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Friday, February 27, 2009

More on the 1906 Village of North Pelham Elections in Which the Village Blacksmith Surprised Republicans and Democrats Alike and Won

Please Visit the Historic Pelham Web SiteLocated at http://www.historicpelham.com/.Please Click Here for Index to All Blog Postings.The Village of North Pelham election in 1906 was remarkable. Village blacksmith James Reilly ran for Village President (i.e., Mayor) on the "Municipal Ownership" ticket and the "Independent Democratic" ticket and defeated his Republican and Democratic opponents in

Thursday, February 26, 2009

Photograph of John F. Fairchild Published in 1905

Please Visit the Historic Pelham Web SiteLocated at http://www.historicpelham.com/.Please Click Here for Index to All Blog Postings.John Fletcher Fairchild lived in Pelham in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He was a civil engineer with offices in Mount Vernon. He servied as engineer of the Pelham Heights Company and was principally responsible for the layout and civil engineering aspects

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

The Village Elections in Pelham in 1904 - Only Nine Votes Cast for President of Village of Pelham

Please Visit the Historic Pelham Web SiteLocated at http://www.historicpelham.com/.Please Click Here for Index to All Blog Postings.In 1904, the Town of Pelham included three villages: the Village of Pelham, the Village of North Pelham and the Village of Pelham Manor. The Village of Pelham, known today as the neighborhood of Pelham Heights, was then the smallest village in the State of New York

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

An Interesting Pelham Love Story: Youngsters Married in 1901, But Kept Marriage Secret For Nearly a Year

Please Visit the Historic Pelham Web SiteLocated at http://www.historicpelham.com/.Please Click Here for Index to All Blog Postings.Two youngsters who lived in Pelham Heights in 1901 fell in love. The parents of Chester S. Walz and Lulu Schwartz reportedly objected to marriage by the couple. On September 21, 1901, they quietly married anyway and kept their marriage secret for nearly one year.

Monday, February 23, 2009

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

Friday, February 20, 2009

Train Schedule for the New Haven Branch Line Through Pelham Manor in April 1886

Please Visit the Historic Pelham Web SiteLocated at http://www.historicpelham.com/.Please Click Here for Index to All Blog Postings.The New Haven Branch Line once carried passengers through Pelham Manor where there stood a little Depot at the end of the Esplanade on land now covered by I-95. The commuter schedule for the so-called Harlem River Branch line periodically appeared in New York City

Thursday, February 19, 2009

The Old Hunter House Burns to the Ground in an Arson Incident on Travers Island on April 4, 1889

Please Visit the Historic Pelham Web SiteLocated at http://www.historicpelham.com/.Please Click Here for Index to All Blog Postings.On April 4, 1889, a tragic fire burned a lovely old home on Travers Island known as the "Old Hunter House". Named after John Hunter of Hunter's Island who had remodeled and improved it, the main portion of the structure actually had been built in 1812 by Temple

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

The New York Athletic Club Opens Its New Travers Island Boathouse in 1888

Please Visit the Historic Pelham Web Site
Located at http://www.historicpelham.com/.
Please Click Here for Index to All Blog Postings.

Yesterday I published to the Historic Pelham Blog an item about the opening of the New York Athletic Club's new summer clubhouse on Travers Island in Pelham on June 10, 1888. See:

Tuesday, February 17, 2009: The New York Athletic Club Opens its New Clubhouse

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

The New York Athletic Club Opens its New Clubhouse on Travers Island in Pelham in 1888

Please Visit the Historic Pelham Web SiteLocated at http://www.historicpelham.com/.Please Click Here for Index to All Blog Postings.A number of articles appeared in local newspapers in 1888 describing the opening of the New York Athletic Club's new clubhouse on Travers Island in Pelham. One such article appeared in the June 11, 1888 issue of the New-York Tribune. The text of that article

Monday, February 16, 2009

Outgoing Town of Pelham Supervisor Embroiled in Dispute Over Town Accounts in 1906

Please Visit the Historic Pelham Web SiteLocated at http://www.historicpelham.com/.Please Click Here for Index to All Blog Postings.More than 100 years ago, the outgoing Supervisor of the Town of Pelham was embroiled in a nasty dispute that eventually led to litigation. Questions arose over the Town accounts during his tenure. An early news article described experts' reports prepared as part of

Friday, February 13, 2009

Early 20th Century Lawsuit Brought Against the Witherbee Real Estate and Improvement Company Over Title to Lands in Pelham

