"A Christmas Creed" Presented to Pelham During the Holiday Season in 1922

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Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and Happy New Year Dear Pelham!

Pelhamites enjoyed the holidays in 1922 at the outset of the Roaring Twenties.  The local economy was humming along.  All was good in the world.  

"Radiophones" were the new rage in Pelham that year.  See Mon., May 22, 2017:  Early Radio in Pelham: Pelham Firefighters and Business at Pelham Picture House Installed "Radiophone" in 1922.  Prohibition was underway that year as well, though it didn't stop Pelhamites from celebrating with a nip or two.  See Thu., Feb. 02, 2017:  Bootleggers Began to Feel the Heat in Pelham in 1922.  The Huguenot Memorial Presbyterian Church at Four Corners celebrated its 46th anniversary that year.  See Thu., Aug. 24, 2017:  Huguenot Memorial Presbyterian Church Had a Special Celebration of its 46th Anniversary in 1922.  "Silent Cop" traffic "semaphores" and signals were being installed throughout Town as traffic grew to otherwise dangerous levels.  See Wed., Nov. 29, 2017:  Pelham Grows Up: Installation of "Silent Cop" Traffic Lights and Traffic Semaphores in the 1920s.  Grading and construction of Memorial Park next to Town Hall began in 1922.  See Fri., Sep. 22, 2017:  The Establishment of Memorial Park by the Town of Pelham During the 1920s.  Single copies of The Pelham Sun, our local newspaper at the time, cost six cents in 1922.  An annual subscription cost three dollars.  The "Good Ol' Days" were well upon Pelham that year.

Even Dear Pelham's "Christmas Spirit" was optimistic that year.  Indeed, The Pelham Sun devoted its entire front page on December 15, 1922 to "A Christmas Creed."  With yet another Christmas now underway in Pelham, "A Christmas Creed" is transcribed below, followed by a reproduction of the front page of the newspaper on which it appeared ninety-five years ago.

"A Christmas Creed

By MARTHA B. THOMAS
Copyright 1922, WESTERN NEWSPAPER UNION

I believe in Santa Claus.  I believe no hair is snowier, no cheeks redder, no smile merrier and no eyes more twinkling than his.  I believe the heart inn him is big enough to encompass the world -- if people would let it!  I believe in the jingle of his sleigh bells, the swiftness of his reindeer, the sound of their tapping feet on the roof.  I believe in chimneys, big, broad, deep-throated chimneys that will not cramp the Merry Gentleman with his bulging pack.  I believe in solemn rows of stockings hanging by the fire -- father's short one, mother's long one and the dangling ones of the children, all waiting and expectant.  I believe in the invisible blossom of happiness that Santa Clause leaves at every house, and I believe that it will grow through all the year if people try to keep the spirit of Christmas every day!"

Source:  Thomas, Martha B., A Christmas Creed, The Pelham Sun, Dec. 15, 1922, Vol. 13, No. 42, p. 1, cols. 1-7.

NOTE:  Click on Image to Enlarge.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year Dear Pelham!

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An Editorial from Early Pelham Newspaper The Register Published in 1906

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Pelham had a number of early newspapers of which no copies (or an insignificant number of copies) are known to exist.  One such newspaper was The Register, a Democratic newspaper published in the early years of the 20th century.

I have written about the history of Pelham's various newspapers before.  For examples, see:

Mon., Aug. 04, 2014:  A History of Newspapers Published in Pelham.

Thu., Jun. 26, 2014:  A History of the Early Years of The Pelham Sun, A Pelham Newspaper Institution. 

Mon., Sep. 05, 2005:  The Pelham Republican:  Official Newspaper of The Villages of Pelham and North Pelham in 1902. 

Mon., May 23, 2005:  Thomas M. Kennett, Long Time Editor of The Pelham Sun. 

Fri., Apr. 01, 2005:  The Earliest Newspaper in Pelham?

The Register likely was Democrats' answer to The Republican, a newspaper published in Pelham during at least the years 1902 and 1903, if not later.  In his account of early Pelham newspapers published in 1929, J. Gardiner Minard recalled that The Register was founded after The Pelham Sun in 1910.  Minard's memory, however, failed him.  It is clear that The Register existed as early as 1906 and, perhaps, earlier.  

According to Minard, Charles B. Forbes (who later became publisher of the White Plains Daily Press) founded The Register with the assistance of J. Gardiner Minard.  In 1929, Minard wrote:  

"Between the two of us we kept the political pot boiling. Forbes received a tempting offer from a Washington, D. C. newspaper for a few years, during which time I pulled off a neat stunt. Robert Lucas Forbes, brother of my original partner, was running the New Rochelle Paragraph and although it was independently Republican, he found conditions in New Rochelle so unbearable that he supported the Democratic candidates in spite of threats from the Republican Committees to deprive him of then county printing. My paper was Democratic and when the official county newspapers were designated the Register was included, and I celebrated the event by transferring the paper to Forbes. Mr. Ceder subsequently consolidated the Record and Register with the Pelham Sun."

Source:  Minard, J. Gardiner, MANY NEWSPAPERS HAVE ENTERED PELHAM FIELD SINCE PELHAM PRESS WAS PUBLISHED IN 1896, The Pelham Sun, Apr. 5, 1929, p. 9, cols. 1-6.

