More on Installation of "Silent Cop" Traffic Lights and Traffic Semaphores in Pelham in the 1920s

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Pelham has had automobile traffic issues for as long as, well, as long as there have been automobiles.  Indeed, from the earliest years of the twentieth century until today, Pelham lies in the path of tens of thousands of motorists traveling to and from New York City.  In fact, in the years before completion of the Hutchinson River Parkway, I-95, and other major thoroughfares in the region, motorists used roadways such as Boston Post Road and Shore Road to travel along the eastern coastline northeast of New York City.  That meant traffic issues for little Pelham.

As I have noted before, by about the time of World War I, traffic was becoming so heavy on Boston Post Road and accidents were becoming so frequent that a traffic cop was assigned to direct traffic at Red Church Corner, known today as Four Corners (the intersection of Boston Post Road and Pelhamdale Avenue).  Pelham Manor posted John McCormack to handle the duties.  He became known as "Mack," the "Smiling Cop," who became famous and even played himself in a movie.  See Mon., Feb. 24, 2014:  Mack, the Movie Star Traffic Cop of Pelham Manor, 1916-1928.  

During the Roaring Twenties, however, traffic in Pelham exploded.  Two things quickly became clear.  First, traffic was an issue around the clock -- not just during the workday.  Second, intersections throughout all three villages were experiencing a rise in traffic and, in numerous instances, increases in the number of intersection accidents.  It was time to harness the power of "Silent Cops" as early traffic signals were known.

I have written before about installations of so-called "Silent Cops" in Pelham as early as 1922.  See Wed., Nov. 29, 2017:  Pelham Grows Up: Installation of "Silent Cop" Traffic Lights and Traffic Semaphores in the 1920s.  Such Silent Cops at the time took the form of simple traffic lights or simple traffic semaphores, examples of which are pictured below.

1925 Horni Signal Manufacturing Company Traffic Light. 

Early Traffic Semaphore.

By 1927, the use of early traffic lights and traffic semaphores was proving itself effective in Pelham.  Consequently, the community began expanding the use of such signals as traffic continued to grow.  These, however, were not modern, timed, and automated traffic lights.  Rather, they were lights and semaphore lights that were mechanically controlled by a Police Officer who managed traffic on particularly congested thoroughfares like Boston Post Road.

Thus, for example, during the summer of 1927, Pelham Manor Police Chief Philip Gargan oversaw installation of three traffic semaphore lights at two problematic Boston Post Road intersections:  Fowler Avenue and Esplanade.

By 1927, in fact, both intersections were problematic.  The Fowler Avenue intersection was particularly bad because, at the time, there was a slight jog in the roadway just to the east of the intersection that created a blind curve along Boston Post Road immediately before the intersection.  There were many accidents at the intersection caused by cars pulling out from Fowler onto Boston Post Road just as vehicles rounded the blind curve and struck them in the intersection.  Indeed, the local newspaper, The Pelham Sun, described the intersection as "a dangerous intersection, with a blind curve just east of it, [that] has been the scene of many accidents."

Esplanade was another problematic intersection.  Vehicles traveling north and south on that busy road would try to scoot across the heavily-congested Boston Post Road causing accidents as well.  In July, 1927, Police Chief Philip Gargan oversaw installation of two traffic semaphore lights at that intersection to control northbound and southbound traffic on Esplanade.  At the same time Chief Gargan oversaw installation of another traffic semaphore light at the Fowler Avenue intersection.

The effect of the three new traffic signals was immediate.  Indeed, the local newspaper seemed almost surprised that there were no accidents at the Fowler Avenue intersection during heavy weekend traffic the weekend of July 23-24 that year.  The newspaper reported:  "The heavy week end traffic was more easily managed with the assistance of the lights which are situated at Fowler avenue and the Esplanade.  There were no reports of accidents at these points which ordinarily present a hazard during heavy traffic hours."

Of course, not all motorists complied with the new signals.  Indeed, even with a police officer operating the signals, some motorists simply blew through red lights and, of course, were ticketed.  Again, as The Pelham Sun reported, "there were those who failed to comply with the code set down by the red and green lights.  Tonight in Pelham Manor police court.  Judge Anthony M. Menkel will impose penalty on several motorists who were served with summonses when they passed traffic signals set against them."

As always, it seems that the more things change, the more they stay the same, even in the little Town of Pelham. . . . 

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"Boston Road Traffic Lights Prove Successful
-----
No Accidents Reported At Dangerous Intersections After Installation of Light Semaphore
-----

The three new traffic lights recently installed on the Boston road have not been without their effect.  The heavy week end traffic was more easily managed with the assistance of the lights which are situated at Fowler avenue and the Esplanade.  There were no reports of accidents at these points which ordinarily present a hazard during heavy traffic hours.

Although motorists in general observed the signals there were those who failed to comply with the code set down by the red and green lights.  Tonight in Pelham Manor police court.  Judge Anthony M. Menkel will impose penalty on several motorists who were served with summonses when they passed traffic signals set against them.

On the whole Chief of Police Philip Gargan, under whose direction the traffic lights were installed, is highly pleased with the new system.  Fowler avenue, a dangerous intersection, with a blind curve just east of it, has been the scene of many accidents.

It has been necessary to erect two lights at the Esplanade to accommodate traffic on both north and south-bound thoroughfares."

Source:  Boston Road Traffic Lights Prove Successful -- No Accidents Reported At Dangerous Intersections After Installation of Light Semaphore, The Pelham Sun, Jul. 29, 1927, Vol. 18, No. 23, p. 10, col. 2.  

