Installation of Huguenot Memorial Presbyterian Church's First Permanent Pastor in 1877

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Rev. Dr. Henry Randall Waite was the first permanent pastor of Huguenot Memorial Presbyterian Church.  (Rev. Charles Eliphalet Lord served as an acting pastor from the time the church opened until Rev. Waite became the first full-time pastor.) 

Huguenot Memorial was founded as the nation's only "Centennial Church" and, thus, opened its doors for its first service on the Sunday after the nation celebrated its July 4, 1876 Centennial.  Reverend Waite began service as the pastor of the Church in 1877 and was formally installed in that post on the afternoon of Tuesday, December 4, 1877.

Rev. Waite served as pastor of Huguenot Memorial Presbyterian Church for a little less than three years.  He resigned the pastorate in November, 1880.   A few years later he founded the tiny little Church of the Covenant at Pelhamville, and was its minister without salary from 1887 to 1889. 

Reverend Waite was a fascinating man. While serving as minister of the Church of the Covenant at Pelhamville, he also served as Secretary and Treasurer of the Julien Electric Company, which operated the first street cars propelled by storage battery in the United States. He also was a man of letters. He edited a host of important publications of his day.

I have written about Rev. Dr. Henry Randall Waite before.  See, e.g.: 

Thu., Sep. 29, 2005:  A Brief Biography of Henry Randall Waite, 19th Century Clergyman in Pelham.  

Wed., Oct. 25, 2006:  A Biography of the Rev. Henry Randall Waite, Ph. D., a 19th Century Pastor of Huguenot Memorial Presbyterian Church.

Tue., Sep. 18, 2007:  Installation of the First Full-Time Pastor of Huguenot Memorial Presbyterian Church in Pelham Manor in 1877.

The installation of Rev. Waite as pastor of Huguenot Memorial Presbyterian Church on December 4, 1877 was, of course, a seminal event in the history of the little church.  The installation services were conducted in the afternoon of that day.  Members of the clergy from throughout the Westchester Presbytery and elsewhere attended the services in the tiny little wooden sanctuary that stood where today's magnificent stone sanctuary stands.  The little church was painted red and became a famous landmark because it stood on Boston Post Road, then the principal thoroughfare between New York City and New England.  The red church gave the name "Red Church Corner" to the intersection of Boston Post Road and Pelhamdale Avenue where it stood.

Among the clergy present for the installation services that day were:  Rev. Washington Roosevelt and Rev. Charles Higbee, both of Pelham Manor; Rev. Dr. Baird of Rye; Rev. Dr. William J. Tucker and Rev. Dr. Lewellyn Bevan, both of New York City; Rev. Robert A. Davison, Moderator of Westchester Presbytery; Rev. Dr. Wilson Phraner of Sing Sing, Rev. Dr. Rollin A. Sawyer of Irvington, Rev. Hiram H. Waite (father of Henry Randall Waite); and Rev. L. Francis of Greenpoint, Long Island.

Rev. Davison, Moderator of the Westchester Presbytery, propounded the constitutional question to Rev. Waite.  Rev. Phraner gave the charge to the new pastor.  Rev. Sawyer gave the charge to the people of the congregation.  Rev. Dr. William J. Tucker of New York City delivered the sermon.  According to one newspaper account:

"Dr. Tucker, of this city, preached an admirable sermon on what he called the inspiration of faith, which, he argued, always preceded the inspiration of writing.  So that before Moses or David, Isaiah or Paul could write, they must have believed.  And had they not been obedient as well as believing, God could not have developed His truth in them with sufficient clearness and power for them to have written it."  

Three vocalists ("Miss Phillips and Messrs. O'Brien and Grover") from New Rochelle celebrated the installation with music.  Rev. Waite's father, Rev. Hiram H. Waite, delivered the closing prayer.  Following the services, the clergy dispersed to the homes of various residents of Pelham Manor and were "entertained by the hospitable Pelhamites at their homes."

A Glass Lantern Slide Created by Pelham Town Historian

William Montgomery Between December 10, 1916 and June

10, 1917. It Depicts the "Little Red Church," the Predecessor

Building to Today's Huguenot Memorial Presbyterian Church

Sanctuary. The Little Red Church was a "Centenary Church"

Opened in July 1876 in Part to Commemorate the Centennial

of the Signing of the Declaration of Independence.

NOTE:  Click on Image to Enlarge.

*           *          *          *          *

"WESTCHESTER COUNTY. . . .

A special meeting of the Westchester Presbytery will be held in the Huguenot Memorial Church, at Pelham Manor, on Tuesday afternoon next, for the purpose of installing the new Pastor of the church, Rev. Henry Randall Waite, Ph. D.  Among the prominent clergymen who will take part in the exercises are Rev. Washington Roosevelt, Rev. Llewellyn Bevan, Rev. T. Ralston Smith, Rev. William J. Tucker, Rev. Wilson Phraner, Rev. Rollin A. Sawyer, and Rev. Hiram H. Waite."

