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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Story of a Friendly Village Mamaroneck, New York 1896-1946 1/1/1946 1 • THE STORY OF A FRIENDLY VILLAGE • MAMAR ONECK, NEW YORK 1896 - 1946 by WILLIAM GERSHOM FULCHER -. rpt s r 9f MAy pi, e.,. 'SAO s.'. '.fiec.^ rid / i -Alq i y / t0 NOV.t 1 JOHNCr. RICHBEIL411 0 o itiv a Nts e pt. e0c...' k\ P u ZING r of 5960.1 i- %)t 4+ Q •. ` AO 4' kimmiall .r 16Q.R6oR aQQp aa � � tiECK o 40 9601 (3, ,& P LAp($ Mpor hARBoR t �aR pRE M/yam apa pr° C,. A I NAN . • ONECK6,9G ...0,, 4 ECHO g a y BO : ON POS ROAD 4 (06 flap o? ��da� q(EgTgNigXVIV,3 a a naoaS aoa� Pia a • o., ti - r Z3 _ •1.6 O 4,4 OJ t •i y - v r 41 d c tr THE STORY OF A FRIENDLY VILLAGE �::,,,--.4,., .,.: , ,,,, , ,:.. , 7 > 1[�IA1[�IARONECK, NEW YORK rr t . ,. } , '`` '� ',� 1896 1946 s r M '. By p�'� `� �' _ WILLIAM GERSOM FULCHER JQ ,.4''''-'1'„?.1. V" - • � W +id." a� k�#.. m Alk .sttl, s l'i.___ _/ -, $*ii4, . +.... :107 is 41'42 �` �, 5 � 3+Bey;a z i �. . m :_F-1 (3.1c), n �1 4g` 4 � K Alifilo. w 1 •,/,‘ ,.,..:. ,,L.,..4, : ,, ,, ,;.1 4.,. . Airlit4110! 15 py f �� `fii'tifr ' � �4.tr-rit , , ,.:.., - , :r. .0,4, .,„.,,, '-''',4 . '4 - Published by i 4- k 4.° ;' THE HISTORICAL COMMITTEE r I. G V. w of the w� 4. ,. GOLDEN JUBILEE CELEBRATION j a of the ,r,' b „' VILLAGE OF MAMARONECK r A: ..` ,�” 1.- 4.„1/4 1 9 4 6 I At1:1 Contents 0i' Chapter Pa9e C 1J E(,9( I How THE VILLAGE GREW 2 !/ Copyright 1946 II How FOLKS GoT AROUND 21 • by III HOW FOLKS PROTECTED THEMSELVES AND THEIR PROPERTY40 WILLIAM GERSHOM FULCHER IV How FOLKS WORSHIPPED GOD 55 QO V How FOLKS TRAINED THEIR BOYS AND GIRLS To BE GOOD CITIZENS 81 • VI How FOLKS JOINED TOGETHER FOR VARIOUS PURPOSES 94 VII How MAMARONECK BECAME THE FRIENDLY VILLAGE 119 FIRST EDITION Printed in the United States of America SCHLECHTER'S, Printers, 540 Hamilton St., Allentown, Pa. - Village Officers 111 MAYOR B. J. Santoro a;e•I'cl *-1 TRUSTEES James Jackson, Edw. J. Kuhn, Alfred Weeks, John Withers CtgSVILLAGE MANAGER William H. Johnson CORPORATION COUNSEL _ Anthony Sansone TREASURER-CLERK Frederick H. Bull, Jr. VILLAGE ENGINEER Guy Vroman • POLICE JUSTICE Patrick J. Hughes „tea POLICE CHIEF Arthur W. 1\[artensen FIRE CHIEF Edward Livingston VILLAGE ASSESSOR Barney Epstein Mayor B. J. Santoro of vii ria � �, .� ;15:3'''1:44.*4'.1i:'''''2''C''.:::,'L:1 If.::,:i--':-..:,'j::i':7-:':l:''::::"'':'1.:9:'1':::-'-:11''' ' ' .''..'IF..,,,, .4. , r •' ` jai ' . 0� ncle Bifl �� � ��. ,_ � 1::-..1::. � s �,�1 By whom the Story / 41' is told �p � ., .. >> 1kr f.,.. .. _ , .„,,,..„,... .,,.... ..,,t, ....,,,,,r414rtf...,, ,-„,,-,,,, ...,.--, , \*\‘..%...'--z........-------...-----(-5 -'2'.',..1', ' 4i.):•:-.-i.A, *7- ,,,,,,71t'' '''''\i ' -.. Preface ���HE Story of am Friendly Village" makes no pretense at being a history ' n 1� written in formal style. It is simply a story told by the author to two e children, David and Virginia, •in the garden of his home on the banks of �',4' the Mamaroneck River. The author has tried to keepthe s crit of a request •which every man and woman has heard when their child has said, "Mother, tell me about the time when you and Dad were young." David and Virginia are real. children but it could be your son or daughter t ''' if the accident o�f being neighbors was changed. In my book, "Mamaroneck VILLAGE TRUSTEES Through the Years," documents and maps of more than two hundred and James Jackson John Withers fifty years ago were used. It was documented with wrIn Alfred Weeks Edward J. Kuhn this attempt at Mamaroneck history most of the materialitten is fromsources.the lips viii ix all so proud of today. The discerning historian can see taking place in Mamaroneck that which has taken place in the world; that is, the mass of the people are now enjoying those very things which only a few people enjoyed in days gone by. Today we are what Dr. Dixon Ryan Fox has David and Virginia called a dormitory-suburb of New York. Proximity to New York has * To whom the Story constantly affected the progress of Mamaroneck. Biography has been is told treated as seen through the eye of the social historian and not as a genealo- gist would treat a family history. The contribution these outstanding men s have made to the growth of our Village joined with our natural heritage has made us what we are today. This is written in the hope that "old- .. ; timers" will smile for memory's sake and "new-comers" by knowing the Q�� past of Mamaroneck will learn to love it and say with pride, "This is my 0 of living persons. The story of our political growth will be traced but Village." • C y the emphasis is placed upon the development of churches, schools, news- C9( papers, the Library and other organizations and institutions which have Flmbank WILLIAM FULCHER contributed to the intellectual life of our community. The story will October, 1945 attempt to show the growth of a little country community of a few great wealthy families being served by a few tradespeople to the Village we are O \\N -..'N----- --------(.....5 '' v x ry In the Garden of Elm Bank Where the Story is told x xi ' i TO WHOM THE STORY IS DICATED TO WHOM THE STORY IS DEDICATED Ott:,i` DEDICATED •, % �.�, . Griffin f Henry Fatfon IiJ . u it d�� � SidneyBGiffi Thomas L. Rushmore Theodore VanAmringe �' r , p itclT t' ft g9( L. Harold Bayly George V. Bates Augustus Hains r, 0* 4., t Nlinmor- �Q ;w s.. „ -'I''.74°:;.:4''''' ';''''''..1%.'it. 'PT' t.,,,,1 re.i.ii i‘0,,' , ,, ,� ' Wm. E. Lyon, Jr. Henry B. Gedney HenryHornidge Thomas L. Rushmore Joseph McLoughlin John Carroll ire k i '' ''I ,,,''''' ., '' ,opp. 7 '' :' ',...;it.;;;''''''-',1,i'', 1114 lt, w I 01/ Adrian P. BedcIIe William H. Johnson lames T. Corrigan Daniel Warren Dr. John F. Hunter Louis Harding lid i Dedication THIS history of the Friendly Village is dedicated to those men who have servedas its chief executives since the incorporation of the Village in 1896. It is also dedicated to the many men and women whose S T untiring efforts, vision and unselfish devotion has brought this Village p¶ from a little cluster of stores and homes on dusty roads and unlighted y streets on both sides of the Mamaroneck River to the present municipality Qp� with its beautiful churches, schools, paved and well lighted streets, parks, beach, playgrounds and Municipal Buildings. Grateful acknowledgment is gmgiven to Mrs. William Harvey Smith who has worked long and faithfully at whatever task of research has been etralf assigned her by the author. Appreciation is given to Miss Jean Baxter . for much helpful information. Credit for the material on the Rye Neck Schools is given to Mrs. Helen Warren Brown. Mrs. Lillian Renshaw Q _ in the Village Manager's office has been most willing to carry out assign- . , s ments. Special credit for pictures should go to the Village Engineering Department; to Samuel Bryant of the Detective Bureau, and to Anthony Poccia for his pictures taken at the Pageant Fashion Show and on the The Square in 1910 Pilgrimage. Many helpful suggestions on the arrangement of pictures have come from 0. Stanley Keebler of the Mamaroneck Senior High School English Department. Special thanks are due to Miss Frances Rentchler for the magnificent pen and ink picture maps which are to be found in the front and hack inside covers. Typing of the script has • been most efficiently done by Mrs. Charles Gotthart and Miss Maude Morgan. i How The Village Grew In 1311, the Post Road was straightened out and it ran nearly ash it does today. You can still trace it 'LT ELLO, Virginia and behind the stores fromProspectAvenue .4 j-1 David, you are early. to the bridge, and you both have walk- , , k That must mean you are ed along the old Post Road in Orienta. eager to begin our story of TompkiAof today arts - i, Mamaroneck. Well, so am of the Postns Roadvenue beforet 1811.was Ha " and stores began to be built along theme Today, our story is about present Post Road and, even after the railroad came, the Post Road or Main the Village and the lives of ` QT �i Street was the chief street in the Vil- I-T �a +• some of its public servants. You both have my other lage. q C ti `"""- - *.� a.-- book on the history of the The most important place in the g?( Old Stand at Entrance to Harbor Island Town of Mamaroneck so Village was the Square which is now you know what a little place the entrance to Harbor Island. A very West Post Road it was in Colonial Days. Right where we are sitting was a farm until early map on page 29 in "Mamaroneck Looking toward Square about seventy-five years ago. Through the Years" shows a fort and liberty pole down near that Square. There were docks and a tavern on the banks of the Mamaroneck In recent times, that is about 1900, there was a band stand and a large River where it joins the Harbor, and there were a few scattered houses willow tree on this Square, where concerts were given and patriotic exer- cises were held. At that time it was called Madison Square. Q along the old Post Road. A law suit kept a great deal of Mamaroneck Avenue from being built up, and the Delancey estate kept houses from\\ By 1895, the Square was a very busy place. for a great deal of freight being built on Heathcote Hill so that this side of the river which we call was still brought in and out by boats in the harbor. Mr. Charles M. Rye Neck was built up earlier than the Mamaroneck side of the river. Baxter, father of Judge Charles Baxter, once told me that he remembered - seeing wagons filled with apples standing in line waiting to be unloaded on r ,� the boat for the New York market stretching all the way up Mamaroneck • Avenue past the railroad. The Britt grocery store stood on one corner of the Square and op- posite it was the Purdybuilding. In the -` � . t, • �% � v � � A � - ~ �,,E picture of the Square, you can _NIP*` . - see that the Purdy building looked a great deal like my house. That style of roof and windows is called Mansard Victorian after the French architect - ,1 � 7 i N {' r r who designed it. On the other corner was the Perrin building and on the I S"" •iii f a fourth corner where the Union Savings Bank now stands, was a vacant -� -, 4 lot. The nearby bridge over the river was an iron frame one with. heavy ; . - wooden planks which made an awful racket when a team and wagon drove 4 � w s over it. t � _ r Mrs. William Harvey Smith who works with me on my history Down at the Docks below the Square material has taken the trouble to count the buildings still standing in the - 3 away from when li showed on a map ( f �'� �'"x5 ° .. " their family hoar: of 1895. In Ryes r ti, Y ,'r i m stood `about where Neck beyond the a • i ' m.��� 4 6 ,� ,�, wr-2"-41,7,:&,1..--m_ t ` �� ��'d �& '.�``'.� � Ta � - the Washin�''t.':1 railroad there are ', = = Arms now stan e �, .' thirty-three such � `� ° ` The Florence cer 2- q buildings. On the , tery is hidden 1.e- " � �4 railroad side of Hal- �� ` hind shrubbery l'''.- ' ' '''''' .r.- 4a stead Avenue there ii'. ' --.,< r at the rear of t' are still eight stand- Mamaroneck Hi_ i mg. Down to Tomp _md;r' "^�. , '1"1"41_ : School on Fult p/TI kins Avenue there Road. On the R':e �a't are forty-tW0 Of Looking up Mamaroneck Avenue . Neck side,there a ('Iy which my house is two Gedney plots, one on Barry Avenue and the Post Road, and the other � one. On Tom kins Q?� ' P on Mamaroneck Avenue near Barry Avenue. Both high schools in oar Avenue and the Village have the same unusual distinction Of having family burying group's Post Road from the at the rear of each. The Guion cemetery is approached through the pari;- ,? f river.to the Village ing lot of Lawrence Inn along Guion Creek. limits t.h e r e a r e . ■ `# twenty nine, and on The most historic spot in Mamaroneck, of course, is the grave of ( the Harbor side of }ohn Richbell and his family which is between Rushmore Avenue and t'. ���� �"� � West Basin on a lop for otten road windin behind the first house on t. e r O the Post Road there Harbor side of Ru hmore Avenue. Workmen a ain cleared the brus'� are fourteen. build- g Madison Square Ings. On the Ma and creeping myrtles from the plot for the benefit of those making t e pilgrimage last Fall in connection with the Golden Jubilee of the Villa�c. Showing Rand Stand and Flag Pole m:aroneck side of No one knows whether the actual grave of John Richbell is marked by c:-_e the river there are forty-one in Washingtonville, fifty-six on the left side of Mamaroneck Avenue on Heathcote Hill, ten on the right side of Mamaroneck Avenue, and sixteen in Orienta Point. This makes a total of two hundred and w forty-nine buildings now standing in the Village which were there in 1895. Burying grounds of old families dot the landscape of our Village. 1 Nearly all of these can be traced to families living along the Post Road. _ On the Mamaroneck side of the river, the first cemetery is that of the Budd family on Mt. Pleasant Avenue which later became the Town Ceme- tory. Here lies our only known Revolutionary officer. The next family / cemetery is the DeLancey cemetery on Palmer Avenue and Delancey Avenue established after their family crypt in Trinity Church was con- fiscated along with their pew in the church during the Revolution. The Disbrow family cemetery is on Rockland Avenue just a few hundred feet Old Iron Bridge over Mamaroneck River 4 1 a of the unlettered Mamaroneck in 1823. His mother was Nancy Hicks. Mr. Boyd was stones or not.These born in Mamaroneck,November 21,1851,in a house where the old Trinity �� unlettered stones Parsonage now stands. After working in a grocery store as a boy, he `��; stand in rows giv- became assistant postmaster in 1871. On January 30, 1873, President � � � ing testimony to the U. S. Grant appointed Mr. Boyd postmaster of Mamaroneck. He held the � fact that a grave is office under every. Republican president from that day until he died. He beneath them with- was Town Clerk n 1875 and was Justice of the Peace from 1880 to 1904, out name or date. and again from 1919 until he died. He was a member of the School Board, Such was the cus and one of the organizers of Mamaroneck Fire patrol and was its captain Ea tom of early Quak- for eight years. He was one of the organizers of the Union Savings Bank ` ,.; ers. and became vice president and then president of that institution in 1929. p'�T Guinn Family Cemetery on Guinn Creek An interesting ad How is that, Virginia, for a life spent in the public service of one Village? �OQ-t for Mamaroneck Ju Boyd's sister still lives in Mamaroneck having retired as a school ( y Village appeared in a newspaper in 1901. The Village was described as teacher after many years of work in this Village. EQp� an attractive suburb of New York City, forty-five minutes from Grand Another man who holds an enviable record for a long service in the Central Station on the New York, New Haven Railroad. Commuters' rates Village is William Edwin Lyon, Jr., whose family came to Westchester were $6 monthly or individual tickets were fifty for $15.30. The Village had a daily freight boat to New York and trolley lines to New Rochelle, -'< White Plains, Tarrytown and Stamford. The Village boasted good roads a with the main streets sprinkled during the summer, boating and bathing. - ( The ad goes on to say that Mamaroneck has excellent police and fire pro- - �� tection, electric lights and water main service. The taxes were low and it had a population of 4,722. The Village had two newspapers, the Para- = ( graph which was Republican, and the Register which supported the Demo- e - - cratic party. "Yes, Virginia, what would you like to say?" "Uncle Bill, my father told me that any place is only as wonderful as the people who live in it. Who were some of the folks who built Mamaroneck?" "Well, Virginia, that is a nod uestion. Everyplace has to have leaders who do the civic work of that place. - You could take a copy of the Mamaroneck Daily Times today and see the names of people who are doing the civic work Illf ! 1 of Mamaroneck now. It was the same during the past fift ears. Some61 0 1 J "leaders le seem to have the kind of make up that goes into what we calls , ti people leadership. Alen and women with this kind of character work in civic, religious, fraternal and social fields for the benefit of the rest of us. Let us start with the name of William Adams Boyd who had the dis- tinction of witnessing and participating in the events of Mamaroneck for � � 'e - seventy-flye years. His grandfather was a blacksmith who was born in The Old Depot 6 7 4 L _ The name which is still important in the business life of the Village _ ;- _. " - -� -- is that of Brewer. The parents of Reuben Grigg Brewer were born in Cornwall, England. His father was a saddle maker and owned a harness ----w " shopspent his boyhood in Mamaroneck ,, here in Mamaroneck. Reuben y and attended the Packard Business College in New York City. At fifteen • years of age, he went to work at the Metropolitan National Bank, and then ®ro was employed by the Hanover National Bank until he was forty years of g:I ' age. In 1887, with Bradford Rhodes, he helped to organize the Union k• - „ -.- Savings Bank in Mamaroneck. He was a trustee and later became presi- dent of this bank until he resigned to give his entire time to the y a .. g ' . 4 '' First National Bank. He remained its head until his death in . t 1928. He organized the R. G. Brewer Lumber firm in 1881. He was oiLl " years,treasurer of the Methodist Episcopal Church for twenty-five and = c y r was treasurer of Rye Union Free School District No. 1. Reuben Peshine t (g Brewer was the son of Reuben Grigg Brewer and was born in Mamaro- The Boyd Blacksmith Shop on Mamaroneck Avenue neck May 6, 1880. When he was eighteen years old, he started to work as bookkeeper in the First National Bank, and was soon made cashier. Mr. Brewer was made a director of the bank in 1910, vice president in long before the Revoluiton. Mr. Lyon was born in 1865 in New York 1915, and became president on the death of his father in 1928. In 1900, City but was brought here by his parents in the same year and, so you see, he has lived here for almost eighty years. For many years he lived within re became a partner with William Hare in the Brewer Lumber Company. ( He also became a director of the Mamaroneck Savings& Loan Association. • one hundred feet from where we are sitting, at the corner of Union Avenue QO and Tompkins Avenue. In 1888, he built a large house on the Boston Post He was treasurer and director of the Mamaroneck Playhouse until it was sold to a syndicate. Mr. Brewer has the distinction of having been chair- ( Road at Barry Avenue. He was very active in advocating and assisting man of all local Liberty Loan Committees during World War L In social in the incorporation of the Village of Mamaroneck in 1896. He nominated life he was a charter member of the Lion's Club, and one of the founders Dr. John F. Hunter for Village President. Dr. Hunter was to continue of the Bonnie Briar Country Club. He is a former treasurer of the Orienta i as Village President for nine years and again served as president for two Beach Club. j years in the 1920's. Under Dr. Hunter, Mr. Lyon was secretary of the committee which drafted the building code of the Village. In 1922, he A man whommany old timers will remember was Joseph Heslin headed a citizens' committee on the railroad rate cases of the New York McLoughlin. He was born in County Longford, Ireland in 1845 and New Haven and Hartford Railroad. Mr. Lyon worked on the water-rate started in the plumbing business in Mamaroneck in 1871. He was the second president of our Village, and a Justice of the Peace. Mr. Mc- cases and, in 1930, climaxed his career as a civic servant by becoming Loughlin was the first Chief of the Mamaroneck Fire Department, and Mayor of the Village. In religious work, he was a member of the official was a member of the Board of Education when he died in 1908. He was board of the Methodist Episcopal Church for many years. For over an organizer and director of both the First National Bank and the Union thirty years, Mr. Lyon was a leader,of boys and-young men's work in the Savings Bank. His son, Joseph Henry McLoughlin, operated his estate Sunday School of that church, and for ten years served as the Superin- which became the most valuable real estate on Mamaroneck Avenue com- tendent of the Sunday School. Mr. Lyon is still an interested spectator prising the McLoughlin building which is now the Five and Ten Cent of Village events and, from time to time, gives sage advice to the officials Store, the Playhouse, and the Mamaroneck Trust Building which is now of the Village. the Gristede Store. One daughter, Helen M., has been principal of the 8 9 __Th 4 , in 1924. In 1902,he helped to found the 34th Street National Bank in New York City whose name was later changed to the New Netherland Bank. I-4i, Mr. Rhodes was active in the affairs of the Methodist Church and was a z �° .'