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

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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. 

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"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).

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The Melancholy Apparition of the Old Pelham Farmhouse on Shore Road

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She was a terrifying floating apparition!  She seemed pitiable, dejected, and melancholy.  Twenty years old or so, with dark black hair streaming across her shoulders and seeming to blow in a non-existent breeze, she appeared to float into the room through one wall, drift across the room and through the opposite wall.  The terrified gardener who rented the little Pelham farmhouse on Shore Road where she appeared, had only lived in the home for a day or so. 

The melancholy apparition that the gardener observed is referred to as “The Mystery of a Pelham Farm House”. The story of her “haunting” recounts events that occurred in the 1840s or earlier and appears in a small book by Charles Pryer published in 1897 entitled REMINISCENCES OF AN OLD WESTCHESTER HOMESTEAD. 

In the 19th century there was a farmhouse on what we know today as Shore Road. It was impossible to get anyone from Pelham to rent the house because everyone believed it was haunted. The owner finally found a gardener from New York City who knew nothing about the house. The owner convinced the gardener to rent it. 

The gardener, his wife and family moved in early one March when snow still lay thickly on the ground. Little did they known what awaited them. The first night, everyone was tired from moving. They heard a few strange noises, but ascribed them to rats. In the morning, the gardener left for his work, some distance from his new home. 

When the gardener returned from work at the end of the day, his wife assailed him with a frantic story about how, about noon, every door in the little farmhouse suddenly was “thrown open, and fearful noises were heard to resound through all quarters of the house.” 

Dismissing the events as the result of “a March wind”, the gardener drew his chair to the fire to relax before supper. As he gazed at the hickory fire, every door in the house slammed shut, startling him. Thinking that a storm must be brewing, he stepped to the door and looked outside. All he saw was a serene evening. Closing the door and remembering his wife’s words, he “thoroughly resolved to give the spirits full possession of the house on the following day”. Then, according to Pryer, he saw the melancholy apparition: 

“While thus thinking, the wall of the room opposite to him slowly opened, and a shadowy something seemed to fill the aperture. This vapory mass gradually took the form of a female figure, at first ill-defined, but slowly assuming the proper proportions, and at length stood out in bold relief, as perfect as any living being. It appeared to be a beautiful lady of not more than twenty, with long black hair streaming over her shoulders, but with an air so melancholy and dejected that even the most terrified man pitied her. After surveying for a few moments the mortal seated by the fire, she glided slowly across the room and passed through the opposite wall, without giving utterance to a single sound. Our friend was not troubled more that night by his spiritual visitors, but so terrified was he that the next day he took his departure.”

The haunted farmhouse of Shore Road since has been torn down.  Some say, however, that on particularly-dark nights with no moon, a melancholy apparition of a young woman with dark hair blowing even when there is no wind can be seen along Shore Road floating pitiably looking for the farmhouse.

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Below is a transcription of the pages from Charles Pryer's "Reminiscences of an Old Westchester Homestead" published in 1897.  It is followed by a citation and link to its source.

"THE MYSTERY OF A PELHAM FARM-HOUSE

ABOUT a mile above Pelham Bridge, and directly on the road leading to it, is situated a small farm-house of apparently great antiquity ; at all events, it was not built within the memory of the oldest inhabitant. The interior is fitted up after the good old Dutch style of the close of the seventeenth century. The hearth and chimney-jambs in the parlor are in tiles, illumined with many a scriptural illustration, in the manner so much in vogue among our worthy Dutch ancestors. The house seems to have been the resort of disembodied spirits for a very long time, but why they frequented it I have always wondered, as I have never heard that any murder or other dark deed was perpetrated in the vicinity. Whether the sights and noises were caused by the spirits of "Anhook" and his Indian followers returning to visit their former hunting-grounds, or whether it was the soul of Anne Hutchinson on a visit from the spirit-land to bewail her murdered family, is a mystery that will probably never be solved at this late date. 

