Historic Pelham

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

Monday, June 13, 2016

Rare Map Published in 1874 on Behalf of the Pelham Manor & Huguenot Heights Association


On May 26, 2016, Swann Auction Galleries in New York City conducted Sale 2417 of "Maps & Atlases, Natural History & Color Plate Books."  Lot 111 in that auction was described as follows:

"Sale 2417 Lot 111

(NEW YORK CITY.)  Pelham Manor and Huguenot Heights.

Lithographed folding map, with small portion of hand-coloring.  32 1/2 x 21 1/4 inches.  New York:  Pelham Manor and Huguenot Heights Association, [1874]

Estimate $200 - 300"

The pre-auction sales price estimate of $200 to $300 for the map was far too low.  The map sold for $750, with the buyer's premium bringing the total to $938.

Only a few copies of the map sold during the auction still exist.  One copy is held by the New York Public Library in its "Maps of New York City and State" in the Lionel Pincus and Princess Firyal Map Division.  See "Pelham Manor and Huguenot Heights Association [Map]" in "New York City" Sub-Collection of the "Maps of New York City and State" Collection of the Lionel Pincus and Princess Firyal Map Division of the New York Public Library (1874) (Available via The New York City Public Library Digital Collections).  

The map was an advertising map, sometimes used as an advertising handbill, published on behalf of the Pelham Manor & Huguenot Heights Association in 1874.  I have written about the map before.  See Wed., Jan. 14, 2015:  1874 Handbill Advertising Homes, Lots, and Securities for Sale by the Pelham Manor And Huguenot Heights Association.  I am including higher resolution images of the map and details of the map, plus additional information about the map, in today's posting to the Historic Pelham Blog.



in New York City Sub-Collection of the "Maps of New York
City and State" Collection of the Lionel Pincus and Princess
Firyal Map Division of the New York Public Library (1874)
NOTE:  Click on Link to Enlarge (Large File).

The Pelham Manor & Huguenot Heights Association

In 1873, real estate speculators who owned lands in the area of today's Village of Pelham Manor began to dream big.  They formed the Pelham Manor & Huguenot Heights Association to develop a first class, elegant suburban as an affluent respite from the giant metropolis nearby.  

Their plans were grandiose.  They developed an Esplanade "in the center of which rows of trees are left standing with such care as to give it the appearance of one of the drives in the famous Bois de Boulogne."  They placed the center of the new development at the location we know today as Four Corners. 

The developers had a grand plan to build a magnificent domed church at that intersection of Boston Post Road and Pelhamdale Avenue.  Indeed, a real estate brochure published in 1875 before the area was built included the reproduction of a pen and ink sketch of the planned church and a planned residence nearby.  Both were depicted as palatial structures worthy of any cosmopolitan center in the world -- both a far cry from what actually was built in the next several years.  At the time, of course, a number of communities were developing along the so-called Branch Line -- the new railroad tracks opened through the region.   

The timing of the real estate developers involved with the Pelham Manor venture, led by Silas H. Witherbee, could not have been worse.  Almost at the same time the project began, the Panic of 1873 ensued.  The panic led to what thereafter was called "The Long Depression" -- an economic depression that lasted from 1873 until 1878.

By 1874, Witherbee and his compatriots had spent money assembling the lands, having them surveyed, grading roadways, and the like.  As The Long Depression pummeled the nation, the development soon was suffering financial difficulties.  The large lots, intended for purchase by the affluent and for the construction of large, elegant homes, simply were not selling as hoped.  That year, the leaders of the Pelham Manor & Huguenot Heights Association embarked on a major public relations initiative, advertising the real estate offered for sale in New York City newspapers, real estate publications, and other periodicals.  (Although there are dozens of such advertisements, I have included only a few at the end of today's article to give a sense of the types of advertisements that were appearing in 1874.)

Among the many such advertisements published by the Pelham Manor & Huguenot Heights Association in 1874 was the map thar is the subject of this article, an example of which recently sold at the Swann Galleries Auction.  

As originally envisioned, the real estate development of the Pelham Manor & Huguenot Heights Association was laid out, according to a map contained in the original prospectus, in two sections:  (1)  "Pelham Manor" which began at Boston Post Road and extended east around the excluded Priory estate with a portion north of Pelhamdale Avenue extending toward, but not all the way to, the Sound and a portion south of Pelhamdale Avenue extending all the way to the Sound on both sides of Split Rock Road.  Below is the image of a map from the Pelham Manor & Huguenot Heights Association prospectus.  I have written about that prospectus before.  See Tue., Apr. 18, 2006:  Prospectus Issued by the Pelham Manor & Huguenot Heights Association in 1874.



"Map Showing Location of Lands OF THE PELHAM MANOR AND
HUGUENOT HEIGHTS ASSOCIATION" From the 1874 Prospectus
of the Association.  NOTE:  Click on Image to Enlarge (Large File).

