What Do We Know of the Great "Race Field" of Pelham Used in the First Half of the 19th Century?

Archive of the Historic Pelham Web Site.
Home Page of the Historic Pelham Blog.
Order a Copy of "The Haunted History of Pelham, New York"
Order a Copy of "Thomas Pell and the Legend of the Pell Treaty Oak."

Tradition long has held that in the early 19th century there was an important horse racing area in the Town of Pelham that was known as the great "Race Field."  The Race Field reportedly attracted important wealthy thoroughbred owners from far and near who traveled to Pelham to test their horses, race them, bet, and enjoy the region.

What do we really know about this tradition of a great "Race Field?"

In his seminal book on the history of Pelham published in 1946, Lockwood Barr mentioned the Race Field.  He wrote:

"In some of the ancient books narrating life in Westchester, there are references to a famous Pelhamville Race Track, where Westchester squires who bred fast-trotting and pacing horses and were proud of their sporting proclivities, would meet to hold friendly brushes, each driving his own favorite steed; and they do say the side bets were often sizeable!  In the map room of the New York Public Library, is a map of Westchester dated 1851, showing this 'Race Field' in Pelhamville as being located west of the present New Haven Railroad Station, east of the Hutchinson River, extending from about where is now the old ice plant, up beyond where is now St. Catharine's Church.  The word 'Race' is on the south side, and 'Field' on the north side of the New Haven Railroad.  Since the Railroad began operation through Pelham in 1848, the Race Field must have been there long before that date."

Source:  Barr, Lockwood, A Brief, But Most Complete & True Account of the Settlement of the Ancient Town of Pelham Westchester County, State of new York Known One Time Well & Favourably as The Lordshipp & Mannour of Pelham Also the Story of the Three Modern Villages Called the Pelhams, pp. 133-34 (Richmond, VA:  The Dietz Press, Inc., 1946).  

The map referenced by Lockwood Barr in the quote above is the "Map of West Chester County, New York" published by Newell S. Brown (Philadelphia, PA) in 1851.  The Surveyor was Sidney & Neff.  A pertinent detail from that map appears immediately below.

Detail from 1851 Map of Westchester County Showing Northern

Tip of the Town of Pelham with "Race Field" Noted on Each Side

of the New Haven Railroad Line.  NOTE:  Click on Image to Enlarge.

A sporting magazine published in 1884 provided some interesting information about the great Race Field that once stood in Pelham in an article about famed local horse Barometer, winner of the 1884 Great Pelham Steeplechase.  The article stated in pertinent part:

"The neighborhood [surrounding the Country Club Steeplechase grounds that once stood along today's Shore Road] is also not without its turf history.  About a mile to the north, and in sight of the spire of the old Eastchester Church is the broad heath which, in the past generation was known as the Race Field.  Here it was that nearly a century since the Pells, the Morrises, the Delanceys, and others of the old Westchester families tested their thoroughbreds.  Racing had a well-defined existence even at that early day, as many of the settlers had brought with them their fondness for the sport. . . ."

Source:  Barometer, Winner of the Great Pelham Steeplechase, Owned and Ridden by J. D. Cheever, Esq., The Spirit of the Times, Oct. 25, 1884, Vol. 108, No. 18, p. 409, col. 1.  

In 1881, Robert Bolton, Jr. made a brief reference to the "Race Field" in the second edition of his seminal history of Westchester County.  There, Bolton was writing about the home that once belonged to James Hay known today as Pelhamdale (located at 45 Iden Avenue).  Bolton stated in pertinent part:

"Pelham Dale, the property of Hargous, is delightfully situated near the junction of the salt and fresh waters of the Acqueanouncke.  This estate formerly belonged to Colonel David Pell; and upon the division of his property, was purchased by the late James Hay, Esq.  The dwelling house is a handsome structure of stone, and commands a beautiful view of Hutchinson's River, together with the distant village and spire of Eastchester.  The garden contains a choice collection of trees and shrubs, and is also enlivened by a running stream.  About half a mile further up the valley is situated the 'Race Field,' once famous in the annals of the turf, adjoining which is the village of Pelhamville; here is a depot of the New Haven Railroad and a small Episcopal church, called the Church of the Redeemer. . ."

Source:  Bolton, Jr., Robert, The History of the Several Towns, Manors, and Patents of the County of Westchester from its First Settlement to the Present Time Carefully Revised by its Author, Vol. II, pp. 68-69 (NY, NY:  Chas. F. Roper, 1881).  

From such sources we can surmise the following about the Great Race Field of Pelham.  It predated the construction of the New Haven Line, the first tracks of which were laid in 1847 and 1848.  For perhaps a decade or two before that, maybe longer, the broad heath that stood between the intersection of today's Fifth Avenue and 1st Street and today's Pelham Reservoir beyond the Hutchinson River Parkway was the site of the great Race Field.  Very roughly, the tracks of the New Haven Line built on an artificial berm to raise the tracks through the region split the broad heath where the great Race Field once stood.  A portion of the Race Field must have been located where the giant parking lot now sits behind the Village of Pelham Village Hall.  On the other side of the New Haven Line, the Race Field must have extended roughly to where St. Catharine's now stands.  Additionally, it would seem that Westchester families such as the Morrises and the Delanceys raced and tested their thoroughbreds on the great Race Field in days long gone.

