More on the Early History of Chester Park in North Pelham

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In 1891, William T. Standen, an actuary with the United States Life Insurance Company, and his wife, Elizabeth G. Standen, owned much of the land we know today as Chester Park in the Village of Pelham.  At the time, the land was located just north of an unincorporated section of the Town of Pelham known as Pelhamville. 

Though Standen worked in the headquarters of United States Life Insurance Company located at 261 Broadway in New York City, he and his wife had a residence on the lands they owned in the Town of Pelham.  They called their residence "The Homestead."  The Homestead was located north of today’s Pine Avenue between Maple Avenue and upper Pelhamdale Avenue.  By May of 1891, the Standens had decided to subdivide their land and develop it as “Chester Park”.  In May and June of that year, the lands were surveyed for the purpose of creating a subdivision map for development purposes.

Standen worked hard to prepare the area for an initial auction of 85 lots to be held on August 11, 1891.  

The auction was deemed a failure.  I have written before about the failure to sell many lots during the auction.  See Mon., Feb. 27, 2017:  Why Did an Early Auction of Chester Park Lots Fail in 1891?  In short, the auction failed for a number of reasons including oppressive heat that day, the timing of the auction during the peak Summer vacation period, and sale restrictions requiring quick construction of an expensive home on any lot purchased that made it difficult for land speculators simply to buy and flip lots. Indeed, it took Elizabeth and William Standen quite some time to realize their dream of accumulating wealth from subdividing and selling their land.

Today's Historic Pelham Blog article reproduces the text of two brief newspaper articles.  One touts the upcoming sale on August 11, 1891.  The second published several months after the failed auction, is actually a real estate advertisement for the development that is styled as an "article" regarding the history of, and points of interest in, the area.  The first article is particularly interesting because it includes descriptions of the way the original native granite piers placed at entrances to the development and at the corners of the public green in the center of the development looked at the time and describes the views from the development.

The second article is interesting because it purports to tie Chester Park to local incidents during the American Revolutionary War and to historic White Plains Road which was nearly a half a mile away from the property.  To make matters more fascinating, the "article" appears in the real estate advertisement section of the newspaper and is an apparent effort to attract history lovers to consider purchasing Chester Park properties.

The text of each of the two articles appears immediately below.  Each is followed by a citation and link to its source.

"CHESTER PARK N. Y.,
-----
TO BE SOLD IN LOTS UNDER JUDICIOUS RESTRICTION.
-----
Only Thirty Minutes from the Grand Central Depot -- Free Water Laid -- Some of the Advantages Pointed Out -- Inducements to Invest.

Do you know anything about Chester Park, on the line of the New Haven railroad, near Pelhamville station, thirty minutes from Grand Central depot?

By 'anything' is meant of course the advantages of Chester Park as a home 'for the highest enjoyment of country life.'  It has been designed for this express purpose and the park is probably the handsomest private residence centre in Westchester county.  Electric lighting, an ample water supply, magnificently macadamized roads and sidewalks are among the many advantages of this essentially charming spot.  The Park has three entrances from the public highway, viz:  Pine avenue to the north, Willow avenue to the south and Central avenue between them, at which is located the main entrance.  The entrance piers and receding walls are built of very handsome native granite and are imposing in size and of excellent workmanship. . . . They are surmounted by very large bronze vases, which in the proper season will be decorated by the best art of the florist.  In the largest piers are inserted terra cotta medallions with the name 'Chester Park,' while on the smaller piers are similar medallions with date of construction of the Park, 1890.

In the centre is a plot of about two acres, which is, and will be for all time, reserved as a place of recreation for all residents of the park.  There is a handsomely decorated green with ornamental piers, surmounted by vases at each of its eight corners.  At the eastern end, facing the main entrance, the whole width of the green forms a handsome terrace, with a flight of steps leading up to the green.

Chester Park location is exceptional.  Its westerly boundary is a strip of wood standing on a steep declivity leading to the Hutchinson river.  Looking south the Park gives a view of the village of Pelhamville and the railroad depot, while north and northeastward the country is diversified and very picturesque.  Then, too, there is an abundant supply of purest water, which is secured by an artesian well of enormous capacity.  The water pipes lead to every lot, and the use of the water is free to all who purchase lots.  It should be stated that the sale of lots is restricted in the interest of perfect home comfort and privacy, and with the desire of forming a choice community, with every surrounding of elegance and enjoyment.  Wm. T. Standen, the owner, desires it known that anyone visiting the park will be driven over and back from Pelhamville, free of charge, by an arrangement with John F. B. Smyth, auctioneer.  The building lots will be sold at the real estate auction room, No. 59 Liberty street, New York, on tuesday, Aug. 11 next."

Source:  CHESTER PARK N. Y. -- TO BE SOLD IN LOTS UNDER JUDICIOUS RESTRICTION -- Only Thirty Minutes from the Grand Central Depot -- Free Water Laid -- Some of the Advantages Pointed Out -- Inducements to Invest, The Brooklyn Citizen, Aug. 2, 1891, p. 2, col. 2 (Note:  Paid subscription required to access via this link).

"THE HISTORICAL WHITE PLAINS ROAD.
-----

One of the most historical roads in this section of the country is the old White Plains road, which is the backbone of the lower portion of Westchester county.  During the time of the American Revolution it was the scene of some of the most active and desperate military movements of that eventful period.

Along this road the Continental and the British forces marched, countermarched [sic], and contended in their persistent efforts for supremacy.  Less than half a mile east of this interesting road lies Chester Park, upon which both nature and art have been lavish in their gifts, and which thus lies in the very midst of a scene teeming with historical incidents of intense interest to the lovers of American freedom.

