Additional Information About Pelham Heights Architect, Engineer, and Map Maker John Fletcher

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John Fletcher Fairchild lived in Pelham in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.  Trained as an architect and engineer, he worked as a civil engineer with offices in Mount Vernon.  He served as Town Engineer for the Town of Pelham for a portion of his career.  He also served as engineer of the Pelham Heights Company and was principally responsible for the layout and civil engineering aspects of that lovely neighborhood.  In addition, he prepared and published two local Atlases that are considered today rare examples of the art of such local atlases at the time.  He published the Atlas of the City of Mount Vernon and the Town of Pelham in 1899. He also updated and revised the Atlas in a second edition published in 1908.

John F. Fairchild designed and built the lovely home that still stands at 334 Pelhamdale Avenue.  An image of the home, including its famous carriage stone with a large "F" carved into it, appears immediately below.

The John F. Fairchild Home Located at 334 Pelhamdale

Avenue with its Carriage Stone in the Foreground.  Source:

Google Maps, 2016.  NOTE:  Click on Image to Enlarge.

I have written about John F. Fairchild, who was a brother of Pelham Heights founder and United States Congressman Benjamin L. Fairchild, on numerous occasions.  See, e.g.:

Thu., Dec. 6, 2007:  Biography of John F. Fairchild, Engineer of the Pelham Heights Company During the 1890s.

Thu., Feb. 26, 2009:  Photograph of John F. Fairchild Published in 1905.

Thu., Jun. 11, 2015:  Two Pelham Brothers Lost Their Only Sons in Eerily-Similar Early Aviation Incidents.

Mon., Dec. 19, 2016:  Biography of Famed Pelham Heights Resident John Fletcher Fairchild.

John Fletcher Fairchild of Pelham Heights in 1905.

Today's Historic Pelham Blog article transcribes the text of a brief article with biographical information about John F. Fairchild published in a local newspaper in 1892.  Though Fairchild was a young man about 25 years of age at the time, he already had a notable local reputation as a civil engineer.  The article is followed by a citation and link to its source.

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"JUNIOR OF THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF CIVIL ENGINEERS. 
----- 
John Fletcher Fairchild of Mt. Vernon, N. Y. -- An Expert in the Profession. 

In 1867 Mr. Fairchild's birth took place in Washington, D. C. He received his education in the public schools of that city and at Columbia University. With Mr. Henry H. Law he studied architecture, and civil engineering with Mr. Herman K. Viele. Two years ago he came to Mt. Vernon principally to take charge of the improvements at Pelham Heights. His residence is at that place but he has his office at Mt. Vernon, in the Mt. Vernon Bank building. Since coming to the place he has built up a large outside business and keeps a force of assistants constantly at work in his offices. He is engineer of the drainage commission at Elmsford and of several parks at Kennico and also of the Mt. Vernon Suburban Land Company. Mr. Fairchild has an intelligent apprehension of all matters pertaining, not only to his profession but also to kindred topics and as he possess an extremely gentlemanly manner of doing business he is rapidly rising in social circles as well as in a professional way. Mr. Fairchild is a member of the Methodist church and is the editor of the Epworth League paper published at that place. 

He is a Junior of the American Society of Civil Engineers and keeps well posted on topics pertaining to the advancement of the profession." 

Source: JUNIOR OF THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF CIVIL ENGINEERS -- John Fletcher Fairchild of Mt. Vernon, N. Y. -- An Expert in the Profession, Elmira Daily Gazette and Free Press [Elmira, NY], May 10, 1892, p. 6, col. 4 (Note: Paid subscription required to access via this link). 

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More on Extension of the Pelham Manor Trolley Line in 1910

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Trolleys once were a principal means of transportation throughout our region.  By 1899, one could travel between the Battery in lower Manhattan and any of New Rochelle, Pelham, Mount Vernon or Yonkers for a single fare of eight cents. 

Early last century, one of those trolley lines in the Village of Pelham Manor inspired the creative genius of a man named Fontaine Talbot Fox (1884-1964).  He created one of the most popular comics in the United States – “Toonerville Folks.”  The cartoon centered around the quirky inhabitants of a town called “Toonerville” and its rickety and unpredictable trolley.  The operator of the trolley was “The Skipper.”  Fontaine Fox, as he stated a number of times in published interviews and letters, based the comic on his experience during a trolley ride on a visit to Pelham on August 8, 1909. 

“Toonerville Folks” ran in hundreds of newspapers from about 1913 to 1955 and brought national attention to Pelham.  When Fontaine Fox made his now-famous visit to Pelham on August 8, 1909, the trolley line that inspired him ran along today's Pelhamdale Avenue to a stop near the railroad bridge of the New Haven Branch Line above Pelhamdale not far from today's Grant Avenue and Manor Circle.  

