the more enterprising and public spirited citizens of the Island have recently formed a stock-company, and have constructed a bridge, of a solid and substantial character, thus affording the islanders and those visiting them a rapid and safe means of transit, and at a small cost -- for of course it is a toll bridge.

The dimentions [sic] of the bridge are a span of one thousand feet, twenty-four feet in width, with a draw of one hundred and twenty-eight feet, leaving a passage-way for vessels of forty-two feet in width.

The directors of the Bridge Company are Messrs. George W. Horton, Stephen D. Horton, David Carll, Joshua Leviness, and Benjamin Hegeman -- names which are a sure guarantee for the proper official management of the Company.  The bridge has been erected at a cost of nearly or quite thirty five-thousand dollars.

After crossing over to the Island you have before you a splendid shell road, running the length of the Island -- to which the famed Coney Island road, that our neighbors of the City of Churches speak so proudly of, will hardly compare, for the making of fast time.

The Island consists of two hundred and seventy acres, is one and a quarter mile long, by from one quarter to a half mile wide; and the soil is said to be rich and productive to a great degree.  The steamboat Meta plies to and from New York city, daily; and the Neversink touches at the Island on Sundays.  To these means of access there is about to be added a railroad from Harlem Bridge to New Rochelle, which will run within three-fourths of a mile from City Island Bridge, and where a depot will be built for passengers vising the Island.

To say of our readers in search of a day's pleasure, or desiring a relaxation from the cares of business, or those fond of the beautiful, the picturesque, and the romantic, we would recommend to them a visit to the shores of City Island, and its hospitable inhabitants, for besides being the principal harbor on Long Island Sound for wind-bound vessels -- as many as one hundred and fifty having been there at one time -- is it not there where you can find good bathing on hard sand -- in salt water!  There are plenty of boats, fish, fishing-tackle, clams, oysters, and many good things to enjoy and consume, which make a trip like this so enjoyable; to say nothing of the bass-fishing and the duck-shooting in the Fall and Winter.

Heretofore the residents owning property on the Island have not been disposed to sell, prefering [sic] to enjoy their inheritances in apparent seclusion; but as several Summer residences have been erected during the present year, a disposition for still further improvement has shown itself, and we learn upon inquiring that some choice building sites will be offered for sale during the coming Spring."

Source:  CITY ISLAND - ITS RESOURCES - ATTRACTIONS - AND THE NEW BRIDGE, Eastern State Journal [White Plains, NY], Vol. XXIV, No. 21, Sep. 18, 1868, p. 2, cols.  4-5.

*          *          *          *          *

Below are links to a host of prior postings that address, in one fashion or another, aspects of the history of City Island.

Mon., Apr. 07, 2014:  History of A Few of the Earliest Public Schools in the Town of Pelham. 

 Tue., Feb. 04, 2014:  Pelham: Once Oyster Capital of the World.

Thu., May 13, 2010:  More on the Early History of the Pelham and City Island Horse Railroad.  

Thu., Apr. 29, 2010:  City Islanders Complain and Force the Operators of Their Horse Railroad to Agree to Replace Antiquated Cars in 1908.  

Wed., Apr. 28, 2010:  Efforts by the Pelham Park Horse Railroad to Expand and Develop a Trolley Car Line on Shore Road in 1897.

 Tue., Apr. 27, 2010:  New York City's Interborough Rapid Transit Company Sued to Foreclose a Mortgage on the Horse Railroad in 1911.  

Mon., Apr. 26, 2010:  Public Service Commission Couldn't Find Marshall's Corners in 1909.  

Fri., Mar. 26, 2010:  Captain Joshua Leviness Defies the New York Legislature and Dredges Oysters with a Steamer in 1878. 

Thu., Mar. 25, 2010:  Discovery of "The Great Oyster Bed" in Long Island Sound in 1859. 

Wed., Mar. 24, 2010:  The Oyster War of 1884 Between Glen Cove and City Island Intensifies.

Tue., Mar. 23, 2010:  Yet Another "Oyster War" in 1884; Glen Cove Officials Feud with City Island and Connecticut Oystermen.

Mon., Mar. 22, 2010:  77-Year Old City Island Oysterman Joshua Leviness Reminisces in Testimony Provided in 1884.

Fri., Mar. 19, 2010:  The New York Legislature Stepped Into the Oyster War on Long Island Sound in 1895.

Thu., Mar. 18, 2010:  1859 Town of Huntington Record Reflecting Dispute with City Island Oystermen.

Wed., Mar. 17, 2010:  Report of September 13, 1884 Tour of Oyster Beds by Captain Joshua Leviness of City Island.

Tue., March 16, 2010:  More on 19th Century Oystering in Pelham - Descriptions of Oyster Beds Off Hart Island, City Island and in Pelham Bay Published in 1887.

 Mon., Mar. 15, 2010:  More on 19th Century City Island Oyster Industry - City Island Oystermen Complaint of Pollution.

Fri., Mar. 12, 2010:  Early History of Oystering in the Waters Off City Island in the Town of Pelham.