Standing upon the elevated Public Green, which is set aside for the recreation and amusement of residents of Chester Park, the eye takes in a wide range of hills and valleys to the north, to the south, and to the east.  From this picturesque spot it is not difficult for the imagination to call up the spectres of the past, while the eye takes in the walls and bushes beyond which rebels or Tories so long ago lay in ambush or sought concealment; and any movement on the brow of a hill may bring to the mind's eye the form of the immortal Washington deep in the study of some strategic plan surveying the military possibilities of the surrounding country or hastening to rejoin the patriotic forces whose labors were so soon to be crowned with victory.

The location of Chester Park is intensely picturesque, and is as near to the depot as is desirable, while it is sufficiently distant to escape the noise, dirt, and confusion usually inseparable from a railroad station.  Being only 30 minutes from Grand Central Depot, it has been laid out to suit the interests of New York merchants, manufacturers, business men, and men generally of fairly comfortable incomes who desire to be within easy reach of the city.  The building sites are quarter acre plots or larger.  Those who either desire 'summer residences' or 'all year country houses,' so near to the city and absolutely free from the annoyances that are generally incident to country life, cannot do better than make a visit to Chester Park.

Take either the 10:03 or 11:08 A. M., or the 12:08, 1:03, 2:03, or 3:06 P. M. train on the New Haven Railroad from the Grand Central Depot.  The station agent at Pelhamville will furnish carriages free of charge to those who desire to inspect this beautiful Park.  For maps, views, and further particulars address THOS. G. BROTHERTON, box 30, Pelhamville, N. Y."

Source:  THE HISTORICAL WHITE PLAINS ROAD, The Sun [New York, NY], Nov. 22, 1891, p. 11, col. 3 (Note:  Paid subscription required to access via this link).

Detail from 1893 Map Showing Layout of Chester Park.

Source:  Bien, Joseph R., "Towns of Westchester and Pelham

(With) Villages of Westchester and Unionport. (With) Village of

Pelhamville" in Atlas of Westchester County, New York

Prepared Under the Direction of Joseph R. Bien, E.M.,

p. 3 (NY, NY:  Julius Bien & Co., 1893).  NOTE:  Click

on Image to Enlarge.

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I have written extensively about the history of Chester Park.  For more, see:

Bell, Blake A., History of Chester Park in the Village of Pelham, The Pelham Weekly, Vol. XIII, No. 46, Nov. 19, 2004, p. 10, col. 1.

Mon., Feb. 27, 2017:  Why Did an Early Auction of Chester Park Lots Fail in 1891?

Tue., Jun. 20, 2017:  Farm Versus Village: Gamber's Animal Menagerie on Maple Avenue in North Pelham During the 1930s.

Tue., Mar. 13, 2018:  House Fire in Chester Park Revealed Bootleg Still in 1935, Nearly Two Years After the End of Prohibition.

Wed., Jan. 17, 2018:  Sanborn Map Company Employees Began Working in Pelham Before the Company Map Factory Was Completed in 1906.

Thu., Sep. 29, 2016:  Famed Broadway and Silent Film Actress Elita Proctor Otis Lived In Chester Park, Pelham.

Wed., Jun. 08, 2016:  Attack on Son of Chester Park Founder William T. Standen in 1894.

Tue., Mar. 22, 2016:  Auction of Chester Park Lands in Pelhamville in 1892. 

Thu., Jul. 23, 2015:  The Home at 45 Maple in Chester Park Built to Serve as a Church. 

Tue., Mar. 24, 2015:  An Early Description of Efforts to Open Chester Park Published in 1891. 

Wed., Jul. 16, 2014:  Final Auction of Remaining Lands of the Pelhamville Land and Homestead Association in 1898. 

Mon., Jun. 19, 2006:  Court Decision Issued in 1894 Sheds Light on Finances Behind the Development of Chester Park in the Early 1890s.

Tue., Jun. 06, 2006:  More Early Photographs of Chester Park Recently Donated to The Office of The Historian of The Town of Pelham. 

Mon., Jun. 05, 2006:  More Early Photographs of Chester Park Recently Donated to The Office of The Historian of The Town of Pelham. 

Fri., Jun. 02, 2006:  Several of the Early Photographs of Chester Park Recently Donated to The Office of The Historian of The Town of Pelham. 

Thu., Jun. 01, 2006:  Early Photographs of Chester Park Among Materials Donated to The Office of The Historian of The Town of Pelham. 

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House Fire in Chester Park Revealed Bootleg Still in 1935, Nearly Two Years After the End of Prohibition

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Regular readers of Historic Pelham know by now that Pelham was a hotbed of illegal stills, speakeasies that sold illegal liquor, and bootleggers during Prohibition.  Regular readers may not know, however, that even after Prohibition ended on December 5, 1933, the little Town of Pelham remained a hotbed of bootlegged whiskey as today's Historic Pelham article shows. . . .

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The fire alarm was turned in from an emergency alarm box located at Pelhamdale and Pine Avenues, two blocks away from a raging fire in the basement of the residence of James J. Regno and Mary M. Regno at 56 Maple Avenue in Chester Park, Village of North Pelham.  The firemen raced to the alarm box on that Friday night, October 25, 1935.  They found no one there.

Pelham's Bravest did their job admirably that night.  They quickly located the fire burning in the basement of the Regno home.  

The volunteer firemen had to break into the cellar to get to the fire.  There they discovered not only a raging fire, but also seventy six cans of illegally-distilled grain and denatured alcohol dangerously at risk of exploding in the conflagration.  They also found the massive, illegal 250-gallon still used to distill the alcohol and a rather amazing heating plant, cooling system, bottling plant and counterfeit labeling system that allowed production of bogus liquor to be "passed off for many well known brands."

Police later concluded that an unidentified person was running the illegal still when the fire began in the heating plant of the still and quickly burned out of control.  That person fled the house, turned in the fire alarm, and reportedly never returned and never was identified.