Barely a year later, the Westchester Electric Railway extended the Pelham Manor trolley line along Pelhamdale Avenue to Shore Road near the New York Athletic Club. I have written about that extension of the Pelham Manor Trolley line once before.  See Tue., Jan. 06, 2015:  Extension of the Toonerville Trolley Line in Pelham Manor in 1910.

Today's posting to the Historic Pelham Blog provides additional detail regarding the process of extending to Shore Road the little trolley line that inspired Fontaine Fox. At the end of today's article, I have listed links to the many previous articles I have posted about trolleys and the Toonerville Trolley.

In the late 19th century, the little Pelham Manor trolley line shuttled back and forth between the Town of Pelham's two principal commuter railroad stations:  Pelham Station on the New Haven Main Line and the Pelham Manor Depot on the New Haven Branch Line.  The trolley "met all the trains" -- a fact that Fontaine Fox played up in his "Toonerville Folks" comic strip when referencing his famous Toonerville Trolley.  

Until Labor Day in 1910, the Pelham Manor trolley began each run from a spot on Wolfs Lane near Pelham Station in the Village of Pelham (today's Pelham Heights) about where the buildings housing, among other things, Kravitz Real Estate, are located at present.  The trolley ran along Wolf's Lane to Colonial Avenue where it turned eastward (left) and proceeded the short distance along Colonial Avenue to Pelhamdale Avenue.  There it turned southeastward (right) and proceeded along Pelhamdale Avenue with intermediate stops along the way such as stops at the intersection of Witherbee Avenue and at Red Church Corner (today's Four Corners).  

When the trolley reached a point on Pelhamdale Avenue in the Village of Pelham Manor about where the New Haven Branch Line railroad overpass crossed the roadway, the trolley operator had to exit the vehicle, reverse the overhead connection of the trolley car to the electric wires and then begin a return trip along the same route back to the Pelham Station, always paying mind to the arrival times of all trains on both the Main and Branch Lines so as to meet all such trains.

By 1910, it was apparent to the Westchester Electric Railway, operator of the Pelham Manor trolley at the time, that so many people used the New Haven Branch Line to get to and from the New York Athletic Club facility and Long Island Sound at the end of Pelhamdale Avenue where it met Shore Road that it warranted extending the trolley line from its terminus near the Pelham Manor Depot all the way to the end of Pelhamdale Avenue at Shore Road.

In about early July of that year, the Westchester Electric Railway began staging work along Pelhamdale Avenue to prepare for laying trolley tracks along the roadway.  Because laying the tracks would require closure of the road, the Village of Pelham Manor asked Westchester Electric Railway to delay the work for a time because the only other way then possible to move through that portion of Pelham Manor was via Split Rock Road which then ran from Shore Road all the way to Boston Post Road.  That roadway was "practically closed" for repairs in July, 1910, thus prompting Pelham Manor to request a delay in closing Pelhamdale Avenue to lay the trolley tracks for the extension.

Although laying the trolley tracks for the Pelhamdale Avenue extension was delayed for a short time, during the week of July 19, 1910, the poles necessary to carry the overhead wires for the trolley extension were erected along Pelhamdale Avenue. 

By August, work to lay the trolley tracks beneath the New Haven Branch Line railroad overpass and along Pelhamdale Avenue to Shore Road was underway in earnest.  There was, however, a bit of a problem.

The giant rocky outcropping at the end of Shore Road known as the "Haunted Cedar Knoll" made the roadway at the intersection with Pelhamdale Avenue a little too tight for the small Pelham Manor trolley car to be maneuvered to a stop to allow passengers to disembark.  Track laying crews had to blast out about 100 feet of rock on Shore Road to make way for the trolley extension.

On Thursday, September 1, 1910, Superintendent William B. Wheeler of Westchester Electric Railway announced that all necessary poles and overhead wires had been erected and that the laying of the tracks for the extension was "practically completed."  He further announced that blasting of the 100 feet of rock on Shore Road was about to begin and the last 200 feet of rails would then be laid.  He further revealed that trolley cars would begin running on the extension on Labor Day, Monday, September 5, 1910.

Detail from a Photograph in the Collections of the Westchester County

Historical Society Showing "Four Corners," the Intersection of

Pelhamdale Avenue and Boston Post Road Before 1937. The "H Line"

Trolley is Returning from Shore Road Toward the Intersection. At this

Intersection, Trolley Tracks Along Pelhamdale Avenue Split With Some

Tracks Turning Onto Boston Post Road Toward New Rochelle and Others

Continuing Along Pelhamdale Avenue. The Trolley in the Photograph is

The Little Pelham Manor Trolley (i.e., The Toonerville Trolley).