 Thu., Mar. 11, 2010:  The "Great Oyster War" Between City Island and Tarrytown in 1877 and 1878.

Wed., Mar. 10, 2010:  1899 Article About City Island's New Bridge Describes History of Area and Includes Wonderful Images. 

Fri., Mar. 5, 2010:  Construction of the City Island Horse Railroad in 1887.  

Thu., Mar. 4, 2010:  Beginnings of Horse Railroad - News from Pelham and City Island Published in 1884.

Wed., Mar. 3, 2010:  1879 Advertisement for Robert J. Vickery's City Island Stage Line, A Predecessor to the City Island Horse Railroad.

Tue., Mar. 2, 2010:  1901 Report Indicated that The Flynn Syndicate Planned to Buy the Pelham Bay Park & City Island Horse Car Line.

Mon., Mar. 1, 2010:  Flynn Syndicate Buys the City Island Horse Car Line in 1907 to Incorporate It Into Electric Trolley Line.

Fri., Feb. 26, 2010:  1913 Decision of Public Service Commission to Allow Reorganization of City Island Horse Railroad for Electrification.

Thu., Feb. 25, 2010:  Photograph of Patrick Byrnes and Article About His Retirement of the City Island Horse Car in 1914.  

Wed., Feb. 24, 2010:  Attempted Suicide of City Island's Long-Time Horse Car Driver.

Wed., Feb. 3, 2010:  Early Information Published in 1885 About the Organization of the "City Island Railroad", a Horse Railroad from Bartow Station to City Island.

Tue., Feb. 2, 2010:  Information About the Pelham Park Railroad at its Outset.

Fri., Jan. 22, 2010:  1884 Account of Early Origins of Horse Railroad Between Bartow Station and City Island.
Mon., Jan. 4, 2010:  1888 Local News Account Describes Altercation on the Horse Railroad Running from Bartow Station to City Island.

Thu., Dec. 31, 2009:  1887 Election of the Board of Directors of The City Island and Pelham Park Horse Railroad Company.

Thu., Dec. 31, 2009:  Obituary of David Carll, Master Shipbuilder on City Island in the Town of Pelham. 

Thu., Dec. 3, 2009:  Pelham News on May 30, 1884 Including Allegations of Oyster Larceny and Meeting of the Pelhamville Improvement Association.

Wed., Dec. 2, 2009:  Accident on Horse-Car of the Pelham Park Railroad Line in 1889.

Tue., Dec. 01, 2009:  Brief History of City Island Published in 1901.

Mon., Oct. 05, 2009:  1878 Account of Results of Sloop Race Held Off the Pelham Shores. 

Fri., Sep. 18, 2009:  City Island News Published in January, 1882.   

Mon., Sep. 7, 2009:  More on the Ejectment of Henry Piepgras from Land Beneath the Waters Surrounding City Island. 

Tue., Sep. 1, 2009:  Pelham News on February 29, 1884 Including Talk of Constructing a New Horse Railroad from Bartow to City Island.  

Tue., Aug. 11, 2009:  News of Pelham Manor and City Island Published on July 14, 1882.  

Wed., Jan. 28, 2009:  Biography of Archibald Robertson, Another Resident of City Island When it Was Part of the Town of Pelham.

Fri., Jan. 23, 2009:  Biography of Jacob Smith of City Island, Proprietor of the Macedonian Hotel.

Mon., Jan. 07, 2008:  1878 Article Describing the "Attractions of Little-Known City Island" in the Town of Pelham.  

Wed., Dec. 05, 2007:  Photograph of the Old Wooden City Island Bridge.

 Mon., July 30, 2007: 1885 Report Notes Decline of Oyster Industry Near City Island in the Town of Pelham. 

Fri., Jul. 27, 2007:  Possible Origins of the Oyster Feud Between City Islanders and Huntington, Long Island.

Thu., Jul. 26, 2007:  Pelham's City Island Oystermen Feud with Long Islanders in 1869.

Fri., Apr. 13, 2007:  Oystermen of City Island (When it Was Part of the Town of Pelham) Pioneered Oyster Cultivation.  
Thu., Apr. 12, 2007:  Advertisement Offering Lots on City Island Belonging to Peter Harrison for Sale in 1775. 

Tue., Jan. 30, 2007:  Interesting Advertisement for Sale of Land on City Island in the Town of Pelham in 1800.  

Mon., Jan. 29, 2007:  Palmer Family Offers One Thirtieth of City Island for Sale in 1785. 

Fri., Jan. 26, 2007:  A History of the Early Years of City Island When it Was Part of the Town of Pelham, Published in 1927.

Thu., Jan. 25, 2007:  A Brief Account of the Early History of City Island, Published in 1909.

Mon., Nov. 27, 2006:  The 19th Century Ejectment of Henry Piepgras from Land Beneath the Waters Surrounding City Island.

Mon., Sep. 18, 2006:  A Brief Description of Oystering in Eastchester Bay and at Pelham Published in 1881.  

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