No known copies of The Register exist today.  Yet it is possible to get a little flavor of the publication by virtue of an editorial it published in 1906 that was reprinted in the October 3, 1906 issue of the Daily Argus published in Mount Vernon.  

Pelham Democrats were very unhappy in October, 1906.  They were angry about the Democratic ticket for State positions that would be decided in the November 6 election.  Indeed, they seemed a little embarrassed about the contrast between the well-organized, smooth, and orderly Republican State Convention held September 25-26 and the somewhat tumultuous and disorderly Democratic State Convention held September 25-27.

Following an intervention by U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt, the Republican Convention nominated Charles E. Hughes for Governor, Merton E. Lewis for Comptroller, and renominated all remaining incumbent State officers by acclamation.  In contrast, at their State Convention Democrats nominated William Randolph Hearst as candidate for governor on the first ballot.  Independence League candidates were proffered for a number of remaining positions so that a Democratic / Independence League fusion ticket was presented to voters in the November election.    

Pelham Democrats were not unhappy with the Democratic / Independence League fusion ticket.  Rather, they were unhappy with the nomination of William Randolph Hearts as the Democratic candidate for Governor.  The editorial that appeared in The Register stated:

"'The Democratic nominations made at Buffalo last week are a keen disappointment to the old line Democrats who relied upon their delegates to name a strong man who would stand a good chance against any candidate the Republican party might name.  On the contrary, they named a decidedly weak man, one whose inconsistency is shown in assailing Boss Murphy, Bourke Cockran and Pat McCarren less than six months ago and now delightedly and contentedly basking in their smiles.  The contrast between the smooth running, orderly convention at Saratoga and the disorderly conference is as striking as the characters of the nominees.  The Register is Democratic and accepts the result, unless it is proved conclusively that honestly elected delegates were barred by dishonest methods from the convention.'"

Pelham Democrats and their local mouthpiece, The Register, seemed to agree with most New Yorkers.  In the November 6 election that followed, the entire Democratic / Independence fusion ticket was elected with the exception of William Randolph Hearst who was rejected by New York voters throughout the State but especially in New York City.  Significantly, with the exception of the governorship, the election results ended a twelve-year Republican era in New York State politics.  See "New York State Election, 1906" in Wikipedia -- The Free Encyclopedia (visited Oct. 7, 2017).

William Randolph Hearst, 1906 Democratic Candidate for

Governor of the State of New York, a Nomination with Which

Pelham Democrats and the Democratic Newspaper The

Register were Dissatisfied.  Source:  Wikipedia.

NOTE:  Click on Image to Enlarge.

*          *          *          *          *

"PELHAM DEMOCRATIC PAPER DISATISFIED [sic] WITH HEARST
-----
The Register Says Nomination Is Unsatisfactory and Remarks Upon Candidate's Inconsistency.
-----

North Pelham, Oct. 3. -- If an editorial which appeared in the Pelham Register of this week's issue is any criterion, the Democratic party in Pelham is in a disgruntled state of mind concerning the nominations made at the Democratic convention in Buffalo.

The Register, which is purported to be the Democratic organ of the town, is dissatisfied with the way things went at Buffalo, and contrasts the Republican convention with the Democratic convention, referring to the former as a 'smooth running and orderly convention,' and the latter as the 'disorderly Buffalo conference.'

The editorial follows, showing no doubt the sentiment of the sober-minded Democrats of the town:  'The Democratic nominations made at Buffalo last week are a keen disappointment to the old line Democrats who relied upon their delegates to name a strong man who would stand a good chance against any candidate the Republican party might name.  On the contrary, they named a decidedly weak man, one whose inconsistency is shown in assailing Boss Murphy, Bourke Cockran and Pat McCarren less than six months ago and now delightedly and contentedly basking in their smiles.  The contrast between the smooth running, orderly convention at Saratoga and the disorderly conference is as striking as the characters of the nominees.  The Register is Democratic and accepts the result, unless it is proved conclusively that honestly elected delegates were barred by dishonest methods from the convention.'"

Source:  PELHAM DEMOCRATIC PAPER DISATISFIED [sic] WITH HEARST -- The Register Says Nomination Is Unsatisfactory and Remarks Upon Candidate's Inconsistency, Daily Argus [Mount Vernon, NY], Oct. 3, 1906, Whole No. 4435, p. 1, col. 1.

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History, Hanukkah, Christmas, and Pelham

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Happy Hanukkah, Merry Christmas, and Happy Holidays, dear Pelham!  This year, due to the shifting holidays of the Jewish lunar calendar, Hanukkah is a late December holiday that begins at sunset tomorrow -- Christmas Eve based on the Gregorian calendar.  Thus, in an event that happens only once every thirty-eight years, the first night of the Jewish Festival of Lights will begin on Christmas Eve and the first day of Hanukkah will coincide with Christmas Day.

Pelhamites celebrated an analogous circumstance in 1910 when the first night of Hanukkah began at sundown on December 25, Christmas night based on the Gregorian calendar.  The newly-established local newspaper at the time, The Pelham Sun, published an article about the event in its weekly edition at the time.  The article read:

"JEWISH FESTIVAL.
-----
Feast of Hanukkah Starts on Christmas and Will Last Eight Days.

