1899 Archaeological Excavation of Native American Remains in Pelham Bay Park

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He was a trench-digging laborer.  He had been digging trenches for nearly a month, just doing his job as an "excavator."  The work, of course, was deadly dull.  Weeks of shoveling.  Weeks of shoveling.  

On Monday, May 15, 1899, his drudgery continued.  The anonymous laborer shoveled away until he noticed something odd.  It looked like . . . small bones . . . bones of a foot . . . a human foot!  

Ecstatic, the laborer notified his supervisor, a sixteen-year-old kid.  That sixteen-year-old kid was Raymond M. Harrington, already a well-known "authority on the subject of Indian archaeology."  Harrington was superintending a project on behalf well-known anthropologist, Professor Marshall H. Saville of the American Museum of Natural History, the brains behind the excavation.

Professor Saville had known for a long time, like virtually all Pelhamites, that much of the northeastern area of Pelham Bay Park was then -- and still is -- riddled with evidence of ancient Native American occupation.  Saville assembled an excavation project in 1899 to uncover "Indian Relics."  He chose an area along City Island Road overlooking Pelham Bay near Jack's Rock, known formerly as Van Cott's Grove.  There was a knoll there.  It was a mound in an area that overlooked productive waters.  The area was rich with shell heaps.  Professor Saville had a hunch.  His hunch turned out to be correct.

In April of that year, Saville assembled a group of laborers to be overseen by young Raymond Harrington.  The plan was to begin digging five-feet-wide trenches four feet deep, one after the other, contiguously, until the entire knoll had been stripped to a depth of four feet.  For about a month, the laborers dug two lengthy trenches across the knoll without uncovering anything.  Then, when about two-thirds of the third trench had been dug, one laborer discovered the foot bones. 

The bones of the human foot were only the beginning.  Slowly, an entire Native American burial was revealed with only a single item in the grave -- a "sharp stone instrument" or stone blade.  Some reports said it was clasped in the right hand.  Others said it was cradled within the right arm.  Professor Saville was able to determine that the skeleton was  that of an old man, some of whose teeth had worn down nearly to the jaw bones in which they were embedded.

Within two days, as the work expanded, a second burial was uncovered in the mound.  Though the skeleton was only partial and quite deteriorated, the grave was rich with relics that shed light on the life of inhabitants of the region long before the area in which the knoll sat became part of the Town of Pelham and, later, was annexed into New York City.  The excavators uncovered flints, pieces of pottery, antler arrow points, shells, stone net sinkers, a terrapin-back ornament, stone scraper, and a small diamond-shaped ornament of mica.

An article at the time in The World about the discoveries, brought to my attention by Jorge Santiago of the Northeast Bronx History Forum, included an interesting set of drawings of a number of the discoveries and of the first skeleton found.  I have included that image below, as well as the text of the article and several other articles about the discoveries.
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Below is the transcribed text of a number of articles that address the archaeological excavation of Native American remains in Pelham Bay Park during April and May, 1899.  Each is followed by a citation and link to its source.

Items Found During Archaeological Excavations of Native

American Remains in Pelham Bay Park in April and May,

1899.  Source:  INDIAN RELICS FOUND IN PELHAM BAY PARK,

The World [NY, NY], May 21, 1899, p. 2, cols. 2-3.

NOTE:  Click on Image to Enlarge.

"INDIAN RELICS FOUND IN PELHAM BAY PARK

Through the efforts of Prof. Marshall H. Saville, of the Museum of Natural History, an addition of scientific value has been made to the collection within the past week.  This addition consists of bones and other relics unearthed within the limits of Greater New York in Pelham Bay Park.

The bones form the skeletons of two Indians, while the other relics are pieces of pottery, antler arrow points, shells, net sinkers, flint and mica and terrapin-back ornaments.

In years past human bones, Indian tomahawks, flint arrow points and other things indicative of an aboriginal settlement have been found in the upper part of Pelham Bay Park.  They found their way into the museum and so deeply impressed Prof. Saville that a search in the aid of science was determined upon.  The place selected is a knoll in the upper part of the park, on the shore of Le Roy Bay, near the fishing resort known as 'Jack's Rock.'

The excavations were begun more than a month ago, under the superintendency of Raymond Harrington, but there were no developments until the past week.  Then, one of the workmen came across a human foot and later unearthed nearly an entire skeleton of an Indian.

This, with a second one which was found on Wednesday, together with scores of small implements and trinkets that were dug up at different places in the knoll, are new at the museum.  The skeleton will be mounted, the relics labelled, the pieces of pottery glued together and the whole placed on exhibition within another week.

In regard to the method of excavation and the scientific value of his discoveries, Prof. Saville said to a World reporter:  

'This work was begun in the interest of the study of anthropology.  In order to cover every inch of the ground we planned to dig parallel and contiguous trenches four feet deep from one side of the knoll to the other.