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A Sensational Burglary in 1899 at Mrs. Hazen's School for Girls in Pelham Manor

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Grace Thompson was a mere teenager on November 27, 1899.  A student at Mrs. Hazen's School for Girls, officially named "Pelham Hall," she lay asleep in her bed at 2:00 a.m. that night in the Edgewood House dormitory on Edgewood Avenue at Boston Post Road.  Her sleep became disturbed.  She stirred a bit, finally opening her eyes.  There, in her room, stood a strange man.

Grace froze for a moment.  Apparently sensing that he might have awakened her, the man slipped out of her room into the hallway where a kerosene lamp was burning dimly.  For a moment Grace Thompson looked and saw that the burglar was a short man with a handkerchief that concealed his face.

A westerner and daughter of a western banker, Grace Thompson was good with a revolver.  She reached into her things and pulled out her loaded handgun. Knowing the man had slipped quietly into the hallway, Grace stepped to the open window of her room and fired a single shot into the open countryside outside the window.

The gunshot had its intended effect.  It awakened most of the seventy students and additional faculty.  Within a moment, the electric lights and the electric burglar alarm of Edgewood House were turned on.  The sounding of the huge gongs of the burglar alarm awakened anyone still asleep and much of the surrounding neighborhood.  

Amidst all the chaos, the burglar was still inside Edgewood House, hiding somewhere.

Those in Edgewood House, however, were nothing if not well armed.  A French teacher on the second floor pulled out her loaded revolver.  A night watchman on the third floor began a search carrying his loaded revolver.  Mrs. Hazen's husband, John Cunningham Hazen, also was on the third floor.  He carried a loaded double-barrel shotgun as he searched with the night watchman for the hiding burglar.  

In the meantime, clusters of students wearing their nightgowns and robes "rushed from one room to another."  The French teacher with her revolver simply stood in her doorway peering up and down the hallway on the second floor of Edgewood House watching the chaos.  Something caught her eye.

The French teacher observed movement at one end of the hallway.  She turned and saw a man trying to slip quietly down a rear stairwell.  The unnamed French teacher had nerves of steel (readily apparent from the fact that she taught teenage students).  She never lost her nerve.

Slowly and stealthily the teacher followed the route of the man, at a distance, as he made his way down the stairs from the second floor past the first floor and into the basement.  The teacher creeped behind him through the basement until he reached a basement window through which he climbed.  As he climbed through the window, the teacher fired.  The shot missed as the burglar scrambled through the window onto the lawn outside.  The errant shot, however, alerted John Cunningham and the night watchman where the fleeing burglar might be found.

The burglar took off running across the grassy lawn of the campus.  The French teacher raced to the basement window and fired at him a second time.  Again she missed.  This time, however, her shot helped John Cunningham and the night watchman catch sight of the fleeing man.  Then the sharp crack of a revolver and the booming thunder of the shotgun shook the neighborhood.

As the smoke cleared, it became apparent that both John Cunningham and the night watchman had missed their mark.  The burglar disappeared into nearby woods never to be seen again.  

The students of Pelham Hall had a story to tell their friends and family -- a story that Mrs. Hazen did not really want told.  

Indeed, Pelham Hall experienced a number of sensational burglaries during the twenty five years it operated in Pelham Manor from 1889 until 1915.  I have written before about such burglaries at the school.  See, e.g., Thu., Jul. 12, 2007:  The Infamous Burglary of the Girls of Mrs. Hazen's School for Girls in Pelham Manor in 1905.

"Edgewood House" Built Facing Today's Edgewood Avenue (with Rear

Toward the Esplanade). Edgewood House, Which No Longer Stands, is

the Pelham Hall Building Where the November 27, 1899 Burglary Occurred.

NOTE: Click on Image to Enlarge.

Undated Postcard View of "MRS. HAZEN'S SCHOOL PELHAM MANOR,

N.Y." All Three "Houses" of Mrs. Hazen's School for Girls Are Depicted in

the Photograph Which Was Taken From Across the Esplanade (Both Lanes

Visible in the Foreground). Chester House is on the Left.  Edgewood

House is in the Center, Slightly in the Rear (It Was Named After the Street

it Was Closest to).  Marbury House, named after Anne Marbury Hutchinson,

Is on the Right.  NOTE:  Click on Image to Enlarge.

*          *          *          *          *

"A BURGLAR IN A DORMITORY.
-----
Consternation Caused by an Invader in a Female School.

PELHAM MANOR, N. Y., Nov. 28. -- Loud shrieks of 'Burglars!' followed by a fusillade of misdirected pistol shots, were the means of disturbing the quiet of this aristocratic suburb at an early hour yesterday morning.  The shots, which were fired at a fleeing burglar, who had forced an entrance into Mrs. J. Chunningham Hazen's school, in the Manor, did not take effect.  There are seventy students in the Hazen School, which is known throughout the country.  Among the students are daughters of supreme court justices, railroad presidents and millionaire business men.  It was shortly after 2 o'clock when Miss Grace Thompson, daughter of a western banker, awoke and saw a man in her room.  As the girl started to get up the burglar softly made his way out into the hall.  By the dim light of a lamp which was burning Miss Thompson saw the man as he passed her door.  He was short and his face was partly concealed by a handkerchief.  Miss Thompson jumped out of bed, and seizing a revolver fired a shot out of the open window.  

In an instant the dormitory was in an uproar.  The electric lights were turned on and the burglar alarms were ringing.  The sounding of the huge gongs aroused every person in the four cottages.  The burglar was hiding somewhere in the Edgewood cottage, but just where no one knew.  Clusters of students attired in their night robes rushed from one room to another.  

Mr. Hazen, who was armed with a double-barreled shotgun, and O'Brien, a watchman, who had a revolver, were searching every corner.  While the men were on the third floor the French teacher stood in her doorway on the second floor with a revolver in her hand.  Suddenly a man was seen sneaking down through one of the rear halls.  