Starting on the 25th of Kislev and lasting eight days, is held one of the Jewish festivals of rejoicing, Hanukkah.  This year it is an interesting coincidence that Hanukkah falls on the 25th of December, so that the Jewish festival occurs on the same day as the great Christian holiday, Christmas.

The celebration of Hanukkah is chiefly a festival of light, instituted among the congregations of Israel in the year 165 B. C.  Its observance is universal among the Jews, and it will be celebrated in Providence this year as usual.

The festival of Hanukkah is connected with an important chapter in the history of the Jewish religion, and [memorializes] the dedication of the altar of the temple after its profanation by the Syrians.

The origin of the manner of the celebration is interesting.  The feast of Hanukkah is observed by illuminating the house with lights of the purest oil for eight days.  The Talmud relates that a miracle occurring at the dedication of the purified temple was the foundation for this mode of observance.  The miracle was that one small cruise of consecrated oil, sufficient to burn but one day . . . lasted eight days and burned until new oil could be prepared. . . ."

Source:  JEWISH FESTIVAL -- Feast of Hanukkah Starts on Christmas and Will Last Eight Days, The Pelham Sun, Dec. 31, 1910, Vol. 1, No. 39, p. 2, col. 4.  

This year, Hanukkah will extend from the evening of December 24 to the evening of January 1.  This means Pelhamites should "look for an abundance of latkes, chocolate gelt and jelly doughnuts to directly coincide with the usual eggnog, sugar cookies, ham and gingerbread houses."  Kuperinsky, Amy, Why Are Hanukkah and Christmas Eve on the Same Day in 2016?,  NJ.com (visited Dec. 11, 2016).  It also means it will be a time for the Mensch on a Bench to join in joyous celebrations with the Elf on a Shelf.  Id.  

Happy Hanukkah, Merry Christmas, and Happy Holidays, Dear Pelham!

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Report on the Previous 25 Years of Progress in Pelham Published in 1913

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The year was 1913.  Pelhamites were proud.  They were supremely proud of the progress of the previous twenty-five years.  They were proud of the technological progress that prompted construction of trolley service to connect Pelham with surrounding Villages, Towns, and Cities.  They were proud of their three "artistic" railroad stations:  the Pelham Station, the Pelham Manor Station, and the Fifth Avenue Station of the New York, Boston and Westchester Railway.  Pelham also was proud of its new high school, the first ever opened in the little Town.  We know that school today as Siwanoy Elementary School.  Pelham was especially proud of its new sewage disposal plant.

The local newspaper, The Pelham Sun, was not yet three years old.  It clearly saw its mission not only to report the news, but also to extol the virtues of the growing Town of Pelham, still in its infancy.  As the newspaper sought to gain its footing, it relied heavily on articles of interest prepared by local residents.  

On December 20, 1913, The Pelham Sun published an article by James Francis Secor, Jr., one of Pelham Manor's most notable early residents.  The article extolled the progress in the Town of Pelham during the previous 25 years.  It was a rightly prideful article that also was optimistic for the future.  Today, the article sheds light on Pelham of yore and the efforts of those who came before us to make Pelham what it is today:  a community of note.  

James Francis Secor, Jr. was born in 1847.  He married Joan Elizabeth Klink in 1880.  Joan Elizabeth Klink Secor became President of the Manor Club and served in that capacity for decades.  She was a social force in Pelham and is still esteemed by members of the club she nurtured.  She also is remembered by those who appreciate the history of the little Town of Pelham.  

At the time, the Secors owned a large swath of land adjacent to Boston Post Road.   Eventually, they began to subdivide and sell the property.  In 1913, of course, James F. Secor certainly understood the need to extol the virtues of his little Town, particularly if he planned to subdivide and sell his lands. . . . . 

The report on 25 years progress in Pelham published in 1913 provides us today with a fascinating glimpse of the things about which Pelhamites were proud.  The entire report prepared by Mr. Secor appears below.   

"PELHAM MANOR VILLAGE HALL"

Source:  Progress in Pelham Township DURING

PAST 25 YEARS, The Pelham Sun, Dec. 20, 1913,

p. 9, cols. 4-5. NOTE:  Click on Image to Enlarge.

*          *          *          *          *

Below is the report written by James F. Secor on the previous 25 years of progress in Pelham published on December 20, 1913.  The text is followed by a citation and link to the source.  

"Progress in Pelham Township
DURING PAST 25 YEARS.
-----

The advance made in Pelham Township during this period will certainly bear comparison with that made in other localities.  To begin, only a very small part of the town was settled.  In Pelham Manor between the Boston Turnpike and the Pelham Manor station there were but a few houses.  In 'Pelhamville,' now North Pelham, the number was greater.  The section now known as Secor Hill, Fowler Hill and Pelham Heights, contained not more than six houses.  The section between the Pelham Manor station and the Sound contained (including the 'Priory' and church) but three houses.  City Island and Pelham Bay Park were part of the town.  The small stone building on the Shore Road near Bartow Station was the Town Hall, where votes were cast at all elections, and where town meetings were held.  City Island, having the largest population, controlled the election, and hence the appropriations.  The 'Main Land,' as our part of the town was called, received but a small sum for the improvement of roads, although our part of the taxes.  What changes have taken place in twenty-five years, the foregoing statement, contrasted with the present condition, will show, New York City has annexed City Island and Pelham Bay Park.  The latter has been improved with fine roads, a golf links, and bathing beaches established, of which residents of the town have the same privileges as city residents.

