Brief Biography of Pelhamite John Routh Ogden, Sr. Whose Family Used Oakshade as a Summer Residence

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

There once stood along Shore Road in the Town of Pelham a beautiful mansion known as "Oakshade."  Built in about 1846 by James Augustus Suydam, an architect, lawyer, and Hudson River School artist, on land that Suydam and his sister purchased from Robert Bartow and his wife, Maria R. Bartow, Oakshade was a grand mansion built in the "Italian villa style" that commanded a lovely view of Pelham Neck and Long Island Sound.  The mansion later became the home of Dr. Richard Lewis Morris, a grandson of General Lewis Morris of Morrisania, one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence.  After the death of Dr. Morris, the home became the clubhouse of the Country Club of Pelham until the club departed for a new site on Throgg's Neck in 1889. During at least a portion of the 1890s, John Routh Ogden, Sr. and his family members including a son, John Routh Ogden, Jr., used Oakshade as their "country residence" principally during summers.  

Oakshade eventually was altered and leased by New York City (owner of the mansion after creation of Pelham Bay Park) to serve as a roadhouse known as the Pell Tree Inn then, later, Shanley's Pell Tree Inn and, even later, as the California Ramblers Inn. Near the end of its life, the mansion became the Hollywood Gardens until it was destroyed by fire on October 15, 1932.

Members of the Ogden family owned and leased a number of homes in the Town of Pelham very near the estate known as Hawkswood, built by Levin R. Marshall including one on the easterly island of the Twin Islands and another at Pelham Bridge on the easterly island of the Twin Islands and another at Pelham Bridge on the Pelham side of Pelham Bay.  One of Levin R. Marshall's daughters, Josephine E. Marshall (a daughter by his second wife), married John Routh Ogden, Sr. -- the father of John Routh Ogden, Jr.  It appears that the entire Ogden family including the families of John Routh Ogden, Sr. and John Routh Ogden, Jr. used Oakshade as a summer residence during at least the late 1890s.

To read more about the Ogden Family and the mansion known as Oakshade, see, e.g.:

Mon., Mar. 03, 2014:  The Suydam Estate known as “Oakshade” on Shore Road in the Town of Pelham, built by James Augustus Suydam.

Mon., Apr. 11, 2016:  A Hasty Wedding at the Oakshade Mansion Near Bartow-on-the-Sound in 1898 Sheds Light on the History of the Mansion.

Mon., Feb. 10, 2014:  Hawkswood, Also Known as the Marshall Mansion, Colonial Hotel and Colonial Inn, Once Stood in Pelham Near City Island.

John Routh Ogden, Sr. was born in Natchez, Mississippi on January 8, 1837.  He was a son of Elias Ogden, M.D. and Ann M. (Routh) Lane, a widow when she married Elias Ogden.  He married Josephine E. Marshall, a daughter of Levin R. Marshall and Sarah Elliot Marshall.  The couple had four daughters and a son:  John Routh Ogden, Jr., Charlotte Surget Ogden (b. Jan. 12, 1868; married Edward N. Dickerson); Sara Devereaux Ogden (b. Nov. 26, 1872); Mary Marshall Ogden (b. Sep. 2, 1874); and Josephine Ella Ogden (b. Oct. 28, 1880).  

John Routh Ogden, Sr. resided in Natchez, Mississippi until all but the youngest of his children were born, when he removed north and settled at Bartow-on-the-Sound in the Town of Pelham, New York.  He was a banker in New York City, being a member of the firm of Morehead & Ogden, 48 Exchange Place.

His son, John Routh Ogden, Jr., was born in Natchez, Mississippi on February 26, 1866.  The son married Adelaide (Wattson) Porter, a daughter of Thomas Brown Wattson and a widow of Horace Marshall Porter (who, in turn, was a son of General Horace Porter who was a one time Ambassador to France).  

Today's Historic Pelham article transcribes a brief biography of John Routh Ogden, Sr., a rather fascinating man and Confederate veteran of the American Civil War.  The biography, which appears immediately below (followed by a citation and link to its source) should be considered carefully as it includes quite a number of errors.  

1920s Postcard View of "Shanley's Pell Tree Inn," Once the

Mansion Known as Oakshade with Modifications to Serve as

a Roadhouse Inn, Restaurant, and Speakeasy.  NOTE:  Click

on Image to Enlarge. 

*          *          *          *          *

"JOHN R. OGDEN.

John R. Ogden, one of Westchester county's honored and highly respected citizens, occupies the beautiful home on Pelham road [today's Shore Road], known as Oak Shade.  It is located in a most lovely and picturesque spot overlooking Long Island sound, and is surrounded by tall elms, their majestic branches affording a most pleasant and agreeable shade during the summer months.  The house was built in 1808 [sic; built about 1846] by a Mr. Lugdam [sic; built by James Augustus Suydam], and thus for almost a century [sic] it has looked forth upon the surrounding district and the wonderful changes which have occurred in that long period.