The French teacher did not lose her nerve.  Clutching her revolver, she followed the burglar, who had a long start.  As the man was leaving the building by way of a basement window the teacher fired, and again as he was running across the lawn.  This time O'Brien and Mr. Hazen, who also had caught sight of the fleeing man, fired at him, but their shots went wide of the mark.

The burglar escaped into the woods.  Examination showed that he had gained entrance by way of a basement window."

Source:  A BURGLAR IN A DORMITORY -- Consternation Caused by an Invader in a Female School, The Evening Times [Washington, D.C.], Nov. 28, 1899, No. 1352, p. 1, col. 6.  

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I have written extensively about the private school known as "Pelham Hall" and "Mrs. Hazen's School for Girls."  For a few of the many examples, see:

Bell, Blake A., Mrs. Hazen's School for Girls: Pelham Hall, The Pelham Weekly, Vol. XIII, No. 40, Oct. 8, 2004, p. 12, col. 1.

Fri., Apr. 07, 2017:  The Twentieth Annual Commencement of Mrs. Hazen's School for Girls Held on June 2, 1909.

Wed., Dec. 30, 2015:  Interesting Account of 1894 Graduation Exercises Conducted by Mrs. Hazen's School for Girls in Pelham Manor.

Wed., Mar. 18, 2015:  Account of Women's Cricket Match Played by Pelham Manor Women in 1898.

Tue., Feb. 03, 2015:  1907 Commencement Exercises at Mrs. Hazen's School for Girls in Pelham Manor.

Mon., Feb. 02, 2015:  The Three Houses of Mrs. Hazen's School for Girls in the Late 19th Century.

Tue., Nov. 25, 2014:  Too Smart for Late 19th Century Scammers: Mrs. Hazen's School for Girls.

Tue., Mar. 11, 2014:  An Early History of Mrs. Hazen's School For Girls in Pelham Manor, Published in 1913.

Tue., Feb. 16, 2010:  Photograph of Only Known 19th Century Women's Baseball Team in Pelham, New York.

Fri., Jul. 24, 2009:  Late 19th Century Photos of Students with Tennis Rackets at Mrs. Hazen's School for Girls in Pelham Manor.

Mon., Mar. 3, 2008:  1891 Advertisement May Reflect Summer Rental of One of the Dormitories of Mrs. Hazen's School for Girls.

Thu., Jul. 12, 2007:  The Infamous Burglary of the Girls of Mrs. Hazen's School for Girls in Pelham Manor in 1905.  

Wed., Sep. 6, 2006:  Pelham Hall Shelter, a "Refuge for Erring Girls", Founded by Alumnae of Mrs. Hazen's School for Girls in Pelham Manor.  

Tue., Aug. 22, 2006:  Early Advertisements for Mrs. Hazen's School for Girls in Pelham Manor.  

Fri., Oct. 14, 2005:  A Reunion of Alumnae of Mrs. Hazen's School for Girls. 

Mon., Aug. 15, 2005:  952 Pelhamdale Served as a 19th Century School for Girls, Then a School for Boys. 

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The Twentieth Annual Commencement of Mrs. Hazen's School for Girls Held on June 2, 1909

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In 1889, Emily Hall Hazen who had taught at the Masters School in Dobbs Ferry, New York, opened a private girls' school in Pelham Manor.  It almost immediately became one of the finest girls’ schools in the country.  The school closed twenty-five years later at the end of the 1914-1915 school year. 

Officially named "Pelham Hall," the school was known far and wide as "Mrs. Hazen's School for Girls."  By the time the school reached its final academic year, it had served over a thousand students from forty-two States and over two hundred and fifty towns and cities throughout the country.  

I have written about Mrs. Hazen's School for Girls on many occasions.  I have included a list of links to numerous such articles at the end of today's posting.  

The year 1909 was a special year for Pelham Hall.  On Wednesday, June 2, 1909, Mrs. Hazen's School for Girls held its twentieth annual commencement ceremony.  The ceremony was held in a large auditorium in "Edgewood House," one of the three school buildings on the campus, a large gray building that faced Edgewood Avenue that was built by Benjamin Corlies and was leased to the school.  The other two buildings, also built by Corlies and leased to the school, faced Esplanade and were known as "Chester House" and "Marbury House."

1906 Post Card View of the Pelham Hall Complex, Showing

Chester Hall on the Left, Edgewood House in the Center and

Marbury House on the Right.  NOTE:  Click on Image to Enlarge.

Source: Double-Page Map on Plate 22 in Fairchild, John F.,

Atlas of the City of Mount of Vernon and the Town of Pelham.

Compiled from Official Records, Personal Surveys and Other

Private Plans and Surveys. 1899. Compiled and published by

John F. Fairchild. Civil Engineer and Surveyor. Rooms, 10-11

Bank Buliding, Mount Vernon, N.Y. (1899) (Lionel Pincus and

Princess Firyal Map Division, The New York Public Library).

NOTE: Click on Image to Enlarge.

"Edgewood House" Built Facing Today's Edgewood Avenue

(with Rear Toward the Esplanade).  Edgewood House, Which

No Longer Stands, is the Pelham Hall Building that Included

an Auditorium in Which the 1909 Graduation Exercises Were

Held.  NOTE:  Click on Image to Enlarge.

Ten young women graduated from Pelham Hall that late spring day.  Because it was the twentieth annual commencement exercise, former graduates of the school came "from all parts of the United States" to attend the ceremony and various events that were held during commencement week.  Although it rained heavily throughout the morning, attendance at the ceremony was "good."  

Commencement ceremonies had been held in the large auditorium of Edgewood House since that building was constructed on the campus in 1894.  As was the annual custom, the auditorium was decked with evergreen boughs.  Evergreens carried important symbolic significance.  Because they stay green through the winter, they symbolized such qualities as strength, revitalization, invincibility, determination, and stoicism -- a perfect symbol for a high school graduation celebration.