NOTE: Click on Image to Enlarge.

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"TROLLEYS TO SHORE MONDAY
-----

According to an announcement made Thursday morning by Superintendent Wheeler of the Westchester Electric Railway, the extension of the Pelham Manor trolley line from the old terminus at the foot of the hill on Pelhamdale avenue to the Shore Road, will be in operation on Labor Day.  Superintendent Wheeler expects to start the cars running on the extension on that day.  

It is not known how many cars will be operated, but Superintendent Wheeler said that it all depended upon the amount of traffic.

The construction is now practically completed.  There is about 100 feet of rock on the Shore Road that will have to be blasted out, and as soon as this work is done, 200 feet more of rails will be laid, and then the extension will be ready for operation.  The poles are all up and the wires have been strung.

It is believed that this extension will be a money maker, as many people will use the trolleys from Westchester County and various parts of New York in order to reach the Sound and the grounds of the New York Athletic Club."

Source:  TROLLEYS TO SHORE MONDAY, New Rochelle Pioneer, Sep. 3, 1910, Vol. 52, No. 23, p. 4, col. 3.

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Below is a bibliography including links to a few of my many previous postings dealing with the topics of the "Toonerville Trolley," horse-drawn railroad cars, electric trolleys and other trolley-related information pertinent to Pelham, New York.

Bell, Blake A., Pelham and the Toonerville Trolley, 82(4) The Westchester Historian, pp. 96-111 (Fall 2006).

Bell, Blake A., Pelham and the Toonerville Trolley, The Pelham Weekly, Vol. XIII, No. 11, Mar. 12, 2004, p. 10, col. 1.

Fri., Feb. 23, 2018:  Toonerville Trolley Accidents in Pelham Manor.

Thu., Feb. 22, 2018:  More on the 1916 Trolley Strike That Brought Violence to Pelham.

Fri., Jan. 06, 2017:  Has One of the Most Enduring Pelham History Mysteries Been Solved? The Mystery of Charles A. Voight!

Thu., Sep. 15, 2016:  Pelham Manor Residents Complained of Awful Service on the Toonerville Trolley Line as Early as 1899.

Fri., May 27, 2016:  Was Max "Maxie" Martin the Man Who Was the Skipper on the Pelham Manor Trolley the Day Fontaine Fox Rode the Line and Was Inspired?

Thu., Sep. 10, 2015:  Pelham Manor Citizens Voted to Reject Bus Service and Keep Their Toonerville Trolley in 1936.

Fri., Jul. 24, 2015:  The Day the Brakes Failed on the Pelham Manor Trolley, Inspiration for the Toonerville Trolley.

Tue., Jan. 06, 2015:  Extension of the Toonerville Trolley Line in Pelham Manor in 1910.

Wed., Mar. 19, 2014:  Another Confirmation the Famous "Toonerville Trolley" was Inspired by the Pelham Manor Trolley in 1909.

Wed., Mar. 05, 2014:  Trolleys Came to Pelham in the 1890s.

Tue., Jan. 05, 2010:  More on the Extension of the Pelham Manor Trolley Line in 1910 -- The Toonerville Trolley Line.

Wed., Dec. 30, 2009:  Opening of the Extension of the Pelham Manor Trolley Line in 1910 -- The Toonerville Trolley Line.

Wed., Dec. 23, 2009:  Attack on the Toonerville Trolley Line by Strikers in 1916

Thu., Aug. 27, 2009:  October 19, 1898 Report that the Tracks of the Toonerville Trolley Line Had Been Laid in Pelham.  

Mon., Aug. 17, 2009:  Efforts by Pelham Landowners in 1900 to Halt Construction of a Trolley Line on Shore Road.

Tue., Sep. 19, 2006:  Toonerville Trolley Cartoons Available For Free Viewing Online.

Tue., Sep. 19, 2006:  Toonerville Trolley Cartoons Available For Free Viewing Online.  

Wed., Aug. 9, 2006:  The Saddest Day in the History of Pelham Manor's "Toonerville Trolley"

Thu., Jul. 06, 2006:  Who Was the Skipper on the Pelham Manor Trolley the Day Fontaine Fox Rode the Line and Was Inspired?

Thu., Mar. 09, 2006:  Photographs of the H Line and A Line Trolleys on and Near Pelhamdale Avenue.

Tue., Oct. 11, 2005:  The Toonerville Trolley Pays Its Bills -- Late!

Tue., Sep. 20, 2005:  Pelham's "Toonerville Trolley" Goes To War.

