The Chief Cameraman for Silent Film Director and Legend D. W. Griffith Was Harold ("Hal") Sintzenich of Pelham

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Harold S. Sintzenich was a famous cinematographer and film director of the early 20th century during the silent film era.  Born August 14, 1884 in London, England as Arthur Harold C. Sintzenich, he was known variously as "A. H. C. Sintzenich" as well as "Harold" and "Hal" Sintzenich with his last name occasionally spelled "Sintzenick."  His nickname was "Snitch."  He served as Chief Cameraman for famed silent film director D. W. Griffith during the 1920s.  His personal papers including diaries are held in the collections of the Library of Congress.

Portrait of Harold A. C. Sintzenich as a First Lieutenant in the

U.S. Signal Corps While in Paris in May, 1919.  NOTE:  Click

on Image to Enlarge.

During the 1920s and 1930s, Sintzenich and his family lived in Pelham when.  In addition to his camera work, he tried his hand at directing.  He filmed at least one silent movie in Pelham (in part) in 1926.  The movie, entitled "A Short Tail" was released in American Theaters on September 10, 1927.

The two-reel silent movie was a drama filmed entirely from the perspective of a dog.  A portion was filmed in the home of W. L. Brann of Pelham Manor, then located at 669 Wolf's Lane.  Though the original home no longer stands, a lovely Cape Cod home built in 1949 now stands in its place.  The movie reportedly starred actress Beatrice Roberts of New York City and featured a host of Pelham youngsters including two of Sintzenich's sons (Cedric and Robert) as well as:  Edward and Frank Fenlon of Secor Lane in Pelham Manor; Harmon Fisher, son of Mrs. Julia Fisher of Second Avenue in North Pelham; Fred Head, son of Mr. and Mrs. Gorham Head of Fourth Avenue in North Pelham; Harold Zeller, son of Mr. and Mrs. Harold Zeller of Fourth Avenue in North Pelham; Rodman Pitman, son of Mr. and Mrs. Jean Pitman of Fifth Avenue in North Pelham; and Robert Held, son of Mrs. Marion Held of Fifth Avenue, North Pelham.  Though the youngsters were filmed for the movie, the work was considered unique at the time not only because it was filmed from the perspective of a dog, but also "hardly" showed a single human face.

During his cinematography career, Sintzenich worked with some of the greatest actors of the era in addition to such silent film visionaries as D. W. Griffith.  For example, he worked with Oliver Hardy and Stan Laurel in "The Tree in a Test Tube" (Sintzenich's last film, a brief World War II propaganda film released in 1943); W. C. Fields and Alfred Lunt in "Sally of the Sawdust" (released in 1925); Al Jolson in "Mammy's Boy" (released in 1923); Carol Dempster in a host of films including "America" and "Isn't Life Wonderful" (both released in 1924); Hedda Hopper in "Has the World Gone Mad!" (released in 1923); and many, many more.

Sintzenich's sons were active members of the Scouting program in Pelham.  Thus, Sintzenich was an avid supporter of the program.  In fact, he served as a Troop Committeeman while living in Pelham.  See Formal Court of Honor Held By Pelham Scouts, The Pelham Sun, Jun. 18, 1926, p. 5, cols. 1-4.  

Sintzenich and his family lived in Pelham at least during the period 1925 to 1933, if not longer.  However, in 1928 Sintzenich was sent to India for three years by the Eastman Kodak Company to serve as technical advisor to the entire motion picture film industry of that nation.  Although he spent much of his time in Bombay, he visited virtually every section of the country as part of his job before he returned to reside in Pelham, once again, in 1931.

Sintzenich began his career as a cinematographer while still living in England in 1909.  In 1914 he filed an African safari, foreshadowing a major film presentation he made to all of Pelham in the Pelham Memorial High School auditorium in 1925 during which he showed exciting film of big-game hunting in Africa.

In 1917, during World War I, Sintzenich received a commission as a cameraman in the U.S. Signal Corps.  He became a driving force behind the formation and administration of the U.S. School of Military Cinematography in 1918.  In May, 1918, Sintzenich became a U.S. Citizen.

After the War, Sintzenich moved his family to Pelham, apparently during the 1920s.  He became a notable resident.  Though he spent several years in India (as noted above), his family remained in Pelham.

Sintzenich eventually moved to Charleston, South Carolina where he died in August, 1974.

Harold Sintzenich With His Movie Camera While Serving as

Official Photographer with the U.S. Signal Corps. During World

War 1.  Source:  Wikimedia Commons.  NOTE:  Click on Image

to Enlarge.

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"Boy Scouts to Hear Adventures In South Africa
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Harold Sintzenick, Chief Camera Man For D. W. Griffith to Tell of Filming Big Game
-----

Pelhamites are to have an unusual opportunity in a Thanksgiving party arranged by the Boy Scouts when Harold Sintzenick, Pelham, chief camera man for D. W. Griffith, will lecture on Big Game Hunting and adventures in Central Africa in connection with seven reel pictures in which is shown the most thrilling lion charge ever filmed and the first photographic record of a rhinoceros charge.  Mr. Sintzenick, through whose courtesy the pictures were secured, had the experience of a wounded lion charge his camera and leap over it and him and this is all faithfully recorded.  Those who see these pictures will find many an intense moment as well as much of interest in the way of such animals as elephants, giraffes, hyenas, apes, zebras, water buffaloes, antelopes, and hippotami [sic].  African scenes and the mode of travel are also depicted and these coupled with the descriptive talk by Mr. Sintzenick will make an evening well spent.  The Boy Scouts are taking this means of expressing their appreciation to the people of the Town of Pelham for their support and interest in the new log cabin.  The Thanksgiving party will be held at Memorial High School, Saturday November 28th at 8 P. M.  There will be no charge for admission and no solicitation of any kind.  The Boy Scouts are hosts and they cordially extend an invitation to everybody in the Town of Pelham to see these remarkable pictures."

Source:  Boy Scouts to Hear Adventures In South Africa -- Harold Sintzenick, Chief Camera Man For D. W. Griffith to Tell of Filming Big Game, The Pelham Sun, Nov. 20, 1925, p. 9, col. 1.

