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

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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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Another Account of Gold and Silver Treasure Found in a Pelham Manor Backyard in 1889

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Gold!  Silver!  Treasure!  For almost as long as youngsters have let their imaginations run wild, words such as these have prompted them to dig in their backyards in search of riches.  Some parents may smile and shake their heads at the naivete of youth.  Others may angrily instruct their offspring to fill their trenches.  Perhaps Pelham parents, however, should listen to their youngsters and let them explore, for treasure actually has been found in the backyard of a Pelham Manor home before.

I have written before about the cache of silver found in an old safe in the backyard of Pelham Manor resident Robert C. Black, a principal of Fifth Avenue jeweler Black, Starr & Frost.  See Mon., May 16, 2005:  The Discovery of a Gold and Silver Treasure in the Backyard of a Pelham Home in 1889.  My earlier posting was based on a New York Times article about discovery of the treasure.  The story of the treasure, however, was recounted far and wide.  

Today's posting to the Historic Pelham Blog transcribes the text of an article that appeared in the Cumberland Daily Times published in Cumberland, Maryland on April 17, 1889.  It describes in detail how the treasure was found and recounts a couple of the many theories regarding the origins of the treasure.  The text of the article appears immediately below, followed by a citation to its source.

"SILVER IN AN OLD SAFE.
-----
A New York Boy's Rich Find -- Probably Burglars' Booty.

NEW YORK, April 17. -- Robert Black, of Pelham manor, a member of the firm of Black, Starr & Frost, of this city, recently gave an old iron safe on his premises to Peter Berger, who cares for the grounds of the manor.  Mr. Berger took the safe away, and tried on his way home to sell it to a traveling junk man, and would have succeeded had the man been able to take it away.

He then gave it to his son Robert, who broke it open and found inside a lot of old silver, handsomely engraved and lined with gold.  He took the set to Mr. Black, who valued it at $500.  The name, 'C. Stephens,' was engraved on most of the pieces, while one bore the letter 'E,' and several others were engraved 'Napoleon III.'

Supposed to Be 'Swag.'

It is thought that part of the silver was taken by the masked burglars who robbed the Emmet place on the Pelham road in 1874.  The safe had stood in Mr. Black's grounds since 1873.  C. Stephens lived in Pelham in 1870 and 1871, and had a real estate office in lower Broadway, but has since disappeared.  The silver has been placed in the New Rochelle bank vaults to await the owners' identification."

Source:  SILVER IN AN OLD SAFE, Cumberland Daily Times [Cumberland, MD], Apr. 17, 1889, Vol. II, No. 217, p. 1, col. 5 (paid subscription required).

In 1889, Robert C. Black and his family lived in The Dogwoods where the safe stood in the backyard.  I have written about The Dogwoods before.  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.

"Residence of Mr. Robert C. Black (From photograph before completion.)"
NOTE:  "before completion" means before completion of the addition

of two wings to the original house in 1892.

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 (Click Image to Enlarge).  

Research has never revealed whether the owners of the silver were ever located.  Obviously, the fact that "C. Stephens" was engraved on most of the pieces was significant.  Charles J. Stephens and his brother, Henry C. Stephens, were nephews of the principal financial backer of the Pelham Manor & Huguenot Heights Association, Silas H. Witherbee.  The Stephens Brothers lived in Pelham Manor and, by 1872, were working as real estate agents in New York City.  Their firm, Stephens Brothers & Company, described itself as "conveyancers and commission dealers in real property" with "especial attention given to Westchester County, N. Y.'  The firm served as 'Managing Agents' for the Pelham Manor & Huguenot Heights Association.  During the early 1870s, the Stephens Brothers were heavily involved in efforts to market lots in the new suburban development known as "Pelham Manor and Huguenot Heights."  To learn more about Charles J. Stephens and Henry C. Stephens, see Mon., Mar. 20, 2006:  Charles J. Stephens and Henry C. Stephens of the Pelham Manor & Huguenot Heights Association.  