Our town now has its own town government.  We have three separate villages -- North Pelham, Pelham and Pelham Manor -- also a portion still unincorporated, bordering on the Village of Pelham Manor and New York City.  Since the elimination of City Island we have by the fortunate selection of our town and village officials secured large amounts of money for improvements, also its honest and efficient expenditure, the result showing in our well paved streets of brick, asphalt and macadam, cement and flagstone sidewalks, sewers, water, gas, with electricity in our streets, and the lighting of the same.

We now possess a trolley service through the town and to neighboring cities, also transportation to New York City by trolley, or electric railroad, giving frequent service to Grand Central Station, and Third Avenue Elevated Railroad, from the three comfortable and artistic stations.  The town owns a fine Town Hall, situated in the village of North Pelham, also a sewage disposal plant.  The Villages of North Pelham and Pelham ('Pelham Heights') have a modern and well equipped fire department and an efficient police force.  The town has one Free School District, and through liberal appropriations has erected three modern school buildings in which are maintained a fully graded grammar school at North Pelham, a fully graded grammar school and high school at Pelham Manor, a building at Pelham Heights (not in use at present) and in addition the old brick school building with with one acre of land in Pelham Manor.  We also have in Pelham Manor an influential private school, known as 'Pelham Hall.'

The Township also has within its borders the new Pelham Country Club, the Manor Club, the New York Athletic Club at Travers Island, and an artistic building in North Pelham, housing the Masonic Lodge.  We also have five churches, the Priory (Episcopal), Huguenot Memorial (Presbyterian), Congregational, Catholic and Church of the Redeemer (Episcopal).

Contrast all these comforts and conveniences as factors of civilization with the former conditions of dirt roads, no sidewalks, no gas, no electricity, no running water, no sewerage, few trains, no trolleys, inadequate school buildings, no telephones, -- and it is most apparent that Pelham has progressed along material lines very greatly during the past twenty-five years.

JAMES F. SECOR."

Source:  Progress in Pelham Township DURING PAST 25 YEARS, The Pelham Sun, Dec. 20, 1913, p. 9, cols. 4-5.

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Happy New Year Wishes to Pelham for 1935 at the Height of the Great Depression

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Happy New Year, Pelham!  May the year 2015 be a happy, healthy, and prosperous new year for all.

These days, of course, new year greetings typically are optimistic and positive.  They evoke warm and idealistic expectations for the upcoming year.  Unsurprisingly, things were no different in late 1934 if not, perhaps, a bit more tentative.

At the very height of The Great Depression, Pelham and its citizens were suffering.  According to published accounts, many "combination family homes" in which multiple families resided out of necessity sprang up.  Many of the downtown businesses were shuttered up.  Indeed, according to one account contained in a letter to the editor of the local newspaper:

"Merchant[s] in store after store, what few are occupied, would have more actual cash in his pocket at the end of the year if he would quit the deserted village and take to the open road with a pick and shovel.  Stacks and stacks of vacant stores, some of which are new and in splendid condition and can be rented for as low as $35 a month, are going begging."

Source:  Our Readers' Views:  A "GOOD" LETTER, The Pelham Sun, Dec. 26, 1930, Vol. 21, No. 39, p. 2, cols. 5-8.   

Despite such evidence of financial doom and gloom, in late 1934, Pelham was optimistic about the new year.  The local newspaper, The Pelham Sun, touted meager evidence that Christmas shopping strengthened in 1934.  It claimed idealistically that the lack of credit was a good thing because it was important to support business in "moderation."  It wished all a happy new year and urged everyone to have a "constructive" new year in 1935.

Both the optimism and the advice seem apt even today.  Happy New Year, Pelham!  

Below is a reminder of how optimism prevailed in Pelham even at the height of The Great Depression.  These are the wishes for a happy new year in 1935 published by The Pelham Sun on December 28, 1934.  

"THE NEW YEAR.
-----
Like the patient who is convalescing and beginning to 'feel different,' our country is beginning to experience a change for the better.  There are many recent evidences of this turn of the tide.  There are general reports among local business men that the volume of Christmas shopping was greater than had been anticipated.  Record-breaking crowds have been the rule at metropolitan centers.  As another indication of improved conditions there are reports from some of the 5c and 10c stores that Christmas shopping was off compared to last year -- an indication, perhaps that the mass of the 5c and 10c shoppers of last year had moved up a notch in the value of their purchases.

Certain is one thing.  Business is now on much shorter credit terms than before, and that is good for business in moderation; it has a definite steadying effect, and gives a much firmer foundation for progressive steps during the coming year.

We believe that one can truthfully say that the nightmare of depression has passed, and that business has reasserted itself and is definitely thinking forwardly.  

It may perhaps take another full year before the full benefit of the upswing will be felt.  Real estate, inactive for years, hand in hand with a dormant building industry, must react to the impulses of increasing population, and the dissolution of the many combination family homes that have come about through necessity during the depression.  More homes, more families, mean better markets for everything.  All this can be definitely foreseen, but the date of its arrival is still a matter of conjecture.

The coming year -- 1935 -- will, in our opinion, be a year for constructive effort.  So put on your thinking cap and plan something constructive for your business.  Follow it through with all your might.

