Historic Pelham

Wednesday, May 25, 2016

Did the Pell Homestead Known as "The Shrubbery" Serve as General Howe's Headquarters After the Battle of Pelham?

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We know very little about the Battle of Pelham fought on October 18, 1776 other than what Colonel John Glover described in his letter from Mile Square written on October 22, 1776. Another document created at around the same time that can help us understand a little more about the battle is the so-called "Blaskowitz Map." This map was prepared by British Engineer Charles Blaskowitz and is entitled "A survey of Frog's Neck and the rout[e] of the British Army to the 24th of October 1776, under the command of His Excellency the Honorable William Howe, General and Commander in Chief of His Majesty's forces, &ca, &ca, &ca." The map is considered by most historians and experts to be a fairly accurate depiction of the area in October, 1776 as well as a fair depiction of the progress of the Battle of Pelham on October 18, 1776.

Careful review of the Blaskowitz Map reveals the location of General William Howe's headquarters on October 18, 1776, the day of the battle. The map also shows the nearby location of the "Quarters" of General Leopold Philip de Heister who commanded the German troops engaged by the British for service against the American colonies during the war. A detail from the map showing the locations of Howe's "Headquarters" and de Heister's "Quarters" appears immediately below.

Detail from Blaskowitz Map Showing Locations of Howe's

"Headquarters" and de Heister's "Quarters" in Connection

with the Battle of Pelham on October 18, 1776. Source:

Blaskowitz, Charles, A survey of Frog's Neck and the rout[e]

of the British Army to the 24th of October 1776, under the

command of His Excellency the Honorable William Howe,

General and Commander in Chief of His Majesty's forces, &ca,

&ca, &ca. (1776) (Library of Congress Geography and Map

Division Washington, D.C. 20540-4650 USA; Digital Id

g3802t ar115200; Library of Congress Catalog Number gm71000648).

NOTE: Click to Enlarge Image.

At the bottom of the map detail, Split Rock Road passes structures denoted "gen l De Heister's Quarters." This is a portion of Split Rock Road that since has been closed. It crossed the Pelham Bay and Split Rock Golf Course grounds roughly in this area, then passed across an area now covered by I-95 (the New England Thruway), picking up again on the other side of today's I-95 where the roadway in the Village of Pelham Manor retains the name "Split Rock Road."

As the roadway passes de Heister's Quarters and continues toward Howe's "Head Quarters," it reaches a little jog to the right that soon reaches a fork in the roadway. At that little jog to the right are three structures denoted as "Headquarters 18 Octob r." The little jog to the right and that portion of the fork that extends to the right and out of the map detail on the right are roughly where today's Boston Post Road (which did not yet exist) sits. That portion of the fork that extends upward and out of the map detail is today's Wolfs Lane roughly where that roadway meets today's Boston Post Road.

This means that the structures denoted as Howe's "Head Quarters" were located roughly near the intersection of today's Split Rock Road and today's Boston Post Road. Only one estate was known to exist at that location at that time: The Shrubbery, a farm and home built by Joshua Pell Sr. whose son, Joshua Pell Jr. fought for the British during the Revolutionary War.

The Shrubbery, Home of Joshua Pell, Sr., Isaac Guion,

and Augustine J. Frederick Prevost Before It Burned in the

1890s. NOTE: Click on Image to Enlarge.

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Labels: 1776, Battle of Pelham, Battle of Pell's Point, General de Heister, General Howe, Lord Howe, Revolutionary War, Split Rock Road

Monday, April 25, 2016

Extract of December 3, 1776 Letter Addressing Battle of Pelham Casualties on October 18, 1776

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The Battle of Pelham was fought along, and in the countryside adjacent to, Split Rock Road and today's Wolfs Lane on October 18, 1776. The battle began in an area within today's Split Rock Golf Course in Pelham Bay Park and continued toward Prospect Hill, then along Wolfs Lane to today's Colonial Avenue (Old Boston Post Road) where the Americans crossed the Hutchinson River and the British halted their pursuit and encamped.

