The Pelham Heights Tennis Club in the Early Years of the Twentieth Century

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It seems that many residents of the Town of Pelham have been tennis fanatics for nearly as long as tennis has been in our region.  Indeed, I have written before of national-level tennis tournaments that were played in Pelham as early as 1885.  See Tue., Nov. 03, 2015:  A Major Tennis Tournament was Played in Pelham in 1885.  See also Fri., Mar. 25, 2005:  Tennis in Early Pelham.

During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, small tennis clubs sprang up throughout Pelham.  Some had their own tennis facilities while others arranged for playing time at other facilities.  There were clubs for residents of Pelhamwood, the Village of North Pelham, and the Village of Pelham Manor, to name a few.  Some were women's tennis clubs.  Others were men's clubs.  Some were mixed.  One intriguing club about which very little is known was known as the "Pelham Heights Tennis Club."

The Pelham Heights Tennis Club seems to have come into existence in about 1901.  Indeed, a newspaper article published in 1904 noted that the club was about to hold its third annual Labor Day tournament.  

The club seems to have operated for at least a decade.  A silver-plated, three-handled tennis trophy awarded for a Columbus Day mixed doubles tournament sponsored by the Club in 1911 recently was offered for sale on eBay.  Below are two images of that trophy. 

Two Images of a Silver-Plated, Three-Handled Tennis Trophy

Awarded for a Columbus Day Married Couples Doubles Tennis

Tournament Sponsored by the Pelham Heights Tennis Club.

Engraved Inscription Apparently Reads:  "Pelham Heights Tennis

Club Married Couples Doubles Columbus Day Tournament 1911

Won by Isabel M. Deuscher and Theordore I. Deuscher Jr."

Source:  eBay Online Auction of the Trophy.

NOTE:  Click on Images to Enlarge.

The Pelham Heights Tennis Club had two tennis courts located in Pelham Heights though no extant record and no period map yet has revealed the precise location of the two courts used by the club.  A brief reference published in a local newspaper in 1905 noted that "The Tennis Club of Pelham Heights are having their two courts rolled, and a new fence put around them."  (See text below.)

In 1902, the Club elected the following Pelham Heights residents as officers and directors of the Club:

President:  E. H. Kingsland 
Secretary and Treasurer:  Thomas C. Walz 
Board of Directors:  W. D. Hadsell, C. S. Walz and Thomas C. Beattie 
Tournament Committee, George B. Sherman and Thomas A. Beattie.

President E. H. Kingsland seems to have been a driving force behind the Club.  By at least 1903 he had donated what came to be known as the "Kingsland Trophy" awarded to the men's singles winner of the annual Labor Day tournament sponsored by the Club.  (An article published before the annual tournament in 1904 noted that the Kingsland Trophy would be defended by Mr. Thomas C. Beattie.)  According to one account:

"The third annual Labor Day tournament of the Pelham Heights Tennis Club will be held on the club courts, on September 3 and 5, and is for a trophy presented by Mr. E. H. Kingsland, with the condition that it be played for by members of this club only; that the tournament be a 'scratch' tournament of singles; that it be played on Labor Day of each year; that the winner of the tournament shall hold the cup for one year and defend it the year succeeding, and that the winner of three of these tournaments shall retain permanent possession.  A separate prize will be awarded to the successful competitor who reaches the finals, which will privilege him to play the present holder."

It appears that those who entered such Club tournaments paid an entry fee of $1 to help defray expenses.  

There remain many mysteries regarding the Pelham Heights Tennis Club.  Only time will tell if historians will be able to fill in the blanks and provide more information about this 

*          *          *          *          *

"MARRIED NEARLY A YEAR.
-----
None of the Friends of Mr. and Mrs. Walz Suspected Their Marriage.
-----

Friends of Chester S. Walz of Pelham Heights, and Miss Lulu Schwartz of North Pelham, were treated to a surprise when it became known that they had been quietly married on September 21, 1901, and had succeeded in keeping it a secret ever since.  This was the culmination of a pretty little romance which commenced two years ago, when Miss Schwartz and Mr. Walz first met, at a dance.  