Archive of the Historic Pelham Web Site.
Home Page of the Historic Pelham Blog.
Order a Copy of "The Haunted History of Pelham, New York"
Order a Copy of "Thomas Pell and the Legend of the Pell Treaty Oak."

Crash of Col. Delancey Kane's "Pelham Coach" During its First Season in 1876

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."

In 1876 a horse-drawn road coach known as “The Pelham Coach” (also known, informally, as the "Tally Ho!") began running between New York City’s Hotel Brunswick and the “Pelham Manor” of yore. This road coach was not a simple hired coach that ferried passengers from New York City.  Rather, this road coach was driven by Colonel Delancey Kane, one of the so-called “millionaire coachmen,” who engaged in a sport known as “public coaching” or “road coaching” as it sometimes was called. The purpose of the sport was to rush the carriage between designated points on a specified schedule, with quick changes of horses at strategic points along the way, and to maintain that schedule rigorously. 

Colonel Delancey Kane became quite famous for his handling of The Pelham Coach, a bright canary yellow coach that was cheered along its route from the Hotel Brunswick in New York City to Pelham Bridge in the Town of Pelham and, later, along Shore Road into New Rochelle. The iconic image of the Tally Ho! immediately below appeared on song sheets, in etchings and engravings distributed throughout the United States. It shows The Pelham Coach. 

Click on Image to Enlarge.

Colonel Kane changed the terminus of the Tally Ho! a number of times. In various years the coach traveled to the Lorillard cottage (Arcularius Hotel) at Pelham Bridge, the Pelham Bridge Hotel, the Huguenot House in New Rochelle, and a number of other locations in the region in and around Pelham. The Tally Ho! route always, however, either terminated at Pelham Bridge or continued through Pelham along Shore Road past the settlement of Bartow and Bolton Priory on its way to New Rochelle.

The first "Coaching Season" for the Delancey Kane's Tally Ho! was in 1876.  I have written before about the first trip of the Pelham Coach on May 1, 1876 as well as the last trip that ended the season on November 30, 1876.  See:

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

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

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

All was not rosy during that first Coaching Season for the Tally Ho! in 1876.  Research has revealed that early in that first season, the Pelham Coach crashed into a vehicle while traveling through Central Park.  The crash turned into a public relations disaster for Colonel DeLancey Kane as he tried to promote the "Sport of Coaching."

It seems that the Pelham Coach was "thundering through Central Park at a rate of speed prohibited by law" when it "ran into a private conveyance and overturned it."  One of the two occupants of the vehicle that was overturned was injured.

It is impossible, of course, to know today precisely what happened at the time of the accident.  Newspapers in New York and elsewhere, however, seem to have excoriated DeLancey Kane, "the Millionaire Coachman."  According to one account, the New York City newspaper The World reported that after the accident, DeLancey Kane simply tossed his calling card to the driver of the overturned vehicle, an act that the newspaper reported with some disgust.  The story reported by The World was picked up in newspapers as far away as Deer Lodge, Montana (see below). 

Colonel DeLancey Kane and the Pelham Coach survived the public relations problems of that first season of coaching.  Although there were many such seasons to follow, the public seemed to tire of the notion of "Millionaire Coachmen" promoting a "Sport" of coaching.  Newspapers parodied coachmen including DeLancey Kane.  See, e.g., Thu., Jul. 28, 2016:  The Chicago Tribune Lampooned Coaching to Pelham in 1884.  Publicity seekers took to taunting coachmen by following them in mule-drawn vehicles with drivers and passengers dressed to make fun of the coachmen and their passengers.  See, e.g., Wed., Sep. 28, 2005:  Taunting the Tantivy Coach on its Way to Pelham: 1886.  Still, the Pelham Coach continued its historic route from the Brunswick Hotel to Pelham and the surrounding region for many years of coaching!

*          *          *          *          *

"NEW NOR'WESTERS. . . 

-- The New York press is coach mad.  Because the Pelham coach, thundering through Central Park at a rate of speed prohibited by law, ran into a private conveyance and overturned it, injuring one of the two occupants, the World criticises [sic] the latter for their carelessness and the unfashionable appearance of their turnout, and blames the park police for not keeping the road clear.  The courtesy of the coachman, 'Col.' Delancey Kane, in throwing his card to the driver of the overturned vehicle, it regards with evident approbation."

Source:  NEW NOR'WESTERS, The New North-West [Deer Lodge, Montana], Jun. 16, 1876, Vol. 7, No. 51, p. 1, col. 4 (Note:  Paid subscription required to access via this link).

*          *          *          *          *

Below is a list of articles and blog postings that I previously have posted regarding the subject of "Coaching to Pelham."

Mon., Feb. 12, 2018:  Is This a Rare Photograph of the Famed Pelham Coach?

Tue., Aug. 15, 2017:  1877 Advertisement for Colonel Delancey Kane's Pelham Coach Known as the "Tally Ho".

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

Thu., Jul. 28, 2016:  The Chicago Tribune Lampooned Coaching to Pelham in 1884.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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."