Soon after the prospectus for the Association was issued, it seems that the Association moved from two distinct divisions to three distinct divisions.  (That, of course, is a mystery to be solved, hopefully by me but by anyone please).  The three distinct divisions that were planned extended from the New Haven Main Line (covering part of today's Pelham Heights) all the way across today's Colonial Avenue and today's Boston Post Road, to an area beyond the Branch Line on both sides of today's Pelhamdale Avenue extending nearly to Long Island Sound north of Pelhamdale Avenue and all the way to Long Island Sound south of Pelhamdale Avenue.  (The lands of the Bolton estate known as the Priory, of course, were not included.)

Named from north to south, the three divisions were known as "Pleasant Ridge," "Glen Mitchill," and "Chestnut Grove."  Pleasant Ridge included some of the lands in today's Pelham Heights.  Glen Mitchill, named after R. M. Mitchill who served as "Superintendent" of the Association, extended between Pleasant Ridge and Chestnut Grove.  Chestnut Grove covered much of the area we think of today as the central portion of the Village of Pelham Manor where the Manor Club and the Huguenot Memorial Presbyterian Church are located.

Silas Witherbee was an important supporter of The Pelham Manor & Huguenot Heights Association.  He also owned much of the land used to form the venture that he founded with two of his nephews, the Stephens Brothers.  Witherbee was a member of Witherbee, Sherman & Co., a firm involved in a host of ventures including Lake Champlain Iron Mines.  See Funeral of Mr. Witherbee, N.Y. Times, Jun. 13, 1889, p. 4.  Witherbee also served as a member of the Board of Trustees of The National Trust Company and a member of the Board of Directors of The Security Bank of the City of New-York. See The National Trust Company, N.Y. Times, Sep. 30, 1871, p. 6; Election, N.Y. Times, May 17, 1872, p. 6.  He was among the incorporators of the New York, Connecticut and Boston Railway. See The New Boston Line, N.Y. Times, Feb. 8, 1882, p. 5.  He also summered in a cottage on Honeyman Hill in Newport, Rhode Island.  See The Newport Cottagers, N.Y. Times, Jun. 26, 1887, p. 11.  Witherbee, in short, was a very wealthy and influential man.  Importantly, he also had a headstrong daughter named Mary Witherbee (see below).  

The Long Depression effectively killed the Pelham Manor & Huguenot Heights Association.  By 1876, the Association could not meet its obligations.  It entered receivership, the proceedings of which lasted for years.  

Much of the land in the Chestnut Grove Division of the Development devolved to Silas Witherbee's headstrong daughter, Mary Witherbee, who married Robert C. Black of famed Fifth Avenue Jeweler Black, Starr & Frost.  Mary Black and her husband, Robert Black, thereafter worked tirelessly to develop the area that became known as Pelham Manor. Indeed, at the time of his death in 1889, Silas Witherbee was helping his daughter arrange the opening of "Pelham Hall", also known as Mrs. Hazen's School for Girls in a home owned by the Black family.  The intent was to develop a notable school to attract home purchasers to the tiny settlement of Pelham Manor with the vast majority of its proposed lots still unsold at the time.

Details from the Advertising Map and Their Significance 

Below are several high resolution details from the 1874 map.  Each is significant in some respect viz-a-viz the development of the settlement that became known as Pelham Manor.  


Detail from the Map Showing One of the Planned Cottages.
NOTE:  Click on Image to Enlarge. 

The Map detail immediately above is significant because it depicts a cottage that was planned but, apparently, was never constructed.  There exist in a variety of documents and advertisements a number of depictions of planned residences and the planned Presbyterian Church that never were constructed to resemble the depictions.


Detail from the Map Showing the Harlem River Terminus
of the Branch Line.  NOTE:  Click on Image to Enlarge.

The detail immediately above shows the Harlem River Terminus of the Branch Line and is particularly interesting.  The Branch Line was one of two different rail lines that served the planned development.  It served primarily the Chestnut Grove Division but, unlike the Main Line, did not proceed across any bridge at the Harlem and, thus, did not continue to Grand Central Depot.  Instead, the Branch Line ended at the so-called Harlem River Terminus.  As text beneath the Harlem River Terminus image on the map indicates, at the Harlem River Terminus:

"close connection is made with the Express Boats of the Morrisania Steamboat Company, which in ABOUT HALF AN HOUR, land their passengers at FULTON SLIP, the Southerly and Business end of the Great Metropolis.  By this UNEQUALLED ROUTE, residents are enable to leave their HOMES at Pelham, and reach Offices and Stores below Canal Street, in New-York City, in about ONE HOUR's TIME; thus realizing for THIS SUBURB AT LEAST, the much coveted RAPID TRANSIT."



Detail from Map Showing the Famous "Pelham Coach" Operated
by Col. Delancey Kane that Ran in the 1870s from the Hotel
Brunswick at Madison Square to Pelham and New Rochelle.
NOTE:  Click on Image to Enlarge.