--. �: liberal contributor to its support. He died in 1924 in his eightieth year. A merchant who made a name for himself in Westchester County v ,. - - was John Henry McArdle. Mr. McArdle was born in White Plains in - 1�� - v , ...- 1863. As a young man, he worked for the Scott Stores and in 1889, re- "' a 4 $ signed from that firm and bought the Louis Briggs store in Mamaroneck. �� til _ '-= �—� s " � � � ��-- <. �' In 1900, he formed a partnership� with Merwin Genung of White Plains, and together, they bought a store in Mt. Vernon. In 1915, the firm ex- panded into Genung, McArdle and Campbell, owning stores in White L5 � �" �' Plains, Mt. Vernon, Mamaroneck, Pleasantville, Bronxville and Tarry- West Boston Post Road 0�' � town. Mr. McArdle was a vice president and large stock holder of the View of Harbor Island in the distance. r y F5,9( At this time Harbor Island was only four and a half acres. First National Bank of Mamaroneck. For twenty years he was a director and treasurer of the County Democratic Committee. He was president Mamaroneck Avenue School for many years, and another daughter, Anita and trustee of the Board of Education for twelve years, and during his Veronica, was for many years, teacher in the old Central School and in term, the Chatsworth School was built. Other members of that early the new High School. Board were Thomas L. Rushmore, who was the first president of the Vil- lage, and Stanley Bryant. Mr. McArdle resigned from the Board when Dr. John Francis Hunter was born March 16, 1866 in Mamaroneck. His father was a native of France and a Lieutenant in the French Army. he was elected Supervisor where he served for twelve years. On the ( County Board he served on the committee for building the new court Dr. Hunter began practicing medicine in Mamaroneck as an associate of house in White Plains, and also served on the committee for the Poor and Dr, Joseph Hoffman whose home and offices stood at the corner of Pros- Asylums, and worked for good roads. ( pect and Mamaroneck Avenues. You children can still see his house the h Library as it stands beside the Library and is now Mr. McArdle was a delegate to the National Democratic convention nexttimeyou go to the . Y �r a small apartment house. Dr. Hunter was a member of the Board of in 1904, and was an alternate in 1924. He was interested in all phases of Education for twenty-one years and its president for twelve years. He Boy Scout work and athletics. Mr. McArdle was a former president of was president of the Village from 1911 to 1920, and from 1922 to 1924. He led in modernizing the fire department and worked for good roads, sidewalks and public parks. His chief interest was in planning and laying x 4. 41 II out Harbor Island. : The name associated with financial history in Mamaroneck is that of !'_ x „•, Bradford Rhodes. Mr. Rhodes was born in Pennsylvania in 1845. After seeing service in the Civil War, he became a teacher, reporter, owner and publisher of the Rhodes Journal of Banking. He was a member of the k -. New York State Assembly from 1888 to 1891 and served on the banking commission. In 1887, he helped to found the Union Savings Bank and was its president for twenty-five years. In 1891, he helped to found the First National Bank of Mamaroneck and was its president when he died Harbor Island Improving Mamaroneck Avenue 10 _ 11 + �, ,_ �i • tr He became a director in the Santa Clara Sugar Company and was %�'•W. r°. made president of the American Trading Company of Cuba, and held the 4, a •� • .4-..4,Z. ► ' same office in the American Trading. Company of Argentina. In 1914, Mr. Warren became a member of the National Foreign Trade Council, r: 4 and a member of the United States Chamber of Commerce. During World "�' • War I, he was chairman of the War Trade Committee of American Ex- porting and Importing Association. In 1923, he became the president of '-- -'° the American Exporting and Importing Association. l ' ' �� %� 4- I. I Here in Mamaroneck, Mr. Warren was a trustee of the Union Savings r l= Bank for twenty years. He was treasurer and later president for eight cadyears of the Mamaroneck Cooperative Savings & Loan Association. He 011.411 was trustee of the Rye Neck Board of Education for thirty-five years g� �} serving from 1892 to 1928, and president of the Board for thirty-two e ifyears of that time. Is it any wonder, David, that they gave the name o€ this man to your school? Site of Union Savings Bank Mr. Warren was president of the Village of Mamaroneck from 1902 the Chamber of Commerce and was a member of the Hook and Ladder to 1911. He had a great deal to do with the incorporation of the Village Company for twenty-five years,and its treasurer for twenty years. During in 1896. He was instrumental in the construction of the first sewer system, World War I, he acted as a Four-Minute Man and took a leading part in the installation of street lights, paving of the Boston Post Road and • QQ Liberty Loan Drives and the Red Cross. His store in Mamaroneck was Mamaroneck Avenue, and in the laying of the first sidewalks of the Vil- on the Square next to the old First National Bank Building. The next lage. He led in the campaign to purchase Harbor Island whose beach is \\..........,................. time you go down to the Island to swim, take a look at Freddie Bent's such a wonderful place today for young and old to swim. You will remember, Virginia, it says in the Bible, the works of good Opportunity Shop and you will be looking at the old McArdle Store. The next man I am going to tell you about should be familiar to you, nen shall live after them, and it certainly applies to men like Mr. Warren David, because you go to the school.which bears his name, Daniel Warren. and many others like him in this community. Mr. Warren was born in Mamaroneck in 1861 and died here in 1931. He The name of Baxter is associated with the commercial, banking, civic went to the Rye Neck Schools and was tutored byMr. Sniven of the Depotg, yand cultural life in this community. Charles Minturn Baxter was born FrySch. in Mr. 77 along with Warren attended William Coo er Lnion in New and Cigy, and his September 9, 1862 in New York City. His ancestors came from Dundee, Cooper T Scotland in 1800 and settled in Mamaroneck. first job in Mamaroneck was that of baggage master at the station. In 1888, Mr. Baxter served as Town Assessor for five years, and for His life should be an inspiration to boys today for he was watched the following eight years was Town Supervisor. It was during his ad- in this position by a man who later asked him to work for him. Mr. ministration as Town Supervisor that the Village of Mamaroneck was Ulysses D. Eddy saw him day after day at the depot as he took the train incorporated in 1896. On the County Board, Mr. Baxter was especially for New York, and finally, decided to ask him toe work for him in his interested in equalization committee work. In 1893, a flag pole and band exporting and importing firm. Mr. Warren worked his way up until he stand were erected in the Village Square with appropriate ceremonies with became vice president of the American Trading Company. Mr. Baxter acting as master of ceremonies. 12 13 I ll. IIIIIIllllllIMIllll".. Mr. Baxter was one time president the Mamaroneck Business of Men's As- : "1 aj _a` f 1 ',,t urx later tiobecame i the �P.--, g 'ga . .F Chamber of Com- t ' 2 :x 4. merce. He was A. .-n' �' � keenly interested in real estate and was �pVI k the president and :. ry, treasurer o f t h e Heathcote Realty e ,,q, Looking up Mamaroneck Avenue toward Palmer Company from .b' k Corner of Mamaroneck Avenue and Palmer Avenue 1925 until 1939. In turn, he became president of the Larchmont-Mamaroneck Chapter of the Another work which will always stand to his credit was the building County Realty Board, president of the County Board and vice president of of the present stone arch bridge on the Post Road over the Mamaroneck the New York State Realty Board. He was a director in the Westchester River. Mr. Baxter discovered an almost forgotten law which permitted County Chamber of Commerce, and for many years, served as trustee of the County to appropriate a sum of money when two communities were the Westchester County Historical Society. He was a valuable member ( to profit by such a project as a bridge. The new bridge was erected ata of the Old Town of Mamaroneck Historical Society, and served on one -..-------..----(-5 result cost of $16,000,two thousand dollars of which came from the County as a of the committees for the 275th Anniversary Celebration. \\''''....-- result of Mr. Baxter's activities. Mr. Baxter organized St. Thomas Men's Club and served as its first In 1891, Mr. Baxter helped to organize the Mamaroneck Cooperative P g P president. He was vestryman of St. Thomas Church for ten years. He Savings & Loan Association, and was its secretary for the first two years, was a member of the Mamaroneck Free Library Association and wave and its president from 1929-1938. In 1931, Mr. Baxter was given a part of the land which now forms part of the garden of the L.ibrar a dinner at the Lawrence Inn in appreciation of his forty years of service Y• as a director and officer in that institution. Mr. Baxter also served as P a vice president of the First National Bank, and in 1909, became trustee of � r'� ,�Nxa the Union Savings Bank. He became secretary of that institution in 1922 � � �x> ,a r ' a _� 1; - r,.. m _.� ;ha vice president in 1926, and president in 1931, serving until his death in 1"� r 1941, thus completing a longer term of trusteeship than that of any other t �� l r„. `'. ` member. y = �,m . Mr. Baxter was a member of the Hook and Ladder Company for T fifty-five years, and was fire chief for five years. He was one of the men ; Y ' responsible for the building of the Hook and Ladder Headquarters on ' 414 i'''., Mamaroneck Avenue, and was president of the Hook and Ladder Land ,` ”" - Company at the time of his death. He was founder of the Firemen's Flo � West Post Road from Tower of St.Thomas Church Benevolent Association in 1902. On Post Road - Seaman - Baxter Cornell Home right foreground . 14 li. 111111111111.1111111111Prillill1111111114 r.y__ .,- ..4 - 17 r - 7 4 -4 -r: •'+i • ,i,-,-,2,i. - l a- I the Barry Avenue School and the old First National Bank building. In civic 1,, ''"' affairs, he served his community as auditor of Rye for fifteen years, and t as tax assessor for eight years. In 1921, Mr. Spader and his wife, Phoebe -= " • --- Baxter, celebrated their golden weddinganniversary. Their daughter, ria--.•— ��— Y Marion, is the wife of W. E. Hare, partner of R. P. Brewer. elkAugustus Haynes was born in 1861 in Rye Neck and worked as a It .:o�"• �r "�� rA; III ' . e r �` boy in the grocery store of John Foshay. He was the son of Peter Haynes. r , who was also a builder of many homes in Mamaroneck. His father built -" —1 — — }-- '� �'_r • r the first Roman Catholic Church in Mamaroneck which stood where the 0 ' ' U R I N A L., Holy Trinity School now stands. Mr. Haynes began building activities of-°�'" -- ""i WASHINGTON a*: _ '''''''7,---,y '..01i'�! on his own in 1893. One of his first contracts was for remodeling the !Ai% II '" r :' fi.nir i r► _ Lawrence Inn. He constructed several of the buildings on Brevoort •OI '�,-_ Farm, the home of Ulysses D. Eddy. In civic life, he was Justice of the 1 �ri� i Peace in Rye from 1897 to 1910. He was assessor for the Village of if �'gt g� Mamaroneck from 1902 to 1910, and from 1911 was Village tax collector Group in Washington to urge dredging of the Harbor—1910 for many years. r. A man who had the respect of everyone in Mamaroneck was Charles Mr. Baxter will long be remembered by those who knew him as an Franklin Rice. Mr. Rice was editor of The Paragraph from 1901 until his inexhaustible source of anecdotes and reminiscences of Mamaroneck people death in 1924. At the time of his passing, it was said concerning him, and events. He wasp one of the first people of Mamaroneck to interest "in annals of Village history, he will be portrayed as one of its greatest • ( your Uncle Bill in the history of our Village. Some of my pleasantest men." He was described as being unselfish, kindly and wise. Mr. Rice 4O memories will always be the evenings spent in the home of Mr. Baxter was an active member of the Chamber of Commerce, was director of the w here tales of the last seventy-five years rolled off the host's tongue as if Mamaroneck Free Library, treasurer of the Mamaroneck District Corn- they were yesterday. mittee of Boy Scouts, treasurer of the Taxpayers Association, member of Some of the builders in Mamaroneck include the names of John F. the Lions Club and vice president of the Men's Club of St. Thomas' hane, Peter Hadden Spader and Augustus Haynes. Mr. Kane founded Church. He came to Mamaroneck in 1901 and established the Mamaro- his firm in 1915 and become one of the largest contractors in the Village. neck Paragraph. The same year he married Clara Sophie Jensen. His He was born in 1879 in Mamaroneck and attended the Rye Neck Barry name is still spoken of with the highest respect by those who knew him. Avenue School. His father was the first ticket agent and baggage master The next time you go past the drinking fountain on the Post Road for the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad in Mamaroneck. behind the Union Savings Bank, I want you to remember the name of the - Mr. Kane built many of the homes in the Heathcote Hill section of next man I am going to tell you about. Burton Charles Meighan Mamaroneck and in Larchmont Gardens. In the year 1925, he built four- gave that fountain to the Village and beautified the small plot of ground teen houses in Heathcote Hill. He was a member of the Board of Direc- beside it with trees and flowers. He also gave the beautiful Italian marble tors of the First National Bank and of the Daily Times. Mr. Kane was font on which a bronze sun dial designed by Black, Starr & Gorham is at one time president of the Chamber of Commerce and served as trustee affixed. Mr. Meighan was born on Orienta Point, Mamaroneck, in 1871. of the Village. He attended school in Mamaroneck; was graduated with high honors Peter Hadden Spader was born in Mamaroneck in 1847. Many from City College of New York in 1890, and became a Phi Beta Kappa. homes in this Village are the works of this man and his father. He built In 1894, after graduation from New York University Law School, • i16 17 • he opened law offices in White Plains and Mamaroneck. In 1897, = he formed a partner- ship with Henry N e c arsulmer, with offices in New York. Mr. Meighan has ,.z. served as Trustee of ° the Village and as its Corporation Counsel. r+' S ? Mr. Meighan was one >� � leo Guion Creek and Town Dock of the founders of the ( Boston Post Road As vatittnemmot MOM..:. ` Egp sociation. He was vice president and Counsel for the Union Savings Bank , ; and was Counsel for the Cooperative Savings and Loan Association, the "�"_"! Larchmont Cooperative Savings & Loan Association, and the Larchmont The "Mary E. Gordon" at the Town Dock National Bank. He was president of the Board of Trustees of the Mamaroneck Methodist Church and a Trustee of the Westchester County we say "character." I remember a piece of poetry which has always im.- Historical Society. pressed me, and I will finish my story on "How the Village Grew" with ( those lines. Since Mamaroneck is on the water, this poem is especially 4O One of the most colorful characters in Mamaroneck was that of fitting for everyone of us, and as you see the sails of boats out on the Captain Charles W. Davis. His name is associated with the harbor of Sound or in the Harbor, remember this poem: Mamaroneck. He was born in Port Chester in 1851, and started as a cook's helper on a ship at the age of twelve. At twenty-two, he had risen to be captain of his own vessel. He owned the sloop "Sacramento," the schooner "Hattie Palmer," and the steamers "Davis" and "Celerity." His One ship goes east and one goes west most famous vessel came into Mamaroneck Harbor May 24, 1890. This By the self same winds that blow; vessel, the "Mary E. Gordon," was to be the best remembered of all the 'Tis the set of the sail and not the gale, vessels which carried freight and passengers between Mamaroneck and New York. The hull of the vessel is said to be visible at low tide under That determines the way they go. the docks of the Brewer Lumber Company in the East Basin. Like the winds of the sea are the ways of fate, So you see, David and Virginia, from the life story of these public As we voyage through this life; spirited men who have helped to build Mamaroneck, we can draw a lesson` , from so many of their life stories. You will run across the fact that they Tis the set of the soul that decides the goal served for long years in the same position. It means that people trusted And not the stress and the strife. them and gave them their confidence. This is the quality we mean when 18 19 How Folks Got Around IQ • ( h E13p( TODAY, I am going to tell you how the folks in Mamaroneck got around. Mamaroneck has always been fortunate with her wonderful harbor. It is considered one of the best on the Long Island shore. She has also had the advantage of being on the Boston Post Road. These two advantages have helped the people of Mamaroneck to get around easily. The first Post Rider to go through Mamaroneck was in January, 1673. He used the path the Indians used. It was called the Westchester Path. For most of the way through Westchester the Boston Post Road kept to the line of the old Path. Milestones were erected on this Road in 1771. The first stage coach to go through Mamaroneck bound for Boston was in June, 1772. Down to quite recent times this Road was a dirt road and the minutes of Town and Village meetings are filled with discussions of sprinkling the road in summer and trying to do something about the mud in Spring and Fall. Besides the Post Road,Mamaroneck had the Old I'oad to White Plains as well as Weaver Street, Rockland Avenue and West Street which were very early roads. In April, 1800 a corporation was formed called the Westchester Turnpike Company. It had permission to straighten the old Boston Post Road and to establish toll houses and gates to collect a fee from those using the Road. Officers of this company were Philip Pell, John P. Delancey, Cornelius Roosevelt, Peter Jay Munro and Gabriel Furman. Evidence of this company's work is the present straight road through Mamaroneck. Virginia and David, did you know that Tompkins Avenue was the Old Post Road? Well, ir was and it swings in behind the present line of stores on MamaroneckAvenueand came up 20 21 - h W F ,.