Early Organization of Pelham's First "Horse Railroad" in 1884

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."

Prior to the opening of Pelham's Bartow Station on the Branch Line in the early 1870s, a stage coach line established by a man named Robert Vickery traveled from City Island to Mount Vernon.  In about 1873, so-called horse cars replaced the stage coach line. When the horse car line first began, it was owned by Judge Henry DeWitt Carey, a banker.   

The first horse car line involved a car pulled by a single horse. According to one source, "it left Belden Point and stopped at three locations on the island - Horton, Fordham, and Bridge Streets. People desiring to travel to New York City would then take the horse car to Bartow Station, pay a 5¢ fare to Westchester County and board a trolley to 177th Street, where they would make another connection to the Battery." See Scott, Catherine A., Images of America: City Island and Orchard Beach, p. 48 (Arcadia Publishing 1999; reissued 2004). The cars looked much like trolley cars. Later, beginning in the mid-1880s, the horse cars were replaced with a "horse car railroad" that ran on tracks, but were pulled by a pair of horses.  Indeed, for sixteen years the two principal horses used to pull the horse cars were known as "Bob" and "Harry".  

When the time came to convert the simple horse car line to a horse railroad line, two things had to happen:  (1) the commissioners of highways of the Town of Pelham had to approve the laying of tracks; and (2) either a majority of adjacent property owners had to consent to installation of the line or a court had to find the horse railroad to be "necessary."  

In 1883 and 1884, plans were underway to build a horse railroad from Bartow Station on the New Haven Branch Line and the southern tip of City Island.  On August 30, 1884, two companies were chartered, each to build half of the line.  The Pelham Park Railroad Company was created to build the tracks on the mainland from Bartow Station to Marshall's Corner (i.e., to the City Island Bridge) a distance of about 1-1/2 miles.  The City Island Railroad Company was incorporated to build the tracks from Marshall's Corner to Brown's Hotel near the southern tip of City Island.  There reportedly were plans to merge the two companies after the horse railroad tracks were constructed. 

Only a month or so after the two companies were chartered, they submitted reports effective as of September 30, 1884 for inclusion in the Second Annual Report of the Board of Railroad Commissioners of the State of New York.  Though the two reports indicated that little progress had yet been made, they shed interesting light on the status of the organization of the two horse railroads that then were planned to connect Bartow Station with City Island almost to its very southern tip.

The two companies had interlocking directorates.  Indeed, the two boards of directors were comprised of the same seven members on each -- five of whom were from Pelham Manor with one from New York City and another from Long Island City.  Two of the directors from Pelham Manor served as President and Secretary and as Treasurer and Superintendent of both companies (John B. Miller and W. R. Hamberton, respectively).  The other three Pelham Manor directors were members of the Miller family:  C. M. H. Miller, M. E. Miller, and Albert A. Miller.  The director from New York City was Inglis Stuart.  The director from Long Island City was Eliphalet N. Anable.

The City island Railroad was able quickly to secure the necessary consents of the local authorities and local property owners to the construction of its line on City Island.  Indeed, the company so represented in its report to the Board of Railroad Commissioners as of September 30, 1884.

The Pelham Bay Park Railroad, however, was having trouble.  It reported that as of September 30, it had "been unable, as yet, to obtain the consent of the requisite number of property-owners along its line."  It further noted that no work could begin until it obtained the necessary consents.  The City Island Railroad thus reported that "no work has been done because of the inability of the Pelham Park Railroad Company, whose road is necessary as an outlet to this road, to obtain the consent of the property owners along its line."

Both companies issued $50,000 in capital stock.  As of September 30, 1884, both companies had unpaid subscriptions to purchase $42,250 of the stock.  

Pelham, it seemed, would have its Horse Railroad.  It was not quite ready, however, during the fall of 1884.

Undated Postcard View of Bartow & City Island Horse Railroad Car

at the First Bartow Train Station that Was Replaced With a Lovely

Stone Station Designed by Cass Gilbert and Built in About 1908.

NOTE:  Click on Image to Enlarge.

*          *          *          *          *

"PELHAM PARK.
(Date of charter, August 30, 1884.)
NOT IN OPERATION.
-----

This company has been unable, as yet, to obtain the consent of the requisite number of property-owners along its line.  Work will be commenced as soon as the consents are obtained. 

No assessment has been levied upon the subscribers, except the first one of  ten per cent  ten per cent on $1,000 per mile as required by law, it being deemed inexpedient to call in any further sum until it is needed.

STOCK AND DEBT.

Capital stock as by charter.............................$50,000.00
Capital stock, amount now..............................50,000.00
Amount of stock subscribed............................42,250.00
Total amount now paid in of capital stock.....  2,000.00
The amount now of floating debt....................     100.00

[Page 1072 / Page 1073]

PELHAM PARK.

COST OF ROAD AND EQUIPMENT.

For land, buildings and fixtures, including land damages....$137.59

CHARACTERISTICS OF ROAD.

Length of road, main line, from Bartow station,
Pelham, to Marshall's corner, about.......................................1.50 miles.

GENERAL BALANCE SHEET, SHOWING CONDITION OF ACCOUNTS AT THE CLOSE OF BUSINESS SEPTEMBER 30, 1884.