May we wish all our readers a Happy and Constructive New Year during the coming A. D. 1935."

Source:  THE NEW YEAR, The Pelham Sun, Dec. 28, 1934, Vol. 25, No. 41, p. 2, col. 1. 

"HAPPY NEW YEAR" Post Card Based on

Currier & Ives Print. 

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Article from April 23, 1910 Issue of The Pellham Sun

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Peter Ceder founded The Pelham Sun on April 9, 1910 and nurtured the growing newspaper until shortly before the advent of the Roaring Twenties when he turned his attention, full time, to real estate development in the Town of Pelham.  In 1919, Ceder began a search for a new owner to whom he could turn to continue the institution he had created. He turned, first, to J. Gardiner Minard, a resident of the Village of North Pelham who had some newspaper experience.  Having just returned from World War I, Minard demurred, telling Ceder "I am sick of wars and running newspapers." 

Soon it began to appear that Ceder might close the newspaper, leaving the growing and increasingly-prosperous town without its own newspaper.  A group of nine civic-minded citizens led by Pelham Manor multi-millionaire William T. Grant, the founder of the nationwide chain of W. T. Grant 25 Cent Stores, formed The Pelham Sun Corporation and bought the newspaper from Peter Ceder. 

Pelham resident Thomas M. Kennett was appointed the editor of The Pelham Sun on February 28, 1921.  In 1925, Kennett purchased The Pelham Sun from the nine Pelham residents who had acquired it from Ceder.  Kennett operated the newspaper with his son, Frederick T. Kennett for many years thereafter.

Sadly, however, many issues of the newspaper published in its early years have been lost forever.  Thus, it is a particular joy to locate an article that appeared in The Pelham Sun less than two weeks after the newspaper was founded.  The article, entitled "PELHAM MANOR MURMURS," was reprinted in the New Rochelle Press a week after it originally appeared in The Pelham Sun on April 23, 1910.

The article reports on a number of interesting issues including the baseball team of the Pelham Country Club and the location of the field on which it played, the state of disrepair of the horse watering fountain on Boston Post Turnpike at the Esplanade, and the newly-created U.S. Postal Service mail delivery service for Pelham Manor established in 1910 and operated out of the Pelham Manor Post Office.

The text of the article appears immediately below, followed by a citation and link to its source.   

Post Card View of the Horse Drinking Fountain at Boston

Post Road and Esplanade, Circa 1910, Referred to in the
"PELHAM MANOR MURMURS" ARTICLE.
NOTE:  Click Image to Enlarge.

"PELHAM MANOR MURMURS
-----
(From the Pelham Sun, April 23).

The younger members of the Pelham Country Club, who has leased the old Iden residence, will organize a baseball team again this year.  They had one last year and played many successful games.  The diamond is situated three hundred feet west of Wolf's Lane, opposite the club house.

Miss Grace M. Hubbard's dancing class closed its season at the club house last Saturday.  The Misses Elizabeth Eyre, Elizabeth Tanner, Elizabeth Sawyer, Louise Abbott, Marguerite and Catherine Ferns, Eleanor Tyson and Helen Fairchild, combined with twelve little girls, made a very pretty picture.  The flower dance was especially fascinating and the class acquitted itself delightfully.

The shabby condition of the drinking fountain on the Boston Turnpike and the Esplanade is the subject of some comment in the Manor.  This fountain was presented to the village by Mrs. Iselin, of New Rochelle.  The bronze dogs at either side of the main trough are badly mutilated by wagon poles coming in contact with them.  The ornamental lamps that adorn the whole are sadly in need of paint and badly rusted.  On the whole, the fountain presents a rather neglected appearance.  

The Split Rock road is being improved by the employees of Pelham Bay Park and the conditions now stand in strong contrast with past years of neglect.  The brushes and shrubbery are being cut away for a distance of thirty feet on each side of the highway and it is now possible to drive there with a reasonable degree of safety.  Heretofore the sharp curves of the road have been hidden from view by dense foilage [sic] making autos and vehicles coming in an opposite direction obscured to each other until dangerously close.  Only an experienced driver dared negotiate the road during the past.  As this is the nearest highway between Pelham Manor and City Island and also draws considerable traffic from Mt. Vernon, East Chester and Yonkers, it can readily be seen that the course just pursuded by the Board of Park Commissioners is commendable.  Many residents of the Manor, daily, take an early morning drive down this historic and picturesque road.

The free delivery service recently instituted at the Pelham Manor post office is now in successful operation.  Two deliveries are made daily, at 7 a.m. and 4.15 p.m.  Carrier Benj. Hobson serves all that section which lies south of Boston Turnpike, with the exception of Pelhamdale avenue, and Carrier David Wagner serves the section north of Boston Turnpike.  Both of these are men of many years' experience as letter carriers and on the routes which they formerly served in New York they were highly regarded by the business men and residents.  At the time of delivery, collections of mail are made from the various street letter boxes that have been placed at convenient locations.  New arrivals and departures of mail are also in operation, thereby affording this section improved facilities.  The office, which is now a branch of the New York post office, is in charge of Superintendent L. Dreyfus who is assisted in the work by Clerk R. J. Wilson.  They also have behind them long years of service in the post office department and are well qualified to render to the public efficient service."