The image immediately above shows crowds gathered at the Hotel Brunswick at Madison Square in New York City to watch the then world-famous "Pelham Coach," operated by Col. Delancey Kane, depart for Pelham and New Rochelle.  Kane was wealthy and operated the coach daily, in season, in an effort to keep it exactly on time and to stop only for changes of teams of horses at various locations along the route to Pelham and New Rochelle.  Although the destination changed over the years, early in the days of the Pelham Coach it stopped at the Arcularius Hotel (the old Pierre Lorillard mansion) at Pelham Bridge for a picnic and recreation before returning to the Hotel Brunswick.  I have written extensively about Col. Delancey Kane and "coaching" to Pelham.  See:

Bell, Blake A., Col. Delancey Kane and "The Pelham Coach", The Pelham Weekly, Vol. XII, No. 38, Sept. 26, 2003, p. 1, col. 1.



Bell, Blake A., Col. Delancey Kane and "The Pelham Coach" (Sep. 2003).

Wed., Jul. 30, 2014:  Yet Another Attempt in 1894 to Resurrect the Glory Days of Coaching to Pelham.

Mon., Jul. 29, 2014:  Wonderful Description of Coaching to Pelham on the Tally-Ho's First Trip of the Season on May 1, 1882.

Wed., Apr. 14, 2010:  Col. Delancey Kane Changes the Timing and Route of The Pelham Coach in 1876.

Tue., Sep. 08, 2009:  1877 Advertisement with Timetable for the Tally Ho Coach to Pelham.

Mon., Mar. 23, 2009:  The Greyhound and the Tantivy-- The Four-in-Hand Coaches that Succeeded Col. Delancey Kane's "Tally-Ho" to Pelham.

Fri., Jan. 16, 2009: The Final Trip of the First Season of Col. Delancey Kane's "New-Rochelle and Pelham Four-in-Hand Coach Line" in 1876.

Thu., Jan. 15, 2009:  The First Trip of Col. Delancey Kane's "New-Rochelle and Pelham Four-in-Hand Coach Line" on May 1, 1876.

Thu., Mar. 06, 2008:  Auctioning the Tantivy's Horses at the Close of the 1886 Coaching Season.

Wed., Mar. 05, 2008:  Coaching to Pelham: The Tantivy Has an Accident on its Way to Pelham in 1886.  

Thu., Jan. 24, 2008:  An Account of the First Trip of Colonel Delancey Kane's Tally-Ho to Open the 1880 Coaching Season.

Tuesday, Jan. 8, 2008: Brief "History of Coaching" Published in 1891 Shows Ties of Sport to Pelham, New York

Thursday, August 3, 2006: Images of Colonel Delancey Kane and His "Pelham Coach" Published in 1878.

Wednesday, September 28, 2005: Taunting the Tantivy Coach on its Way to Pelham: 1886.

Wednesday, July 27, 2005: 1882 Engraving Shows Opening of Coaching Season From Hotel Brunswick to Pelham Bridge.

Thu., Jun. 09, 2005:  Coaching to Pelham: Colonel Delancey Astor Kane Did Not Operate the Only Coach to Pelham.

Fri., Feb. 11, 2005:  Col. Delancey Kane's "Pelham Coach", Also Known as The Tally-Ho, Is Located.


Map Detail Showing the Lands of the Pelham Manor & Huguenot
Heights Association in 1874.  The Three Shaded Areas Depict 
"Pleasant Ridge," "Glen Mitchill," and "Chestnut Grove."
NOTE:  Click on Image to Enlarge.

The image immediately above is important not only for showing the lands, and the three divisions of, the Pelham Manor & Huguenot Heights Association, but also for the dark line that loops around the region.  That dark line represents a portion of the route taken by Colonel Delancey Kane in a loop around the region.

The dark line is significant.  It demonstrates something on which I never have focused.  Although it long has been known that Col. Delancey Kane's route for the Pelham Coach proceeded for many years in the 1870s and 1880s along today's Shore Road and Pelham Road in New Rochelle, this map indicates that in 1874 the stage made it to New Rochelle then looped back to the Boston Post Road and proceeded to and then onto Pelhamdale Avenue back to Shore Road.  I never had any idea that a portion of the route of the Pelham Coach included part of today's Pelhamdale Avenue from Boston Post Road to Shore Road -- the same historic stretch along which the Pelham Manor Trolley that inspired the Toonerville Trolley in the comic strip "Toonerville Folks" later traveled.  

Other Examples of 1874 Advertisements by the Association

As noted above, the 1874 map / handbill that is the subject of today's article was not the only advertisement published by the Association in 1874.  Below are several additional examples of advertisements placed in a variety of periodicals in 1874 by the Pelham Manor & Huguenot Heights Association.

The full page advertisement immediately below is very similar to -- but nevertheless different from -- the map that is the subject of today's article.  Also published in 1874, this full page advertisement includes the main map and two of the three detail images that were included in the map / handbill also published in 1874.



June 12, 1874 Advertisement from The Daily Graphic
Quoted in Full Immediately Below with Citation and Link.
Note that at the Very Bottom of the Advertisement is the
Following Statement:  "Copies of this map, suitable for
mounting, to be had gratuitously on personal application
to the agents of the Association."  This Likely is a Reference
to the Map that is the Subject of Today's Article.
NOTE:  Click on Image to Enlarge (Large File).

"PELHAM MANOR AND HUGUENOT HEIGHTS ASSOCIATION.

Organized under the Laws of the State of New York.