I have written extensively about the Battle of Pelham. For a list of my 46 previous articles addressing aspects of the battle, see the bibliography of articles (many of which, like today's, document research regarding the battle) at the end of today's posting.

One of the most controversial issues regarding the Battle of Pelham concerns how many casualties were suffered by the British and German troops during the battle. American casualties seem uncontroverted. In his well known letter from Mile Square dated October 22, 1776, Col. John Glover (who led American troops during the battle) stated: "I had eight men killed and thirteen wounded, among which was Colonel Shepard, a brave officer." (Shepard was wounded in the throat, but recovered.)

The issue of British and German casualties during the battle has been hotly debated for more than 165 years. No dispositive records reflecting German casualties have been located by researchers. Additionally, British reports included aggregated figures for a number of skirmishes and engagements leading up to, and including, the Battle of Pelham making it difficult to sort out clear numbers. Enemy deserters questioned by American forces shortly after the battle claimed losses by the British and German forces of between 800 and 1,000 men, claims that do not seem consistent with available evidence or even a hint of reality.

Today's Historic Pelham article transcribes an "Extract" of a letter from General William Howe, who led the British and German troops during the battle, to Lord George Germain (whose last name is misspelled "Germaine" in the Maryland newspaper that published the extract). Lord George Germain was a British soldier and politician who was Secretary of State for America in Lord North's cabinet during the American War of Independence. The extract of Lord Howe's letter appeared in the May 1, 1777 issue of The Maryland Gazette published in Annapolis, about six and a half months after the Battle of Pelham.

This account appears to be a more extensive description of British casualties over a similar period of time (September 17 through October 18, 1776) than a similar extract dated December 8, 1776 about which I previously have written. See Wed., Feb. 17, 2010: British Report on Killed, Wounded and Missing Soldiers During the Period the Battle of Pelham Was Fought on October 18, 1776. The extract of the December 3, 1776 Howe letter indicates that among the dead and wounded tallied in the letter were a sergeant and three rank and file service members who were killed on October 12, 1776 when a boat ferrying men and equipment overturned in the East River.

The Maryland Gazette that published the extract is one of the oldest continuously-published newspapers in the United States. William Parks (1699-1750) who was a printer and journalist in England and, later, colonial America founded the newspaper in Annapolis in 1727. Extant copies of the newspaper serve as a rich record of colonial America including, in this instance, a record related to the Battle of Pelham.

"George Sackville Germain, 1st Viscount Sackville"

A Miniature Portrait by Nathaniel Hone in the National

Portrait Gallery (NPG Number 4910). Source: "George

Germain, 1st Viscount Sackville" in Wikipedia -- The Free

Encyclopedia (visited Apr. 24, 2016). NOTE: Click on

Image to Enlarge.

1777 Mezzotint Depicting the Honorable Sir William Howe.

NOTE: Click on Image to Enlarge.

* * * * *

The text of the extract of the December 3, 1776 letter that appears immediately below is followed by a citation and link to its source.

"Extract of a letter from general Sir William Howe to lord George Germaine [sic], dated New-York, Dec. 3, 1776.

I HAVE the honour to inclose to your lordship a return of ordnance and stores taken from the enemy since the landing his majesty's troops at Frog's Neck, in West-Chester county, from the 12th of October to the 20th of November. Those in the commissary and quarter-master general's branches are also very considerable; but as it has not been in their power hitherto to ascertain them, the report must therefore be deferred to the next opportunity. I also inclose a return of prisoners taken during the campaign.

Return of commissioned and non-commissioned officers, rank and file, killed, wounded, and missing, belonging to the army under the command of his excellency the hon. gen. Howe, in several actions, &c. with the rebels, from the 17th of September, to the 16th of November, 1776, inclusive, specifying the different periods, and the corps the casualties have happened in.

Head-quarters, New York, 1st December, 1776.

In the action at Pelham-Manor, on the 18th of October, and in previous skirmishes, from the 17th of September, inclusive.

BRITISH.

