More on the History of the Little Yellow Schoolhouse on Split Rock Road Built in the 1850s

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Think of the faithful work of those pioneer teachers!

Teaching all subjects, primary, grammar and high

school; spending hours after school to help a backward,

or push a promising pupil; working eleven months each year,

knowing that the greatest effort made would be taken as a

matter of course, and waiting patiently for three months

before receiving one month's salary. Think of their work,

and give thanks that times have changed.'

-- Kate C. Mulligan, writing in 1913 of The Little Yellow

Schoolhouse that Once Stood on Split Rock Road.

It was known as the "Little Yellow Schoolhouse."  It stood on Split Rock Road, often referred to as "Pelham Lane" during the nineteenth century.  It originally was built in one spot along Pelham Lane but, in the 1860s, was moved to another lot along the roadway.

Known officially as the "Prospect Hill Schoolhouse," it was a tiny one-room schoolhouse.  Its remnants still stand on today's Split Rock Road.  The structure has been incorporated into the residence that stands at 982 Split Rock Road. 

Prospect Hill Schoolhouse in an Undated Photograph.

Image Courtesy of the Office of the Historian of the Town of Pelham.

982 Split Rock Road Which Incorporates the Old

Prospect Hill Schoolhouse. Photograph by the Author, 2004.

According to a publication issued in 1976:  

"In 1840, John Hunter, who owned the land just to the southeast of Prospect Hill, deeded a small corner of his land on the border to the town of Pelham for the purpose of building a school. In 1866, for some reason, the town purchased part of Lot 51 from Terrance Malloy and moved the school to that site, which is now the front part of the main center section of 982 Split Rock Road. It has been said that the reason for the removal of the school was that Hunter wished to enlarge his racetrack. However, research has shown that his track was further south, nearer Throg's Neck. Also, the configuration of the land at that spot would not have lent itself to the requirements of a racetrack." 

Source:  The Junior League of Pelham, Inc., A Glance at the Past: Pelham's Growth From 1775-1975 p. 14 (The Junior League of Pelham, Inc. Sept. 1976) (Pamphlet associated with accompanying map; 32 pp. including Map Bibliography, Manuscript Bibliography and illustrations by Hedy Klein).

In 1913, a former student at the Little Yellow Schoolhouse named Kate C. Mulligan authored a brief article containing her reminiscences about the little school.  She provided a valuable description of the interior of the school, descriptions of what an ordinary school day was like, and a list of some of the earliest teachers at the school.  

The school room was a single, long, and narrow room with desks and benches that were not sized for the students.  They were "one size fits all" with seats too high for the younger students whose legs dangled above the floor and seats too small for the older students, some of whom could be nearly 21 years old.  There was, as one would expect, a large chalkboard at the front of the room.

In the center of the room was a "soapstone stove."  A soapstone stove was a wood and coal-burning stove with a firebox made of soapstone, a metamorphic rock capable of withstanding intense heat much better -- and, therefore, able to last much longer -- than cast iron, steel or refractory bricks used in other types of stoves.  

Example of a 19th Century Soapstone Stove Likely

Somewhat Like the One that Once Heated the Little

Yellow Schoolhouse on Split Rock Road.  NOTE:

Click on Image to Enlarge.

According to Kate Mulligan's reminiscences, the soapstone stove was known for "roasting the pupils sitting near it and letting the unfortunates near the door freeze" during cold weather.  During warm weather, the windows of the school would be opened for the breezes, although the windows had to be propped open with books or sticks to remain open.  

Clearly during the earliest years of the school the Hunter and Delancey families were important benefactors of the little school.  The Hunter family donated land for the school.  The Delancey family donated an impressive collection of books to the school for use by the students.  Indeed, multiple sources mention the tiny school's book collection with obvious pride.  Kate Mulligan recalled as follows:

"In front of the room to the right of the teacher's desk was a tall bookcase with long glass doors, which held such treasures as Macauley's essays, Days of Ancient Rome and Life of Lord Clive, Cyrus the Great, Explorations of the Nile, Grecian and Roman Mythology, Green's History of Texas and many others, which were read from cover to cover by the boys and girls before they were twelve years old.  These books were the gift of Colonel Delancey, who lived in the large stone house now known as Hunter Island Inn, and the pupils of the school owed many of their pleasures to his friendship for them."

Kate Mulligan had somewhat darker memories of the books as well.  The earliest teacher at the school that she could recall was Mr. Charles H. Russell.  She recalled him as a rather coarse, though pleasant, taskmaster with a penchant for throwing books at pupils who misbehaved or made mistakes in their schoolwork.  According to Ms. Mulligan, when Russell threw such a book at a student, he called it "shying" and would force the student to pick up and return the book to him so he could throw it again if necessary.  She remembered one time when he threw a book at her.  She wrote:

"We were struggling with complex fractions one day and it was my turn at the board.  I got to inverting the terms of the divisor and stuck fast.  Bang! came the book at my head.  This performance was repeated three times to 'make me think.'  I 'thought,' and have been a firm believer in the 'rights' of children ever since."

Charles H. Russell was replaced by Mrs. C. H. Meiggs whom the students (and their parents) clearly loved.  As Kate Mulligan put it:  

"[W]e were fortunate in having for a term of years Mrs. C. H. Meiggs, a gentle and cultured woman who won the love of parents and pupils, and whose gentle kindness and wonderful knowledge of and sympathy with children is gratefully remembered to this day.  She was the possessor of a fine library to which all her pupils were welcome and she helped form our tastes by reading aloud every afternoon.  It was marvelous to see those big boys, some twenty-one years old, work so hard for the privilege of enjoying the reading hour, for the rule was 'no work, no book.'  Not one was hardy enough to try to evade school rules, or tell an untruth to cover carelessness or wrongdoing.  It was a real loss to the community when she retired to take a needed rest."