"Scouts Invite Visitors To Movie Party
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Harold Sintzenich, Camera Man Will Tell of Filming Wild Animals in Africa
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Interesting Entertainment at Memorial High School Tomorrow Night
-----

When the hero of the movie finds himself in the jungle surrounded by wild beasts and in imminent danger of death from lions, tigers, elephants, etc., etc., one seldom gives a thought to the camera man who is busy clicking off the reel so that the untold millions of picture fans can be thrilled.  Sometimes the camera man gets an unexpected thrill himself, as when a huge lion dashed out of African jungle and -- 

But we're not going to spoil you evening.  Harold Sintzenick, chief camera man for D. W. Griffith will tell you all about the dangers of filming wild animals in the jungle if you accept the invitation of the Boy Scouts to attend their Thanksgiving party tomorrow (Saturday) night at Memorial High School, where Mr. Sintzenick will present an evening of talk and pictures on big game hunting and adventures in South Africa.  Sintzenick by the way is a Pelhamite.

Pelham scouts are anxious to show their appreciation of the many things that Pelham people have done for them and take this means of showing it by inviting you all to the Thanksgiving party at Memorial Auditorium where you can be assured of a great evening.  No admission fees."

Source:  Scouts Invite Visitors To Movie Party -- Harold Sintzenich, Camera Man Will Tell of Filming Wild Animals in Africa -- Interesting Entertainment at Memorial High School Tomorrow Night, The Pelham Sun, Nov. 27, 1925, Vol. 16, No. 39, p. 1, col. 7.  

"Griffiths' Camera-Man Gave Great Entertainment
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Harold Sintzenick Exhibited Films of Big Game Hunting in Africa to Boy Scouts
-----

The Thanksgiving party of the Boy Scouts to the people of Pelham last Saturday night was a success with the auditorium of Memorial High School well filled with enthusiastic supporters and well wishers of the Scout movement.  The seven-reel picture of Big Game Hunting and Adventures in Africa proved to be even more thrilling than had been promised and this, coupled with the most interesting descriptive talk by Harold Sintzenick, the man who 'shot' the picture and chief camera man for D. W. Griffith, left nothing to be desired for a worthwhile evening.  The Scouts are greatly indebted to Sintzenick, through whose courtesy the picture was secured, for both the pictures and for his efforts on their behalf.  Mr. Burroughs of the High School Staff again gave his services as operator of the moving picture machine."

Source:  Griffiths' Camera-Man Gave Great Entertainment -- Harold Sintzenick Exhibited Films of Big Game Hunting in Africa to Boy Scouts, The Pelham Sun, Dec. 4, 1925, p. 4, col. 2.  

"BOYS, DOGS, ICE CREAM, MOVIES, ALL MIXED UP

Last Monday there was a parade -- unofficial -- of boys and dogs.  The parade led directly from 'location' where Harold Sintzenick of North Pelham, chief camera man for D. W. Griffiths [sic], had been 'shooting' the boys and dogs in a puppy picture, to the nearest soda fountain where the 'actors' replenished themselves with a certain delicacy dear to their palates.  Unfortunately Sintzenick was not on hand to 'shoot' this scene.

The local boys who will appear in the new release were Cedric and Robert Sintzenick, sons of the camera man; Edward and Frank Fenlon, Secor Lane, Pelham Manor; Harmon Fisher, son of Mrs. Julia Fisher, Second Avenue, North Pelham; Fred Head, son of Mr. and Mrs. Gorham Head, Fourth Avenue, North Pelham; Harold Zeller, son of Mr. and Mrs. Harold Zeller, Fourth Avenue, North Pelham; Rodman Pitman, son of Mr. and Mrs. Jean Pitman, Fifth Avenue, North Pelham; and Robert Held, son of Mrs. Marion Held, Fifth Avenue, North Pelham.  Miss Beatrice Roberts of New York City is the star.

The residence of W. L. Brann, 669 Wolf's Lane, Pelham Manor, is 'location' for part of the two reel picture which is not a comedy.  The picture will be unique in that all the pictures are taken from the angle of vision of a dog, hardly a human face appearing.  The title of the new picture is 'A Short Tail.'"

Source:  BOYS, DOGS, ICE CREAM, MOVIES, ALL MIXED UP, The Pelham Sun, Jul. 2, 1926, p. 9, col. 1.

"MOTION PICTURE MAKES PROGRESS IN THE LAND OF GHANDI; SOUND FILMS ARE DIFFICULT BECAUSE OF DIALECTS
-----
Harold A. C. Sinzenich Returns to Pelham After Spending Three Years as Technical Advisor to the Motion Picture Industry in India; Says That Indians Are Fond of Movies, But Sound Films Are a Problem
-----

By G. Allyn Van Winkle

Motion picture theatres are sprouting up along the Road to Mandalay because of the fact that India, land of mystery, of many sects and creeds, and home of 360,000,000 persons, likes to go to the movies just as much as America or any other land into which the lure of the silver screen has entered.

Mr. Sintzenich was sent to India in 1928 by the Eastman Kodak Company as technical advisor to the entire motion picture film industry of that country.  During the three years spent there, he visited practically every section of this country and spent much time in Bombay.

India has a thriving film industry, Mr. Sintzenich told this interviewer, there being at the present time about 50 companies producing motion pictures for Indian consumption.  These are entirely Indian companies, with native stars cameramen, officers and the like.

'One way in which the growth of the film industry in India during the last six years can be gauged,' said Mr. Sintzenich, 'is by the fact that in 1925, importations of raw film totalled 500,000 feet, while in the latter part of 1930, these had grown to 21,000,000 feet.'

India's film industry has two great centers, one, Dum Dum, being situated on the east coast, and the other, Dadar, on the west coast.  Dum Dum originally received its name from the fact that there was a large arsenal there at one time which turned out bullets of this type.

The majority of the films produced in India are based on Indian history and mythology, although recently, said Mr. Sintzenich, 'attempts have been made to introduce the love interest, so prevalent in films of the western world.

'The Indian does not understand the word love as we do,' Mr. Sintzenich explained, 'because the parents of boys and girls of that country make all marriage arrangements and the prospective bridegroom does not see his bride until the ceremonies.'

Because of the great number of different languages and dialects spoken in India, it is not uncommon to see a picture with the sub-titles printed in six different languages in addition to English, he explained.  When productions are imported, the sub-titles which may be in English, or some European language are translated by an ingenious device.  Two screens are used in the theatres, one for the two, while the other hangs down some distance below.  The sub-picture being the smaller of the titles are translated into the prevailing languages and dialects of the district and then made on lantern slides.  When the picture is exhibited, the operator must watch closely and when the sub-title appears on the picture screen, he flashes the translation onto the lower screen so that all may understand.