Assets.

Construction account..............................................................     $137.59
Accounts receivable...............................................................  42,050.00
Cash on hand..........................................................................        162.41

Total..........................................................................................$42,350.00

Liabilities.

Capital stock............................................................................$42,250.00
Accounts payable...................................................................        100.00

Total...........................................................................................$42,350.00

NAMES AND RESIDENCE OF OFFICERS OF THE COMPANY.

Names of Directors.                                                 Residence.

ELIPHALET N. ANABLE........................................Long Island City, N. Y.
INGLIS STUART......................................................New York City
JOHN B. MILLER.....................................................Pelham Manor, N. Y.
C. M. H. MILLER......................................................Pelham Manor, N. Y.
M. E. MILLER...........................................................Pelham Manor, N. Y.
ALBERT A. MILLER...............................................Pelham Manor, N. Y.
W. R. HAMBERTON...............................................Pelham Manor, N. Y.
President and Sec. .... JOHN B. MILLER............Pelham Manor, N. Y.
Treasurer and Supt.....W. R. HAMBERTON........Pelham Manor, N. Y.

Communications intended for this company should be addressed to the company, Pelham Manor, Westchester county, N. Y."

Source:  Second Annual Report of the Board of Railroad Commissioners of the State of New York for the Fiscal Year Ending September 30, 1884 -- Transmitted to the Legislature January 12, 1885, Vol. II, pp. 1072-1073 (Albany, NY:  Weed Parsons & Co., 1885).

"CITY ISLAND (Pelham).
(Date of charter, August 30, 1884.)
NOT IN OPERATION.
-----

This company has obtained the consent of the local authorities and property owners to the construction of its line, but no work has been done because of the inability of the Pelham Park Railroad Company, whose road is necessary as an outlet to this road, to obtain the consent of the property owners along its line.  

No assessment has been levied upon the subscribers except the first one of 10 per cent on $1,000 per mile, as required by law, and it is not probable that there will be any further assessments until the Pelham Park Railroad Company is ready to construct its line.

STOCK AND DEBT.

Capital stock as by charter.................................$50,000.00
Capital stock, amount now.................................   50,000.00
Amount of stock subscribed..............................    42,250.00
Total amount now paid in of capital stock.......          200.00
The amount now of floating debt......................         103.75

COST OF ROAD AND EQUIPMENT.

For land, buildings and fixtures,
     including land damage...............................            149.33

CHARACTERISTICS OF ROAD.

Length of road, main line, from Marshall's
     Corner, Pelham, to Brown's Hotel, Pelham..... 1.5 miles.

GENERAL BALANCE SHEET, SHOWING CONDITION OF ACCOUNTS AT THE CLOSE OF BUSINESS SEPTEMBER 30, 1884.

Assets.

Construction account..............................................    $149.33
Accounts receivable................................................42,050.00
Cash on hand...........................................................      154.42

Total..........................................................................$42,353.75

Liabilities.

Capital stock...........................................................$42,250.00
Accounts payable..................................................        103.75

Total..........................................................................$42,353.75

NAMES AND RESIDENCE OF OFFICERS OF THE COMPANY.

Names of Directors.                                 Residence.

ELIPHALET N. ANABLE..................................Long Island City.
INGLIS STUART................................................New York City.
JOHN B. MILLER...............................................Pelham Manor, N. Y.
C. M. H. MILLER................................................Pelham Manor, N. Y.
M. E. MILLER.....................................................Pelham Manor, N. Y.
ALBERT A. MILLER.........................................Pelham Manor, N. Y.
W. R. HAMBERTON.........................................Pelham Manor, N. Y.
Pres. and Sec.............JOHN B. MILLER.........Pelham Manor, N. Y.
Treasurer and Supt....W. R. HAMBERTON....Pelham Manor, N. Y.

Communication intended for this company should be addressed, City island Railroad Company, Pelham Manor, Westchester county, N. Y."

Source:  Second Annual Report of the Board of Railroad Commissioners of the State of New York for the Fiscal Year Ending September 30, 1884 -- Transmitted to the Legislature January 12, 1885, Vol. II, p. 988 (Albany, NY:  Weed Parsons & Co., 1885).

*          *          *          *          *

I have written about the City Island Horse Railroad on numerous occasions.  For a few examples, see:

Thu., Jan. 22, 2015:  Lawsuit in 1884 Cleared the Way for Construction of Horse Railroad from Bartow Station to Lower Part of City Island in Pelham.

Mon., Sep. 22, 2014:  New York City Sport Fishermen Travel the Horse Railroad in 1886 to Fish in Pelham.

Mon., Jul. 18, 2011:  City Island Horse Railroad Temporarily Shut Down in 1892 Over Cruelty Concerns.

Thu., May 13, 2010:  More on the Early History of the Pelham and City Island Railroad.

Tue., May 4, 2010:  Questions Regarding the Trolley Franchise from Bartow Station to the Tip of City Island Arose in 1915.

Mon., May 3, 2010:  Efforts To Reorganize the Operators of the City Island Horse Railroad and Monorail in 1914.