Source:  PELHAM MANOR MURMURS, New Rochelle Pioneer, Apr. 30, 1910, p. 6, col. 3 (reprinted from Apr. 23, 1910 issue of The Pelham Sun).  

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A History of Newspapers Published in Pelham

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In 1929, J. Gardiner Minard of the Village of North Pelham published an interesting history on local newspaper publishing in the Town of Pelham.  I have written on many occasions of the history of newspaper publishing in the Town of Pelham.  For a few examples, see:

Thu., Jun. 26, 2014:  A History of the Early Years of The Pelham Sun, A Pelham Newspaper Institution.

Mon., Sep. 05, 2005:  The Pelham Republican: Official Newspaper of The Villages of Pelham and North Pelham in 1902.  

Mon., May 23, 2005:  Thomas M. Kennett, Long Time Editor of The Pelham Sun.

Fri., Apr. 01, 2005:  The Earliest Newspaper in Pelham?

Today's posting to the Historic Pelham Blog transcribes J. Gardiner Minard's article about the history of newspaper publishing in Pelham, followed by a citation to its source.

Front Page of The Pelham Sun Published on

December 12, 1941, Announcing the Attack

on Pearl Harbor and the Declaration of War.

"MANY NEWSPAPERS HAVE ENTERED PELHAM FIELD SINCE PELHAM PRESS WAS PUBLISHED IN 1896
-----
History of Local Press Recalled As Pelham Sun Completes the Nineteenth Year Of Its Existence -- First Venture Politically Inspired to Boost McKinley Candidacy
-----
By J. Gardiner Minard
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We are nineteen years old.  With this issue, The Pelham Sun observes its nineteenth birthday.  On Saturday, April 9, 1910, in the midst of a heated political battle, the citizens of the three small villages that constituted the Town of Pelham in those days found on their doorstep, a four page newspaper.  It was a successor to a series of publications whose enterprising publishers had failed to find the field very lucrative.  The Sun, however, under the careful management of Mr. Ceder, survived its lean days and has continued to serve the Pelhams through all but one year of two decades.

Pelham's newspaper history dates back to March 1, 1896, when The Pelham Press first published.  The manner in which this paper was created was unique.

During the winter of 1895-96, the late Mark A. Hanna, chairman of the Republican National Committee was forcing the presidential nomination of Governor William McKinley, of Ohio.  There was much opposition to McKinley and Hanna with his millions was purchasing the support of certain newspapers.  There lived in Stamford, Conn., a tall old gentlemen [sic] by the name of John T. Trowbridge.  He resembled Charles Evan Hughes with his flowing beard.  Trowbridge saw that Hanna was proceeding with a very expensive program and getting audience with the political leader unfolded the scheme which brought the Pelham Press into being, as well as several other weekly newspapers along the Long Island Sound shore from the Bronx to Milford, Conn.

These newspapers were to sponsor the McKinley cause.  A representative in each city, town and village would edit his particular sheet.  All the papers would be printed alike with the exception of the heads, and subheads on the editorial page.  Each group of news would be printed under the heading of the locality where it was to be circulated.  The papers were printed in New York City and delivered in the various communities by train.  The only expense to the editor was the fifty cents express charges.

Mr. Trowbridge came to Pelham hoping to establish a link of his chain journalism here.  I was recommended for the position as editor and I accepted the very flattering offer.

It was never intended that these newspapers should survive the election, but the Pelham Press had made its mark and when the timje for suspension came, the circulation list was rather substantial, and although I pocketed everything, Trowbridge continued to supply me with papers, until the Spanish-American War broke out in 1898 and I 'resigned' to enlist in the infantry.  So the Pelham Press may therefore be regarded as killed in action, for it ceased publication then and there.

But Pelham was not without its weekly compendium of news, because the Press had a rival.  In 1897 Alfred E. Stevens, of Mt. Vernon noting the success of the Press decided to start a newspaper here, and the Pelham Record made its appearance.  Stevens saw me getting away with some pretty rough stuff and started to follow suit with the result that he was the object of some threats of bodily harm which caused him to sell the paper.

Then came Walter F. C. Tichborne with the Pelhham Republican, a tabloid form of paper which he printed himself in the Lyon building on Wolf's Lane.  This paper ceased to publish when Tichborne entered the automobile sales agency business.

One of the principal sources of revenue much sought by the early publishers of Pelham before Mr. Shinn's time was the printing of the town tax sales and redemption notices, especially if the supervisor was friendly to the editor, he could postpone the sales and cause the notices to be reprinted.  This meant a profit of several hundred dollars.

This revenue caused two very prominent Republicans to start the Pelham Post and even before its first edition was published the Town Board made it the official newspaper on the eve of the publication of the tax sale notices.  When the first edition came off the press a roar of laughter was heard as it contained not a single line of news, merely the official advertisement.  It appeared three times thereafter, the only changes being in the date line.  The publishers collected from the town and then suspended publication.  

There was another newspaper in Pelham the less said of the better.  It was the Pelham Democrat which also appeared three times in one week and then folded its tents.  This was in the heat of an election campaign and the two other papers in the town were so dyed-in-the-wool partisan that the Democrats had to resort to this method in order to present their case to the voters.  