'Two trenches had been dug only to be filled again before our labors were rewarded.  The third trench was nearly finished when one of the laborers came across a human foot.  I ordered the workers to proceed with care, and handful after handful of dirt was removed until a skeleton nearly complete was laid bare.  The skeleton was in a cramped condition, and the only other thing found in the grave was a sharp stone instrument, clasped in the right hand.  The left hand could not be found.

'An examination of the bones convinces me that the skeleton is that of a male long past middle age.  This I judge from the front teeth being worn almost even with the sockets.  I am sure that the skeleton is that of one of a tribe of Indians long since extinct, and that it had lain where found for more than 300 years.  I hope that it will aid materially in furnishing comparisons with the Indians of that generation, with some of later years and with those of to-day.

'The find will particularly interest the people of New York, as it was unearthed within the city limits and will show them the character of man that inhabited this section, his mode of life and the primitive utensils he used.'"

Source:  INDIAN RELICS FOUND IN PELHAM BAY PARK, The World [NY, NY], May 21, 1899, p. 2, cols. 2-3.  

"INDIAN VILLAGE UNEARTHED HERE.
-----
Skeleton of an Aboriginal Inhabitant of Greater New York Dug Up in Pelham Bay Park.
-----
BURIED 300 YEARS OR MORE.
-----
Treasure Discovered by Professor Saville and Added to the Museum of Natural History.
-----
SEARCHING THE SHELL HEAPS
-----
Many Fragments of Earthenware and Stone Implements Also Dug From Former Indian Settlement.
-----

There has just been added to the treasures of the Museum of Natural History a 'find' of the highest scientific value, in the form of the bones of an aboriginal inhabitant of Greater New York, which were unearthed on Monday in Pelham Bay Park.

The bones consist of the almost perfect skeleton of an Indian brave, and special importance attaches to the discovery on account of its affording one of the few instances of the finding of Indian bones within the city limits.

It has been known for many years that in the upper part of Pelham Bay Park there had once existed an important Indian settlement.  From time to time discoveries were made in the form of human bones, fragments of earthenware and stone implements, but the work of exploration was never conducted scientifically until it was recently taken in hand by Professor Marshall H. Saville, of the Museum of Natural History.

SELECTED KNOWL NEAR 'JACK'S ROCK.'

The spot selected by Professor Saville as most likely to repay a thorough examination was a picturesque little knoll, on the shore of Le Roy Bay, near the pretty fishing resort known as 'Jack's Rock.'  It is just off the City Island road, and about midway between that place and the railroad station at Bartow.

Judging by the enormous number of refuse shell heaps in the vicinity  of the mound, it must have formed the centre of a considerable settlement.

Professor Saville began systematic work about a month ago with a party of skilled excavators under the immediate charge of Raymond Harrington, who, although only sixteen years old, is an authority on the subject of Indian archaeology.  The plan of operations contemplated the digging of parallel and contiguous trenches, above five feet wide, from one end of the knoll to the other, so as not to leave an inch of ground within four feet of the surface unexplored.

Two of the trenches had been laboriously dug and filled in again, and two-thirds of the third had been finished on Monday afternoon, when one of the workmen discovered a human foot.  At once the utmost precautions were used, and the earth was removed bit by bit by hand, until, after several hours of hard work, a complete skeleton was revealed.

STONE KNIFE IN THE GRAVE.

In the hollow of the right arm lay a sharp stone instrument, evidently designed to serve as a knife.  This was the only object found in the grave.  

As soon as all the dirt had been brushed from the body it was photographed precisely as it was discovered, before any further examination was made.  It ws at first believed that both the hands were missing, but search revealed portions of the fingers of the right hand.  No trace was found of the left hand, and the presence of the knife gave rise to some interesting conjectures.  It was suggested that possibly the body might be that of a criminal who had been punished by the loss of a hand before execution, and that the weapon with which the mutilation was effected had been cast into the grave.

A careful examination of the bones showed them to be those of a male of advanced age, as evidenced by the teeth, which, in the front of the jaws were worn down level with the sockets.

Professor Saville said yesterday that he thought the bones had been buried at least 300 years, and possibly much longer.

The excavations on the knoll are being actively carried on, and Professor Saville and Mr. Harrington have very little doubt that many more skeletons will be found.

FRAGMENTS OF INDIAN POTTERY.

In addition to the exploration of the summit of the knoll the shell heaps in the vicinity are being thoroughly searched, and objects of high archaeological value are being daily discovered.  These consist for the most part of fragments of pottery, every shard of which, no matter how minute, is carefully preserved."

Source:  INDIAN VILLAGE UNEARTHED HERE, N.Y. Herald, May 17, 1899, p. 12, col. 1.

"BONES OF ANOTHER INDIAN FOUND.
-----
PROFESSOR SAVILLE THINKS HE HAS UNEARTHED AN ABORIGINAL VILLAGE IN PELHAM BAY PARK.