Its present owner [sic; likely leased], John R. Ogden, is a native of Mississippi, his birth having occurred in Natchez-on-the-Hill, January 8, 1837, his parents being Dr. Charles [sic; Elias] and Ann S. (Routh) Ogden.  The paternal grandfather, Nathan Ogden, was a native of New Jersey and belonged to an old and prominent English family.  The father was born in Morristown, New Jersey, where he was reared to manhood, and then went to Natchez, Mississippi, where he successfully engaged in the practice of medicine for several years, securing a large patronage which brought to him excellent financial returns.  As a citizen he was also held in high esteem and became widely and favorably known throughout his section of the state.  He married Miss Ann S. Routh, a daughter of John Routh, a prominent citizen and extensive cotton-planter.  Dr. Ogden died in Natchez, in 1848, but his wife, long surviving him, passed away in 1873.

John R. Ogden spent the days of his boyhood and youth in his native city and acquired his preliminary education in a private school there, after which he went to Scotland and entered the University of Edinburg, in which institution he pursued his studies for six years.  Thus, by superior educational advantages, he was well fitted for the practical and responsible duties of life.  Returning to the sunny south, Mr. Ogden located upon his plantation and turned his attention to planting cotton, employing five hundred slaves in the care of his extensive crops.  He continued to successfully engage in that business until 1860, but at the outbreak of the civil war he entered the Confederate army, being true to his loved southland and the institution amid which he was reared.  He was commissioned a captain on General W. W. Loring's staff, and served in that capacity until hostilities ceased in 1865, being a most brave and fearless officer and manifesting marked loyalty to the cause he espoused.  He was always found at his post of duty, faithfully following the flag under which he enlisted, and was thus true to his honest convictions.  

At the close of the war Mr. Ogden returned to his southern home and resumed the management of his cotton plantation, his time being thus occupied until 1877, when with his family he came north and took up his abode in Westchester county, New York, at Oak Shade, which has since been his place of residence.  He still, however, conducts his large cotton plantation which is not far from the city of Vicksburg, Mississippi, and is now under the immediate supervision of his manager.  This yields to him an excellent income, and is a very valuable realty interest.

In 1863 was celebrated the marriage of Mr. Ogden and Miss Josephine Marshall, of Natchez, a daughter of Colonel L. R. Marshall, who was a distant relative of Chief Justice John Marshall.  To Mr. and Mrs. Ogden have been born five children, one son and four daughters, namely:  John R., who is engaged in business in New York city; Charlotte S., wife of Edward N. Dickerson, a prominent attorney of New York city; Sarah D., Mary M. and Josephine E., all at home.  The family is one of prominence in the community, holding an enviable position in social circles.  Mr. Ogden's genial, pleasant manner has made him quite popular among his acquaintances in Westchester county, where he is also recognized as a valued and public-spirited citizen, who takes an active interest in the general progress and lends his support and cooperation to every movement for the public good."

Source:  Biographical History of Westchester County, New York -- Illustrated, Vol. I, pp. 68-69 (Chicago, IL:  The Lewis Publishing Company, 1899).

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

Early Postcard View of "The Dogwoods," the Black Family Mansion on Pelhamdale Avenue

Archive of the Historic Pelham Web Site.

Home Page of the Historic Pelham Blog.

Order a Copy of "Thomas Pell and the Legend of the Pell Treaty Oak."

Robert C. Black, a member of the well-known Fifth Avenue jeweler Black Starr & Frost, lived with his wife, Mary Witherbee Black, in a splendid mansion that stood on a large tract (sometimes described as six acres and, sometimes, eight) where the homes between 958 and 1000 Esplanade now stand.  The couple moved to Pelham Manor in the 1870s and originally lived in the home that still stands at 1057 Esplanade, an example of the "Esplanade Villa" style of home offered in the early days of the development efforts of the Pelham Manor and Huguenot Heights Association. 

Robert and Mary Black built their splendid home in about 1886.  They called it "The Dogwoods."  In 1892, the couple hired noted architect Clarence S. Luce of New York City to enlarge the home by adding two wings.  The western wing addition was two stories high with the upper story being devoted to a "music-room" about 40 feet in length and 20 feet in width.  The room was used as a ballroom and became the center of the Pelham Manor social scene for decades.  The room included a musician's gallery and "a superb mantel reaching nearly from floor to roof with an immense brick open fireplace and tiled hearth."

I have written recently about The Dogwoods.  See Thu., Feb. 05, 2015:  "The Dogwoods," Known as the Old Black Mansion on Esplanade, Was Razed for Property Development in 1931.  The mansion was one of the most magnificent in Pelham for nearly fifty years before it was razed in 1931 during the Great Depression to make way for several houses.  

The two images below depict the exterior of the home shortly after it was expanded in 1892 and the splendid "music room" of the home.

"Residence of Mr. Robert C. Black (From photograph before completion.)"

Source: "PELHAM MANOR, PELHAM HEIGHTS AND VICINITY.  A

Delightful Suburban Section Described. -- With Eleven Illustrations"

in Real Estate Record and Builders Guide Supplement, Dec. 17, 1892,

Vol. L, No. 1292, p. 3. NOTE: Click Image to Enlarge.

"Music Room in residence of Mr. Robert C. Black."

Source: "PELHAM MANOR, PELHAM HEIGHTS AND VICINITY.

A Delightful Suburban Section Described. -- With Eleven Illustrations"

in Real Estate Record and Builders Guide Supplement, Dec. 17, 1892,

Vol. L, No. 1292, p. 4. NOTE: Click Image to Enlarge.

Recently a postally-unused color postcard depicting the exterior of The Dogwoods was offered at auction on eBay.  The postcard is of the so-called "Divided Back" era indicating that it was produced between about 1907 and 1915.  An image of the obverse of the postcard appears immediately below.