„.23-. el ti' �Q4� tif 4, {h' 1� c , At, over the dam near our bridge in front of Jubb's Garage. Another piece of the Old Post Road is down in Orienta Point where it branches off at Orienta Avenue and joins the present Post Road at Larchmont Acres. Mamaroneck still has one of the toll gate houses down near Law- rence's Inn. It has a marker on the front wall placed there by the His- . torical Committee for the 275th Anniversary Celebration of the Town in ]936. The charges for use of the new road were as follows: every horse and rider, four cents; one horse passenegr vehicle, ten cents; coach, twenty R cents. Tolls were not charged on Sundays for folks going to and from church or for funeral processions. There were milestones placed at each 7' 314 mile. Mamaroneck has one of these old stones now enclosed in an iron A "T� railing at Tompkins Square. The Federal government bought the rights PO ,.; ° I .. in the road from the company and it was opened to the free use of the ' % y t► public about 1867. The care of horses and the building and repair of carriages and coaches have been the cause of many ads which are found in newspaper files through the years of Mamaroneck's history. Because of the presence , of several wealthy families, Mamaroneck has had the pleasure of seeing s more than its share of magnificent horses and carriages. Many shops and factories for the shoeing of horses and making of carriages were owned -' 0 by men here in Mamaroneck. Harness making was another allied industry. Q Feed and grain stores were also needed for the upkeep of horses just as 1 the auto needs filling stations today., One could purchase a carriage, a wagon or a sleigh from Jacob Mayer 4 0 or from John W. Revere near the depot. The whole business connected with carriages and horses has largely given way to filling stations and garages but t h e glamor of standing1> in an open door of .1 a blacksmith shop .; and watching the ~ ,r sparks fly from the stroke of the ham- e" Maigifg mer on a red hot 4 ] ironorstanding *. ,.< . quietly and watch- ... Bostwick Stables and Carriage Barn ing a painter put a Milestone at Tompkins Square n a r r ow strip of 22 23 color on the spokes ,�. of a carriage wheel '''',A� t �. . cannot be duplicat e ed by the grease , � _ r and smell of so- s' o 1, • i ;9 line of a modern � � � r '; ��, ,� _ � �_ � garage. 1 The Misses Edith . and Jennie Halsted ' *, iit " have described for ; _ " us the delight of � ' Q S Z going down to the ��� Pony - Cutter - Coach Dog t . , depot in the late ti,C if ,.. .. to see the r t' _� ��� carriages and horses and liveried attendants meet their owners coming in rp ��. �, on the train from New York. It was the custom for the ladies of the rich and well-to-do to meet their husbands and men folks at the train. Friday """ " � ° night and the evening before holidays was the best of all for, then, those aristocrats of the carria a da s the tall -ho coaches were driven down to g Y , Y � za;: pick up their owners and his guests for the weekend. In Miss Edith ( Halsted's words, "The glamor of the depot at night when the trains came loci it .\ . � 4..i r'•� -.' � A ..... _ y. .. E ,w.. -0403 KS \\N.„....z.....s...........,....._..( ` - '1'4i r. ims."—al n - r; r ar ‘Iiim rjai � stable of Amy Crocker . ._ I- ipp_ . _ .. �� in from New York is something I will never forget. Che liveries of the ., coachmen and footmen, the ladies sitting back in their carriages waiting �� for their men folks was a show that never lost its fascination. It was a �� treat to see the turnouts in the evening. I remember Mrs. Flagler's colors from were black and white. She had a coachman and a footman. Their trousers , <r were white and their coats and boots were black and they always wore •. � � shining black hats. The Bostwicks had a lovely tally-ho and Alex 'Taylor ii had one, too. There were_ others probably but those are the ones that I remember clearly." �; t One of the most popular vehicles for many uses was the victoria. It �` was a low four-wheeled carriage with a folding top and a raised seat in L7p;141'S '� ufront for the driver. Onpleasant days, ladies could sit in it withthe top •f ' - .'" ?"### ``. - -----,--E— imill ki ii . ���' a ._ down and protect themselves from the sun or the stare of a person they I ( � wiz! roilloIlaig �' did not care to recognize by a parasol no larger than a doll's umbrella. ' .� This type of carriage also permitted elaborate gowns to be shown off to good effect. ii A Mr. Albert C. Bostwick's name appears several times on the front page of the "Mamaroneck Register" during the early years of this cen- tury. He had the means to satisfy his desire to have excellent horses and beautiful carriages. Some of the horse and buggy pictures shown in this chapter are from his estate on Orienta Point. The pictures chosen give an idea of the different types of vehicles used by wealthy people of that ,• . day. . p To my mind, young people who will never have a chance to witness the color and pageantry of horses and carriages; surreys,victorias, landaus, coaches and tally-hos have missed a great deal. No automobile ever built 1-.5:,../..c4 cane ual in beaut and elegance, a well turned out air of horses drawing °" an open victoria. 14 _ -- ;?> ^" re Mr. Bostwick was also interested in automobiles. In 1900, he was ftp -1-,,,....„4, _ ,_ host to the Automobile Club of America. Fifteen machines started from { � the Pi Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City at twelve o'clock noon. By � two o'clock eight machines had arrived at the Larchmont Yacht Club ` �� ° '�v �,�here they were scheduled for lunch in the nature of an old-fashioned " � , � d; clam bake. One automobile collided with the gates at the entrance and � was badly wrecked. Another auto, using steam for power, "took fire" and � was quickly in a blaze. The famous Larch Fire Department came to the rescue and the blaze was put out amid applause of the crowd. Mr. ~ � m ' Bostwick entertained the Automobile Club at his home in Orienta after �s 27 i first to build and operate a really practical car, but in that year the first Oldsmobile, Elmore, White and Maxwell cars were built. The first auto "+ • shows were held in New York and Chicago that year. -" •,. In 1900, Henry Ford interested and secured the backing of a stove i'-,„ • manufacturer to loan him a few thousand dollars. In the same year, the �,, .,r ` first Frankin and the Knox cars appeared. In 1902, came the first Pierce 4 > A rrow and the Thomas, and in 1903, the Cadillac, the Premier, the Hud- /. . , _ :a '.4t''' son and the Peerless. The first Vanderbilt cup race took place in 1904. In that same year, the first Marmon and Reo cars came out. Year by year, with the best brains of the best mechanicians the automobile steadily — 111111 '!o.f • 6 1111 improved. The two cylinder car gave way to the three, four, five and six �T N► " cylinder cars. You will see by the pictures what the first Packard looked like and what Mr. Ford's first car looked like. Other pictures in the book C ti f are of the first Locomobile, the first Pierce Arrow, the first White and the first Duryea. One of the interesting people in connection with the automobile in- dustry is our own Charles Brady King who lives at 1 Beach Avenue, the clam bake with an ex iibition of his French automobiles and his racers, Larchmont. You children can see his picture driving the first automobile to appear on the streets of Detroit, Michigan March 6, 1896. one of which was the fastest in this country at that time . • Speed records, in spite of bad roads, from the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel Mr. King's carriage, one made by Duryea and another by Haynes, in New York to the Larchmont Yacht Club were set by C. J. Field who were among the first cars made in America. R. E. Olds of Lansing, arrived in 1 hour 17 minutes. F. T. Craven arrived five minutes later and Michigan, made a very early car also. Mr. King and Henry Ford became Mr. Bostwick arrived in 1 hour 24 minutes. Each car contained from acquanited in 1894 after seeing Mr. King's experiments in his shop. Mr. two to four guests besides the driver. Archie Stalker, who was in charge Ford's first car was built in a shed at the rear of 58 Bagley Avenue and, of the food, reported that the party consumed ten barrels of clams three after his car was assembled, Mr. King accompanied Mr. Ford on the test barrels of oysters, three hundred pounds of lobsters, two hundred and fifty trip out to the Ford farm in Dearborn, on June 4, 1896, a distance of ten pounds of blue fish, four hundred ears of corn, one barrel of sweet pota- miles. Police authorities ordered Mr. King, who was conducting his tests toes, one barrel of white potatoes, five hundred hard crabs, one bushel of on Belle Isle, to leave the park by five a. m. and not to travel faster than onions and unnamed quantities of champagne and beer, five miles per hour. Mr. King gave two valves to Mr. Ford for his David, I wonder what is the oldest car you have ever seen? Auto- first car. mobiles aren't very old and, yet, if you saw one of the first automobiles The first American Automobile Race was held Thanksgiving Day, coming towards you on the street, I don't believe you would really know 1895. The race was conducted by the Chicago Times Herald. The course what to say. Mr. Duryea built an excellent buggy in Springfield, Massa- chusetts with a motor driven by a water cooled engine attached to the rear was fifty miles and ran to Evanston and return. Mr. King took part in this race in a Benz car. He crossed the finish line for second place. The axle in 1891. This was probably the first practical motor driven vehicle trip took ten hours and forty-five minutes over miserable roads and in a to be made in this country. The boom in making automobiles started in 1899. It is hard to prove whether Mr. Duryea or Mr. Haynes was the blizzard. 28 i 29 a: M �` r " ',...-4 ,.:..0, :2':.,..4 .41 r‘,- * .,.. fr ` 4 yta. _ 'R ',.s' ^.. a a''R¢ T2,Nr *. .<„,.,, d � ��. `'.. - . „ii i „,.,..,-„..„„.4,,,,:;,,,,...*4 .,...1”. -. �, a �� tea,� � °�"' ti .'���i�a'�', 4. t1;1)tct f 1 Charles Brady King driving the first Automobile on the Streets of Detroit, Michigan, ..,,--..:5;,,,,_„,,,,,,,,,,,,'-•--,- � � �,� .� ,.�.�� x� ��.� � March 6th, 1896. • g •...; �' 4.A.'&��r .ASF.�ex t ,gat-;%'i',"'",/.'''' 9 4'$'�gi Yc �� �P aye* y. e g } ''''*:::''''''-'4''''''' ' Asa 4 y a k Two Early Steamers Single Cylinder Packard - 1907 �,� :, �. . _. as ._ - ` -� Renault Touring Car Henry Ford in his Quadracycle - 1896 European Racer - 1906 30 31 i v .11 ^3 IYpnt q" '•------A_ ___.., It '��+ 1 4f,-, = Mr.Kingbuilt another car in : �.� _ � i .,., ew i --"4;Icit 1896 and sold it to Byron Carter --> lw .v.t s,i... ,-..., " ~ ' „, ., of Jackson, Michigan. This was one of the earliest cars sold in the evit ”" United States. In 1896, Mr.King f I 1 . i � r � A , ir constructed four more engines =e p=-� ��, and sold one of these mounted in a horseless carriage to the Robinson Brothers' Circus, who `+ •;� used it for many years in their S � ,, street parade. Every new invention seems 4� .� A. - to have had a great deal of op- ,.,h .•-0 ? �� - position at first. An editorial for September 27, 1900 in the "Mamaroneck Register" con- Panhard - Lavessor - 1905 Model - on Mamaroneck Avenue demes the rapid speed of auto- mobiles on the streets. The edit- s or, William E. Peters, complains Mrs. Estelle B. Woods with a 1918 Ford Sedan that "terrific rushes" are almost ' --emi., occurrences and machines run riot in the village streets. "If there is no danger in the flight of two- ton locomotives through busy streets at a speed of twenty miles an hour, \ there is no cause for directing anybody's attention to the subject. If there t ' J { is danger in the practice, it is high time the proper village ordinance be " "`� taken down and dusted," wrote Mr. Peters forty-six years ago on a subject which still perplexes the 4 i' 1� P P public. The editorial was answered in "The .,. � . Paragraph," a rival newspaper, the following week by Albert Bostwick. It must be remembered that the automobile was then in its infancy. Mr_ Bostwick writes: "I note in your last issue that you are joining the list ,'; ci the numerous narrow-minded papers that cannot see good in any form ,C of locomotion on the highways other than that of the horse. You state in your article that the speed of automobiles in the village streets should be stopped. I don't know whether that article was intended for me or not but, if it was, it was extremely unnecessary as I have not attained a speed c f over ten miles per hour in the village proper since I was asked by the Early Car owned in Mamaroneck trustees not to run so fast some fourteen months ago." • Another invention in the field of transportation was the trolley which was called the "poor man's horse and carriage." The rich people were 32 33 • cators of property and property rights and that some members of the Board of Trustees of the Village are desirous of seeing that trolley lines 0- ete take possession of the finest drives in the county. The New York Tribune carried a story on the above hearing at Mamaroneck and described our Highway Commissioner as follows: "A unique individual in every respect is the Highway Commissioner of Mama- roneck. Dressed in corduroys and with a colored handkerchief tied around -- his neck, he presided over the hearing with an easy, nonchalant manner that was greatly at variance with the importance of the issue at stake. �, " "Rich people can't run this town," was his refrain as he contemptuously " threw upon the floor the signed protests of 80% of the people whose kgrt t ," , k property abuts upon that part of the Post Road for which the franchise tOQ` 1 *- / was asked and granted." y ' 1906 Oldsmobile Touring Car The street railway companies prevailed and street car tracks were laid along Halstead, Palmer, Mamaroneck Avenues and the Post Road. accused of trying to stop the granting of franchises to street railway com- An amusing incident occurred in the Village between the Board of Trus- panies. Editorials and the minutes of early Village Board meetings are tees and the trolley company while the street railway company was laying filled with arguments for and against trolley franchises. One editorial its rails. The Village maintained that the trolley company had violated says, "The trolley corporations are bent upon the ruin of the finest roads, the terms of the franchise. The Board obtained a court order that and upon the practical confiscation of properties of exceptional value. stopped further building of the trolley line and called out the fire depart- These conspirators against the peace and pleasure of owners of estates are nient to help the police and their deputies in enforcing the order. The mi persistent and audacious in their projects for destroying some of the most trolley company refused to stop work, and about forty men were arrested charming and delightful drives which can be found in the vicinity of New and put under bond. The men immediately returned to work and they York. It was clear at the hearings which were held in Mamaroneck that were arrested' again. This continued all day long. By the end of that day the Highway Commissioner is strongly in sympathy with trolley confis- the trolley company had deposited bail before Justice of the Peace McCabe to the amount of thirty thousand dollars. It was the popular custom for many years for people to take a trolley ., ride on summer evenings after supper to White Plains and Tarrytown. The last trolley car to run on Palmer Avenue was in the summer of 1927. ' An article in the Daily Times for April 1, 1927 tells the end of the - story of the traction companies. "The New York and Stamford Company burned thirteen old trolley cars which had made many thousands of trips �--- '.- between New Rochelle and Stamford. In their day they were the finest rift* �,�� ,�►,�, �` y , street railway equipment in the country. Among those burned for scrap was a tank car used to sprinkle the streets before the days of concrete and macadam. Just as the trolley proved the death knell of horses, so auto-. Mrs. William Harvey Smith in a 1911 Flanders Roadster mobiles and busses have put trolleys in junk heaps and museums. 34 35 r • 1 I I I 1 r a `tea _.. 4 r, 1 9. -,,, ,,,1_,,,,,,,i :,.e.,.., Tr't,. 7.:,,,Tiv, ,,,,:i . ,, ,„I, _ .., ,1 ° -tf it, ., . ,, , _,_ _ „ , 511141 1/0 . rCs .00::-",": .1.-0-,,,, 4. ..w..�.e�.as pa�. 1r ,,'i"e"au vygy.¢2"""x - .-.'mac 'e.^+w�s... am ..p N s,,-eµ s.<. '^` x.VotAt, r �° a a I " A happy Excursion on the "Cygnet" I Trolley Car on Palmer Avenue, also Model T Ford. 1 David, you and your friends are very fond of the Harbor for swim- have developed quicker than it did as the chief business street of our Vil. I ming. Did you ever stop to think how important the Harbor used to be lage. The Post Road held its own as a business center until the 1920's I for transportation and shipping? and the fact that the First National Bank Building and the Union Savings Bank were at the corner of the Post Road proves the point. Long Island Sound has always been a great means of transportation I for Mamaroneck from earliest times to the invention of the automobile The first railroad built out into Westchester was the New York and and the building of hard surfaced roads. Caleb Heathcote used a barge Harlem. In 1846 the New York and New Haven Railroad Company I and eight slaves to row him up from the City where he was Mayor of signed an agreement with the New York and Harlem Company to use New York in 1711 and his country home was on Heathcote Hill in Mama- their tracks from Williamsbridge into New York City. Every person to roneck. Town records reveal that a whaling vessel was kept in Mamaro- the present day who rides into Grand Central Station on the New York, neck Harbor just before the Revolution. All through the years sailing New Haven Railroad pays a toll to the older railroad. The Westchester vessels have been used in the Harbor and on the Sound, first for Corot Turnpike Company fought the grantnig of a charter to the railroad just mercial uses and now for pleasure. After the invention of the steamboat as that railroad today tries to keep towns from giving franchises to bus by Robert Fulton, our Harbor became more important than ever. Older companies which.may prove dangerous competition. Tracks for the New residents can tell you of the many steam boats that came into the harbor_ York, New Haven Railroad were laid through Mamaroneck about 1848. on regular runs to and from New York City. The last and best remem can recall the Tradition has it that the first train to go through the Village was Decem- bored one was the Mary E. Gordon. Many older people Harbor, her 28, 1848. The terminal in New York City was at 26th Street and the pleasure trips they have taken on steamers out of Mamaroneck trains were drawn up to that point from lower Manhattan by horses. By The coming of the railroad changed the location of many business 1853 there were two tracks from New Rochelle to New Haven. The • places, and had it not been for the long legal fight over the property of "`'" present New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad Company was -the Mamaroneck Manufacturing Company, Mamaroneck Avenue would formed in 1872. 