The search for archaeological specimens, which is being conducted in Pelham Bay Park by Professor Saville and Raymond Harrington, under the auspices of the Museum of Natural History, was infused with new zest yesterday by the finding of part of another skeleton, supposed to be the remains of an Indian buried there three hundred years or more ago.  On Monday a well-preserved skeleton of an Indian brave was dug up, and the uncovering of this second grave has led Professor Saville to believe that he has hit upon an ancient burying-ground and the site of an aboriginal village.  

The skeleton, or, rather, the part of one, found yesterday, was not in as good a state of preservation as the one unearthed last Monday.  Only the skull arm bones and a few of the ribs were found, and the skull was crushed, indicating that this Indian met a violent death.  From the size of the arm bones and other indications known to scientists, that person is believed to have been a woman.  The body was buried with the head north and the face to the east.  It was about six feet away from where the other skeleton lay.  In the grave were a few flints and shells, a stone scraper, a net-sinker and a small diamond-shaped ornament of mica.  The bones were cleaned and photographed and removed to the Museum, where they were placed beside the former 'find.'

Professor Saville has a force of four men at work in the trenches.  He thinks that more skeletons will be recovered in a few days."

Source:  BONES OF ANOTHER INDIAN FOUND -- PROFESSOR SAVILLE THINKS HE HAS UNEARTHED AN ABORIGINAL VILLAGE IN PELHAM BAY PARK, N.Y. Tribune, May 18, 1899, Vol. LIX, No. 19177, p. 1, col. 4.  

"INDIAN VILLAGE UNEARTHED IN PELHAM.
-----

Professor Marshall H. Saville has unearthed an Indian village in what was a part of the old town of Pelham, now a part of Greater New York.

The spot selected by Professor Saville as most likely to repay a thorough examination was a picturesque little knoll, on the shore of Le Roy Bay, near the pretty fishing resort known as 'Jack's Rock.'  It is just off the City Island road, and about midway between that place and the railroad station at Bartow.

Judging from the enormous number of refuse shell heaps in the vicinity of the mound, it must have formed the centre of a considerable settlement.

Professor Saville began systematic work about a month ago with a party of skilled excavators under the immediate charge of Raymond Harrington, who, although only sixteen years old, is an authority on the subject of Indian archaeology.  The plan of operations contemplated the digging of parallel and contiguous trenches, about five feet wide, from one end of the knoll to the other, so as not to leve an inch of ground within four feet of the surface unexplored.

Two of the trenches had been laboriously dug and filled in again, and two-thirds of the third had been finished on Monday afternoon, when one of the workmen discovered a human foot.  At once the utmost precautions were used, and the earth was removed bit by bit by hand, until, after several hours of hard work, a complete skeleton was revealed.

In the hollow of the right arm lay a sharp stone instrument, evidently designed to serve as a knife.  This was the only object found in the grave.

As soon as all the dirt had been brushed from the body it was photographed precisely as it was discovered, before any further examination was made.  It was at first believed that both the hands were missing, but search revealed portions of the fingers of the right hand.  No trace was found of the left hand, and the presence of the knife gave rise to some interesting conjectures.  It was suggested that possibly the body might be that of a criminal who had been punished by the loss of a hand before execution, and that the weapon with which the mutilation was affected [sic] had been cast into the grave.

A careful examination of the bones showed them to be those of a male of advanced age, as evidenced by the teeth, which in the front of the jaws were worn down level with the sockets.

Professor Saville said yesterday that he thought the bones had been buried at least 300 years, and possibly much longer.

The excavations on the knoll are being carried on, and Professor Saville and Mr. Harrington have very little doubt that many more skeletons will be found.

In addition to the exploration of the summit of the knoll the shell heaps in its vicinity are being thoroughly searched, and objects of high archaeological value are being daily discovered.  These consist for the most part of fragments of pottery, every shard of which, no matter how minute, is carefully preserved."

Source: INDIAN VILLAGE UNEARTHED IN PELHAM, The New Rochelle Press, May 20, 1899, p. 6, col. 2.    

"DUG UP INDIAN SKELETON.
-----
Professor Saville Unearths Many Indian Relics in Pelham Bay Park.

There has just been added to the treasures of the Museum of Natural History, a 'find' of the highest scientific value, in the form of the bones of an aboriginal inhabitant of the old Town of Pelham, which were unearthed on Monday in Pelham Bay Park.

The bones consist of the almost perfect skeleton of an Indian brave, and special importance attaches to the discovery on account of its affording one of the few instances of the finding of Indian bones within the limits of Greater New York.

It has been known for many years that in the upper part of Pelham Bay Park there had once existed an important Indian settlement.  From time to time discoveries were made in the form of human bones, fragments of earthenware and stone implements, but the work of exploration was never conducted scientifically until it was recently taken in hand by Professor Marshall H. Saville, of the Museum of Natural History.

The spot selected by Professor Saville as most likely to repay a thorough examination was a picturesque little knoll on the shore of Le Roy Bay, near the pretty fishing resort known as 'Jack's Rock.'  It is just off the City Island road, and about midway between that place and the railroad station at Bartow.