OFFICERS:

S. H. WITHERBEE, President.
C.J. STEPHENS, Secy.
H.C. STEPHENS, Treasurer.
R. M. MITCHILL, Sup't.
E. G. SPILSBURY, Engineer.
-----

This Association has been formed and legally incorporated for the purpose of most effectively combining capital and skill in the control and improvement of such a large body of land as should, by its NATURAL ADVANTAGES and SUPERIOR ACCESSIBILITY from the BUSINESS CENTERS of NEW YORK CITY, be found most adaptable for sub-division into VILLA PLOTS, and therein provide, at a moderate cost to every purchaser, a foundation for a SUBURBAN HOME, or for PROFITABLE INVESTMENT that would surely commend itself to public favor.

As fully satisfying these various objects, several estates, comprising 500 ACRES OF CHOICE LAND, adjacent to the new metropolitan limits, are finally consolidated and being improved as one whole, under the ownership of this Corporation, who now invite the attention of the public to a NEW SUBURB so regulated as to guarantee to those who shall early purchase LAND PORTIONS or STOCK SHARES therein, a COMBINATION OF ADVANTAGES seldom equalled.

NEW YORK OFFICE, with STEPHENS BROTHERS & CO., 187 Broadway, between Cortlandt and Dey streets.

BEAUTIFUL SUBURB!
'PELHAM MANOR & HUGUENOT HEIGHTS'
EIGHT MILES only from HARLEM RIVER.
-----
TIME VIA EXPRESS BOATS & H.R.R. PORTCHESTER R.R.
FROM FULTON ST. TO PELHAM MANOR
ONLY 35 MINUTES.
TIME VIA N.Y. NEW HAVEN & HARTFORD R.R. 
FROM GRAND CENTRAL DEPOT TO HUGUENOT HEIGHTS
ONLY 36 MINUTES.

MAP SHOWING LOCATION OF LANDS OF THE PELHAM MANOR AND HUGUENOT HEIGHTS ASSOCIATION, AND THEIR RAILROAD COMMUNICATIONS WITH NEW YORK CITY.
-----

THE PROPERTY is situated in the Township of PELHAM, WESTCHESTER COUNTY, Eight Miles only from the centre of New York City, extending from the New Haven Railroad on the north to the picturesque shores of the Sound on the south.  The natural characteristics of this GRAND CONSOLIDATED TRACT OF LAND are, in part, its diversified and inspiring landscape (nearly all of which is beautifully wooded), culminating in a multiplication of CHARMING VILLA SITES, and crowned by HEIGHTS which command views of the Sound and the Hudson Highlands; -- its salubrious atmosphere and remarkably pure and abundant spring waters; -- its fertile soil of sandy loam, entirely free, through the natural subsoil drainage, from malarious exhalations; -- its southeasterly exposure and proximity to the sheltered Sound, warding off the extremes of both Winter and Summer; -- with a well-proven record through the present century of almost PERFECT HEALTH of its inhabitants; -- all these, combined with other conspicuous advantages, make this portion of Old Westchester County PECULIARLY FAVORABLE FOR HOME SETTLEMENT, AND RESIDENCE THE YEAR ROUND.

SCHOOLS, CHURCHES, &c.  Of the excellent institutions in the immediate neighborhood, is the far and worthily famed 'PELHAM PRIORY,' attractive in its School and English Church; whilst in the vicinity are several other good Churches and Schools of various denominations.  Also, northeast from and nearly adjoining the lands of this Association may be found 'HUGUENOT PARK,' with its beautiful Villas, Avenues, and Lakes.  Again, half a mile beyond 'Pelham Manor,' upon the very romantic Sea-shore Road, is situated the spacious and well-appointed 'Neptune House,' which is largely patronized by the best classes.

COMMUNICATIONS, DRIVES, &c.  Further, the local and carriage drive communications of this excellent suburb deserve mention.  In addition to the fine avenues (one a perfect Esplanade, one hundred feet in width) already made or under construction by this Association, and running through its lands and centrally intersecting therein, are two great East-and-West and North-and-South Highways, -- namely, the Boston Boulevard and Pelhamdale Avenue, which latter avenue is the direct thoroughfare between the CAPTIVATING SEA-SHORE and the large and thriving community of MOUNT VERNON, whilst the Boulevard affords a straight and splendid drive to New Rochelle, and other prosperous towns beyond, or in the other direction to New York City.

RAILROAD FACILITIES.  But of still greater importance are the remarkable Railroad facilities possessed by 'Pelham Manor' and 'Huguenot Heights,' rendering either more accessible from City Hall than are many parts of the city itself, actually nearer.  36 TRAINS DAILY.  First, on the main line of the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad, on the northern boundary of this New Town site, is a station, served by Twenty-three Passenger Trains Daily, stopping but twice between Pelhamville and 43d Street; -- thus giving direct access in THIRTY-FIVE MINUTES' TIME ONLY TO THE GRAND CENTRAL DEPOT.  Besides this liberal service, the southerly portion of this suburb is traversed by the NEW AIR LINE EXTENSION, or HARLEM RIVER BRANCH OF THE NEW HAVEN RAILROAD, with Thirteen Daily Trains between 'Pelham Manor' Station AND THE HARLEM RIVER TERMINUS OF THE GREAT RAILWAY BOULEVARD, where close connection is made with the Express Boats of the Morrisania Steamboat Company, which in about half an hour land their passengers at Fulton Slip, the southerly and Business end of the Great Metropolis.  By this unequalled route, residents are enabled to leave their homes at Pelham, and reach offices and stores below Canal street, in New York City, in about ONE HOUR'S TIME; thus realizing for this Suburb at least the mmuch coveted RAPID TRANSIT.