36 37 I • 3 111 I op A 1 Alexander Graham ' Bell invented his tele- 1 phone in 1876, but it was not until August ._ .; 1 6, 1.898 that the first telephone central office i was opened in Mama- , roneck at 58WestBos- ,_" on Post Road, the 's presentpr Town Offices. t e There were a few rit`, ,� telephones in the Vil „ y tiw .'' lage before that with 11 Building the Underpass on Mamaroneck Avenue service from the New - OiD YAMAROM�OR aa�D...c „TA�, Rochelle central office which had been opened in 1883. The first subscriber to telephone service a in Mamaroneck was William R. Bull, uncle of F. H. Bull, Jr. ,� The first central office in Mamaroneck was of the magneto type and a subscriber turned a crank to signal the operator. By 1900 the Mamaro 1 Hotel and Depot on Sound side of Tracks. This hotel was the home of S. Charles Hanna neck office had 71 subscribers. In 1909 a couunon battery switchboard , from the age of ten with his parents. After his marriage he and Mrs. Hanna continued was installed and the number of subscribers increased to 569. In ].928 the f to live here for ten years. large building at Barry and Halstead Avenues was placed in service. i Improvements in railroad equipment began shortly after 1870 with Today there are 4,385 telephones in service. the use of steel rails instead of iron ones. The steel rails were stronger Well, children, when you go •speeding up Mamaroneck Avenue over and more durable than iron and made it possible to run heavier trains at a hard surfaced road in a powerful automobile or when you casually pick higher speed. In 1868, the air brake was invented and installed on trains. upthe telephone and call our father's office in New York City, give a The automatic block system showed' the en neer when he had a clear p Y thought to yesterday, when Mamaroneck had dirt streets and the folks track ahead. Gas lights and steam heat made riding more comfortable got around with horses and carriages and folks had to visit their friends I, than the use of kerosene lamps and stoves provided. Dining cars, sleeping in person. cars and chair cars all came into being in 1880. After 1910 came electri- fication and the use of heavier locomotives with stream-lined trains of today as the latest improvement. In 1907 the use of electric power changed that of coal and the age of smoke and cinders passed away. I Another invention which has helped to draw people more closely to- ll,' gether is the telephone. It is taken for granted by you youngsters but s many older people can remember the thrill of their first telephone call and 11 I many more can remember with pride when their first 'phone was installed in their homes. 39 38 s How Folks Protected Themselves As you know, the Village by straddling the Mamaroneck River is in both towns. At first, justice was administered by a magistrate and a constable. and Their Property Today all charges against citizens within the Village limits are brought before the police justice for disposition. Village ordinance fines are paid to the Village Treasurer. Motor vehicle violences are reported to the State and the fines are paid into the State Treasury. Penal law violations are reported to the County and fines collected are paid to the County treasurer. When our first Village officers were elected in May, 1896, the first president, Thomas L. Rushmore, appointed Henry Fatton and Sydney B. Griffin as a committee to form a police department. Their first recom- saw3w'y. yr a mendation was that we have three police constables and that we raise $2;500 to carry on their work for a year. It was not until January 1, 1897 4 liki.. that Patrick Lenihan, Bernhard Herman and Thomas Terrill were recom `" Yw mended and appointed on the police force at a salary of $500 yearly. It might interest you to know a set of rules was drawn up which required a police constable to arrest all persons who sold strong or spiritu- ous liquors, ales and wines within the Village contrary to law. They were to arrest all habitual drunkards and all drunken persons found intoxicated in the streets and alleys of the Village. They were to arrest all persons I who were engaged in fighting or quarreling. and all people who used ,' indecent language or disorderly conduct in public places. The constables ii: Ill I were ordered to provide themselves with police uniforms which were to be worn at all times while they were on duty. A committee was to pur- ' chase badges, belts and lanterns for the use of the police. One duty of Chief Martensen - Lieut. Clary - Sergeant O'Neill / the police was to report the number of gas lights not burning each night. One of the early traffic problems is still familiar to us. There were "AA TELL, David and Virginia, here we are again. I promised you we many complaints in 1897 about the behavior of persons riding bicycles "VV would talk about firemen and policemen today. Did you children along the Post Road on their way to Rye Beach. There were also many ever stop to think how folks have had to plan to protect themselves and complaints about the owners of trotting horses racing them on Parks Flat, their property through the years? Of course, in early days each man had which was that part of the Post Road between Rye and Mamaroneck. The firearms in his house, and he protected his own household. In case of fire, Board of Trustees published an ordinance regulating the use of bicycles, his neighbors would all come to his help and try to stop the destruction. tricycles, and velocipedes on the streets and highways of the Village. *milli° The credit for a regular fire department is said to belongto the wonderful Speed was limited to six miles per hour and all bicycles were required to mind of Benjamin Franklin, who organized the first regular firemen and have a bell or other warning signal, and there must be a light on the vehicle police department in his beloved city of Philadelphia. E " at night. The beginnings of law and order through law enforcement in the In 1898 the committee on policemen equipped members of the police Village territory goes back into the town records of Rye and Mamaroneck. department with revolvers. The police at this time were on duty only at 40 41 J I 4 i' Vit ° water works, power plant, bridges and other points that might be subject " � •, to attack by saboteurs. They served until the end of the war. A gas blinking traffic signal was installed in 1921 at Orienta Avenue � � and the Boston Post Road and the following year an ambulance was pur- l'• chased bythe Board' of Trustees. 1, In 1925, because of the increased flow of traffic through the Village, several automatic traffic signal lights were installed. A finger printing � - 7,44•04442 41r ��,. : machine was purchased and two members of the department were trained fit. ? rr ; " . _ `= - _• by the County Identification Officer in its use. By 1.925 the department �, • ,_ � ,� m4. was headed by a Chief of Police and two more sergeants were appointed, L bringing the personnel of the department to twenty one men. y .. In 1926 three patrol cars were purchased, a detective division was established an six additional officers were hired. In 1927 a pistol range • was lilt in the basement of the Hook and Ladder Fire FIouse an all gr members of the police department were required to practice at regular night. Citizens resented these policemen very much, as is shown by the hours every week. The police headquarters were moved that year to Hal- many shits started for false arrest and assault brought against them. Now, don't laugh children, but a big step towards modernizing the police depart- .. ment was made in 1905 when the• y were furnished with bicycles. vri In May, 1906, the office of Thomas C. Palmer on the Post Road, next � to the R. G. Brewer hardware store, was rented at five dollars per month for .a police station. This station was in use every night from six p.m. av " until six a.m. In 1907 a green light was ordered placed outside the police station �y ith 4474 so that strangers would know where to look for police service. In the 4, 411 same year a police sergeant was appointed and the uniforms were pur- chased by the Village instead of the men themselves. i. �� In 1908 a motorcycle was purchased for the use of the police depart- _ epart � .� ` ment to catch speeders and criminals using automobiles. In 1909 four call boxes were installed with direct communication to police headquarters. t. n h" This number of phones was soon increased to eight boxes. In 1911 the first speed ordinance directed against motor vehicles was adopted and the ' �'' ' speed limit of fifteen miles per hoar was set. The use of the muffler cut z; , • out was prohibited. m In 1917 after the United States entered World 'War I, a groupoftr4 ° men was organized in the Village and became known as the Home Guard. . '. e ' ., �. gy �' One hundred and' twelve men belonged to this unit, and they guarded President Hunter with his Board of Trustees and the Police Department 42 43 epileptic fits, an expert marksman, a boxer and wrestler, a male governess � �` to children, a diplomat and a two-fisted go-getter at the same time, a memory expert and an authority on hundreds of subjects; he must act as judge, as well as attorney for both the prosecution and defense when occasion arises, and he must finally decide whether or not to make an : ! arrest or suffer the consequences. His middle name must be "versatility" if he is to survive in the service. w s ! ffi a Theresent officers of the Mamaroneck Police Department are: P F t Chief, Arthur W. Martensen; Lieutenant Louis Giancola, Sergeant John O'Neill, Sergeant Charles Schlierer, Lieutenant Herman Pauls, Sergeant Joseph W. Palmer and Detective Sergeant William O'Neill and Detective Samuel'Bryant. Chief lames O'Neil and his force, 1925 stead and Ward Avenues. In the same year a police justice was appointed and an efficient court procedure set-up, including a full-time court sten- ographer and clerk. In 1930 the first balanced police department came into existence, using the three platoon system. The department was equally divided and a lieutenant and a sergeant placed over each platoon. At the same time a detective division was increased to three men. In 1932 police headquarters were moved to Spencer Place. The Village offices were located on the second floor of the same building, and thus for the first time, all departments were brought together. In 1933 a Harbor Master was appointed to enforce regulations governing boats moored in the Harbor. In 1939 the department moved to the present Municipal Building. In 1940 the police department was modernized by the installation of a two-wayradio system, allowingimmediate communi- cation between police headquarters and its motorized equipment. The personnel of the department has been trained in the use of chemistry and other scientific methods as an aid to crime detection and how to recognize and preserve evidence at the scene of the crime. The department today * , i@ keeps in step with advanced and changing methods of crime tactics and criminal apprehension. Chief Arthur W. Martensen A modern police officer has been described as having the following qualities: he must be a two-legged municipal reference library and inform- ation bureau, an emergency fireman, an emergency doctor, handling every- thing from attempts at suicide to fractured skulls and severed arteries to 44 45 • II II I 1 1' �• ;�i.• ,- ' r 4$4, , .%,-;:i'-:::-.,„Zil.'m-$ 4,1"' .4"' 4' { ._10 . ........ 1 �, �l fi s r wT � +t q - {114*; J .* a ` i.1' v��,,,, �, "+ '_ II )fly'. 1 ,tof i t 'pal -,-1 ,.. i 1kff,1 p�, .f * + 4 Y .1-r ts�z - ,�•� a veT , • u • i .: `vr:./,. . . . 7., . ,,, � I Mamaro En Engine Hose Com an in front of Old Town Hall � '� t� ii Mamaroneck calamity which occurred on.New Year's Eve 1884 in the shape of t, Mamaroneck Hook and Ladder Co. a fire which swept the Village west of the present Village Square produced the first attempt at the formation of a Fire Department. Judge William A. F� Boyd and David Britt acting as a committee, ordered a hand drawn hook w �'m. # and ladder truck from Andrew Coles Millwright. The first working .166)� � officers elected were; Foreman, Joseph H. McLoughlin; assistant fare- iiII- --- � n -.. ii. 1, * meq^ &" /0.% 'fr-- .,,. - , , 1.-- , , ii. , * ft* . * , 1 0. 44 ,. -',..k..,,,. ,,,,,,:,,, "* .9 , . .:t :1 : t . '6' ' ' Ta. .II .,.,'te ,a mto..• , .,::sesr....,a;....o.s;_ m,..-..a-,-;, LaFrance Steamer 46 Mamaro Engine and Hose Co. story was added to the building and fitted up as a modern club room. The Village then appropriated funds for a new American LaFrance Hook and R �� Ladder Truck. Mamaroneck Engine and Hose Company, No. 1, was organized Nov- * fir fi,�,. ember 13, 1890. It has always held the reputation of being one of the x,r x 4 .,a - most popular and daring companies in the fire department. The organiza- tion received a gift of five hundred dollars because of its good work at � a most disastrous fire on Orienta Point August 26, 1892, with which it � r y ,_ n ,. '� purchased a new four-wheel hose carriage. On October 10, 1904, the ' "- Village bought the company an American LaFrance Metropolitan steamer, ' )14 AK4A A, and in 1906 a hose wagon was added. The first fire house to be erected b y the Village was the Mamaro Com pang's and it was completed February 23, 1923. The Mamaro Company has many trophies in its trophy case. and has the distinction of having LaFrance Steamer with John W. Goodwin house in background man. Andrew S. Coles; Secretary, Charles Seaman: Treasurer, Lewis R. Bramm; Steward, Eugene Dennison, and Trustees, Joseph McLang, Owen McCabe and Louis Kolter. Meetings were held in the rooms over Britt's store in the Square. and after the Mamaro Company was organized, the meetings of both organ- izations were held in the Town Hall, with the truck and hose carriage being kept in the basement. On March 5, 1888, a hose and carriage was purchased through subscriptions and through the supply of water from .� 14.1 the reservoir it was possible to fight fire with water from hose under pressure. In those days the alarm of fire was sounded from the belfry of St. Thomas' Church. In 1891, A. M. Perrin, Bradford Yale and Merritt Sands served as a committee to lay out the fire district. In August, 1901, the Hook and Ladder Company received a new horse drawn hook and ladder truck with fifty foot ladders. On April 3,1901, the Village govern- ment took over the fire department. In1902ground was broken forMamaro- neck's first fire house, financed by a land company composed of the mem tiers of the Hook and Ladder Company. The first directors were: Alex- ander Vreeland, A. C. Bostwick, John R. Hegeman,Edward S. Earsley, i Sydney B. Griffin and Charles M. Baxter. In September, 1916. another Chief Spichler of Columbia Co. Chief Tompkins of Mamaro Engine Hose Co. 48 19 four of its members on the role of active fire duty for thirty-five years. � x ;'" . •� ���Irfy - These men were Ray Baxter. Charles W. Buckter, Charles Tooker and ,.....:.:11.:1,:i. t: '•°._` �r' . John W. Martin. fl` F x ��I( " i�` � I i!� �� �: Volunteer members Company No. 3 is the result of a meeting held 111 in John O'Connor's Feed Store in March 1887. The first piece of motor �` x' �� • - Is.,' apparatus of the Mamaroneck Fire Department was owned by Volunteer �„ �, tior. ak. -- •�-- , Hose Company, No. 3, purchased' in May, 1911. In 1912 the Village r y "` ' ' appropriated funds for the site of the present fire house. " , .- ' Columbia Hose Company, No. 2, was organized October 16, 1898. ,f/it +e "* '�" .A .. 4-0' Its first piece of apparatus was a used hose carriage. In June, 1911, the ""yea Village purchased a horse drawn wagon for the company. At a special election thirty thousand dollars was appropriated for a new fire house which was opened for use of the Columbia Hose Company at the corner of Barry and Jefferson Avenues in January, 1923. � R � �� �� � �° err �. ;e' Halstead Manor Hose Company) No. 4, was organized as a result of a meeting held April 12, 1910 after the development of Halstead Estates b the New York RealtyCorporation. The company started out with a " " Y P P Y ;.t �' used hose pumper supplied by the Village and a4 one story building on =-r--" • :, . • • Fourth Street. In May, 1914,*a Pierce-Arrow chassis was purchased and equipped at a total cost of about$1,700. This was replaced in 1922, when the Village Board purchased another fully equipped Pierce-Arrow truck. t " -•• ' , 0 In May, 1924, at public cost of about $30,000 the new fire house on Hal- 1 , '' stead Avenue was opened. The Fire Department equipment for the Village of Mamaroneck con " � �� ", sists of: five pumping engines, one city service truck, one seventy-five foot ✓ aerial ladder truck, one hose wagon, four engine and hose companies and one hook and ladder company. Our department is a member of the Fire A, e-, Chief's Emergency Plan. t - �, ,. a 04. The officers of the Fire Department are: Edward Livingston, chief P � • �. Richard Grainger, Michael Orsino, W. Edgar Gedney and the two sur , rP' ' geons: R. E. Machan, M.D. and John P. Green, M.D. , *. � . � :? _ -: : ! : A ;. . .• .� • fik The officers of the Hook and Ladder Company, No. 1., are: Captain - ': •• :r _ : : : • : . . • Henry Ritz, Eugene McCann, Charles W. Valentine, Edward Schacklins- �' .• V ' • •„ ' ' • cky, William Buckhout,William Anthes,Jr., Frank J. Sinnott, and Thomas i ► p a e '•• •'+. Russell and Harry T. Primrose are the wardens. �! ■1. 6 } , Officers of the• Mamaro Engine and Hose Company, No. 1, are. ► Captain Walter S. Webber, Jr., Julius Recher, James Payne, E. J. Hausler. 50 51 �I! • Hugh McCall, Thomas Parker, John Lombard and Everett Smith. The wardens being Frank Cunningham and W. E. Gedney. A. Brehmer and W. Lewis are wardens for Hose Company No. 2. The following are officers: Captain Arthur Robinson, Harry Vinet, Don Lyon, Matthew Healy, Ronald O'Connell, George Perschke, Raymond Clarke, George Yost and Charles Harriott. = . Q 1 �. • Volunteer Engine & Hose Company, No. 3, officers are: Captain Wil- r "` � Liam Lanza, James Sansone, r. J , Joseph DeBuourno, Dominick Samela, Albert Kuritzsky, Frank Comblo and Willard Griffin. The wardens are ' ' t ''� J. Fontecchio and A. Sansone. The officers for the Halstead Manor Hose Company, No. 4, are: "4 Captain James O'Neill, Harold Twombly, William Halstead, Hans R. Wendel, James O'Neill; Harold Twombly, E. Seeker and W. Lemon are wardens. • The Benevolent Fund Association of the.Fire Department was incor- porated January 25, 1902. The object of this Association is to provide a fund for the voluntary payment of funeral expenses for deceased mem- V bers, and to provide for the care an1l support of members who may be injured while on duty. It now has a membership of approximately 2632 _ „ �, ,. members. The assets of their insurance fund amount to about $25,000. t e An association connected with the Mamaroneck Fire Department is that of the Ladies' Auxiliary, which was organized November 29, 1937, with fifteen charter members. This took the place of the Ladies' Auxiliary organized in 1924. The object of this organization is to render assistance to the Mamaro- neck Fire Department in every possible way. "" p Present officers of the Auxiliary are: Helen Fengler, Mrs. Celia Haviland, Mrs. Elsie Cunningham, Mrs. Helen Lombard, Mrs.Elsie Weber, -=` re g, gy, Lucy 'tr ' ` Mrs. Helen Manning, Mrs. Gladys Gedney, Mrs. Griffith and Mrs. � Jane Smith. ? ; : igt ir One of the great events remembered in Village history is the fifty- third fty third annual convention of the Firemen's Association of the State of New 4 111 14 4"l York, held at Mamaroneck, August 17th to the 22nd, in 1925. At that 4144 time, L. Harold Bayly was Village President; William A. Boyd, justice of the Peace, and James O'Neil, Chief of Police. Wilbur J. Goddard was 52 53 f - • • Chief of the Fire Department and Joseph McInerney was his assistant,with How Folks Worshipped God Charles P. Caputo serving as Second Assistant Chief. The entertainment committee for the convention was headed by Dennis L. O'Connor as chair- man and the parade committee was headed by Ray Baxter. Oldest church building still standing. Built by the Methodists in 1845— Used as Church 'til 1859. Purchased by Town of Mamaroneck for Town Hall in 1879. Fire Chief LaBrusciano V ESTERDAY, I told you I would talk about how folks worshipped God 1 here in Mamaroneck during the last fifty years. Nov, as Igo along, don't hesitate to interrupt me if some question comes into your minds. Both of you have heard'the expression "freedom of religion" many times, but perhaps you have not thought about it very much. That expression, "freedom of religion," is one of the rights of free men. It is in our famous "Bill of Rights" which was added to the Constitution in the first ten amendments in 1789. That is why we have Protestants, Roman Catholics and Jews, each having their own place of worship in Mamaro- neck. Never be proud of having anyone address you as being a tolerant person, David and Virginia. Be a person who believes in freedom of religion. That is, believe that religion is strictly a private affair of one's own choice, although most of us follow the religion of our parents. We will be far more intelligent and agreeable people to live with if we know r why people of other religions than ours have their certain ways of doing things. There used to be many Quakers here in Mamaroneck, but they do not have a meeting house here now. There used to be a meeting house 54 55 l __ 11111r--_ �, .r *� � .