These conjectures, however, have no foundation in fact, or even in tradition, for, as the dwelling of this noted woman was burned by the Indians at the time of the murder, this house could not have been hers. It may be, however, that the farm-house stood near where once smoked the embers of her desolated cabin, and not caring to bewail her loss without some roof over her head, she sought the nearest shelter for her ghostly person under this habitation, and by her spectral pranks terrified all the old women in the neighborhood. Be this as it may, it is certain that it was impossible to get a tenant for the house from the residents of the town, and even those who came from a distance were never wont to stay under its roof for more than one or two nights when they would leave, filling the neighborhood with tales of the strange sights and sounds that they saw and heard during their short stay in the haunted cottage. Many are the frightful stories told by the teamsters that passed there on their way to town, late at night or before daylight in the morning. Some said that lights flickered from room to room, and that the whole house shook as though convulsed by an earthquake; others that the house was illuminated as though the owner was giving an entertainment, and that they plainly heard the sound of voices and the rattle of crockery, as though the spirits were having a supper. Others again stated that only one room was lighted up, and at the window of this apartment sat a beautiful lady, with her head resting on her hands and her long dark hair streaming over her shoulders, while her whole attitude indicated dejection. The only thing, however, that these teamsters agreed upon was that they all saw something strange and mysterious. It is therefore not to be wondered at that a place with such a reputation should be vacant during a great portion of the year, although the owner tried every means to keep it occupied. 

It was early one March that a gardener from the city was prevailed upon to take up his abode in the cottage with his wife and family. Being strangers in the place, none of them had heard of its reputation, and consequently could not have been frightened beforehand. The spring that year was very late, and at the time the family took up their abode in the house the snow still lay thickly on the ground. 

The first night passed off quietly, as all were too tired from moving to lie awake much. There were some strange noises heard in the early part of the evening, but as they were attributed to rats nobody paid much attention to them. In the morning the gardener went to his work, and as the scene of his labors was some distance from the house, he took his dinner with him and did not return till evening. On arriving home about sunset he was met at the door by his wife, who proceeded to tell him, in a frightened incoherent way, how, about noon, all the doors were suddenly thrown open, and fearful noises were heard to resound through all quarters of the house. Thinking this, however, to be only a woman's version of the freaks of a March wind in his too well-ventilated apartments, he only smiled incredulously and drew a chair to the fire to await supper, the preparations for which were already far advanced. Scarcely had the blazing hickory fire commenced to make him comfortable, when he was startled by hearing a terrific crash in one of the unoccupied rooms upstairs, followed by the violent slamming of every door in the house. Thinking some fearful storm must suddenly have come up, he stepped to the door and looked out, but the evening was serene and beautiful. The boisterous wind that had been blowing all day, had gone down with the sun, and the stars shone brightly in the frosty air. Shutting the door he resumed his seat by the fire, not daring to go up stairs to see from whence the noise proceeded, but thoroughly resolved to give the spirits full possession of the house on the following day. 

While thus thinking, the wall of the room opposite to him slowly opened, and a shadowy something seemed to fill the aperture. This vapory mass gradually took the form of a female figure, at first ill-defined, but slowly assuming the proper proportions, and at length stood out in bold relief, as perfect as any living being. It appeared to be a beautiful lady of not more than twenty, with long black hair streaming over her shoulders, but with an air so melancholy and dejected that even the terrified man pitied her. After surveying for a few moments the mortal seated by the fire, she glided slowly across the room and passed through the opposite wall, without giving utterance to a single sound. Our friend was not troubled more that night by his spiritual visitors, but so terrified was he that the next day he took his departure. Although this happened some fifty years ago, the house has been empty ever since, and even to this day the benighted traveller will hasten his steps while passing the desolate cottage. 

By this time the pipe of mine host was out and our glasses needed replenishing; so we resolved to have an intermission, to draw another jug of cider and allow the hunter to fill his pipe before continuing his tales."

Source:  Pryer, Charles, Reminiscences of an Old Westchester Homestead, pp. 6-12 (G.P. Putnam's Sons NY and London, The Knickerbocker Press, 1897).

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I have collected ghost stories and legends relating to the Town of Pelham for more than fifteen years.  To read more examples that now total in the several dozens, see: 

Bell, Blake A., Pelham's Ghosts, Goblins and Legends, The Pelham Weekly, Oct. 25, 2002, p. 1, col. 1. 

Bell, Blake A., More Ghosts, Goblins of Pelham, The Pelham Weekly, Vol. XIII, No. 43, Oct. 29, 2004, p. 12, col. 1. 

Bell, Blake A., More Ghosts & Goblins of Pelham, The Pelham Weekly, Vol. XV, Issue 40, Oct. 13, 2006, p. 10, col. 1.

Bell, Blake A., Archive of HistoricPelham.com Web Site:  Pelham's Ghosts, Goblins and Legends (Oct. 2002). 