CHOICE OF ROUTES.  Let it be specially noted that the Commuter, residing at either Pelham Manor or Huguenot Heights, has the valuable privilege of choice of Routes (from day to day as convenience may dictate), the one terminating Down Town and the other at Forty-second Street.

THE LANDS offerred by this Association are subdivided, as the Topography best admits, into Plot, varying in size from Three to Twenty City Lots, -- Inverstment in which, at present prices, is certain to increase in value with each successive year.

The undersigned will cheerfully furnish all further particulars, as well as full facilities for personal inspection of the Company's Lands.

June, 1874.
R. M. MITCHILL, Sup't, Pelham, N. Y.

STEPHENS BROTHERS & CO., Managers.
187 Broadway (first floor), New York City.
-----
Copies of this map, suitable for mounting, to be had gratuitously on personal application to the agents of the Association."

Source:  PELHAM MANOR AND HUGUENOT HEIGHTS ASSOCIATION [Advertisement], The Daily Graphic [NY, NY], Jun. 12, 1874, p. 785, cols. 1-2.  

Immediately below is a second advertisement published at about the same time.



August 26, 1874 Advertisement from The Daily Graphic
Quoted in Full Immediately Below with Citation and Link.
NOTE:  Click on Image to Enlarge.

"PELHAM MANOR AND HUGUENOT HEIGHTS, MIDWAY BETWEEN MT. VERNON AND NEW ROCHELLE, EIGHT MILES only from the Territorial CENTRE OF NEW YORK CITY.

A NEW AND DELIGHTFUL SUBURB!

Unsurpassed in neighborhood and healthfulness.  Noted for its Natural Beauty, Picturesque Water and Inland Views, and offering unusual advantages in accessibility from the BUSINESS CENTRES OF THE GREAT METROPOLIS.
-----

RAPID TRANSIT now secured by TWO RAILROADS AND 36 TRAINS DAILY, TO BOTH CENTRAL AND LOWER NEW YORK.

Thirty-five minutes from Grand Central Depot, via New Haven Railroad.  One hour only from Wall Street, via New Haven Railroad.  One hour only from Wall Street, via Express Boats on the East River and the Harlem River Branch Railroad.  ONE COMMUTATION TICKET GOOD ON BOTH ROUTES.
-----

THE PROPERTY OF THE Pelham Manor and Huguenot Heights ASSOCIATION Comprises 500 Acres (nearly one mile square), extending from the main line of the New Haven Railroad to Long Island Sound, of which Three Divisions, viz.:

'PLEASANT RIDGE,'
'GLEN MITCHILL,'
And 'CHESTNUT GROVE,'

(In the order named, commencing on the North,) aggregating about 170 acres, have been Topographically Plotted, and the Grading of the Avenues thereon is rapidly going forward.

THE ATTENTION OF ALL INVITED TO THE MANY CHOICE PLOTS, varying in size from three City Lots to as many or more ACRES, now for sale by us at LOW PRICES on LIBERAL TERMS.

EXCURSIONS from New York Office to Manor and Heights every pleasant afternoon.  Apply for Maps, &c., to 

STEPHENS BROTHERS & CO., Managers, No. 187 Broadway, New York."

Source:  PELHAM MANOR AND HUGUENOT HEIGHTS [Advertisement], The Daily Graphic (NY, NY), Aug. 26, 1874, p. 400, cols. 1-5.  

Finally, below is a third advertisement that appeared in the Evening Telegraph at about the same time.  



August 27, 1874 Advertisement from Evening Telegraph
Quoted in Full Immediately Below with Citation and Link.
NOTE:  Click on Image to Enlarge.

"PELHAM MANOR AND HUGUENOT HEIGHTS,
Midway Between Mount Vernon and New Rochelle.

Eight miles only from the Territorial Centre of New York city.  A new and delightful suburb, unsurpassed in neighborhood and healthfulness.  Noted for its natural beauty, picturesque water and inland views, and offering unusual advantages in accessibility from the Business Centres of the Great Metropolis.  RAPID TRANSIT now secured by two railroads and thirty-six trains daily to both Central and Lower New York.  Thirty-five minutes from Grand Central Depot, via New Haven Railroad.  One hour only from Wall street, via Express Boats on the East River and the Harlem River Branch Railroad.  One Commutation Ticket, good on both routes.  The property of THE PELHAM MANOR AND HUGUENOT HEIGHTS ASSOCIATION comprises 500 acres (nearly one mile square), extending from the main line of the New Haven Railroad to Long Island Sound, of which three divisions, viz.:  -- 'Pleasant Ridge,' 'Glen Mitchill,' and 'Chestnut Grove' (in the order named, commencing on the north), aggregating about 170 acres, have been topographically plotted, and the grading of the avenues thereon is rapidly going forward.  The attention of all invited to the many Choice Plots, varying in size from three city lots to as many or more acres, now for sale by us at Low Prices and on Liberal Terms.  EXCURSIONS from New York Office to Manor and Heights every pleasant afternoon.  Apply for new Map of city and lower Westchester, prospectus of the association, diagrams of property, &c., to STEPHENS BROTHERS & CO., Managers, 187 Broadway, N.Y."