The title of the postcard references the mansion as "THE HOME OF MRS. ROBERT C. BLACK."  Robert Clifford Black died on July 17, 1907.  His wife, Mary Grace Witherbee Black, continued to live in the home after her husband's death.  She died on July 28, 1928.

The Dogwoods passed to the couple's son, Robert Clifford Black, Jr. (known as "R. Clifford Black").  R. Clifford Black died on January 26, 1931.  Within months administrators of his estate announced that the home would be razed and the roughly six-acre tract would be broken into smaller lots for smaller residences.

The postcard image of The Dogwoods depicts the home from essentially the same angle as the image set forth above published in the December 17, 1892 issue of the Real Estate Record and Builders Guide Supplement.  A few changes to the home may be discerned and the growth of additional trees suggests the undated postcard was released closer to 1915 than to 1907.  The image is an important record of one of Pelham's most important mansions that, sadly, no longer exist.

Detail of 1914 Map Showing Location of

"The Dogwoods," Listing It as "Mary G. W. Black."

Source:  Plate 129 in Atlas of Westchester County,

N.Y. Pocket, Desk and Automobile Edition. Vol. I,

Mount Vernon, Pelham, New Rochelle, Mamaroneck,

Rye, Harrison, White Plains, Scarsdale and

Eastchester, Vol. I, p. 129 (NY, NY:  G.W. Bromley & Co., 1914).

NOTE:  Click Image to Enlarge.

*          *          *          *          *

I have written about "The Dogwoods" and members of the Black Family on a number of occasions.  For more, see:

Thu., Feb. 05, 2015:  "The Dogwoods," Known as the Old Black Mansion on Esplanade, Was Razed for Property Development in 1931.  

Wed., Apr. 13, 2005:  "The Dogwoods" - The Estate of Robert Clifford Black of Pelham Manor.

Thu., Jan. 29, 2015:  R. Clifford Black of Black, Starr & Frost Bought the Martin J. Condon Mansion in 1913.

Fri., Aug. 01, 2014:  Obituary and Photograph of R. Clifford Black, a Prominent Pelham Manor Resident in the Early 20th Century.

Wed., Jun. 27, 2007:  Dissolution of Firm of Black, Starr & Frost and Reconstitution of the Firm as Corporation After Robert Clifford Black's Death.

Thu., Sep. 28, 2006:  A Brief Biography of Mary Grace Witherbee Black of Pelham Manor. 

Tue., Apr. 11, 2006:  April 20, 1875 Marriage Certificate of Robert C. Black and Mary Grace Witherbee Black. 

Thu., Feb. 9, 2006:  Cortlandt W. Starr of Black Starr & Frost. 

Thu., Jun. 7, 2005:  Obituaries of Robert C. Black and His Wife, Mary Grace Witherbee Black. 

Archive of the Historic Pelham Web Site.

Home Page of the Historic Pelham Blog.

Order a Copy of "Thomas Pell and the Legend of the Pell Treaty Oak."

Report From Natchez, Mississippi After the Civil War Possibly Written by Levin R. Marshall Who Owned Hawkswood

Archive of the Historic Pelham Web Site.

Home Page of the Historic Pelham Blog.

Order a Copy of "Thomas Pell and the Legend of the Pell Treaty Oak."

On December 12, 1867, The Cincinnati Daily Enquirer published on its front page a shockingly racist letter by an unidentified author who sought to switch a newspaper subscription from Pelham, New York to Natchez, Mississippi.  The letter said:  "A state of desperation exists here, such as has no parallel in the world's history" and purported to indict the earliest years of the Reconstruction Era and efforts to provide Black Americans in Mississippi and the surrounding region with at least the seeds to grow emerging civil rights.  

Though ostensibly a simple request to switch the address of a newspaper subscription, the letter was more of a bitter and darkly brooding rant against the devastation of the Civil War, the Reconstruction Era, and freed slaves.  The author of the letter was not identified.  It is, however, readily apparent and nearly certain that the letter was written by Levin R. Marshall who once owned the elegant mansion on Pelham Neck near City Island Bridge known as Hawkswood.  Throughout the time he owned Hawkswood, he remained a resident of Natchez from which he oversaw his plantations and slaves, but summered in Pelham in the mansion which became known as the "Marhsall Mansion" at "Marshall Corners."  See Mon., Feb. 10, 2014:  Hawkswood, Also Known as the Marshall Mansion, Colonial Hotel and Colonial Inn, Once Stood in Pelham Near City Island.  

Levin R. Marshall was originally from Virginia.  He became a successful banker in the river city of Natchez, Mississippi.  He invested in cotton plantations, a hotel, and a steamboat packet company.  By the start of the Civil War, he had amassed more than 25,000 acres of farmland in three states.  Five of his plantations, totaling 14,400 acres, were located in Adams County, Mississippi and in Louisiana.  He owned 817 slaves in 1860 and lived on an estate known as "Richmond" just south of Natchez.  He had 32 slaves at Richmond to tend to his family's needs and take care of the estate.  Marshall was a millionaire -- reputedly "one of only 35 millionaires in the entire country" at the start of the War.

As one would expect, Marshall's plantations and agricultural businesses were destroyed by the War.  His 817 slaves were freed.  His finances were devastated.