Fri., April 30, 2010:  "Truly, An Illuminating Little Passage in the History of New-York!" - Efforts to Develop Shore Road Trolley Line in 1897.

Thu., April 29, 2010:  City Islanders Complain and Force the Operators of Their Horse Railroad to Agree to Replace Antiquated Cars in 1908.

Wed., April 28, 2010:  Efforts by the Pelham Park Horse Railroad to Expand and Develop a Trolley Car Line on Shore Road in 1897.

Tue., April 27, 2010:  New York City's Interborough Rapid Transit Company Sued to Foreclose a Mortgage on the Horse Railroad in 1911.

Mon., April 26, 2010:  Public Service Commission Couldn't Find Marshall's Corners in 1909.

Fri., March 5, 2010:  Construction of the City Island Horse Railroad in 1887.

Thu., March 4, 2010:  Beginnings of Horse Railroad - News from Pelham and City Island Published in 1884.

Wed., March 3, 2010: 1879 Advertisement for Robert J. Vickery's City Island Stage Line, A Predecessor to the City Island Horse Railroad.

Tue., March 2, 2010:  1901 Report Indicated that The Flynn Syndicate Planned to Buy the Pelham Bay Park & City Island Horse Car Line.

Mon., March 1, 2010:  Flynn Syndicate Buys the City Island Horse Car Line in 1907 to Incorporate It Into Electric Trolley Line.

Fri., February 26, 2010:  1913 Decision of Public Service Commission to Allow Reorganization of City Island Horse Railroad for Electrification.

Thu., February 25, 2010:  Photograph of Patrick Byrnes and Article About His Retirement of the City Island Horse Car in 1914.

Wed., February 24, 2010:  Attempted Suicide of City Island's Long-Time Horse Car Driver

Wed., February 3, 2010:  Early Information Published in 1885 About the Organization of the "City Island Railroad", a Horse Railroad from Bartow Station to City Island

Tue., February 2, 2010:  Information About the Pelham Park Railroad at its Outset

Fri., January 22, 2010:  1884 Account of Early Origins of Horse Railroad Between Bartow Station and City Island.

Mon., January 4, 2010: 1888 Local News Account Describes Altercation on the Horse Railroad Running from Bartow Station to City Island.


Wed., December 2, 2009:  Accident on Horse-Car of the Pelham Park Railroad Line in 1889.

Thu., December 31, 2009:  1887 Election of the Board of Directors of The City Island and Pelham Park Horse Railroad Company.

Tue., September 1, 2009:  Pelham News on February 29, 1884 Including Talk of Constructing a New Horse Railroad from Bartow to City Island.

Wed., Jan. 04, 2006:  Another Post Card Image of the Horse Car That Ran Between Bartow and City Island.

Fri., Dec. 30, 2005:  Subdivision Development Map Created in 1873 for Bartow Village in the Town of Pelham.

Mon. Dec. 12, 2005:  19th Century Subdivision Map of Planned Bartow Village.

Thu. Jul. 21, 2005:  Today's Remnants of the Bartow Station on the Branch Line Near City Island.

Thu., June 23, 2005:  Horse Cars Come To City Island in the Town of Pelham in the 1880s.

Thu. Mar. 24, 2005:  The Bartow Area of Pelham in the 19th Century: Where Was It?

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."

Hit and Run Accident Between Two Horse-Drawn Wagons on Fifth Avenue in 1906

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."

The morning of Tuesday, May 29, 1906 was a lovely spring morning.  At 8:00 a.m., Fifth Avenue already was bustling with activity.  The Lyman Pharmacy Building and U.S. Post Office at One Fifth Avenue at First Street was near the center of all that bustle.  

Neither Fifth Avenue nor First Street was yet paved at that time.  The pharmacy of the growing Village of North Pelham stood at this dusty dirt road intersection with its own sidewalk that began and ended on the building's own lot.  A solitary gas lamp stood in front of the front entrance of the little pharmacy which was located, oddly, right on the corner of the building.  At the time, it was not yet established whether the principal commercial stretch would extend along Fifth Avenue or along First Street.  The building's architect, Arthur G. C. Fletcher of Pelham Heights, apparently addressed that uncertainty by placing the front entrance at the corner of the building, visible and accessible from either street.

Seth T. Lyman's little pharmacy was an unofficial emergency room for the Village of North Pelham.  Indeed, there are countless news stories published in the early 20th century describing how injured Pelhamites were carried or transported to the pharmacy for emergency care at a time when hospitals were distant and ambulances were still horse-drawn.  

Charles Max was a driver for Straehle's Bottling Works in North Pelham.  Henry Straehle opened his bottling works in the old Anthony Woolf homestead located at Fifth Avenue and Third Street in about 1898.  The company was billed as "soft drink dispensers" although advertisements published in 1911 stated that the company was a dealer and manufacturer of "mineral and carbonated beverages" and sold "High Grade Lager Beer, Ale and Porter."  The drinks were bottled in the basement of the old Woolf Homestead.  To learn more about Straehle and his bottling works, see, e.g.:  Wed., Mar. 30, 2016:  More on Bottlers Who Operated in the Pelhams in the Late 19th and Early 20th Centuries; Fri., Jul. 11, 2014: Bottlers Who Operated in the Pelhams in the Late 19th and Early 20th Centuries. 

