Lucky to Be Alive: David Pettet of North Pelham Struck by Train on December 16, 1901 and Lived

Please Visit the Historic Pelham Web SiteLocated at http://www.historicpelham.com/.Please Click Here for Index to All Blog Postings.During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Pelham residents often walked along the railroad right-of-way to travel between Pelham and Mount Vernon. As one might expect, such a practice led to tragic accidents on numerous occasions. David Pettet of the Village of

Confusion Over Where Residents of Hart's Island in Pelham Should Vote in 1884

Please Visit the Historic Pelham Web SiteLocated at http://www.historicpelham.com/.Please Click Here for Index to All Blog Postings.During the 19th century, confusion arose over whether Hart's Island was part of the Town of Pelham, part of Westchester County or part of New York City. This created confusion over where residents of the Island should vote. The matter was clarified by statute, but

Brief Obituary of Rev. Washington Roosevelt of Pelham Published February 13, 1884

Please Visit the Historic Pelham Web SiteLocated at http://www.historicpelham.com/.Please Click Here for Index to All Blog Postings.A brief obituary announcing the death of Rev. Washington Roosevelt on February 11, 1884 appeared in the February 13, 1884 issue of the New-York Tribune. Below is the text of that brief obituary."ROOSEVELT -- The Rev. Washington Roosevelt, at Pelham, Westchester

1884 Burglary and Gun Fight at the Pelham Manor Depot

Please Visit the Historic Pelham Web SiteLocated at http://www.historicpelham.com/.Please Click Here for Index to All Blog Postings.The population of Pelham grew quickly after the Civil War. With development came problems, particularly as so-called “tramps” found the area enticing and hitched rides to Pelham on trains running on the New Haven Main Line and the Branch Line. Before the Village of

Obituary of Richard L. Morris of Pelham Published on June 15, 1880

Please Visit the Historic Pelham Web SiteLocated at http://www.historicpelham.com/.Please Click Here for Index to All Blog Postings.Richard L. Morris was an illustrious resident of Pelham during the 19th century. He had a "country home" in the Town. He was a grandson of Lewis Morris, a signer of the Declaration of Independence. He died at his home in Pelham on June 14, 1880. An obituary

An Account of the First Trip of Colonel Delancey Kane's Tally-Ho to Open the 1880 Coaching Season

Please Visit the Historic Pelham Web SiteLocated at http://www.historicpelham.com/.Please Click Here for Index to All Blog Postings.I have posted many items to the Historic Pelham Blog regarding the spectacle of "coaching to Pelham" in four-in-hand carriages during the 1870s and 1880s. Col. Delancey Kane began the practice during the 1870s and many followed in his footsteps. To read a little

1901 Notice of Foreclosure Sale of Properties in Pelham Belonging to the New York & Westchester Water Company

Please Visit the Historic Pelham Web SiteLocated at http://www.historicpelham.com/.Please Click Here for Index to All Blog Postings.In 1901, a notice of a foreclosure sale of the properties of the New York & Westchester Water Company appeared in New York City newspapers on a number of occasions. A number of the properties involved were located in Pelham. I have been researching the incidents that

Townspeople of Pelham Vote Down Bond Proposal at the First Prospect Hill School in 1891

Please Visit the Historic Pelham Web SiteLocated at http://www.historicpelham.com/.Please Click Here for Index to All Blog Postings.I previously have written about the first Prospect Hill School in Pelham Manor that once stood on the lands located at 212-22o Jackson Avenue and 966 Plymouth Street. For a brief history of the school and a early photograph of it, see:Monday, January 9, 2006: The

Litigation Over Compensation for Pelham Property Owners Whose Lands Were Taken by New York City for the New Pelham Bay Park

Please Visit the Historic Pelham Web SiteLocated at http://www.historicpelham.com/.Please Click Here for Index to All Blog Postings.During the late 1880s, New York City was engaged in taking lands from Pelham citizens for the creation of the new Pelham Bay Park. Some believed the compensation proposed to them for payment by the city for the taking of their properties was inadequate. Litigation

Studies Created by Noted Architect Cass Gilbert for the Pelham Manor Station

Please Visit the Historic Pelham Web SiteLocated at http://www.historicpelham.com/.Please Click Here for Index to All Blog Postings.A lovely stone train station designed by nationally-renowned architect Cass Gilbert once stood in the Village of Pelham Manor on the so-called branch line. The station replaced an earlier wooden structure and stood at the end of the Esplanade at track level along the

A Little More Information About John Hunter of Hunter's Island

Please Visit the Historic Pelham Web SiteLocated at http://www.historicpelham.com/.Please Click Here for Index to All Blog Postings.Periodically I have posted items to the Historic Pelham Blog regarding John Hunter of Hunter's Island in Pelham. He was a wealthy merchant and close colleague of President Martin Van Buren who visited his grand estate on Hunter's Island. For examples of such

Plans to Annex Pelham and Make it Part of New York City in 1870

Please Visit the Historic Pelham Web SiteLocated at http://www.historicpelham.com/.Please Click Here for Index to All Blog Postings.On May 10, 2007, I posted to the Historic Pelham Blog the text of an article that appeared in The New York Times on August 12, 1870 indicating that residents of Pelham favored annexation of much of Westchester County by New York City in 1870. See: Thursday, May 10,

