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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Pelham Schoolchildren Risked Their Lives Trying to Save Their Burning School in 1912

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Youngsters throughout the Village of North Pelham were snuggled in their beds sound asleep in the darkness of the opening moments of Sunday, February 18, 1912.  Shortly after midnight as the new day began, the village fire bells clanged an alarm, awakening everyone in North Pelham.  A fire was raging somewhere in the village!

Within minutes, North Pelham children and their parents scrambled into their clothes.  Neighbors ran into the streets.  Word began to spread like wildfire.  The newly-expanded $50,000 brick schoolhouse that served North Pelham that stood high on the hill where today's Hutchinson Elementary School stands was on fire.  Indeed, because the structure stood on a hill, the flames were visible from Eastchester, Mount Vernon, and North Pelham.

Almost spontaneously, hundreds of Pelham schoolchildren raced to their burning schoolhouse, followed frantically by their worried parents.  Children arrived just as Isaac C. Hill, proud principal of the newly-expanded school that was the pride of North Pelham, also arrived.  I. C. Hill had served as head of each of the predecessor schools that had stood on the site for the previous thirty-five years. 

Principal Hill quickly organized a group of older boys who were students at the school.  He and the makeshift group rushed into the burning building and made their way to his office.  There stood Principal Hill's prized desk.  It had been his desk at the school for as long as he had served at the various schools that had stood on the site.  He and the boys lifted it and maneuvered it outside where it could be saved.

At the same time, some students began working with their parents in a bucket brigade to toss pails of water onto the flames that quickly were consuming the building.  Other students were moving in and out of the burning building grabbing books, records, papers, desks, and anything else they could carry outside to save.  Still the persistent flames gnawed at the structure.

Firemen from North Pelham, Pelham Manor, and Mount Vernon arrived and began fighting the flames with steam boiler engines that pumped water in high streams onto the burning school.  The fight quickly became brutal.  

Because the fire on the crest of the hill could be seen for miles, a crowd gathered to gawk as the disaster unfolded.  According to one news account:  "the flames attracted a large crowd of people, many of whom rode in automobiles from Pelham Manor, New Rochelle, Mount Vernon and East Chester."

Though the firefighters fought bravely, soon the flames gained the upper hand.  As Pelham Manor firefighter Charles Geoffrey and Mount Vernon Engine Company No. 1 firefighter John Kern battled the fire adjacent to one of the brick walls of the building, the unthinkable happened.  The entire brick wall of the structure on that side collapsed.  One of the bricks struck Geoffrey on the wrist, severing an artery, a grave injury.  John Kern was on a ladder leaning against the wall when it collapsed.  As Kern and his ladder fell in the midst of the raining bricks, Kern received a "deep gash" in his head.  Both firefighters were pulled from the debris and bundled off to Mount Vernon Hospital where they were treated and recovered.

Soon it became apparent to all.  Saving the school building was a lost cause.  Eventually the burning mass simply burned itself out as the firefighters poured what water they could on the smoking hulk.  North Pelham's newly-expanded brick school building was a total loss.  The expanded structure was worth $50,000.  Apparently, however, it was still insured at its value before the expansion.  It was only insured for $22,000.

The Pelham Union Free School District No. 1 would have to build another structure for North Pelham schoolchildren.  Until then, the young students would have to be split into two groups with one group sent to an unoccupied residence in Pelham Heights on Highbrook Avenue that once had been used as a school.  The other group was housed in the new Town Hall of the Town of Pelham on Fifth Avenue completed barely two years earlier in late 1909.  

Below is an image of the expanded school building as it looked shortly before the fire.  The older part of the school is on the left of the image, somewhat in the rear.  The new expansion may be seen on the right in the foreground.

  This is the North Pelham School Building that Burned in 1912.

"Hutchinson School, No. 4, 1910-1912"  Source:  Montgomery,

William R., The Old Schoolhouse On The Hill - Pelhamville, The

Pelham Sun (Christmas Supplement), Dec. 17, 1926, p. 15, cols.