After the retirement of Mrs. Meiggs, she was succeeded by Miss Emma Wilson.  Emma Wilson was "a bright young girl" who was trained at New York State Normal School, established by the New York State Legislature in 1844.

Miss Wilson was succeeded by Isaac C. Hill who became a beloved and significant figure in the history of Pelham education.  I have written extensively about Isaac C. Hill and his involvement with Pelham schools for nearly a half century in the latter part of the 19th century and the first decades of the 20th century.  See:

Tue., Sep. 27, 2005:  Isaac C. Hill's Reminiscences of Early Public Schools in Pelham. 

Tue., Mar. 28, 2006:  More Reminiscences of Isaac C. Hill of Early Public Schools in Pelham. 

Mon., Aug. 11, 2014:  Excerpts of January 8, 1889 Remarks Dedicating a New School Building in Pelhamville. 

Mon., Jan. 12, 2015:  Isaac C. Hill, Involved with Pelham Education for Forty-Five Years, Retired in 1922.

Mon., Mar. 05, 2018:  An Historic Fiftieth Anniversary in Pelham During 1922.

Writing of Professor Hill (as he was known), Kate Mulligan said:

"Mr. Hill began to make himself felt immediately.  He organized games at recess and cheered his pupils on to victory, subduing the rough play of the bigger boys and giving all a chance to enjoy playtime as well as study period.  He added drawing and Latin to the algebra and geometry taught by former teachers, and his class had the benefit of a good high school education, although 'readin,' writin' and 'rithmetic' were the only subjects called for by the Board.  He was acknowledged to be the best teacher of English and mathematics we had ever had, and we were selfish enough to be sorry when he was transferred to 'Pelhamville' with an increased salary and the privilege of an assistant teacher.  Mr. John M. Shinn was the next and last teacher in that school."

Thankfully we have the reminiscences of Kate C. Mulligan to help us understand more about The Little Yellow Schoolhouse that once served Pelham schoolchildren on Split Rock Road!

*          *          *          *          *

"Old Pelham Schools
-----

Pelham schools in the early seventies were not the comfortable, sanitary, well-heated, well-lighted buildings of to-day.  The Pelham boys who went to the little yellow schoolhouse, now the home of Henry O'Neill, on Split Rock Road, or Pelham Lane, as it was called in those days, sat on a form with his little legs dangling between the seat and floor.  Adjusting seat or desk to size of the pupil was never thought of.  If he slid off because he could not sit still, he went up and took his feruling with what grace he could.  The school room was long and narrow with rows of forms on either side and a large soapstone stove in the centre, roasting the pupils sitting near it and letting the unfortunates near the door freeze.  The windows were raised by pulling up the sash and putting a stick or book underneath.  It was the typical rural school with one exception.  In front of the room to the right of the teacher's desk was a tall bookcase with long glass doors, which held such treasures as Macauley's essays, Days of Ancient Rome and Life of Lord Clive, Cyrus the Great, Explorations of the Nile, Grecian and Roman Mythology, Green's History of Texas and many others, which were read from cover to cover by the boys and girls before they were twelve years old.  These books were the gift of Colonel Delancey, who lived in the large stone house now known as Hunter Island Inn, and the pupils of the school owed many of their pleasures to his friendship for them.

The first teacher I remember was Mr. Charles H. Russell, a tall, thin, dark man who remained with us entirely too long for my comfort and whose departure I hailed with joy.  One of his pastimes was taking off his shoes and depositing his stockinged feet on the desk of the pupil nearest his chair; another was 'shying' books at his pupils and requesting them to pick them up and return them to him for 'another shy,' as he said.  He was very pleasant about it and we never dreamed of disobeying.  We were struggling with complex fractions one day and it was my turn at the board.  I got to inverting the terms of the divisor and stuck fast.  Bang! came the book at my head.  This performance was repeated three times to 'make me think.'  I 'thought,' and have been a firm believer in the 'rights' of children ever since.

After this gentleman's (?) departure, we were fortunate in having for a term of years Mrs. C. H. Meiggs, a gentle and cultured woman who won the love of parents and pupils, and whose gentle kindness and wonderful knowledge of and sympathy with children is gratefully remembered to this day.  She was the possessor of a fine library to which all her pupils were welcome and she helped form our tastes by reading aloud every afternoon.  It was marvelous to see those big boys, some twenty-one years old, work so hard for the privilege of enjoying the reading hour, for the rule was 'no work, no book.'  Not one was hardy enough to try to evade school rules, or tell an untruth to cover carelessness or wrongdoing.  It was a real loss to the community when she retired to take a needed rest.

She was succeeded by Miss Emma Wilson, a bright young girl from the State Normal School, and after her came our own Prof. I. C. Hill.  Mr. Hill began to make himself felt immediately.  He organized games at recess and cheered his pupils on to victory, subduing the rough play of the bigger boys and giving all a chance to enjoy playtime as well as study period.  He added drawing and Latin to the algebra and geometry taught by former teachers, and his class had the benefit of a good high school education, although 'readin,' writin' and 'rithmetic' were the only subjects called for by the Board.  He was acknowledged to be the best teacher of English and mathematics we had ever had, and we were selfish enough to be sorry when he was transferred to 'Pelhamville' with an increased salary and the privilege of an assistant teacher.  Mr. John M. Shinn was the next and last teacher in that school.

Messrs. DeMoud, Brower and Van Auken, our present county attorney, and the Misses Charlotte Cowles, Furman and Lampson were the successive principals of the little brick school on Jackson avenue before the present school was opened.  