17th regiment of light dragoons: 1 drummer missing. 1st battalion of light infantry: 1 serjeant, 2 rank and file killed; 1 field officer, 1 captain, 1 subaltern, 3 serjeants, 1 drummer or trumpeter, 23 rank and file, wounded; 2 rank and file missing. 2d ditto: 1 rank and file killed; 3 rank and file wounded. 2d ditto grenadiers: 2 rank and file wounded. 4th regiment: 1 rank and file missing. 27th, 28th, 58th, 57th and 59th regiments, one in each wounded. 71st ditto: 5 rank and file killed; 7 rank and file wounded. Royal artillery: 1 serjeant, 3 rank and file killed. -- Total: 2 serjents, 11 rank and file killed; 1 field officer, 1 captain, 1 subaltern, 3 serjeants, 1 drummer or trumpeter, 40 rank and file wounded; 1 drummer, 3 rank and file, missing.

Names of the officers killed and wounded, &c.

1st battalion of light infantry: Capt. Evelyn, of the 4th regiment, mortally wounded, since dead; lieut. col. Musgrave, of the 40th regiment, wounded; lieut. Archibald Rutherford, of the 22d regiment, wounded.

N.B. The serjeant and 3 rank and file of the royal artillery, returned killed, were drowned in the East River, by the oversetting of boat the 12th of October."

Source: Extract of a Letter from General Sir William Howe to Lord George Germaine [sic], dated New-York, Dec. 3, 1776, The Maryland Gazette [Annapolis, MD], May 1, 1777, p. 1, col. 3 (Note: Paid subscription required to access via this link).

* * * * *

I have written extensively about the Battle of Pelham fought on October 18, 1776.  See, for example, the following 46 previous articles many of which, like today's, document research regarding the battle:

Bell, Blake A., The Battle of Pelham: October 18, 1776, The Pelham Weekly, Vol. XIII, No. 41, Oct. 15, 2004, p. 10, col. 1.

Bell, Blake, History of the Village of Pelham: Revolutionary War, HistoricPelham.com Archive (visited Dec. 18, 2015).

Fri., Feb. 19, 2016: The 600-Year Old "Lord Howe Chestnut" Tree that Once Stood in Pelham.

Fri., Dec. 18, 2015: Brief Report on the Battle of Pelham Fought October 18, 1776 Prepared Five Days Afterward.

Tue., Sep. 08, 2015:  Pelham Manor Resident Makes Revolutionary War Discovery.

Mon., May 18, 2015: Cannonball Fired in The Battle of Pelham Found on Plymouth Street in Pelham Manor.

Mon., Apr. 27, 2015: Obituary of British Officer Who Participated in the Battle of Pelham on October 18, 1776 as a Young Man.

Mon., Feb. 28, 2005:  Glover's Rock on Orchard Beach Road Does Not Mark the Site of the Battle of Pelham.

Mon., Apr. 18, 2005:  Restored Battle of Pelham Memorial Plaque Is Unveiled at Glover Field.

Fri., May 27, 2005:  1776, A New Book By Pulitzer Prize Winner David McCullough, Touches on the Battle of Pelham.

Thu., Jul. 14, 2005:  Pelham's 1926 Pageant Commemorating the 150th Anniversary of the Battle of Pelham.

Wed., Oct. 26, 2005:  Remnants of the Battlefield on Which the Battle of Pelham Was Fought on October 18, 1776. Fri., May 19, 2006:  Possible Remains of a Soldier Killed in the Battle of Pelham on October 18, 1776 Found in 1921.

Fri., Aug. 11, 2006:  Article by William Abbatt on the Battle of Pelham Published in 1910.

Thu., Sep. 21, 2006:  A Paper Addressing the Battle of Pelham, Among Other Things, Presented in 1903.

Mon., Oct. 30, 2006:  Brief Biographical Data About Sir Thomas Musgrave, British Lieutenant Colonel Wounded at the Battle of Pelham on October 18, 1776.

Wed., Nov. 1, 2006:  Two British Military Unit Histories that Note Participation in the Battle of Pelham on October 18, 1776.

Tue., Jan. 16, 2007:  Brief Biography of British Officer Who Served During the Battle of Pelham on October 18, 1776.

Fri., Feb. 09, 2007:  Extract of October 23, 1776 Letter Describing British Troops in Eastchester After the Battle of Pelham on October 18, 1776.