� "fig for Quakers on thetir4,111 ° Plk. ost Road in Larch- " �4 ., mont. It was moved � "' � d✓ " I- toOuaker Ridge out ? 3H ,t Weaver Street and s. �+ ''.,X-it„, ' ,/ .•'4oliv then, a few years ' } ` ago, it was torn Vi g , ' .. �. " �w t.�. �� down, However, ,. a '' 4 there are hundreds � � + t �, ' ,' . h �: _ of Quaker tomb- ` l�..1 a • ��• ` 2 ; 1, o-, - stones in Mamaro . � . a �► ' i neck. You can tell , ;, them by the fact iz..' , that they are rough * upended field stoney • 4 • � First St.Thomas' Church Building in 1823 with no names or dates on them. The •114Quakers-believed it was vanity and sinful to place their names and dates . .: "° • `` on tombstones. They said, "God knows who is in that grave and that • . is sufficient. Man need only kryow that it-is a human grave and the stone tells him that." - i � x } . Now, David and Virginia, we will go into the story of the diti Brent K .31 .04, churches here in the Village. We will take them in the order of their ,� : , building." St. Thomas' congregation dates back to 1704. Colonel Caleb Heath- cote, Mamaroneck's first great man after John Richbell, secured the ser- '" " � vices of a missionary from England under the auspices of the Society for t' P , ` Preaching the Gospel in Foreign Parts. St. Thomas' became an indepen 4 ' dent parish June 9, 1817. The old St. Thomas' Church•was built in 1823, . . and the present Henrietta Constable Memorial Church was dedicated June . . w R 10, 1886. You will find a picture of that first St.Thomas' Church above •` ° !"' and it stood about where the present church stands. The present ' r. church building is copied after the old English Parish Church in West , ' • Hampshire, England. It was built as a memorial to Henrietta. Constable `''' by her husband, James M. Constable, and her children, Frederck A. Con stable, Mrs. Hicks Arnold, and Mrs. Amy H. Weatherbee. The building was consecrated by Bishop Harry C. Potter. The building tool, a year �' and a half to build. Its style is eleventh century English Gothic. It i ' " 5641111 ' t E I t • • Ii fN body was later removed, together with that of his wife, and was buried „ - under the altar of his Episcopal Church in Geneva, New York. A few �`i" years agoI made apilgrimage to this church and stood before the bridk -. � - �" � ss vault of this man and his wife in the basement of the church. Above the 4 ,° tomb in the chancel is a beautiful white marble bust of the Bishop and memorial windows to him are placed on each side of the altar. Bishop E , -44s, DeLancey, while a youngman, married Frances Munro, daughter of Peter g �r - r -M Jay Munro, whose home was the Manor House in Larchmont. The ' , Reverend D'eLancey's father was senior warden of St. Thomas' and his 2.- 10-‘-'4 father-in-law was junior warden. You children will remember that 1 told . � you that Peter Jay Munro was the son of the Reverend Harry Munro and L715Eve Jay, sister of John Jay, the first Chief Justice of the United States. Reverend DeLancey's sister, Susan Augusta, was the wife of James Feni- r0 imore Cooper. CITwo years later the first St. Thomas' Church was consecrated June 17, 1823 by Bishop John H. Hobart. After a long series of clergymen we Altar and Sanctuary of St.Thomas Church f.nd the Reverend Frank German rector of St. Thomas' the year after the Village of Mamaroneck was incorporated. He served for twenty years, 127 feet long and 38 feet wide. The structure is built of brown stone. The and then was succeeded by the Reverend Wilbur Caswell in 1916. Reverend tower is 87 feet high. The Windows were given by Hicks Arnold and Caswell served for seven years and was succeeded by the present rctor, were made by Clayton and Bell of London. Windows in the chancel are . Reverend Frank Dean Gifford. October 18, 1925 the new parish house memorials to Aaron Arnold and Henrietta, his wife, the parents of Mrs. was dedicated. The special preacher for this service was the Reverend James M. Constable. The pulpit is of Caen stone and is an example of Dr, Charles K. Gilbert, secretary of the diocese and a former resident of fine carving. The lectern is df burnished bronze and the Bible rests on an Mamaroneck. eagle with outstretched wings symbolizing the spread of the Gospel. The Baptistry contains the font of Derbyshire marble. The altar is also made The new building, equipment, and improvements to the grounds and furnishings of the parish house amounted to nearly $100,000. Through of Caen stone carved by Ellien and Kitson of New York. A panel in the the kindness of Mrs. Frederick A. Constable, the terraces and lawns were reredos represents Leonardo da Vinci's"Lord's Supper." The aisles of the graded; a stairway erected up to the church from the new building; the church are laid in Roman mosaics. The beautiful chimes in the tower driveway repaved and fitted with new concrete steps and curbing. and the clock which strikes the Westminster Chime every quarter hour were the gifts of Hicks Arnold. At the time of building, it was estimated St. Thomas' Guild of today is the child of the Sewing Circle of St. the Constable family spent over $200,000 on the grounds of St. Thomas' Thomas' Church organized in the year 1853. The first officers of the together with the other buildings besides the church, society were: Mrs. J. M.Ward, Mrs.W.T. Stanley,and Miss E. Hoffman. In 1821, Reverend William Heathcote DeLancey was elected rector In 1877 a Woman's Missionary Association was formed. The first of St. Thomas'. This man later became Provost of the University of officers of this association were: The Reverend William Montgomery, Pennsylvania and then became first bishop of the newly created diocese Mrs. Craighead, Mrs. J. K. Purdy, Miss L. Jacobs and Mrs. K. H. Fuller. of Western New York. For many years after his death he lay buried in In 1922 it was decided to merge into one guild all the women's organi- the family burying ground of the DeLanceys on Palmer Avenue. His zations and all activities for the benefit of the parish under the auspices 58 59 round S. Roberts, J. F. M. Schroder, Thomas Skinner, Ernest Warming, of the new organization to Harold S. Woodward. The present number of communicants of St. be called St.Thomas' Guild. Thomas's is 934. The number of baptized persons in the parish is 1,415. The officers who now head The Sunday School has an enrollment of 241 pupils. St.Thomas' Guild are: Mrs. James Conley, Mrs. Harold The next oldest church in Mamaroneck is the Methodist Episcopal Woodward, Mrs. Emerson Church whose history in Mamaroneck goes back to the first service held Heyworth, Mrs.Alvah Par here on December 19, 1771 by Francis Asbury, a great pioneer circuit . - ent and Mrs.Dominick Sin- rider. His journal records: "The next day I preached at Mairnock to a tomenna. The Guild has five company of people who at first took but little notice of the worship of ¢. chapters, which are as fol- I God, but I trust some of them felt the power of truth in their hearts." lows: The Dorcas Chapter, After the Revolution the work was carried on under the leadership of St. Hilda's Chapter, St. Benjamin Griffin who conducted weekly meetings to prepare men and Catherine's Chapter, St. women for admission to membership in the church. His home was the • % Cecelia's Chapter and Hen- Griffin homestead on Old Mamaroneck Road now owned by S. W. Duhig. rietta Constable's Chapter. LIn 1813 a meeting took place at Hester Sands to elect trustees and to Other organizations discuss the building of a church. Ransom Burtis, John Bonnett, Absalom which center around St. Tompkins, Elisha Budd, William Mead, and William Allee were chosen Thomas' are: the Evening to act as trustees. Elisha Budd was made president and William Allee Chapter for business and clerk. A building was erected in 1814. Services were conducted by circuit professional women, the riders who also served the churches in Port Chester, Rye and New Rev. Frank Dean Gifford Altar Guild, the Men's Club, Rochelle. The first building stood where the present Town Hall now the Young People's Fellow- stands. It was destroyed by fire on the night of February 12, 1845. ship; the Girls' Friendly Society, the Servers' Guild, the Red Cross, and Another church was soon built on the same site and first services were held the British Relief Society. in this second church building October 23, 1.845. It was dedicated that St. Thomas' Weekly, established in 1924 by Reverend Gifford, is re- 4+ day by Bishop Jones. Through revival meetings the church membership ceived by nearly 1,000 families and individuals. The present business man- was increased so that by 1859 plans were made to have a new building. ager is Walter E. Cornell. Two hundred and fifty service men and women The present magnificent building on the Post Road was dedicated Decem- all over the world receive this weekly. ' ber 22, 1859. You children will be interested to know that the members in the old church on Prospect Avenue which is now the Town Hall had to The Reverend Frank Dean Gifford, present rector of St. Thomas', sit on opposite sides of a tall partition dividing the men from the women. leas the distinction of holding three degrees from New York University The parents of Miss Ada Boyd and Judge William Boyd were the first being awarded a Bacheor of Arts degree, a Master's degree, and his Doctor man and woman to sit together in the Methodist Church here in Mamaro- of Philosophy in 1942. His special field was American Colonial History. neck. A new rule which went into effect in the new church on the Post He is the author of "The Anglican Church of Colonial Westchester," Road was that men and women were permitted to sit together. Miss Boyd "Building the King's Highway," and "Traveling the King's Highway." still uses this pew near the front of the church which her father and The present vestry of St. Thomas' consists of the wardens: William mother sat in so many years ago for the first time. E. Hare, Emerson O. Heyworth and the other members of the vestry are: The Town of Mamaroneck purchased the old church edifice on Pros- George V. Bates, Jr., Harold C. Barlow, Frank A. Benson, James H. pect Avenue in 1879 for $1,000. It had been called the Richbell Hall from Conley, Grover C. Harms, James R. McBrien, C. Edward Paxson, Ed- 61 60 4 $1 the time the Methodists moved out to their new home until it was pur- chased by the Town. ?w " E ' ° The church bell which had called.the people of Mamaroneck to wor- ` , ship for so many years now hangs on timbers in the garden of the Mamaro- � ° neck Free Library. An original pew from the old church is kept as a memento in the library. The old parsonage on the Post Road was moved ----., -t, ,11, ,,, -- ' , ,• " to 321 Barry Avenue in 1897 by Thomas Palmer after he had purchased it for $250. By July 19, 189S the new parsonage was ready to be used. W " Mr. Bradford Rhodes collected one-half of the moneyfor this building, ,,+ se flays which cost $6,500.Ji In 1928, the Johnson property was purchased at a cost ` � :. of $45,000, and it is now used as the parsonage, while the original parson- y, :5, ,.,. age is now the educational and social center. The first organized Sunday 4 School was under Thomas L. Rushmore, who served as superintendent from 1858 1858 to 1892. In that year the Sunday School had an enrollment of x ` 4t i 443 students. By 1925 membership had increased to 566. In 1934 the 75th Anniversary was celebrated with a diamond jubilee for the present 4 ", ,. .„,� -1 �` '' , building. The old horse sheds behind the church were torn down at that �. ""---- time. In 1940 the parish sold the Beach Avenue side of the parsonage 4 Ne ` ~- grounds to Best & Company of New York for $17,500. In the same year a set of chimes was installed in the belfry. The present congregation num- ; bers over 700 and the Sunday School has an enrollment of 425. F. , ;N. Pastors of the Methodist Episcopal Church in Mamaroneck since ” r m 1895 have been Elbert Hoag, Francis Upham, A. B. Sanford, Burdette I fit* Brown, C. R. Ross, I. A. Marsland, John Snavely, Dr. Harry Beattys, ' ` E. Foster Piper, and since 1941 the Reverend Asbury G. E. Stromberg. .-'" The present officers of the Methodist Church are: Lay leader Charles L. Warren, president of the Board of Trustees Burton C. Meighan, Jr., .. treasurer Arnold R. Manchester, Jr., financial secretary William O. Skin- * ner, secretary of the Board Albert E. Tuttle, communion steward George 4 - E. Baldwin, conference lay member Harry W. Bell, Sunday School Super- ,i � s ` iutendent Herbert R. Houghton, president of the Women's Society for Christian Service Mrs. Asbury Stromberg, president of the Weslyan Serv- ice Guild Mrs. James McGotty. The Third Building built by the Methodists in Mamaroneck. The Ladies Aid Society of the Methodist Church dates back to 1886. The present church was built in 1859. At that time a group of twelve ladies were asked to aid in helping the Considered one of the finest examples of church architecture in New England. church financially and socially. The first officers were 1Irs. J. A. Fuller, Mrs. W. J. Cornell, Mrs. Bradford Rhodes, Miss Annie Robinson, Mrs. ' John White, Mrs. Henry Griffin. A constitution was drawn up in 1886 62 63 which served the society for k .4%-4,144,4"-: : f * the duration of its existence. " -F .4",.4,0,4:°154;.\\;.,„4.', � ' , ,4—°'''' � u ir,�b The ladies began activities ' • '4,.-..k41-14°4.4t• such as the annual Fair andy dinner, the rummage sale, and ; 4.'" teas and luncheons,which have _ ,4. 0 «" ... ,- `' * . '0,,I7.:'-'1 continued to the present day, �y t a to bring in proceeds for meet- ‘ ++ , , : •. ` ing the expenses of the church. _, In 1940 the Ladies Air So- „,,..4,40.1,411:.. o ' °� ciety became a part of the gen- `.� _ -_ MN Snit — �1 eral women's group known asQ�' the Woman's Society f or w Christian Service. A n o t h e r � -;, group which joined this new Society was the Home and ' . tee .. Foreign Missionary Societies. ~- ” } The officers of the new group are: Mrs. Asbury Stromberg, • - j - 0 . Reverend Asbury Stromberg Meighan, Mrs. t Mrs. B. C • ' Paul Fraas, Mrs. Joseph Pal- ..4,? mer, Mrs. Irving Marsland, Mrs. Harry G. Waltner, and Mrs. Herbert Houghton. ti x Wesleyan Service Guild was organized in 1909 far girls twelve years ` ` 1a; of age or younger. The first membership consisted of sixteen girls and +' F• ri Ltoday still numbers four of those charter members, the Misses Edith and Jennie Halstead, Mrs. Violet McGivney and Mrs. Arthur Torrence. The African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church The Guild has always contributed to the maintenance of the Church, provided Thanksgiving baskets for the needy and supported the American was erected. After growing in number the present property on Barry Red Cross and the Community Chest. In June 1944,the Guild celebrated Avenue was purchased and the present building was constructed. The its thirty-fifth birthday party. The membership today totals forty-seven. first minister was Reverend Treadwell. After a long line of pastors the The present officers are: Mrs. James McGrotty, Miss Lillian Button, Mrs. present clergyman is the Reverend C. F. A. Kirton. One of the most John Coleman, Mrs. Millie MacCullough and Mrs. Charles Warren. revered pastors of this church was the Reverend Jacob Thomas, D.D., who died in 1901. At the time of his death he was the oldest minister in the The Barry Avenue African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church was New York Zion conference and was believed to have been the oldest started in 1.852, when services were held in the home of Grandma Hicks minister of the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church in the entire • • on.Cedar Street. The next step in the building of this congregation was United States. In October 1900, Reverend Thomas had celebrated the the purchase of a parcel of land on River Street, on which a small mission fiftieth anniversary of his ministry. At that time the Mother of Zion 64 65 7 y . Church was at West Tenth McLoughlin visited Street and Bleecker Avenue, Mamaroneck once a New York City. Reverend month and said' mass in 'ya � ��u, Thomas was followed by the private houses and in the ., Reverend J. M. McCoy. In a ' "old Red House" in the -10 eulogy of the Reverend McCoy rear of the present head- ° u in 1905 appearing in the"Para- quarters of the TIodk and graph" on April 27. was a two Ladder Company on column picture of him with the Mamaroneck Avenue." " i; statement, "he was the most Realizing the need for a successful pastor the church , church building he bent ` 1: M.. had ever had up to that time." his energies to the task `_. °_ The African MethodistEpis- of collecting funds and The First Building of Most Holy Trinity Church copal Zion Church is an in- securing property. In spiration and monument to the -/ ��' lives of the negro citizens of Mamaroneck. The history of the Straight Gate Church of Our Lord Jesus Christ of Apostolic Faith -�' Reverend C. T. A. Kirton of Mamaroneck begins in '4f AKIN 1931, with meetings conducted Left: , by Mrs. Catherine Seely at the home of Sister Hattie Skates at 119 Madison Street. Elders of the church have included the Reverend Bolden, Reverend •Christopher A. Farrell . Elder Henry D. Jones, Elder J. W. Sadler, who served the congregation for nine years prior to the present pastor, who came to the congregation Reverend Isidore Meister August 24, 1944. The Reverend J. A. Brown has the satisfaction of seeing a fulfillment of his dream in a new building at 120 Madison Street, which was opened for divine service October 14, 1945. 