Levin R. Marshall died in Marshall Mansion in the Town of Pelham while visiting his summer home on July 24, 1870.  As part of its effort to develop the area as Pelham Bay Park, the City of New York thereafter purchased the Marshall estate in 1888 although the property was not maintained thereafter with the attention to detail and loving care that had been lavished on it for many decades.  Bolton wrote about the Marshall Mansion in the 1881 edition of his History of Westchester County published after his death saying: 

"Hawkwood, the residence of the late Elisha King, Esq., is now owned by the widow of the late Levin R. Marshall, and adjoins the property of Captain J.R. Steers, on the south. The house is built of stone, in the Grecian style, and presents a fine front of columns to the water.  The beauty of the scenery in this vicinity is greatly heightened by the close proximity of City Island, and the richly wooded shores of the Point. The grounds, containing a great variety of choice trees, were laid out by the celebrated gardener, Andre Parmenteer.  Nearly adjoining Hawkwood, in the south-west, is Longwood, the residence of A. Newbold Morris, Esq." 

Source: Bolton, C.W., ed., The History of the Several Towns, Manors, and Patents of the County of Westchester, From Its First Settlement To the Present Time Carefully Revised by its Author By the Late Rev. Robert Bolton, Vol. II, p. 71 (NY, NY: Chas. F. Roper, 1881).  

The letter published by The Cincinnati Daily Enquirer on December 12, 1867, a little less than three years before Marshall's death, sheds fascinating light on Marshall at the end of his life if, indeed, the letter was his.  It seems to be a dark and hopeless letter filled with racist rants against the freed slaves of the region, the early years of the Reconstruction Era and the "Black Republican Party" that controlled the politics of the region.  The letter describes the United States as "in a most deplorable condition" mired in the muck of "lamentable" politics.  It says that "the crops have so signally failed in Louisiana and Mississippi that real want and suffering are staring most of us in the face."  It further states, rather dramatically, that "Ruin, ruin is a word that all in this section comprehend, without a reference to Webster or any other lexicographer."  

The author of the dark and brooding letter notes that landowners are unable to pay wages to freed slaves to do the work to harvest crops and that the region, like the nation, was in a "deplorable condition" with "no immediate prospect of any improvement" and "worse off than ever!"  

According to the author, there was "No business of any kind doing" and no money, saying further:  "This you may think a gloomy picture, but a more truthful one never was drawn."

At this point the letter devolved into a combination of complaints regarding the reconstruction process, the Freedmen's Bureau, and freed slaves, concluding with the statement:  "A state of desperation exists here, such as has no parallel in the world's history."

Clearly much of the value of Levin R. Marshall's assets had been destroyed by the Civil War and its aftermath.  His affluent lifestyle and, indeed, his pre-war way-of-life had been entirely destroyed.  He know longer had available to him the laborers he misused to build his lifestyle and his holdings.  He seemed to have grown bitter over the reconstruction efforts during the early years of the Reconstruction Era.  He complained that the few planters in the region able to harvest any cotton saw most, or all, of that cotton simply confiscated by the Freedmen's Bureau.  He even lamented the fact that freed slaves had "thoroughly organized in every county in the State, such as Loyal League clubs, G. A. R., and other such imitations of their worse white brethren."  

Levin R. Marshall's life, as he once knew it, was over.  This letter reflects both his consequent anger and bitterness.  It reveals much about the man who once summered in Pelham.

Above:  Detail from Engraving of Hawkswood (the Marshall Mansion)

Published in 1831.  Below:  Detail from Early 20th Century Post Card

Showing Levin R. Marshall's Mansion Named "Richmond" Near Natchez.

Note:  Click on Image to Enlarge.

Detail from Page 35, Beers, F.W., Atlas of New York and Vicinity,

1868 (Published by Beers, Ellis & Soule, New York) ("City Island,

Pelham Township, Westchester Co., N.Y. with Town of Pelham,

Westchester Co., N.Y.") Shows Estate of L.R. Marshall Known

as "Hawkswood."  NOTE:  Click on Image to Enlarge.

Hawkswood / Marshall Mansion in the 1930s.

New York City Parks Department.  NOTE:

Click on Image to Enlarge.

*          *          *          *          *

Below is the text of the letter published in the December 12, 1867 issue of The Cincinnati                            Daily Enquirer.  It is followed by a citation and link to its source.  

"FROM MISSISSIPPI.
-----
Condition of the Country -- A Sad Picture.
[Correspondence of the Cincinnati Enquirer.]

NATCHEZ, MISS., December 3, 1867.

I write to request that you will have my paper sent me here.  I left a memorandum with one of the employes of your office while in Cincinnati, giving my change of address from Pelham, Westchester County, N. Y., to Natchez, Adams County, Miss., but presume, in the excitement of the election returns from New York, Minnesota and elsewhere, it has been laid aside.  It is the only paper I take pleasure in reading, and in this God-forsaken, devil-taken country I can not do without it.