Source:  WESTCHESTER COUNTY, N.Y. Times, Dec. 2, 1877, p. 2, col. 5.  

"A HUGUENOT INSTALLATION.
-----
THE NEW CHURCH THAT HAS BEEN ERECTED AT PELHAM MANOR.

The Huguenots were an important factor in the morals and politics of Westchester county, N. Y., a century ago, though their history is still unwritten save in sketches.  The old Pelham Manor having been laid out in village plots by an association composed largely of New England descendants of the Huguenots a few years ago, they resolved to plant a church there which should be a memorial to their persecuted ancestors.  They have built one of the plainest and prettiest country churches anywhere within an hours' [sic] ride of New York, and yesterday the edifice was filled with persons from the city and the villages adjacent between this and Sing Sing to witness the installation of the Rev. Henry Randall Waite, Ph. D., as pastor.  Mr. Waite was formerly pastor of the American Chapel in Rome, but has been back about a year.  The little Huguenot church was opened for worship on the first Sabbath of the second centenary of American independence, and is therefore properly named the Huguenot Centenary Memorial Church of Pelham Manor.  It is the only Huguenot church in the land.  Being within the bounds of the Westchester Presbytery a large representation of that body was present at the installation services yesterday afternoon.  The exercises were participated in by the Rev. Washington Roosevelt and the Rev. Charles Higbee, of Pelham Manor, the later rector of the Episcopal Church there; by the Rev. Dr. Baird of Rye; Rev. Drs. W. J. Tucker and L. Bevan, of this city; Rev. Robert A. Davison, moderator of Presbytery, who propounded the constitutional question to the new pastor; by Dr. Phraner, of Sing Sing, who gave the charge to the pastor, and Dr. Sawyer, of Irvington, N. Y., who charged the people.  The Rev. H. H. Waite, father of the Huguenot pastor, is engaged in the same relation with the Second Congregational Church in Jersey City.  He was present yesterday at the installation of his son and made the closing prayer, and the Rev. L. Francis of the First Reformed Church, Greenpoint, L. I., also took part.  Dr. Tucker, of this city, preached an admirable sermon on what he called the inspiration of faith, which, he argued, always preceded the inspiration of writing.  So that before Moses or David, Isaiah or Paul could write, they must have believed.  And had they not been obedient as well as believing, God could not have developed His truth in them with sufficient clearness and power for them to have written it.  Dr. Sawyer's charge to the people was a model of its kind.  It was delivered extempore and related to their reception of the new pastor as a man and as a minister.  As a man, he was theirs; as a minister, they were to be him.  The first meant that they should provide adequate support for him; the second that they should hear the Word of God from his mouth, not in a perfunctory manner, but as if Christ, whose ambassador he is, stood before them.  A trio from New Rochelle -- Miss Phillips and Messrs. O'Brien and Grover -- furnished the vocal music, and the visitors were entertained by the hospitable Pelhamites at their homes."

Source:  A HUGUENOT INSTALLATION -- THE NEW CHURCH THAT HAS BEEN ERECTED AT PELHAM MANOR, N. Y. Herald, Dec. 5, 1877, No. 15,080, p. 4, col. 4.  

"Dedication of a Huguenot Church.

The Huguenots were an important factor in the morals and politics of this county a century ago, though their history is still unwritten save in sketches.  The old Pelham Manor having been laid out in village plots by an association composed largely of New England descendants of the Huguenots a few years ago, they resolved to plant a church there which should be a memorial to their persecuted ancestors.  They have built a plain but handsome edifice, which was filled with people on the 4th inst. to witness the installation of Rev. Henry Randall Waite, Ph. D., as pastor.  This is the only Huguenot Church in the land.  Being with the bounds of the Westchester Presbytery a large representation of that body was present at the installation services.  The exercises were participated in by the Rev. Washington Roosevelt and the Rev. Charles Higbee, of Pelham Manor, the latter rector of the Episcopal Church there; by the Rev. Dr. Baird, of Rye; Rev. Drs. W. J. Tucker and L. Bevan, of New York city; Rev. Robert A. Davison, Moderator of the Presbytery, who propounded the constitutional question to the new pastor; by Dr. Phraner, of Sing Sing, who gave the charge to the pastor, and Dr. Sawyer, of Irvington, who charged the people.  A trio from New Rochelle -- Miss Phillips and Messrs. O'Brien and Grover -- furnished the vocal music, and the visitors were entertained by the hospital [sic] Pelhamites at their homes."