Seated on the platform during the ceremony that day were:  (1) Mrs. Emily Hall Hazen, founder and headmistress of Pelham Hall; (2) "Miss McKay" and "Miss Tracy," the two Associate Principals of the school; (3) Rev. Lewis Gaston, pastor of Huguenot Memorial Presbyterian Church, located nearly across the street from the school; (4) Rev. Herbert Haight Brown, pastor of the Church of the Redeemer in the Village of North Pelham; and (5) keynote speaker Dr. Edward Howard Griggs. 

Dr. Edward Howard Griggs (1868-1951) was a noted historian, lecturer, author, and inspirational speaker of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.  He compiled and published dozens of biographies as well as social and moral critiques of history's greatest thinkers, philosophers, religious figures, and humanists.  Later in his career, during the 1930s, Griggs became known for a regular radio program broadcast nationally known as the "Lives of Great Men Program."  

Undated Photograph of Edward Howard Griggs.

NOTE:  Click on Image to Enlarge.

In 1904, only a few years before he was the keynote speaker at the 1909 commencement ceremony at Pelham Hall, Griggs published an influential book entitled "Moral Education" that undoubtedly was one of the principle reasons he was invited to speak to the graduating class of Pelham Hall that day.  See Griggs, Edward Howard, Moral Education (NY, NY:  B. W. Huebsch, 1904).  According to one reviewer of the work:

"The first seven chapters deal with fundamental principles of education, laying the foundation in the nature of the child.  Here Mr. Griggs follows closely the methods and results of the child-study movement; and his treatment culminates in the consideration of the type of character to be fostered by moral education, which is described as 'a strong and effective moral personality, reverently obedient to the laws of life and controlled by clear-sighted reason; seeing, loving, and willing the best on the plane of life that has been reached, strong in moral initiation, and able to grow independently ever toward the loftier vision and nobler action' (p. 66).  In connection with this ideal of character, it will be well to cite the author's conception of a moral life, which is that of 'happy and helpful living':  and this is to be attained, on the whole, by the kind of culture which initiates one into the best life of the race, but which tends to strengthen the individual to independent living in all the ranges of thought and conduct."

Source:  Sprague, Leslie Willis, "MORAL EDUCATION.  By Edward Howard Griggs, Author of 'The New Humanism,'" in International Journal of Ethics, Vol. 15, No. 3, April 1905, pp. 379-81 (Chicago, IL:  University of Chicago Press, 1905).

All students of Mrs. Hazen's School for Girls attended the commencement ceremony that day.  During a processional hymn sung by the attendees, the non-graduating students marched into the auditorium to their seats, then waited as the ten graduating students marched in dressed in white graduation gowns and white graduation caps.

At the conclusion of the hymn, attendees were seated and Mrs. Hazen spoke.  Her brief remarks focused on the fact that those in attendance were part of the twentieth annual commencement ceremony at Pelham Hall.  Following Emily Hazen's remarks, Associate Principal Tracy delivered an annual report on the school and its students.

Following the annual report, the students sang songs for the crowd.  Thereafter, academic awards and prizes were given to the students.  Six of the graduating seniors received awards:

Helen Audry Almy - Abbe Hageman Hall Memorial Prizes in United States History, Second Prize
Katherine Lea Donald - Corlies Literary Prize
Frances Emily Gwyer - Robert C. Black Recreation Prize
Gladys Shafer - Houghton Scholastic Prize
Mary Arnold Swoope - Abbe Hageman Hall Memorial Prizes in United States History, First Prize
Georgie Derrick Temple - Edith Hazen Tiers Honor Prize

Ten other students who were not graduating 

Mabel Marie Damon - Intermediate First Prize 
Marie Madeline Doelger - A Testimonial
Winifred Mary Margaret Heath - A Testimonial 
Helen Rogers - A Testimonial
Anne Hubbell Seymour - Primary Second Prize
Aline Katherine Tiedemann - Primary First Prize
Helen Dorothy Tiedemann - Intermediate Second Prize
Gertrude Schultz Watson - Hatch Medal
Alys Sinclair - Hazen Medal
Agnes Winston - A Testimonial

In addition, because Associate Principal McKay was retiring after serving at Pelham Hall for eleven years, the students of the school presented her with "a beautiful silver cup."  After the presentation, the attendees sang The Star Spangled Banner.

After the singing of the Star Spangled Banner, Edward Howard Griggs delivered an "interesting address."  Research has not revealed any record of the substance of the address by Dr. Griggs that day.  

At the conclusion of the keynote address by Dr. Griggs, Pelham Hall students sang "Alma Mater."  The ceremony closed with a prayer by Reverend Leary, the singing of the Doxology, and a benediction by Rev. Brown.   

Indeed, today's students of Pelham Memorial High School would recognize the commencement ceremony -- indeed, it would seem familiar today -- though it was celebrated nearly 108 years ago by the students of Pelham Hall, Mrs. Hazen's School for Girls.    

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"AT THE HAZEN SCHOOL
-----
Commencement Exercises Hold Attention.

Pelham Manor, June 3.  --  The twentieth annual commencement exercises of Mrs. Hazen's school, Pelham Manor was held in Pelham hall yesterday morning.  In view of the fact that it was twenty years ago since the school was founded, many of the former graduates came from all parts of the United States to be present at the various events which take place during commencement week.  