Due to the great amount of illiteracy in India, Mr. Sintzenich said, the educated natives who attend the theatres read the sub-titles out loud so that their neighbors who cannot read can still follow the picture.  This causes a steady hum during the entire performance.

Although the Indians are very backward in their methods of making motion pictures, they have recently introduced talking pictures and at the time he left India, Mr. Sintzenich said that seven companies were producing Indian sound films.  Here again the fact that over 360 different languages and dialects are spoken in India had to be considered.

'I told them,' said Mr. Sintzenich in referring to heads of a number of film producing companies, 'that if they made their pictures in the language of their district they would lose money.  They did not see it that way but after their first picture they realized that I was right.  This narrowed the choice down to two languages, English and Hindustani.  As English is spoken by only the more educated natives, Hindustani was selected and this in my opinion is the greatest step ever taken towards a unified  India.  After some years, a constant universal use of this language in talking pictures will result in a better understanding between the various sects and peoples of India.'

In Bombay there is only one small modern theatre, but there are a considerable number of former legitimate theatres which have been converted into movie houses.  Five of these are European and there are 25 or 30 native theatres.  When they attend theatres, the natives never sit with their feet on the floor but sit cross-legged on the chairs, their feet on the seat.

India has its own movie stars much as the United States and for India, their salaries are large.  The top price for a film luminary according to Mr. Sintzenich, is 2,500 rupees per month.  This is about $900 a month.

After this discussion of Indian motion pictures, this interviewer asked (as thousands of other interviewers have and as thousands more will in the future) about the Taj Mahal, termed one of the seven wonders of the world.

'It is a very beautiful building,' said r. Sintzenich, 'and although it is more than 300 years old, it appears to have been only recently completed.  It is of white marble and gleams brightly in the sun.  But the building I think is even more beautiful than the Taj Mahal and perhaps the most beautiful building in the whole world is the Diwan-i-khas, or Hall of Private Audience in Delhi.  This is the hall in which former emperors of the country received royal visitors, and it cannot adequately be described.'  Pictures which Mr. Sintzenich had taken of this building and its interior during the inauguration of New Delhi, bore out his contention of its beauty.  This inauguration held last February, marked the return by the British of the capital from Calcutta to Delhi which was the capital of India down through history.  When the British took over India they moved the capital to Calcutta.

'India is so varied that that is a rather difficult question to answer,' said Mr. Sintzenich when asked what part of the country he liked best.  'You can almost be boiled in some sections and if you go into the Himalayas you will find the opposite extreme.  Of all the cities, I prefer Bombay because it has the most even climate.  It is situated practically on an island with water on all sides so that there is always a sea breeze.  Even at that the humidity is high, averaging 85 to 95 the year round and 98 to 100 at the hottest seasons of the year.'

Speaking of the great amount of illiteracy in India, Mr. Sintzenich said, that many persons might believe something was wrong when such a condition existed in a country over which England had had control for 50 years.  He pointed out that this was due, however, to the caste system which relegates each native into a division from which he can never escape without universal education and in the past, the higher castes have taken care that the lower castes were kept ignorant.

Taking another angle, this reporter asked Mr. Sinzenich regarding the fabled Indian rope trick and was promptly told that he had not seen it nor had he encountered any person who was positive he had seen it.  He spoke however of a Mohammedan who had performed, in the streets of Bombay with four trained sparrows.

'Time means nothing to these people,' he said.  'They know that the sun rises and that it sets and care little about anything else.  This Mohammedan had trained these sparrows to perform various tricks.  One would thread beads on a needle and thread while another, which the old man claimed was the dove from the Ark, would fly out of sight to return with a leaf in its bill.'

Another instance depicting the great patience that the Indians show, was exhibited by a present that Mr. Sintzenich brought to his wife and two sons.  This consisted of a chest covered with plush which contained magnifying glasses and a small glass tube.  In the lid of the box was a typewritten message from Mr. Sintzenich the words of which contained a total of 196 letters.  The entire message was printed on one grain of rice which is contained in the small glass tube and when examined through the magnifying glasses, the message appears clearly.

Besides numerous souvenirs he brought back with him, Mr. Sintzenich has in his apartment some living examples of life in India.  He has a cage in which nine birds of three varieties are quartered.  The plumage of these feathered creatures, one in particular, is much brighter than the birds of this country.  This bird, a small creature, has a red head, a purple breast, a yellow stomach and a green back, all colors being distinctly outlined by a darker band of color.

Starting from India on his home trip, Mr. Sintzenich purchased ten of these birds but while at sea one day he was feeding them and one escaped from the cage.  The porthole being open, it flew out and vanished.

Mr. Sintzenich does not contemplate an immediate return to India but says he is on a vacation now and will rest for a while and get acclimated.

Mr. Sintzenich numbered among his personal friends during his sojourn in India, Prince Azam Jab, heir and oldest son of Sir Osmari Ali Kahn, Nizam of Hyderabad, termed the richest man in the world.  The young prince was welcomed last Thursday in Nice, France, to Princess Durai Shehvar, daughter of Caliph Abdul Medjid Effendi, spiritual leader of 300,000,000 Moslems."

Source:  Van Winkle, G. Allyn, MOTION PICTURE MAKES PROGRESS IN THE LAND OF GHANDI; SOUND FILMS ARE DIFFICULT BECAUSE OF DIALECTS -- Harold A. C. Sinzenich Returns to Pelham After Spending Three Years as Technical Advisor to the Motion Picture Industry in India; Says That Indians Are Fond of Movies, But Sound Films Are a Problem, The Pelham Sun, Nov. 27, 1931, p. 11, cols. 4-8.

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Boy Scout Program in Pelham Grew Explosively During the Roaring Twenties

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"Every normally healthy boy must have an outlet for his exuberance of spirit.

If not directed into constructive channels, it will break loose into the gang spirit.

More and more the grown people of the Pelhams are coming to realize that Boy

Scout work begins where home influence and school training ends.  Scouting

means outdoor life the whole year round -- the right of every red-blooded boy."

The Pelham Sun.  March 6, 1925.

Amen.