1-7.  NOTE:  Click on Image to Enlarge.

The original part of the school building pictured above was the third version of the school built on the site.  Built in 1900 and opened in September of that year, it replaced an old wooden school building constructed in 1889.  The image immediately below shows the original part of the structure before it was expanded in 1910.  This part of the structure burned down as well during the 1912 fire.

The Original Portion of the Expanded North Pelham School

that Burned in 1912.  Source:  Montgomery, William R., The

Old Schoolhouse On The Hill - Pelhamville, The Pelham Sun

(Christmas Supplement), Dec. 17, 1926, p. 15, cols. 1-7.

NOTE:  Click on Image to Enlarge.

To learn more about the history of the Hutchinson Elementary School and its predecessors, see Thu., Sep. 18, 2014:  A History of the Hutchinson School and its Predecessors in Today's Village of Pelham Published in 1926.  

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Below is the text of a number of articles regarding the fire that burned the Hutchinson School on February 18, 1912.  Each is followed by a citation and link to its source.

"PUPILS HELP FIGHT FIRE
-----
Children Save Records as North Pelham School Burns.

Several hundred boys and girls aided I. C. Hill, principal of North Pelham Public School, in saving valuable records, books, papers and desks from a fire which destroyed the school early yesterday morning.  The building was new and cost nearly $50,000.  It was insured for $22,000.  The Pelham and Pelham Manor fire departments, as well as Engine Company 1, of Mount Vernon, helped fight the fire.

When the alarm was given it awakened the children, and as soon as they learned that their schoolhouse was on fire they hurriedly dressed and rushed to the scene, followed by their parents.  Mr. Hill was joined by some of the older boys and they were marshalled by him in line and rushed to his office.  A group of boys seized Mr. Hill's desk, which he prized very highly, and carried it to the street.  Before the firemen arrived boys and girls helped form a bucket line and tried to stop the spread of the flames.  From room to room corps of pupils rushed hither and thither picking up books, desks and other school paraphernalia, which they carried to the street.

The school building stood on the crest of a hill, and the flames attracted a large crowd of people, many of whom rode in automobiles from Pelham Manor, New Rochelle, Mount Vernon and East Chester.

The falling of one of the walls injured two firemen.  Charles Godfrey, of Pelham Manor, was struck by a brick, which cut an artery in his wrist, and John Kern, of Mount Vernon, was badly cut on the head and had to be taken to the Mount Vernon Hospital.

Some of the Pelham children will be allowed to enter the Pelham Heights School, while the others will be accommodated in the Town Hall until a new schoolhouse is erected."

Source:  PUPILS HELP FIGHT FIRE -- Children Save Records as North Pelham School Burns, New-York Tribune, Feb. 19, 1912, Vol. LXXI, No. 23,836, p. 1, col. 6.  

"PUPILS FIGHT SCHOOL FIRE.
-----
Leave Homes After Midnight and Risk Lives Rescuing Books.

MOUNT VERNON, N. Y., Feb. 18.  --  Several hundred boys and girls aided Principal I. C. Hill in saving valuable records, books, papers and desks from a fire which destroyed the North Pelham public school shortly after midnight.  The school, which was a new structure and cost nearly $50,000, was destroyed although the Pelham Manor fire department as well as Engine Company 1 of Mount Vernon fought hard to save the structure.

When the alarm was given it awakened the children and as soon as they learned that their schoolhouse was on fire they dressed and went to the scene, followed by their parents.  Principal Hill, who has been the head of the school for thirty-five years, was joined by some of the older boys and they were marshalled [sic] by him in line and rushed to his office.  A squad of pupils seized the old desk in front of which Mr. Hill has presided during all the years he has been principal and which he prized highly and carried it to the street.

Before the firemen arrived boys and girls had seized pails of water which they gave to their parents and in this manner tried to stop the spread of the flames.  Boys hurried from room to room, picking up books, desks and other school paraphernalia, which they took to the street.