Fri., Jun. 17, 2005:  "Skipper Louie" of Pelham Manor's Toonerville Trolley


Tue., Apr. 19, 2005:   Pelham Manor Residents Fight Construction of the Toonerville Trolley Line

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Pelham Resident Roy W. Howard was the Mastermind Behind the Scripps-Howard News Empire

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Recently Lyons Press published a wonderful biography of Pelham resident Roy W. Howard by Patricia Beard:  "Newsmaker:  Roy W. Howard, The Mastermind Behind the Scripps-Howard News Empire from the Gilded Age to the Atomic Age (Lyons Press, 2016) (325 pages).  Roy Howard (b. January 1, 1883 - d. November 20, 1964) was a famous American newspaperman and business prodigy.

As a high school student in Indianapolis, Howard was a student correspondent for the Indianapolis News and also was a paperboy with a route for that same newspaper.  He became a reporter for the Indianapolis Star, then moved to St. Louis where he worked as telegraph editor for a St. Louis newspaper.  He next moved to Cincinnati in about 1907 where he joined the Scripps Newspapers organization as a reporter and a copy reader on the staff of the Cincinnati Post. 

Thereafter Roy W. Howard moved to New York and participated in the organization of the United Press Associations in 1907.  He was named the General News Manager of that organization in 1908.  In 1909, Howard married Margaret Rohe.  In 1912 Howard became President of the United Press Associations.  It was his work with United Press Associations that brought him his first national and international prominence.


In 1919, Roy and Margaret Howard moved with their two children, Jane and Jack, to Pelham.  The couple lived for a time in the lovely home at 244 Pelhamdale Avenue in Pelham Heights.  Roy Howard became an active member of the Pelham Men's Club and served on its Executive Committee for a number of years.

In 1920, Roy Howard became Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Scripps-McRae League founded by E. W. Scripps and Col. Milton A. McRae.  The League consisted at about this time of twenty-five daily newspapers and a group of allied newspaper service enterprises.  Then, on Saturday, November 11, 1922, the organization announced that Roy W. Howard and the son of E. W. Scripps, Robert P. Scripps, had succeeded to ownership of the organization which had been renamed "The Scripps-Howard Newspapers." 

The Pelham Sun included a front page story in its next issue published on November 17, 1922 that virtually boasted of Howard's succession to become leader and joint owner of The Scripps-Howard Newspapers.  The entire text of that article appears below, followed by a citation and link to its source.

244 Pelhamdale Avenue, Once the Home of Roy W. Howard

of Scripps-Howard Newspapers.  NOTE:  Click on Image to Enlarge.

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"Pelham Man Now Business Head Of Great American Newspaper Group
-----
Roy W. Howard, of Pelham Manor, At 39, Is New Owner, with Robert P. Scripps, of Newspaper Syndicate Which Controls Twenty-Five Daily Newspapers and Numerous Allied Corporations -- Has Risen From Ranks.

An announcement of national importance in the newspaper world and particular interest to Pelham was made last Saturday when it became known that the ownership of twenty-five daily papers and several allied newspaper enterprises, formerly known as the Scripps-McRae League, had passed into the hands of Robert P. Scripps and Roy W. Howard, who will hereafter conduct them under the title of 'The Scripps-Howard Newspapers.'  They succeed E. W. Scripps and Col. Milton A. McRae.  Roy Howard lives at 244 Pelhamdale Avenue, Pelham Manor.

The announcement marks the final step in the change of ownership as the business control of the big chain of papers has practically been in Howard's hands, as chairman of the board of directors for the last two and a half years, Robert P. Scripps, son of E. W. Scripps, founder of the Scripps-McRae League having control of the editorial policies of the papers.

The leading article in the current number of The Editor and Publishers speaks of the story of Howard's success as one of 'surpassing and fascinating interest.'  It states that:

Howard, a native of Indianapolis, gained his first experience in his home city as a high school correspondent of the Indianapolis News.  He also carried a newspaper route for the News.  Recently he returned to the city of his early experience as the head of the great Scripps interests and purchased the Indianapolis Times at a sum said to have been close to half a million dollars.  From Indianapolis, Howard originally went to St. Louis where he worked as telegraph editor.  His next move was to Cincinnati, where he entered the Scripps ranks about fifteen years ago as a reporter and copy reader on the Cincinnati Post.  From Cincinnati he came to New York and participated in the organization of the United Press Associations in 1907, of which he was made general news manager in 1908 and president in 1912.  His work in the development of the United Press first brought him national and then international prominence.

(Continued on page 7)

Pelham Man Now Business Head Of Great American Newspaper Group
-----
(Continued from Page One)

In 1916 his interview with Lloyd George in which the Prime Minister of Great Britain urged a complete 'knock-out' of the enemy attracted a good deal of attention.  Later in the same year he introduced the United Press service to South American newspapers and opened bureaus of that organization in Rio de Janeiro and Buenos Aires.  On November 7, 1918, he sent the now famous armistice dispatch from Brest that occasioned premature national rejoicing -- a dispatch that has been more widely discussed perhaps than any press dispatch of our time.