The bride is nineteen, while the bridegroom is one year her senior.  C. A. Walz, president of the Hotel Keepers' Protective association, is the father of the bridegroom, who is also secretary and treasurer of the same association, with offices at No. 7 E. Forty-second street.  The father was the first secretary of the ice trust, and is at present making a tour of the United States with his wife.  The bride's father, Edward A. Schwarz, is a drummer.

Both Mr. and Mrs. Walz are members of the Pelham Heights Tennis club and Pelham Golf club, and considered experts at the games.  For some time they have been noticed a great deal in each other's company on the tennis court and golf links, but the older members of the club thought it was a case of youthful love and would never amount to much.  None of them suspected that for nearly a year they had been man and wife.  It is said that Mr. and Mrs. Walz, Sr. were opposed to the match, but despite this, the young couple went to New York on September 21 and had the knot tied."

Source:  MARRIED NEARLY A YEAR -- None of the Friends of Mr. and Mrs. Walz Suspected Their Marriage, Daily Argus [Mt. Vernon, NY], Aug. 23, 1902, Vol. XLI, No. 3185, p. 1, col. 1.  See also ALMOST A YEAR MARRIED -- Fellow Club Members Had Thought It a Case of Calf Love All the While, The Sun [NY, NY], Aug. 23, 1902, p. 10, col. 3 (similar text); KEPT MARRIAGE SECRET A YEAR, New-York Daily Tribune, Aug. 23, 1902, p. 5, col. 4 (similar text).    

See The Tennis Tournament, New Rochelle Pioneer, Sep. 27, 1902, Vol. 44, No. 28, p. 1, col. 2 (noting that George Sherman, a member of the "Pelham Heights Club" was entered to play in the Men's Singles event of the Bancker Place Tennis Club Tournament scheduled to begin that day).  See also TOURNAMENT COMMENCES TO-MORROW, New Rochelle Press, Sep. 27, 1902, p. 4, col. 2 (same).

"PELHAM NEWS. . . . 

The annual fall tournament of the Pelham Heights Tennis Club will be held September 5th and 7th.  The tournament will be held on the club courts nd is for a prize cup donated by E. H. Kingsland, president of the club."

Source:  PELHAM NEWS, The Daily Argus [Mt. Vernon, NY], Aug. 27, 1903, p. 3, col. 3.

"IN PELHAM MANOR.
-----

PELHAM MANOR, N.Y., Saturday. -- Mrs. J. C. Hazen is entertaining her brother and wife, Mr. and Mrs. E. Hagaman Hall, and daughter, of Manhattan.

The Pelham Heights Tennis Club has elected the following officers:  --  President, E. H. Kingsland; Secretary and Treasurer, Thomas C. Walz; Board of Directors, W. D. Hadsell, C. S. Walz and Thomas C. Beattie; Tournament Committee, George B. Sherman and Thomas A. Beattie.

Howard Phelps won the golf tournament at the Pelham Manor links on last Saturday.

Miss Bonnie de Freece, of Rosedale Chateau, entertained the children of the Pelham Summer Home last week.  The day was spent in playing unique games."

Source:  IN PELHAM MANOR, New York Herald, Aug. 24, 1902, p. 6, col. 4.  

"The annual fall-tournament of the Pelham Heights Tennis Club will be held September 5th and 7th.  The tournament will be held on the club courts in Pelham Heights and is for a prize cup donated by E. H. Kingsland, president of the club."

Source:  [Untitled], New Rochelle Press, Aug. 29, 1903, Vol. XXVIIII, No. 13, p. 1, col. 3.  