Mon., Feb. 12, 2007:  Saint Paul's Church National Historic Site Opens New Exhibition: "Overlooked Hero: John Glover and the American Revolution."

Thu., Jan. 18, 2007:  Three More British Military Unit Histories that Note Participation in the Battle of Pelham on October 18, 1776.

Mon., Jul. 16, 2007:  Mention of the Battle of Pelham on October 18, 1776 in Revolutionary War Diary of David How.

Tue., Jul. 17, 2007:  Mention of the Battle of Pelham on October 18, 1776 in Writings of Francis Rawdon-Hastings, Aide-de-Camp to British General Clinton.

Wed., Jul. 18, 2007:  Another British Military Unit History that Notes Participation in the Battle of Pelham on October 18, 1776.

Tue., Aug. 7, 2007:  An Account of the Battle of Pelham on October 18, 1776 Contained in the McDonald Papers Published in 1926.

Wed., Aug. 8, 2007:  A Description of an Eyewitness Account of the Interior of St. Paul's Church in Eastchester During the Revolutionary War.

Thu., Sep. 6, 2007:  Information About St. Paul's Church, the Battle of Pelham and Other Revolutionary War Events Near Pelham Contained in an Account Published in 1940.

Mon., Oct. 8, 2007:  American Troops Who Guarded Pelham's Shores in October 1776.

Fri., Oct. 12, 2007:  Images of The Lord Howe Chestnut that Once Stood in the Manor of Pelham.

Fri., Oct. 27, 2006: Orders Issued by British Major General The Honourable William Howe While Encamped in Pelham After the Battle of Pelham on October 18, 1776.

Thu., Jan. 22, 2009:  Another Brief Biography of Sir Thomas Musgrave, a British Officer Wounded at the Battle of Pelham on October 18 1776.

Wed., Feb. 17, 2010:  British Report on Killed, Wounded and Missing Soldiers During the Period the Battle of Pelham Was Fought on October 18, 1776.

Fri., Apr. 23, 2010:  Charles Blaskowitz, Surveyor Who Created Important Map Reflecting the Battle of Pelham.

Thu., Feb. 06, 2014: A Description of the Revolutionary War Battle of Pelham Published in 1926 for the Sesquicentennial Celebration.

Mon., May 19, 2014: Biography of British Officer Who Fought in the Battle of Pelham on October 18, 1776.

Wed., Jun. 04, 2014: An Account of the Battle of Pelham on October 18, 1776 Presented and Published in 1894.

Fri., Jun. 27, 2014: Newly-Published Account Concludes Colonel William Shepard Was Wounded During the Battle of Pelham on October 18, 1776.

Mon., Jun. 30, 2014: A British Lieutenant in the Twelfth Foot Who Fought at the Battle of Pelham on October 18, 1776.

Fri., Sep. 19, 2014: Abel Deveau, An American Skirmisher on Rodman's Neck as British and Germans Landed Before the Battle of Pelham.

Wed., Sep. 17, 2014: References to the Battle of Pelham in 18th Century Diary of Ezra Stiles, President of Yale College.

Fri., Oct. 17, 2014: First-Hand Diary Account of Battle of Pelham on October 18, 1776.

Mon., Oct. 20, 2014: American Diary Account of Events Before, During, and After the Battle of Pelham on October 18, 1776.

Tue., Oct. 21, 2014: November 1, 1776 Letter Describing the Battle of Pelham and Events Before and After the Battle.

Fri., Oct. 24, 2014: October 21, 1776 Report to the New-York Convention Regarding the Battle of Pelham.

Wed., Feb. 18, 2015: Young American Hero James Swinnerton, Badly Wounded in the Battle of Pelham.

Wed., Feb. 25, 2015: Where Were the Stone Walls Used by American Troops During the Battle of Pelham on October 18, 1776?

Thu., Mar. 24, 2016: An Account of the Battle of Pelham on October 18, 1776 Published in The McDonald Papers.