Although no one in Pelham knew how to locate Charles J. Stephens in 1889, his obituary indicates that at about that time he lived with his family at 163 West 12th Street in New York City.  During many of the intervening years, however, he had traveled extensively throughout South America, Central America, and Cuba.  He died August 9, 1891 in Mexico City while collecting material for an illustrated text on Central America.  See Obituary . . . Charles J. Stephens, The Sun [NY, NY], Aug. 12, 1891, p. 2, col. 6.  See also  Wed., May 19, 2010:  Obituary of Charles J. Stephens of the Pelham Manor & Huguenot Heights Association; Thu., Apr. 9, 2009:  The Death of Charles J. Stephens in City of Mexico in 1891.  Additionally, Charles J. Stephens seems to have had some involvement with renting at least one property in Pelham Manor as late as 1884, only five years before the "treasure" was found.  See Mon., Mar. 2, 2009:  1884 Advertisement Placed by Charles J. Stephens of the Pelham Manor & Huguenot Heights Association Offering Home for Rent.    

Since most of the silver found in the safe taken from the backyard of Robert C. Black's home was engraved "C. Stephens," it seems unlikely that the items were part of what was stolen from the home of Richard J. Emmett on December 22, 1873 as noted in the article quoted above.  The Emmett home still stands at 145 Shore Road and is one of the most historic homes in all of Pelham since a portion of the house pre-dates the Revolutionary War.  

The Emmett robbery was one of the most notorious crimes in Pelham history.  On December 22, 1873, a band of robbers broke into the Emmett home, placed handcuffs and gags on all of the occupants, ransacked the residence and escaped with many valuables including material taken from a safe in the home.  No expense was spared in bringing the robbers to justice.  The robbers were identified, captured, tried and convicted.  I have written about the notorious crime on several occasions.  See:

Tue., May 17, 2005:  The Masked Burglar Robbery of the Emmett Home in Pelham on December 22, 1873 (Part I).

Wed., May 18, 2005:  The Masked Burglar Robbery of the Emmett Home in Pelham on December 22, 1873 (Part II).

Fri., Jun. 06, 2014:  More on an Infamous Crime:  The Masked Bandit Robbery of the Kemble House on Shore Road in 1873.

The Kemble House, 145 Shore Road, in 2005.

Photograph by the Author.

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Like ghost stories, treasure stories involving the Town of Pelham abound.  I have written about a number of such treasure stories, some real and some apocryphal.  See:

Mon., Jan. 26, 2015:  Hidden Treasure that Once Belonged to the Father of John Hunter of Hunter's Island in Pelham Found in a Discarded Chest in the 19th Century.

Mon., May 16, 2005: The Discovery of a Gold and Silver Treasure in the Backyard of a Pelham Home in 1889. 

Wed., Jun. 11, 2014:  Buried Treasure Off the Shores of Pelham: The Legend of Pirate's Treasure. 

Mon., May 01, 2006:  The Legend of the Recovery of Pirate's Treasure on an Island Off Pelham.

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"The Dogwoods," Known as the Old Black Mansion on Esplanade, Was Razed for Property Development in 1931

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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."  

At the time the home was enlarged, Real Estate Record and Builders Guide published an article that included a photograph of the home under construction and an architect's rendering of the music room.  (Both images appear below.)  The article further noted:  

"SOME RESIDENTS AND RESIDENCES.

The Esplanade is lined with pretty cottages and attractive villas, the majority of which are the all-year-round homes of their owners.  By far the largest and most costly of these is the residence of Mr. and Mrs. Robert C. Black, which is shown below.  This structure was recently enlarged by the addition of two wings, from plans by Clarence S. Luce of New York.  The western wing is two stories high, the upper portion being devoted to a music-room, about 40 feet in length and about 20 feet in width.  This is just about completed, and its distinguishing features are a musicians' gallery and a superb manel reaching nearly from floor to roof, with an immense brick open fireplace and tiled hearth.  It is to be decorated in white and gold and furnished artistically.  The building occupies a total frontage of 135 feet and there are numerous reception-rooms on the first floor, which connect with the music-room by a grand stairway."

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, pp. 1-8.

"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.

After the Death of Robert C. Black, The Dogwoods passed to his son, R. Clifford Black.  With the onset of the Great Depression and the death of R. Clifford Black, the property taxes on the magnificent home and its surrounding six-acre lot became burdensome.  