Notwithstanding the rain, the attendance was good.  The interior of Pelham hall presented a scene of unusual beauty with its decorations of green boughs, while in the rear of the platform was the word 'Pelham Hall' in white letters on a green background.  Seated on the platform were Mrs. Hazen, Miss McKay and Miss Tracy, associate principals, the speaker of the day and the well known writer, Edward Howard Griggs; Rev. Lewis Gaston Leary, Ph. D., pastor of the Pelham Manor Presbyterian Church, and the Rev. H. H. Brown, rector of the Church of the Redeemer, in North Pelham.

The exercises opened with the processional hymn, during the singing of which the scholars marched to their seats in the hall, followed by the graduates, attired in white gowns and white caps.  

At the conclusion of the hymn, Mrs. Hazen made a few remarks, in which she called attention to the fact that it was twenty years ago that the school was established.

After the annual report of the department work had been read by Miss Tracy and singing by the school, the awards of prizes, testimonials and diplomas took place, as follows:  Abbe Hageman Hall memorial prizes in United States history, first, Miss Mary Arnold Swoope second prize, Miss Helen Audry Almy; Corlies literary prize, Miss Katherine Lea Donald; Houghton scholastic prize, given by two sisters who succeeded each other in the school as graduates who wished to perpetuate their name for all around scholarship, Miss Gladys Shafer; Robert C. Black recreation prize, Miss Frances Emily Gwyer; Edith Hazen Tiers honor prize, Miss Georgie Derrick Temple; intermediate first prize, Mabel Marie Damon; intermediate second prize, Helen Dorothy Tiedemann; Hatch medal, Gertrude Schultz Watson; primary first prize, Aline Katherine Tiedemann; primary second prize, Anne Hubbell Seymour; Hazen medal, Alys Sinclair.

Miss McKay, who retired as associate principal after being in the school eleven years was the recipient of a beautiful silver cup from the pupils.

Testimonials were awarded to Miss Marie Madeline Doelger, Miss Winifred Mary Margaret Heath, Miss Helen Rogers and Miss Agnes Winston.

The following were the graduates:  Margaret Adams, Helen Audry Almy, Katherine Lea Donald, Frances Emily Gwyer, Marion Winston Hoyle, Helen E. Williams Hyde, Gladys Shafer, Minnie Carlotto Splane, Mary Arnold Swoope, Georgie Derrick Temple.  As each graduate stepped to the front of the platform when her name was called Mrs. Hazen made brief remarks about the young lady's attainments during her school course.

After the singing of the Star Spangled Banner, Mr. Griggs delivered an interesting address.

The exercises were brought to a close with the singing of 'Alma Mater' by the school, prayer by the Rev. Lewis Gaston Leary, Ph. D., while the benediction was pronounced by the Rev. H. H. Brown after the doxology was sung."

Source:  AT THE HAZEN SCHOOL -- Commencement Exercises Hold Attention, New Rochelle Pioneer, Jun. 12, 1909, Vol. 51, No. 11, p. 2, col. 4.  

*          *          *          *          *

I have written extensively about the private school known as "Pelham Hall" and "Mrs. Hazen's School for Girls."  For a few of the many examples, see:

Bell, Blake A., Mrs. Hazen's School for Girls: Pelham Hall, The Pelham Weekly, Vol. XIII, No. 40, Oct. 8, 2004, p. 12, col. 1.

Wed., Dec. 30, 2015:  Interesting Account of 1894 Graduation Exercises Conducted by Mrs. Hazen's School for Girls in Pelham Manor.

Wed., Mar. 18, 2015:  Account of Women's Cricket Match Played by Pelham Manor Women in 1898.

Tue., Feb. 03, 2015:  1907 Commencement Exercises at Mrs. Hazen's School for Girls in Pelham Manor.

Mon., Feb. 02, 2015:  The Three Houses of Mrs. Hazen's School for Girls in the Late 19th Century.

Tue., Nov. 25, 2014:  Too Smart for Late 19th Century Scammers: Mrs. Hazen's School for Girls.

Tue., Mar. 11, 2014:  An Early History of Mrs. Hazen's School For Girls in Pelham Manor, Published in 1913.

Mon., Aug. 15, 2005:  952 Pelhamdale Served as a 19th Century School for Girls, Then a School for Boys. 

Fri., Oct. 14, 2005:  A Reunion of Alumnae of Mrs. Hazen's School for Girls. 

Tue., Aug. 22, 2006:  Early Advertisements for Mrs. Hazen's School for Girls in Pelham Manor.  

Wed., Sep. 6, 2006:  Pelham Hall Shelter, a "Refuge for Erring Girls", Founded by Alumnae of Mrs. Hazen's School for Girls in Pelham Manor.  

Thu., Jul. 12, 2007:  The Infamous Burglary of the Girls of Mrs. Hazen's School for Girls in Pelham Manor in 1905.  

Mon., Mar. 3, 2008:  1891 Advertisement May Reflect Summer Rental of One of the Dormitories of Mrs. Hazen's School for Girls.

Fri., Jul. 24, 2009:  Late 19th Century Photos of Students with Tennis Rackets at Mrs. Hazen's School for Girls in Pelham Manor.

Tue., Feb. 16, 2010:  Photograph of Only Known 19th Century Women's Baseball Team in Pelham, New York.

Archive of the Historic Pelham Web Site.

Home Page of the Historic Pelham Blog.

Order a Copy of "Thomas Pell and the Legend of the Pell Treaty Oak."

Stowell's Pharmacy in Pelham Manor and its Stunning Early Real Photo Postcards

Archive of the Historic Pelham Web Site.
Home Page of the Historic Pelham Blog.
Order a Copy of "Thomas Pell and the Legend of the Pell Treaty Oak."

Opening of Stowell's Pharmacy in 1907

One of the earliest pharmacies to open in the tiny Village of Pelham Manor was "Stowell's Pharmacy" operated by J. S. Stowell.  It was not Pelham's first pharmacy.  That distinction belongs to a tiny pharmacy opened by a member of the Roosevelt family in the 1890s.  That pharmacy quickly failed.  Its fixtures were sold to Seth T. Lyman of the Village of North Pelham who opened his pharmacy at Fifth Avenue and First Street with those fixtures.