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Labels: 1776, Battle of Pelham, Battle of Pell's Point, Col. John Glover, Lord George Germain, Lord Howe

Friday, February 19, 2016

The 600-Year Old "Lord Howe Chestnut" Tree that Once Stood in Pelham

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One of the most revered trees that ever graced our Town of Pelham was known as the "Lord Howe Chestnut." Citizens of Pelham pointed to the monstrous chestnut tree and proudly proclaimed it to be at least 600 years old. How (pun intended) the tree earned its name is fascinating.

The chestnut stood on the hill overlooking today's Friendship Field baseball complex behind the tennis courts near the southern end of the Glover Field complex. That hill, which today has a parking lot (from which steps descend to Friendship Field), is located between the Hutchinson River Parkway and Friendship Field. The chesnut tree was monumental. Late in its life, its circumference was between 35 to 40 feet. It stood 150 feet high -- the height of a 15-story building-- and had a spread of branches that was about 250 feet -- approaching the length of a modern football field.

The "Lord Howe Chestnut," ca. 1900, in a Photograph Published in
1913. Source: Cook, Harry T., The Borough of the Bronx 1639 - 1913:

Its Marvelous Development and Historical Surroundings, p. 177

(NY, NY: Published by the Author, 1913). NOTE: Click on Image to Enlarge.

Google Maps Satellite Photograph with Yellow Arrow

Showing the Approximate Location Where the Lord

Howe Chestnut Once Stood on Hill Above Today's

Friendship Field and Tennis Courts Within the Glover

Field Complex. NOTE: Click on Image to Enlarge.

The Museum of the City of New York maintains in its collections a lovely gelatin silver print of the Lord Howe Chestnut photographed in about 1900. See Museum of the City of New York, Lord Howe Chestnut [Gelatin Silver Print] (visited Feb. 13, 2016).

The Lord Howe Chestnut was named after General William Howe, 5th Viscount Howe, who served as Commander-in-Chief of British forces during the Revolutionary War and who led British troops during the Battle of Pelham on October 18, 1776. General Howe's association with the American chestnut, though perhaps apocryphal, has been the focus of legend in Pelham for nearly two centuries and has been mentioned in books and articles. There are, however, multiple versions of the legend.

1777 Mezzotint Depicting the Honorable Sir William Howe

After Whom the Lord Howe Chestnut Was Named.

NOTE: Click on Image to Enlarge.

The most common variation of the legend of the Lord Howe Chestnut says that a few days after the October 18, 1776 Battle of Pelham, while British and German troops remained encamped on both sides of old Boston Post Road (today's Colonial Avenue), Lord Howe gathered his officers and Loyalist citizens from the area and dined with them beneath the branches of the giant American chestnut tree. According to tradition, on that occasion General Howe told his officers and Loyalist citizens that Loyalists should not be afraid because the American Rebels "were already beaten."

A second version of the legend says that Lord Howe and his officers actually paused during the Battle of Pelham to rest beneath the branches of the giant chestnut. During their rest, according to this version of the legend, they had a brief lunch. There is, however, a competing legend that claims that Howe and his officers invaded the David J. Pell home that still stands (and has been incorporated into the home known today as Pelhamdale, 45 Iden Avenue) and lunched on the Pell family's "last turkey" as the battle continued.

A third version of the legend of the Lord Howe Chestnut goes like this. After the conclusion of the Battle of Pelham on October 18, 1776 -- after British and German troops ended their pursuit of Colonel John Glover and his American troops when the Americans crossed the Hutchinson River where today's Colonial Avenue crosses the river -- the British and German troops set up camp on both sides of old Boston Post Road (today's Colonial Avenue) stretching from the Hutchinson River to the New Rochelle border. According to this tradition, Lord Howe camped beneath the spreading branches of the massive chestnut tree that, forever after, bore his name.

A fourth version of the legend was that General Howe and his officers conducted multiple conferences beneath the branches of the ancient American chestnut tree in the days following the Battle of Pelham while the British and German troops camped in the Manor of Pelham.

Such entertaining stories, told by and to Pelhamites for nearly two centuries, ensured that the giant chestnut remained a venerated part of Pelham's proud history. The Lord Howe Chestnut actually became a tourist attraction. There are many photographs showing the tree, at an advanced age, with visitors standing proudly at its massive base.