And now, at the age of thirty-nine, after fifteen years of close, intelligent application and hard work, Howard sees his name at the head of the greatest newspaper organization of its kind in the world.  His life story is one unparalleled record of accomplishment, such as fiction writers vision to stimulate and inspirit and inspire the ambitious.  It is a true story of American advancement through the consistent and persistent application of ability and capacity, plus hard work.  For Howard is a partner of Scripps in more than name -- he is a partner now in fact.  His holdings in the various enterprises have not been made known, but it can be safely stated that they are large.

The Editor and Publisher goes on to state that during the last two years (while Howard has been chairman of the board of directors) new evening papers have been started as follows:

Birmingham Post, Norfolk Post, Fort Worth Press, Washington, D. C. News, Knoxville News, and El Paso Post.  A seventh new venture will be launched as an afternoon tabloid paper in Baltimore within the course of the next few days, installation of the plant being under way and editorial and business organizations having been selected.

Two established papers -- the Youngstown Telegram and the Indianapolis Times -- have been purchased, remanned and reorganized.  At the same time, there has been effected the reorganization of the Newspaper Enterprise Association Inc., the Newspaper Information Service, the Newspaper Supply Company and Allied Newspapers, Inc., a new foreign advertising special representative agency.

Roy W. Howard has been a resident of the Pelhams for the last three years.  He is a member of the Men's Club and is active on its executive committee.  His wife, formerly Miss Margaret Rohe, was a newspaper writer of some note, and still contributes articles to the magazines under the pen name of Margaret Mason.  Mr. and Mrs. Howard have two children, Jane and Jack, the latter with all the attributes of the born newspaper man.  There's never a 'story' breaks where Jack Howard is but what the Pelham Sun is on the wire a few minutes to be given the news.  At eleven years old, that's 'pretty guid.'"

Source:   Pelham Man Now Business Head Of Great American Newspaper Group -- Roy W. Howard, of Pelham Manor, At 39, Is New Owner, with Robert P. Scripps, of Newspaper Syndicate Which Controls Twenty-Five Daily Newspapers and Numerous Allied Corporations -- Has Risen From Ranks, The Pelham Sun, Nov. 10, 1922, Vol. 13, No. 37, p. 1, cols. 5-6 & p. 7, cols. 1-2.

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Traffic Light Outage at Four Corners Reminds Pelham of When Mack, the "Jovial Traffic Cop" was Out Sick

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The intersection of Boston Post Road (U.S. Route 1) and Pelhamdale Avenue in the Village of Pelham Manor is a historic place.  Long known as "Red Church Corner" because of the little wooden red church that once stood there and as "Four Corners," the intersection long has been the busiest in the Village of Pelham Manor.

The Nor'easter that rampaged over the region last Friday, March 2, blew down trees and utility poles throughout Pelham, knocking out electricity including that which provided power to the traffic light at Four Corners.  Pelham Manor police erected temporary four-way stop signs at the intersection with long lines of cars at rush hour snaking carefully through the intersection for days.  (Power was restored and the light was reactivated overnight last night.)  Occasionally during the last three and a half days when traffic at the intersection became particularly bad, Pelham Manor police officers served as temporary traffic cops standing in the center of the intersection and directing traffic to move it along -- the same spot where their famous predecessor Mack the Traffic Cop once worked full time.

I have written about Pelham Manor Police Officer John "Mack" McCormack before.  See:

Mon., Feb. 24, 2014:  Mack, the Movie Star Traffic Cop of Pelham Manor, 1916-1928.

Fri., Sep. 23, 2016:  More on the History of the Police Booth at Four Corners in Pelham Manor.

Wed., Nov. 29, 2017:  Pelham Grows Up: Installation of "Silent Cop" Traffic Lights and Traffic Semaphores in the 1920s.

In mid-December, 1922, construction on Boston Post Road to widen and improve the roadway had just been completed.  Poor Mack, the "Movie Star Traffic Cop" of Pelham Manor had spent an exceedingly long time standing on his box in the center of the intersection at Four Corners trying to unsnarl the mess of traffic that tried to navigate the road construction in the area.

Then, in the second week of December something seemed amiss at Red Church Corner.  A reporter at The Pelham Sun received a phone tip that something was wrong at Four Corners and that he should take a look for himself.  The reporter took off from the newspaper offices near the Pelham train station on foot, but soon flagged down an auto to hitch a ride to Red Church Corner.