Bell, Blake A., Bibliography of Pelham's Ghost Stories and Legends (Oct. 2002).

Tue., Oct. 30, 2018:  The Melancholy Apparition of the Old Pelham Farmhouse on Shore Road.

Mon., Oct. 29, 2018:  The Ghost of the Insane Pelham Lover Banished to His Attic Cell.

Fri., Oct. 26, 2018:  The Ghostly Gunship That Sails Off the Shores of Pelham.

Thu., Oct. 25, 2018:  The Ghostly Lantern-Bearer of Baychester and Pelham Bridge.

Tue., Oct. 31, 2017:  An Eyewitness Account of the Headless Apparitions of the Haunted Cedar Knoll in Pelham.

Mon., Oct. 30, 2017:  The Ghost of Captain Kidd Guards His Treasure on an Island Off Pelham.

Fri., Oct. 27, 2017:  An Unusual Account of the Dark Spirit of the Devil and His Stepping Stones: A Pelham Legend.  

Thu., Oct. 26, 2017:  The Cow Rustler Ghosts of Pelham Road.

Mon., Oct. 31, 2016:  Pelham Was Overrun by Ghosts for a Few Months in the Winter of 1887-1888.

Fri., Oct. 28, 2016:  The Old Stone House Has At Least One More Ghost -- The Ghost of Mrs. Parrish is Not Alone.

Thu., Oct. 27, 2016:  Did Google Maps Camera Capture the Ghost of the Elegant Lady of the Old Stone House at 463 First Avenue?

Wed., Oct. 26, 2016:  The Ghost of the Murdered Traveler Who Wanders the Bartow-Pell Grounds.

Tue., Oct. 25, 2016:  The Suicidal Specter of Manger Circle.

Mon., Oct. 24, 2016:  The Fiery-Eyed Phantom of Pelham Heights.

Mon., Sep. 19, 2016:  The Dark Spirit of the Devil and His Stepping Stones: A Pelham Legend.

Fri., Oct. 30, 2015:  The Shrieking Ghosts of Execution Rocks: Yet Another Pelham Ghost Story.

Thu., Oct. 29, 2015:  The Apparition of Wolfs Lane:  Another Pelham Ghost Story.

Wed., Oct. 28, 2015:  The Shadowy Specter of James Street:  A Pelham Manor Ghost Story.

Tue., Oct. 27, 2015:  The Ghostly Gardener of Bolton Priory:  A Pelham Apparition.

Mon., Oct. 26, 2015:  The Ghostly Matron of the Manor Club:  Even a Ghost Whisperer's Nightmare!

Fri., Oct. 31, 2014:  Ghosts in Pelham! Yet Another of Many Accounts of the Haunted Cedar Knoll.

Mon., Sep. 08, 2014:  In 1888, The "Ghost of City Island" Upset the Town of Pelham.

Fri., Jan. 17, 2014: The Phantom Bell Ringer of Christ Church in Pelham Manor.

Wed., Oct. 14, 2009:  1879 News Account Provides Additional Basis for Some Facts Underlying Ghost Story of Old Stone House in Pelhamville.

Fri., Jan. 30, 2009:  Article Published in 1901 Detailed Ghost Stories and Legends of Pelham.

Mon., Feb. 19, 2007:  Another Manor of Pelham Ghost Story: The Whispering Bell.

Fri., Aug. 18, 2006:  The Ghost Gunship of Pelham: A Revolutionary War Ghost Story.

Wed., May 03, 2006:  Another Pelham, New York Ghost Story.

Thu., Oct. 13, 2005:  Two More Pelham Ghost Stories.  

Fri., Sep. 16, 2005:  The Legend of the Spy Oak on Pelham Road.

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

The Ghost of the Insane Pelham Lover Banished to His Attic Cell

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The young man from Pelham was madly in love.  He was in the midst of an affair with a young and beautiful Pelham woman.  The pair were residents of the tiny settlement of Bartow that once stood on Shore Road in the Town of Pelham in the last half of the 19th century not far from today's Pelham Bit Stables (the Bronx Equestrian Center) in Pelham Bay Park.  

Yes, the young man was madly, madly, madly in love.  All he could ponder was his beautiful belle.  He spent every waking hour thinking of her and planning his next opportunity to be with her.  He spent every sleeping hour dreaming of his lovely coquette.  It seems, however, that the object of his adoration was interested only in a flirtatious fling.  She was, indeed, quite a coquette who flirted lightheartedly with the young man precisely to encourage his admiration and affection.  She did not, however, share his insanely-intense devotion.  