Judging by the enormous number of refuse shell heaps in the vicinity of the mound, it must have formed the centre of a considerable settlement.

Professor Saville began systematic work about a month ago with a party of skilled excavators under the immediate charge of Raymond Harrington, who, although only sixteen years old, is an authority on the subject of Indian archaeology.  The plan of operations contemplated the digging of parallel and contiguous trenches, about five feet wide, from one end of the knoll to the other, so as not to leave an inch of ground within four feet of the surface unexplored.

Two of the trenches had been laboriously dug and filled in again, and two thirds of the third had been finished on Monday afternoon, when one of the workmen discovered a human foot.  At once the utmost precautions were used, and the earth was removed bit by bit by hand, until, after several hours of hard work, a complete skeleton was revealed.

In the hollow of the right arm lay a sharp stone instrument, evidently designed to serve as a knife.  This was the only object found in the grave.

As soon as all the dirt had been brushed from the body it was photographed precisely as it was discovered before any further examination was made.  It was at first believed that both the hands were missing, but search revealed portions of the fingers of the right hand.  No trace was found of the left hand, and the presence of the knife gave rise to some interesting conjectures.  It was suggested that possibly the body might be that of a criminal who had been punished by the loss of a hand before execution, and that the weapon with which the mutilation was effected had been cast into the grave.

A careful examination of the bones showed them to be those of a male of advanced age, as evidenced by the teeth, which in the front of the jaws were worn down level with the sockets.

Professor Saville said yesterday that he thought the bones had been buried at least 300 years, and possibly much longer.

The excavations on the knoll are being actively carried on, and Professor Saville and Mr. Harrington have very little doubt that many more skeletons will be found.

In addition to the exploration of the summit of the knoll the shell heaps in its vicinity are being thoroughly searched, and objects of high archaeological value are being daily discovered.  These consist for the most part of fragments of pottery, every shard of which, no matter how minute, is carefully preserved."

Source:  DUG UP INDIAN SKELETON -- Professor Saville Unearths Many Indian Relics in Pelham Bay Park, Mount Vernon News [Mount Vernon, NY], May 25, 1899, p. 5, cols. 5-6.

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More on Jack's Rock, Formerly Known as Van Cott's Grove, a Popular 19th Century Excursion Destination in Pelham

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During the nineteenth century and the early decades of the twentieth century before Robert Moses filled in much of Pelham Bay and created Orchard Beach, bathers and day excursionists thronged the shores of Pelham Bay and that portion of the Bay some called "Le Roy Bay" on warm days.  There were a host of lovely places to enjoy the waters of the Bay and the views toward City Island and Hunter's Island.  None, perhaps, were as lovely as the place known as "Jack's Rock."  

I have written about Jack's Rock before.  The area was known for many years as "Van Cott's Grove" and was a famed picnic area and swimming site in the Town of Pelham.  See Fri., Dec. 26, 2014:  Van Cott's Grove: Once a Famed Picnic Destination in 19th Century Pelham.  

Jack's Rock was a rocky promontory that extended into Pelham Bay and ended with a giant boulder adjacent to comparatively deep water.  It was a favorite destination of bathers and day excursionists.  Jack's Rock clearly was a special place with gorgeous views of Hunter's Island and City Island.  See IT'S A GREAT COLOR SHOW -- The Autumn Spectacle of the Parks Beyond the Harlem, The Sun [NY, NY], Oct. 27, 1895, p. 6, col. 2 ("Hunter's Island, as seen from Jack's Rock, is as a perpetual sunset.").  Indeed, Jack's Rock was so notable that a successful local artist named William Sylvester Budworth (1861-1938) of Mount Vernon, New York painted a watercolor entitled "Jack's Rock" and exhibited it in 1895.  See ARTIST BUDWORTH'S WATER COLOR EXHIBITION -- A Display of Special Merit, The Daily Argus [Mount Vernon, NY], Dec. 7, 1895, Vol. XV, No. 1125, p. 3, col. 3.  The whereabouts of the Budworth painting are unknown.

Precisely where is Jack's Rock?  I still have not been able to answer that question with precision.  Analysis suggests that it may have been adjacent to the old Rapelje Estate on Pelham Neck.  Catherine Scott concluded in a story published in The Island Current published on City Island in 1990 that "The Rapelje estate was located close to Jack's Rock, a waterfront boulder buried by landfill when the Orchard Beach parking lot was created." (Emphasis added.)   Jack's Rock clearly extended into the bay.  A review of period maps, however, has not revealed the precise location of Jack's Rock.

Today's posting to the Historic Pelham Blog offers a rare treat regarding Jack's Rock.  An engraving included among images on a newspaper page published in 1907 may offer the only known image of Jack's Rock.  (See below.)  Thus, today's posting includes not only that image, but also additional information about Jack's Rock.