Source:  Dedication of a Huguenot Church, Eastern State Journal, Dec. 14, 1877, Vol. XXXIII, No. 35, p. 3, col. 3.

"COUNTY JOTTINGS. -- Interesting Items of Happenings in all Parts of this County. . . . 

Rev. Henry Randall Waite has resigned the pastorate of the Presbyterian Church at Pelham Manor. . . ."

Source:  COUNTY JOTTINGS. -- Interesting Items of Happenings in all Parts of this County, Eastern State Journal [White Plains, NY], Nov. 12, 1880, p. 3, col. 3.  

"Westchester County. . . . 

Rev. Henry Randall Waite has resigned the pastorate of the Presbyterian Church at Pelham Manor. . . ."

Source:  Westchester County, The Port Chester Journal [Port Chester, NY], Nov. 25, 1880, Vol. XIII, No. 627, p. 4, col. 2.

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Huguenot Memorial Presbyterian Church Had a Special Celebration of its 46th Anniversary in 1922

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On Sunday, October 22, 1922, Huguenot Memorial Presbyterian Church celebrated its 46th anniversary.  While it might seem to some unusual to celebrate a 46th anniversary rather than a 45th or 50th, there was method in the madness.  The 46th anniversary of the church happened to coincide with the fifteenth anniversary of the pastorate of Dr. Lewis Gaston Leary, one of the most influential pastors in the long and storied history of the church.

The Church also celebrated the final completion of the Sunday School portion of the massive church structure built to replace the Little Red Church that once stood at Red Church Corner (known today as "Four Corners," the intersection of Pelhamdale Avenue and Boston Post Road).  

The celebration included organ selections by George H. Shackley as well as music by famous baritone Knight MacGregor and tenor Judson House, including a duet by the pair.  Reverend Leary delivered an address on the history of the church.  

Dr. Lewis Gaston Leary oversaw unprecedented growth in the size of the congregation and the Sunday School of the church.  He addressed the fact that the church, first known as "The Huguenot Memorial Forest First Presbyterian Church of Pelham Manor, New York," was formally incorporated on October 22, 1876.  It held its first service in the newly-completed Little Red Church, however, on July 9, 1876 -- the Sunday closest to the nation's centennial on July 4, 1876.  The Church was dedicated as the nation's only centenary church opened on July 9, 1876 to honor the nation's centennial.  The Little Red Church could seat 200 in its sanctuary.  It had plenty of room for the growth of its initial congregation of a couple dozen members.  The first Sunday School was held the following Sunday, July 16, 1876, with 13 teachers and scholars on the roll.  

Reverend Lewis Gaston Leary, Ph.D., came to the church in 1907 from the Presbyterian Church at Blauvelt, New York.  By 1922, Reverend Leary had grown to 340 by late October, 1922.

On October 20, 1922, The Pelham Sun published a wonderful news story about the history of the church.  It included a biography of Reverend Leary and is recommended reading for students of Pelham history.  The article is transcribed below, followed by a citation and link to its source.

A Glass Lantern Slide Created by Pelham Town Historian

William Montgomery Between December 10, 1916 and June 10, 1917.

It Depicts the "Little Red Church," the Predecessor Building to

Today's Huguenot Memorial Presbyterian Church Sanctuary.

The Little Red Church was a "Centenary Church" Opened in

July 1876 in Part to Commemorate the Centennial of the

Signing of the Declaration of Independence.

"Dr. Lewis G. Leary" in a Photograph Published in 1922

With the Article Transcribed and Cited Below with a Link.

NOTE:  Click on Image to Enlarge.  

*          *          *          *          *

"Huguenot Memorial Church Celebrates Forty-sixth Anniversary With Special Service on Sunday
-----
Celebration Will Also Commemorate the Close of the Fifteenth Year of Service By Dr. Lewis G. Leary As Pastor of the Church.
-----
Special Music at All Sunday Services
-----
Under Dr. Leary's Pastorate Church Has Grown In Membership From 46 to 333.

Huguenot Memorial Church will celebrate at its service next Sunday morning the forty-sixth anniversary of its organization and the completion of the fifteenth year of the pastorate of Rev. Dr. Lewis Gaston Leary.  A further interesting feature will be on the public recognition of the complete fulfillment of the plans of the new church building.  While the beautiful structure has been in use for some time and was formally dedicated with appropriate ceremonies over a year ago, it is only recently that the opening of the enlarged Sunday School room marked the end of the work of the Building Committee.  The completion of this fine addition to the architectural beauties of the Pelhams forms a fitting climax to the forty-six years of the church's existence and to the fifteen years of faithful service of Dr. Leary.