Source:  PELHAM MANOR AND HUGUENOT HEIGHTS [Advertisement], Evening Telegram [NY, NY], Aug. 27, 1874, p. 3, cols. 3-4.



*          *          *          *          *

I have written on numerous occasions about the Pelham Manor & Huguenot Heights Association, as well as the development of the suburb that came to be known as Pelham Manor. For examples, see:  

Bell, Blake A., The Pelham Manor & Huguenot Heights Association, The Pelham Weekly, Vol. XV, Issue 1, Jan. 6, 2006.


Wed., Jan. 14, 2015:  1874 Handbill Advertising Homes, Lots, and Securities for Sale by the Pelham Manor And Huguenot Heights Association.

Tue., Jun. 17, 2014:  1875 Real Estate Sales Brochure for New Suburb of Pelham Manor Being Marketed by the Pelham Manor & Huguenot Heights Association.


Fri., Feb. 21, 2014:  More About Edmund Gybbon Spilsbury Who Served as Engineer for the Pelham Manor & Huguenot Heights Association.

Tue., Jul. 19, 2011:  1876 Newspaper AdvertisementTouting Pelham Manor & Huguenot Heights Association Real Estate.

Wed., May 19, 2010:  Obituary of Charles J. Stephens of the Pelham Manor & Huguenot Heights Association.

Tue., May 18, 2010:  1874 Newspaper Advertisement Touting Pelham Manor & Huguenot Heights Association Real Estate.

Mon., May 17, 2010:  Jessup Family Members Tried in 1909 to Take Back Some of the Lands Conveyed to Form the Lands Developed by the Pelham Manor and Huguenot Heights Association.

Fri., May 14, 2010:  1885 Article on Alleged Failure to Develop Pelham Manor Said the Development "At Best Resembles the Collapse of a Wild Cat Land Scheme."

Wed., Nov. 11, 2009:  1874 Evening Telegram Advertisement for Pelham Manor & Huguenot Heights Development.


Thu., Apr. 09, 2009:  The Death of Charles J. Stephens in City of Mexico in 1891.

Mon., Mar. 2, 2009:  1884 Advertisement Placed by Charles J. Stephens of the Pelham Manor & Huguenot Heights Association Offering Home for Rent.

Tue., Jun. 20, 2006:  Mystery - A Lawsuit Filed Against the Dissolved Pelham Manor & Huguenot Heights Association in 1915.

Mon., Jun. 12, 2006:  Early Deed of Land to the Pelham Manor & Huguenot Heights Association.


Fri., May 26, 2006:  The 27th Conference on New York State History Will Include Presentation of Paper on Pelham Manor & Huguenot Heights Association.

Wed., May 10, 2006:  Horace Crosby, the Civil Engineer Who Laid Out the Chestnut Grove Division for the Pelham Manor & Hueguenot Heights Association in the 1870s.


Mon., May 8, 2006:  Edmund Gybbon Spilsbury Who Served as Engineer for the Pelham Manor & Huguenot Heights Association.

Tue., Apr. 18, 2006:  Prospectus Issued by the Pelham Manor & Huguenot Heights Association in 1874.

Mon., Mar. 27, 2006:  1057 Esplanade: One of the Original Homes Built by the Pelham Manor & Huguenot Heights Association.

Mon., Mar. 20, 2006:  Charles J. Stephens and Henry C. Stephens of the Pelham Manor & Huguenot Heights Association.

Tue., Feb. 21, 2006:  Silas H. Witherbee and His Influence on the Village of Pelham Manor

Thu., Dec. 22, 2005:  Area Planned for Development by The Pelham Manor & Huguenot Heights Association in 1873.

Archive of the Historic Pelham Web Site.

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Thursday, February 19, 2015

Another Account of Gold and Silver Treasure Found in a Pelham Manor Backyard in 1889


Gold!  Silver!  Treasure!  For almost as long as youngsters have let their imaginations run wild, words such as these have prompted them to dig in their backyards in search of riches.  Some parents may smile and shake their heads at the naivete of youth.  Others may angrily instruct their offspring to fill their trenches.  Perhaps Pelham parents, however, should listen to their youngsters and let them explore, for treasure actually has been found in the backyard of a Pelham Manor home before.

I have written before about the cache of silver found in an old safe in the backyard of Pelham Manor resident Robert C. Black, a principal of Fifth Avenue jeweler Black, Starr & Frost.  See Mon., May 16, 2005:  The Discovery of a Gold and Silver Treasure in the Backyard of a Pelham Home in 1889.  My earlier posting was based on a New York Times article about discovery of the treasure.  The story of the treasure, however, was recounted far and wide.  