Police searched the home.  In addition to the distillery and the seventy six containers of alcohol, they found and seized a fifty gallon barrel half full of rye whiskey and another twenty gallon barrel full of aging rye whiskey.  When tested, the whiskey proved to be 98 proof.  Police also found an account book maintained by Regno that listed amounts paid for trucking, sugar, grain, etc. as well as a Colt .32 caliber handgun with twenty three rounds of ammunition.  

Later that night, Mary M. Regno was arrested when she returned to the house.  Her husband, however, could not be found.  It was not until Sunday evening, October 27, 1935, when James J. Regno was found by police in New York City, arrested, and charged with violation of the Sullivan Act (a New York State gun control law requiring a license for possession of a firearm small enough to be concealed).  Regno later was charged with with violating three federal laws:  possession of an unregistered still; possession of a distillery in a dwelling house; and failure to file a bond to insure payment of taxes.

Incredibly, this was neither the first fire, nor the first illegal still discovered in the Regno home.  Eight years before that, on November 1, 1926 (one report says 1927), Pelham firemen extinguished a fire at the home and discovered an illegal still.  Regno was arrested on a Prohibition charge.  He eventually paid a fine, although his thirty day prison sentence was suspended. 

Chester Park Home Located at 56 Maple Avenue, Built in 1922.

NOTE:  Click on Image to Enlarge.

James J. Regno and Mary M. Regno lived in Pelham during the 1920s and 1930s.  In about 1926 they seem to have been in some form of financial distress.  A pair of men named Abraham Cohen and Barnet Stone obtained a judgment of foreclosure and sale against Mr. and Mrs. Regno for their home in Chester Park (entered on March 6, 1926).  See NOTICE OF SALE [Legal Notice], The Pelham Sun, Apr. 9, 1926, Vol. 17, No. 6, p. 2, col. 4.  It is not yet known how the matter was resolved, but Mr. and Mrs. Regno seem to have come up with a way to make a little extra money -- hence the illegal still discovered during their first house fire on November 1, 1926.

The second time authorities discovered an illegal still in the Regno home, they tried to come down hard on James J. Regno.  On November 7, 1935, only eleven days after his arrest, Regno was hauled before a grand jury who heard evidence regarding the Sullivan Act charge.  Although it is not clear precisely what happened, as soon as North Pelham Police Patrolman Edwin Pickard testified before the grand jury regarding discovery of the .32 caliber Colt pistol in the Regno home, the gun charge was dropped.  This left only the federal charges against Rego (who was out on bail of $1,000 on those charges).  

Regno tried to avoid the federal charges by claiming denying that he owned the still and claiming that he had not lived in the home for a full six months leading up to the fire and his arrest.  A criminal jury rejected his defenses and on March 18, 1936 found him guilty on all three charges.  The judge quickly sentenced him as follows:  "On the first count a three-month sentence was imposed, a fine of $100 and a penalty of $500.  The payment of the penalty was suspended.  On the second count the sentence was six months and the fine $1,000.  Both were suspended.  On the third count another three months' sentence and a $100 fine was imposed.  The two sentences are to run concurrently."


Although Regno attempted to gain an extension of his time to appeal, the Court rejected that request.  It appears that Regno was forced to serve his time on this second occasion.

As a postscript (and as the foregoing might suggest), Regno seems to have been a very bad guy.  He is written about as a smuggling partner of Charles Levy of New York City.  He was arrested at one point in Havana during one such smuggling episode.  Lawson, Ellen NicKenzie, Smugglers, Bootleggers and Scofflaws:  Prohibition and New York City, p. 56 (Albany, NY:  Excelsior Editions - State University of New York Press, 2013) (stating "James Regno, Levy's New York partner, was also arrested in Havana and his letters likewise seized.  Regno wrote a lady friend, 'I haven't much to say because everything looks bad. . . . They have either double-crossed us or done something wrong . . . I am losing money and nother to show [for it] but there is no use to worry if I come back I will get my boat and come right back here, for there is plenty of work here.'").

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"FIRE DISCLOSES BOOTLEG STILL IN CHESTER PARK
-----
'Alcohol Cooking' Plant Found in Regno House; Man and Wife are Held.
-----

Fire again proved to be the nemesis of those who were operating an alcohol distilling plant in the residence of James Regno at Maple and Pine avenues, in Chester Park on Friday night.  Volunteer firemen of the First District broke into the cellar of the house and extinguished a blaze burning dangerously close to 76 containers of newly distilled alcohol.  The house proved to be but living quarters which shielded a 250 gallon still, a cooling system and a labeling and bottling plant which appeared to be able to produce bogus liquor to be passed off for many well known brands.  Mrs. Regno who was arrested at her home on Friday night, was released under $250.00 bail on a Federal charge.  Her husband who was arrested in New York City on Sunday on a charge of violating the Sullivan Law was detained awaiting the action of the grand jury.

The incidents of the fire duplicated a visit of volunteer firemen to the Regno home, on November 1st, 1927, when another still was found.  Regno was arrested on a prohibition charge and paid a fine.

The fire is believed to have started near the heating plant of the still.  The alarm was turned in at a box at Pelhamdale and Pine avenues, two blocks away from the Regno residence.  According to belief the unidentified operator of the still quit his post and ran to the alarm box as the flames burst out near the alcohol containers.  He has failed to make an appearance since the fire.  

Among the effects found in his home was a Colt .32 calibre pistol with 23 rounds of ammunition.

Together with the cans of stored grain and denatured alcohol was a 50 gallon barrel half full of aging rye whiskey and a full 20-gallon barrel.  When tested the whiskey proved to be 98 proof.

One of the most important discoveries made was an account book supposedly kept by Regno in which was listed amounts paid for trucking, sugar, caustic soda, etc."

