Earliest Evidence of Ship Repair on City Island in the Town of Pelham

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City Island, part of Pelham for nearly 250 years until its annexation by New York City in 1895, is strategically located near the "entrance" to Long Island Sound from the East River and New York Harbor.  Indeed, it is the first substantial island in the Sound North of Throggs Neck on the mainland and Kings Point on Long Island, an area where many believe the so-called "East River" becomes Long Island Sound.  

As long ago as 1651, Dutch settler Adriaen Van der Donck recognized the strategic importance of the lands and islands in this area when he wrote:  "land fortifies itself remarkably and also lends itself naturally to fortification at Sandy Hook, The Narrows, Hell Gate, or at other bays and entrances so as to make it, humanly speaking, impregnable."  Van der Donck, Adriaen, A Description of New Netherland, pp. 132-33 (Lincoln, NE and London:  University of Nebraska Press, 2008) (Edited by Charles T. Gehring and William A. Starna; Translated by Diederik Willem Goedhuys).  

 

Image from Google Maps Showing City Island and Long Island

Sound (in Upper Right) Relative to the East River at Bottom.

NOTE:  Click on Image to Enlarge.

Given its location, mariners traveling up and down the northeast coast of America have sailed past today's City Island since at least the earliest years of the 17th century.  Thus, it should come as no surprise that the sloping, sandy shores of City Island, adjacent to deep water and even somewhat protected by nearby Hart Island, has been used for ship repair and shipbuilding for at least nearly two centuries.  Indeed, even before the Revolutionary War, people such as Benjamin Palmer recognized that the island known today as City Island was ideally situated to attract and service vessels sailing to and from nearby New York City. In fact, Palmer devised a grandiose plan to rename the island (then known as Minneford Island) as "City Island" and to develop it as a deep water harbor town intended to rival, and compete with, New York City's port of New York Harbor.  That plan, of course, ended ignominiously with the onset of the Revolutionary War.

I have written before about the history of shipbuilding on City Island.  See, e.g.:  Fri., Jun. 16, 2017:  Origins of Ship Repair and Shipbuilding on City Island in the Town of Pelham.  Today's Historic Pelham Blog article documents a brief newspaper reference demonstrating that City Island was used as an impromptu ship repair site in 1821.

In 1821, the Town of Pelham was virtually unpopulated.  The Town tax assessment roll for 1821 shows only 31 taxpayers in the entire town.  See Tue., Apr. 05, 2005:  1821 Tax Assessment Roll of the Town of Pelham.  According to the Pelham School Commissioners' Report to the Superintendent of Common Schools of the State of New York for the year 1821, there were 65 school age children in Pelham, although only 35 of these children attended school during the year previous to the report.  See Wed., Nov. 12, 2014:  September 1821 Report from Pelham School Commissioners to the Superintendent of Common Schools of the State of New York. 

At about this time, City Island likewise was nearly unpopulated.  As of 1818, most of the island was owned by Nicholas Haight and Joshua Huested.  On January 1, 1819, however, Nicholas Haight and his wife, Mary, sold to George Washington Horton 42 acres on the lower (southern) portion of City Island.  Nevertheless, even as early as 1821, the waters around City Island in the Town of Pelham were quite busy.  For example, I have written before about the steamship Robert Fulton and its anchorage at City Island in 1821.  See Mon., Oct. 17, 2016:  The Famed Pioneer Steamship Robert Fulton Anchored at City Island During an Excursion in 1821.

There are many news accounts that reflect maritime activity in the waters near City Island at the time.  For example, one sad account published on May 3, 1821, reported:

"Accident. -- A small boat in crossing from City Island to Throgg's Neck, on Sunday last, was filled by getting in the trough of the sea.  Mr. Pearson, head carpenter of the buildings erecting by Elbert Anderson, Esq. and a lad about 18 years old, jumped overboard and were drowned.  --  Another lad about 13 years old, stuck to the boat and was saved."

Source:  Accident, The National Gazette and Literary Register [Philadelphia, PA], May 3, 1821, Vol. 1, No. 156, p. 2, col. 3 (NOTE:  Paid subscription required to access via this link).

A very brief report published earlier the same year is evidence that City Island was used as a site for impromptu ship repairs as early as 1821.  The report indicates that on February 13, 1821, a sloop from Newport named Agent sprang a leak and was hauled ashore at City Island for repairs.  The entire report reads:  "The sloop Agent, Blisen, from Newport, hauled ashore yesterday at City island, to stop a leak." Source:  MARINE LIST, The New-York Evening Post, Feb. 14, 1821, No. 5818, p. 3, col. 1. 