Think of the faithful work of those pioneer teachers!  Teaching all subjects, primary, grammar and high school; spending hours after school to help a backward, or push a promising pupil; working eleven months each year, knowing that the greatest effort made would be taken as a matter of course, and waiting patiently for three months before receiving one month's salary.  Think of their work, and give thanks that times have changed.'

KATE C. MULLIGAN."

Source:  Old Pelham Schools, The Pelham Sun, Dec. 20, 1913, p. 6, cols. 2-3.

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An Historic Fiftieth Anniversary in Pelham During 1922

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A Golden Wedding Anniversary is a grand and glorious event, though rarely an historic event.  Yet, one such anniversary celebrated on Tuesday, November 14, 1922 rose to the level of an historic event in the little Town of Pelham.

That day, "anyone who was anyone" in the Town of Pelham attended a grand celebration of the Golden Wedding Anniversary of Isaac Carpenter Hill and Emma Jane Lovecraft Hill who were married in what was then the tiny little village of Mount Vernon on November 13, 1872.

Isaac C. Hill was one of the most significant and transformative public education figures in the early history of the Town of Pelham.  At the time of his marriage to Emma Jane Lovecraft in 1872, he was a school teacher in White Plains.  His new wife was a school teacher in Mount Vernon.  After the pair wedded, Isaac Hill moved to Mount Vernon.

In 1877, Isaac Hill became the "Principal" of the old Prospect Hill School on Split Rock Road.  Although he was designated the Principal, the tiny school was a one-room schoolhouse.  He was the only teacher.  

Prospect Hill Schoolhouse in an Undated Photograph.

Image Courtesy of the Office of the Historian of the Town of Pelham.

982 Split Rock Road Which Incorporates the Old Prospect

Hill Schoolhouse. Photograph by the Author, 2004.

I have written about Isaac C. Hill and his career in education before.  See, e.g.:

Tue., Sep. 27, 2005:  Isaac C. Hill's Reminiscences of Early Public Schools in Pelham. 

Tue., Mar. 28, 2006:  More Reminiscences of Isaac C. Hill of Early Public Schools in Pelham. 

Mon., Aug. 11, 2014:  Excerpts of January 8, 1889 Remarks Dedicating a New School Building in Pelhamville.

Mon., Jan. 12, 2015:  Isaac C. Hill, Involved with Pelham Education for Forty-Five Years, Retired in 1922.

On Tuesday, November 14, 1922, more than one hundred guests gathered at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Isaac C. Hill to celebrate the 50th wedding anniversary of the couple.  The gathering grew so large that an adjacent neighbor opened a nearby home to receive many of the guests who could not fit into the home of the Hills on Third Avenue in the Village of North Pelham.  

The celebration lasted from the early hours of the morning until the evening.  Rev. Herbert Haight Brown, pastor of the Church of the Redeemer in the Village of North Pelham, read the original marriage certificate of the couple to the crowd.  The couple also exhibited original wedding invitations from their ceremony in 1872 as well as a beautiful locket that contained "miniatures" of the couple at the time of their marriage.  The organist of the Church of the Redeemer played the wedding march from Richard Wagner's 1850 opera "Lohengrin."

Supper was served to nearly one hundred guests.  Isaac and Emma Jane Hill entertained the guests with a beautiful and remarkable duet "When You and I Were Young, Maggie," with Mrs. Hill playing the accompaniment on the piano.  According to The Pelham Sun "The steadiness of their voices was remarkable.  Despite their fifty years of married life and their advancing years, neither of them could be called old.  The passing years have only added maturity."

The Pelham Sun posted a lengthy list of the many astounding gifts that the couple received as well as a lengthy list of many of the guests who attended the grand celebration.  

Yes, because the celebration honored Isaac C. Hill, a beloved figure who devoted forty-five years of his life to public education service in the Town of Pelham, the event was indeed an historic one now part of the history of our little Town of Pelham.

"MR. AND MRS. ISAAC C. HILL

Pelham couple who celebrated the fiftieth anniversary of their wedding

at their Third avenue home last Monday.  They were married in the

Village of Mount Vernon in 1872.  Source:  Many Congratulations For

Pelham Couple At Their Golden Wedding -- Mr. and Mrs. Isaac Hill of

Third Avenue Marked Completion of Fifty Years of Wedded Life With

Celebration Attended By Scores of Friends -- Were Married In the

Village of Mount Vernon In 1872, The Pelham Sun, Nov. 17, 1922, Vol.

13, No. 38, p. 1, cols. 3-4.  NOTE:  Click on Image to Enlarge.

*          *          *          *          *

"Many Congratulations For Pelham Couple At Their Golden Wedding
-----
Mr. and Mrs. Isaac Hill of Third Avenue Marked Completion of Fifty Years of Wedded Life With Celebration Attended By Scores of Friends -- Were Married In the Village of Mount Vernon In 1872.
-----

It is seldom that a golden wedding anniversary is celebrated in the Pelhams, and still more seldom that such a celebration is attended with such unusual outpourings of affection and esteem as characterized the commemoration of fifty years of wedded life last Tuesday by Mr. and Mrs. Isaac Carpenter Hill of Third avenue, North Pelham.  From early morning hours until late in the evening visitors paid their respects to the happy couple, telegrams poured in from out of town friends.  Tokens of affection in wonderful array were brought and sent by their friends and the attendance at the reception held in the evening was such that the home of a neighbor was thrown open to receive some of the guests.  The home on Third avenue was beautifully decorated, being a veritable bower of chrysanthemums, roses, asters and autumn foliage mingled with artistic embellishments which made it a fairyland.