Today's posting to the Historic Pelham Blog transcribes the text of an article that appeared in the Cumberland Daily Times published in Cumberland, Maryland on April 17, 1889.  It describes in detail how the treasure was found and recounts a couple of the many theories regarding the origins of the treasure.  The text of the article appears immediately below, followed by a citation to its source.

"SILVER IN AN OLD SAFE.
-----
A New York Boy's Rich Find -- Probably Burglars' Booty.

NEW YORK, April 17. -- Robert Black, of Pelham manor, a member of the firm of Black, Starr & Frost, of this city, recently gave an old iron safe on his premises to Peter Berger, who cares for the grounds of the manor.  Mr. Berger took the safe away, and tried on his way home to sell it to a traveling junk man, and would have succeeded had the man been able to take it away.

He then gave it to his son Robert, who broke it open and found inside a lot of old silver, handsomely engraved and lined with gold.  He took the set to Mr. Black, who valued it at $500.  The name, 'C. Stephens,' was engraved on most of the pieces, while one bore the letter 'E,' and several others were engraved 'Napoleon III.'

Supposed to Be 'Swag.'

It is thought that part of the silver was taken by the masked burglars who robbed the Emmet place on the Pelham road in 1874.  The safe had stood in Mr. Black's grounds since 1873.  C. Stephens lived in Pelham in 1870 and 1871, and had a real estate office in lower Broadway, but has since disappeared.  The silver has been placed in the New Rochelle bank vaults to await the owners' identification."

Source:  SILVER IN AN OLD SAFE, Cumberland Daily Times [Cumberland, MD], Apr. 17, 1889, Vol. II, No. 217, p. 1, col. 5 (paid subscription required).

In 1889, Robert C. Black and his family lived in The Dogwoods where the safe stood in the backyard.  I have written about The Dogwoods before.  See Thu., Feb. 05, 2015:  "The Dogwoods," Known as the Old Black Mansion on Esplanade, Was Razed for Property Development in 1931; Wed., Apr. 13, 2005:  "The Dogwoods" - The Estate of Robert Clifford Black of Pelham Manor.



"Residence of Mr. Robert C. Black (From photograph before completion.)"
NOTE:  "before completion" means before completion of the addition
of two wings to the original house in 1892.
in Real Estate Record and Builders Guide Supplement, Dec. 17, 1892,
Vol. L, No. 1292, p. 3 (Click Image to Enlarge).  

Research has never revealed whether the owners of the silver were ever located.  Obviously, the fact that "C. Stephens" was engraved on most of the pieces was significant.  Charles J. Stephens and his brother, Henry C. Stephens, were nephews of the principal financial backer of the Pelham Manor & Huguenot Heights Association, Silas H. Witherbee.  The Stephens Brothers lived in Pelham Manor and, by 1872, were working as real estate agents in New York City.  Their firm, Stephens Brothers & Company, described itself as "conveyancers and commission dealers in real property" with "especial attention given to Westchester County, N. Y.'  The firm served as 'Managing Agents' for the Pelham Manor & Huguenot Heights Association.  During the early 1870s, the Stephens Brothers were heavily involved in efforts to market lots in the new suburban development known as "Pelham Manor and Huguenot Heights."  To learn more about Charles J. Stephens and Henry C. Stephens, see Mon., Mar. 20, 2006:  Charles J. Stephens and Henry C. Stephens of the Pelham Manor & Huguenot Heights Association.  

Although no one in Pelham knew how to locate Charles J. Stephens in 1889, his obituary indicates that at about that time he lived with his family at 163 West 12th Street in New York City.  During many of the intervening years, however, he had traveled extensively throughout South America, Central America, and Cuba.  He died August 9, 1891 in Mexico City while collecting material for an illustrated text on Central America.  See Obituary . . . Charles J. Stephens, The Sun [NY, NY], Aug. 12, 1891, p. 2, col. 6.  See also  Wed., May 19, 2010:  Obituary of Charles J. Stephens of the Pelham Manor & Huguenot Heights Association; Thu., Apr. 9, 2009:  The Death of Charles J. Stephens in City of Mexico in 1891.  Additionally, Charles J. Stephens seems to have had some involvement with renting at least one property in Pelham Manor as late as 1884, only five years before the "treasure" was found.  See Mon., Mar. 2, 2009:  1884 Advertisement Placed by Charles J. Stephens of the Pelham Manor & Huguenot Heights Association Offering Home for Rent.    

Since most of the silver found in the safe taken from the backyard of Robert C. Black's home was engraved "C. Stephens," it seems unlikely that the items were part of what was stolen from the home of Richard J. Emmett on December 22, 1873 as noted in the article quoted above.  The Emmett home still stands at 145 Shore Road and is one of the most historic homes in all of Pelham since a portion of the house pre-dates the Revolutionary War.  