From the time of its founding in about 1898, the Straehle Bottling Works did brisk business on City Island.  That is where wagon driver Charles Max was headed when he left the bottling works and proceeded down Fifth Avenue on the morning of Tuesday, May 29, 1906.  He was handling a team of horses that pulled a large wagon loaded with cases of bottled beverages.

As Charles Max reached Lyman's Pharmacy on Fifth Avenue at about 8:00 a.m., another horse-drawn wagon from the Berkshire Ice Company, based in Williamsbridge, approached Max from behind.  The ice wagon was traveling too fast.  The ice wagon apparently tried to pass the Straehle Bottling Works wagon to the left but misjudged the maneuver.  The right front wheel of the passing ice wagon struck the left rear wheel of the wagon driven by Charles Max and shattered the Straehle wagon wheel all the way down to the hub of the wheel.

As the Straehle wagon's left rear wheel shattered, the left rear of the wagon collapsed to the ground and threw Charles Max violently to the roadway.  The driver of the ice wagon took off for parts unknown, leaving Charles Max in a heap on the ground.  Max suffered severe bruises and a "bad cut" on one knee.  The cases of bottles carried in the wagon were not thrown out of the vehicle, but a number of bottles were smashed.  

We may never know whether Charles Max pulled himself together and went into Lyman's Pharmacy for first aid.  Though it seems likely, no extant account indicates whether he did or not.  We do know, however, that the plucky driver for Straehle Bottling Works went back to the Woolf Homestead, got another team and wagon, and resumed his delivery of bottled beverages to City Island despite his injuries.

There is no indication whether the hit and run driver -- perhaps the first ever in the little Town of Pelham -- was ever brought to justice.  We are left to wonder. 

1910 Postcard View of One Fifth Avenue, the Lyman Pharmacy and

U.S. Post Office, Designed by Architect Arthur G. C. Fletcher.  This

Shows the Pharmacy As It Looked At the Time of the Hit-and-Run

Accident in 1906.  NOTE:  Click on Image to Enlarge.

*          *          *          *          *

"WAGONS IN A COLLISION AT NORTH PELHAM
-----
Vehicle of Straehles Bottling Works and an Ice Cart Had a Smashup
-----
DRIVER WAS HURT BUT PLUCKILY KEPT AT WORK
-----

North Pelham, May 29. -- There was a smashup this morning in North Pelham between one of Straehle's bottling works wagons and a heavy ice cart from Williamsbridge, which resulted in Charles Marx, the driver for Mr Straehle, being hurled to the ground and the wagon badly damaged.

The accident happened about eight o'clock.  Mr. Marx was driving down Fifth avenue with his wagon, well loaded with cases of bottles, and was on his way to City Island.  When opposite Lyman's drug store a wagon from the Berkshire Ice Company, of Williamsbridge, came along from the rear and smashed against the rear wheel of the wagon driven by Marx.  The driver must have been hurrying his horses, for the impact was so pronounced and so severe that the left rear wheel was broken off at the hub.

As the wagon went down, Marx was thrown out heavily on his right side and sustained severe bruises, while his knee was badly cut.  The cases were not spilled out of the wagon.  Several bottles were, however, broken in the smashup.

The driver of the ice cart id not stop to inquire about the extent of the damages of which he was the cause.  Marx pluckily resumed work after the accident and in another team went to City Island."

Source:  WAGONS IN A COLLISION AT NORTH PELHAM -- Vehicle of Straehles Bottling Works and an Ice Cart Had a Smashup -- DRIVER WAS HURT BUT PLUCKILY KEPT AT WORK, The Daily Argus [Mount Vernon, NY], May 29, 1906, Whole No. 4329, p. 1, col. 4.

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."

Runaway Horse on Boston Post Road in 1906 Hurt a Niece of a Barnum & Bailey Circus Official

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."

The quiet beauty of our Town of Pelham is, paradoxically, nearly enveloped within some of the heaviest-traveled Interstate highways, roadways, and parkways in the United States.  These days driving can be frustrating as a fender-bender or, heaven forbid, a full-blown crash brings the daily throb of traffic in or around Pelham to a complete standstill.  Worse yet is when commercial trucker ventures, illegally, onto the Hutchinson River Parkway (where such trucks are banned) and shears off the top half of the (soon to be former) employer's truck while trying to make it beneath low bridges built in the 1920s and 1930s.   

There was a time, however, when roadway accidents did not really slow the flow of traffic in Pelham.  Such accidents might attract rubber-necking from the two or three who passed by on carriages or horseback, but did little to hamper our major transportation arteries. . . .  

One such accident occurred on Boston Post Road in Pelham Manor on the evening of Wednesday, June 20, 1906.  The accident occurred on the roadway roughly where today's Our Lady of Perpetual Help - St. Catharine Parish Church stands.  Mrs. George O. Starr of 322 South Columbus Avenue in Mount Vernon, a niece (by marriage) of the manager of Barnum & Bailey Circus, was driving a carriage.  Her passenger was Mrs. M. N. Litson of New York City.