When the beautiful Pelham belle tired of the young man's attentions, she simply ended all contact with him.  The young beau was crushed.  For weeks he made every attempt to recapture the flirtatious attentions of his beautiful belle.  With each passing week of failure, the young man grew ever-more despondent.  As the object of his mad love began seeing others, ever flirtatiously, his despondency sank into a gloomy sadness that could not be shaken.

The young man's family grew ever more concerned as he began wandering the halls of the family's dark home at night.  He muttered as he shuffled up and down hallways and stairs, though muttering the family could understand was the name of his young belle.  

Concerned for the young man's safety, members of the family stayed with him day and night.  They sat with him as he rocked back and forth, muttering as tears streamed down his face.  The weeks turned to months and it became clear that the young man's mind had departed him.  He had descended into madness.

Soon exhaustion set in.  At night, the young man's family simply could not handle him.  His mind may have left him, but his youth and strength had not.  When his mutterings seemed to turn suicidal, the family began locking him inside the unfinished attic of their Bartow home with nothing but a mattress on the floor each night.

The walls of the attic were unfinished.  Its rafters hung heavily above.  There was a single window at one end.  At night the room was exceedingly dark since the family was unwilling to leave a burning lantern with the young man overnight.  Even worse, the home stood in an infinitely lonely and silent spot on the outskirts of the tiny Bartow settlement that consisted of only a handful of homes and commercial buildings near the old Bartow Station on the New Haven Branch Line railroad tracks.  The family put a strong bolt on the outside of the door that led to the attic room to keep the young man locked inside.  They also put strong iron bars on the attic window to prevent his escape.  Soon, the young man had to be kept in the room around the clock rather than only at night.  

Thankfully, the young madman was not violent.  He was fed, clothed, and cared for tenderly, but his madness worsened.  

His mental illness seemed intensely worse during each thunderous storm that swept over Pelham.  When torrents of rain beat upon his roof, lightning crackled above, and thunder shook the house, the young man became uncontrollable.  With each thunderbolt he wailed in despondency and even pounded his fists on the floor and walls of his attic cell.  It was as if each thunderous blast drove him deeper into the dark depths of insanity.  

During one terrible storm on All Hallows' Eve, lightning pierced the skies all over Pelham.  Thunder blasted the region and shook the home.  After one nearby lightning strike that was followed instantaneously by an ear-splitting blast of thunder, the young man wailed and pounded so violently that his family feared for him.  They scrambled up the stairs and unbolted the attic door hoping to do something -- anything -- to settle and console him.

As the door opened, the young man bolted through it and bounded down the dark stairs as his family gave chase.  Down the stairs and through the house he ran.  He threw open the front door and plunged into the curtains of rain.  As the family ran into the torrential downpour behind the young man, he began outdistancing them until the family could no longer see through the rain far enough ahead to see him clearly.  Only because occasional flashes of lightning illuminated the entire region were they able to follow the fleeing madman from a distance as he ran toward Long Island Sound.

The howling wind drove the rain into wet needles that felt as though they would pierce the skin.  The family was not certain if the howling they heard that night was only that of the wind as they ran after the young man.

He ran with insane purpose straight to Flat Rock.  He looked directly into the howling wind over the frenzied waters whipped to a froth by the storm.  He squinted for a moment as the driving rain blinded him.  Just as members of his family arrived at Flat Rock, the young man turned and stared at them wild-eyed, then leaped into the churning waves, drowning himself.  His body was never recovered.

His body was never seen again, but soon his spirit was.  Each night, after darkness descended, the ghost of the anguished young man wandered the rooms and halls of the old house in which he had been held captive during life.  All in Bartow soon knew that the home was haunted by the ghost of the insane Pelham lover.  

Soon no one in the settlement of Bartow would go near the house.  As one published account noted, "no villager can be found who will venture near the spot at night."

The family moved out of the sad haunted house and left it to the spirit of the mad lover.  The isolated house sat forlornly on a hill at the edge of the settlement for a number of years until a New York City charity named the "Little Mothers Aid Association" decided to use the home and its grounds as a summer camp for "Little Mothers."  These "Little Mothers" were young girls whose family circumstances required them at a tender young age to serve as substitute mothers to care for even younger siblings.  See:

Fri., Apr. 15, 2016:  The Little Mothers Aid Association and its Use of Hunter's Mansion on Hunters Island in the Late 19th and Early 20th Centuries.