Town Historian, Town of Pelham, New York, Nov. 8, 2017.

Barely eight months after the incorporation of the Boy Scouts of America, on about October 15, 1910, Pelhamites met at the home of Mrs. Eugene G. Kremer at 305 Pelhamdale Avenue (a home that still stands) to organize a Boy Scout program for Pelham. I have written extensively of this early effort to establish Pelham's Boy Scout program. See Tue., Apr. 03, 2007: The Birthplace of Scouting in Pelham: 305 Pelhamdale Avenue Where Pelham Scouting Began in 1910.  See also Wed., Mar. 12, 2014: The Beginning of the Boy Scout Program in Pelham in 1910, Still Going Strong 104 Years Later. 

Residents of the Town in 1910 created one of the first (if not the first Boy Scout Council in Westchester County called, appropriately, "Pelham Council." The Pelham Council was created and in place by November 11, 1910, with Captain Daniel Delehanty, a retired U.S. Navy officer, as President. Immediately the Pelham School Board and local Pelham churches became significantly involved in nurturing the young organization.

Today Pelham has one of the finest "high adventure" Boy Scout Troops in the United States.  Founded in early 1916, Pelham Troop 1 has operated on a continuous basis ever since. Today, as a “high adventure troop,” the members of Troop 1 pursue activities including scuba diving in Key West, white water rafting and kayaking, ice climbing, rock climbing, snow-shoeing, dog sledding, horseback riding, zip-lining, orienteering, high-country survival training, hiking and camping in the mountains of Philmont National Scout Ranch, and other scouting activities including hiking and camping at places like Camp Read in the Adirondacks and Durland Scout Reservation in Putnam County.  See Wed., Apr. 13, 2016:  Pelham Boy Scout Troop 1 Celebrates Its Centennial - A History of Pelham Scouting.  

Pelham's Troop 1 continues an amazing history of Scouting in the Town of Pelham.  Part of that history includes explosive growth of the Scouting program during the Roaring Twenties.

Only a decade after the founding of the Boy Scouts of America, the program in Pelham was thriving.  By 1925, Pelham Troop 1 was bulging at the seams.  During late February and early March of that year, the entire Town was engaged in fund raising for the benefit of the Scouting program.

According to the local newspaper at the time, "Boy Scouting has sold itself to the Pelhams."  The fundraising drive began on February 12 and, by March 6, had raised subscriptions worth $1,200 (about $17,120 in today's dollars).  The Town of Pelham, it seems, wanted to fund construction of a Boy Scout Cabin for its boys -- a Boy Scout Cabin that, indeed, was funded and built thereafter and became an important part of the Town's history.  See:

Mon., Oct. 31, 2005:  Remnants of Pelham's Boy Scout Cabin Near The Hutchinson River Parkway. 

Tue., Jul. 19, 2005:  Pelham's Boy Scout Cabin Near The Hutchinson River Parkway.

In late February, 1925, a significant event in the history of Pelham Scouting occurred.  Pelham Troop 1 had grown well beyond its ability to handle the number of Scouts it had.  At the time, Troop 1 met in the Huguenot Memorial Presbyterian Church.  (Today it meets at The Community Church of The Pelhams, 448 Washington Avenue.)  It was decided to divide Troop 1 into two troops:  Troop 1 and the fourth troop of Pelham Boy Scouts to be known, of course, as Troop 4.  Local resident Herbert Elliott was named as the original Scoutmaster of the new Troop 4.  

At the same time, Pelham Boy Scout Troops 2 and 3 were growing out of control.  Both Troops sought Assistant Scout Masters to help.  

Shortly after Troop 1 "divided" to create Troop 4, the boys and their Scout leaders held an initial "joint meeting" in late February.  To the shock of all, 72 boys showed up.  Thirty four Pelham youngsters joined during that two-week period.  At the same time, there was "a healthy growth in Troop Nos. 2 and 3." 

 Home at 305 Pelhamdale Avenue Where the Pelham Boy
Scout Program Began.  Photograph Taken by the Author
on April 1, 2007.  NOTE:  Click on Image To Enlarge.

*          *          *          *          *

"Scout Movement Gets Solid Backing from Pelham
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Reaching Point Where Erection of Scout Hut Seems Possible, This Year -- Membership Constantly Increasing.
-----

Boy Scouting has sold itself to the Pelhams, if the way the subscriptions coming in daily to G. M. Hendricks, Treasurer, Pelham National Bank, may be taken as an indication.  The drive for funds started on February 12th.  To date, 150 people have subscribed, a total of $1,200, or an average of over $8.40 per person, compared with $6.90 a year ago.  Additional funds, however, are needed to carry out the proposed program for this year.

Another evidence of the way in which Scouting has sold itself, not only to the boys, but to the grown people, will be found in a recent incident.  Troop No. 1, which meets in the Huguenot Memorial Church, under the direction of Scout Master Howes, grew so in number, there being 48 boys in the Troop, that it was deemed advisable to divide it, and Herbert Elliott became Scout Master of the division now known as Troop No. 4.

At a joint meeting of the divided Troop held two weeks ago, there was [sic] 72 boys, an increase of 34 boys in the two Troops since the subdivision.  Within the last two months there has been a healthy growth in Troops Nos. 2 and 3, and Assistant Scout Masters are being secured for these two Troops.

Every normally healthy boy must have an outlet for his exuberance of spirit.  If not directed into constructive channels, it will break loose into the gang spirit.  More and more the grown people of the Pelhams are coming to realize that Boy Scout work begins where home influence and school training ends.  Scouting means outdoor life the whole year round -- the right of every red-blooded boy.  It puts him on his own legs in competition with other boys of his age, and teaches him how to take care of himself and others.  Scouting teaches boys about the woods and nature, ouf-of-doors where it is play to learn.

Scouting makes boys clean, through and through, healthy and happy.  Encourages imagination, initiative, and resourcefulness.  Builds character, insures good citizenship.  Sanely offsets the lure of pleasures, detrimental to moral, mental and physical growth.  It gives the boy the kind of fun he ought to have, when he ought to have it and where he ought to have it.

In the last two issues of the Pelham Sun, lists of subscribers of the Boy Scouts were published.  The subscriptions since that date follow, and the Committee is very much in hope that those of its community who have not yet sent in their subscriptions will do so promptly, so that by our next issue we can make a final announcement of the results of this campaign.