Before opening his Pelham Manor pharmacy, J. S. Stowell was with the Chambers Pharmacy operated by James Chambers in Bronxville.  In 1907 Stowell decided to strike out on his own and open a pharmacy in the region.  He settled on the Village of Pelham Manor which had about 450 residents but no pharmacy.  

First Stowell had to locate the building to house his new business.  He was in luck.  A building at a prime location had just become available -- the old Pelham Manor Post Office.

The story of that old Pelham Manor Post Office building is interesting in and of itself.  In 1897, the Village Clerk of the Village of Pelham Manor, Gervas H. Kerr, became Pelham Manor postmaster.  He oversaw the post office in the Pelham Manor Depot until 1904, when it was moved out of the Depot to a nearby residence on Terrace avenue, a roadway that no longer exists due to the construction of Interstate 95 during the 1950s.  The post office remained in that residence (a home later owned by F.C. Allen, Jr. of Pelham Manor) for only three years.  In 1907, Postmaster Kerr oversaw construction of a new post-office building nearby, near the front entrance to the nearly-new Pelham Manor Train Station built of stone, designed by noted architect Cass Gilbert and opened in about 1907.  Stowell seized on the opportunity and took over the vacant Terrace Avenue residence formerly used as the Post Office.   

Detail from 1908 Map Showing Likely Location of the

Old Post Office Building That Became Stowell's Pharmacy

in Lower Right Corner on Property Owned by Mrs. Emma

J. Roosevelt.  Source:  Fairchild, John F., Atlas of the City

of Mount Vernon and the Town of Pelham Compiled from

Official Records, Personal Surveys, and Other Private Plans

and Surveys, Plate 35 (Mount Vernon, NY:  John F. Fairchild,

1908).  NOTE:  Click on Image to Enlarge.

Stowell successfully opened his new business.  A brief newspaper reference published before he opened Stowell's Pharmacy indicated plans for a "first class" and "attractive pharmacy" with an "up to date prescription department" as well as a classic soda fountain.  According to the same reference, the soda fountain would serve not only "ice cream sodas and sundaes," but also "a long list of popular drinks such as egg phosphate, malted milk and egg, vishy and milk, lemonade to order, etc."

It is not known with certainty how long Stowell's Pharmacy operated in Pelham Manor.  It certainly operated for at least three years.  References to the pharmacy in 1910 can be found in a variety of sources.  In the short time that the pharmacy existed, it seems, it left one fascinating, historic, and beautiful legacy.

The Stowell's Pharmacy Real Photo Postcards

At about the time J. S. Stowell was opening his pharmacy, the golden age of American Postcards was underway.  More significantly, a recent development in the creation of such postcards was generating excitement throughout the country.  Stowell's Pharmacy, it seems, took advantage of this excitement.  

In 1903, Kodak introduced a camera (the 3A Folding Pocket Kodak Camera) designed to use film that produced postcard-size images to allow consumers to take photographs and have them printed on postcard paper with postcard backs.  The camera was such a success that Kodak introduced a new service in 1907 that it named "Real Photo Postcards."  The service enabled customers to make postcards from any photograph they took regardless of the camera used.  

At about the same time, Federal law changed to permit -- for the first time -- the inclusion of a message on a portion of the back of a postcard.  Until that change in the law, only the address was allowed on the back of a postcard.  Any message had to be included on the front of the postcard where, typically, an image of some sort appeared.  

These two developments combined to create a boon in the creation and use of Real Photo Postcards (often known to collectors as RPPs or RPPCs).  According to one source:  "No other single format has provided such a massive photo history of America, particularly of small-town and rural America where photography was often a luxury."  "Real Photo Postcard" in Wikipedia -- The Free Encyclopedia (visited Dec. 3, 2016).  

A fascinating series of Real Photo Postcards created in about 1909 seems to be connected to Stowell's Pharmacy.  Although only one in the series uncovered so far has a Stowell's Pharmacy designation on it, the images are remarkably similar and contain handwritten titles that appear to be in the same handwriting in each instance -- handwriting that matches that on the only example in the series uncovered so far that includes a Stowell's Pharmacy reference.  

The Stowell Pharmacy postcards represent an important and fascinating group of RPP images taken at about the same time.  The images reveal, if nothing else, long-gone views of Pelham that were deemed significant enough to capture as part of an entrepreneurial scheme to profit from those views through postcard sales.  It now seems certain that among the many things one could purchase in Stowell's Pharmacy were these lovely postcards to collect or to mail to family and friends.

Below are the Real Photo Postcard images I have been able to identify so far that likely are part of the Stowell's Pharmacy series of such cards.  Since not all are labeled as "Stowell's Pharmacy" cards, there is no definitive way to determine if they all are part of the same series.  However, you may judge for yourself based on the "look" of each postcard and the handwritten titles in identical handwriting whether they seem to be part of a series of cards prepared by (or for sale at) the pharmacy.  Most importantly, since some of the cards have legible postmarks that seem to compare favorably with the time we know Stowell's Pharmacy existed, it is now even easier to assign a narrow date range for all the images including those without postmarks (or without legible postmarks).

This undated postcard shows the "RES. [i.e., Residence of] MUNROE CRANE PELHAM MANOR, N.Y. 5981."  The note on the left contains the following reference important for present purposes "FROM STOWELL'S PHARMACY."  Pay close attention to the handwritten titles as you will see similar handwriting on each of the following postcards as well.  (Click on image to enlarge.)