Source:  FIRE DISCLOSES BOOTLEG STILL IN CHESTER PARK -- "Alcohol Cooking" Plant Found in Regno House; Man and Wife are Held, The Pelham Sun, Nov. 1, 1935, Vol. 26, No. 30, p. 1, col. 4.

"Gun Charge Against Regno Dismissed
-----

Charged with violating the Sullivan Law, when a fire in his home at No. 16 [sic] Maple avenue, October 25th led to an investigation and a pistol was discovered, James J. Regno was dismissed by the grand jury, yesterday.

The charges were dismissed after the jury heard the testimony of Patrolman Edwin Pickard, of the North Pelham police.  The Pelhamite is still under $1,000 bond in the federal courts for operating an unlicensed still."

Source:  Gun Charge Against Regno Dismissed, The Pelham Sun, Nov. 8, 1935, Vol. 26, No. 31, p. 1, col. 6. 

"THREE MONTHS $200 FINE IS REGNO SENTENCE
-----
Chester Park Man Found Guilty of Possessing an Unregistered Still; Liquor Plant Disclosed by Fire.
-----

[sic] to an incident which began on the night of Oct. 25, 1935, when firemen who responded to an alarm from No. 56 Maple avenue found a still going full blast.

James Regno, 41, the owner of the house, was on Wednesday sentenced to serve three months in the Federal House of Detention in New York City and to pay a fine of $200  On Monday a jury brought a guilty verdict, Federal Judge Francis G. Caffey imposed the sentence.  The indictment contained three charges:  Possession of an unregistered still, possession of a distillery in a dwelling house; and failure to file a bond to insure payment of taxes.

On the first count a three-month sentence was imposed, a fine of $100 and a penalty of $500.  The payment of the penalty was suspended.  On the second count the sentence was six months and the fine $1,000.  Both were suspended.  On the third count another three months' sentence and a $100 fine was imposed.  The two sentences are to run concurrently.

Regno denied ownership of the still stating that he did not live in the Chester Park house for more than six months before the still was discovered.

In November, 1926, when a still was previously found at the Regno home, a $300 fine was imposed and a 30-day sentence suspended."

Source:  THREE MONTHS $200 FINE IS REGNO SENTENCE -- Chester Park Man Found Guilty of Possessing an Unregistered Still; Liquor Plant Disclosed by Fire, The Pelham Sun, Mar. 20, 1936, Vol. 26, No. 50, p. 1, col. 5. 

"No Extension For Appeal By Regno
-----

Federal Judge Francis G. Caffey on Wednesday refused to grant a 30-day extension in time for appeal of the conviction of James J. Regno, on a charge of operating an illegal still at No. 56 Maple avenue, Chester Park.  Regno is at liberty under bail of $1,000 pending the appeal."

Source:  No Extension For Appeal By Regno, The Pelham Sun, Apr. 24, 1936, Vol. 27, No. 3, p. 1, col. 4.

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I have written extensively about Pelham's struggles with Prohibition and the enforcement of the unpopular laws that it spawned as well as illegal stills, bootleggers, and speakeasies in Pelham. See: 

Tue., Feb. 27, 2018:  Police Raided a Storefront Still and Bootlegging Operation in a Fifth Avenue Store in 1926.

Wed., Feb. 21, 2018:  Massive Prohibition Raid in 1927 Netted Four Bootleggers and 225 Kegs of Beer.

Tue., Jan. 30, 2018:  Visit to the Wrong House Uncovered Massive Pelham Manor Bootlegging During Prohibition.

Wed., Jan. 03, 2018:  The Massive Illegal Still Discovered at 137 Corlies Avenue During Prohibition in 1932.

Wed., Jun. 21, 2017:  The Infamous Ash Tree Inn of Pelham Manor and its Prohibition Violations During the 1920s.

Thu., Feb. 02, 2017:  Bootleggers Began to Feel the Heat in Pelham in 1922.

Mon., Dec. 26, 2016:  Pelham Stood Alone in Westchester When It Voted to Go Dry in 1896. 

Mon., Aug. 22, 2016:  Pelham, It Seems, Became a Hotbed of Bootlegging and Illegal Stills During Prohibition.

Mon., Jul. 06, 2015:  Police Raided a Massive 300-Gallon Illegal Liquor Still on Corlies Avenue in 1932.  

Fri., Jun. 19, 2015:  More Liquor Raids in Pelham During Prohibition in the 1920s.

Wed., Jun. 17, 2015:   Prohibition Rum-Runners Delivering A Boatload of Booze Were Foiled in Pelham in 1925.

Fri., Apr. 24, 2015:  The North Pelham "Speakeasy Section" Created Quite a Stir During Prohibition.

Tue., Nov. 18, 2014:  More Bootleggers and Speakeasies Raided in Pelham in 1929 During Prohibition.
Fri., May 23, 2014:  How Dry I Am -- Early Prohibition Efforts Succeed in Pelham in 1896.

Thu., Apr. 03, 2014:  The Prohibition Era in Pelham:  Another Speakeasy Raided.

Tue., Feb. 18, 2014:  Pelham Speakeasies and Moonshiners - Prohibition in Pelham: The Feds Raid the Moreau.

Thu., Feb. 07, 2008:  Village Elections in Pelham in 1900 - New York Athletic Club Members Campaign Against the Prohibition Ticket in Pelham Manor.

Thu., Jan. 12, 2006:  The Beer Battle of 1933.

Thu., Aug. 11, 2005:  How Dry I Am: Pelham Goes Dry in the 1890s and Travers Island Is At the Center of a Storm. 

Bell, Blake A., The Prohibition Era in Pelham, The Pelham Weekly, Vol. XIII, No. 25, June 18, 2004, p. 12, col. 2.