It was precisely this same condition which caused the late Peter Ceder to start The Pelham Sun.  He was being attacked by the Republican organ and being an experienced newspaper man he soon had the officials eating out of his hand by telling the public some unpleasant facts regarding political leaders and officials.  He compelled a Republican Justice of the Peace to resign and a Republican Town Board to appoint him to fill the vacancy.

The first issue of The Pelham Sun, which I have before me shows that although his paper was started for political reasons, Editor Ceder honestly endeavored to give the citizens of The Pelhams a real newspaper covering every activity in addition to the political side.

'The Pelham Sun makes its appearance for the first time today.  We are not going to outline any program or make any promises one way or the other, but we will let our Pelham friends judge our usefulness some future day when we have become better acquainted'. -- Thus Editor Ceder conservatively announced his presence.

The time yellowed sheet before us carries on its first page an account of the history of the old Congregational Church of the Pelhams, long disbanded.  It predicts a great future for the Pelhams in an article forecasting rise in real estate values and remarkable growth in population.  

The Pelham Village Club, which occupied the building which is now the Masonic Temple had a membership of thirty prominent residents.  Another story tells of the town sewer commission discussing plans for the erection of a disposal plant.

Among the names mentioned in the social columns, are many still prominent here, among them, Mrs. David Lyon, the late Mrs. R. C. Black, Mrs. W. Beach Day, Mrs. Jas. F. Secor, Mrs. W. B. Randall, and Mrs. C. C. Davis.

With the first issue of The Pelham Sun, the Pelhams were favored with the first free mail delivery here.  A front page article boasts that 'two deliveries will be made beginning tomorrow.'  Carrier William A. Williamson, still a member of the local staff was one of the two men assigned to the Pelhams.

Liberty Engine & Hose Co. is commended for its benevolence in defraying the funeral expenses of one of its deceased members.

They had their police problems in those days too.  Witness a front page story of a controversy in the North Pelham Village Board which resulted in the dismissal of a patrolman.

James Reilly was village president and David Lyon, now supervisor, was a trustee.  History may also be said to repeat itself in Pelham Heights.  The chief executive's chair in 1910 was also filled by a Mr. White as it is today.

Robert A. Holmes was president of the Board of Education and Edgar C. Beecroft, now attorney of the village of Pelham Manor, was supervisor.

A scathing attack was made on Village President Reilly in a letter which was signed by one who chose to call himself 'Nemesis'.

The familiar 'boiler plate' syndicate matter of small town journalism fills the better part of the second and third pages, and a full page advertisement, the only ad in the issue adorns the last page.  Harry S. Houpt, tells the villagers of the advantages of the Houpt-Rockwell automobile.  These 'handsome' machines sold for $5,000 and $6,000.

After the Sun was started the Pelham Register appeared.  Charles B. Forbes, now publisher of the new White Plains Daily Press, was founder and I assisted.  Between the two of us we kept the political pot boiling.  Forbes received a tempting offer from a Washington, D. C. newspaper for a few years, during which time I pulled off a neat stunt.  Robert Lucas Forbes, brother of my original partner, was running the New Rochelle Paragraph and although it was independently Republican, he found conditions in New Rochelle so unbearable that he supported the Democratic candidates in spite of threats from the Republican Committees to deprive him of then county printing.  My paper was Democratic and when the official county newspapers were designated the Register was included, and I celebrated the event by transferring the paper to Forbes.

Mr. Ceder subsequently consolidated the Record and Register with the Pelham Sun.  

In 1919 The Pelham Sun was purchased by a group of prominent citizens who continued to guide it until 1025 when it was purchased by the present owner, Thomas M. Kennett, who had been its editor and publisher since 1921.

The Free Press made its appearance shortly after the world war and was a semi-weekly.  It gave promise of great things but after a few weeks the editor disappeared leaving those promises behind him.  It was an expensive venture for its backers.  Another paper started soon after the Free Press was the Pelham Advocate edited by a woman, backed by the Countess von Tetzel and the Baroness Argilogos.  It struggled for a few months and cost a lot of money.  The last paper to start was the Pelham News which began as a tabloid and later changed to full size.

Pelham has had more newspapers than either Mount Vernon or New Rochelle.  The time has passed, however, when a newspaper can be started on a shoelace.  With the scarcity of newsprint and high costs of production and composition, few dare tackle the game.  Today it is the survival of the fittest and the paper that presents its news fairly and accurately is the winner."

Source:  Minard, J. Gardiner, MANY NEWSPAPERS HAVE ENTERED PELHAM FIELD SINCE PELHAM PRESS WAS PUBLISHED IN 1896, The Pelham Sun, Apr. 5, 1929, p. 9, cols. 1-6.  

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A History of the Early Years of The Pelham Sun, A Pelham Newspaper Institution

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As with The Pelham Weekly of today, The Pelham Sun of yore was a Pelham institution that documented the daily doings of Pelhamites throughout a large part of the 20th Century.  Both newspapers have generated priceless historical records of our little town.  

Peter Ceder founded The Pelham Sun on April 9, 1910 and nurtured the growing newspaper until shortly before the advent of the Roaring Twenties when he turned his attention, full time, to real estate development in the Town of Pelham. In 1919, Ceder began a search for a new owner to whom he could turn to continue the institution he had created.  He turned, first, to J. Gardiner Minard, a resident of the Village of North Pelham who had some newspaper experience.  Having just returned from World War I, Minard demurred, telling Ceder "I am sick of wars and running newspapers."