This undated postcard shows the "R.R. STATION.  PELHAM MANOR, N.Y."  This is the Pelham Manor Depot designed by famed architect Cass Gilbert that opened in about 1907 when Stowell opened his new pharmacy only a few steps away from where this photographer stood.  The postmark is somewhat illegible, but the card clearly was postmarked in 1910 when Stowell's Pharmacy was known to be operating.  This photograph was taken from one of the station platforms opposite the station.  The Pelham Depot Plaza is on the other side of the station.  The station obscures the view of the new Pelham Manor Post Office and Grocery that is entirely "behind" and, thus, blocked by the station in this photograph.  Stowell's Pharmacy would have been located to the right in this image, somewhat behind the photographer.  Note that the handwriting used for the title as well as the "look and feel" of the image is the same as before.  (Click on image to enlarge.)

This undated postcard shows the "POST OFFICE PELHAM MANOR, N.Y."  This is the Post Office building built by postmaster Gervas H. Kerr in 1907 almost directly adjacent to the Pelham Manor Depot.  The shadow of the roof and lightning rod of the Pelham Manor Depot can be seen in the foreground of the photograph.  This photograph was taken with the Pelham Manor Depot behind and to the left of the photographer.  The photographer would have had to walk through the underground tunnel that connected the station area to the platform from which the photograph immediately above was taken.  Stowell's Pharmacy would have been almost directly behind the photographer, a few dozen feet away.  Note that the handwriting used for the titles as well as the "look and feel" of the image is the same as before.  (Click on image to enlarge.)

This postcard view of the "Little Red Church" (the original Huguenot Memorial Presbyterian Church) located at Four Corners (the intersection of Boston Post Road and Pelhamdale Avenue) is titled "5819 PRESBT. CHURCH.  PELHAM MANOR, N.Y."  The postcard is postmarked November 3, 1911.  Stowell's Pharmacy is known to have been operating in 1910 and may have been operating in 1911 as well.  This image was taken from Boston Post Road facing the church which stands essentially where the sanctuary of today's Huguenot Memorial Presbyterian Church is located.  Note the same handwriting for the title and the same "look and feel" of the image.  (Click on image to enlarge.)  Note that there is a handwritten four digit number "5819" on the postcard very similar to the four digit number in the same handwriting (5981) on the Munro Crane postcard.  The purpose of the number is not known.

This is a postcard view of "ESPLANADE PELHAM MANOR, N.Y." postmarked November 2, 1909 during the time Stowell's Pharmacy was operating.  This image, taken on the Esplanade (with the dividing median between the Esplanade lanes on the left), shows the rear of the horse watering fountain at the intersection of Esplanade and Boston Post Road.  Note the same handwriting for the titles and the same "look and feel" of the image.  This image was taken just off of Boston Post Road a few hundred feet west from where the photographer took the image of the Little Red Church included above.  On the extreme right, the buildings of Mrs. Hazen's School for Girls may be seen.  (Click on image to enlarge.)

This is a postcard view of "MRS. HAZEN'S SCHOOL PELHAM MANOR, N.Y." with an illegible postmark.  All three "houses" of Mrs. Hazen's School for Girls that stood on the Esplanade at Boston Post Road are depicted in the photograph which was taken from across the Esplanade (both lanes visible in the foreground).  Chester House is on the left.  Edgewood House is in the center, slightly in the rear (it was named after the street it was closest to).  Marbury House, named after Anne Marbury Hutchinson, is on the right.  This image was taken just off of Boston Post Road on the opposite side of the horse drinking fountain, once again only a few hundred feet away from where the photographer took the image of the Esplanade showing the rear of the horse drinking fountain included above.  (Click on image to enlarge.)

This is a postcard view of "BOSTON POST ROAD PELHAM PELHAM MANOR, N.Y." postmarked September 4, 1909 when Stowell's Pharmacy was operating.  This image, taken on Boston Post Road facing its intersection with Esplanade, shows the horse watering fountain in the distance on the left.  Once again the same handwriting is used in the title and the photograph has the same "look and feel" of the other images.  This image was taken from Boston Post Road a few hundred feet west from where the photographer took the images of the rear of the horse watering fountain and the buildings of Mrs. Hazen's School for Girls included above.  (Click on image to enlarge.)

This is a postcard view of "'RES. [i.e., Residence of] MONT D. ROGERS PELHAM MANOR, N.Y." postmarked June 7, 1910 when Stowell's Pharmacy is known to have been operating.  This residence (which no longer exists) was located near the intersection of Wolfs Lane and Secor.  Thus, the photograph was taken only a few hundred feet away from the photograph of Boston Post Road immediately above. The same handwriting is used in the titles and the photograph has the same "look and feel" of the other images.  (Click on image to enlarge.)

This is an undated postcard view of "WOLFS LANE.  PELHAM MANOR, N.Y."  This image was taken on Wolfs Lane (likely somewhat near Boston Post Road but further along Wolfs Lane than Secor).  Admittedly, though, it has not yet been placed geographically with certainty.  It seems likely, however, that it was taken only a few hundred to a few thousand feet away from the photograph of the residence of Mont D. Rogers immediately above.  Note the same handwriting and the same "look and feel" once again.  (Click on image to enlarge.)

This is a postcard view of "'THE RESERVOIR.' NO. PELHAM, N.Y." postmarked January 8, 1911.  Stowell's Pharmacy is known to have been operating in 1910 and may have been operating in 1911 as well.  This image seems to have been taken from the New Haven Line railroad embankment looking down over the reservoir showing the facilities of the New York Inter-Urban Water Company that provided drinking water from the reservoir to Pelham at the time.  Once again the same handwriting is used in the titles and the photograph has the same "look and feel" of the other images.  (Click on image to enlarge.)  For more on the history of the Pelham Reservoir, see:  Wed., Mar. 11, 2015:  Research Regarding the History of the Pelham Reservoir in Today's Willsons Woods Park.