On March 15, 1905, the Stuyvesant Yacht Club leased property located at Jack's Rock and operated it as its headquarters for nearly the next thirty years until the creation of Orchard Beach filled in a portion of Pelham Bay.  See The City of New York Department of Parks Annual Report 1914, p. 168 (NY, NY:  City of New York Department of Parks, 1915) (indicating lease began on March 15, 1905); Ultan, Lloyd & Olson, Shelley, The Bronx:  The Ultimate Guide to New York City's Beautiful Borough, p. 107 (Rutgers University Press, 2015) (noting the club had to move to new quarters in 1934 when a portion of the bay was filled to create Orchard Beach).

Additionally, Jack's Rock was such a popular bathing spot that it was included among the locations along Pelham Bay and City Island with a designated lifeguard station for many years.  The area was within District No. 2 of The United States Volunteer Life Saving Corps in the early 20th Century.  According to one report, District No. 2 was: 

"one of the best organized districts in the Greater City [of New York] due to the energy, interest and enthusiasm of Com. Augustus G. Miller through whose efforts, a complete organization has been effected, giving a total of ten stations and 2 sub-stations to the district, with a membership of approximately 400 men.  This district is one much frequented by yachtsmen, row boat parties, fishermen and bathers, needing constant supervision of the watchful eyes of the volunteers.  It takes in all of the waterfront from Fort Schuyler on the Sound to City Line, including Eastchester Bay, Pelham bay, the Hutchinson river, and many minor bays and coves.  The Throggs' Neck, Pelham Bay Park, Orchard Beach, and City Island sections are those most frequented by the public and were the scenes of a number of daring rescues."  

Source:  Annual Report of the United States Volunteer Life Saving Corps of the State of New York for the Year Ending October 31, 1907, p. 19 (Albany, NY:  J. B. Lyon Company, 1908).  

Among the many life-saving stations for which Commodore Miller was responsible in District No. 2 were two stations located at Jack's Rock.  Id. at 20.  A few of the many others were stations at Belden Point, the East Shore of City Island, Rodman's Neck, Orchard Beach, and Le Roy Bay.  Id.  

Clearly the area around Jack's Rock, once known as Van Cott's Grove, was long an important place.  Native American remains and artifacts have been found there.  As one report noted:

"Ancient encampments were plenty in what is now Pelham Bay Park, and shell heaps attesting the fact are scattered all along the shores.  One of these, near 'Jack's Rock' was explored for the Museum in 1899.  The shell heap itself yielded little, but the pits near by and on the adjoining knolls contained much of interest, including three skeletons and a quantity of pottery, together with many bone and stone implements.  These knolls are mentioned by R. P. Bolton in his 'History of Westchester County' as a burial place of the Siwanoy Indians -- one of the few cases in which 'Indian Cemeteries' have proven anything but the burial grounds of the early White settlers.  The collection found here is now at the Museum."

Source:  Harrington, M.R., "Ancient Shell Heaps Near New York City" in The Indians of Greater New York and the Lower Hudson edited by Clark Wissler - Anthropological Papers of the American Museum of Natural History, Vol. III, pp. 167, 175 (NY, NY:  American Museum of Natural History, 1909).

Immediately below is the image of a newspaper page published in 1907.  The images on the page include one near the top with a sailboat adjacent to Jack's Rock.  This is the only image of Jack's Rock and the area around Van Cott's Grove that I have been able to locate so far.  The same page includes an image of The Marshall Mansion (later, the Colonial Inn) as well as other important images of the region.    

1907 Article that Includes a Rare Image of "Jack's Rock"

Near Top with Sailboat Nearby.  Source:  Where Nature Still

Holds Sway -- PICTURESQUE SHORES WITHIN THE CITY'S

LIMITS -- No. 1 Pelham Bay Park, N.Y. Herald Magazine Section,

Jul. 7, 1907, p. 8, cols. 1-3.  NOTE:  Click on Image to Enlarge.

Detail from 1905 Map of Pelham Bay Park Showing Pelham Bay

Park Area Where Jack's Rock (Once Known as Van Cott's Grove)

Was Located.  Source: Office of the President of the Borough of

the Bronx Topographical Bureau, Topographical Survey Sheets

of the Borough of the Bronx Easterly of the Bronx River, Sheet 29

"Map of OPelham Bay Park City of New York Forming Sheet 29 of

the Topographcial Atlas of the Territory East of the Bronx River" (1905)

(Lionel Pincus and Princess Firyal Map Division, The New York Public

Library). NOTE: Click Image to Enlarge.

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Transcribed below is the text of a couple of additional sources that mention Jack's Rock.  Each is followed by a citation and link to its source.

"PELHAM BAY PARK.
-----
Pleasant Walks that May Be Taken There at This Time of the Year.