E. E. Arnold, $5; Clarence G. Campbell, $2; James Elliott, $10; W. W. Hawkins, $25; M. C. Robbins, $25; Harry A. Anderson, $5; Thomas F. Diack, $5; James S. Macgregor, $5; E. Schwartz, $2; Richard J. Walsh, $10; Vaughn Bliven, $5; John F. Fairchild, $10; E. R. Grochau, $5; Alice V. Leslie, $3; R. M. Morgan, $25; Frank A. Clinch, $5; Ernest E. Hammersen, $10; Roy G. Kaye, $2; William M. McBride, $20; A. C. McMasten, $5; Paul Oehmke, $2; William E. Power, $5; Richard H. Smith, $5; Mary A. Vetter, $5; Lawrence Whitcomb, $2; William Best, $20; Herman Kobi, $5; Martin H. Offinger, $10; Total to date, $1089.51."

Source:  Scout Movement Gets Solid Backing from Pelham -- Reaching Point Where Erection of Scout Hut Seems Possible, This Year -- Membership Constantly Increasing, The Pelham Sun, Mar. 6, 1925, p. 7, cols. 1-2.

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Pelham Boy Scout Troop 1 Celebrates Its Centennial - A History of Pelham Scouting

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Nearly 150 people gathered at Juliano’s in New Rochelle on Saturday, April 2^nd to celebrate the 100^th anniversary of the founding of Pelham Troop 1, Boy Scouts of America.  The dinner celebration also offered a chance to honor the troop’s scoutmaster, Ralph Mirra, who is moving into a new position after eighteen years of service as Troop 1 Scoutmaster.

Pelham Boy Scout Troop 1 Centennial Patch Design.

NOTE:  Click on Image to Enlarge.

Pelham Town Supervisor Peter D. Dipaola presented a Town Proclamation honoring the troop and announced a decision by the Town Council to plant a tree with a commemorative tablet to honor Scoutmaster Mirra and his service to Troop 1.  State Assemblywoman Amy Paulin and County Legislator Jim Maisano also presented proclamations to honor the troop and recognize its centennial. 

In addition, Vincent Cartelli, a member of the board and past Commander of Pelham Post 50, American Legion Department of New York, presented a certificate on behalf of Post 50 to the troop in recognition of its centennial.  Representatives of the Boy Scouts of America Westchester-Putnam Council headquartered in Hawthorne, New York, along with Assistant Scout Master Bill Hopkins, presented the troop with certificates to commemorate the event.  During the celebration, the troop also displayed a commemorative centennial plaque awarded earlier this year by The Community Church of the Pelhams which supports the troop, serves as its chartering organization, and hosts the troop’s regular Thursday evening meetings. 

Reverend Noel D. Vanek of The Community Church of the Pelhams delivered the invocation as well as congratulatory remarks.  Other speakers included:  Scoutmaster Mirra who spoke of the troop’s last two decades of activities; John Heins who spoke as a scouting father and active troop photographer; Town Historian Blake Bell who spoke on the history of scouting in the Town of Pelham and the history of Troop 1; Eagle Scout Brett Bell who spoke of notable events during his time with the troop; Life Scout Michael Pachuta who spoke humorously of a memorable canoeing trip; and Scout Dad Chris Micharloff who announced that in connection with the celebration, the troop had raised a fund to donate to the Library of the Town of Pelham to celebrate the troop’s centennial. 

Current Scouts presented an entertaining skit that parodied their Scoutmaster and fellow Scouts based on recent whitewater rafting outings.  The Scouts also honored Susan Cartelli and Robyn TenEyck for their unceasing work for the troop.  They also honored Scoutmaster Mirra, who has guided 26 Scouts to the rank of Eagle Scout during his eighteen-year tenure, by presenting him with the gift of a bronze eagle sculpture.  An important video that included many images of members of the troop and their activities thrilled the gathering. 

The troop honored the many adult leaders who have supported the Scouts during the last twenty years including, among many others, Assistant Scoutmasters Bill Hopkins, Jamie Hupprich, Jack Cardwell, and Jack McGuirk; Troop 1 Committee Chair Prudy Lenhard; Troop 1 Committee members Michael Mirra, Susan Cartelli, Robin TenEyck, and Glenn Koniuk; and Chartering Organization representatives Reverend Noel D. Vanek and Barbara Scharrer. 

As high adventure Pelham Troop 1 enters its second century, it welcomes all boys between the age of 11 (or who have completed the fifth grade while ten years old) and the age of 18.  It welcomes those who want to challenge and better themselves while enjoying the scouting journey.  It welcomes those who crave adventure.  It also welcomes those who, according to the Scout Oath promise to “help other people at all times, to keep myself physically strong, mentally awake, and morally straight."

Founded in early 1916, Pelham Troop 1 has operated on a continuous basis ever since.  Today it is a “high adventure troop,” the members of which pursue activities including scuba diving in Key West, white water rafting and kayaking, ice climbing, rock climbing, snow-shoeing, dog sledding, horseback riding, zip-lining, orienteering, high-country survival training, hiking and camping in the mountains of Philmont National Scout Ranch, and other scouting activities including hiking and camping at places like Camp Read in the Adirondacks and Durland Scout Reservation in Putnam County.

Pelham Town Supervisor Peter D. DiPaola Presents Town

Proclamation To Pelham Boy Scout Troop 1 Scoutmaster

Ralph Mirra at Centennial Celebration Dinner.  Image Used

with Permission, Courtesy of Maureen Mirra Katos.  NOTE:

Click on Image to Enlarge.

New York State Assemblywoman Amy Paulin Presents State Assembly

Proclamation To Pelham Boy Scout Troop 1 Scoutmaster Ralph Mirra

at Centennial Celebration Dinner.  Image Used with Permission, Courtesy

of Maureen Mirra Katos.  NOTE:  Click on Image to Enlarge.

Pelham Boy Scout Troop 1 Scouts and Adult Scout Leaders

in Attendance at Centennial Celebration Dinner.  Image by the

Author.  NOTE:  Click on Image to Enlarge.

Pelham Boy Scout Troop 1 Color Guard During

Centennial Celebration Dinner.  Image by the

Author.  NOTE:  Click Image to Enlarge.