Thu., Jun. 28, 2018:  More on the Little Mothers Aid Association and its Use of Hunter's Mansion on Hunter's Island.  

Though the haunted house at Bartow sat empty throughout the fall and winter each year, it became a cheery summer camp center for happy "Little Mothers" from New York City during the spring and summer.  Despite the happy occupants of the home, the anguished mad specter of the insane Pelham lover continued to stalk the hallways and rooms of the home after dark frightening all who saw him.

Wise camp counselors and experienced campers made certain to warn new campers of the ghost of the insane Pelham lover as each new wave of campers arrived.  Each new wave of little campers who arrived, after hearing the terrible story, ventured to the top of the attic stairs, pulled back the heavy bolt on the outside of the door, and peered timidly into the dark attic room where they could see the heavy iron bars at the window of the room that once housed the captive.  Of course, the little campers only ventured to the top of those stairs during bright, sunny days. . . . 

During about the mid-1890s, on a dark and cold winter day when, of course, the Little Mothers camp was not in session and the haunted house sat empty, a New York City Policeman patrolling in Pelham Bay Park stopped by the house to check on it.  

The first thing Officer Gilmartin noticed as he approached the house was an outside cellar door that had been broken in leaving the basement open.  The officer climbed into the cellar and groped about in the semi-darkness.  When he reached a rear corner of the dark room, he felt an odd, irregularly-shaped bundle that "rattled as if in protest as he dragged it out into the air."

Tied up in what evidently had been a bed sheet was a human skeleton.  The policeman recoiled in horror, tucked the bundle under his arm, and raced on foot to the nearby police station that once stood near the Bartow Station on the New Haven Branch Line.  There officers at the station contacted the local coroner and wired a report to New York City.

Word in the little settlement spread quickly regarding the skeletal remains at the police station.  Nearby residents began crowding into the tiny police station to view the skeleton.  According to one account:  "much alarm was felt. . . . [t]hat a horrible crime had been committed."  Had the ghost of the insane Pelham lover turned violent in the afterlife?  

Thankfully, the skeleton was not that of a little camper.  Rather, it "was evidently that of a full grown man of large stature."  

It took a reporter for the New York Herald to solve the gruesome mystery.  According to a newspaper account, the ghost of the insane Pelham lover had not turned to murder.  The reporter visited an official of the Little Mothers Aid Association, told her about the alarm in the settlement of Bartow, and inquired about the origins of the skeletal remains.

After the official finished laughing, she explained that the skeleton was a medical specimen that belonged to Dr. William Percy who had practiced for many years in New York City but since had moved his practice to Elmira, New York.  According to the official, Dr. Percy became fascinated with the many accounts of the ghost of the insane Pelham lover and decided the previous summer to try to frighten the ladies who ran the Little Mothers Aid Association.  

He sneaked up to the attic, known to all as the "Haunted Room" and strung up the skeleton like a marionette puppet, rigged for motion when anyone entered the room.  One night he enticed the ladies who ran the camp up to the Haunted Room, expecting to frighten them out of their wits.  Instead, according to the New York Herald, "His effort failed ignominiously."  The women were neither frightened nor amused by the amateurish efforts to scare them.  

Dr. Percy bashfully wrapped up the skeleton and hid it in a corner of the basement so as not to frighten the little campers.  He forgot, however, to remove it when he departed and, despite numerous requests from the staff that he remove it, he never did before the camp ended for the summer.  Only a short time later, the Little Mothers Aid Association seemingly could take the ghost no more and moved its camp to the Hunter Mansion on nearby Hunter's Island off the shores of Pelham.

Thus, the ghost of the insane Pelham lover murdered no one of which we know (at least no one whose remains have been found).  The settlement of Bartow is now simply a ghost town with all structures except the stone remnants of the Bartow train station long gone.  In this case, the Bartow area is a true ghost town as the "Ghost of the Insane Pelham Lover" who once was banished to an attic cell can still be seen running from the area to the Long Island Sound where he leaps from Flat Rock and disappears beneath the inky waters. . . . 