The services in the church at 11:15 a.m. Sunday will be worthy of the oc-

(Continued on Page Four)

Celebrating Forty-sixth Anniversary of Church
-----
(Continued from Page One)

casion.  In addition to solos by Knight MacGregor, the well-known baritone of the church, and the special organ selections by George H. Shackley, the musical program will include solos by Judson House, formerly of St. Bartholomew's Church and one of New York's leading tenors.  Mr. House will sing at the versper service also.  There will also be a duet by Mr. MacGregor and Mr. House.  Dr. Leary's address will deal with the interesting development of the church during its forty-six years' existence, and particularly during his pastorate.  The history of the Huguenot Memorial Church is closely associated with the history of the Town of Pelham in the period of its greatest growth.

The organization that we know as the Huguenot Memorial Church in the Town of Pelham was originally incorporated as 'The Huguenot Memorial Forest First Presbyterian Church of Pelham Manor, New York.'  This unwieldy title was quickly dropped by common consent and the latter name adopted as being more descriptive of its activities.  The first building, the old Red Church, which gave its popular name to Red Church Corner, was erected in 1876, largely through the generosity of Mr. Silas Witherbee, the father of Mrs. Robert C. Black.  At that time there were but nineteen houses in Pelham Manor and one in the section now known as Pelham Heights.  The little building, with its seating capacity of two hundred, would hold more than the entire population of its parish and have lots of empty pews.  In those days a traveler by rail from New York could reach Pelham Manor only by going to New Rochelle and coming back from there.  The station on the main line was called Pelhamville.

The formal organization of the church occurred on October 22, 1876, but services were held as early as July 9th of that year.  The first Sunday School was held on July 16, 1876, with 13 teachers and scholars on the roll.  The enrollment of the Huguenot Memorial Sunday School last Sunday, October 15, 1922, was 340.

Among those who signed the petition to the Presbytery for the organization of the church and thus became charter members was John M. Shinn, a well-known resident of Pelham Manor today and an active member of the church.  Mrs. Shinn was later voted a charter member and Mr. and Mrs. Shinn are the only charter members now on the church roll.  Among other early members of the church are the Robert C. Blacks, the Alfred L. Hammetts and the Secors.

The first annual report to Presbytery showed 20 members an in the Sunday School and the financial statistics included congregational expenses, $200, and benevolences of $35.  The report of the church filed in the spring of the present year shows a membership of 333, Sunday School 326, congregational expenses of over $25,000 and benevolences of over $10,000.  Three churches have grown from the Huguenot Memorial Church, the Swedish Church of New Rochelle, the old Congregational Church of North Pelham, now defunct, and the Presbyterian  Church of Gold Beach, Oregon.

Rev. Lewis Gaston Leary, Ph.D., came to the church in 1907 from the Presbyterian Church at Blauvelt, N. Y.  He is a graduate of Rutgers College with a degree of B.Sc. and Phi Beta Kappa, having won first scientific honor, first rhetorical honor and prizes in history, debate, orations and metaphysics.  He entered Union Theological Seminary where he remained for two years, winning the degree of M. A. at the Post Graduate School of New York University during the second year at the Seminary in addition to studying the necessary Greek and Latin in the summer.  He attended his final seminary year at McCormick Seminary, Chicago, and was ordained by the Presbytery of Elizabeth, N. J., in 1900.

From 1900 to 1903 Dr. Leary was instructor, chiefly in mathematics and senior English, at the Syrian Protestant College in Beirut, now the American University of Beirut, during which time he studied Italian and Arabic and put on the stage at the college the first play in the English language ever presented in the Turkish Empire -- Julius Caesar.  His wide experience as a traveler includes extensive journeys by land and water in Europe, Palestine, Syria, Egypt, the Balkans, Egean Islands and Asia Minor.  In 1902 he traveled 7,000 miles during 100 days at a total cost of $200, and he has traveled in over 30 Mediterranean steamers and for thirty days in Mediterranean steerages studying human nature.  Returning to America in 1903 he spent a year in post-graduate work in Semitics at McCormick Seminary and in 1904 married Beatrice Knight, of Newark, N. J.

Dr. Leary's degree of Doctor of Philosophy was received from New York University after graduate work in 1904-5, the major subjects being Hebrew and Arabic.  He has won wide recognition as a lecturer on Oriental travel and the Old Testament, delivering lectures at many Chautauquas, besides about 500 lectures under the auspices of the New York Board of Education.  His articles on Near East, Travel and Old Testament subjects have been published in many magazines including Scribner's and the Christian Herald.  About 80 articles in the Standard Bible History are from his pen.  He is also the author of four books, The Real Palestine of Today; Syria, the Land of Lebanon; The Christmas City; and Andorra, the Hidden Republic.