Nobody visits Pelham Bay Park these days, though to the man who loves to feel turf beneath his feet it is a pleasant place to walk at almost any time of year.  It is the only one of the city parks where one may take a really long walk without doubling on one's tracks.  It is larger than Central Park and Bronx River Park put together, and nearly double the area of Van Coutlandt Park, and it so lies that one has the choice of four fine walks, any one of which will occupy about two hours.  It is well to choose for a walk in Pelham Bay Park at this season the morning after a hard 'black' frost, when the roads and the spongy meadows of the park shall be frozen dry, and thus afford good footing.

The New Yorker who goes to Mt. Vernon by the New Haven Railroad will find before him a trolley ride of ten minutes to East Chester, and thence a walk of fifteen minutes by the old Boston Road to the entrance of the park.  The first turn to the east beyond East Chester bridge brings the park into view, and the visitor should lose no time in getting off the road and into the park.  The meadow here slopes through a cedar grove to the hard marsh on the left bank of East Chester Creek.  Because the soil is damp and spongy the slope of the meadow is green all winter long.  The sun falls pleasantly through the dense bower of the cedar grove and rests in broad floods upon the East Chester marsh.  The color of the marsh is the marvel of the early winter landscape in Pelham Bay Park.  Just now mmen are still reaping and stacking the long, dead marsh grass, and no words can quite convey the mellow richness of the smooth-shaven marsh meadows, or the soft golden brown of the stacked harvest.  The marsh spreads nearly a mile in width, and winds for fully two and a half miles with the winding of the stream.  A break in the cedar grove here and there reveals the full sweep of the march, the sun-burnished surface of the streamm, at high tide lyi9ng in broad, golden skeins, and beyond a horizon dense with wood and dim with frost.

The walk of half a mile through the sloping edow brings one to a neglected apple orchard, overgrown with goldenrod and briars, and that to a low, breezy meadow, treacherrous with wet hollows to careless feet, and a narrow, sluggish stream, but rich in color and good enough wlking for the really active pedestrian.  Less than half a mile of this brings one to the embankment of the New Haven Railroad's suburban branch.  Here the railroad crosses on an iron trestle one of the main roads through the park, and a little further on one must choose whether he will go north-ward to Hunter's Island or southward to Jack's Rock, City Island, Bartow Station, or the village of West Chester.  The walk to Hunter's Island is a full mile and a half by a well-made road, with the park on each side.  It gives one another inspiring view of the marshes, as well of the Sound, flecked at all times with moving craft fr and near.  The rocks at the Twin Island, reached by way of Hunter's Island, and still in the park, go sheer down to the water at some points, but afford an excellent promenade and sunny nooks where it is warm at noon of a winter's day, if the wind be not from the east.  The Sound, the Long Island shore, and the irregular coast of the park, lie in full view from this spot, and the outlook is scarce more beautiful in summer than in winter.

If the walker's choice at the forks of the road fall to the southward, he finds himself with Jack's Rock scarce a mile distant, and quaint little City Island a matter of perhaps two miles.  The scene from this island is repeated at Jack's Rock with variations, and few views are more delightful than that from Jack's Rock toward City Island, while the Sound is peopled with brilliant colored rocks, vitreous and reddish yellow with iron.  Southward again lies nearly two miles of the park bordered with a broad road that crosses the mouth of East Chester Creek at a point where the stream is about widening to a great bay.  The eastern horizon is forever ghastly with phantom sails that seem refined to gossamer and appear to follow one another in an orderly nautical procession.  Inland stretch broad marshes of the same delightfully mellow tint as before, and the uplands gird them round with a leaden horizon of forest tops soft with entangled frost.  Nearly everything in sight from the bridge is park land, a noble domain of marsh, meadow, inhabited upland dotted with fine old ansions, and glorious bits of timber.  Bartow Station and the New Haven's suburban line offer an easy way home from Jack's Rock or the East Chester Bridge, but there is a pleasant two-mile walk from the latter to the village of West Chester, with the broadest and richest marsh meadow view the whole way from the little bridge that leads into the village.  Thence one has the choice of the suburban road or the trolley homeward.

The good walker who hits upon just the right day for this expedition may well explore Hunter's Island and Jack's Rock and still have time for the walk to West Chester.  It is a comfortable trip of two and a half hours from the Mount Vernon station to Hunter's Island, though any rapid walker may do it in less than two hours.  Thence to Jacks Rock is about forty-five minutes, and thence to West Chester the better part of an hour.  There are houses of entertainment scattered along the way, and one may easily time his journey so as to have a comfortable nooning ten minutes from Jack's Rock.  In the course of the journey one comes upon a tempting old inn whose signboard proclaims the house to have been built in 1735."

Source:  PELHAM BAY PARK -- Pleasant Walks that May Be Taken There at This Time of the Year, The Sun [NY, NY], Dec. 26, 1894, p. 2, col. 2.    