Lord Howe Chestnut with Unidentified Visitor

at its Base in 1900. Photograph Courtesy of

The Office of The Historian of The Town of Pelham.

NOTE: Click on Image to Enlarge.

Lord Howe Chestnut with Notable Amateur Local

Historian Reginald Pelham Bolton at its Base on June 20,

1920. Photograph Courtesy of The Office of The Historian

of The Town of Pelham. NOTE: Click on Image to Enlarge.

During the early years of the 20th century, however, the Lord Howe Chestnut died. Thereafter, like the so-called "Pell Treaty Oak" on the grounds of the Bartow-Pell Mansion at about the same time, the giant chestnut lost most of its branches and also suffered through several fires that left it a shell of its former self.

What killed the Lord Howe Chestnut? Though it had survived, until the time, for nearly 600 years, something seems to have changed. Sadly, the answer is readily apparent.

At the time, the American chestnut was susceptible to a devastating fungus known as "chestnut blight." The blight was caused by an Asian bark fungus (Cryphonectria parasitica, formerly Endothia parasitica). The fungus was accidentally introduced into North America on imported Asiatic chestnut trees.

The disease was first noticed near Pelham on American chestnut trees in what was then the "New York Zoological Park," known today as the Bronx Zoo. In 1904, right before the Lord Howe Chestnut first began to suffer, New York Zoological Park chief forester Hermann Merkel estimated that by 1906 the "blight" would infect 98% of the chestnut trees in the Bronx alone. Our massive, 600-year-old historic chestnut seems to have been infected at about the same time.

Despite the blight that led to its death, the Lord Howe Chestnut already had become so stitched within the fabric of Pelham legend that during the 1920s, when the local Boy Scout program decided to design and construct a cabin to be used by Pelham Boy Scouts, the site selected for the cabin was within a few feet of the 25-feet tall remnants of the chestnut.

I have written about the Pelham Boy Scout cabin on a number of occasions. See, e.g.:

Tue., Jul. 19, 2005: Pelham's Boy Scout Cabin Near The Hutchinson River Parkway.

Mon., Oct. 31, 2005: Remnants of Pelham's Boy Scout Cabin Near The Hutchinson River Parkway.

Fri., Nov. 25, 2005: The End of Pelham's Boy Scout Cabin Near The Hutchinson River Parkway.

Built in 1925, the Pelham Boy Scout cabin once stood with the Lord Howe Chestnut on pristine and beautiful lands. Even with the Hutchinson River Parkway nearby, the cabin was still in an idyllic location unmolested by the barrage of traffic that flows constantly on the Parkway today. For about twenty years, the Boy Scout cabin was a meeting place for Pelham's Boy Scouts and was a source of pride for the entire Town of Pelham. Standing next to the cabin, of course, were the ever diminishing remnants of the once massive chestnut known as the Lord Howe Chestnut.

Remnants of the Lord Howe Chestnut Adjacent to the Pelham

Boy Scout Cabin with Three Unidentified Pelham Boy Scouts

in Front on September 11, 1926. Photograph Courtesy of The

Office of the Historian of the Town of Pelham.

NOTE: Click on Image to Enlarge.

By August 1928, it was clear that the remnants of the chestnut that were 25 feet tall and continued to tower above the Boy Scout Cabin were a risk to the safety of the young scouts. A decision was made to cut down the remnants. According to a report in the local newspaper: "The stump was cut off five feet from the ground, leaving a suitable place for the Boy Scout organization of the Pelhams to affix a marker which will permanently establish it as a memento of the early history of the Pelhams."

During the mid- to late 1940s, as traffic continued to increase on the Hutchinson River Parkway, the Boy Scout cabin was used with less frequency and was repeatedly vandalized. By 1948, it had burned to the ground. Neither it nor any remnants of the Lord Howe Chestnut remained. Indeed, all that is visible at the site today is the massive stone chimney of the Boy Scout cabin, covered with vines and vegetation, near the spot where Lord Howe and his officers reputedly dined nearly 240 years ago in the Manor of Pelham.