The Emmett robbery was one of the most notorious crimes in Pelham history.  On December 22, 1873, a band of robbers broke into the Emmett home, placed handcuffs and gags on all of the occupants, ransacked the residence and escaped with many valuables including material taken from a safe in the home.  No expense was spared in bringing the robbers to justice.  The robbers were identified, captured, tried and convicted.  I have written about the notorious crime on several occasions.  See:

Tue., May 17, 2005:  The Masked Burglar Robbery of the Emmett Home in Pelham on December 22, 1873 (Part I).

Wed., May 18, 2005:  The Masked Burglar Robbery of the Emmett Home in Pelham on December 22, 1873 (Part II).

Fri., Jun. 06, 2014:  More on an Infamous Crime:  The Masked Bandit Robbery of the Kemble House on Shore Road in 1873.



The Kemble House, 145 Shore Road, in 2005.
Photograph by the Author.

*          *          *          *          *

Like ghost stories, treasure stories involving the Town of Pelham abound.  I have written about a number of such treasure stories, some real and some apocryphal.  See:

Mon., Jan. 26, 2015:  Hidden Treasure that Once Belonged to the Father of John Hunter of Hunter's Island in Pelham Found in a Discarded Chest in the 19th Century.

Mon., May 16, 2005: The Discovery of a Gold and Silver Treasure in the Backyard of a Pelham Home in 1889

Wed., Jun. 11, 2014:  Buried Treasure Off the Shores of Pelham: The Legend of Pirate's Treasure

Mon., May 01, 2006:  The Legend of the Recovery of Pirate's Treasure on an Island Off Pelham.


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Tuesday, July 19, 2011

1876 Newspaper AdvertisementTouting Pelham Manor & Huguenot Heights Association Real Estate


Today's posting to the Historic Pelham Blog presents an image, and transcribes the text, of an advertisement published in a New York City newspaper in 1876 touting real estate in the new development in lower Westchester County being constructed by the Pelham Manor and Huguenot Heights Association. At the end of this posting is a listing of recent postings about the Association. 

Here is an image of the advertisement, followed by a transcription of its text.



"BUYERS, RENTERS OR AGENTS PLEASE NOTICE.
AT PELHAM MANOR ON THE SOUND,
between two railroads (two depots on the premises), both for one commutation ($70 yearly); 40 trains; half hour to Grand Central; hour to Fulton slip; all desirable privileges; healthfulness assured; neighborhood first class; restrictions against nuisances; scenery attractive; fine drives, boating, fishing, &c.  New (Boston suburb style) Houses, with every convenience, furnace, bath, gas, sidewalks, handsome shade trees, &c. to be sold or let on favorable terms.  Price $4,000 to $10,000; or rent ten per cent thereon.  Come and see this favored suburb.  Views, excursions, &c. from STEPHENS BROTHERS, 187 Broadway."

Source:  [Untitled Advertisement], NY Herald, Apr. 23, 1876, p. 18, col. 2. 

What follows are examples of previous Blog postings that deal with the Pelham Manor and Huguenot Heights Association.

Wednesday, May 19, 2010: Obituary of Charles J. Stephens of the Pelham Manor & Huguenot Heights Association.

Tuesday, May 18, 2010: 1874 Newspaper Advertisement Touting Pelham Manor & Huguenot Heights Association Real Estate.

Monday, May 17, 2010: Jessup Family Members Tried in 1909 to Take Back Some of the Lands Conveyed to Form the Lands Developed by the Pelham Manor and Huguenot Heights Association.

Friday, May 14, 2010: 1885 Article on Alleged Failure to Develop Pelham Manor Said the Development "At Best Resembles the Collapse of a Wild Cat Land Scheme."

Wednesday, November 11, 2009: 1874 Evening Telegram Advertisement for Pelham Manor & Huguenot Heights Development.

Monday, March 2, 2009: 1884 Advertisement Placed by Charles J. Stephens of the Pelham Manor & Huguenot Heights Association Offering Home for Rent.

Tuesday, June 20, 2006: Mystery: A Lawsuit Filed Against the Dissolved Pelham Manor & Huguenot Heights Association in 1915.

Monday, June 12, 2006: Early Deed of Land to the Pelham Manor & Huguenot Heights Association.

Tuesday, April 18, 2006: Prospectus Issued by the Pelham Manor & Huguenot Heights Association in 1874.

Thursday, December 22, 2005: Area Planned for Development by The Pelham Manor & Huguenot Heights Association in 1873.

Monday, March 20, 2006: Charles J. Stephens and Henry C. Stephens of the Pelham Manor & Huguenot Heights Association.

Monday, March 27, 2006: 1057 Esplanade: One of the Original Homes Built by the Pelham Manor & Huguenot Heights Association.

Monday, May 8, 2006: Edmund Gybbon Spilsbury Who Served as Engineer for the Pelham Manor & Huguenot Heights Association.

Wednesday, May 10, 2006: Horace Crosby, the Civil Engineer Who Laid Out the Chestnut Grove Division for the Pelham Manor & Huguenot Heights Association in the 1870s.

Friday, May 26, 2006: The 27th Conference on New York State History Will Include Presentation of Paper on Pelham Manor & Huguenot Heights Association.


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