'Phis beautiful edifice seats 400 people. All day services for the dedication ceremonies Right: were held on Thanksgiving Day, 1945. The Superintendent of the Sunday Reverend Thomas P. Phelan. School is Mrs. Viola Gillespie. Auxiliary Bishop The history of the Roman Catholic Church in Mamaroneck begins Joseph P. Donahue 11 with the year 1854 and the appointment of the Reverend Thomas McLoughlin as pastor of New Rochelle and its outside missions of Mamaro- � '� neck, Port Chester, White Plains, Tuckahoe, Rye, City Island, Pelham, Harrison and Bronxville. Reverend Martin Dowling was appointed as Pr his curate in this large mission parish, which extended from Westchester to Stamford, and from the East River to Yonkers. For some years Father 66 67 at • • i • Archbishop Michael August- ine Corrigan presided. The N -, next year the old church was S FwK 's Vii completed into a school un- _ der the direction of the Sis- ters of Charity, who drove a,;_ daily from Harrison. A few . ' -- ""t years later Father Meisterwr �'': ' . k ,0-. built the present rectory. Af- .. •; . .-4-1- x ' ter many years of incessant *, .. ,� i ,� labor, Father Meister passed � ' to his eternal reward in July f ,.,A t Or '16,4'..f. A . °. 4-01904 1913. His successor wasthe � M °� r �� Reverend Joseph P. Dona- : ,. j • .,. hue, who thoroughly repo- r _..., vated the church, adliug the organ loft, sacristy, baptistry. Most Holy Trinity School Rectory and Church and the marble altars. The 1868 his hopes were realized grounds were landscaped and by the erection of the cement walks were laid. A church which was later temporary convent was se- Reverend Francis J. Heaney used as Most Holy Trinity cured for the Sisters on Pal- School. The congregation mer Avenue, and later in 1922 their present home was opened for their use. was erected into a parish A house was provided for the sexton and additional class rooms were opened under its first resident pas in the school. In February,1924,Father Donahue was promoted to the irre- tor, the Reverend Christ movable rectorship of.Ascension Church in NewYork City. He later became °' opher A. Farrell, in 187:,. a Monsignor and was elevated to the post of Vicar General of the Arch- His successor was the re- diocese on March 19, 1945. Father Donahue was consecrated Auxiliary verect and lamented Rever- end Bishop of New York by the Most Reverend Archbishop Francis J. Spell- man. Father Donahue was succeeded by the Reverend Thomas P. Phelan. end Isidore Meister, des- tined for nearly four dec in addition to his c:erical duties, Father Phelan was Professor of Church ades to preside over the welfare of the Most Hol- History and Patro'ogy at Maryknoll Seminary and Chaplain of the State Council of the Knights of Columbus. During his years in Mamaroneck, Father Phelan rebuilt the church organ, moved the old school and sexton's , .. , , ...I. Trinity congregation.Father g , 11‘ Meister was a gifted preach- cottage to new locations, and erected the present modern well equipped er, a learned theologian,and N school. Father Phelan died March 1936, and was succeeded in June by a kindly priest. In 1885 the the Reverend Francis J. Heaney. During the five years of his pastorate s .... ,. �. cornerstone of the present in Mamaroneck, the interior of the church was painted, heating system Reverend Thomas B. Kelly beautiful edifice was laid. converted to oil, the school yard paved and a set of vestments was donated. 68 69 • ■ 7 1 The Reverend Thomas B. Kelly 4` :;,r came to Mamaroneck in March,1.942. Y.- ',-,,,, In three years he has accomplished '` a complete renovation of the church. �. i The entire structure has been pointed, r. -ajk. ' the interior has been painted and l ,/ decorated, a new lighting system has been installed, and new furniture has 1.4 4.,,, .01%,!,t=1 f 4 been secured for the sanctuary and sacristy. The other buildings of the 4 •+lia►+ parish, the school, the rectory, and 4 44.4 the convent have also been pointed, repaired and improved. On June 8, 1945, Father Kellyobserved the �� � Golden Jubilee of his ordination to A 0° iiiiii0000 the priesthood. :_ ,� u � . , ' ,� The buildings of Most Holy Trin- ity parish are of cut granite, trimmed .J '' Reverend Biagio Del Negro with brown Indiana limestone. The �!_ a _ , -, grounds are landscaped and beautified ,_ _. __ -- fShrine and Garden of St.Vito's Rectory 4. by a grotto containing a statue of Our Lady. The interior of the church - . is a most pleasing one, with joined pillars of wood supporting a vaulting " " 1..`' -. �' of the ceiling which is polychromed. The Stations of the Cross are in oil ' ''',;, .. +fir *�`" � on canvas of the late Italian School. The interior of the church is lighted , ---- by wrought iron and leaded glass lamps. The clerestory windows depict scenes from the Life of Our Lord. The outstanding feature of the in- ' tenor is the main altar which is of polished Carrara marble. The side 0 ii altars and sanctuary rail are of the same material. The pulpit and other ;� t rt furnishings of the sanctuary are of hand carved oak. I ' ' mss . St . Vito's Roman Catholic Church was originally a mission called ,.' St. Anthony's Chapel. It was established in 1907 and was dependent from Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church of White Plains. The Reverend J. A. ` w'°:,_ '' _' 1 Marinaro had charge of this mission chapel for one year, Father Pa ale 4444 � ti�� � 1 Y Pap ale appointed as the first resident pastor of St. Anthony's Chapel in 1908. The construction of the church building located on Madison Street St.Vito's Roman Catholic Church vas begun in 1909 and was called St.V'ito's Church. It was opened for 70 71 I .fir' - . services in April, 1910, under the pastorate of the Reverend Francis Cocoz- za. The church was solemnly blessed in May, 1910, by Monsignor Michael4.jet.RArr 1.0._,_ J. Lavalle, a representative of His Grace, John Farley, Archbishop of New ar York. Father Cocozza was pastor of St.Vito's Church from April, 1910, ` i,* At- to June, 1927, when he was succeeded by the Reverend Biagio Del Negro. Father Del Negro purchased fifteen lots on Underhill Avenue and the Old White Plains Road as a site for a larger church and rectory in October, 11 1927. A large unusual ad. appeared in the Daily Times on December 17, 4 ._ 1927, in which Father Del Negro appealed to the people of Mamaroneck, I regardless of creed or race, to help him in acquiring the site for the new - r St. Vito s Church and rectory. Ground was broken for the new church li May 6, 1930 and the laying of the cornerstone took place October 12, 1930. = � with the Very Reverend Monsignor Cornelius F. Crowley, delegate of v -- -" '' '�' Patrick Cardinal Hayes, Archbishop of New York. The official opening r r '" " V. ` �. j r of the church of St.Vito at Underhill Avenue and New Street took plac ,.` ' .'* •., on Christmas Day, December 25, 1930, The style of the architecture of the buildings at St. Vito's is Roman- esque. The architect of the church and rectory is Anthony Deface of New York. Assistant priests who have served St. Vito's Church are: St.john's Evangelical Lutheran Church Reverend Francis P. Ferme, Reverend Leo G. Farley, Reverend Peter J. 0 Fox, Reverend Julius Staniewicz, Reverend Harold Kenny and Reverend Shortly after beginning the use of the new quarters the Reverend Mr. William McGann. The present assistants are Reverend Carl G. Doersam and Reverend James T. McDonnell. Trustees of St. Vito's Church are Jentsch resigned as pastor of both the Mamaroneck and New Rochelle Mr. Andrew Camni and Mr. Charles Caputoii. . churches. His place was taken by the Reverend Herman Otto Weber who served for a period of ten years or until 1917. Late in 1901 a small group of Lutheran worshippers gathered in the home of Mr. Ludwig Miler and a mission service was conducted under It was during his pastorate that the formal organization of the church the direction of the Reverend W. Jentsch, of St. Luke's Church, New finally took place. On September 25, 1913, a charter was granted by the 01, Rochelle. This was the first Lutheran service held in Mamaroneck and New York State Legislature and the congregational corporation was was the beginning of St. John's Evangelical Lutheran Church, although formed. no formal organization of a congregation took place until several years later. When the Reverend Mr. Weber resigned the pastorate in 1917,. the Reverend C. T. Tappert became spiritual leader of both the Mamaroneck Services from time to time were conducted in the homes of various and New Rochelle churches. He served for six years until the pressure members for the next six years, but the group grew too large and, in 1907. of the work carrying two parishes became too great and he resigned the it became necessary to seek larger quarters. Permission was finally se Mamaroneck charge. Dr. Tappert is the only living ex-pastor of the cured to hold Sunday afternoon services in the old Depot School, for- church and is now retired and resides in Philadelphia. merly situated on the corner of Mount Pleasant Avenue and Mamaroneck Avenue. For twenty years until May 1, 1927, regular services were held In September 1925, Pastor Frederick J. Melville of St. Matthew's. in the school house. White Plains, agreed to take over the charge. It was during his pastorate, 72 73 e A • F A which lasted four years, that Organizations within the congregation include a Ladies' Aid of which the present property was pur- Mrs. Elizabeth Posselt is the present president, a Men's Club led by Mr. chased and the church build- H. Hilpl, a Young People's Society headed by Miss Eleanor Harmeyer, ing erected, and a choir of which Mrs. Arnold Hallberg is the director. A junior In 1926 the congregation choir has recently been organized under the leadership of Mrs. Elsa completed the purchase of its Harris. Miss Adelaide Miller is the organist. 4010 property on the corner of Cort- The congregation is governed by a Church Coucil of twelve men with land Avenue and Fenimore one man as honorary member. Mr. Ludwig Miller in whose home the Road. Plans were immediate ly approved for the erection first Lutheran service was held in 1901, was elected to life membership in the Council in 1942 and is still active in the deliberations of the govern- of a church building and mg body y S ground was broken in August a. of 1926 with a corner-stone Dedication of the new church, a building of American Gothic type, laying ceremony held on an icy took place on May 1, 1927 with large congregations participating in services December 5, 1926. which were held both in German and English. 9. Dedication of the new The remainder of the Council is made up of the Reverend Theodore church, a building of Amer- O. Posselt, Jr., the pastor, who is president of the congregational corpora- ican Gothic type, took place on tion; James Yaple, Edward H. Rindfleisch, Lloyd T. Rice, Alfred Neu- May 1, 1927, with large con- meister, Louis Pekrul, Gottlieb Miller, Henry Rosen, Henry Dietz, Julius gregations participating in Stockman, Hans Hilpl, August Lay, and Christian Ott. The Reverend Theodore 0. Posselt, Jr. services which were held both Regular services are held weekly in two languages since a small Ger- in German and English. man group is still active in the church. The Reverend Mr. Melville resigned the pastorate on September 1, 1929. and the congregation decided to call a full time pastor. The Reverend Future plans of the congregation call for beautification of the church by the installation of stained glass windows, seven of which have already Immanuel J. Storz was called from Christ Lutheran Church of Scranton, Pennsylvania and became full time pastor in Mamaroneck on October 15, been installed, and three more of which will be in place before the end of 1929, serving until February, 1932. the year. The congregation is also planning to secure ground for the The congregation then called the Reverend Theodore O. Posselt, Jr., possible building of a rectory within the next few years. B.D. who was serving St. Paul's Lutheran Church of Linden, New Jersey. He accepted the invitation and began his pastorate on May 1, 1932. Slow but steady growth made it possible for the church to become entirely self- supporting in 1941. Since 1932 the congregation has grown from a membership of 201 to its present confirmed membership of 347. The present pastor has served for over fourteen years. The congregation operates a Bible school with over one hundred students and a staff of fourteen teachers and officers. The school meets regularly from September through June. 74 75 • • 1 • 1 I 41 ,. ___ • _ on Fenimore Road was purchased. Six years later, on February 13, 1930, the cornerstone of the building was laid and, on Sunday, September 7, 1930, the first service was held. When the church was completely free • • itb�\ � -,n ) from all debt, a dedicatory service was given on September 29, 1940, in 9 `i, ,/–� IQ the morning and afternoon, in the church edifice. ��� ,a%' f\ Services are held re ularl on Strada morning at eleven. The Sunday syr School convenes at the same hour. Wednesday evening meetings, includ- Wrt� _ _ __ . yr , -.L ing testimonies of Christian Science healing, are held at 8.:15 p.m. �}} � ��'l�4 • An attractive Reading Room, located in the north wingg of the church y{` Y add ' I'' I rJ4 \F sow , l }';,\\( L'-',::;5':. �� -:� V r`� �a a1; , edifice, is open daily from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., except Sundays and "Iholidays. Here the Bible, the writings of Mary Baker Eddy and all other " to:-'--=-- • Ui.k=.r . p ;,i ! Mx: - -C.' sem.. --i ii° 'b n g y F authorized Christian Science literature may he read, borrowed or chased. A cordial invitation is extended to the public to attend services - - — - I. a n a u and to enjoy the privilege of the Reading Room. First Church of Christ, Scientist, Mamaroneck, New York, On September 14, 1924, a small group of prominent Jews of this community, having a fervent love of Torah and an unconquerable desire to establish a progressive synagogue which would serve as their spiritual In March, 1910, a few students of Christian Science residing in this and social center for Mamaroneck, Harrison and Larchmont, met to dis- vicinity met at one of the homesan Mamaroneck for the purpose of organ- izing a Christian Science society to become a branch of the Mother Church, cuss ways and means to realize this noble objective. the First Church of Christ, Scientist, in Boston, Massachusetts. In the face of obstacles and difficulties, enough money was collected This little group decided to hold a church service every Sunday, both in September to purchase the land on which the Hebrew Institute now morning and evening. It agreed to hold regular Wednesday night meet- to at 273 Halstead Avenue. A vigorous campaign was at once begun ings, where testimonies of hea'.ing through Christian Science are given, to to-raise funds for a building. Within two years this edifice and home of start a Sunday School, and also planned to open a reading room for the od was erected and dedicated. At this ceremony, which those present public. ill never forget, the offering of the "Golden Key" was given to the Leloved philanthropist, Nathan Strauss, of blessed memory. With funds of only twenty-five dollars, this Society was organized and the first service held on April 3, 1910, in a one-story building, formerly The next step was an appeal for pews, candelabras, an altar and an a plumber's shop, at 145 Mamaroneck Avenue. Ark to house the Torahs. Immediate consideration was also given to pro- curing private cemetery grounds for members of the Institute. Today the The following September 17th, the first Christian Science lecture was grounds in Glenville, Connecticut are possessed outright by the Institute. given in the Mamaroneck Moving Picture Theatre to an audience of over During the early Thirties the money was raised to provide for a well five hundred. In May, 1912, the Society moved to larger and better guar- equipped vestry, social rooms and a new kitchen. ters on Halstead Avenue opposite the Railroad Station. In May, 1916, a move was made to the Masonic Building on Prospect Avenue. On Sunday, December 19, 1943, at the Hommocks Country Club, a ceremony took place at which the remaining$16,000 mortgage was burned. First Church of Christ, Scientist, Mamaroneck, New York, was in- The two hundred Jewish people of the Hebrew Institute of Mamaroneck DI corporated January 13, 1919. Steady growth of membership and attend- have a house of worship free from debt and dedicated to the principle of ance created a need for their own church edifice and, in June, 1924, a lot instilling in themselves and in their children a love for God, a love for the 76 77 • 4 • 1I II 11 '.5 {{ s _ f' nN s,. '8 a; ... ....._ .. ice. ....... " _, 'P.inb.w.rs=atmro msart a Nab 1 The Hebrew Institpte of Mamaroneck L �`...>. ie Burning the Mortgage of Hebrew Institute, Dec. 19, 1943. people-and, above all, a love for the democratic ideals and principles of the ... American government. i � • The Sisterhood of the Hebrew Institute of Mamaroneck began ink 1918 as the Ladies Auxiliary. The purpose of the organization was to help the active members of the Hebrew School to keep up that institution, and also to raise funds for the building committee. Credit for this first organization should go to Mrs. Harry Rosen who at that time lived at 616 Melbourne Avenue. Mrs. Rosen was the first president of the organi- 7. ,y zation. Mrs. H. W. Margoluis of 4 Mamaroneck Avenue was the first president. Mrs. E. Titlebaum was the first secretary and treasurer. The present name of the organization was adopted in 1932 when Mrs. Morris �� `` Brachfeld became president. , The Sisterhood supports many community affairs among which are • the Camp and Hospital drives, the Red Cross and the War Fund activities Mortimer Margolies and Dr. Sol Shapero 4, and Parent-Teacher Association programs. In the past year it has become f g 79 ilk I • affiliated with the Larchmont-Mamaroneck Motion Picture Council. The present officers are: Mrs. Harry Crown, president; Mrs. Sol Shapera, How Folks Trained Their Boys and Girls Mrs. Fred Rubin, Mrs. Martin Lee, Mrs. Nathan Hinck, Mrs. Jack Blue- To Be Good Citizens stone and Mrs. Irving Kos.owe. The officers of the Institute in September 1924 were: Harry Meisler, - president; Morris Block, vice president; Morris Stern, secretary, and Max Epstein, treasurer. In the same order the officers today are Reuben Sirlin, Lewis Ginsburg, Edward Margoluis, Dr. L. Howard Katz and Sam Quitt man. " Rabbis who have served the Institute are: Jacob Rodin, Edward Schoenfeld, Dr, Nathan Blechman, Jacob Cohen, Dr. Israel Elfenbein, William Novick and the Reverend Irving Koslow. 4" i ''"e- ° ! ` Honorary members are Mr, and Mrs. Nathan Straus. And so, David and Virginia, our story of how folks in Mamaroneck f worship God is finished. I hope you will read and learn by asking ques- tions all you can about the many ways that people show reverence for God. Barry Avenue School - Rye Neck You will then arrive at understanding and, through understanding, ap proach the highest ideal of freedom,of religion, which is, that the approach ODA is the day we talk about schools. You know, David and Vir- to God is a private natter of one's own conscience. T 'ginia, boys and girls pretend they hate school, hut I have a firm belief that life would be very tiresome without any school to go to. �.F Here in the "Friendly Village" we have two school districts. The Mamaroneck River divides the Village. That is why boys and girls living on Prospect Avenue go to one school system called Union Free School District No. 1, Town of Mamaroneck and boys and girls living on Tomp- kins Avenue go to a school conducted by Union Free School District No. PiO 1, Town of Rye. I have always thought that was a very foolish division, especially today, with our excellent hard surfaced roads. The sensible way to manage our schools would be under one system. However, there are lots of people who think in terms of the past and don't want to change anything even though it would be for the best. • America is dedicated to the theory that every child should have the Memorial to Burton Meighan opportunity of going to a free public school. This country also believes in letting parents send their children to private or church schools but the state sees to it that these schools maintain certain standards. Here in Mamaroneck the people take pride in their schools and spend a great deal of money on the education of their children. First, I will tell S(! 