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Sanborn Map Company Employees Began Working in Pelham Before the Company Map Factory Was Completed in 1906

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Research continues to reveal more about the early Pelham history of the internationally-renowned Sanborn Map Company that built a "map factory" in the Village of North Pelham in 1906.  The Sanborn Map Building stands adjacent to Chester Park in the northern portion of today's Village of Pelham.  The Sanborn Map Building was built in 1906. In it the Sanborn Map Company produced maps for insurance company customers for many decades.   

The company's predecessor, founded by D. A. Sanborn in 1866, gained national recognition in the 19th century for its incredibly detailed fire insurance maps. The "Sanborn Map and Publishing Company, Limited" was established at the office of the Continental Insurance Company in New York in 1876.  By the early 20th century the company had changed its name to the Sanborn Map Company and had decided to build a massive "map factory" in the Village of North Pelham.  Construction began in 1906.  

I have written on numerous occasions about the lovely Sanborn Map Building in Pelham.  See, e.g.:

Thu., Nov. 02, 2017:  Sanborn Map Company Opened a Map School in Pelham Before Opening its New Map Factory in 1906.

Tue., Mar. 14, 2017:   The Sanborn Map Company Water Tower in North Pelham.  

Mon., Nov. 28, 2005:   The Historic Sanborn Map Building In The Village of Pelham.  

Bell, Blake A., The Sanborn Map Company and its Pelham Headquarters, The Pelham Weekly, Vol. XV, Issue 14, Apr. 7, 2006, p. 10, col. 1.

A brief article appeared in the October 5, 1906 issue of The Daily Argus published in neighboring Mount Vernon.  The article referenced the fact that a group of women had been working for the Sanborn Map Company for "some weeks" in a building owned by Philip Godfrey on Fourth Avenue near Second Street.  This was the Sanborn Map Company School that existed at that location for a very brief time in 1906.  There, the company trained local workers to handle the work that would be required in the new Map Factory nearing completion at the time.  I have written about that school before.  See Thu., Nov. 02, 2017:  Sanborn Map Company Opened a Map School in Pelham Before Opening its New Map Factory in 1906.

The same Daily Argus reveals an interesting piece of new information, however.   According to the article, about twenty women who had worked at the Sanborn Map Company School in Philip Godfrey's building were moved after their training to a section of the Power House at the Sanborn Map Company Factory before the remainder of the complex was completed.

When first established, the Sanborn Map Factory complex in North Pelham had its own steam-based electrical generating equipment.  Such equipment was common during the late 19th and early 20th centuries at manufacturing plants at a time when the electrical grid was far less reliable and a patchwork of electricity generating companies served various regions rather than a handful of large electric utilities.  Even today the tall brick steam exhaust stack of the manufacturing plant in north Pelham towers over the complex and can be seen from quite a distance.

The twenty or so women began working in a portion of the power plant while work on the complex including the laying of piping and other necessary work was being performed.  Clearly the Sanborn Map Company was anxious to open its Map Factory as soon as possible and planned to hit the ground running with trained employees who were ready, willing, and able to work as soon as construction was finished.  

 Sanborn Map Building in 2003.  Photograph by the Author.

NOTE:  Click on Image to Enlarge. 

 
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"NORTH PELHAM. 
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The Argus will be found on sale each day at Lyman's drug store, or will be delivered by notifying Glover Brea.
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Here and There.

The following are the unclaimed letters at the North Pelham postoffice for the week of September 24:  Mrs. William C. Abbott, Mrs. Elizabeth Marany, Mrs. Q. Mauk, Miss Lizzie Pelham, Miss Ellen Regan and Miss Ellen Hickey.

It was stated yesterday afternoon by the superintendent, who has in charge the construction of the Sanborne [sic] map factory building, that the main buildings would probably be ready for occupancy by November 15.  The girls who have been doing work for the company some weeks in the building of Philip Godfrey on Fourth avenue, near Second street, have moved into a section of the power house where they will remain for the time being.  There are twenty of them at present working there.  These buildings are now rapidly nearing completion.  The piping is being laid and other necessary work being done.

A number of houses in North Pelham are now nearing completion.  Work on Jacob Heisser's house on Fourth street and Sixth avenue is in an advanced stage and will probably be ready for occupancy by November 1.  At least Mr. Heisser expects to move into it then.  The block at the corner of Fifth avenue and Fifth street is going up well and will no doubt be ready about the same time.  Several other houses will also be ready by that time.

The three days' bazaar, under the auspices of St. Catherine's [sic] church was brought to a close last night with by large attendance.  A goodly sum will be realized from the affair fo the benefit of the furnishings for the convent."

Source:    NORTH PELHAM -- Here and There, The Daily Argus [Mount Vernon, NY], Oct. 5, 1906, p. 5, col. 1.

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Farm Versus Village: Gamber's Animal Menagerie on Maple Avenue in North Pelham During the 1930s

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For nearly four decades during the 1920s, 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s Alfred L. Gamber of Chester Park, a banker with the Pelham National Bank, Bankers Trust Company, and other institutions at various times, also served as secretary, executive secretary, clerk, assistant treasurer, and treasurer of the Board of Education in charge of the Pelham Union Free School District No. 1.  Gamber also owned and lived on a small "farm" at 16 Maple Avenue.

Well, truth be told, Chester Park residents called the property a farm.  In reality, Alfred Gamber lived in a small residence on a small lot near the front entrance to the Chester Park Green.  On that property he kept a chicken coop filled with prize Rhode Island Red Roosters and hens.  He also bred and raised pedigreed bird dogs (Irish Setters and English Setters), exhibition pigeons (twenty four of them kept in "one little coop") and other animals on his premises.  As one might expect, the noisy animal menagerie and its irksome odors drove his neighbors crazy.  