Soon it began to appear that Ceder might close the newspaper, leaving the growing and increasingly-prosperous town without its own newspaper.  A group of nine civic-minded citizens led by Pelham Manor multi-millionaire William T. Grant, the founder of the nationwide chain of W. T. Grant 25 Cent Stores, formed The Pelham Sun Corporation and bought the newspaper from Peter Ceder.  

Pelham resident Thomas M. Kennett was appointed the editor of The Pelham Sun on February 28, 1921.  In 1925, Kennett purchased The Pelham Sun from the nine Pelham residents who had acquired it from Ceder.  Kennett operated the newspaper with his son, Frederick T. Kennett.  

Front Page of The Pelham Sun Published on

December 12, 1941, Announcing the Attack

on Pearl Harbor and the Declaration of War.

I have written before about the history of The Pelham Sun and the newspaper's long-time editor, Thomas M. Kennett.  See Monday, May 23, 2005:  Thomas M. Kennett, Long Time Editor of The Pelham Sun.  

Today's posting to the Historic Pelham Blog transcribes a brief article written by J. Gardiner Minard that was published in 1931.  It describes the Town of Pelham in 1910 when The Pelham Sun was founded, and details a little about the early history of the newspaper.  The article appears immediately below, followed by a citation to its source.  

"THE PELHAM SUN HAS PROGRESSED WITH PELHAMS; PROSPERITY IS TESTIMONIAL
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Newspaper Has Advanced With Communities; Grows From One Man Paper to Large Organization of Efficient Workers; Editor Ceder's Offer To Dispose of Newspaper.
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By J. Gardiner Minard
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In the life of a long established newspaper, twenty one years may not seem much; but for a newspaper in the Pelhams to survive a generation is to set a record.  There is quite a difference between the four page paper established in 1910 by the late Peter Ceder and the two or more section Pelham Sun of 1931.

This is, of course, no reflection on the founder.  There is perhaps just as great a difference between the Pelhams of 1910 and the town of 1931.  At that time there was not an apartment in the three villages; that vast tract west of Wolf's Lane stretching to the Mount Vernon-New York City boundary, and from Colonial avenue to Boston Post road had no more houses than could be counted on the fingeres [sic] of one hand.  Fowler avenue to New Rochelle and from Colonial avenue to Boston Post road was the site of the Pelham Country Club.  Winyah Park which stretched from Fifth avenue to the Columbus avenue school in New Rochelle, and from the New Haven railroad tracks to Huguenot Lake, and which did not contain a single building, had just been purchased by Clifford B. Harmon and contractors were busy felling trees to make way for streets in what is now Pelhamwood.

Fifth avenue between First and Second streets had but one building on each side, viz; the court house and the drug store-post office.  The east side of the same street between Second and Third streets was a succession of empty lots and no buildings.  The Heisser farm in the north east section of the village had been sold to the Hudson P. Rose company and was being developed.  It is therefore natural with the phenomenal growth of the town that its only newspaper should keep pace with its development.

My interest in the Pelham Sun is a little more than ordinary, for I had an opportunity in 1919 to be its owner and editor.  I had just emerged from the World War when Mr. Ceder called me into his office and the following conversation took place:  

'Minard, I am going to give you the Pelham Sun.'

'Thanks, ever so much Mr. Ceder, but I don't want it.'

'Don't be a fool; I am not handing you a gold brick; the paper has no debts and here are the books to show it is on a good paying basis.  Here is the situation:  real estate in the town is booming and needs all my attention.  North Pelham is growing and my duties as village president are now taking time which ought to be devoted to my real estate business and I am really devoting no time to the newspaper.  All the news you see in it comes into this office either over the telephone or is brought in.  By devoting your entire time to it you can make a handsome profit.  I will even give you office space here free.'

'Mr. Ceder, I appreciate your generous offer, but I ran two newspapers already in Pelham and was constantly in hot water.  During those years I had to go around with my sleeves rolled up.  I have just returned from more than two years service in the war and I can only compare it with running a newspaper in Pelham.  I am sick of wars and running newspapers.'

Mr. Ceder expressed regret and stated that he must part with it.  A few weeks later nine residents of the town formed the Pelham Sun Corporation and bought it.  When one looks back over the past twenty-one years and notes the wonderful growth of the town it is natural that the Pelham Sun should show signs of expansion.  But it also means the maintenance of an editorial and mechanical staff.

The day of the 'one man' newspaper in Pelham is past.  Few readers realize what forces are at work to keep the hungry columns filled.  There is hardly a night but one or more meetings must be 'covered,' which means a representative of the paper who must remain from the opening to closing, often after the midnight hour, taking notes which must be transcribed and made into typewritten copy for the typesetter.  Police stations and courts must be covered as well as the various meetings and other activities of clubs and societies.  The schools require some attention as well as church services and meetings of their allied societies.  

When a newspaper prospers it is a testimonial to its management, for its circulation determines whether its policy is approved or not by the residents in the territory it covers.  There is no doubt before another generation, the Pelham Sun will pass from the weekly to the daily stage.  Let us hope so."

Source:  Minard, J. Gardiner, The Pelham Sun Has Progressed With Pelhams; Prosperity Is Testimonial, The Pelham Sun, Apr. 17, 1931, p. 13, cols. 4-8.

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