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Origins of Ship Repair and Shipbuilding on City Island in the Town of Pelham

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Even before the Revolutionary War, people such as Benjamin Palmer recognized that the island known today as City Island was ideally situated to attract and service vessels sailing to and from nearby New York City.  Indeed, Palmer devised a grandiose plan to rename the island (then known as Minneford Island) as "City Island" and to develop it as a deep water harbor town intended to rival, and compete with, New York City's port of New York Harbor.  That plan, of course, ended ignominiously with the onset of the Revolutionary War.

Nevertheless, during the nineteenth century, City Island became an important ship repair, shipbuilding, and yachting center.  Famed City Island resident George Washington Horton seems to have played an instrumental role in the birth of the ship repair and shipbuilding industry on the island.

During the mid-1850s, George Washington Horton and members of his family owned a large swath of City Island including a tract at the foot of the eastern end of what is known today as "Pilot Street."  Horton was a maritime entrepreneur, of sorts, involved in a host of money-making ventures on the island.  

In 1856, Horton or members of his family apparently sensed an entrepreneurial opportunity to repair and service the many local sloops, skiffs, ships, boats, and all manner of local vessels that frequented the island not far from the notoriously-treacherous rocks of Hell Gate.  They arranged for a New Rochelle man named Underhill, under the supervision of George Washington Horton, Jr., to construct and oversee a short marine railway at the east foot of what was known then as Pilot Avenue (today's Pilot Street). Typically, at the time, a "marine railway" was a railway with a rolling cradle for hauling ships out of water onto land and returning them into the water. 

The marine railway was intended to permit short-hauling, servicing, and maintenance of local water craft -- or vessels from elsewhere that suffered distress locally. Underhill, however, seems to have operated this early shipyard (or simple marine railway) for only a brief time since a man named Samuel Hart replaced Underhill within a short time. Significantly, it now seems, Samuel Hart was from Northport, Long Island, New York. 

According to City Island shipyard specialist Tom Nye of UK Sailmakers LLC at 175 City Island Avenue in City Island, Bronx, New York: 

"Hart at that time operated a shipyard in the Northport area and was in the middle of a lease dispute with the town of Huntington and during the long litigation found the opportunity to take over the railway at City Island. Sam Hart along with another Northport shipbuilder James Ketcham ran a small business advertising for the repairing, painting, cleaning, caulking, and building of vessels of a limited size on their railway." 

Source:  Nye, Tom, Subject Re: RONDEL PAINTING: City Island, email from Tom Nye to Jorge Santiago, Oct. 23, 2013, 9:48:37 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time (copy in files of the author). 

Thereafter, Samuel Hart (according to an account published in 1900) began to do a "large business in repairing vessels injured by striking the rocks in Hell Gate or getting ashore around Hart's Island."  

At about this time, or at least by 1859, David Carll and his brother, Jesse, were operating a shipyard in Northport. (According to a letter written by David Carll in 1875, he began working as a shipbuilder in 1854, although it is not yet known by this author if he began his work at that time with his brother in Northport.)  Be it sibling rivalry, business differences or something else, in 1859 David Carll decided to leave the shipyard in Northport and explore an opportunity with two friends on City Island: Samuel Hart and Northport shipbuilder James Ketcham who were operating the marine railway and tiny shipyard at the foot of Pilot Avenue. Id. 

That year, David Carll built the 37-foot sloop Bell for James Sackett using the Pilot Street railway on City Island. Shortly afterward, Carll bought the business and established David Carll's Shipyard. Id. David Carll remained partners with his brother, Jesse, in the Northport shipyard venture until the pair settled on a buyout of David's interest in 1865. Id.  For more about the early success of the David Carll shipyard, see Mon., Nov. 16, 2015:  David Carll's Shipyard in the Town of Pelham on City Island.

"View of City Island" by Frederick Rondel, 1872. Oil on Canvas

Painting, 20.25 inches x 30 inches. This Painting Depicts the

Marine Railway at David Carll's Shipyard in 1872. NOTE:  Click

on Image to Enlarge.

Given City Island's strategic location, it should come as no surprise that the island was used for ship repair many years before the first marine railway was established on the island in the 1850s.  Indeed, as early as 1821, a sloop from Newport, Rhode Island was hauled out at City Island for repairs.  So far, this is the earliest reference to City Island ship repair or shipbuilding research has revealed to this author.  The brief reference is quoted in full immediately below:

"MARINE LIST. . . .

The sloop Agent, Blisen, from Newport, hauled ashore yesterday at City Island, to stop a leak. . . ."

Source:  MARINE LIST, The Evening Post [NY, NY], Feb. 14, 1821, No. 5818, p. 3, col. 1 (Note:  Paid subscription required to access via this link). 

In short, Pelham's long tradition of ship repair and shipbuilding is nearly two centuries old -- at least!

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