Our country is in a most deplorable condition.  Aside from its political aspect (which is lamentable), the crops have so signally failed in Louisiana and Mississippi that real want and suffering are staring most of us in the face.  Ruin, ruin, is a word that all in this section comprehend, without a reference to Webster or any other lexicographer.  Not a single crop has been made, where expenses will be met.  On the contrary, the advances for supplies and wages of negroes can not be paid.  We are in a deplorable condition, and no immediate prospect of any improvement.  Instead of bettering ourselves, as most of us thought we could, we are worse off than ever!  No business of any kind doing, from the fact of there being no motive power, in the shape of money.  This you may think a gloomy picture, but a more truthful one never was drawn.  Where any cotton was made, most of it, and in some cases all that planters made, has been seized by the 'Freedmen's Bureau,' perhaps (?) for the benefit of the worthless, idle negro; and this, too, after the planter has been at the expense of feeding, housing, and otherwise caring for the miserable vagabond.

And this the return!  Every thing taken for the darky, and absolutely nothing for the white man and his dependent, perhaps starving family!  How long are we to endure this state of things?  I have not yet seen the man who says he intends planting again -- in fact, such a man will be a curiosity, and could well be exhibited by the side of Barnum's gorilla (or, 'may be,' future candidate of the Black Republican party for the next Presidency).  I mean, the gorilla, of course.  No one has the money to invest in negro labor.

Other troubles we may look for in a few weeks, as an immense number of negroes will be thrown out of employment, with no prospect for being employed for the coming year.  As a consequence, theft, robbery, and, perhaps other far worse outrages, that we all anticipate, without the power to avert.

The negroes are thoroughly organized in every county in the State, such as Loyal League clubs, G. A. R., and other such imitations of their worse white brethren.  A state of desperation exists here, such as has no parallel in the world's history."

Source:  FROM MISSISSIPPI -- Condition of the Country -- A Sad Picture, The Cincinnati Daily Enquirer, Dec. 12, 1867, Vol. XXXL, No. 336, p. 1, col. 4 (NOTE:  Paid subscription required to access via this link).  

*          *          *          *          *

I have written about the Hawkswood / Marshall Mansion on other occasions.  Below are a few linked examples:

Mon., Feb. 10, 2014:  Hawkswood, Also Known as the Marshall Mansion, Colonial Hotel and Colonial Inn, Once Stood in Pelham Near City Island.  

Wed., Apr. 5, 2006:  "Hawkswood", Later Known as the Marshall Mansion on Rodman's Neck in Pelham. 

Thu., Jun. 28, 2007: 19th Century Notice of Executor's Sale of "Hawkswood" After Death of Elisha W. King.

Fri., May 07, 2010:  Image of Hawkswood Published in 1831.

Thu., June 28, 2007: 19th Century Notice of Executor's Sale of "Hawkswood" After Death of Elisha W. King.

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


Archive of the Historic Pelham Web Site.
Home Page of the Historic Pelham Blog.
Order a Copy of "Thomas Pell and the Legend of the Pell Treaty Oak."

The Prevost Mansion Known as The Shrubbery, Once Owned by Aaron Burr, Burned December 31, 1880

Archive of the Historic Pelham Web Site.

Home Page of the Historic Pelham Blog.

Order a Copy of "Thomas Pell and the Legend of the Pell Treaty Oak."

A large home known as "The Shrubbery" once stood along Split Rock Road in Pelham Manor.  The home once was owned briefly by Aaron Burr, Revolutionary War hero and third Vice President of the United States before he infamously shot and killed Alexander Hamilton in a duel on July 11, 1804.  Burr married the widow Theodosia Bartow Prevost, a Pelham Manor native, and became a stepfather to her son Augustine James Frederick Prevost.  The family reportedly bought The Shrubbery as a summer place.

Portrait of Aaron Burr in 1792, Attributed to

Gilbert Stuart.  NOTE:  Click on Image to Enlarge.

The circumstances regarding how Aaron Burr came to own The Shrubbery and then sell it to his stepson, Augustine James Frederick Prevost, seem rather suspicious.  Indeed, I have written before about those questionable circumstances.  See Tue., Jul. 18, 2006: Aaron Burr Tries to Pull a Fast One in the 1790s and Must Sell His Farm in Pelham.

In his recent book The King's Best Highway, Eric Jaffe also wrote of the odd circumstances surrounding Burr's purchase and prompt sale of The Shrubbery.  Jaffe wrote:

"Before the Revolution the patriot Lewis Morris, an eventual signer of the Declaration of Independence, had sought permission to build a toll bridge across the Harlem River, almost exactly where the modern Third Avenue Bridge exists today.  (Morris lived in a region of the Bronx that still goes by the name Morrisania.)  A branch road toward his bridge would severely duck the old approach from New England onto the island over King's Bridge.  The diversion would pay off twice; once when the thankful traveler deposited a coin at the gate of the new bridge, and once again down the line, when the value of Morris's land increased.

"Come 1790 Morris was ready to revive the idea of this bridge when the proposal caught the ear of the state's new attorney general, Aaron Burr.  Burr offered to finesse the bill through to passage, and when he was finished, Morris earned the right to build his bridge, and the task of laying out the new road fell upon three commissioners -- two of whom, Joseph Browne and John Bartow Jr., were Burr's close in-laws.  In March of 1790 the bill indeed passed.

"Some evidence suggests that Burr intended to purchase the land through which the new road passed, and profit as its value soared.  Back in the fall of 1789, Burr had represented the heirs of Joshua Pell, a loyalist whose 146-acre farm had been confiscated after the war by the state.  The following February, Burr bought the plot in question -- dubbed The Shrubberies [sic] -- for use as a summer home.  The Shrubberies resided 'on the post road' as it passed through modern Pelham, beginning near 'the gate of the Boston Turnpike Road,' precisely where a new road would branch toward Lewis Morris's new bridge.  Burr soon transferred this land to his stepson, Augustine Prevost, for ten shillings -- essentially gave it away, perhaps to distance himself from its acquisition.