When he arrived, all seemed well.  Nothing was amiss at the recently-built stone sanctuary of the Huguenot Memorial Presbyterian Church.  The "Pop's Gas Station" that stood at the intersection was fine.  A small real estate office that stood at the intersection also was fine.  Slightly down the road, the Old Red Church (once the wooden sanctuary of Huguenot Memorial that was moved up Boston Post Road when the stone sanctuary was built) seemed fine.  

The reporter was puzzled until he turned to ask Mack the Jovial Traffic Cop what was wrong.  When he turned, he realized what was wrong.  Mack was not there!  

For the moment, Pelham Manor Police Officer Cornelius Ormond was standing in Mack's place.  Mack was sick with tonsillitis and was out for a few days.  As the reporter later noted:

"Mack was not there.  That's what it was -- Mack, the jovial Hibernian guardian of the crossing was not in his accustomed place.  'Wassa matter?'"

Red Church Corner was out of sorts for the few days Mack was missing in December, 1922, just like today's Four Corners was out of sorts for a few days this week when Mack's automated machine ancestor was out of commission.  Yet, for some in Pelham who know of the history of Mack the jovial traffic cop at Red Church Corner, it was particularly soothing to see Pelham Manor Police Officers helping direct traffic at the intersection over the last few days. . . . . . . . . . . 

The Police Booth at Four Corners Before Its Recent

Restoration. Note the Light Atop the Structure, Likely

Once a Green Light to Signify, When Lit, That an

Officer Such as Pelham Manor Police Officer John "Mack"

McCormack Was Present. NOTE: Click on Image to Enlarge.

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"Mack, Ill, Is Missed At Red Church Corner
-----
Unfamiliar Air About Historic Corner During Absence of Jovial Traffic Cop
-----

Motorists who frequent the reconstructed Boston Road have reported that there is an unfamiliar air about the historic Red Church Corner.  This report reached the Sun office and a reporter was dispatched post haste to dig out the trouble.

To give fleeter wing to the Mercuric feet of the press, the reporter hailed a passing motorist.  'Trouble at the Red Church Corner.  Want to get there on the double.  Give us a lift,' he panted, as he dashed alongside the car.  'Hop in,' was the reply, and the reporter cooled his dogs.

As the car approached the corner the reporter jumped out.  'Lemme see; Pop's gas station is still here.  That's O. K.  Huguenot Memorial Church -- O. K.; old Red Church -- O. K.; real estate office -- O. K.; everything Jake, but still there's unmistakably something wrong here.

'Ah!  There is no road work being done.  Nope nothin' doin' for a couple of days.  Say, Mack,' turning to the traffic cop, 'what's wrong aroun---'

But Mack was not there.  That's what it was -- Mack, the jovial Hibernian guardian of the crossing was not in his accustomed place.  'Wassa matter?  Where's Mack?  How did you get here?' we buzzed the questions of Officer Cornelius Ormond, who stood in McCormack's place.

'Why, Mack is sick with tonsilitis [sic].  I'm rubbin' for him for a few days.  'Sallright, he'll be back soon,' said Connie.

We did a little checking back with Chief Philip Gargan, and are now assuring Pelhamites that Mack will be back in a short time."

Source:  Mack, Ill, Is Missed At Red Church Corner -- Unfamiliar Air About Historic Corner During Absence of Jovial Traffic Cop, The Pelham Sun, Dec. 15, 1922, p. 18, col. 5.

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Early Fatal Automobile Accident in Pelham Manor in 1909

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It truly is difficult to imagine how profoundly different parts of Pelham are today from what they were like barely a century ago.  Take Pelhamdale Avenue between Shore Road and Boston Post Road for example.

In 1909, the roadway was a dark, desolate, and lonely stretch.  There were virtually no homes between a cluster near Christ Church all the way to the New Haven Branch Line railroad overpass where a few homes stood on Manor Circle adjacent to the railroad tracks and Pelham Manor Depot.  Old growth woods lined both sides of the roadway.  With no streetlights, the towering trees made the roadway exceedingly dark at night.  In addition, with virtually no homes yet built along either side of the road, the ground on each side had not been leveled and embankments stood along the roadway.

Along that dark roadway at about 1:00 a.m. on September 6, 1909, Mount Vernon resident William Hobby was driving home from an evening of work.  In his car were three fellow musicians.  Indeed, the entire group of men were all talented and well-trained musicians who played music for churches and a temple in the region.  The group had finished performing at an event at the famed Bay View Hotel on City island that night.

 The Bay View Hotel, City Island, Circa 1904. Source:  Image from

Post Card Postmarked in 1904.  NOTE:  Click on Image to Enlarge.