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"SPOILED A FINE GHOST STORY.
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Accounting for the Mysterious Skeleton Found in Bartow's Haunted House.
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IT BELONGED TO A PHYSICIAN.
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Neighborhood Residents Feared That It Might Be Evidence of a Dreadful Crime.
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MERELY PART OF A JOKE.
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The residents of the village of Bartow, two miles above West Chester, were greatly agitated yesterday over the finding of a nearly perfect skeleton in the empty, rambling old Holcomb House, known in town tradition as the 'haunted building.'

The house is perched on a high hill, overlooking Long Island Sound, on the southern side of Pelham Bay Park.  It is nearly a mile from any human habitation, and was purchased by New York when the city acquired the 1,700 acres around the village for a public playground several years ago.

An infinitely lonely and silent spot it is in winter, but in summer troops of merry children transform the house and grounds into a place of life and laughter.  Mrs. John H. Johnston makes semi-weekly trips there with half a hundred New York children, under the auspices of the United Charities.  They are known as the 'Little Mothers,' because as far as possible they are girls of tender age on whom devolves the care of their younger brothers and sisters.

The half dozen park policemen visit the premises at irregular intervals during the winter months to see that nothing has been disturbed or stolen.  Numerous tramps haunt the wooden slopes, and frequently signs are found to show that they have used the house as a lodging place.

SHUNNED BY VILLAGERS.

It is no chamber of horrors to the uninformed itinerant vagabond, but no villager can be found who will venture near the spot at night.  It is generally accredited in town lore that a ghost stalks abroad throughout the rooms of the old structure after darkness has descended. 

The villagers say it is the shade of the young man who went crazy over a love affair and was confined in an attic room for many years.  He escaped from custody one stormy night and drowned himself from Flat Rock, in the waters of the Sound.  The iron barred windows and heavy bolted door of the room are still to be seen.

Policeman Gilmartin set out to inspect the premises late Monday afternoon.  It was so late, in fact, and so well aware was he of the house's grewsome [sic] reputation, that he wished before he started that his errand was completed.  As he climbed the steep heights to his destination, he perceived that the outside cellar door had been broken in.  Entering and groping about in the semi-darkness his hands touched an irregular shaped bundle in a rear corner which rattled as if in protest as he dragged it out into the air.

Tied up in what had evidently been a sheet, the light disclosed the nearly perfect skeleton of a human body.  Without continuing his search the policeman, greatly excited at his find, hurried with his burden to the police station, near the little railroad station.

Resident Policeman Hodgins and the chief of the Pelham Bay Park force sent immediate notice to Coroner Banning, of Mount Vernon, and a report was despatched [sic] to the Central Park Arsenal.

The news spread rapidly throughout the village and numbers came to view the bones at the police station.  Many wealthy New York people spend the entire year in handsome cottages outside the town, and not far from the scene of the ghastly find, and much alarm was felt.  That a horrible crime had been committed in the neighborhood at some distant date and that its discovery had just been made was the only explanation.  The tramps infesting the wide, open territory were at once suspicioned as the authors of the deed.

THE MYSTERY EXPLAINED.

The skeleton was evidently that of full grown man of large stature, and the oldest inhabitant cogitated in vain to identify the remains.  

Bartow was in a state of nervous excitement yesterday afternoon when I departed, and went at once to the residence of Mrs. Johnston, at No. 305 East Seventeenth street.  The mystery was soon solved.

'Why, I can very easily account for the presence of the skeleton,' said she, after her laughter at the alarm of the village had subsided.  'It is the property of Dr. William Percy, formerly of this city, but now, I think, practising [sic] in Elmira.  You see, he visited us at our summer quarters last summer, and was much amused over the ghost story associated with the old house.

'He placed the skeleton in the 'haunted' room and attempted to give some of the ladies a fright.  His effort failed ignominiously, however, and I suppose he concealed his improvised puppet in the cellar afterward and forgot to remove it.

'We were afraid some of the girls would find the skeleton and become really excited, and enjoined the physician to effectually dispose of it.'

Coroner Manning has sent notice that he will view the sheet of bones to-day.  His services are not in as urgent demand as Bartow has led itself to believe."

Source:  SPOILED A FINE GHOST STORY -- Accounting for the Mysterious Skeleton Found in Bartow's Haunted House -- IT BELONGED TO A PHYSICIAN -- Neighborhood Residents Feared That It Might Be Evidence of a Dreadful Crime -- MERELY PART OF A JOKE, N.Y. Herald, Mar. 21, 1894, No. 21,030, p. 13, col. 6.