R. Clifford Black died on January 26, 1931.  Within months, the estate of R. Clifford Black announced that the home would be razed and the six-acre tract would be broken into smaller lots for the development of twenty smaller residences.  Plans also were announced to auction much of the contents of the home, including a magnificent "pipe organ which graced the huge ballroom where 200 or more guests have danced at many of the Manor's brightest social events."

By late September, 1931, the Black Mansion was being razed.  One of the last remaining grand mansions of Pelham Manor would be no more.  The matter was not, however, over.

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.

Twice in 1931, as the mansion was being torn down, attorneys for the Black family presented plans to develop the property to the Planning Commission of Pelham Manor led by William B. Randall.  On both occasions, the development plans were rejected by the Planning Commission.  See PLAN FOR TEN ACRE DEVELOPMENT IN MANOR APPROVED; MARINER IS SPONSOR -- Planning Commission Rejects Plan for Improvement of Black Estate Property Again; New Development Projected Between Pelhamdale Avenue and Pelham Country Club, The Pelham Sun, Nov. 20, 1931, Vol. 22, No. 35, p. 1, cols. 1-2.  

According to one account, the Planning Commission of Pelham Manor concluded that the proposed plan to build twenty smaller residences on the former Black estate "was not in keeping with the high priced residential district in which the mansion" was located.  See Black Development Plan Is Rejected; To Raze Mansion, The Pelham Sun, Aug. 21, 1931, Vol. 22, No. 21, p. 1, cols. 7-8.

The battle raged for a number of years.  A member of the Black family and heir of Mary G. W. Black and R. Clifford Black named Witherbee Black was involved in the plans for developing the six-acre tract.  Among other things, Witherbee Black requested the Village of Pelham Manor to make changes to applicable zoning ordinances to permit the construction of multiplex houses on the property.  Village residents rose up in protest and created a taxpayers' activist organization named the Pelham Manor Property Owner's Association.  See Property Owners Rally To Support New Pelham Manor Taxpayers' Ass'n -- Many Offers of Financial Support Received by Joseph Carreau, Chairman of Organization Committee; Incorporation Meeting Monday; Public Session to be Held Next Week, The Pelham Sun, Dec. 29, 1936, Vol. 27, No. 39, p. 1, col. 1.    

The Pelham Manor Property Owner's Association and the Planning Commission of Pelham Manor battled valiantly, but the property eventually was subdivided and about twenty or twenty one beautiful homes relatively large for the size of their lots were constructed.    

"Pelham Manor

BLACK MANSION TO BE RAZED
-----
Esplanade Landmark Must Make Way for New Development
-----

In the razing of the old Black mansion on Esplanade, Pelham Manor, to make way for a development of the six-acre tract upon which the mansion stands, the village will see its most ambitious development in five years.

It was reported today that the venture by the owners of the property will also entail auctioning many valuable furnishings of the home, including the large pipe organ which graced the huge ballroom where 200 or more guests have danced at many of the Manor's brightest social events.  

It is expected the work of tearing down the 45-year-old home, valued at $75,000, will be started within two weeks, after its contents have been removed.

Two streets will be cut through the six acres, according to the plans of the developers, and the property will be divided into 20 building lots.  In real estate circles, it is spoken of as close to a million dollar development, in view of the type of homes which must necessarily be built to conform to zoning law provisions, by the buyers of the lots.  

The property is owned and will be developed by the estate of the late R. Clifford Black.  The Black family have been prominent through several generations in the social life and physical growth of the village.  

Originally 80 acres were held by the family, extending over the land now traversed by Esplanade, one of the village's most beautiful thoroughfares.  Mary G. W. Black gave the land now occupied by the Manor Club and her father was the donor of the land to the Huguenot Memorial Church, which is the site of the church edifice now standing at the corner of the Boston Post Road and Pelhamdale Avenue."

Source:  BLACK MANSION TO BE RAZED, The Daily Argus [Mount Vernon, NY], Aug. 17, 1931, p. 9, col. 1.  