The tiny little automobile had a rumble seat.  William Hobby was driving.  Joseph Eisinger, 63 years old, of 522 West 112th Street in New York City, was in the passenger seat next to William Hobby.  Henry Claussen, aged 54, of 319 East 87th Street in New York City was in the rumble seat in the rear.  It appears that the fourth musician, 27-year-old Sidney B. Chase of 22 North Fourth Avenue in Mount Vernon was crouched on the floor of the car, likely beneath Eisinger's feet.

1909 Advertisement Depicting Example of Automobile with

Front Driver and Passenger Seats and a Rumble Seat in the

Rear.  NOTE:  Click on Image to Enlarge.

As the car bounced along Pelhamdale Avenue headed westward toward Boston Post Road something terrible happened.  Precisely what happened was disputed thereafter.  According to the driver, William Hobby, about 300 feet east of the New Haven Branch Line railroad overpass above Pelhamdale Avenue, a tire on the vehicle suddenly exploded.  As the car veered out of control, the steering mechanism "became disarranged."  Hobby lost control and the automobile veered off the roadway into an embankment with a large rock.  When the vehicle struck the rock, it nearly stopped, throwing all four men out of the car.  Once the men hit the ground, the vehicle chugged along and scraped several trees along the embankment until it stopped.

Fortuitously, Pelham Manor Police Officer James Butler, in his third year with the force, was nearby and heard the crash.  He hustled to the scene and found the wrecked vehicle and four men lying on the ground.  He contacted headquarters for assistance.  

A local physician was called to the scene.  Joseph Eisinger and Henry Claussen were badly injured.  The other two men were bruised and banged up, but not seriously injured.  Eisinger was in critical condition with a fractured skull.  The police contacted a local garage to arrange for an automobile to take Eisinger and Claussen to Mount Vernon Hospital.  On the way, Joseph Eisinger died in the car.  Claussen survived.

The automobile was just coming into its own in Pelham in 1909.  Though there had been other automobile accidents in the town before that time, this one was notable not only due to the fatality, but also because the men were such well known musicians.  Sadly, this would not be the last fatal automobile accident in our little town.  Many since have followed.

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"MAN WAS KILLED IN AN AUTO ACCIDENT AT PELHAM MANOR EARLY YESTERDAY
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Car Operated by William Hobby Goes Over Embankment in Dark Road and Joseph Eisinger, of New York, Dies From His Injuries on Way to the Hospital
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Henry Clausen Also Hurt -- Owner and Other Occupants Escape With Bruises -- Car Wrecked -- Were on Their Way Home From City Island
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A fatality attended an automobile accident about 1 o'clock yesterday morning in Pelham Manor, when the car owned and driven by William Hobby, of this city, and containing, besides Mr. Hobby, Sidney B. Chase, aged 27, of 22 North Fourth avenue; Joseph Eisinger, aged 63, of 522 West 112th street, and Henry Claussen, aged 54, of 319 East 87th street, New York, struck a rock and ran up an embankment on the north side of Pehamdale avenue about 300 feet east of the bridge of the Harlem River division of the New Haven road.

Mr. Eisinger was thrown out and struck on his head, sustaining a fractured skull.  He died shortly afterward while being hurried to the Mount Vernon hospital in an automobile.  Claussen and Chase were also thrown out, but were not severely injured.  Claussen received a scalp wound and a contusion of the back and was taken to the Mount Vernon hospital.  Dr. Woodruff, who attended him, stated this morning that he was not seriously hurt and did not show signs at present of being internally injured.  Mr. Hobby suffered some bruises and is confined to his home today, it is reported.  

Both Hobby and Chase had remarkable escapes from being severely injured.  Erroneous reports appeared in the New York papers that Mr. Hobby was thrown forty feet out of the car.  This is not so.  According to the statements of the Pelham Manor police, Mr. Hobby, who was driving the car, was thrown only a few feet after it ran up the embankment.

Mr. Hobby and the three men, who are musicians, were returning from the Bay View hotel at City Island.  Eisinger and Claussen are violinists.  They were driving along Pelhamdale avenue, which is one of the darkest thoroughfares in the town of Pelham on account of the woods, when, as they reached a point about 300 feet east of the railroad bridge, a tire exploded, according to Mr. Hobby's statement at the time.  At the same time the steering gear of the machine became disarranged.  Mr. Hobby lost control of the car and it shot up an embankment on the north side of the road.  It first struck a rock, which caused it to stop so suddenly that all of the occupants were hurled out.  Officer Butler, of the Pelham Manor police force, heard the crash of the car as it struck the rock and then ground along into some of the small trees, situated along the embankment.  

When the policeman reached the scene, he saw four men lying on the ground.  Shortly after his arrival he saw one man, who later proved to be Eisinger, lying about 20 feet in front of the car on the road.  Near him was Claussen.  About that time Chase raised himself from the ground and exclaimed 'I am lucky that I was not killed.'  Shortly afterward Mr. Hobby revived.