I had the honor and pleasure to deliver the keynote address on the history of the Boy Scout program in Pelham and the 100-year history of Troop 1.  I delivered that address from an outline, but have converted that outline to the brief history of the troop that appears immediately below.  

The Founding of the Boy Scout Association and the Boy Scouts of America

Lord Robert Baden-Powell founded the Boy Scout Association in England in 1908.  The Association became immediately popular and grew quickly.  Less than two years later, an American newspaper man named W. D. Boyce had an experience that prompted him to bring the Boy Scout program to America.

The story of W. D. Boyce and his first experience with an English Boy Scout is considered by many to be apocryphal.  Yet, it has grown to become the "Legend of the Unknown Scout."  According to that legend, Boyce was visiting London and was lost on a foggy London street.  He saw a boy in the fog and called out, asking for directions.  The boy stepped forward and gave assistance, but refused an offer by Boyce to pay him a small reward for his help saying he only was doing his duty as a Boy Scout.

Boyce reportedly was so affected by the experience that he gathered information about the new organization.  He was so impressed that, when he returned to the United States, he joined with two other men (Edward Stewart and Stanley Willis) and incorporated the Boy Scouts of America on February 8, 1910.

While the Legend of the Unknown Scout may be mostly apocryphal, it serves as a robust lesson that emphasizes the character, conviction, and selfless nature of dedicated Boy Scouts.

The Founding of the Boy Scout Program in the Town of Pelham

Barely eight months after the incorporation of the Boy Scouts of America, on about October 15, 1910, Pelhamites met at the home of Mrs. Eugene G. Kremer at 305 Pelhamdale Avenue (a home that still stands) to organize a Boy Scout program for Pelham.  I have written extensively of this early effort to establish Pelham's Boy Scout program.  See Tue., Apr. 03, 2007:  The Birthplace of Scouting in Pelham: 305 Pelhamdale Avenue Where Pelham Scouting Began in 1910.  See also Wed., Mar. 12, 2014:  The Beginning of the Boy Scout Program in Pelham in 1910, Still Going Strong 104 Years Later.

Residents of the Town in 1910 created one of the first if not the first Boy Scout Council in Westchester County called, appropriately, "Pelham Council."  The Pelham Council was created and in place by November 11, 1910, with Captain Daniel Delehanty, a retired U.S. Navy officer, as President.  Immediately the Pelham School Board and local Pelham churches became significantly involved in nurturing the young organization.

Soon, other Boy Scout Councils sprang up in the region, following the example of the Pelham Council.  Such councils were established in Rye (1913), Mamaroneck (1917), White Plains (1918), Peekskill (1918), Bronxville (1919), and in other Westchester County communities.  

The first Scout meeting for parents and boys was held on November 14, 1910d, at Highbrook Avenue School -- a predecessor school to today's Colonial Elementary School.  The very first patrol of Boy Scouts was organized at the Highbrook Avenue School House on George Washington's birthday, February 22, 1911.  The first members of the first patrol were seven boys named Otis Trowbridge, Alfred Walker, Robert Zucker, Stephen Loghman, William Sey, Jack Bass, and Howard Stead.  An announcement published on February 25, 1911 published in The Pelham Sun said:

"Any seven boys, aged 12 to 18, residing in the Town of Pelham, who desire to form a patrol may qualify by passing the examination as 'Tenderfoot' and receive the 'Tenderfoot' badge.  No boy not admitted to this degree can become entitled to the use of the gymnasium nor may he participate in the camping or Woodcraft soon to begin.  Applications may be made to Captain Delehanty, Cliff Avenue, or, in his absence, to Mr. Kremer, Pelhamdale avenue, Pelham."

Source:  PELHAM BOY SCOUTS, The Pelham Sun, Feb. 25, 1911, Vol. 1, No. 47, p. 1, col. 5.  

The Founding of Pelham Boy Scout Troop 1

We do not know a lot about the founding of Troop 1 in 1916.  Though official Boy Scout records confirm that the troop was founded early that year, there are no know extant records that specifically detail the troops founding.  Moreover, most Pelham newspapers published in 1916 no longer exist.  

There are some indications that local boys and parents gathered in March, 1916 to assist with forming Troop 1, but that cannot be established with certainty.  There was, however, a giant lawn party on the grounds of the Robert C. Black estate next to Huguenot Memorial Presbyterian Church on Pelhamdale Avenue on the first day of summer, June 21, 1916.  Pelham "Boy Scouts" performed "drills" during that lawn party.  Pelham Troop 1 likely participated in that grand event hosted by the Black family for the benefit of a local charity.  See In Nearby Towns -- North Pelham, The Daily Argus, June 21, 1916, p. 9, col. 2.  

What were things like when Troop 1 was founded?  Woodrow Wilson was President, running for re-election.  There were rumblings of war as the United States watched World War I unfold in Europe while trying to walk a fine line of pursuing a policy of non-intervention.  But, United States entry in the war was only about one year away.

The population of the Town of Pelham was only about 4,000 people.  The town was roughly one-third the size it is today, measured by population.

Where did the Troop 1 Boy Scouts (and other Scouts) camp?  There was not yet any Camp Siwanoy, Camp Read, or Camp Durland.  The boys, it turns out, camped on Hunter's Island which really was an island at the time -- not yet attached to the mainland by today's Orchard Beach parking lot.  What was the camp called?  "The Boy Scout Camp" of course!  (There are pictures of the camp and Scouts camping there in the collections of the Library of Congress.)

"Boy Scouts at Hunter's Island.  Writing to the folks at home"

Photograph by Underwood & Underwood, ca. 1912.  Library

of Congress Prints and Photographs Division, Digital ID:

cph 3c07478.  NOTE:  Click on Image to Enlarge.

"Boy Scouts [of the New York City area] at Hunter's Island:

Washing dishes [in tub outdoors]"  Photograph Circa 1912.

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division, Digital

ID:  cph.3b33512.  NOTE:  Click on Image to Enlarge.

"Boy Scouts [of the New York City area] at Hunter's Island:

The cook's tent"  Photograph Circa 1912.  Library of Congress

Prints and Photographs Division, Digital ID:  cph.3b33513.  NOTE:

Click on Image to Enlarge.

What were the Boy Scouts like at the time?  The standard uniform included a campaign hat like someone you all know wears today as part of his official Scout uniform:  Eagle Scout Brett Bell!  You would recognize the uniform today:  olive drab color and a neckerchief with a neckerchief slide.  However, the Knickerbocker style breeches, knee-high socks with garters, and calf-covering high lace-up boots have fallen out of style.  