Features of the evening reception were the reading by Rev. H. H. Brown of the original marriage certificate, the exhibiting of the original wedding invitations and a locket containing miniatures of Mr. and Mrs. Hill at the time of their marriage.  Miss Peterson of Pelhamwood, organist of the Church of the Redeemer, played the wedding march from 'Lohen-

Continued on page 4

Golden Wedding Celebration
-----
Mr. and Mrs. Isaac Hill Celebrated Fiftieth Wedding Anniversary Last Tuesday
-----
Continued from page 1

grin'

Supper was served to almost one hundred guests, the tables being hosted by Mr. and Mrs. David Lyon, Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Ward, Mrs. Oscar Strieffler, and the Misses Iona, Helen and [illegible] Lyon, nieces of Mr. and Mrs. David Lyon.

Mr. and Mrs. Isaac Hill were married on November 13, 1872, by Rev. Charles Seymour, rector, at Trinity Church in the then village of Mount Vernon.  At that time Mr. Hill was a teacher in the public schools in White Plains and Mrs. Hill, then Miss Emma Jane Lovecraft, officiated in like manner in the Mount Vernon schools.

Five years after their marriage, Mr. Hill came from Mount Vernon to become principal of the old Prospect School at Pelham Manor.  For forty-five years he has been identified with the educational system of The Pelhams, recently retiring from membership of the Board of Education, having closed his work as principal of Hutchinson School in 1914.  He has been a member of the vestry of the Church of the Redeemer for forty-[illegible] years and is now clerk of that body.  Mrs. Hill was for fourteen years organist of the same church and is still actively identified with the work of the parish as a member of the Parish Guild.  Both are beloved by members of the congregation.  

An interesting feature of the celebration was the singing by Mr. and Mrs. Hill of a duet 'When You and I Were Young, Maggie,' Mrs. Hill playing the accompaniment on the piano.  The steadiness of their voices was remarkable.  Despite their fifty years of married life and their advancing years, neither of them could be called old.  The passing years have only added maturity.

An interesting guest at the ceremonies was Mr. and Mrs. Charles Doad Hill of White Plains, who also celebrated their golden wedding [anniversary] on September 29th of this year.  Charles Hill is Isaac Hill's brother.

Among the list of gifts which were displayed in three rooms, owing to their great number, were the following:

Flowers, Parish Guild of the Church of the Redeemer; gold mounted cane, Vestry of the Church of the Redeemer; Tiffany-topaz brooch, Parish Guild of the Church of the Redeemer; $10 gold piece, Mr. and Mrs. C. D. Hill; gold and white dresser set, Mr. and Mrs. Eugene Lyon; gold match box and cameo brooch, Mr. and Mrs. John T. Brook; gold tea tile, Mr. and Mrs. Matthew Herman; gold and glass cracker and cheese dish, Mrs. R. Hewitt; gold thimble, Mr. and Mrs. W. B. Lyon; flowers, Mr. and Mrs. Herman Sobel; gold pepper and salts, Mrs. M. Calderwood; gold dish, Mr. and Mrs. H. Hacker; two gold mounted fountain pens, Mr. and Mrs. A. Anderson; gold scarf pin, M. J. Lynch; gold bar pin, Miss Mary Lynch; old gold boudoir lamp, Mr. and Mrs. J. Lyon; oil painting, Mr. and Mrs. J. M. Shinn; gold thermos bottle, Mr. and Mrs. S. E. Lyon; embroidered pillow cases, the Misses Hewitt; gold and glass syrup pitcher, Mrs. W. Lyon and Mrs. Vander-Roest; gold and glass vase, Judge and Mrs. I. B. Louis; gold and glass dish, Rev. and Mrs. E. B. Rice; flowers, Wm. Edinger; gold dish, Harry A. Anderson; Ovington cup and saucer, Mrs. and Miss Offinger; Ovington cup and saucer, Mr. and Mrs. M. Offinger; $5 gold piece, Prof. and Mrs. A. B. Davis; embroidered pillow cases, E. Merritt; flowers, Miss Agnes Ward; gold and glass dish, F. Case; gold piece, $2.50, Mrs. McGalliard; book, Mr. and Mrs. Jacob Wirth; thermos bottle, Mrs. J. Brengel; cigars, J. Brengel; cigars, Mrs. Eugene Meyer; Japanese tray, Mr. and Mrs. O. Strieffler; gold bon-bon dish, Mr. and Mrs. Walter Barker; flowers, the Misses Aspenleiter; gold and glass dish, Miss Ellen Freshney; flowers, Mrs. John B. Clegg; gold and glass dish, Mr. and Mrs. Wm. Dobbs; filet lace scarf, Mrs. John Lowery; gold thimble, Mr. and Mrs. G. I. Karback; Tatting handkerchief; Mrs. H. I. Jones, gold tie clasp, Geo. Busteed; gold vanity pins, Mrs. Geo. Busteed; cigars, K. S. Durham; gold and glass mayonnaise bowl, Mrs. K. S. Durham; gold and glass dish, Mrs. MacCloud, Mrs. Rigg; gold and glass dish, Mrs. Hatch; box chocolates, Mr. and Mrs. Warren Hazen; hand painted mayonnaise bowl, Mr. and Mrs. J. Mollenhagen; flowers, Mrs. Godfrey Oden; bronze placque, Mr. and Mrs. J. Gulatsi; towel set, Mr. and Mrs. Monroe; peppers and salts, Mrs. Merz, and daughter; flowers, Mrs. Kate Mulligan; gold fish, the little Brengels; basket of flowers, Mr. and Mrs. B. Dick; peppers and salts, Mr. and Mrs. Fitzpatrick; flowers, Mrs. E. Semmons; cut glass vase and flowers, Mr. and Mrs. R. Scott; guest book, Rev. and Mrs. F. Anderson; peppers and salts, Mr. and Mrs. H. Blakeloke; bottle wine, Mr. and Mrs. D. A. Kennedy; flowers, Mrs. Merz; gold dish, Dr. and Mrs. Bryer; condiment set, Mr. and Mrs. J. Heisser; flowers, Mr. and Mrs. T. James; flowers, Mr. and Mrs. Wm. Griffin; flowers, Mr. and Mrs. Wm. Griffin; flowers, Mr. and Mrs. John Norman; flowers, Mr. and Miss Louis Kurtz; Pickard china gold plate, Mrs. Mary Dickinson; gold syrup jug and plate, Congressman and Mrs. Ben L. Fairchild.