"ANNUAL TENNIS TOURNEY.
-----

The third annual Labor Day tournament of the Pelham Heights Tennis Club will be held on the club courts, on September 3 and 5, and is for a trophy presented by Mr. E. H. Kingsland, with the condition that it be played for by members of this club only; that the tournament be a 'scratch' tournament of singles; that it be played on Labor Day of each year; that the winner of the tournament shall hold the cup for one year and defend it the year succeeding, and that the winner of three of these tournaments shall retain permanent possession.  A separate prize will be awarded to the successful competitor who reaches the finals, which will privilege him to play the present holder.

The entrance fee is $1 and should accompany the entry, which must be in the hands of the Secretary not later than Saturday, August 27, inasmuch as the drawings and final arrangements of the tournament will be completed on that evening."

Source:  Annual Tennis Tourney,  The Daily Argus, [Mt. Vernon, NY], Aug. 20, 1904, p. 3, col. 4.  See also ANNUAL TENNIS TOURNEY, The Daily Argus [Mt. Vernon, NY], Aug. 25, 1904, p. 4, col. 4 (same text). 

"PELHAM NOTES. . . . 

Tomorrow is the last day to file entries in the third annual tournament of the Pelham Heights Tennis Club, which takes place Labor Day. . . ."

Source:  PELHAM NOTES, The Daily Argus [Mt. Vernon, NY], Aug. 26, 1904, p. 3, col. 4.  

"PELHAM NOTES. . . . 

The members of the Pelham Heights Tennis Club are busy practicing on the club courts for the annual Labor Day tournament next Monday.  The courts are in fine shape and some clever playing is looked for.  Several members are figuring on winning the Kingsland trophy from the present holder, Mr. Beattie, who expects to successfully defend it. . . ."


Source:  PELHAM NOTES, The Daily Argus [Mt. Vernon, NY], Aug. 31, 1904, p. 3, col. 4. 

"PELHAM. . . . 

The Tennis Club of Pelham Heights are having their two courts rolled, and a new fence put around them. . . ."

Source:  PELHAM, The Daily Argus [Mt. Vernon, NY], May 11, 1905, p. 4, col. 3.   

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Late 19th Century Photos of Students with Tennis Rackets at Mrs. Hazen's School for Girls in Pelham Manor

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During the late 1880s, The Masters School in Dobbs Ferry, New York had a star teacher. Her name was Emily Hall Hazen. A few Pelham Manor landowners coveted the teacher’s talents and experience. They still were trying to develop the remnants of the subdivision planned by the Pelham Manor and Huguenot Heights Association founded in the early 1870s.

To attract “upper class buyers”, a Pelham Manor landowner named Silas H. Witherbee recruited Mrs. Hazen to open a girl’s preparatory school in Pelham Manor. According to one account, “although Mrs. Hazen was urged to locate elsewhere, she yielded to the persuasion and promise of support given by the residents of Pelham Manor.” In 1889 the little school opened, only to become one of the finest girls’ schools in the country before it closed twenty-five years later at the end of the 1914-1915 school year.

I have written before about Mrs. Hazen's School for Girls.  See, e.g.:

Fri., October 14, 2005:  A Reunion of Alumnae of Mrs. Hazen's School for Girls

Tue., August 22, 2006:  Early Advertisements for Mrs. Hazen's School for Girls in Pelham Manor

Wed., Sep. 6, 2006:  Pelham Hall Shelter, a "Refuge for Erring Girls", Founded by Alumnae of Mrs. Hazen's School for Girls in Pelham Manor

Thu., July 12, 2007:  The Infamous Burglary of the Girls of Mrs. Hazen's School for Girls in Pelham Manor in 1905

Mon., March 3, 2008:  1891 Advertisement May Reflect Summer Rental of One of the Dormitories of Mrs. Hazen's School for Girls

See also Bell, Blake A., Mrs. Hazen's School for Girls:  Pelham Hall, The Pelham Weekly, Vol. XIII, No. 40, Oct. 8, 2004, p. 12, col. 1.