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I have collected ghost stories and legends relating to the Town of Pelham for more than fifteen years.  To read more examples that now total in the several dozens, see: 

Bell, Blake A., Pelham's Ghosts, Goblins and Legends, The Pelham Weekly, Oct. 25, 2002, p. 1, col. 1. 

Bell, Blake A., More Ghosts, Goblins of Pelham, The Pelham Weekly, Vol. XIII, No. 43, Oct. 29, 2004, p. 12, col. 1. 

Bell, Blake A., More Ghosts & Goblins of Pelham, The Pelham Weekly, Vol. XV, Issue 40, Oct. 13, 2006, p. 10, col. 1.

Bell, Blake A., Archive of HistoricPelham.com Web Site:  Pelham's Ghosts, Goblins and Legends (Oct. 2002). 

Bell, Blake A., Bibliography of Pelham's Ghost Stories and Legends (Oct. 2002).

Mon., Oct. 29, 2018:  The Ghost of the Insane Pelham Lover Banished to His Attic Cell.

Fri., Oct. 26, 2018:  The Ghostly Gunship That Sails Off the Shores of Pelham.

Thu., Oct. 25, 2018:  The Ghostly Lantern-Bearer of Baychester and Pelham Bridge.

Tue., Oct. 31, 2017:  An Eyewitness Account of the Headless Apparitions of the Haunted Cedar Knoll in Pelham.

Mon., Oct. 30, 2017:  The Ghost of Captain Kidd Guards His Treasure on an Island Off Pelham.

Fri., Oct. 27, 2017:  An Unusual Account of the Dark Spirit of the Devil and His Stepping Stones: A Pelham Legend.  

Thu., Oct. 26, 2017:  The Cow Rustler Ghosts of Pelham Road.

Mon., Oct. 31, 2016:  Pelham Was Overrun by Ghosts for a Few Months in the Winter of 1887-1888.

Fri., Oct. 28, 2016:  The Old Stone House Has At Least One More Ghost -- The Ghost of Mrs. Parrish is Not Alone.

Thu., Oct. 27, 2016:  Did Google Maps Camera Capture the Ghost of the Elegant Lady of the Old Stone House at 463 First Avenue?

Wed., Oct. 26, 2016:  The Ghost of the Murdered Traveler Who Wanders the Bartow-Pell Grounds.

Tue., Oct. 25, 2016:  The Suicidal Specter of Manger Circle.

Mon., Oct. 24, 2016:  The Fiery-Eyed Phantom of Pelham Heights.

Mon., Sep. 19, 2016:  The Dark Spirit of the Devil and His Stepping Stones: A Pelham Legend.

Fri., Oct. 30, 2015:  The Shrieking Ghosts of Execution Rocks: Yet Another Pelham Ghost Story.

Thu., Oct. 29, 2015:  The Apparition of Wolfs Lane:  Another Pelham Ghost Story.

Wed., Oct. 28, 2015:  The Shadowy Specter of James Street:  A Pelham Manor Ghost Story.

Tue., Oct. 27, 2015:  The Ghostly Gardener of Bolton Priory:  A Pelham Apparition.

Mon., Oct. 26, 2015:  The Ghostly Matron of the Manor Club:  Even a Ghost Whisperer's Nightmare!

Fri., Oct. 31, 2014:  Ghosts in Pelham! Yet Another of Many Accounts of the Haunted Cedar Knoll.

Mon., Sep. 08, 2014:  In 1888, The "Ghost of City Island" Upset the Town of Pelham.

Fri., Jan. 17, 2014: The Phantom Bell Ringer of Christ Church in Pelham Manor.

Wed., Oct. 14, 2009:  1879 News Account Provides Additional Basis for Some Facts Underlying Ghost Story of Old Stone House in Pelhamville.

Fri., Jan. 30, 2009:  Article Published in 1901 Detailed Ghost Stories and Legends of Pelham.

Mon., Feb. 19, 2007:  Another Manor of Pelham Ghost Story: The Whispering Bell.

Fri., Aug. 18, 2006:  The Ghost Gunship of Pelham: A Revolutionary War Ghost Story.

Wed., May 03, 2006:  Another Pelham, New York Ghost Story.

Thu., Oct. 13, 2005:  Two More Pelham Ghost Stories.  

Fri., Sep. 16, 2005:  The Legend of the Spy Oak on Pelham Road.

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