The school building stood on the crest of a hill and the flames attracted a large crowd, many people driving in automobiles from Pelham Manor, New Rochelle, Mount Vernon and East Chester.  The falling of one of the walls injured two firemen.  Charles Geoffrey of Pelham Manor was struck by a brick, which cut an artery in his wrist, and John Kern, a member of Engine Company 1, of Mount Vernon was severely injured.  He was on a ladder when the wall caved in and he received a deep gash in his head.  The men were taken to Mount Vernon Hospital.

The building was insured for $22,000 on Wednesday."

Source:  PUPILS FIGHT SCHOOL FIRE -- Leave Homes After Midnight and Risk Lives Rescuing Books, The Sun [NY, NY], Feb. 19, 1912, Vol. LXXIX, No. 172, p. 1, col. 2.  

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Isaac C. Hill, Involved with Pelham Education for Forty-Five Years, Retired in 1922

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Isaac C. Hill was an important figure in the development and evolution of public education in the Town of Pelham.  I have written about Hill on a number of occasions.  For examples, see:

Tuesday, 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.

While there have been many devoted administrators, instructors, Board of Education members, and support personnel in the Pelham public school system during the last two hundred years, few have had the sort of long-term impact on the public schools and, more particularly, the school that we know today as Hutchinson Elementary School, that Isaac C. Hill had in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.  

Hill retired from his position as "Supervising Principal" in the Pelham School system not long after a professional administrator was hired by the Board of Education at the time of the opening of the first Pelham High School (in a portion of the building that serves today as Siwanoy Elementary School) to oversee the entire school system.  

Hill was a beloved figure in the Pelham public school system for nearly fifty years.  Today's posting to the Historic Pelham Blog transcribes the text of an article that appeared in The Pelham Sun on the occasion of Mr. Hill's retirement from the Board of Education in 1922..

Supervising Princcipal Isaac C. Hill.

"Retires After Many Years Of Devoted Service
-----
Isaac C. Hill, Connected with Pelham's Educational Institutions For Forty-Five Years
-----
Term of Office Extends Back to Time When Pelham Had Only Three Teachers On Staff
-----

The retirement of Isaac C. Hill from the Board of Education brings to a close a period of over forty-five years of devoted service in the cause of education in The Pelhams.  Back in the days of 1877, Mr. Hill came from Mount Vernon to become principal of the Prospect Hill school at Pelham Manor.  The school at that time was housed in a wooden shack on the Split Rock road and the staff consisted of Mr. Hill and one other.  About 20 pupils were then attending the school, many of them as old as the teacher himself.  They were graded and Mr. Hill taught five of the grades.  

After a year's work in Pelham Manor, in January 1878, he took charge of the Pelhamville school, which was then situated near the site of the present Hutchinson school, which was then situated near the site of the present Hutchinson school.  This was in the days when the schoolhouse was warmed by a huge heater in the center of the room and a water pail and tin dipper supplied the needs of the thirsty scholars.  The blackboards were painted on the wall.

From 1877 to 1914 Mr. Hill presided over the destinies of the Hutchinson school.  During that period he has seen the original building enlarged and later destroyed by fire, and the present structure erected.  

In 1913 Mr. Hill, who was then supervising principal, expressed a desire to retire from active school duty, but was requested by the Board of Education to continue for another year as supervising principal.  On his retirement in 1914, he was made the guest of honor at a public meeting, when the presentation of a diamond ring and an engrossed testimonial, as an appreciation of his services, was made to him, and at the same time Mrs. Hill was presented with a diamond brooch.  

Immediately following his retirement as supervising principal, Mr. Hill was appointed to the Board of Education and has held that position continuously until the present time.  The closing years of his service saw the erection of the new Memorial High School.  Thomas Hewitt was president of the Board when Mr. Hill first took office, Robert A. Homes being at the head of the school board when Mr. Hill retired.

