North Pelham Officials Sued the Railroad in 1907 to Compel it to Change the Name of the Railroad Station
As noted at the conclusion of the recent article, Jim Reilley's efforts were rebuffed. Yet, as the article concluded:
"President Reilley of the North Pelham Board was not finished. The next morning he told a reporter that he was going to "compel" the railroad to change the station name. He further said "We expected this action of the company, but the matter has not been dropped by any means."
Though research has not yet revealed any further efforts by North Pelham officials to compel the railroad to change the name, clearly the effort eventually failed. Today (and ever since 1896), the station is (and has been) known as the "Pelham Station."
Research now has revealed what followed. True to his word, Honest Jim Reilley sought to compel the railroad to change the name of the station to "North Pelham Station." He had the Village of North Pelham seek injunctive relief against the railroad to force it to change the name of the station. It took nearly a year to resolve the legal claims that are the subject of today's Historic Pelham article.
In 1907, the Village of North Pelham already was in the midst of a nasty lawsuit against the New Haven Railroad trying to force it to move the west abutment of the Fifth Avenue Railroad Bridge rather than the east abutment. See Fri., Oct. 06, 2017: Early History of the Wolfs Lane Railroad Bridge on the New Haven Line in Pelham. On March 25, 1907, Village President James Reilley and the Village Board instructed the Village Attorney, George P. Breckenridge, "to take steps to have the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad company change the name of the passenger station from Pelham to North Pelham."
It appears that Breckenridge used the lawsuit against the Railroad pending before New York Supreme Court Justice as the vehicle to assert an additional claim for injunctive relief against the railroad. The parties battled the matter for nearly the next year.
In mid-January, 1908, Justice Tompkins denied the Village of North Pelham's claim for injunctive relief. A local newspaper reported the matter succinctly:
"The decision of Justice Tompkins brings to an end the efforts of the board of trustees to have the name of this passenger station changed. The matter has been in the courts for nearly two years.
Shortly after President Reilly took office he suggested that the name of the station should be changed from that of Pelham to North Pelham, on the ground that the station was nearer the dividing line of North Pelham than that of Pelham on the opposite tracks. President Reilley also argued that the existence of North Pelham as a village was not designated on the railroad map. For that reason, if for no other, he thought that the name should be changed. He was upheld in his contention by the other trustees and Village Counsel Breckenridge was instructed to proceed legally."
This time the matter was laid to rest. Research has revealed no further efforts by North Pelham to rewrite history and change the name of the train station to "North Pelham Station."
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"VILLAGE APPOINTMENTS
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Made at the Session of the Board of Trustees Last Night.
The annual meeting of the village trustees was held last night in the village hall, at which time the village clerk, village constables, highway commissioner and the village counsel were appointed for the year. Incidentally, this was the first meeting of the new board after election and had to be held at the time specified according to law. There is always great interest manifested in this meeting held after election in view of the appointments made.
James W. Caffrey was appointed clerk and will begin his sixth consecutive term in that office. The following were appointed constables: Eugene L. Lyon, William Robinson, John Costello, Joseph Burke and Walter King. Vincent Barker was re-appointed highway commissioner, and George P. Breckenridge, village counsel. The first Friday in each month was designated as the regular meeting night of the board which is the same night as that of the old board. The Mount Vernon Trust company was designated as the depository of the village funds.
The village counsel was instructed to take steps to have the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad company change the name of the passenger station from Pelham to North Pelham. It was also resolved that the clerk should instruct the Westchester Lighting company to install another light in Chester Park. No further business the meeting adjourned. After the meeting the ballot box matter was made known to the board."
Source: VILLAGE APPOINTMENTS -- Made at the Session of the Board of Trustees Last Night, The Daily Argus [Mount Vernon, NY], Mar. 26, 1907, p. 3, col. 2.
"NORTH PELHAM
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Want Name Changed.
A well known resident of this village stated yesterday to the Argus man that the majority of the residents want the name of the passenger station changed from Pelham to North Pelham. It will be remembered that at the annual meeting of the board last Monday night Counsel George P. Breckenridge was instructed to take steps to have the name of the station changed. According to the railroad law, it seems that the station should be named after the village in which it is located. If this is so, there is no denying the fact that the name of the passenger station should be North Pelham instead of Pelham. This resident said it is not a very pleasant thing to feel that the village in which one lives, and which has a passenger station, is not listed in the New York, New Haven and Hartford time table. Under existing conditions this person believed that it should be so listed and that it was an injustice to the residents of the village to have the passenger station known as Pelham instead of North Pelham."
Source: NORTH PELHAM -- Want Name Changed, The Daily Argus [Mount Vernon, NY], Mar. 30, 1907, p. 4, col. 5.
"NOT TO CHANGE STATION NAME
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North Pelham, Jan. 15. -- The name of the passenger station located at Pelham on the New Haven road, will not be designated as North Pelham, for Supreme Court Justice Tompkins has denied a motion made by Village Counsel George P. Breckenridge to compel the road to change the name of the station from Pelham to that of North Pelham.
The decision of Justice Tompkins brings to an end the efforts of the board of trustees to have the name of this passenger station changed. The matter has been in the courts for nearly two years.
Shortly after President Reilly took office he suggested that the name of the station should be changed from that of Pelham to North Pelham, on the ground that the station was nearer the dividing line of North Pelham than that of Pelham on the opposite tracks. President Reilley also argued that the existence of North Pelham as a village was not designated on the railroad map. For that reason, if for no other, he thought that the name should be changed. He was upheld in his contention by the other trustees and Village Counsel Breckenridge was instructed to proceed legally."
Source: NOT TO CHANGE STATION NAME, The Daily Argus [Mount Vernon, NY], Jan. 15, 1908, p. 5, col. 4.
Archive of the Historic Pelham Web Site.
Labels: 1906, 1907, 1908, Fifth Avenue Bridge, George P. Breckenridge, James Reilley, Lawsuit, New Haven Line, New Haven Main Line, Pelham Station, Village of North Pelham
posted by Blake A. Bell @ 4:57 AM
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