Rhode Island Red Rooster.

NOTE:  Click on Image to Enlarge.

Though a respected citizen of the Village of North Pelham, during the 1930s Gamber and his tiny "farm" were responsible for the enactment of Village ordinances adopted to deal with nuisances arising on his property.  The drama evoked a case of Farm versus Village, one of the last of many such battles experienced by Pelham as the Town became fully developed entirely within its boundaries with no room remaining for farm animals -- much less farms.  


Most nights, the yelping, barking, and baying bird dogs sang to the moon.  One Rhode Island Red rooster began to crow every morning at 3:00 a.m.  Then, each morning at dawn, the rooster began crowing incessantly for at least forty minutes.  Throughout each day the dogs howled and barked.  All day and all night all the time the traditional odors of a hen yard and a dog kennel wafted over the Chester Park neighborhood.

According to countless news stories, in 1934 the women of Chester Park rose in resistance to shut the animal menagerie down.  They were mad as Hell and weren't going to take it anymore.  Five women living in nearby homes on Maple Avenue and Linden Place banded together.

At first, one of them called the police.  She later lamented, however, that "I got no satisfaction."

Next they complained to the Westchester County Health Department.  That government office sent an inspector to Gamber's home at 16 Maple Avenue.  No health violations were found and the County Health Department "approved" Gamber's assemblage of animals.

Next, they demanded a hearing before the Board of Trustees of the Village of North Pelham, hauling Alfred Gamber before the Board to respond to their complaints.  On Thursday evening, September 13, 1934, the five women and Alfred Gamber appeared before the Board of the Village of North Pelham.  The women told of sleepless nights, terrific odors, and an inability to sell or rent property due to the nuisance.  They alleged Gamber was operating a business in a residential neighborhood in violation of a Village zoning ordinance.  They said he was selling puppies as well as eggs laid by his hens.  They demanded the whole affair be shut down with an "or else" quality in their presentations.

Alfred Gamber countered that he was a sporting man who raised bird-dogs and kept chickens and pigeons as a hobby.  He pointed out that others in the Village of North Pelham kept chickens.  He asserted that there was nothing wrong with selling puppies rather than keeping them after birth, particularly when the complainants claimed he had too many dogs.  He pointed out that neither dogs nor eggs were his business.  He also said that he would give up his chickens if everyone else in the Village of North Pelham who kept chickens gave them up as well.  He presented a pair of friends who testified his property was not a nuisance that that he harbored the animals as a sportsman, not as a business.

The Board of Trustees indicated that it might enact an ordinance to deal with the situation at its next meeting.  The Board knew, however, that an ordinance banning dogs, kennels, chickens, and the like would have wide-ranging implications that could ripple throughout the village and adversely impact others whose animals presented no nuisances.

The following Thursday, September 20, the Board met again.  It implemented a partial solution.  It enacted an anti-noise ordinance "against off-key sounds of the type that can be classed as noise.  This means barking dogs, crowing roosters, ringing bells, grinding machinery, or any sound whatsoever that would tend to interrupt the slumbers of the villagers during the night (thus impairing their health) and any other unnecessary noises that would disturb the peace and quiet of the village during daylight hours."  Those who violated the ordinance were subject to a $25 fine and five days in jail.

Within days a copy of the new anti-noise ordinance was served on Alfred Gamber who immediately took action.  According to one account, noisy fowl were "eliminated by culinary preparation."  

As one might expect, however, the matter did not end there.  Gamber still maintained hens, pigeons, Irish Setters, and English Setters on his premises.  A long-running feud seems to have continued.

The neighbors continued to complain about the nuisance presented by the animals on Gamber's property.  Thus, in mid-1935 the Village Board asked the Westchester County Board of Health to visit Gamber's premises again for another inspection.  The Board of Health inspected the chicken coop, finding that it held 14 Rhode Island Red hens and "a number of pigeons."  To the disappointment of the Board and Gamber's neighbors, however, the Board of Health further concluded that the animals were "kept according to statute and violated no provisions of the Health Code."

Still the neighbors complained.  Perhaps in retaliation or perhaps not, Gamber began burning rubbish on his property periodically.  

One of the neighbors who had complained to the Board before enactment of the anti-noise ordinance appeared before the Board again on Wednesday, November 13, 1935.  She complained that "Farmer" Gamber was harboring 76 animals including chickens, pigeons, and dogs on his property.  She further complained that he had begun burning rubbish on his property in periodic "bonfires" and that the noxious fumes were a nuisance.

The reaction of the Board of Trustees was immediate and firm.  Upon hearing from the complainant, the Board adopted an ordinance banning the burning of rubbish within the Village of North Pelham.  According to one account, the debate was rather quick:

"'Then,' said the trustee, almost in a body, 'we'll make an ordinance against burning rubbish!'

'But will it be constitutional?' asked someone.

'Never mind about that,' replied Trustee Bollettieri.  'Everybody seems to be testing the constitutionality of laws these days.  We'll make the ordinance and let somebody else test it.'

The ordinance was adopted unanimously.'"

The Gamber "Farm" and "Animal Menagerie" at 16 Maple Avenue in Chester Park thus was responsible for yet another Village ordinance.  It seems that, rather quickly, the battle of farm versus village was ebbing in favor of village. . . . .

Detail from 1929 Map Showing Chester Park and the Maple

Avenue Area Where Alfred L. Gamber Lived and Kept His 

Animals.  Source:  Hopkins, G.M., Atlas of Westchester County,

Vol. 1, p. 11 (Philadelphia, PA:  G. M. Hopkins Co., 1929).

NOTE:  Click on Image to Enlarge.