Today's Historic Pelham Blog publishes two undated photographs of students of the school gathered with tennis rackets on the school grounds.  The photographs are in the collection of The Office of The Historian of The Town of Pelham.  I have scanned them in high resolution, but have reduced the file size of the files posted to this blog for practical purposes.  The photographs are mounted on the original card stock provided by the photographer.  At the foot of the card stock appears the following:  "KNOWLTON, PHOTOGRAPHER," and "1162 BROADWAY, NEW YORK."

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An Interesting Pelham Love Story: Youngsters Married in 1901, But Kept Marriage Secret For Nearly a Year

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Two youngsters who lived in Pelham Heights in 1901 fell in love. The parents of Chester S. Walz and Lulu Schwartz reportedly objected to marriage by the couple. On September 21, 1901, they quietly married anyway and kept their marriage secret for nearly one year. Once the marriage became known, the New-York Tribune published an article about the couple. The text of that article appears below.

"KEPT MARRIAGE SECRET A YEAR.

-----

YOUTHFUL PELHAM COUPLE WEDDED IN SPITE OF PARENTS' OBJECTIONS--BRIDEGROOM SON OF EX-SECRETARY OF ICE TRUST.

Friends of Chester S. Walz, of Pelham Heights, and Miss Lulu Schwartz, of North Pelham, were treated to a surprise when it became known that they had been quietly married on September 21 last, and had succeeded in keeping it a secret ever since. This was the culmination of a pretty little romance which commenced two years ago, when Ms. Schwartz and Mr. Walz first met at a dance.

The bride is nineteen, while the bridegroom is one year her senior. C. A. Walz, president of the Hotel Keepers' Protective Association, is the father of the bridegroom, who is also secretary and treasurer of the same association, with offices at No. 7 East Forty-second-st. The father was the first secretary of the ice trust, and is at present making a tour of the United States with his wife. The bride's father, Edward A. Schwartz, is a drummer.

Both Mr. and Mrs. Walz are members of the Pelham Heights Tennis Club and Pelham Golf Club, and considered experts at the games. For some time they have been noticed a great deal in each other's company on the tennis court and golf links, but the older members of the club thought it was a case of youthful love, and would never amount to much. None of them suspected that for nearly a year they had been man and wife. It is said that mr. and Mrs. Walz, sr., were opposed to the match, but, despite this, the young couple went to New-York on September 21 and had the knot tied. They decided to keep the match a secret until the bridegroom reached his majority, but the news finally leaked out, and Mr. Walz decided to publish the announcement of his marriage, which appeared in the local papers yesterday."

Source: Kept Marriage Secret a Year, New-York Tribune, Aug. 23, 1902, p. 5, col. 4.

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1891 Advertisement May Reflect Summer Rental of One of the Dormitories of Mrs. Hazen's School for Girls

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During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Mrs. Hazen's School for Girls in Pelham Manor became one of the nation's finest "finishing schools" for young women. As the school grew in stature, it grew in size with numerous dormitories to house the young women.

It long has been known that the school rented the dormitories during the summer season to those who wished to summer in Pelham Manor. The advertisement below, placed by John Cunningham Hazen (Mrs. Hazen's husband), seems to reflect an offer to lease one such building. It appeared in the April 12, 1891 issue of the New-York Tribune.

"Country.

A VERY DESIRABLE, FURNISHED HOUSE TO LET AT PELHAM MANOR-ON-SOUND, N. Y. - From June 15 until September 15. Large, new and delightfully situated, with 25 rooms; gas, water, sanitary plumbing, lawn, large shade trees, tennis court; all in perfect order; 8 minutes' walk from station; half-hourly trains to New-York after June 1 by N. Y., N. H. & H. R. R.; 17 miles from City Hall; rent moderate to private family.

Address J. C. Hazen,
Pelham Manor, N. Y."

Source: Country, New-York Tribune, Apr. 12, 1891, p. 10, col. 4.

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