81 r. I 1 P • I I you the story of the schools in the section called Rye Neck and then I will tell you about the schools where I teach on the Mamaroneck side of the �� river. , Today, my story goes back to a meeting presided over by Noah Tamp- .4•,,,, kins on April 2, 1857. At that meeting it was voted that Union District �` F' No. 1, Town of Rye buy a school site of one and one-eighth acres on � ' Barry's Lane for $1,200, and to erect a school house at a cost of $500 to include "furnishings, fencings and needful outdoor appendages." Peter A. Haim did the carpenter work and William Moore was the mason. The school was opened with appropriate exercises on January 30, 1858. Van Daniel Warren School Amringe's Hall, which was next door, was used for many years for the closing exercises. In 1902 four additional classrooms were added to the Barry Avenue 4 In 1895 the enrollment of the pupils was given at 312. In 1893 a new School at a cost of $12,000. In 1903 the kindergarten was organized building had been completed at a cost of $25,000. It was 82x59 feet of with Miss Frances Henderson in charge. In December, 1904, the State ' stone and brick. Lots of school districts would like wonderful schools for Board of Regents issued a certificate to the Rye Neck Schools as being a their children but they cannot have them because the property will not Senior High School with permission to conduct Regents examinations. 1 support them. This school district has always been fortunate in being In 1907 two wings were built on the Barry- Avenue School at a cost 1 of $32,000. Land was added to the playground by purchases in 1915 and able to support good schools. • again in 1926. • In 1891 the assessed valuation of the district was $588,365. In 1910 During World War I Van Amringe's Hall was purchased, ly the it had increased to $2,588,430. Since 1930 it has been about $18.000.000. School District and used as an annex and'gymnasium. In 1923 on corn- pletion of the new High School on Carroll Avenue the Hall was sold to '" the American Legion. In May, 1922 the district voted to build a new High School at a cost of $235,000. This building on Carroll Avenue was completed in 1923. � It contains an auditorium, a gymnasium, shop, homemaking and cooking • '� , 1 "-' €. '�n.",', 4 ,11 � .. rooms, library and health office, as well as the usual classrooms. Music ..e."0$ � � „'� '', ,��,� ,� � ..,/.. •r and art rooms and dressing rooms were later added. In 1928 land was ' � i «� , purchased on Harrison Avenue as a school site for $3.1,500. The school ` 4, � r,_ 1 '' 447.'4:= was constructed in 1930at a cost of $425,000. It was occupied in 1931 'Y'''), 4, r,� ' ,,. a ' i• ,.. as an elementary school with George R. Ayers as Principal. In 1933 this ),•.1 ' ''a ,: f t , � school was named in memory of Daniel Warren who had served the dis- . ...: .._,c ; ,�` trict as trustee from 1892 to 1895 and as president of the Board from - "�� 1896 to 1928. 1 rte' One of the longest family service records in Rye Neck School history 1.-, . �", ' ° .. is thatof Reuben G. Brewer and his son, Reuben P. Brwer who served Frederick E. Bellows High School successively as treasurer for fifty years. • 83 r' • • i , • • • T MP Women first voted in a school election in August, 1895. Three women Rye. Durin; 'orld War I the High School Service Flag contained 83 have served the District as trustees. Mrs. Reuben P. Brewer served from � blue and 5 gold stars. The World War II Service Flag contains 680 blue 1919 to 1927, Mrs. Raymond T. O'Connell succeeded Mrs. Brewer and stars and 10 gold stars. served until 1934 and Mrs. Garnet T. Trainor served 1936-1937. Women principals have been Miss Grace Wilson and Miss Marie Haggerty. Women The members of the present Board of Education are: President, teachers who have given long terms of service include Miss Mildred Tor- James Jackson, Trustee Edgar B. Burchell, Jr. George H. Coffin Ray- rence, Miss Elizabeth Lynch, Miss Ella C. Whitney and Miss Frances mond T O'Connell, Benjamin M. Scherer and Edward H. Smith. Henderson. The Rye Neck Student Aid Fund was created in the late 1920's by Mr. Frederick L. Bellows served as head of the school system from the Rye Neck Parent-Teacher Association which continued to administer 1892-1895 and from 1897-1934. He was followed as principal by Harold loans to students until 1939. The work was then carried on by the Parent- C. Tyson. Other principals since 1895 have been Thomas A. Steward. Teacher Association Council. The incorporation of the Fund took place Joseph T. Tracy and George R. Ayres. in the Fall of 1941. Since 1942 there have been no requests made for In 1931, F. E. Bellows was made first superintendent. The schools loans due to the war. The Fund has for its purpose the assisting of grad- were administered under the CountySuperintendent prior to 1931. Dr. uates of F. E. Bellows High School who have entered some school for J Donald C. Tower advance training. The present officers are: Mrs. Malcolm D. Brown, succeeded Mr. Bel- lows [rs, S. F. Coneybear, Miss Helen Snow and Dominick Santomenna. MN lows in 1934 and re- Modern school history on the Mamaroneck side of the river begins mained for t h r e e with the erection of the "Depot School" soon after 1855. The former years. Mr. B. A. school on the same site (the triangle of land formed by Mamaroneck NO I.eonard was super- Avenue and Mt. Pleasant Avenue) was moved away to its present location intendent for two at 229 Waverly Avenue. years and then Dr. This second building was 30x40 feet. Later it was raised and a " Samuel Burr was en- second story was built underneath. In 1880 a lengthwise gaged as superin- gt partition was , put in upstairs. The main room was on the first floor. The stairway to tendent and principal the second floor was on the right. At that time Miss Hermina Mayer and ofn the9High School. Miss Agnes Mesick taught upstairs and Alonzo Wilson and Samuel J. a l n 1942 Dr.Alvin W. J Flicks became head Preston taught downstairs. In 1888 the teachers were Mr. Preston, Kittie of the schools and is4 Newcomb and Eva Louis. From 1885 till the new school was built the the present superin- primary students were taught across the street by Miss Engrie Coles. The tendent. Depot School was closed in 1889 and it was rented to Damon and Yale for auction rooms. Later it was used as a kindergarten, run by private During World War subscription. The building was torn down in 1927 when the property was 'IP II the Barry Avenue School has been the sold for$102,600. This was one of Mamaroneck's best remembered land- marks of the nineteenth century. The bell is now used at St. Vito's headquarters for five Church. years of Selective Service Board No. On August 30, 1887 Thomas L. Rushmore, D. Jardive, William H. . 750, which serves Campbell, William D. Palmer and Joseph H. McLoughlin were appointed Dr. Alvin W. Hicks Mamaroneck and to act as a committee to choose a site for a new school. This committee b4 85 • • 41,4 „ t. � " f4'. -- .------- :,-7.--::" II, t.„..7,-."‘r,&,—.L. . - fj..1144, '''' 9, g'' 4 i f 4..t.,,7-:-7;7:--,--,___44,------ '.,--a7.-- -`,1 z,,,. Q ir. ..,.. „.„-..- -_, .4„...„. .,,,, ,...m...,„, ,,. ..., *iit,i, 1; ' :lilt 'sit',Alf* ' - .4- / /4 ''''' 14111° ‘ 41100i.,. , ' --4,42'' ..1"' 44 P• . ''' - 4,„,4'.?", ' ..it.' . .*.aril ''' 441' ; if pi ' ' '''''.' ;; T 1 , 1,,.., _ 41": 44-* l'-' ' - y �r} ''tom" �..� �. � ' '' 'a+ ,� } ! xxy ^aasr a. er 4 ' . � fi pis • �1 @ kS • t II The Depot School — Corner Mt. Pleasant and Mamarcneck Avenues Old High School - Now Central School - Built 1889 6s. ii 1I chose the site which is now the grounds of Central School. They also district for the present year amounts to $246,612,50. The pupil enrollment recommended the building of a school to cost $42,000. Their. recommen- as of March 1, 1946 was 3,446 with the Senior High School figure at 824, 4I dation was approved b a vote of 135 to 22. March 1 1888 the Mutual junior High 830, Central School 384" Mamaroneck Avenue 330. The Life Insurance Company bought the bonds at an interest rate of 41/2%. average enrollment for kindergarten groups was. 38; for grades one to f� The site was a tract of land four and one-half acres extending from the six 26 pupils; for Junior High an average class was 28, and for the Senior Post Road to Rockland Avenue. Its cost was $4,250. Opening exercises High the average crass was 24 pupils. Sixty-two separate subjects were for the new school were held December 24, 1889. A large addition wastaught in the Senior High School last year. This compares with sixteen built in 1912 and another including the Boothhy Auditorium was added subjects taught in 1900. `I' in 1942. Mamaroneck Avenue School was built in 1909 with additions in A suggested five year improvement plan has been set up by the Board 1916 and 1928. The Senior High School building was opened for partial of Education for discussion purposes in the District. `['he plan calls for a use in January, 1926 and completely occupied the following September, four-year-old kindergarten, expansion of elementary school libraries, The Junior High building was begun in 1931 and used in 1932. expansion of vocational training courses; the improvement.of plants such The present school year (1945 1946) provides for a gross budget of as the installation of acoustical the ceilings in corridors, gymnasiums and $1,123,865 of which the estimated State Aid will be $156,000: The.dis classrooms•; the.installing of oil burners in the schools now heated by coal; trict has an assessed valuation of $75,793,392 which makes a tax rate of resurfacing of'-playgrounds, the draining of the. Senior High School 12.31 per thousand. The interest and reduction on the bonded debt of the athletic field and purchasing additional bleachers. i{ 86 87 Ig dIF i , It" } i ter' r 110 ' = '!�' Mamaroneck Avenue School with Addition SI .P 47 t , �' ( is _junior High since it was built. Miss Helen McLoughlin, daughter of �' 1 Joseph Mcf oughlin, who served on the committee to build the old High if . School, has been principal of Mamaroneck Avenue School for many years. Mrs. Florine H. Elrey, principal of Central School, is on a year's leave Senior High School - Built 1926 of absence. Charles L. Warren, former Dean of Boys at the Senior High School, is acting principal at Mamaroneck Avenue School. George L. There are 167 teachers in the system this year. T. James Ahern has brown, former Dean of Boys at the Junior High School, is acting principal been Superintendent of Schools since the retirement of Arhtur Z. Boothby at Central School. in June, 1942. Albert E. Tuttle, assistant to the Superintendent, came to _ Mamaroneck as principal of the High School in September, 1924. He plIF517 1 , became assistant to the Superintendent in 1936 and is now in his twenty- ° second year of service in the district. Joseph C. McLain is principal of the Senior High School while HoytD. Smith has beenprincipal of the g i ( r 7. Milt x i ,r •tv , ii..;„..„,., „..„.„,„,,,,,,,,. . , L,„,,,,,,,,,i:„-vt,,i:'t ., _24.4ftl,a,7,,i,..,:-.-.7. .,, _ a..., • _ ii �"a r sb'�;; S x;. ta .w....,yyk 1 -G k Ye N. 'F5 . ,y+�� M� y n « ' � F Junior High School - Built 1932 Arthur Z. Boothby in Office of Old High School SS S11 N.,_ A ' Teachers who have served many years are: Helen McLoughlin, Carrie Summers, Ada Boyd, Phoebe Hoyt, Arnold Manchester, F. Colwell Conk- i ` lin, Marguerite Lynch and Carrie Vosburg. Board of Education members who have served for many years are: ; 1° John W. McArdle, Dr. John F. Hunter, Joseph F. Gleason, Charles M. _ �- Bingham, Henry Siemer ,Anna L. Brewer and Francis E. O'Callaghan, rather and son and Harold O'Callaghan whose total service to the Board ° " was twenty-six years. Mr. Joseph F. Gleason has the distinction of having " -71r- served the Board longer than any other man and Dr .John F. Hunter is 4 a close second in number of years of service. Mr. Charles M. Bingham S in twenty-five years of service to the Board served as Clerk for sixteen 11.9 � � � years and trustee for nine years. f e, . C► ; t. •;. � I: �#_ The present Board of Education consists of the following members: President, Charles W. Pease, Theodore Riegel, Mrs. Ida E. Hughes, C. r" Frank Jobson, Luther Nelson and Walter F. Brady. Kenneth G. Van Sciver has been Clerk to the Board for twenty-three years and holds the ! distinction of never having missed a Board meeting in all that time. Floyd Cramer is Treasurer and Joseph F. Curren Attorney. The Mamaroneck-Larchmont Student Aid Fund goes back to the Fall of 1935 when Mrs. Platt Wiggins, president of the Parent-Teacher Council The "Builder" Board of Education Standing: A. Z. Boothby - Henry Siemer - Francis O'Callaghan - Arthur Sanford appointed Mrs. Wesley Messersmith chairman of a fact finding committee Sitting: Charles Bingham - Pres. Joseph Gleason - Mrs. Anna Brewer whose report was made in the Spring of 1936. The Mamaroneck-Larch- mont Student Air Fund, Inc., was established through the untiring efforts Mr. Samuel J. Preston came to Mamaroneck in 1882 and served as of Mrs. Harry Flowers and Mrs. Wesley Messersmith. head of the local schools for twenty years. Dr. George McAndrews was The Fund assists worthy enterprising boys and girls to continue their Superintendent of Schools in Mamaroneck from 1902 to 1917. Prior to education or to take specialized training which they otherwise could not do. 1902. the schools were under the supervision of the County School Com- The first president of the Fund.was Mrs. Arthur Mannix. Others who missioner., Arthur Z. Boothby, now known as the "builder-superinten- dent,"was head of Union Free School District No. 1 in Mamaroneck from have served as president are: Judge Charles M. Baxter; Jr., Mr. Harry 1917 till 1942. During his long and able administration large additions F. Flowers, Mr. John Gallagher and Mrs. John Woodbridge. were built to Chastworth Avenue, Mamaroneck Avenue, and Central Mamaroneck-Larchmont Parent-Teacher Council was formed in 1933 Schools. Murray Avenue School was built in 1922 with two_later additions through the efforts of Mrs. Mona MacRobert Bordley who was its first while the Senior High School was built in 1926 and-the Junior High School president. The purpose of the Council is to strengthen community living, in 1932. Mr. Boothby was truly "the builder." The naming of the audi- to help in educational problems, and to unite all parents for the betterment torium at Central School after this man is small tribute to the unmeasured of youth. First officers elected in December, 1933 besides Mrs. Bordley. debt this community owes to this great man who gave so many years of i were: Mrs. Claude Seixas, Mrs. Frederick Wilmarth and Mrs. Platt his life to the cause of education here. L Wiggins. 90 91 I In order to fol- The Council's president during 1944-45 was Mrs John E. Wood- '' low local conditions bridge. Today the Council has representatives which attend all meetings ,m �� '' intelligently, Mrs. of the School Board. The School Board and the Council working together " , - Bordleyappointed a last year expanded the summer recreation program. The present officers PPo P P g 2 `� F.A' committeetostudy of the Council are Mrs. Edward P. Helwig, President, Mrs. Eric B. * Anderson, Vice President, Mrs. Luman G. Hubbell, Secretary and Mrs. °( ,,. ••,-, „; �' ,, = SC11001 affairs con- e '� silting of Mr. Paul Richard Turner, Treasurer. 1100 • Swartz consulting Mamaroneck can be justly proud of her schools on both sides of th.e ,61, o,, ,> engineer on boli- a g ' .. river. Buildings and equipment are of the finest and teachers are of the ness management x g highest calibre and training obtainable. About fifty per cent of the students r and economic prob- from our schools in normal timesgo on to college. The records theyearn ,. '11+ ��� 1CMS , Mrs. Mabel g there well substantiate the thorough foundation they have received in the14 .,,N,+,••••+,1,' .'' Utz and Mr. Ed- schools of the"FriendlyVillage." Those pupils who upon graduation turn ,.* ward Keeler. Mrs. P P P 4,A .,• at once to the economic field profit by our motto, "Education for Citizen- r " �� Bordley was suc- V • ship." e o ceeded in the presi- V dency of the Coun- So you see, David and Virginia, the next time you think how wonder- cil in 1935 by Mrs. ful it would be not to have to go to school, just change that around and Platt Wiggins. Un- say out loud, "How lucky I am to live in a Village which has such fine I,. �,n der her leadership, schools in which its boys and girls can learn to be good citizens and happy �ir,i� the Council worked amen and women." oi +'. hard to get the .I �aa town interested in + �: `'' increased recreation , I and in the study of �1 II, Superintendent T. James Ahern student aid set-ups. During the presi- dency of Mrs. Wesley M. Messersmith, the Student Loan Fund became a reality. Mrs. Arthur Mannix was president of the Council in 1937-39. She placed emphasis on child recreation, safety and parent understanding 4 of educational problems. 