Clearly the accident was a serious one.  Various news reports clearly agree on that.  Beyond the seriousness of the accident, however, the news accounts agree on little else.  Some indicate Mrs. Starr was driving.  Others indicate Mrs. Litson was driving.  Some claim the horse was frightened by a passing automobile.  Another says the driver turned the carriage too sharply causing one of the fore wheels to catch in the guard on the body of the vehicle, tipping it.  

It seems, according to some reports, that Mrs. Starr's horse was "high spirited."  (Another report, however, suggested the horse was not "spirited.")  As the animal trotted along drawing the carriage with the two women behind it, a new-fangled horseless carriage passed them.  The loud chitty-chitty bang bang of the passing automobile frightened the horse which began dashing along the Post Road.  Mrs. Starr held onto the reins for dear life, doing her "utmost to keep the animal going straight."  Soon, however, the horse-drawn carriage drifted to the curb until a front wheel struck the curb, upsetting the carriage.  

Another account described an entirely different cause of the accident, stating:

"Mrs. Litson was driving and turned too sharply, one of the fore wheels catching in the guard on the body of the vehicle.  The buggy began to tip and the women became frightened, both falling to the ground.  The horse did not run, as a more spirited one would have done."  

In any event, both women were hurled out of the carriage onto the ground.  Reports differ wildly over the injuries the two women suffered.  According to some, Mrs. Litson suffered a compound fracture of the skull.  Others say it was a compound fracture of her right leg.  Some reports stated that Mrs. Starr was knocked unconscious, that both of her legs were broken, and that she suffered internal injuries.  In contrast, one report said she was "severely bruised, but no bones were broken."

According to at least one account, Mrs. Litson was taken to the Mount Vernon Hospital.  Mrs. Starr was removed by ambulance to her home in Mount Vernon.  The automobile that frightened the horse, thus causing the accident, never stopped.  

Of course, during the last years of the 19th century and the early years of the 20th century Pelham saw many such accidents caused by runaway horses that were frightened by automobiles, cyclists, and other such contraptions that increasingly were sharing the roadways with horses and horse-drawn conveyances.  I have written on a number of occasions regarding such incidents.  See, e.g.:

Tue., Apr. 18, 2017:  Runaway! Runaway Horse Accidents on Shore Road During the 1890s.  

Tue., Aug. 09, 2016:  Multi-Vehicle Pileup of Horse-Drawn Carriages on City Island Road in 1896.  

Image Shows an Earlier, but Similar, Accident on Shore Road in 1896.

"TWO WOMEN SERIOUSLY HURT IN A RUNAWAY. MRS. R. EMMET,

JR., OF NEW ROCHELLE, TOKE HER COUSIN, MISS EMMET, OF SAN

FRANCISCO DRIVING, AND THE HORSE SUPPOSEDLY GENTLE,

PITCHED THEM OUT HEAD FOREMOST."  Source:  TWO HURT IN

A RUNAWAY -- Lawyer R. S. Emmet's Wife and Her Cousin Thrown

Out Headlong Near Pelham Bridge -- HORSE SUPPOSED TO BE GENTLE,

The World [NY, NY], Jun. 23, 1896, p. 5, col. 6. NOTE: Click on Image to Enlarge.

*          *          *          *          *

"HURT IN RUNAWAY.
-----
Auto Frightens Horse -- Carriage Upset -- Occupants Hurled Out.

Frightened by a passing automobile, a high spirited horse, drawing Mrs. George O. Starr, of South Columbus avenue, Mount Vernon, and Mrs. M. N. Litson, of New York, dashed along the Post Road at Pelham Manor last night.  The carriage struck the curb and the women were hurled to the ground.  Both of Mrs. Starr's legs were broken and she was internally injured.  Mrs. Litson's skull was fractured.  

The accident happened midway between Bonnie Brae, the home of J. L. Reynolds, and the Little Red Church.  Mrs. Starr was driving, and when the horse took fright she clung to the reins and did her utmost to keep the animal going straight, but the front wheels of the vehicle struck the curb and it upset.  Mrs. Starr was removed to her home in an ambulance and Mrs. Litson was taken to the Mount Vernon Hospital.  Both are in critical condition.

Mrs. Starr is the niece of George O. Starr, manager of the Barnum & Bailey circus."

Source:  HURT IN RUNAWAY -- Auto Frightens Horse -- Carriage Upset -- Occupants Hurled Out, New-York Tribune, Jun. 21, 1906, p. 1, col. 4.  

"THROWN FROM THE CARRIAGE WHILE DRIVING
-----
ACCIDENT WAS ON THE BOSTON POST ROAD

While driving along the Post road, in Pelham Manor, last evening, Mrs. George O. Starr, of No. 322 South Columbus avenue, and guest, Mrs. M. N. Litson, of New York, were thrown from their carriage, Mrs. Litson sustaining a compound fracture of the right leg.  Mrs. Starr was severely bruised, but no bones were broken.

Mrs. Litson was driving and turned too sharply, one of the fore wheels catching in the guard on the body of the vehicle.  The buggy began to tip and the women became frightened, both falling to the ground.  The horse did not run, as a more spirited one would have done.