"A few years later Lewis Morris sold his rights to the toll bridge to John Coles, who soon undertook its construction.  In summer of 1800 the Westchester Turnpike Company established its 'Western Gate' near The Shrubberies and extended the new highway from Pelham to the 'Eastern Gate,' near the Connecticut line.  When the city laid down fresh milestones in 1801,this new Boston road became the route of record between New York and New England."

Source:  Jaffe, Eric, The King's Best Highway -- The Lost History of the Boston Post Road, The Route that Made America, pp. 95-96 (NY, NY:  Scribner, A Division of Simon & Schuster, Inc., 2010).

Undated Photograph Said to Depict "The Shrubbery," a Home

That Once Belonged to Aaron Burr and, Later, His Stepson,

Augustine James Frederick Prevost and Stood Along Today's Split

Rock Road in Pelham Manor. Source: Courtesy of The Office of

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

Detail from 1868 Beers Atlas Map Showing Location of "THE

SHRUBBERY" (Lower Left) Just Off Today's Boston Post

Road in Area Between Today's Split Rock Road and Today's

Boston Post Road. Source: Beers, Frederick W., "City Island,

Pelham Township, Westchester Co., N.Y. [With] Town of Pelham,

Westchester Co, N.Y." in Atlas of New York and Vicinity from

Actual Surveys by and Under the Direction of F. W. Beers, p.

35 (NY, NY: Beers Ellis & Soule, 1868). NOTE: Click Image to Enlarge.

"THE PREVOST FARM By John M. Shinn"

NOTE: Click on Image to Enlarge.

The Shrubbery remained in the Prevost family for the next eighty years.  In late 1880, George A. Prevost, a brother of the actual owner of The Shrubbery, lived in the home with his wife and "two maiden sisters."  The grand home was two and one half stories high with massive, grand Corinthian columns in its front. It was filled with the Prevost family's "furniture, paintings, statuary, and many ancient relics which were highly prized." 

Late in the evening on New Year's Eve, December 31, 1880, a fire was discovered in the room of one of the maiden sisters.  Reports later indicated that the fire may have begun from an overheated flue in the room.  In any event, the fire spread until it completely destroyed the mansion and all its contents.  Reports indicated that the property destroyed was valued between $15,000 and $20,000, the equivalent of about $487,000 to $649,000 in today's dollars.  I have written before about the fire that destroyed the Prevost home on that New Year's Eve.  See Tue., Aug. 16, 2016:  The "Shrubbery" Mansion in Pelham Once Owned by Aaron Burr Burned Down on December 31, 1880.  

Today's posting to the Historic Pelham Blog provides the brief text of another newspaper article that referenced the fire that destroyed The Shrubbery.

*          *          *          *          *

"THE FIRE FIEND.

The end of the old year and the beginning of the new has been prolific of fires -- not an uncomfortable thing to read of in view of the demoralized, rent condition of the thermometer.  Among these fires was the burning of James R. Keene's Newport villa, including what the redoubtable bon vivant, Sam Ward, pathetically characterized as 'a divine wine-cellar.'  Another fire was the destruction of the Provost [sic] mansion, in the town of Pelham, which is said to have been occupied at one time by Aaron Burr.  The latest important addition to the list was the total annihilation of Mount St. Vincent's in Central Park on Sunday morning, more recently and better known as 'Stetson's' which has been a favorite resort and restaurant for sporting men and the general public.  The part of the building used for hotel purposes was over one hundred years old."

Source:  THE FIRE FIEND, Evening Star [Washington, D.C.], Jan. 8, 1881, Vol. 57, No. 8660, p. 1, col. 7.  

*          *          *          *          *

I have written before about the Prevost Mansion known as "The Shrubbery" and the family that owned it.  (The family name often is misspelled "Provost."  It is "Prevost.")  See:

Tue., Aug. 16, 2016:  The "Shrubbery" Mansion in Pelham Once Owned by Aaron Burr Burned Down on December 31, 1880.

Thu., Jun. 23, 2016:  Original Record of Forfeiture Sale of Lands of British Loyalists in the Manor of Pelham.

Thu., May 21, 2015:  Pelham Manor Romance:  A Tale of Aaron Burr and His Love, Theodosia Bartow Prevost of the Manor of Pelham.

Thu., Apr. 23, 2015:  Augustine James Frederick Prevost of The Shrubbery in Pelham Manor.

Tue., Sep. 30, 2014:  Pelham Resident Recorded His Impressions of Meeting Aaron Burr.

Fri., Feb. 7, 2014:  Early History of The Pelham Home for Children, an Early Pelham Charity (Notes that The Pelham Home for Children was located on a portion of the old Prevost Farm).

Wed., Aug. 1, 2007:  1805 Real Estate Advertisement Offering Prevost Estate in Pelham for Sale.

Mon., Jun. 4, 2007:  Abstract of 1797 Will of John Bartow, Sr. Who Owned Land in Pelham and Whose Family Became Early Pelham Residents.

Wed., Jan. 31, 2007:  A Large Distillery Once Stood on the Prevost Farm in Pelham During the 1790s.