The Boy Scout program in general, and certainly in Pelham in particular, was never intended as a paramilitary program.  In 1916, however, war was on the horizon.  Accounts of the day demonstrate that local Scouts performed a lot of drilling and marching.  There also were many more inter-troop competitions and local Scout rallies than are common today.  There were competitions in signaling, fire building, rope work, knot tying, and human pyramid building, among many others.

Development of a Broader Council Structure and Explosion in Popularity of Boy Scout Programs

On July 18, 1919, the Pelham Council was consolidated with all the other Scout Councils in Westchester County (except councils in Mount Vernon and Yonkers) to form the "Westchester County Council."  As Scouting exploded in Westchester in the early 1920s, the Westchester County Council split into an eastern half along Long Island Sound that included Pelham named the "Siwanoy Council" and a western half named the "Hendrick Hudson Council."  A couple of other so-called "Class 1 Councils" remained within Westchester County as well; they merged to form the Bronx Valley Council.

In 1958, the Bronx Valley Council merged with the Siwanoy Council to form the Siwanoy-Bronx Valley Council including Pelham.  In 1962, its name was changed to the Hutchinson River Council.

Similar mergers involving the western "Hendrick Hudson Council" were occurring at the time, resulting in a large Council known as the 'Washington Irving Council."  In 1973, the Hutchinson River Council, of which the Pelham Scout program formed a part, merged with the Washington Irving Council to form today's Westchester-Putnam Council.

Notable Events in the Life of Pelham Boy Scouts and Pelham Boy Scout Troop 1

Returning back to the Roaring Twenties, the Boy Scout program in Pelham grew ever more popular and expanded exponentially.  By the early 1920s, there were at least three large Boy Scout Troops in a Town with only about 5,200 residents.

Pelham Boy Scout Troop Believed to Be Troop 1 Outside the

"Boys Entrance" to Pelham Memorial High School During the

1920s.  NOTE:  Click on Image to Enlarge.

As Scouting expanded in Pelham, the number of competitions and competitive rallies among the various Pelham troops grew as well.  The troops constantly had competitions against each other with write-ups of the results in the local newspapers.  The boys were having a lot of fun.

The Penfield Stage Coach

In 1925, a famous artist named Edward Penfield who painted many works of art used to illustrate the covers of many well-known magazines died.  One of the things that Edward Penfield owned was an actual stage coach -- a really old Wild West sort stage coach.  One of the parents of a Pelham Boy Scout bought the stage coach from the estate of Edward Penfield and donated it to the Pelham Boy Scout program.  I have written before about the Penfield stage coach and its donation to the Boy Scouts.  See Wed., Aug. 13, 2014:  The Nineteenth Century Stage Coach Presented to Local Boy Scouts by Famed Illustrator Edward Penfield During the 1920s.  

The boys loved the stage coach!  They used it for everything.  They used it in parades.  They exhibited it.  They played in it and on it.  They loaned it for use in big productions like a play attended by thousands in 1926 to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Pelham -- why a Wild West style stage coach would be relevant to a production commemorating a Revolutionary War battle is anyone's guess, but who cared?  It was fun.

The stage coach became an important part of Scouting life for Troop 1 and other Pelham Troops.  It also became famous.  It was exhibited for quite some time by the New Rochelle Public Library.

The stage coach was stored during these years in a studio that had been used by the artist Edward Penfield before his death.  In 1930, a mysterious fire burned the studio and the stage coach inside to the ground.  The members of Troop 1 and all other Pelham Boy Scouts were devastated.  A part of their history was gone.

The Pelham Boy Scout Cabin

Probably the biggest thing that ever happened to Pelham Boy Scout Troop 1 -- and to all Pelham Boy Scouts -- was the construction of a Boy Scout Cabin for Pelham Scouts in 1925.  I have written extensively about the Pelham Boy Scout Cabin.  See, e.g.:  Tue., Jul. 19, 2005:  Pelham's Boy Scout Cabin Near The Hutchinson River Parkway; ;Mon., Oct. 31, 2005:  Remnants of Pelham's Boy Scout Cabin Near The Hutchinson River Parkway Fri., Nov. 25, 2005:  The End of Pelham's Boy Scout Cabin Near The Hutchinson River Parkway; and Fri., Feb. 19, 2016:  The 600-Year Old "Lord Howe Chestnut" Tree that Once Stood in Pelham.  

One of the Only Known Photographs of the Pelham Boy Scout

Cabin with Unidentified Group of Boy Scouts Standing at the

Back Door of the Cabin.  The Massive Stone Chimney is Visible,

As Are the Remnants of the Once Massive "Lord Howe Chestnut"

(See Below).  Photograph Courtesy of The Office of The Historian

of the Town of Pelham.  NOTE:  Click on Image to Enlarge.

The cabin was built on a hill overlooking today's Friendship Field, the Pelham Little League baseball diamond adjacent to the tennis courts at the rear of today's Glover Field Complex.  The stairs leading up the hill from the left field foul line of the field take visitors to a parking lot where the cabin once stood.  

The cabin was placed at that location for a very important reason.  When it was built, there stood at that location the remnants of the Lord Howe Chestnut -- a giant and ancient chestnut tree that, according to legend, was the location where Lord Howe and his British and German officers rested and dined beneath the shade of the tree after the Battle of Pelham on October 18, 1776.  See Fri., Feb. 19, 2016:  The 600-Year Old "Lord Howe Chestnut" Tree that Once Stood in Pelham.

Lord Howe Chestnut With Unidentified Visitor Standing

at its Base in 1900.  Photograph Courtesy of the Office

of the Historian of The Town of Pelham.  NOTE:  Click

on Image to Enlarge.

This was a special place for Pelham Boy Scouts.  The Boy Scout Cabin was so special that a very special item was included as a centerpiece of the structure.  During the 1920s, amateur historians discovered the site of an ancient home in Pelham Bay Park not far from Split Rock.  At the time it was believed -- erroneously -- that Anne Hutchinson and her family built their home near Split Rock before most of the family was murdered by local Native Americans in 1643.  Amateur historians declared that the site must have been the home of Anne Hutchinson and excavated its foundation and the surrounding location, documenting their work and publishing papers and newspaper articles claiming that the long-lost home of Anne Hutchinson had been found.  (It never has been.)  They removed the main hearthstone from the excavated site, inscribed it with the date "1643" and had it installed as the main hearthstone of the Pelham Boy Scout Cabin.