Officer Butler notified police headquarters of the accident, and Dr. Washburn of Pelham Manor, 
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MAN WAS
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was summoned.  He examined Eisinger and Claussen and found that the former was in a critical condition and ordered that they be removed to the hospital at once.

An automobile was secured from Reynold's garage and the two injured men, in company with Dr. Washburn, were hurried to the Mount Vernon hospital.  On the way to that instituion Eisinger died and was later removed to Van Arsdale's morgue.

After the injured men had been taken away, Chief Marks ordered Officer Butler to place Mr. Hobby under arrest, and he was brought to police headquarters.  Coroner Boedecker was notified of the accident and went to police headquarters in Pelham Manor.  When asked as to what caused the accident, Mr. Hobby told the coroner that one of his tires blew out, as far as he knew, and that he consequently lost control of the car.  The coroner released him under $5,000 bail to appear for examination at the inquest which will be held next Monday evening at 8 o'clock.

Coroner Boedecker said this morning that there was no evidence to show that any of the tires on the car blew out.  As far as could be ascertained, it appeared as if the machine suddenly left the road and struck a rock.  The coroner also said this morning that in view of the fact that an external examination failed to show the extent of Eisinger's injuries and what caused his death, he directed that an autopsy be performed.

This was done yesterday afternoon by Dr. Washburn, of Pelham Manor, and Dr. Knapp, of Mount Vernon, and showed that Eisinger's skull had been fractured and that death had been caused by cerebral hemorrhage and shock.

Another version this morning is that Hobby and Eisinger were sitting in the front seat and Chase on the floor of the car.  In the rumble seat in back was Claussen.

Yesterday morning Chief Marks, Coroner Boedecker and two experts went to the scene of the accident and examined the car.  They found the two front wheels smashed, the spokes of one of them being torn out.  The axle was also bent.  The car was brought to this city in the afternoon.  

Chief Marks declared this morning that the car was so badly wrecked that it must have been travelling [sic] faster than twelve miles, although Mr. Hobby said that the machine was not going faster than that.

The dead man was a musician of note, being organist of St. Aloysiuis Church, West 132nd street and of Temple Beth-El, Jersey City.  He was a composer of church music as well.  He was born in Copenhagen.  In 1846, and studied music at Leipsic [sic], Prague and Copenhagen, before going to New York in 1867.  He was organist in St. Jerome's church in the Bronx for twenty years and at St. Lawrence's church for ten years.  His Easter compositions are in use in the large churches thoughout the country.  He is survived by a widow and five children.

The body was taken to Mr. Eisinger's late home, in New York, last evening, and the funeral services will be held tomorrow afternoon at 2 o'clock."

Source:   MAN WAS KILLED IN AN AUTO ACCIDENT AT PELHAM MANOR EARLY YESTERDAY -- Car Operated by William Hobby Goes Over Embankment in Dark Road and Joseph Eisinger, of New York, Dies From His Injuries on Way to the Hospital -- Henry Clausen Also Hurt -- Owner and Other Occupants Escape With Bruises -- Car Wrecked -- Were on Their Way Home From City Island, The Daily Argus [Mount Vernon, NY], Sep. 7, 1909, No. 6026, p. 1, cols. 1-2 & p. 6, col. 4.


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I have written before about the early days of automobiles in Pelham.  For a few examples, see:

Wed., Aug. 30, 2017:  Automobile Club "Run" from the Hunter Island Inn on the Pelham Manor Border in 1901.

Fri., Apr. 21, 2017:  The Great "Two-Gallon Efficiency" Run of 1906 Through Pelham for Early Automobiles.

Mon., Mar. 06, 2017:  "Fool Automobiling" in Pelham in 1906.

Mon., Dec. 12, 2016:  One of the Earliest Illegal Motorcar Races Tore Through Pelham in 1905.

Thu., Dec. 01, 2016:  Pelham Manor Sided With the Anti-Automobilists in 1902.

Wed., Nov. 09, 2016:  Who Drove the First Automobile in Pelham?

Thu., Nov. 05, 2015:  The Earliest Days of the Automobile in Pelham.

Thu., Jan. 07, 2010:  Pelham Manor Police Establish Speed Traps on Shore Road in 1910 to Catch Those Traveling Faster than Fifteen Miles Per Hour.

Mon., Jul. 20, 2009:  Early Automobile Accident and Explosion on Shore Road Near Travers Island in 1902.

Wed., Jan. 21, 2009:  "Fool Driving" in Pelham in the New-Fangled Automobile in 1906.

Archive of the Historic Pelham Web Site.

Home Page of the Historic Pelham Blog.

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

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Home Page of the Historic Pelham Blog.

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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.

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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. 

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