One of the first to offer congratulations was Mrs. Hatch, who made Mrs. Hill's wedding gown fifty years ago.

Among those who attended the ceremonies and tendered personal congratulations were:  Prof. and Mrs. A. B. Davis, Rev. and Mrs. E. B. Rice, Mr. and Mrs. Robert Scott, Mr. and Mrs. J. Brengel, Mrs. Mary Offinger, Miss J. Offinger, of Mt. Vernon; Miss Florence Busteel, of Bronxville; Mrs. Fannie Hatch of New York City, Mr. and Mrs. O. Strieffler, Mr. William Ernst, Mrs. Wm. Barry, Miss Agnes Ward, of New York City; Mr. and Mrs. MacCloud, Mrs. Riggs, Mr. and Mrs. C. D. Hill of Mt. Kisco; Mrs. A. F. Kitchel of Sound Beach, Mr. and Mrs. A. R. Van de Water, Mrs. George Lawrence, Mrs. Wm. Twells Tiers, Mr. and Mrs. L. B. Wardrop, Mr. and Mrs. Jas. Harper, Mrs. Frederick Davies, H. J. Bickford, Judge A. N. Menkel, D. A. Kennedy, E. O. Bartlett, Mr. and Mrs. John T. Brook, Mrs. H. J. Carell, Miss Peterson, Mr. and Mrs. H. Chase, Miss Chae, Mrs. H. I. Jones, Mr. and Mrs. W. B. Hoff, Rev. H. H. Brown, Mr. and Mrs. J. Ward, Mr. Edgar Merritt, Mr. and Mrs. J. M. Shinn, Mrs. Robert Hewitt, Mr. and Mrs. M. Fitzpatrick, Mr. and Mrs. Alex. Anderson, Harry Anderson, J. Rolus, Jr., Mrs. Walter Barker, Mr. and Mrs. Walter Barker, Mr. and Mrs. Henry Hacker, Miss Helen Hewitt, the Misses Aspenleiter, Mr. and Mrs. Mm. Dobbs, Mrs. Ernest Mann, Mrs. F. Semmons, Mr. and Mrs. H. Blakelock, Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Ryan, Mrs. E. McGalliard, Mr. and Mrs. John Clegg, Mrs. Edward Temple, Miss Susan Singer, Mrs. Vander Roest, Mrs. Grace Lyones, Judge and Mrs. I. B. Louis, Thomas M. Kennett, Miss Ione Lyon, Mr. and Mrs. Herman Zoebel, Mrs. Matthew Herman, Mrs. M. Calderwood, Miss Helen Lyon, Mr. M. J. Lynch, Miss Mary Lynch, Mr. and Mrs. H. Playle, Mrs. Carew, Mrs. W. B. Lyon and little Eleanor, Mr. and Mrs. Adolph Fassler, Miss Anita Lyon, Mr. and Mrs. J. Buchanan, Mr. and Mrs. J. Gulatsi, Mr. John Lowery, Mr. and Mrs. Eugene Lyon, Mr. and Mrs. Martin Offinger, Mrs. G. I. Karback, Mrs. Loretta Cook, Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Lyon, Mr. and Mrs. Young, Mr. and Mrs. J. Mollenhagen, Rev. Dr. Louis G. Leary, Mrs. Godfrey Oden, Mrs. Kate Mulligan, Miss Mulligan, Mr. and Mrs. A. Monroe, Mrs. Merz, Miss Emma Merz, Miss L. Merz, Mr. Wm. Edinger, Mrs. Augusta Keller, Mrs. Thomas Barker, Miss Caroline Barker, Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Barker, Mrs. Harriet Barker, Mrs. Mary Dickinson.

Over a hundred telegrams and letters were received.  From Congressman and Mrs. Ben L. Fairchild at Washington came hearty congratulations; others arrived from Kansas City, Rochester, N. Y., Syracuse, Danbury, Ct., North Hero, Vt., and other places.

Mr. and Mrs. Hill wish to take this opportunity of thanking all their many friends for their wonderful expressions of good will."

Source:  Many Congratulations For Pelham Couple At Their Golden Wedding -- Mr. and Mrs. Isaac Hill of Third Avenue Marked Completion of Fifty Years of Wedded Life With Celebration Attended By Scores of Friends -- Were Married In the Village of Mount Vernon In 1872, The Pelham Sun, Nov. 17, 1922, Vol. 13, No. 38, p. 1, cols. 3-4 & p. 4, cols. 1-4.

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Was it Arson that Destroyed the Prospect Hill School at Jackson and Plymouth Avenues in 1917?

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In 1840, John Hunter of Hunter's Island (who also owned a large tract of land on the mainland just to the southeast of Prospect Hill) deeded a small corner of his land as a site for a new public school building.  According to one account, "In 1866, for some reason, the town purchased part of lot 51 from Terrance Malloy and moved the school to that site, which is now the front part of the main center section of 982 Split Rock Road."  See The Junior League of Pelham, Inc., A Glance at the Past: Pelham's Growth From 1775-1975 p. 14 (The Junior League of Pelham, Inc. Sept. 1976) (Pamphlet associated with accompanying map; 32 pp. including Map Bibliography, Manuscript Bibliography and illustrations by Hedy Klein).