This is an undated postcard view of "R.R. STATION.  PELHAM, N.Y."  This image was taken from near the western end of the Connecticut-bound platform of the New Haven Line Pelham Station.  Note the same handwriting and the same "look and feel" once again.  (Click on image to enlarge.)

This is an undated postcard of "L. EPPLE NORTH PELHAM, N.Y."  It shows the home, florist business, and greenhouses of Louis Charles Epple once located at Seventh Street near Fifth Avenue.  The photographer was standing on 7th Street near its intersection with Sixth Avenue facing toward Fifth Avenue.  As with the earlier postcards in the series, the same handwriting is used in the title and the photograph has the same "look and feel" of the other images.  (Click on image to enlarge.)  To read more about this postcard and Louis Charles Epple, see:  Tue., Sep. 20, 2016:  Louis Charles Epple and His Florist Business in the Village of North Pelham.

This is an undated postcard view of the "CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH.  NO. PELHAM, N.Y."  It shows the tiny clapboard chapel of the Church of the Covenant, Congregational that was known as the "Congregational Church" in the Village of North Pelham.  It was located on Second Avenue between Third and Fourth Streets.  The photographer was located on Second Avenue in front of the chapel.  Again, the same handwriting is used in the title and the photograph has the same "look and feel" of the other images.  (Click on image to enlarge.)  To learn more about this postcard and the Congregational Church, see:  Thu., Jul. 23, 2015:  The Home at 45 Maple in Chester Park Built to Serve as a Church.

Conclusion

These thirteen postcards seem to be part of a series of related postcards with a possible connection to Stowell's Pharmacy in Pelham Manor.  It seems almost positive that there are other examples out there of similar postcards in the same series that have the same handwriting and the same "look and feel" as these thirteen examples.  Although it is impossible to know with certainty, it seems most likely that the photographs used in these postcards were taken in 1909 given the historical context of all these images and given that the earliest postmark on any of them (at least as known for now) is September 4, 1909.

Most likely the photographs were taken on different dates.  However, the shadows and greenery suggest that the images were taken on a spring day (or on spring days) with the sun nearly directly overhead in most images.  

It is easy to imagine, at times, how the photographer may have walked along a particular route to snap some of the photographs.  For example, it may have been the case that on one occasion the photographer took a photograph of the Pelham Manor Depot, then wandered in the tunnel beneath the tracks and emerged to photograph the Pelham Manor Post Office adjacent to the Depot.  The photographer, we imagine, then walked a few thousand feet up Pelhamdale Avenue to Four Corners.  

At Four Corners, the photographer took a photograph of the Little Red Church and turned west on Boston Post Road, stepping briefly onto the Esplanade to take a picture of that roadway (showing the rear of the horse watering fountain).  Next the photographer remained on the Esplanade, but crossed Boston Post Road to photograph Mrs. Hazen's School for Girls on Boston Post Road at the Esplanade on the side of Boston Post Road opposite the horse drinking fountain.  

The photographer next took the few steps back onto Boston Post Road and walked a few hundred feet west.  Standing in the middle of Boston Post Road, the photographer turned around toward the Esplanade and took a photograph of Boston Post Road (with a dog seated in the roadway and the horse watering trough in the distance).  The photographer next turned onto Wolfs Lane and walked a few hundred feet to the intersection of Wolfs Lane and Secor and photographed the monumental mansion of Mont D. Rogers (one of a number of nearby monumental mansions).  

Next, the photographer walked a few hundred to a few thousand feet further on Wolfs Lane and took a picture showing a few homes on Wolfs Lane.  Then the photographer continued on Wolfs Lane to the Pelham Station on the New Haven Line and took a picture there.  Thereafter the photographer would have taken a brief detour along the railroad right-of-way to take a photograph of the nearby Pelham Reservoir.  (And so on, and so on.)

These photographs are rare images of a Pelham that no longer exists:  Pelham in 1909.  They are beautiful.  There are so many clues in each that have yet to be explored.

*          *          *          *          *

Below is the text of a number of items that shed some light on Stowell's Pharmacy.  Each is followed by a citation and link to its source.

"-- J. S. Stowell, recently of the Chambers Pharmacy, is going into business for himself in Pelham Manor.  That happens to be the one prosperous village in the heart of things that has no drug store.  It likewise has a new post office building which leaves the old one vacant.  Mr. Stowell has taken this building and will put it in first class shape for an attractive pharmacy, with an up to date prescription department and a soda fountain where a long list of popular drinks such as egg phosphate, malted milk and egg, vishy and milk, lemonade to order, etc. will be on tap for the automobilist in addition to the ice cream sodas and sundaes for home consumption.  E. S. Sawyer of New York has taken Mr. Stowell's place at Chambers'."

Source:  [Untitled], The Bronxville Review, Aug. 15, 1907, Vol. VI, No. 33, p. 5, col. 2.  

"PELHAM MANOR, Westchester Co. . . . . [Population 638] Stowell's Pharmacy"

Source:  The ERA Druggists Directory of America - 14th Edition - 1910, p. 134 (NY, NY:  D.O. Haynes & Co., Publishers, 1910).  

Fascinating Advertisement that Included Local Businesses

Including Stowell's Pharmacy in Pelham Manor that Sold

"ELECTRIC DEATH," A "1000 Volts Strong" Way to Destroy

Cockroaches, Bedbugs, Waterbugs, Ants and Fleas.  And, it was

"Warranted to do the Work."  Source:  ELECTRIC DEATH

[Advertisement], The Daily Argus, Mar. 23, 1910, p. 2, cols.

3-4.  NOTE:  Click on Image to Enlarge.

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