Upon coming to the Huguenot Memorial Church October 24, 1907, Dr. Leary entered into the activities of the church and community with characteristic energy.  During his residence in Pelham he has served as a member of the Board of Education and was on the Building Committee which obtained the ground and secured the vote of the district for the Memorial High School Building.  During the war he was an active member of all the committees in connection with war loans, he prepared the illustrated lectures which were used by the Junior Department, American Red Cross, he was later a speaker for the Near East Relief Committee, a member of original committee and then of the Executive Committee for the drive for funds to rebuild the Pelham Home for Children.  He was a Moderator of Westchester Presbytery for two terms and is a chaplain of Winyah Lodge, F. & A. M.

During Dr. Leary's pastorate the Huguenot Memorial Church has grown from a membership of 46 to 333, while the Sunday School has increased from 83 to 340.  The money raised for congregational expenses has increased from $961, to more than $25,000, and for benevolences from $737, to more than $10,000."

Source:  Huguenot Memorial Church Celebrates Forty-sixth Anniversary With Special Service on Sunday -- Celebration Will Also Commemorate the Close of the Fifteenth Year of Service By Dr. Lewis G. Leary As Pastor of the Church -- Special Music at All Sunday Services -- Under Dr. Leary's Pastorate Church Has Grown In Membership From 46 to 333, The Pelham Sun, Oct. 20, 1922, Vol. 13, No. 34, p. 1, cols. 3-5 & p. 4, cols.  1-3.  

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

FRANCISCO DRIVING, AND THE HORSE SUPPOSEDLY GENTLE,

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"'ROUND ABOUT THE STATE. . . .

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

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

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Stowell's Pharmacy in Pelham Manor and its Stunning Early Real Photo Postcards

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Opening of Stowell's Pharmacy in 1907

One of the earliest pharmacies to open in the tiny Village of Pelham Manor was "Stowell's Pharmacy" operated by J. S. Stowell.  It was not Pelham's first pharmacy.  That distinction belongs to a tiny pharmacy opened by a member of the Roosevelt family in the 1890s.  That pharmacy quickly failed.  Its fixtures were sold to Seth T. Lyman of the Village of North Pelham who opened his pharmacy at Fifth Avenue and First Street with those fixtures.

Before opening his Pelham Manor pharmacy, J. S. Stowell was with the Chambers Pharmacy operated by James Chambers in Bronxville.  In 1907 Stowell decided to strike out on his own and open a pharmacy in the region.  He settled on the Village of Pelham Manor which had about 450 residents but no pharmacy.  

First Stowell had to locate the building to house his new business.  He was in luck.  A building at a prime location had just become available -- the old Pelham Manor Post Office.

The story of that old Pelham Manor Post Office building is interesting in and of itself.  In 1897, the Village Clerk of the Village of Pelham Manor, Gervas H. Kerr, became Pelham Manor postmaster.  He oversaw the post office in the Pelham Manor Depot until 1904, when it was moved out of the Depot to a nearby residence on Terrace avenue, a roadway that no longer exists due to the construction of Interstate 95 during the 1950s.  The post office remained in that residence (a home later owned by F.C. Allen, Jr. of Pelham Manor) for only three years.  In 1907, Postmaster Kerr oversaw construction of a new post-office building nearby, near the front entrance to the nearly-new Pelham Manor Train Station built of stone, designed by noted architect Cass Gilbert and opened in about 1907.  Stowell seized on the opportunity and took over the vacant Terrace Avenue residence formerly used as the Post Office.   

Detail from 1908 Map Showing Likely Location of the

Old Post Office Building That Became Stowell's Pharmacy

in Lower Right Corner on Property Owned by Mrs. Emma

J. Roosevelt.  Source:  Fairchild, John F., Atlas of the City

of Mount Vernon and the Town of Pelham Compiled from

Official Records, Personal Surveys, and Other Private Plans

and Surveys, Plate 35 (Mount Vernon, NY:  John F. Fairchild,

1908).  NOTE:  Click on Image to Enlarge.

Stowell successfully opened his new business.  A brief newspaper reference published before he opened Stowell's Pharmacy indicated plans for a "first class" and "attractive pharmacy" with an "up to date prescription department" as well as a classic soda fountain.  According to the same reference, the soda fountain would serve not only "ice cream sodas and sundaes," but also "a long list of popular drinks such as egg phosphate, malted milk and egg, vishy and milk, lemonade to order, etc."

It is not known with certainty how long Stowell's Pharmacy operated in Pelham Manor.  It certainly operated for at least three years.  References to the pharmacy in 1910 can be found in a variety of sources.  In the short time that the pharmacy existed, it seems, it left one fascinating, historic, and beautiful legacy.

The Stowell's Pharmacy Real Photo Postcards

At about the time J. S. Stowell was opening his pharmacy, the golden age of American Postcards was underway.  More significantly, a recent development in the creation of such postcards was generating excitement throughout the country.  Stowell's Pharmacy, it seems, took advantage of this excitement.  