As early as 1879, the Board of Education of the Union Free School District No. 1 of the Town of Pelham formulated a plan to replace the tiny one-room schoolhouse in Pelham Manor on Split Rock Road.  Pelham voters authorized a $4,000 bond issue to fund construction of the new school building on October 14, 1879.  Later in the year, the School District petitioned the Westchester County Board of Supervisors to permit it to sell the tiny Prospect Hill Schoolhouse and the land on which it stood along Split Rock Road and to permit the District to use the proceeds of the sale to purchase "other lands for the site of their school-house, and to the erection of necessary buildings therein." 

On December 22, 1879, Odle Close (a member of the Judiciary Committee of the Westchester County Board of Supervisors) presented to the Board of Supervisors on behalf of the Judiciary Committee a report recommending that the School Board's petition be granted and that authority to sell the schoolhouse and land be given.  The petition subsequently was granted and construction of a new school known as the Jackson Avenue School began shortly thereafter.  

The school building had been erected by the time G. W. Bromley and Co. published a map of the area in 1881.  A detail from that map showing the location of the school appears immediately below.

Detail from 1881 Bromley Map with Arrow

Showing Location of the Jackson Avenue School.

Detail from 1899 Map by John F. Fairchild

Showing Location of the Jackson Avenue School

Referenced on the Map as "Prospect Hill School."

The Jackson Avenue School served Pelham schoolchildren for nearly forty years.  Not long after the turn of the 20th century, however, the population of the Town of Pelham began to explode.  In 1900, the population of the Town was 1,571.  In 1905, the population reached 1,841.  By 1910, the population had grown to 2,998 -- nearly doubling over a ten-year period.  Pelham schools, including the little Jackson Avenue School, were bulging at the seams.  

Post Card View of the First Prospect Hill School on

Jackson Avenue at Plymouth Street in 1907.

NOTE:  Click on Image to Enlarge.

Pelham did not even have its own high school at the turn of the 20th century.  It sent its young scholars to other communities such as Mount Vernon and New Rochelle for high school educations.  Finally, Pelham constructed the "Pelham High School, and Siwanoy Grammar School," the structure that we know today as the central portion of Siwanoy Elementary School.

After dedication of the new structure in 1911, Pelham Manor schoolchildren began attending the Pelham High School, and Siwanoy Elementary School."  The School Board closed the little brick Jackson Avenue School, although it used the structure for storage.

In late 1916 and early 1917, the School Board magnanimously allowed a local church to store some material in the building.  The congregation of Huguenot Memorial Presbyterian Church was building a new church building at Four Corners on the location of the Little Red Church the congregation opened in 1876.  The last service in the Little Red Church took place on December 10, 1916. The Little Red Church building was not demolished at that time.  Rather, elements of the church were salvaged from the structure and the building was moved across Pelhamdale Avenue to a site on Boston Post Road near the service station located there today. It was used as an apartment building with a retail store on the ground floor and lower level for many years until the building finally was razed.

With the permission of the School Board, Huguenot Memorial Presbyterian Church stored some of the salvaged elements of the Little Red Church and various furnishings in the Jackson Avenue School building.  That decision, it turned out, was an unfortunate one.  

On the afternoon of Tuesday, July 10, 1917, at about 4:30 p.m. a fire began in the structure.  The Pelham Manor Fire Department responded quickly, but the flames "had gained a good headway" by the time they arrived from their firehouse only a few blocks away.  

The fire roared through the building.  There was little that could be done.  By the time the Fire Department brought the fire under control, all that was left standing of the building were the exterior brick walls. The building, valued at $6,000, was a total loss.

The fire, it turned out, was suspicious.  Authorities concluded that an incendiary likely was used to start or spread the flames.  There is no indication, however, that any culprit ever was caught.  The fire remains one of the two most notorious arson fires ever experienced in the Town of Pelham.  (The other will remain for a later article on the Historic Pelham Blog.)

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There does not seem to be much news coverage regarding the fire that destroyed the Jackson Avenue School.  If the fire was reported in The Pelham Sun (which would seem likely), the issue or issues no longer exist.  The only report of the fire uncovered so far appeared in the July 14, 1917 issue of the New Rochelle Pioneer.  I have transcribed the text of that brief report immediately below, followed by a citation and link to its source.

"SCHOOL FIRE A MYSTERY.
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An incendiary is believed to have been at work in Pelham Manor.  Tuesday afternoon the old Jackson avenue school house, corner of Jackson and Plymouth avenues, was gutted by fire.  The fire started about 4:30 o'clock and the fire department was called out.  The flames had gained a good headway.  The brick walls of the building was the only remains left standing.

The building at the time of the fire was unoccupied.  Some of the old Red church which was torn down, was placed in the building until the new church is built.  The building was valued at about $6,000 and was used as a school building prior to the construction of the high school buidling.  It is owned by the board of education of the first school district of the town of Pelham."

Source:  SCHOOL FIRE A MYSTERY, New Rochelle Pioneer, Jul. 14, 1917, p. 6, col. 7. 

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Former Supervisor, Town Historian, and Local School Principal John M. Shinn, Pelham Icon, Died in 1936

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For an entire week in 1936, the flags on all local civic buildings flew at half staff.  Pelham was in mourning.  It had lost one of its most notable residents, John M. Shinn.  He had served as Town Supervisor of the Town of Pelham, Receiver of Taxes of the Town of Pelham, and as Town Historian of the Town of Pelham.  He chaired the Westchester County Board of Legislators for a number of years and was considered an expert on assessment and equalization issues.  He was the last living Charter Member of the Huguenot Memorial Presbyterian Church founded in 1876.  He had founded and served as editor of one of the earliest newspapers established in Pelham, the Republican Record.  He was a Mason who served as Treasurer Emeritus of Winyah Lodge, No. 866, F. & A. M.  He served as principal and schoolmaster of the little one-room schoolhouse that served Pelham Manor and once stood on Split Rock Road.  He was a formally-trained and accomplished artist.  He also was a practicing lawyer.  In short, John M. Shinn was a whirlwind of energy and accomplishment beloved by the entire Town at the time of his death on October 15, 1936. 