"Stuyvesant Yacht Club, 10 Centre Street at the western edge of the street on the north side of the street two blocks west of City Island Avenue, is a private member-owned yacht club with a restaurant and bar open for lunch on Saturday and Sunday and for dinner on Wednesday and Friday.  Visits must be arranged in advance.  Dress is casual, but bathing suits and bare feet are not permitted and shirts are required. . . . The club was chartered in 1890 using the ferryboat named Gerard Stuyvesant as its clubhouse, beached along the East River at Port Morris on the southern coast of The Bronx.  Membership growth led the club to move to Jack's Rock on Pelham Bay in Pelham Bay Park, but a short time later, in 1934, it was compelled to move when the bay was filled in to create Orchard Beach.  The club then moved into a tent on what had been a coal yard at the end of Centre Street on City Island.  Members pitched in to build a permanent home with improvements over the years.  However, a fire in 1968 destroyed the clubhouse and the current one was erected on the site.  The club sponsors and participates in several maritime events and races.  Sailboats and motorboats fill the marina behind the club."

Source:  Ultan, Lloyd & Olson, Shelley, The Bronx:  The Ultimate Guide to New York City's Beautiful Borough, p. 107 (Rutgers University Press, 2015).  

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Van Cott's Grove: Once a Famed Picnic Destination in 19th Century Pelham

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Over the years I repeatedly have run across references to "Van Cott's Grove" in the Town of Pelham.  I have puzzled over the references and have tried to determine precisely where Van Cott's Grove was located to no avail.  

Recently I mustered the energy to collect all the references I could find to "Van Cott's Grove" in an effort to pinpoint its location.  Today's posting to the Historic Pelham Blog transcribes many of the references I have collected and theorizes as to the location of Van Cott's Grove.

Van Cott's Grove was a major picnic destination for many in and around Pelham.  It seems to have been located near the water on a point located on Pelham Neck on the Rapelje estate.  It was known as a major picnic destination at least between the 1870s and the mid-1890s (and likely for a much longer period).

Many of the picnics at Van Cott's Grove were large and grand affairs sponsored by local Churches, Sunday Schools, and organizations including fraternal organizations.  Picnickers gathered a central locations and boarded horse drawn "excursion wagons" that were festively decorated.  Indeed, a local Mount Vernon business built a massive excursion wagon to ferry excursionists.  It named the wagon "The Pride of Westchester."  The picnics began with wagon departures in wagon trains of ten to thirteen wagons leaving at 9 a.m.  At Van Cott's Grove, excursionists put up hammocks, swings, and arranged row boats and sail boats to enjoy the adjacent waters.  The events often lasted all day, with the excursion wagons departing for home by about 6 p.m.

The Area Known as Van Cott's Grove Was a Popular Picnic Destination

The references to Van Cott's Grove as a popular picnic destination, particularly for churches, are legion.  Below are a few of the many, many examples I have located.

"LOCAL NEWS. . . . 

Perseverance Lodge, L. O. G. T., will hold their annual picnic at Van Cott's Grove, August 4. . . . 

The annual picnic of the Universalist Church and Sunday School, was held at Van Cott's Grove, on Thursday of this week. . . . 

The M. E. Sunday School picnic will be held at Van Cott's grove, on the 21st inst., and the M. E. Mission Sunday School picnic, at the same place, on the 28th inst."

Source:  LOCAL NEWS, The Chronicle [Mount Vernon, NY], Jul. 9, 1880, Vol. XI, No. 564, p. 2, col. 6.  

"LOCAL NEWS. . . . 

The Reformed Church Sunday Scholo [sic] were the first in the field, or rather off for the grove, this year with their annual picnic.  It was held on Wednesday last at Van Cott's Grove near City Island.  It took ten excursion wagons to convey the picnickers to the grove; once there, those of the adults who had been previously delegated, swung hammocks and put up the swings.  Ten row boats were engaged and two sail boats were in attendance independently and with this amount of floating material there was no need for any one to return home without having had plenty of pleasure on the water.  The time was all industriously taken up.  At six o'clock the excursionists re-embarked in the wagons and the word having been given, they were headed for home where they arrived tired with a day's enjoyment."

Source:  LOCAL NEWS, The Chronicle [Mount Vernon, NY], Jul. 14, 1882, Vol. XIII, No. 669, p. 3, col. 2.  

"LOCAL NEWS. . . . 

The annual picnic of the Seventh Avenue Lutheran Sunday-school will be held next Wednesday, in Van Cott's grove. . . . 

The annual excursion and picnic of the M. E. Sunday-school of this village will take place on Tuesday next, at Van Cott's grove, Pelham.  Tickets entitling the holder to transportation to and from the grove, are for sale by members of the school, at 50 cents each."

Source:  LOCAL NEWS, The Chronicle [Mount Vernon, NY], Jul. 21, 1882, Vol. XIII, No. 670, p. 3, col. 1.  