In 1903, Kodak introduced a camera (the 3A Folding Pocket Kodak Camera) designed to use film that produced postcard-size images to allow consumers to take photographs and have them printed on postcard paper with postcard backs.  The camera was such a success that Kodak introduced a new service in 1907 that it named "Real Photo Postcards."  The service enabled customers to make postcards from any photograph they took regardless of the camera used.  

At about the same time, Federal law changed to permit -- for the first time -- the inclusion of a message on a portion of the back of a postcard.  Until that change in the law, only the address was allowed on the back of a postcard.  Any message had to be included on the front of the postcard where, typically, an image of some sort appeared.  

These two developments combined to create a boon in the creation and use of Real Photo Postcards (often known to collectors as RPPs or RPPCs).  According to one source:  "No other single format has provided such a massive photo history of America, particularly of small-town and rural America where photography was often a luxury."  "Real Photo Postcard" in Wikipedia -- The Free Encyclopedia (visited Dec. 3, 2016).  

A fascinating series of Real Photo Postcards created in about 1909 seems to be connected to Stowell's Pharmacy.  Although only one in the series uncovered so far has a Stowell's Pharmacy designation on it, the images are remarkably similar and contain handwritten titles that appear to be in the same handwriting in each instance -- handwriting that matches that on the only example in the series uncovered so far that includes a Stowell's Pharmacy reference.  

The Stowell Pharmacy postcards represent an important and fascinating group of RPP images taken at about the same time.  The images reveal, if nothing else, long-gone views of Pelham that were deemed significant enough to capture as part of an entrepreneurial scheme to profit from those views through postcard sales.  It now seems certain that among the many things one could purchase in Stowell's Pharmacy were these lovely postcards to collect or to mail to family and friends.

Below are the Real Photo Postcard images I have been able to identify so far that likely are part of the Stowell's Pharmacy series of such cards.  Since not all are labeled as "Stowell's Pharmacy" cards, there is no definitive way to determine if they all are part of the same series.  However, you may judge for yourself based on the "look" of each postcard and the handwritten titles in identical handwriting whether they seem to be part of a series of cards prepared by (or for sale at) the pharmacy.  Most importantly, since some of the cards have legible postmarks that seem to compare favorably with the time we know Stowell's Pharmacy existed, it is now even easier to assign a narrow date range for all the images including those without postmarks (or without legible postmarks).

This undated postcard shows the "RES. [i.e., Residence of] MUNROE CRANE PELHAM MANOR, N.Y. 5981."  The note on the left contains the following reference important for present purposes "FROM STOWELL'S PHARMACY."  Pay close attention to the handwritten titles as you will see similar handwriting on each of the following postcards as well.  (Click on image to enlarge.)

This undated postcard shows the "R.R. STATION.  PELHAM MANOR, N.Y."  This is the Pelham Manor Depot designed by famed architect Cass Gilbert that opened in about 1907 when Stowell opened his new pharmacy only a few steps away from where this photographer stood.  The postmark is somewhat illegible, but the card clearly was postmarked in 1910 when Stowell's Pharmacy was known to be operating.  This photograph was taken from one of the station platforms opposite the station.  The Pelham Depot Plaza is on the other side of the station.  The station obscures the view of the new Pelham Manor Post Office and Grocery that is entirely "behind" and, thus, blocked by the station in this photograph.  Stowell's Pharmacy would have been located to the right in this image, somewhat behind the photographer.  Note that the handwriting used for the title as well as the "look and feel" of the image is the same as before.  (Click on image to enlarge.)

This undated postcard shows the "POST OFFICE PELHAM MANOR, N.Y."  This is the Post Office building built by postmaster Gervas H. Kerr in 1907 almost directly adjacent to the Pelham Manor Depot.  The shadow of the roof and lightning rod of the Pelham Manor Depot can be seen in the foreground of the photograph.  This photograph was taken with the Pelham Manor Depot behind and to the left of the photographer.  The photographer would have had to walk through the underground tunnel that connected the station area to the platform from which the photograph immediately above was taken.  Stowell's Pharmacy would have been almost directly behind the photographer, a few dozen feet away.  Note that the handwriting used for the titles as well as the "look and feel" of the image is the same as before.  (Click on image to enlarge.)

This postcard view of the "Little Red Church" (the original Huguenot Memorial Presbyterian Church) located at Four Corners (the intersection of Boston Post Road and Pelhamdale Avenue) is titled "5819 PRESBT. CHURCH.  PELHAM MANOR, N.Y."  The postcard is postmarked November 3, 1911.  Stowell's Pharmacy is known to have been operating in 1910 and may have been operating in 1911 as well.  This image was taken from Boston Post Road facing the church which stands essentially where the sanctuary of today's Huguenot Memorial Presbyterian Church is located.  Note the same handwriting for the title and the same "look and feel" of the image.  (Click on image to enlarge.)  Note that there is a handwritten four digit number "5819" on the postcard very similar to the four digit number in the same handwriting (5981) on the Munro Crane postcard.  The purpose of the number is not known.