"Black Development Plan Is Rejected; To Raze Mansion
-----
Black Estate to Develop Six Acre Tract in Pelham Manor; Mariner Also Plans Development of Another Large Parcel of Property; Mansion Was Scene of Many Important Social Gatherings.
-----

Plans which included the razing of the famous old Black Mansion on the Esplanade and the development of the six acre estate with the construction of a group of twenty small residences have been rejected by the Planning Commission of Pelham Manor, The Pelham Sun learned this week.  William B. Randall, former village president, chairman of the Planning Commission announced that the proposed plan was not in keeping with the high priced residential district in which the mansion is located.

Witherbee Black, heir of the estate of Mrs. Mary G. W. Black and R. Clifford Black, who is responsible for the proposed development was asked to submit a more favorable plan.  Mr. Randall expressed an opinion that the property could be properly developed along the lines of the existing residential district of Pelham Manor, without loss to the owner.  

Announcement of the development of the Black property on the Esplanade was followed this week by a report that another Black tract is soon to be subdivided and developed by Guy C. Mariner.  this property is situated opposite the Black Mansion on Pelhamdale avenue and extends to the Pelham Country Club golf course.  Mariner who was responsible for the Bonmar addition plans to include the Black property in this section.  The Black mansion which was for many years the home of Mrs. Mary W. G. Black, widow of Robert C. Black, is fifty years old.  It was one of the show places of Westchester County and its spacious rooms were the rendezvous of the elite of Westchester.  Mrs. Black was a prominent figure in the Westchester County social swirl, and the leader in the benevolent activities of the Pelhams.  The large ballroom was frequently the scene of receptions to distinguished figures of the United States and Europe.

The handsome furnishings of the building have been removed and will soon be sold at public auction.  A massive pipe organ is still in the music room of the house.  It was at this console that the best musicians were heard in receptions before the music lovers of Westchester society.

The Black estate once covered the greater portion of Pelham Manor.  It extended from the 

(Continued on Page Four)

BLACK MANSION, ONCE CENTER OF SOCIAL LIFE IN PELHAM MANOR WILL BE RAZED
-----

(Continued from page 1)

Esplanade across the property which is now the Pelham Country Club, and across the branch line of the New Haven Railroad.  Another large section on Prospect Hill was held by Mrs. Black.  In 1874 when there were only ten homes in Pelham Manor, Silas Witherbee, father of Mrs. Black financed the development company which laid out the village.  At the failure of this company Witherbee took over the property and it was purchased by his daughter who had faith in the rising community.  She immediately moved to Pelham and began the career which has had much to do with the development of the village, its social life and charity activities.  

Mrs. Black took an active part in the organization of the Manor Club, and was one of the charter members of the Pelham Home for Children.  She was a member of the Huguenot Memorial Church and donated part of the property on which the church now stands.  

Robert C. Black, husband of Pelham Manor's dominant figure, died in 1907.  Mrs. Black continued to maintain her residence here until she died in 1928.  The property was bequeathed to her two sons R. Clifford Black and Witherbee Black.  The former died early this year. 

The furniture which includes several handsome antique pieces will be sold at public auction at the Neptune Storage Warehouse in New Rochelle early in September.  

Charles D. Fiske, president of Fish & Marvin, who are agents for the property announced that the work of razing the mansion will be started next week.

The plans for the new residential development included the construction of two streets from the Esplanade to Pelhamdale avenue.  The property will be divided into twenty building lots.

In his rejection Mr. Randall expressed an opinion that the property could be developed in large tracts and suggested that a winding road be laid out across the property instead of the two short streets.  He expressed the hope that the several splendid trees now on the property be preserved in the development."

Source:  Black Development Plan Is Rejected; To Raze Mansion, The Pelham Sun, Aug. 21, 1931, Vol. 22, No. 21, p. 1, cols. 7-8 & p. 4, cols. 1-2.

"BLACK MANSION IS BEING RAZED
-----
Famous Old Social Center of Pelham Manor Will Be Removed to Make Way for Residential Development.
-----

The most brilliant page in the social history of the Pelhams was turned on Monday when work of the razing of the Black mansion on the Esplanade was begun.  The handsome old residence which was at one time the social stronghold of the late Mary G. W. Black, is being removed to make way for a modern residential development.  Witherbee Black and the Estate of R. Clifford Black is responsible for the new development.  