The New Rochelle ambulance was sent for and the women were brought to Mrs. Starr's home on Columbus avenue, Mrs. Litson being later taken to the hospital.  She is resting comfortably today.  Mr. Starr is the nephew and namesake of George O. Starr, managing director of the Barnum and Bailey circus."

Source:  THROWN FROM THE CARRIAGE WHILE DRIVING -- ACCIDENT WAS ON THE BOSTON POST ROAD, Daily Argus [Mount Vernon, NY], Jun. 21, 1906, No. 4342, p. 1, col. 2.  

"GEO. O. STARR'S NIECE HURT.
-----
Thrown in a Runaway and May Die -- Auto Caused It.

Frightened by a passing automobile which was running at a high rate of speed, a high-spirited horse drawing Mrs. George O. Starr of South Columbus Avenue, Mount Vernon, and Mrs. M. N. Litson of Manhattan, ran along the Post Road at Pelham Manor last night, struck the curb, and threw the women to the ground.  Mrs. Starr, who was driving, had both legs broken, suffered internal injuries, and is still unconscious.  Mrs. Litson suffered a compound fracture of the skull.

The accident happened midway between the home of J. L. Reynolds and the Little Red Church.  Mrs. Starr was removed to her home in an ambulance and Mrs. Liston to the Mount Vernon Hospital.  The automobile did not stop after the accident.  Mrs. Starr is the niece of George O. Starr, manager of the Barnum & Bailey circus."

Source:  GEO. O. STARR'S NIECE HURT -- Thrown in a Runaway and May Die -- Auto Caused It, N. Y. Times, Jun. 21, 1906, p. 4, col. 5.  

"AUTO SCARES HORSE; TWO WOMEN HURT
-----
By Associated Press.

Pelham Manor, June 21.  Frightened by a passing automobile, which was running at a high rate of speed, a spirited horse, drawing a carriage in which were Mrs. George O. Starr of Mt. Vernon and Mrs. M. N. Litson of New York, dashed along the post road at Pelham Manor last night, struck the curb and hurled the women to the ground.

Mrs. Starr had both legs broken, received internal injuries and was rendered unconscious.  Mrs. Litson received a compound fracture of the skull.  Both women are in a precarious condition.  The automobile did not stop after the accident.  Mrs. Starr is the niece of George O. Starr, manager of the Barnum & Bailey circus."

Source:  AUTO SCARES HORSE; TWO WOMEN HURT, Binghamton Press and Leader [Binghamton, NY], Jun. 21, 1906, Vol. 29, No. 61, p. 5, col. 1.  

"TWO WOMEN WILL LOSE LIVES BECAUSE AUTO SCARED HORSE
-----

Pelham Manor, June 21. -- Frightened by a passing auto which was running at a high rate of speed, a spirited horse drawing a carriage in which were Mrs. G. O. Starr of Mt. Vernon, and Mrs. M. N. Liston of New York dashed along the post road at Pelham Manor last night, struck the curb and hurled the women to the ground.  Mrs. Starr had both legs broken, received internal injuries and was rendered unconscious.  Mrs. Litson received a compound fracture of the skull.  Both women are in a critical condition.

The auto did not stop after the accident.  Mrs. Starr is the niece of George O. Starr, manager of the Barnum & Bailey Circus."

Source:  TWO WOMEN WILL LOSE LIVES BECAUSE AUTO SCARED HORSE, Elmira Gazette [Elmira, NY], Jun. 21, 1906, Vol. 62, No. 146, p. 1, cols. 5-6.  

"TWO WOMEN BADLY INJURED.
-----
Auto That Frightened Their Spirited Horse Did Not Stop.

Pelham Manor, N. Y., June 21. -- Frightened by a passing automobile which was running at a high rate of speed, a spirited horse drawing a carriage in which were Mrs. George O. Starr of Mount Vernon -- and Mrs. M. N. Litson of New York, dashed along the post road at Pelham Manor last night, struck the curb and hurled the women to the ground.  

Mrs. Starr had both legs broken, received internal injuries and was rendered unconscious.  Mrs. Litson received a compound fracture of the skull.  Both women are in precarious condition.  Mrs. Starr was driving.

The automobile did not stop after the accident.  Mrs. Starr is the niece of George O. Starr, manager of the Barnum & Bailey circus."

Source:  TWO WOMEN BADLY INJURED -- Auto That Frightened Their Spirited Horse Did Not Stop, Auburn Democrat-Argus [Auburn, NY], Jun. 22, 1906, Vol. XXXVI, No. 46, p. 1, col. 6.  

"'ROUND ABOUT THE STATE. . . .

Frightened by a passing automobile which was running at a high rate of speed, a spirited horse drawing a carriage in which were Mrs. George O. Starr of Mount Vernon, and Mrs. M. N. Litson of New York, dashed along the post road at Pelham Manor, last week, struck the curb and hurled the women to the ground.  Mrs. Starr had both legs broken, received internal injuries and was rendered unconscious.  Mrs. Litson received a compound fracture of the skull.  Both women are in a precarious condition.  Mrs. Starr was driving.  The automobile did not stop after the accident."

Source:  'ROUND ABOUT THE STATE, The Post, [Ellicottville, NY], Jun. 27, 1906, Vol. 22, No. 35, p. 1, col. 4.  

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."