*          *          *          *          *

"SERIES OF CROWS, YELPS, ODORS IRK PELHAM WOMEN
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Quintet Prays Village Board to Do Something about 'Menagerie' of Neighbor, Complaining of Sleepless Nights and Much General Annoyance
-----

NORTH PELHAM.  Sept. 13. -- A rooster that crows for 40 minutes straight at dawn, bird dogs that rend the night with their yelps, pigeons that behave like pigeons and a hen yard with its traditional odor were on the mat last night at a Village Board meeting.

These combine to constitute an insufferable nuisance in a Maple Avenue section of Chester Park, five irate woman householders told the board.

Defending the bird-dogs, a litter of pups, the pigeons, the hens and the vociferous rooster, was their owner, Alfred L. Gamber, 16 Maple Avenue, executive secretary of the Board of Education.

The five angry women neighbors had fire in their eyes and in their voices as individually they told of sleepless nights, charging them up to the pedigreed Rhode Island Red boss of the chicken yard, disagreeable odors and general annoyance from barking dogs and visits of pigeons.

Rooster Up Early

The women want a stop put to the whole business by the Village Board.  There was a certain 'or else' quality to their grimness.

The complaining women were Mrs. J. K. Clarke, 25 Linden Avenue; Mrs. Herbert Zobel, 18 Maple Avenue; Mrs. Carl Becker, 15 Linden Avenue; Mrs. L. Gates, 19 Linden Avenue and Mrs. Harold Ring, 12 Maple Avenue.

Mrs. Clarke declaring that the rooster sounds off every morning without fail and sometimes makes his solo last 40 minutes, said she wants to sell or rent her house but can't do either because of the neighboring live stock.

All of the complaining women told the board that 'terrific' best described the odor from the hen-yard.  

The five women scoffed in chorus when Gamber produced two friends to testify to the inoffensive character of his place.

Michigan Neighbor

When Gamber offered Rose Fife as a witness, board members asked if he lived close enough to the Gamber home to offer an opinion.

'He lives in Michigan,' said one of the women, and they all five let forth peals of laughter.

Somewhat confused, Fife, started to explain that he had a Michigan license on his car but that he did not live there.

Board members interrupted his testimony as irrelevant, because he dwelt on such things as sportsmanship, the value of Gamber's pedigreed Irish and English setters, and allied subjects.

Gamber pointed out to the board that he had kept chickens since 1926 and that for eight years his neighbors had not kicked.  Now they kick, he maintained, on the dogs alone.

The board deferred action but indicated it would consider the adopting of a prohibitive ordinance in executive session."

Source:  SERIES OF CROWS, YELPS, ODORS IRK PELHAM WOMEN -- Quintet Prays Village Board to Do Something about 'Menagerie' of Neighbor, Complaining of Sleepless Nights and Much General Annoyance, The Daily Argus [Mount Vernon, NY], Sep. 13, 1934, p. 9, cols. 2-3.  

"Chester Park Dispute About Dogs And Chickens Is Carried To Village Board
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Beleaguered Trustees Listen to Argument About Animals and Fowl in Residential District.
-----

Can breeding pedigreed dogs and raising chickens and pigeons within the residential district of North Pelham be classed as 'sporting' or is it just a plain nuisance?

That was the subject of controversy at the meeting of the beleaguered North Pelham Board of Trustees on Wednesday night.  Five Chester Park women declared that their lives were being made miserable by barking dogs, crowing roosters, and offensive odors which they claimed emanated from the property of Alfred L. Gamber, whose home is at No. 16 Maple avenue.  Mr. Gamber is the clerk to the Board of Education.  He denied all their contentions, declaring that he raised a few puppies as a hobby and that his chickens were no more annoying than the fowl of several other residents of the village.

After listening to arguments and cross-talk for almost two hours, Mayor Eugene L. Lyon announced that the board would consider the adoption of an ordinance regulating the keeping of animals and fowl within the village limits.

The complainants, all nearby residents were Mrs. Harold S. Ring, of No. 12 Maple avenue; Mrs. J. K. Clark of No. 25 Linden avenue; Mrs. H. Zobel of No. 18 Maple avenue; Mrs. Mabel Gates of No. 19 Linden avenue; and Mrs. Edith Becker of No. 15 Linden avenue.

They see Mr. Gamber's interest in dogs and fowl as a business, in violation of the zoning ordinance.  They charged him with selling dogs and eggs and pointed to an advertisement in a New York newspaper offering puppies for sale.  The told the Board also that he had sold eggs.

'We tried to buy some one eggs and he told us that he had only enough for his Pelham Manor customers,' said one of the complainants.

His rooster starts to crow every morning at 3 o'clock,' said another.

'And his dogs howl all day long.'

'--and the odor from the place

(Continued on Page 7)

CHESTER PARK'S DISPUTE BEFORE VILLAGE BOARD
-----
(Continued from Page One)

is terrific.'

'He has two dozen pigeons in one little coop.  I cannot sell or rent my property because of this nuisance.'

'I called the police and I got no satisfaction.'  These were just a few of the remarks.   

In response, Mr. Gamber denied that he was commercializing his property.  'I am breeding fine hunting dogs because I love dogs.  I am not breeding them for sale,' he said.  'It seems funny to me that although I have kept chickens since 1926 no one has complained until now.'

He said that his place had recently been inspected by the county health department, and it was approved.  

Gamber offered the testimony of friends to show that he had a sportsman's interest instead of a business interest in raising dogs.

The trustees discussed the possibility of passing an ordinance regulating the harboring of dogs and fowl in the village.  Gamber said he would be willing to get rid of his chickens if others in the village did likewise.  The matter of adopting an ordinance will be discussed at a meeting next Thursday night."

Source:  Chester Park Dispute About Dogs And Chickens Is Carried To Village Board -- Beleaguered Trustees Listen to Argument About Animals and Fowl in Residential District, The Pelham Sun, Sep. 14, 1934, Vol. 25, No. 26, p. 1, cols. 7-8 & p. 7, col. 4.