Golf at Pelham Manor in 1903

Please Visit the Historic Pelham Web SiteLocated at http://www.historicpelham.com/.Please Click Here for Index to All Blog Postings.Yesterday on the Historic Pelham Blog I wrote about "Golf in Pelham Manor in 1895". Today's posting addresses golf in Pelham Manor in 1903 and demonstrates how truly dangerous it could be. It seems that in 1903, the Pelham Manor Golf Club had laid out a small course

Golf at Pelham Manor in 1895

Please Visit the Historic Pelham Web SiteLocated at http://www.historicpelham.com/.Please Click Here for Index to All Blog Postings.Pelham has a long tradition of supporting the ancient sport of golf. Indeed, I have written before about golf in Pelham. See Bell, Blake, The Early Days of Golf in Pelham, The Pelham Weekly, Vol. XIII, No. 36, Sep. 10, 2004, p. 12, col. 2.One of the early efforts to

Brief Biography of Henry Heywood Fox Published in 1915

Please Visit the Historic Pelham Web SiteLocated at http://www.historicpelham.com/.Please Click Here for Index to All Blog Postings.In 1915, Harvard published a report on members of the Class of 1900. Included within that report was a brief biography of Pelham Manor resident Henry Heywood Fox. That biography appears below, followed by a citation to its source."HENRY HEYWOOD FOXBorn Cambridge,

Brief Biography of Reginald Pelham Bolton, Local Historian

Please Visit the Historic Pelham Web SiteLocated at http://www.historicpelham.com/.Please Click Here for Index to All Blog Postings.Reginald Pelham Bolton, a member of the Bolton family of Pelham who built Bolton Priory, was a local historian and amateur archaeologist in the late 19th century and early 20th century. His biography appeared in a book entitled "Builders of Our Nation" published in

The Aftermath of the Pelhamville Train Wreck of 1885

Please Visit the Historic Pelham Web SiteLocated at http://www.historicpelham.com/.Please Click Here for Index to All Blog Postings.I have written before about the Pelhamville Train Wreck of 1885. See, e.g.:Monday, September 24, 2007: The Pelhamville Train Wreck of 1885.Tuesday, September 25, 2007: More About the 1885 Train Wreck in Pelhamville.Wednesday, September 26, 2007: The Pelhamville Train

Brief "History of Coaching" Published in 1891 Shows Ties of Sport to Pelham, New York

Please Visit the Historic Pelham Web SiteLocated at http://www.historicpelham.com/.Please Click Here for Index to All Blog Postings.On May 1, 1876 "The Pelham Coach", known as Col. Delancey Kane's "Tally-Ho", began running between New York City's Hotel Brunswick and Pelham Bridge. Within a short time, The New York Times reported that "[t]he Pelham coach has commanded as much patronage as if it

1878 Article Describing the "Attractions of Little-Known City Island" in the Town of Pelham

Please Visit the Historic Pelham Web SiteLocated at http://www.historicpelham.com/.Please Click Here for Index to All Blog Postings.On August 25, 1878, The New York Times published an interesting article describing the "Attractions of Little-Known City Island" in the Town of Pelham. The article provides a lovely snapshot of an important part of the Town of Pelham at the time -- a part of the Town

Letters Carried by John Pell, Second Lord of the Manor of Pelham, When He Arrived in America in 1670

Please Visit the Historic Pelham Web SiteLocated at http://www.historicpelham.com/.Please Click Here for Index to All Blog Postings.Thomas Pell is often referenced as the "First Lord of the Manor of Pelham". He died in late September, 1669. He died without issue of his own. His principal legatee was his nephew, John Pell, of England.John Pell arrived in America in 1670 to take control of the

Charges in 1808 Against Lieutenant-Colonel David J. Pell of Pelham that He "Indulges in Inebriety and Habitual Drunkeness"

Please Visit the Historic Pelham Web SiteLocated at http://www.historicpelham.com/.Please Click Here for Index to All Blog Postings.Occasionally I have posted information regaring David Jones Pell of the Manor of Pelham, a Revolutionary War Officer who lived in the home now known as "Pelhamdale", a portion of which still stands as part of the home located today at 45 Iden Avenue in the Village of

New York State Senate Report on Petition by Inhabitants of Westchester To Allow Construction of Toll Bridge Across Eastchester Creek in 1834

Please Visit the Historic Pelham Web SiteLocated at http://www.historicpelham.com/.Please Click Here for Index to All Blog Postings.On April 2, 1834, the Committee on Roads and Bridges of the New York State Senate issued a report on a petition received from residents of Westchester County to permit Pelham resident George Rapelje to construct a toll draw bridge over Eastchester Creek. The report

Biographical Sketch of the Reverend Robert Bolton, Jr. of Pelham Published in 1878

Please Visit the Historic Pelham Web SiteLocated at http://www.historicpelham.com/.Please Click Here for Index to All Blog Postings.Robert Bolton, Jr. was the eldest son of the Reverend Robert Bolton who founded Christ Church and built Bolton Priory, now listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Robert Bolton, Jr. was the author of a popular two volume history of Westchester County