Extensive searches of the area where the cabin once stood have been to no avail.  No one knows where the hearthstone is today.

The Pelham Boy Scout cabin was used for meetings, for camping, and for special ceremonies.  It was, in short, a special clubhouse for all Pelham Scouts that looked over the newly-constructed Hutchinson River Parkway when that roadway was truly a beautiful park enjoyed by Sunday afternoon drivers rather than the major thoroughfare it has become.

By 1948, however, the Hutchinson River Parkway had become a major roadway clogged with traffic.  The cabin no longer stood on a quiet, idyllic hill.  The cabin was subjected to periodic vandalism and, that year, it burned to the ground.  It was not replaced and simply became another part of the history of Pelham Boy Scouts and the Town of Pelham.  The giant stone chimney is all that remains on the site today.

Pelham Scouting In the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s

The 1950s were the "Golden Age" of Scouting in America.  Between 1950 and 1960, the number of Boy Scouts in the United States nearly doubled from about 2.8 million to 5.2 million.  In Pelham, according to local reports, nearly every boy in town was a Boy Scout.  There were up to seven Boy Scout Troops in town.  Troop 1 was one of the more successfull troops of the day.

For many, many years, Pelham Boy Scout Troop 1 met in the Huguenot Memorial Presbyterian Church.  Today, the troop meets in the Community Church of the Pelhams, its chartering organization.

Throughout the decades of the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s, another important element in the life of Pelham Boy Scout Troop 1, and the lives of Pelham Boy Scouts in general, was Camp Siwanoy, the 740-acre Boy Scourt camp that Troop 1 attended that once was located inu Wingdale, New York.  Founded in 1926, Camp Siwanoy became one of the principal camps that Pelham Boy Scouts attended for the next 60 years.

Pelham Scouting From the 1980s Until Today

Pelham Boy Scout Troop 1 and other Pelham Scouts were shocked in 1987 when the Westchester-Putnam Council announced the 740-acre Camp Siwanoy would close and would not open for its 61st season.  There was a vast outcry in Pelham and elsewhere in the region, but Camp Siwanoy only opened on a limited basis in 1988 and 1989.  For all intents and purposes, however, it was closed and was lost to Pelham Scouts.

Scouting was consolidating somewhat.  Even the number of Boy Scout Troops in Pelham had declined.  Thus, the Westchester-Putnam Council decided to combine staff and send Westchester-Putnam campers to Camp Curtis S. Read, a 1,000 acre Boy Scout wilderness preserve in the Adirondacks.

Always a Silver Lining in the Dark Cloud

The members of Pelham Troop 1 were saddened by the loss of Camp Siwanoy but, I suggest, the loss of Camp Siwanoy played some role in the way Pelham Boy Scout Troop 1 thought of itself and, indeed, positioned itself to become the Town's most successful -- and only surviving -- Boy Scout Troop.

At the time Camp Siwanoy closed, Camp Read was touted as a "high adventure" camp.  Even in the 1980s, Pelham Troop 1 thought of itself as a "high adventure troop."  As Troop 1 became involved with the "high adventure camp" known as Camp Read and, more importantly, as Ralph Mirra later became involved with the Troop and became Scoutmaster in 1 transformed itself into a true "high adventure troop."

As a high adventure troop, Pelham Boy Scout Troop 1 gives its members incredible opportunities:  scuba diving in Key West, whitewater rafting, kayaking, ice climbing, rock climbing, dog sledding, snow shoeing, horseback riding, spelunking, orienteering, high-country survival training, hiking and camping at Philmont National Scout Ranch, and even the more mundane hiking and camping at places like Camp Read, Durland, and elsewhere.

Conclusion

As Troop 1 celebrates its centennial year, we celebrate Ralph Mirra as well as the current and former members of the troop, the current and former adult leaders of the troop, and the parents of current and former members of the troop who have supported its members and its activities for the past century.  

Today, young men must choose among many, many more activities than were available in 1916 when Troop 1 was founded.  Those who choose to become Boy Scouts are a special breed and form a particularly special group that is known for success, self-reliance, dependability, and all the positive attributes associated with Boy Scouts.  

As Pelham Troop 1 moves optimistically into its second century, I extend my congratulations to the members of Troop 1 -- those who have chosen to be part of this special group.  I extend my congratulations to those who have helped shape the lives of these young men and have worked to make them Eagle Scouts -- twenty-six Eagle Scouts under the tutelage of Scoutmaster Ralph Mirra alone!  I extend my congratulations to Troop 1.

I further extend my grandest and most heart-felt wishes that one hundred years from now, our successors will be toasting our Pelham Boy Scout Troop 1 as it moves optimistically into its THIRD CENTURY.

THREE CHEERS FOR TROOP 1:  HIP HIP HURRAY!  HIP HIP HURRAY!  HIP HIP HURRAY!

-- Remarks of Blake A. Bell, Pelham Boy Scout Troop 1 Centennial Celebration, Juliano's in New Rochelle, April 2, 2016.

*          *          *          *          *

Crowd Begins to Gather to Celebrate the Centennial of

Pelham Boy Scout Troop 1 at Juliano's in New Rochelle

on the Evening of April 2, 2016.  Photograph by the Author.

NOTE:  Click on Image to Enlarge.

One of the Pelham Boy Scout Troop 1 Memorabilia Display

Tables Scattered About the Room During the Centennial 

Celebration.  Image Used with Permission, Courtesy of

Maureen Mirra Katos.  NOTE:  Click on Image to Enlarge.

Members of Pelham Boy Scout Troop 1 Present Scoutmaster

Ralph Mirra with Bronze Eagle Sculpture to Represent the 26
Members of the Troop Who Have Reached the Rank of Eagle
Scout Under His Guidance.  Image Used with Permission, 
Courtesy of Maureen Mirra Katos.  NOTE:  Click on Image to Enlarge.

Group of Recent Adult Leaders of Pelham Boy Scout Troop 1.
Image Used With Permission, Courtesy of Maureen Mirra Katos.
NOTE:  Click on Image to Enlarge.

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