"PRESBYTERIAN PICNIC.--The picnic of the Presbyterian Sunday School of this village at Van Cott's Grove, near City Island, on Wednesday last, was nicely gotten up and the programme fully carried out.  It was a highly entertaining affair to the children of the school and interesting to all who attended, old or young.  The day was all that could be desired, and at such a lovely spot as the one chosen, with a bountiful supply of refreshments at hand, it is no wonder the children and all were delighted.  This Sunday School at present numbers considerably over one hundred children and is in a very flourishing condition, reflecting much credit on both superintendent and teachers.  We certainly wish them the greatest prosperity."

Source:  PRESBYTERIAN PICNIC, The Pioneer [New Rochelle, NY], Jul. 22, 1882, Vol. XXIII, No. 15, p. 3, col. 3.  

"LOCAL NEWS. . . . 

Last Tuesday, the M. E. Sunday school of this village, held their annual picnic, at Van Cott's grove.  The day, although oppressively warm, was otherwise fine.  There was plenty of rowing and sailing, with the usual amount of land sports, so the children's cup of pleasure was well full."

Source:  LOCAL NEWS, The Chronicle [Mount Vernon, NY], Jul. 28, 1882, Vol. XIII, No. 671, p. 3, col. 1.

"LOCAL NEWS. . . . 

The M. E. Mission Sunday School will have their annual picnic this year on the 27th inst.  They will go to Van Cott's grove."

Source:  LOCAL NEWS, The Chronicle [Mount Vernon, NY], Aug. 15, 1884, Vol. XV, No. 778, p. 3, col. 1.

The Area Known as Van Cott's Grove Seems to Have Been on Pelham Neck

The area known as Van Cott's Grove seems to have been on Pelham Neck and encompassed, at least in part, a point of the neck with an old home on a "point" of the Neck located within the Rapelje estate.  In 1886, a brief reference to Van Cott's Grove shed some light on its location.  A much later reference addressing events that occurred during 1897 seemed to confirm the 1886 reference to the location of Van Cott's Grove.

The references are quoted immediately below.

"PELHAM AND CITY ISLAND. . . . 

Mrs. Holcombe hires the property on Pelham Neck, belonging to the Rapelye Estate, and known as Van Cott's Grove.  For about a year past, the old house on the point has been occupied by an old man named Richard Kinsella.  The building, until he went to it was utterly untenantable, but he fixed it up and made it habitable, and it is said expended, what was to him, considerable money.  Recently Mrs. Holcombe has wanted the house, and notified Kinsella to vacate, but failing to comply, on Tuesday last, he was ejected and his household effects set out on the street."

Source: PELHAM AND CITY ISLAND, The Chronicle [Mount Vernon, NY], May 28, 1886, Vol. XVII, No. 884, p. 1, col. 4.  

Only about eight years later, it seems, the area became known as "Jack's Rock."  A reference published in 1895 reads as follows:

"Congregational Church. . . . 

The annual picnic of the First Congregational Church Sunday School will be held at Jack's Rock (old Van Cott's Grove) next Saturday, June 30th.  The School will assemble at 8.45 A.M., the stages to leave the church, Ninth avenue and Valentine street, at 9 o'clock.  Returning, the departure will be made from the grove at 5.30 P.M."

Source:  Congregational Church, The Chronicle [Mount Vernon, NY], Jun. 28, 1894, p. 3, col. 1.  

"Silver Anniversaries Came Fast.  In 1897, A Year Of Celebrations . . . 

During the months of July and August of this year (1897) there were a number of picnics of the different Sunday Schools and other organizations that were held mostly in Van Cott's Grove between Bartow and City Island, now a portion of Pelham Bay Park.  Transportation in those days was by picnic wagons and on one of these occasions there were 13 of them taking the M. E. Sunday School led by the newly designed vehicle built especially for Burr Davis & Son called the Pride of Westchester, which many of the old residents will doubtless remember as it became very popular for private picnics, etc."

Source:  Silver Anniversaries Came Fast.  In 1897, A Year Of Celebrations, The Daily Argus [Mount Vernon, NY], Oct. 18, 1930, p. 6, cols. 1-2.   

1881 Map Detail That Shows a Point Off the "Rapelyea" Estate

Immediately below is a detail from Bromley's 1881 map of Pelham and Pelham Manor focused on Pelham Neck.  On the upper part of the Neck is an area designated "Rapelyea Homestead."  There seems to be a pronounced point visible on the estate, likely the area once known as Van Cott's Grove and, later, Jack's Rock.  

Detail of 1881 Map of the Town of Pelham Showing Pelham Neck

and the "Rapelyea Estate."  Source: Bromley, George Washington

& Bromley, Walter Scott, "Town of Pelham, (With) Pelham-Manor. 

(From Actual Surveys and Official Records by G.W. Bromley & Co., 

Civil Engineers, Published by Geo. W. & Walter S. Bromley, 1881)"

in Atlas of Westchester County, New York, From Actual Surveys and

Official Records, pp. 56-57 (Washington, D.C.: G.W. Bromley & Co. 1881).

NOTE:  Click on Image to Enlarge.

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