The first Regents' graduaate from Hutchinson school was Attorney Harry A. Anderson who passed with honors in all divisions.  The first graduating class in 1889 consisted of his daughter, Ida, now wife of Supervisor David Lyon, and Mrs. Walter Barker.  Three generations of one family went through Hutchinson school during Mr. Hill's term of office -- the late Patrick Marvel, his daughter, Mrs. Rose McGuire, and her son.  

Mr. Hill achieved an enviable reputation for ability and conscientious effort during his term as principal.  Back in the '80s, when Joseph Wood was president of the Board of Education of Mount Vernon, the Pelham schools were held up as an example for Mount Vernon.

The conscientious performance of his duty is borne out by the fact that in the Hutchinson school three more subjects were taught in addition to those demanded by the curriculum.  How good that teaching was may be gathered from the fact that at least two of the pupils of Mr. Hill's regime are now in charge of New York high schools -- Miss Mary Conlon and Frederick Ernst.  During his thirty-seven years of duty as a member of the faculty only one complaint was ever made against Mr. Hill.  That occurred when he insisted that the child of a foreign-born resident learn to recite from memory the preamble to the Constitution.  The charge was made to the Board of Education, but the complainant neglected to appear at the hearing.  

'It's quite a long way back to 1877, when the staff of the Pelham schools was only three, to the present day, when the faculty numbers 54, isn't it?' a Sun reporter queried Mr. Hill at his Third avenue home.

'Yes,' replied Mr. Hill in a reminiscent tone.  'I remember well the first day I came from Mount Vernon to Pelham to take up the school duties.  A well-known resident met me on the street and inquired as to where I was going.  When I told him I was going to Pelham, he said 'Pelham!'  You'll never get along with them up there.  You'll stay about two days.'  And that,' Mr. Hill smiled, 'that was almost 46 years ago and I'm still in Pelham.'"

Source:  Retires After Many Years of Devoted Service -- Isaac C. Hill, Connected With Pelham's Educational Institutions For Forty-Five Years, The Pelham Sun, Sep. 5, 1922, p. 7, col. 1.  

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Parade and Housewarming Hosted by Pelhamville Fire Department in 1894

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On Wednesday, May 16, 1894, much of Pelham gathered for a parade, a dinner, and a housewarming to celebrate the opening of the new firehouse in Pelhamville housing Relief Hook and Ladder Company No. 1 and Liberty Hose Company No. 1.  The parade began at Eighth Avenue and Fourth Street [today's Lincoln Avenue] and proceeded along "the principal streets and avenues of the village."

The parade route was decorated and Pelhamites popped out of their homes and businesses and lined the route with cheers.  In addition to the members of the two companies whose new firehouse was being celebrated, other marchers included the Fire Commissioners, invited guests, and the members of the Independent Hook and Ladder Company of Pelham Manor.

At the end of the parade, marchers and supporters gathered in the new firehouse for a tour, including a tour of the two companies' apartments.  Additionally, the following delivered remarks to the crowd:  the President of the Board of Fire Commissioners, W. H. Sparks, Foremen W. S. Harrison and C. A. Barker and Fireman John Young. Following the remarks, everyone gathered for food prepared by women associated with the celebrants and dancing until midnight.

The tiny settlement of Pelhamville was justifiably proud of its new firehouse.  The celebration was worthy of the work and effort put into the development and construction of the new firehouse.

Below are two images showing both the firehouse and the two companies of Pelhamville firefighters that it housed, both taken barely a year after the firehouse was built.  There after is a transcription of an excerpt of an article that describing the parade, housewarming and party to celebrate the new firehouse.

Men of the Liberty Hose Company No. 1 Standing in

Front of the Original Pelhamville Fire House in 1895.

Presumably the Three Men in Suits Behind Them Are

Several of the Fire Commissioners.  NOTE:  Click to Enlarge Image.

Source:  Image Enhanced from Image Offered for Auction Via eBay.

Men of the Relief Hook and Ladder Company No. 1

Standing in Front of the Original Pelhamville Fire 

House in 1895.  NOTE:  Click to Enlarge Image.