"COMPANIONS IN MISERY

Crowing roosters, yelping hounds, and fluttering pigeons have caused North Pelham officials to scratch their heads in bewilderment over a problem, simpler but very similar to one that has aged many a Mount Vernon office holder.

'How can we rid the community of 'noisy' animals and birds and still satisfy animal and bird lovers?' is what the Village Board members are asking themselves.

For 20 years Mount Vernon's civic leaders have asked themselves the same thing when indignant residents demanded that grackles be driven from the city.

The otherwise peaceful village housewives have taken to the warpath because Alfred L. Gamber, executive secretary of the Board of Education, 
keeps dogs, hens, roosters and pigeons -- (and they all have pedigrees.)

'Pedigrees or no pedigrees, they must go,' was the housewives' ultimatum.

But the Village Board's problem is nothing compared to Mount Vernon's.  

Should the board members decide Mr. Gamber's pets create a nuisance, one single ordinance would be the solution -- although Mr. Gamber might not like it.

All Mount Vernon officials should join in passing a 'super-law' and the grackles would still make Mount Vernon their Summer home."

Source:  COMPANIONS IN MISERY, The Daily Argus [Mount Vernon, NY], Sep. 17, 1934, p. 6, col. 1.  

"Anti-Noise Ordinance Adopted to Make North Pelham Quiet Village
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North Pelham, Peaceful village.  

That is the hope of the board of trustees who last night adopted an ordinance directed against off-key sounds of the type that can be classed as noise.  This means barking dogs, crowing roosters, ringing bells, grinding machinery, or any sound whatsoever that would tend to interrupt the slumbers of the villagers during the night (thus impairing their health) and any other unnecessary noises that would disturb the peace and quiet of the village during daylight hours.

The ordinance, which was prepared by Village attorney Thomas E. Fenlon, covered almost every noise but those heard at sessions of the board of trustees at which village fathers are besieged by irate citizens complaining about noise.  The adoption of the ordinance followed a complaint made by Chester Park householders directed at a neighbor who is a farmer of chickens and thoroughbred dogs.

A fine of $25 or five days in jail or both is the penalty for violation of the ordinance."

Source:  Anti-Noise Ordinance Adopted to Make North Pelham Quiet Village, The Pelham Sun, Sep. 21, 1934, Vol. 25, No. 27, p. 1, cols. 7-8.  

"COMPLAINT SUBJECT SCANS NOISE LAWS
-----
(Special To The Argus)

NORTH PELHAM, Sept. 24. -- A copy of the newly created Village Ordinance banning maintenance of noisy fowl and other animals was served Saturday on Alfred L. Gamber, 16 Maple Avenue, against whom neighbors recently complained to the Village Board because of his hens, rooster, dogs and pigeons."

Source:  COMPLAINT SUBJECT SCANS NOISE LAWS, The Daily Argus [Mount Vernon, NY], Sep. 24, 1934, p. 7, col. 3.  

"FLY-BY-NIGHT MERCHANTS TO BE BARRED IN PELHAM
-----
Village Board Passes Ordinance Imposing Sales Tax and Requiring Bond on Transient Stores -- Parking Limit Reduced
-----
(Special to The Daily Argus)

NORTH PELHAM, June 20: . . .

The Gamber chicken coop at 16 Maple Avenue was given a clean bill of health by an inspector from the County Health Department.  The Board asked for an inspection after receiving a complaint from H. Zobel, a neighbor of Alfred L. Gamber.

The report stated that the coop housing 14 Rhode Island and a number of pigeons was kept according to statute and violated no provisions of the Health Code."

Source:  FLY-BY-NIGHT MERCHANTS TO BE BARRED IN PELHAM -- Village Board Passes Ordinance Imposing Sales Tax and Requiring Bond on Transient Stores -- Parking Limit Reduced, The Daily Argus [Mount Vernon, NY], June 20, 1935, p. 8, cols. 2-3 (unrelated text omitted). 

"Gamber's 'Farm' Is Responsible For Another Ordinance In North Pelham
-----

Just as an ordinance was passed against noise a few years ago was prompted by a complaint about the 'farm' of Alfred L. Gamber of Maple avenue, secretary to the Board of Education, more complaints prompted the adoption of another ordinance in North Pelham at a meeting of the North Pelham Village Board, Wednesday night.  Mrs. Harold Ring, also of Maple avenue, complained about smoke and obnoxious odors which she alleges are caused by a rubbish bonfire at the Gamber residence.

Mrs. Ring told the Board that the 'farmer' secretary to the school board harbors 76 pets, including chickens, pigeons and dogs, and although the county board of health has inspected the property and has found no violation of the health code, nevertheless she considers Gamber's animals and fowl an annoyance.

She wanted to know what could be done next.

The anti-noise ordinance passed two years ago when complaints had  been made against Gamber was referred to.  It was summed up briefly by Trustee James T. Bollettieri who said, 'This ordinance practically makes it a crime to be awake after 12 o'clock midnight.'

Mrs. Ring said that she was not complaining about noise, since three annoying roosters had been eliminated by culinary preparation perhaps, but against the burning of ill-smelling refuse.

'Then,' said the trustee, almost in a body, 'we'll make an ordinance against burning rubbish!'

'But will it be constitutional?' asked someone.

'Never mind about that,' replied Trustee Bollettieri.  'Everybody seems to be testing the constitutionality of laws these days.  We'll make the ordinance and let somebody else test it.'

The ordinance was adopted unanimously."

Source:  Gamber's 'Farm' Is Responsible For Another Ordinance In North Pelham, The Pelham Sun, Nov. 15, 1935, p. 8, col. 7.  

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