This is a postcard view of "ESPLANADE PELHAM MANOR, N.Y." postmarked November 2, 1909 during the time Stowell's Pharmacy was operating.  This image, taken on the Esplanade (with the dividing median between the Esplanade lanes on the left), shows the rear of the horse watering fountain at the intersection of Esplanade and Boston Post Road.  Note the same handwriting for the titles and the same "look and feel" of the image.  This image was taken just off of Boston Post Road a few hundred feet west from where the photographer took the image of the Little Red Church included above.  On the extreme right, the buildings of Mrs. Hazen's School for Girls may be seen.  (Click on image to enlarge.)

This is a postcard view of "MRS. HAZEN'S SCHOOL PELHAM MANOR, N.Y." with an illegible postmark.  All three "houses" of Mrs. Hazen's School for Girls that stood on the Esplanade at Boston Post Road are depicted in the photograph which was taken from across the Esplanade (both lanes visible in the foreground).  Chester House is on the left.  Edgewood House is in the center, slightly in the rear (it was named after the street it was closest to).  Marbury House, named after Anne Marbury Hutchinson, is on the right.  This image was taken just off of Boston Post Road on the opposite side of the horse drinking fountain, once again only a few hundred feet away from where the photographer took the image of the Esplanade showing the rear of the horse drinking fountain included above.  (Click on image to enlarge.)

This is a postcard view of "BOSTON POST ROAD PELHAM PELHAM MANOR, N.Y." postmarked September 4, 1909 when Stowell's Pharmacy was operating.  This image, taken on Boston Post Road facing its intersection with Esplanade, shows the horse watering fountain in the distance on the left.  Once again the same handwriting is used in the title and the photograph has the same "look and feel" of the other images.  This image was taken from Boston Post Road a few hundred feet west from where the photographer took the images of the rear of the horse watering fountain and the buildings of Mrs. Hazen's School for Girls included above.  (Click on image to enlarge.)

This is a postcard view of "'RES. [i.e., Residence of] MONT D. ROGERS PELHAM MANOR, N.Y." postmarked June 7, 1910 when Stowell's Pharmacy is known to have been operating.  This residence (which no longer exists) was located near the intersection of Wolfs Lane and Secor.  Thus, the photograph was taken only a few hundred feet away from the photograph of Boston Post Road immediately above. The same handwriting is used in the titles and the photograph has the same "look and feel" of the other images.  (Click on image to enlarge.)

This is an undated postcard view of "WOLFS LANE.  PELHAM MANOR, N.Y."  This image was taken on Wolfs Lane (likely somewhat near Boston Post Road but further along Wolfs Lane than Secor).  Admittedly, though, it has not yet been placed geographically with certainty.  It seems likely, however, that it was taken only a few hundred to a few thousand feet away from the photograph of the residence of Mont D. Rogers immediately above.  Note the same handwriting and the same "look and feel" once again.  (Click on image to enlarge.)

This is a postcard view of "'THE RESERVOIR.' NO. PELHAM, N.Y." postmarked January 8, 1911.  Stowell's Pharmacy is known to have been operating in 1910 and may have been operating in 1911 as well.  This image seems to have been taken from the New Haven Line railroad embankment looking down over the reservoir showing the facilities of the New York Inter-Urban Water Company that provided drinking water from the reservoir to Pelham at the time.  Once again the same handwriting is used in the titles and the photograph has the same "look and feel" of the other images.  (Click on image to enlarge.)  For more on the history of the Pelham Reservoir, see:  Wed., Mar. 11, 2015:  Research Regarding the History of the Pelham Reservoir in Today's Willsons Woods Park.

This is an undated postcard view of "R.R. STATION.  PELHAM, N.Y."  This image was taken from near the western end of the Connecticut-bound platform of the New Haven Line Pelham Station.  Note the same handwriting and the same "look and feel" once again.  (Click on image to enlarge.)

This is an undated postcard of "L. EPPLE NORTH PELHAM, N.Y."  It shows the home, florist business, and greenhouses of Louis Charles Epple once located at Seventh Street near Fifth Avenue.  The photographer was standing on 7th Street near its intersection with Sixth Avenue facing toward Fifth Avenue.  As with the earlier postcards in the series, the same handwriting is used in the title and the photograph has the same "look and feel" of the other images.  (Click on image to enlarge.)  To read more about this postcard and Louis Charles Epple, see:  Tue., Sep. 20, 2016:  Louis Charles Epple and His Florist Business in the Village of North Pelham.