I have written about John M. Shinn and his accomplishments on numerous occasions.  For a few examples, see:

Fri., Oct. 10, 2014:  Brief Biography of John M. Shinn, Supervisor of the Town of Pelham, Published in 1903.

Thu., Oct. 29, 2009:  Books of Town Supervisor "Honest John Shinn" Turned Up Short in 1906.  

Mon., February 16, 2009:  Outgoing Town of Pelham Supervisor Embroiled in Dispute Over Town Accounts in 1906. 

Thurs., October 4, 2007:  Biography of John M. Shinn, Pelham Town Supervisor in Late 19th Century.

Wed., Apr. 20, 2005:  Pelham's First Town Historian?

"JOHN M. SHINN"

Photograph Published in 1903. Source: Beach, George O.,

ed., The Daily Eagle's Illustrated History of Mt. Vernon

Embracing a Descriptive History of its Local Government,

Religious, Social and Commercial Institutions, With

Biographical Sketches, p. 89 (Mt. Vernon, NY: Daily Eagle, 1903).

NOTE:  Click on Image to Enlarge.

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Today's posting to the Historic Pelham Blog collects a few of the many obituaries and articles that appeared at the time of the death of John M. Shinn.  Each is followed by a citation and a link to its source.

"JOHN SHINN DEAD AT 87
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Artist - Lawyer, Former Official of Pelham, Passes in City
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A heart attack yesterday brought to a sudden close the life of John M. Shinn, former supervisor of Pelham, a post he held for 15 years.  He was eighty-seven.

Stricken in the morning at the home of his daughter, Mrs. Leslie Brewster Smith, of 259 East Fourth Street, this city, he died at about 5:30 P.M.

Funeral services will be held in Huguenot Memorial Church, Pelham Manor, at 3 P. M. Sunday.  

Mr. Shinn was born in Dubuque, Iowa.  He received elementary education at Waterloo, Iowa, and secondary learning at Hannibal, Mo.  The desire to be an artist drove him into St. Louis in 1872, where he attended the School of Fine Arts of the Polytechnic Institute and the American Academy of Design, both in New York City.

Turned to Law

His artistic education ended with his enrollment in New York Law School.  He was admitted to the bar and opened an office in this city.  

In 1876 he married Isabell King and settled in Pelham Manor.  There he filled the position of principal of public schools for five years, after which he accepted a position at Washington, D.C. tabulating statistics of the Roman Catholic Churches for the eighth census.  At the end of a year he resigned and returned to Pelham Manor.  

There began his career as an active member of the Republican Party.  He served, successively, terms as Pelham Receiver of Taxes, Supervisor, chairman of the Westchester County Board of Supervisors for two terms, chairman of the Republican Town Committee, delegate-at-large and Chairman of the Equalization Committee for Westchester County.  He was considered an expert on assessment equalization.  

Also Town Historian

At the same time he held the posts of editor of the Pelham Republican-Record, and town historian of Pelham.  

As historian, he wrote a full account of the history of Pelham, which as reprinted in the Daily Argus.

Mr. Shinn was a member of the Huguenot Memorial Presbyterian Church, the Manor Club and was a member of the Men's Club of Pelham and Winyah Lodge 866, Free and Accepted Masons.  He served as treasurer of the lodge for several years and recently was elected treasurer emeritus.

Surviving Mr. Shinn are two daughters, Mrs. Smith of Mount Vernon, and Grace A. Shinn of New York City, and a son, J. M. Clayton Shinn of New Rochelle."

Source: JOHN SHINN DEAD AT 87, The Daily Argus [Mount Vernon, NY], Oct. 16, 1936, p. 10, col. 4. 

"[LARGE HEADLINE COVERING ALL EIGHT COLUMNS OF THE FIRST PAGE]
FORMER SUPERVISOR JOHN M. SHINN DEAD
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Educator, Editor, Artist, And Historian, 87; Was Active In Growth of Town
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Principal of 'Little Red Schoolhouse' Became Chairman of County Board of Supervisors; Town Will Pay Tribute at Funeral Service at Huguenot Church on Sunday.
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John M. Shinn, 87, former Supervisor and Town Historian, died yesterday at the home of his daughter, Mrs. L. Brewster Smith, of No. 259 East Fourth street after an illness of several hours.  Death was caused by heart failure.  Mr. Shinn was stricken with a heart attack on Wednesday night and slowly relapsed until the end came at 4:30 o'clock yesterday afternoon.  His son J.M. Clayton Shinn was also at his bedside when the end came.

Mr. Shinn had been a resident of Pelham since 1876 and his life was closely tied up with the growth of the town.  His energetic interest in local affairs continued until his last days when although making his home in Mount Vernon he spent most of his time in Pelham and his presence was felt in the many activities in which he was interested.  On Oct. 5 he was honored as the only living charter member of the Huguenot Memorial Church in Pelham Manor and he took an active part in the program in commemoration of the 60th anniversary of the founding of the church.

The Rev. Lewis Gaston Leary, former pastor of the church, who was the speaker, said this in tribute to Mr. Shinn and Mr. Alfred L. Hammett, who has been [a] member of the church for 54 years:

'Their brows are unfurrowed by the cares and strife of life, because they have lived with Him for whom we built this church.'