Please Visit the Historic Pelham Web SiteLocated at http://www.historicpelham.com/.Please Click Here for Index to All Blog Postings.A brief news article that appeared in the June 5, 1909 issue of the New-York Tribune offers an intriguing reference that seems ripe for follow-up research. The article describes a decision by Justice Tomplins of the New York Supreme Court for the County of

Thursday, February 12, 2009

1910 Obituary of William Henry Sparks Who Served as Police Justice in the Town of Pelham for Sixteen Years

Please Visit the Historic Pelham Web SiteLocated at http://www.historicpelham.com/.Please Click Here for Index to All Blog Postings.William Henry Sparks served as Police Justice in the Town of Pelham for sixteen years after he moved to Pelham in 1861. He died in 1910. An obituary appeared in the September 27, 1910 issue of the New-York Tribune. Sparks Avenue, on which Village Hall for the

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Void Ballots in Court-Ordered Recount Change Election Result for Town Clerk of Pelham in 1905

Please Visit the Historic Pelham Web SiteLocated at http://www.historicpelham.com/.Please Click Here for Index to All Blog Postings.In 1905, a hard-fought battle between the Republican and Democratic candidates for Town Clerk of Pelham led to litigation and a decision by a Supreme Court Justice that changed the results of the election. A brief, but interesting article about the dispute appeared

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Another Article About the 19th Century Boundary Dispute Between Pelham and New Rochelle

Please Visit the Historic Pelham Web SiteLocated at http://www.historicpelham.com/.Please Click Here for Index to All Blog Postings.Periodically I have written about Pelham's 19th century boundary dispute with neighboring New Rochelle. See, e.g.:Thursday, March 16, 2006: 1869 New York Herald Article About Pelham's Boundary Dispute With New Rochelle.Monday, September 17, 2007: Articles About the

Monday, February 9, 2009

Approximately 13,970 Westchester County Residents Lived in the Area Annexed by New York City in 1895

Please Visit the Historic Pelham Web SiteLocated at http://www.historicpelham.com/.Please Click Here for Index to All Blog Postings.While researching other Pelham-related issues, I recently ran across a fascinating tidbit in a tiny reference published in the August 25, 1900 issue of the New-York Tribune. In a lengthy item detailing growth of the population of the Bronx, there is a brief

Friday, February 6, 2009

More on Pelham's Displeasure with the Loss of Pelham Bay Park Lands from the Tax Rolls in the 19th Century

Please Visit the Historic Pelham Web SiteLocated at http://www.historicpelham.com/.Please Click Here for Index to All Blog Postings.Readers of the Historic Pelham Blog will know that I have been researching Pelham's displeasure in the 19th century with the removal of Pelham Bay Park lands from the Town's tax rolls. See:Wednesday, February 4, 2009: Pelham Has Second Thoughts in 1887 About the

Thursday, February 5, 2009

New York City Corporation Counsel to Pelham in 1887: We Told You So!

Please Visit the Historic Pelham Web SiteLocated at http://www.historicpelham.com/.Please Click Here for Index to All Blog Postings.Yesterday I published to the Historic Pelham Blog an item entitled "Pelham Has Second Thoughts in 1887 About the Proposal to Create Pelham Bay Park". It described a meeting between a delegation of Pelham residents and the Mayor of the City of New York held in 1887.

Wednesday, February 4, 2009

Pelham Has Second Thoughts in 1887 About the Proposal To Create 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 19th century, as the proposal for New York City to a new park to be named Pelham Bay Park gained momentum, Pelham residents initially supported the idea. Reports at the time make clear, however, that Pelham's support for the proposal waned. An interesting,

Tuesday, February 3, 2009

"Small Scale" Pirates on City Island in 1880

Please Visit the Historic Pelham Web SiteLocated at http://www.historicpelham.com/.Please Click Here for Index to All Blog Postings.The annals of crime in Pelham include some odd incidents. One involved "Pirates on a Small Scale", as an 1880 newspaper article labeled the incident. The article appeared in the New-York Daily Tribune on January 10, 1880 and is reproduced below. "PIRATES ON A SMALL

Monday, February 2, 2009

Brother Shoots Brother in the Pelhamville Train Station in 1880

Please Visit the Historic Pelham Web SiteLocated at http://www.historicpelham.com/.Please Click Here for Index to All Blog Postings.In 1880, a bitter divorce battle led to a fight between two brothers at the Pelhamville train station. One shot the other. The train station at that time was a wooden building that stood essentially where the post office at One Wolfs Lane now stands (the Pelham