Mon., Oct. 2, 2006: The Revolutionary War Diary of Loyalist Joshua Pell, Jr. of the Manor of Pelham.

Thu., Jul. 27, 2006:  1799 Notice of Foreclosure Sale of Pelham Manor Lands Owned by Augustus James Frederick Prevost, Stepson of Aaron Burr.

Tue., Jul. 18, 2006: Aaron Burr Tries to Pull a Fast One in the 1790s and Must Sell His Farm in Pelham.

Wed., Jun. 14, 2006: Text of Deed by Which Aaron Burr Acquired Pelham Lands in 1790.

Thu., Apr. 14, 2005: The Pelham Home for Children that Once Stood on Split Rock Road.

Archive of the Historic Pelham Web Site.
Home Page of the Historic Pelham Blog.

Order a Copy of "Thomas Pell and the Legend of the Pell Treaty Oak."

The "Shrubbery" Mansion in Pelham Once Owned by Aaron Burr Burned Down on December 31, 1880

Archive of the Historic Pelham Web Site.

Home Page of the Historic Pelham Blog.

Order a Copy of "Thomas Pell and the Legend of the Pell Treaty Oak."

Tradition long has held that the Prevost Mansion known as "The Shrubbery" that once stood on Split Rock Road in the Town of Pelham and once was owned for a brief time by Aaron Burr, burned down in the 1890s.  That tradition is wrong.  The Shrubbery was destroyed by fire on the evening of December 31, 1880.  Today's posting to the Historic Pelham Blog provides background on the mansion and its destruction.

Undated Photograph Said to Depict "The Shrubbery," a

Home That Once Belonged to Aaron Burr and, Later, His

Stepson, Augustine James Frederick Prevost and Stood

Along Today's Split Rock Road in Pelham Manor.

Source:  Courtesy of The Office of The Historian of the

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

Detail from 1868 Beers Atlas Map Showing Location of

"THE SHRUBBERY" (Lower Left) Just Off Today's Boston

Post Road in Area Between Today's Split Rock Road and

Today's Boston Post Road. Source: Beers, Frederick W.,

"City Island, Pelham Township, Westchester Co., N.Y. [With]

Town of Pelham, Westchester Co, N.Y." in Atlas of New York

and Vicinity from Actual Surveys by and Under the Direction

of F. W. Beers, p. 35 (NY, NY: Beers Ellis & Soule, 1868).

NOTE: Click Image to Enlarge.

"THE PREVOST FARM

By John M. Shinn"

NOTE:  Click on Image to Enlarge.

I have written before about the Prevost Mansion known as "The Shrubbery" and the family that owned it.  (The family name often is misspelled "Provost."  It is "Prevost.")  See:

Thu., Jun. 23, 2016:  Original Record of Forfeiture Sale of Lands of British Loyalists in the Manor of Pelham.

Thu., May 21, 2015:  Pelham Manor Romance:  A Tale of Aaron Burr and His Love, Theodosia Bartow Prevost of the Manor of Pelham.

Thu., Apr. 23, 2015:  Augustine James Frederick Prevost of The Shrubbery in Pelham Manor.

Tue., Sep. 30, 2014:  Pelham Resident Recorded His Impressions of Meeting Aaron Burr.

Fri., Feb. 7, 2014:  Early History of The Pelham Home for Children, an Early Pelham Charity (Notes that The Pelham Home for Children was located on a portion of the old Prevost Farm).

Wed., Aug. 1, 2007:  1805 Real Estate Advertisement Offering Prevost Estate in Pelham for Sale.

Mon., Jun. 4, 2007:  Abstract of 1797 Will of John Bartow, Sr. Who Owned Land in Pelham and Whose Family Became Early Pelham Residents.

Wed., Jan. 31, 2007:  A Large Distillery Once Stood on the Prevost Farm in Pelham During the 1790s.

Thu., Jul. 27, 2006:  1799 Notice of Foreclosure Sale of Pelham Manor Lands Owned by Augustus James Frederick Prevost, Stepson of Aaron Burr.

Tue., Jul. 18, 2006: Aaron Burr Tries to Pull a Fast One in the 1790s and Must Sell His Farm in Pelham.

Wed., Jun. 14, 2006: Text of Deed by Which Aaron Burr Acquired Pelham Lands in 1790

Thu., Apr. 14, 2005: The Pelham Home for Children that Once Stood on Split Rock Road

Mon., Oct. 2, 2006: The Revolutionary War Diary of Loyalist Joshua Pell, Jr. of the Manor of Pelham.

At the time "The Shrubbery" burned on December 31, 1880, George A. Prevost, a brother of the owners, and members of his family lived in the mansion.  According to Bolton:

"George A. Prevost, Esq., the brother of the present owners [of The Shrubbery], is the only surviving son of the late Mayor George William Prevost.  This place was formerly the property of Joshua Pell, Esq., whose son, Joshua, sold it to Colonel Aaron Burr, from whom it passed by purchase to his step-son, Augustine James Frederick Prevost. c [NOTE:  Footnote "c" reads as follows: "c  Augustine James Frederick Prevost was the son of Colonel Frederick Prevost by his wife Theodosia Bartow, who afterwards married Colonel Aaron Burr."]   The latter, subsequently conveyed it to Major General Prevost.  The Prevosts were originally from Geneva in Switzerland, being descended from Major General Augustine Prevost, of that place, who married Anne, daughter of the Chevalier George Grand, of Amsterdam, Holland.  The father of the late proprietor was Major General Augustine Prevost, brother of Lieutenant General Sir George Prevost, Baronet, Governor General and Commander-in-Chief of the British North American Colonies now represented by the Rev. George Prevost, Baronet of Belmont, Hampshire, England.  The brothers of the late proprietor were Colonel Augustine Prevost, lost at sea, and Capt. Henry Prevost, who fell in the storming of Cindad Rodrigo, in Spain."