This is an undated postcard view of the "CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH.  NO. PELHAM, N.Y."  It shows the tiny clapboard chapel of the Church of the Covenant, Congregational that was known as the "Congregational Church" in the Village of North Pelham.  It was located on Second Avenue between Third and Fourth Streets.  The photographer was located on Second Avenue in front of the chapel.  Again, the same handwriting is used in the title and the photograph has the same "look and feel" of the other images.  (Click on image to enlarge.)  To learn more about this postcard and the Congregational Church, see:  Thu., Jul. 23, 2015:  The Home at 45 Maple in Chester Park Built to Serve as a Church.

Conclusion

These thirteen postcards seem to be part of a series of related postcards with a possible connection to Stowell's Pharmacy in Pelham Manor.  It seems almost positive that there are other examples out there of similar postcards in the same series that have the same handwriting and the same "look and feel" as these thirteen examples.  Although it is impossible to know with certainty, it seems most likely that the photographs used in these postcards were taken in 1909 given the historical context of all these images and given that the earliest postmark on any of them (at least as known for now) is September 4, 1909.

Most likely the photographs were taken on different dates.  However, the shadows and greenery suggest that the images were taken on a spring day (or on spring days) with the sun nearly directly overhead in most images.  

It is easy to imagine, at times, how the photographer may have walked along a particular route to snap some of the photographs.  For example, it may have been the case that on one occasion the photographer took a photograph of the Pelham Manor Depot, then wandered in the tunnel beneath the tracks and emerged to photograph the Pelham Manor Post Office adjacent to the Depot.  The photographer, we imagine, then walked a few thousand feet up Pelhamdale Avenue to Four Corners.  

At Four Corners, the photographer took a photograph of the Little Red Church and turned west on Boston Post Road, stepping briefly onto the Esplanade to take a picture of that roadway (showing the rear of the horse watering fountain).  Next the photographer remained on the Esplanade, but crossed Boston Post Road to photograph Mrs. Hazen's School for Girls on Boston Post Road at the Esplanade on the side of Boston Post Road opposite the horse drinking fountain.  

The photographer next took the few steps back onto Boston Post Road and walked a few hundred feet west.  Standing in the middle of Boston Post Road, the photographer turned around toward the Esplanade and took a photograph of Boston Post Road (with a dog seated in the roadway and the horse watering trough in the distance).  The photographer next turned onto Wolfs Lane and walked a few hundred feet to the intersection of Wolfs Lane and Secor and photographed the monumental mansion of Mont D. Rogers (one of a number of nearby monumental mansions).  

Next, the photographer walked a few hundred to a few thousand feet further on Wolfs Lane and took a picture showing a few homes on Wolfs Lane.  Then the photographer continued on Wolfs Lane to the Pelham Station on the New Haven Line and took a picture there.  Thereafter the photographer would have taken a brief detour along the railroad right-of-way to take a photograph of the nearby Pelham Reservoir.  (And so on, and so on.)

These photographs are rare images of a Pelham that no longer exists:  Pelham in 1909.  They are beautiful.  There are so many clues in each that have yet to be explored.

*          *          *          *          *

Below is the text of a number of items that shed some light on Stowell's Pharmacy.  Each is followed by a citation and link to its source.

"-- J. S. Stowell, recently of the Chambers Pharmacy, is going into business for himself in Pelham Manor.  That happens to be the one prosperous village in the heart of things that has no drug store.  It likewise has a new post office building which leaves the old one vacant.  Mr. Stowell has taken this building and will put it in first class shape for an attractive pharmacy, with an up to date prescription department and a soda fountain where a long list of popular drinks such as egg phosphate, malted milk and egg, vishy and milk, lemonade to order, etc. will be on tap for the automobilist in addition to the ice cream sodas and sundaes for home consumption.  E. S. Sawyer of New York has taken Mr. Stowell's place at Chambers'."

Source:  [Untitled], The Bronxville Review, Aug. 15, 1907, Vol. VI, No. 33, p. 5, col. 2.  

"PELHAM MANOR, Westchester Co. . . . . [Population 638] Stowell's Pharmacy"

Source:  The ERA Druggists Directory of America - 14th Edition - 1910, p. 134 (NY, NY:  D.O. Haynes & Co., Publishers, 1910).  

Fascinating Advertisement that Included Local Businesses

Including Stowell's Pharmacy in Pelham Manor that Sold

"ELECTRIC DEATH," A "1000 Volts Strong" Way to Destroy

Cockroaches, Bedbugs, Waterbugs, Ants and Fleas.  And, it was

"Warranted to do the Work."  Source:  ELECTRIC DEATH

[Advertisement], The Daily Argus, Mar. 23, 1910, p. 2, cols.

3-4.  NOTE:  Click on Image to Enlarge.

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