Mr. Shinn was born Oct. 25, 1849, in Dubuque, Iowa, the son of Asa and Azariah Morgan Shinn.  He was educated in the public school at Waterloo, Ia., and at the high school at Hannibal, Mo., where he was familiar with the scenes made immortal in the stories of Mark Twain.  His artistic traits developed early and he studied art in the Polytechnic Institute of St. Louis.  He studied for two years in the life class of Cooper Institute in New York and Antique Art at Academy of Design.

In 1876 he married Isabel King and settled in Pelham Manor.  His artistic and cultural accomplishments prompted the local citizens to offer him the post of principal of the little red schoolhouse on Prospect Hill.  He taught in the school for five years, and then accepted a position in the Census Bureau at Washington.  At the end of a year he resigned and returned to Pelham Manor.

While he was teaching school he

(Continued from Page One) [sic]

Former Supervisor John M. Shinn, Died
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(Continued on Page Four.) [sic]

studied law at the New York Law school and was admitted to the bar.  He started practicing law in Mount Vernon.

His personality made him a popular figure in Pelham, and in 1894 the Republicans urged that the 'schoolmaster' accept the nomination for the office of Supervisor.  He conducted a campaign and was elected, continuing in office until 1904.

In White Plains he was a fearless legislator and was instrumental in enacting much progressive legislation.  He was chairman of the equalization committee of the board of supervisors and in 1902 became chairman of the board, a post he held until he retired in 1904.

In 1908 he became the editor and publisher of the Republican Record, and he published a brilliant little weekly newspaper.  It was purchased by The Pelham Sun Publishing Co. in 1919.

Mr. Shinn returned to his first art, painting, and in his studio on Highland avenue, Pelham Manor, he devoted considerable time to painting a group of historical scenes, which are now on display at the Town Hall.

In 1925 when the late Mrs. James F. Secor retired as town historian, Mr. Shinn, who was recognized as the local authority on Pelham history, was prevailed on to accept the appointment.  He was invited to be the chairmanof the committee for the first Memorial Day program in Pelham in 1926.

His was the inspiration for the Sesquicentennial celebration of the Battle of Pell's Point and the pageant which was staged for this observance on Oct. 16, 1926.  The program depicted picturesque incidents in Pelham's history, and attracted thousands of spectators.

He retired as town historian in 1931, when he took up his residence with his daughter in Mount Vernon.  Mr. Shinn was a member of Winyah Lodge No. 866 F. & A. M., and served as treasurer of the lodge for several years.  He was recently elected treasurer emeritus.  He was deeply interested in Masonic work.  

Surviving are two daughters, Mrs. L. Brewster Smith and Miss Grace A. Shinn of Mount Vernon, and his son, Clayton M. Shinn who lives in New Rochelle.

Funeral services will be held at the Huguenot Memorial Church on Sunday afternoon at 3 o'clock.  Masonic services will be conducted by Winyah Lodge.  Interment will be private."

Source:  FORMER SUPERVISOR JOHN M. SHINN DEAD -- Educator, Editor, Artist, And Historian, 87; Was Active In Growth of Town, The Pelham Sun, Oct. 16, 1936, Vol. 27, No. 28, p. 1, cols. 1-8 & p. 4, cols. 5-6.   

"Deaths Of A Day
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MOUNT VERNON.  Oct. 16.--John M. Shinn, former chairman of the county Board of Supervisors and a representative of Pelham in that body for 15 years, died here yesterday at the home of his daughter, Mrs. Leslie Brewster Smith of 259 E. 4th Street.  He was eighty-seven years old.

Mr. Shinn was chairman of the board from 1894 to 1906.  He was a former town historian of Pelham and was an expert on assessment and equalization matters.  He served at various times in Pelham as school principal, receiver of taxes, supervisor and Republican town chairman."

Source:  Deaths Of A Day, The Daily News [Tarrytown, NY], Oct. 16, 1936, p. 15, col. 5.  

"OFFICIALS ATTEND RITES FOR FORMER TOWN SUPERVISOR
-----
Many at Funeral Service For John M. Shinn, Held at Huguenot Memorial Church.
-----

Funeral services for John M. Shinn, former Town Supervisor and Historian, were held at the Huguenot Memorial Church in Pelham Manor on Sunday afternoon.  Town and village officials and many of the older residents of the village attended.  The Rev. Willard P. Soper, Pastor of the church, of which Mr. Shinn was a charter member, conducted the religious services.  Harry F. Mela, Master of Winyah of Winyah Lodge, No. 866 F. & A. M., of which Mr. Shinn was treasurer emeritus, conducted the Masonic services with the assistance of Robert M. Montgomery, present Town Historian.  There were 40 members of the Masonic Fraternity in attendance.  

Mr. Shinn, who was at one time principal of the Little Red Schoolhouse on Prospect Hill. died on October 15th at the home of his daughter Mrs. L. Brewster Smith in Mount Vernon.  Interment was private.  

Among those who paid last tribute to Mr. Shinn were former Congressman Ben L. Fairchild, former Supervisor David Lyon, Alfred Hammett of Clay avenue, who with Mr. Shinn was honored at a recent reception to the old members of the Huguenot Memorial Church; Mayor Dominic Amato of North Pelham, Village Clerk Walter H. McIlroy of North Pelham, Village Clerk Gervas H. Kerr of Pelham Manor.

During the service Dr. Soper read the scripture passages which Mr. Shinn had recently read at the observance of the 60th Anniversary of the founding of the Huguenot Memorial Church.  

The flags on local civic buildings have been at half staff during the week."

Source:  OFFICIALS ATTEND RITES FOR FORMER TOWN SUPERVISOR -- Many at Funeral Service For John M. Shinn, Held at Huguenot Memorial Church, The Pelham Sun, Oct. 23, 1936, Vol. 27, No. 29, Section 2, p. 9, col. 3.  


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