Source:  Bolton, Robert, The History of the Several Towns, Manors, and Patents of the County of Westchester from its First Settlement to the Present Time, Vol. II, p. 69 (NY, NY:  Chas. F. Roper, 1881).  

In late 1880, George A. Prevost and his wife lived in The Shrubbery with "two maiden sisters."  The grand home was two and one half stories high with massive, grand Corinthian columns in its front.  It was filled with the Prevost family's "furniture, paintings, statuary, and many ancient relics which were highly prized."  

In the evening, a fire was discovered in the room of one of the maiden sisters.  Reports later indicated that the fire may have begun from an overheated flue in the room.  In any event, the fire spread until it completely destroyed the mansion and all its contents.  Reports indicated that the property destroyed was valued between $15,000 and $20,000, the equivalent of about $487,000 to $649,000 in today's dollars.

*          *          *          *          *

Below are news reports describing the destruction of The Shrubbery in Pelham on December 31, 1880.  Each is followed by a citation and link to its source.

"THE PROVOST MANSION BURNED.
-----
The Ancient Home of a Tory Family and Once Occupied by Aaron Burr.

New York Sun., Jan. 1.

The Provost mansion, in the town of Pelham, near the bridge over East Chester creek, was destroyed by fire on Thursday night, together with the furniture, paintings, statuary, and many ancient relics which were highly prized.  The mansion was very large, two and a half stories high, with massive columns of the Corinthian order along the front.  it is said to have been occupied at one time by Aaron Burr.  The present Provost family holds the land upon which the mansion stood under a patent granted to their ancestors by the English crown.  One of the ancestors and former occupants of the mansion defended Savannah successfully against an attack of Count de Grasse, commanding the French fleet.  Another of the family was governor of Nova Scotia, and his portrait is on the wall of the parliament house of that province.  Two other brothers were officers in the British army.  To the memory of one of the ancestors of the present family a tablet was erected in St. Paul's church, East Chester; but, after the war with Great Britain the patriotic feeling of the people in Westchester County became so manifest that the wardens and vestrymen of the church were obliged to remove the tablet from the inside of the edifice to a less conspicuous place outside, where it still remains.  The occupants of the mansion up to the time of its destruction were George A Provost and his wife, the daughter of the dean of Carlisle, and two maiden sisters, who own considerable land in Albany, Greene and Ulster counties by virtue of patents granted in colonial times.  The fire of Thursday night was discovered in a room occupied by one of the ladies, and is supposed to have originated from excessive heat in a flue."

Source:  THE PROVOST MANSION BURNED -- The Ancient Home of a Tory Family and Once Occupied by Aaron Burr, Buffalo Daily Courier [Buffalo, NY], Jan. 3, 1881, Vol. XLVI, No. 3, p. 1, cols. 7-8.  

"The Provost Mansion Burned.
A FIRE THAT BRINGS UP RECOLLECTIONS OF A DISTINGUISHED COLONIAL FAMILY.

The Provost mansion in the town of Pelham, near the bridge over East Chester Creek, was totally destroyed by fire on Thursday night last, together with the furniture, paintings, statuary, and many articles  of historic value.  It is said to have been occupied at one time by Aaron Burr whose signature to a subpoena hangs up in the vestry of St. Paul's (Episcopal) Church near by.  The Provost family holds the land upon which the house stood under a patent granted by the English Crown.  One of the ancestors and former occupants of the house defended Savannah successfully against an attack of Count de Grasse, commanding the French fleet.  Another of the family was the Governor of Nova Scotia, and his portrait is to be seen on one of the walls of the Parliament-House of that province.  The other brothers were officers in the British army and took part in the Peninsular war under the Duke of Wellington.  To the memory of one of the ancestors a tablet was erected in St. Paul's Church at East Chester, but after the war with Great Britain the patriotic feeling of the people of this county obliged the Wardens and Vestrymen of the church to remove the tablet from the inside of the edifice to a less conspicuous place outside, where it still remains.  The house latterly was occupied by Mr. George A. Provost and his wife, who is the daughter of the Dean of Carlisle, and two maiden sisters, who own considerable property in Albany, Greene, and Ulster counties by virtue of patents granted in colonial times.  The fire of Thursday night was discovered in a room occupied by one of the ladies, and is supposed to have originated from an overheated flue.  The property destroyed is estimated to be worth from $15,000 to $20,000."

Source:  The Provost Mansion Burned -- A FIRE THAT BRINGS UP RECOLLECTIONS OF A DISTINGUISHED COLONIAL FAMILY, Eastern State Journal [White Plains, NY], Jan. 7, 1881, Vol. XXXVI, No. 39, p. 3, col. 4.

Archive of the Historic Pelham Web Site.

Home Page of the Historic Pelham Blog.

Order a Copy of "Thomas Pell and the Legend of the Pell Treaty Oak."