The Chimney of the Pelham Boy Scout Cabin

Near the Former Location of the Lord Howe

Chestnut. Photograph by the Author Taken on

October 30, 2005. NOTE: Click on Image to Enlarge.

Early Glass Negative Image of an Unidentified Painting of

the Lord Howe Chestnut. It Would Seem, Based on the

Style, that This May Be an Image of a Painting by John Shinn.

Below is the transcribed text of a couple of brief references to legends of the Lord Howe Chestnut. Each is followed by a citation and link to its source.

* * * * *

"In the woods not far from the large stone Pell mansion is the 'Lord Howe chestnut' beneath whose unbrageous branches Lord Howe and his officers lunched with a number of Westchester loyalists whom he had invited for the occasion."

Source: Cook, Harry T., The Borough of the Bronx 1639 - 1913: Its Marvelous Development and Historical Surroundings, p. 177 (NY, NY: Published by the Author, 1913).

"Lord Howe Chestnut, where Howe and his generals lunched on Oct. 18, 1776, while resting during their pursuit of the Americans. Some say that they lunched at the Pell House [i.e., the David J. Pell home that still stands and is incorporated into the home known as Pelhamdale at 45 Iden Avenue], taking the old lady's last turkey."

Source: Comfort, Randall & Nash, George W., Excursion Planned for the City History Club of New York by Randall Comfort and Dr. George W. Nash: No. IX -- Historic Bronx, p. 25 (NY, NY: City History Club of New York, 1906). See also Historical Guide to the City of New York Compiled by Frank Bergen Kelley From Original Observations and Contributions Made by Members and Friends of The City History Club of New York, p. 211 (NY, NY: Frederick A. Stokes Co., 1909) (same text).

"General Howe's Tree Lowered For Safety To Scouts At Cabin
-----
Marker To Be Placed On Low Stump Remaining As Memento Of Revolutionary Days In Pelham
-----

For the safety of the lads of the Pelhams, who frequent the Boy Scout cabin on the Hutchinson River Parkway, it was necessary last week to cut down the stump of the famous General Howe's Tree, in the shadow of which the cabin was built. James Reburn, superintendent of the Pelham division of the parkway, supervised the removal of the burned out stump which stood twenty-five feet high. The stump was cut off five feet from the ground, leaving a suitable place for the Boy Scout organization of the Pelhams to affix a marker which will permanently establish it as a memento of the early history of the Pelhams. Tradition has it that the English General Howe and his officers held any conferences under the spreading branches of the huge chestnut tree.

William R. Montgomery, who is well versed in the history of the Pelhams, estimates the tree to have been 600 years old when it died several years ago. Since its death the tree has caught fire several times and branches were broken off until there was only a high stump left.

Some idea of its size at its full growth can be gained from Mr. Montgomery's estimate that the circumference of the tree was between 35 to 40 feet, its height 150 feet and the spread of its branches 250 feet.

The site for the Boy Scout cabin was chosen because of its proximity to the famous tree, the stump of which stood at one end of the cabin, an imposing sentinel of the past over-shadowing the peacetime conferences of the youth of Pelham."

Source: General Howe's Tree Lowered For Safety To Scouts At Cabin -- Marker To Be Placed On Low Stump Remaining As Memento Of Revolutionary Days In Pelham, The Pelham Sun, Aug. 17, 1928, p. 7, col. 3.

Archive of the Historic Pelham Web Site.

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Labels: 1776, 1900, 1920, 1925, 1948, Battle of Pelham, Battle of Pell's Point, Boy Scout Cabin, Boy Scouts, General Howe, Legend, Lord Howe, Lord Howe Chestnut, Tree

Historic Pelham

Wednesday, May 25, 2016

Did the Pell Homestead Known as "The Shrubbery" Serve as General Howe's Headquarters After the Battle of Pelham?

Monday, April 25, 2016

Extract of December 3, 1776 Letter Addressing Battle of Pelham Casualties on October 18, 1776

Friday, February 19, 2016

The 600-Year Old "Lord Howe Chestnut" Tree that Once Stood in Pelham

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