Application for approval of the plan for the new development has been rejected by the Planning Commission."

Source:  BLACK MANSION IS BEING RAZED, The Pelham Sun, Sep. 25, 1931, Vol. 22, No. 26, p. 1, col. 3.  

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

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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"Stone Croft" on the Esplanade, Once the Home of Henry B. B. Stapler

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"Stone Croft" is a beautiful home with a beautiful stable (later, a carriage house) that still stands on the Esplanade not far from Huguenot Memorial Presbyterian Church.  It once was the home of Henry Beidleman Bascom Stapler.  Stapler was an attorney who also served for a time as Assistant District Attorney in New York City.  

Stapler was an important early resident of Pelham Manor who was actively involved in the Pelham Manor Protective Club for several years before the incorporation of the Village of Pelham Manor in 1891.  I have written about Stapler before.  See Fri., Apr. 03, 2009:  Biography and Photograph of Henry Beidleman Bascom Stapler, an Active Member of the Pelham Manor Protective Club in its Latter Years.

Henry Beidleman Bascom Stapler

Stapler owned a lovely home that still stands on the Esplanade.  He named the home "Stone Croft."  

Stone Croft with Stables (Later, Carriage House)

Partially Visible to the Right of the Home.

Stone Croft was one of a group of three "country homes" built in Pelham Manor in the late 19th century.  The other two were:  The Dogwoods built by Mr. and Mrs. Robert C. Black adjacent to and somewhat "behind" Stone Croft; and "Myne Owne," once the home of Benjamin F. Corlies.  Neither The Dogwoods, nor Myne Owne still stands.  The carriage house that served The Dogwoods still stands.  It has been converted into a beautiful home located at 1 Country Club Lane, Pelham Manor.  

I recently ran across a very brief newspaper notice with important information about the stables built to serve Stone Croft.  The item mentions the architect, the masons, and the carpenter who built it.  It is quoted immediately below.

"Pelham Manor.
------

H.B.B. Stapler is about to build an elegant stable.  F. Carles Merry prepared the plans.  The material will be native stone; the style to match the house.  John New & Son, masons, and Samuel W. Dassler, carpenter, have the contracts."

Source:  Pelham Manor, The Daily Argus [Mount Vernon, NY], Jul. 18, 1892, Vol. 1, No. 92, p. 1, col. 2.

What follows is a brief biography of H.B.B. Stapler published in 1907.

"HENRY BEIDLEMAN BASCOM STAPLER, son of James and Maria (Beidleman) Stapler, was born February 24, 1853, at Mobile, Ala.  His parents died during his early life, and he entered college under the guardianship of Miss Sarah Stapler, an aunt, from Wilmington, Del.

The year after graduation he was classical instructor in the Hartford (Conn.) High School, and at the same time began his course in the Yale Law School, which he completed in 1876.  During his college course he won several prizes in English composition, and at the end of the Second year in the Law School the Jewell Prize for the highest marks in examination.  During the second year of his law course he was also instructor in history in the Hopkins Grammar School.

After a clerkship with Fowler & Taylor in New York city, he was admitted to practice in May, 1878, and the following September formed a partnership with his classmate, John L. Wood, which continued ten years, after which he practiced alone.  From 1891 to 1893 he was Assistant District Attorney of the City and County of New York, and was then with George P. Breckenridge in the law firm of Stapler & Breckenridge.

Mr. Stapler died of pneumonia at his home in Pelham Manor, Westchester County, N. Y., December 1, 1906, at the age of 53 years.  He was a vestryman of Christ Church.

He married, November 10, 1880, Helen Louisa, daughter of J. T. and Martha J. Gause, of Wilmington, Del.  She survives him with a daughter and three sons."

Source:  Obituary Record of Graduates Of Yale University Deceased During the Academical Year Ending In June, 1907, Including The Record Of A Few Who Died Previously, Hitherto Unreported [Presented at the Meeting of the Alumni, June 25, 1907], pp. 755-56 (New Haven, CT:  Yale University, 1907).

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