Source:  Image Rendered Grayscale and Enhanced

from Image Offered for Auction via eBay.

"OUR NEARBY NEIGHBORS.
-----
Pelhamville. . . . 

A grand jollification parade and housewarming was given by the fire department on Wednesday evening the 16th inst.  The Relief Hook and Ladder Co. formed in line in front of the engine house and ex-chief Barker in behalf of the young ladies of Pelhamville presented the assistant chief, Walter Barker with a beautiful new helmet.  The companies then repaired to Eighth avenue and Fourth street where under the command of Chief B. F. Crewell the line formed, headed by the Board of Fire Commissioners, consisting of Messrs. W. H. Sparks, I. C. Hill, W. J. Evert, Vincent Barker and C. A. Barker; next came the invited guests, the Independent Hook and Ladder Company of Pelham Manor in command of Foreman B. F. Turner, followed by the local companies, Liberty Hose Company and Relief Hook and Ladder Company.  The line of march covered the principal streets and avenues of the village, and the beautiful decorations along the route excited the enthusiasm of 'the boys' which was frequently evidenced by rousing cheers.  It is to be regretted that the line of march was not published, had it been known the decorations would have been more general.  At the completion of the parade the members of the department and the invited guests repaired to the engine house where the ladies sustained their reputation by the bountiful collation which they had prepared.  Appropriate and pointed remarks were made by the President of the Board of Fire Commissioners, W. H. Sparks, Foremen W. S. Harrison and C. A. Barker and Fireman John Young.  The house was beautifully and tastefully decorated and both companies deserve commendation for the taste displayed in furnishing their separate apartments.  Dancing was indulged in until twelve o'clock.  This report would not be complete were no mention made of the discipline, marching and etc., manifested by all participating."

Source:  OUR NEARBY NEIGHBORS -- Pelhamville, The Chronicle [Mount Vernon, NY], May 24, 1894, p. 4, col. 3.  

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Below is a list of prior Historic Pelham Blog postings that touch on firefighting and the history of fire fighting units within the Town of Pelham.

Thu., Jul. 24, 2014:  Dedication of the New Fire Headquarters in the Village of Pelham on December 29, 1927.

Wed., Jul. 02, 2014:  Election Shenanigans Involving Fire Commissioner Election in 1898.

Thu., Apr. 24, 2014:  Information About the History of Fire Departments in the Town of Pelham Published in 1927.

Fri., Jan. 24, 2014:  Early Days of Organized Fire Fighting in Today's Village of Pelham.

Fri., Jan. 15, 2010:  Photograph of Augustine C. McGuire, President of the Board of Fire Commissioners of the First District Fire Department in 1913.

Thu., Jan. 14, 2010:  1913 Report of the Firemen's Benevolent Association in Pelham.

Thu., Dec. 10, 2009:  More 19th Century Baseball and Firefighting References.

Tue., Dec. 08, 2009:  The Darling Triplets: Three Brothers Among Pelham's Earliest Firefighters.

Thu., Oct. 08, 2009:  Firefighting Units on City Island in Pelham During the Early 1890's.

Mon., Aug. 31, 2009:  Contest in 1891 To Determine Which Steam Fire Engine Company Could Throw a Stream the Greater Distance.

Fri., Aug. 28, 2009:  Reorganization of the Minneford Engine Company on City Island in February, 1891.

Thu., Aug. 06, 2009:  Brief History of the Fire Department in the Village of North Pelham Published in 1913.

Wed., Aug. 05, 2009:  Pelham Manor Fire Chief Pleads for Taxpayers to Authorize Purchase of Village's First Fire Engine.

Wed., July 15, 2009:  Liberty Hose Company Election in 1898.

Thu., Jan. 19, 2006:  Pelham Manor's Earliest Fire Fighting Equipment.

Mon., Aug. 01, 2005:  An 1896 Inspection and Drill of the Fire Department in Pelham.

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