'j The first bicycle safety campaign was put on under the presidency of Mrs. Louis Del Guercio. Mrs. Philip D. Wesson was president from 1940-42 and bent her efforts to increasing and improving recreational facilities inur schools. appointed Mrs. L. M. Ilgenfritz was chairman • of the first Community Institute by Mrs. Louis Bucklin, president in 1942-44. During her term of office, through the efforts of Mrs. Jack • Windheim, th.e Larchmont-Mamaroneck Motion Picture Council wa- formed. l 92 j s s How Folks Joined Together For Various Purposes Association. The executive officers of the first Board of Directors drawn from the parent societies were: Mrs. W. R. Halsey, Mrs. R. P. Brewer, Mrs. A. Z. Boothby, Mrs. E. H. Lebeis, Mrs. I. A. Marsland and Mrs. M. Sheffer. The aim of the organization was the betterment of the health of the community. The Health Center building on Stanley Avenue was erected in 1926 by the Child Welfare Association aided by the generous gifts of the Mamaroneck Free Kindergarten Association and from dona- ,/ y tions by the people of Mamaroneck. w During the First World War, the local Women's Committee of the a,: 4ft f - National Council of Defense opened the first child welfare station in a --- *44"-";111** A. Af- ' * t •,'VS small store on Mamaroneck Avenue. Through the early years, the work � t f � '� ��`-" , ; was supported solely by private subscriptions. In 1919, the Village Board 4 , ,e ,�` , , = ' ` recognized the importance of the work and made an appropriation which 4,'' * �i enabled this society to employ a full time nurse. • The Mamaroneck Society for Lending Comforts to the Sick was founded in January, 1910 by Olive Trowbridge Littleton. Its first head- Bigillit The Mamaroneck Health Center quarters was a room in the old Town Hall. Mrs. Trowbridge was its first president, Mrs. Charles M. Baxter, vice president, Mrs. Reuben P. Brewer, T ODAY our story deals with organizations, institutions, lodges and secretary, Mrs. Burton Meighan, treasurer with.Mrs. John Bister and Mrs. 1 societies which the people of our Village have created and worked in J. P. Meagher and Mrs. Mitchell Kennerly as trustees. for the betterment of social and public life. In 1912, quarters were rented at 597 Mamaroneck Avenue and in You know, David and Virginia, practically all organizations can be 1917, larger quarters were provided. In 1926, a house at the corner of divided up in classes depending on their purpose. For instance, the Mama- Union and Tompkins Avenues was purchased through the generosity of roneck Health Center is for the betterment of health in the community ' ' the Mamaroneck Free Kindergarten Association and other contributors. and, hence, would be called a civic organization. The Fenimore Players Miss Anne B. Edmundson served the Society for fourteen years as nurse. would be a social organization for the benefit of its own members. An The main support of the Society came through an envelope week campaign organization can be formed solely for the benefit of its own members and launched through the efforts of Mrs. R. P. Brewer. Up to 1934, $30,000 yet have praiseworthy aims. Some organizations overlap benefitfor their i had been collected for this work. Mrs. Littleton served as president until own members into being civic as well. I have in mind the Garden Club d 1917, and then Mrs. Reuben P. Brewer became its president serving until which maintains the small park on Mamaroneck Avenue near the Federal ' 1927. Mrs. Daniel Warren served from 1927-1932, and Mrs. Albert Savings and Loan Association. Another group of organizations come Wilson was its president for the last two years before it merged with the it, under the heading of fraternal, such as, the Masons, the Elks and Odd new organization. During the entire twenty-four years of its existence, Fellows. Other organizations or institutions, such as a newspaper or a Mrs. Charles M. Baxter and Mrs. Charles Bister served as vice presidents. Savings and Loan Association, may be in existence for private profit and Today the Health Center provides pre natal care of mothers, and has yet further the public good and become almost a civic necessity. established an orthopedic clinic and dental clinic, and is the milk station The Mamaroneck Heath Center was organized in 1934 as a consolida- for the community. More and more, the old milk station has become the tion of the Society for Lending Comforts to the Sick and a Child Welfare Health Center of Mamaroneck. Today the Health Center program is 94 95 n III dab rinfION16, guided by Miss Ada Meehan,.a Public Healthsupervising nurse provided Disaster—Mr. Ralph Mann and Mrs. R. P. Brewet. by the County Department of Health. The Village of Mamaroneck pro- tit Nutrition—Mrs. Aylmer Hatch. vides for three full time nurses and certain operating expenses. The build- Blood Donor Service—Mrs. Malcolm D. Brown. ing care and maintenance costs still come from membership fees and from First Aid—Mrs. L. D. Deverich. the renting of comfort and supplies and nursing costs. F Junior Red Cross—Mrs. Philip D. Wesson. Life Saving and Water Safety—Mr. Steve Johnson. . Nurses are available for the care of the sick in the home as well as for education and health supervision. Clinics and classes are conducted Publicity—Mrs. C. C. Beeman. regularly. Pediatric and Social Hygiene clinics are conducted weekly, Home Nursing—Mrs. John Kadel. chest clinics twice monthly, orthopedic clinics quarterly, and special im- Camp and Hospital—Mrs. S. Charles Hanna. munization semi-annually. Nurse Recruiting—Mrs. Kingsley Lloyd. During World War II, the Health Center was organized as the main Nutrition Aides—Mrs. Alfred Weeks. S casualty center for Mamaroneck, and was equipped for all emergencies. The Mamaroneck Free Library came into being in 1922 under the The Red Cross conducted first aid and nutrition classes as well as home original committee consisting of Dr. Matthew J. Hall, Dr. J. N. Martin, 5 nursing groups. Last year, in addition to its war activities, the nurses Char.es F. Rice, Emanuel Emelin and Char:es M. Baxter, Jr. Mr. Baxter made 4987 home visits and held 198 clinics with an attendance of 1863. ' was elected first president of the Library. This was the fourth effort to The present officers are: Mrs. J. F. Auer, president: Mrs. T. E. Heatley, erect a Public Library in Mamaroneck. In 1866, the Mamaroneck Union Mrs. J. F. O'Reilly, Mrs. E. O. Heyworth, Mrs. R. W. Yocum and Mrs. Athenaeum maitained a library in the old Brit building on the Post Road. C. E. Bohmert as trustees. 1n 1900, the Mamaroneck Hotel Company, using these same books, main- The roster of Red Cross Activities in Mamaroneck for 1944-1945 are tained a library for several years. At one time, Andrew Carnegie offered as follows: $10,000 to Mamaroneck for a library, but this sum was deemed insufficient, and well-to-do residents who were solicited by a committee were disinter- Chairman—Mrs. Harry E. Foshay. ested. In January, 1923, the Libraryopened to was patrons at 48 West Vice Chairman—Mrs. Malcolm D. Brown. Boston Post Road with 1,128 books on hand. In 1924, the Library was Secretary—Mrs. Arno Ehrsam. forced to move to 50 East Boston Post Road. Treasurer—Mrs. William H. Cantle. The same year, Mr. Baxter secured an offer of $40,000 for a library Director (2 years)—Mr. Joseph C. McLain, Mrs. Henry Kincaid. from the trustees of the estate of John R. Hagemann. Mr. Baxter then Director (1 year)—Mrs. Augusta Hopson. Mrs. Warren K. Friar, induced Augustus st s Y gu Van Amringe to donate Mr. Charles A. Gaa. $16,250 to purchase the present site. In 1930, Mr. Van Amringe left, in his will, $50,000 to the Special Volunteer Service—Mrs. Harold Pennington. Library for one of two. ur oses—the Home Service--Miss Eleanor Merrow. P P principal to be used for a building to bear his name, or the income to be expended toward operational ex- Nurses' Aids—Mrs. John H. Westcott. penses. This gift of Mr. Van Amringe totaling$66,250 is the largest non- Canteen—Mrs. Ronald Yocum. secular gift yet made to the people of Mamaroneck. Mr. Van Amringe Staff Assistants—Mrs. Thorkil Aschenhoug. is honored with an oil portrait by Robert Kearfott now hanging in the Gray Ladies—Mrs. Fred Shumaker. main reading room in the Library, and a bronze marker at the corner of Production—Mrs. John Roberts. Prospect Avenue and Elm Street. The new building at the corner of Elm Surgical Dressings—Miss Jane Ebbinghaus. and Prospect was opened to the public November 15, 1927. This building Knitting—Miss Martha Rupprecht. is 42 x 68 feet and is filled to date with 18,000 volumes. The architects Sewing—Mrs. John S. Gallagher. were Morgan French & Company. The entire cost of the building with 96 97 +�. , • �4y:, Ma ��c E !�J.aM s F 1 r �ooYE� ,�� St�sa �� -arc 181 �i' ''''' �; ;a�J >.,-,_ ty z - s r:.b dim ar v11 > ' r" „Rni"' ,r•;a:.— ^k _ e gg,o y' _ �,• ra _ Mailn"' e- LST 8 v Non ti e r % it The Mamaroneck Free Library furnishings was about $54,000. In 1936, two large murals were com- Mural in Mamaroneck Free Library pleted by Warren Chase Merritt, and in the following year, two smaller ones which commemorated the garly history of Mamaroneck. The Library served as registration center in case of disaster. The Community and War has grown steadily during the years. On the strength of the Hagemann Fund Committee established its headquarters on the first floor. As a free NO gift, a contract was secured from the Village for adequate support. This library, the lMMamaroneck Free Library is under the direction of The State has been supplemented yearly by donations of books and equipment by Education Department. It is rated by the State Department for service friends of the Library, rendered anal has always been far above standard. The present Board of Trustees are: Charles M. Baxter, Jr., Dr. J. N. Martin, Mrs. Mary Niles, In 1938, a complete children s room was constructed in the base William F. MacDonald, Alfred Warren; William Halsey, Mrs. Margaret ment auditorium. A trained children's librarian was employed in 1930 Foshay and Mrs. Marion Wesson. Mr. Baxter has served as president of 0 and consistent effort has been made to draw the young people of the Village the Library ]3oard since the inception of the Library. There have been to the Library. The first year the Library had 1,000 registered borrowers two chief Librarians, Grinton I. Will, serving from 1923 1930, and Miss with 18,000 withdrawals of books. Today it has 5,000 registered borrowers Eleanor Merrov, who succeeded D7 r. Will and is the present Librarian. and the circulation has mounted to more than 90,000 volumes per year. Miss Martha Rupprecht was appointed staff assistant in 1930, and Miss During the war years, the Library became the center of the community Irene Brewer in ].936. Roth of these ladies are still serving as staff assist- war effort. Rooms: on the main floor were made available to the Red Cross ants. As the growth of the Village of Mamaroneck and its library needs for headquarters, and members of the Board of Trustees and the Library 11 staff devoted time and effort serving on committees. Nutrition Canteen require it, plans for a new addition have been made. This library addition and Consumer Education classes were held in the Library. The T_Irary will contain seminar rooms, meeting room, exhibit rooms, a new children's became a collection and distribution center far. the Red Cross supplies, room and further reserve book stack space in the older portion of the and headquarters for the Victory Book campaign which resulted in the Library. collection of over 7,000 volumes for the use of the Armed Services. The The Old Town of Mamaroneck Historical Society was an outgrowth basement floor of the building was made into a black-out shelter, and of the 275th Anniversary Celebration of the purchase of Mamaroneck 98 99 Miffs o ' • ivvA§l + R W Ei q „Jr- . . a + �? F91hM£1�CORATt Tiffs iF! �'`A 6+ JOHN RICHDELL ot`' �' s _..ter► w.=. THE OHWHEnE THE 'TO w° °" H H' F$�SAiTF`R M£E12To THP Sat�... Y . ��� •` -. ` 27c ANNIVS\RY , e f ti s SEP"1 MBEA -24 .1 • � 446' ik • ,4 11111111411111111/ BM I IV SO•1114141111111 II" �r t s► a s? faeIIx *i4 ns f Mamaroneck Celebrates Her Past Parade of 275th Anniversary Celebration • from the Indians. Funds to the amount of $100 have been realized by an assignment from the celebration committee. Essay contests, investiga- tion of Town Records and the accumulation of many relics have been activities of the Society. William Fulcher, the then Curator of the His- sion. This commission operates torical Society, was asked to suggest a project for the Children of the under the auspices of the Na- American Revolutionary Society, and through his efforts, a bronze marker tional Commission on Eco- was unveiled on June 14th of that year with appropriate ceremonies on n o m�i c s Development. Mr. the wall of the Town Cemetery on Mt. Pleasant Avenue to the memory Philip Wesson is chairman, of Colonel Gilbert Budd, our only known Revolutionary War officer. and Mr. Leo Heithaus is vice 4 Mr. Charles M. Baxter, Jr., has been the guiding light and president chairman of the Committee s of the Society for the past nine years. At the annual meeting September consisting of eighteen mem- 23, em 23, 1945,. the following officers were elected: President, William Futcher; bers. The first step in their Vice President, Charles B. King; Secretary, Mrs. Richard I. Land; Treas- work was a survey of industry urer, Mrs. Alfred Weeks, and Curator, Mrs. William Harvey Smith, Jr. in the Village and any plans One hundred dollars was set aside at this meeting to start a fund for the which corporations might have placing of a marker at the entrance to Orienta to commemorate the grave that would affect employment of John Richbell, and one on the rocks on the Boston Post Road in honor figures here after -the war. This survey also included Judge Charles M. Baxter of the Heathcote and Delancey families. Among those organizations and activities which distinguish Mam- housing facilities and, for taking care of increased demand for returning aroneck from the ordinary community is the Post War Planning Commis- service men. The second step included a survey of Mamaroneck Avenue 1.00 101 • : • i 1 1.M a and the possibilities of i f. improving its appear- a' - ance. The Commission .:fi %.,,,,..e' r 4 .0 4 submitted sketches and drawings showing sug- . .- �` i,l , Bested improvements t ;,,.,,ti for individual stores K 1 i � . a , _ ,x{ on the Avenue. The • •. r .<. at .� *. ,. ,`* Commission recom- �� g .... t k l' 1, i "� mended in its report t y aw ' 4,-...„,,,,,, that the Village have � � �`i� ' — a Gold "n Jubilee cele- '� bration to commemo- � Ar . rate its 50th Anniver- ! � �' 1' - sary. The result of this f was the appointment Rock Building at Post Road and Elm Street. 7' -4 ---.. , y First building to remodel along Colonial lines. 11 � of Celebration Com- s: mittee, or which Leo .','' Heithaus is general . :, , V:,' , chairman. The publi- ,r*';*!. cation of this book is -, a.- 1 � ' e one of the activities of r the Committee being 1� � _ .fpr sM,,*:.' 4:: undertaken by theHis-it* -- t11 � oil torical Committee un- _ n �.d :IiB °��sAt William Fulcher as John Richbell der the chairmanship John Corfield as Wa a uewam � d � pp a of William Fulcher. I5 � The A.lamarone.ck Chamber of Commerce is composed of a group of � ��""" men, both business and professional, who have a common interest and pride in their Home Town in what it is and, especially, in what it is "4 41 to be. In April, 1917, the certificate of incorporation of the Business Men's Association of Mamaroneck, Inc. is the first record of the local Chamber n of Commerce. In this record, the reasons for the forming of a corpora- Gunn Building on Mamaroneck Avenue. tion were: to foster trade and commerce, in the interest of those having Remodeled after plans by Post War Planning Commission. a common trade-business; financial or professional; to reform abuses rela- tive thereto; to secure therefrom unjust or unlawful exactions; to diffuse 102 103 1 I 1 1 accurate and reliable Mamaroneck was The Register, a weekly, founded in 1882 by William E. 1 '`,.;,;,-'s `;`'''' -,, ' `r0,,,,,fi 1 i., information as to the Peters. The shop stood where Sirlin's PaintZ° 0 ; now located. Mrt �= standing of merchants Peters formerly had been the representative of Chester Enterprise. ' i , ' or other matters. He was an ardent Democrat and had been a Justice of the Peace. In 1890, 1 „ , C. H. Nutt started a weekly newspaper called The Paragraph. Mr. Nutt '', ''' . —17,s-ri:44 s- " At a Board of Direc was a Republican and continued the paper until 1900, when he sold it to tors' meeting of the Charles I.ranklin Rice. Mr, J. W. Clapp started the Richbell Press in Business Mens Asso 1902. For many years, Mamaroneck had three newspapers, and in 1910, I fi ciation of Mamath the record shows Richbell Press had a circulation of 800, the Register ne •ck, neck, Inc., held on the 1500, and The Paragraph 1270. In 1910,the Richbell Press began publish- 20th day of April, ing twice weekly, and for ten years outsold its rivals in circulation, but it 1923, a resolution was went out of business in the early 1920's. In 1922, the Register folded up unanimously adopted and, on the death of Mr. Rice in 1924, The Paragraph lasted only a year to change the name of i 1 11 the corporation from without him.I i Mamaroneck Business In October, 1924, George P. Forbes, son of our first editor, George Men's Association of Morris Forbes, with Thomas Harold Forbes and Francis Hunter began Mamaroneck, Inc. to the first daily newspaper here, calling it The Daily Times. George P. Forbi Mamaroneck Chamber es was born in New Rochelle in 1881. In 1907, he bought the Larch- of Commerce, Inc. monter and combined it with his Larchmont Times. In 1923, he changed The Chamber of the name back to Larchmont Times. The Larchmont Times, a weekly,and 1 Commerce is fully The Daily Times of Mamaroneck were owned by the Mamaroneck- aware of the activities Larchmont Publishing Co., Inc., of which Mr. Forbes was president. Mr. Manager Johnson - Mayor Santoro - Chairman Heithaus Forbes sold a great deal of his stock October 1.9 1929 to the Westchester of the community in a the past. President Fred Yankocy has faith in the future, in his words County Publishing Company, popularly known as the Macy Chain. He for Mamaroneck the outlook is bright—we who are interested financially remained as General Manager of the two paper until May 1,, 1943, when and sentimentally in our community have our eyes to the future." he sold the rest of his stock and moved to New Jersey. The name of Forbes was connected with newspapers in the Village for sixty-four years. The officers of the Chamber of Commerce are: Fred Yankocy, Samuel Sirlin, Mrs. E. H. Lebeis, R. J. Diforio and Frank Wright. H. Richmond Campbell has been editor of The Daily Times since 1937. Mr. Campbell is a member of the Committee of the Golden Jubilee Few people ever stop to realize the importance of the newspaper in Celebration of the Village. a community. One of its values is to keep people in touch with one an- other when a village has grown too large for everyone to know everyone The parent of the present Garden Club of Mamaroneck was the Rose else. Another value of the newspaper is in shaping up the politics and Society organized in the Spring of 1925 by Dr. A. B. Sanford and a small in determining policies of the Village. The editors shape up opinions and group of garden lovers. A few months later, the name was changed to regard to fitness of candidates for office, and find out facts for their the Garden Club of Mamaroneck and Mrs. Henry D. Holden succeeded Dr. ' readers. Another value of the newspaper is to foster new and expanding Sanford as president. An early project was the landscaping of the Mam- business. The history of newspapers in Mamaroneck goes back to the aroneck Free Library grounds under the supervision of Mr. James Stuart Investigator, founded in 1879 by George Morris Forbes. This was a and Mr. Thomas Atchison with gifts from the Club and other individuals. weekly newspaper and lasted seven years. The second newspaper in A sun-dial was given by Miss Jean Baxter in memory of her grandfather, 104 105 1111 i i : I George. L. Baxter, and a bird bath and squirrel statuary was given by I Miss Louise Tucker. To round out the garden behind the Library, theyy three children of George L. Baxter, Carrie B. Maynard, Ray Baxter and Charles M. Baxter, donated a plot of ground which originally was the rear part of the Baxter family homeside facing Mamaroneck Avenue, ,, = 4110' where the "I.ittle Garden" now is located, i #0?t ,.;7*,- The next project was the beautification of the Woman's Clubhouse on Cortlandt Avenue with the assistance of Mrs. Julius Latimer, a long # � and faithful member of the Club. The "Little Garden" on Mamaroneck ! } , i 1 Avenue is the special work of Mrs. John W. Roberts, a former president, # who has given abundantly of time and material to help Mrs. Storey as an �. able co-chairman of this project. ,' � ;- �,, At the 275th Anniversary Celebration of the Town of Mamaroneck, Finale of Fashion-Pageant in Garden of Woman's Club all floral details were carried out with the cooperation of the members of the Garden Club. The Library has enjoyed special arrangements of plant material for many years through all seasons. Mrs. Philip D. Wesson, a k former president, had charge of the grounds of the Library. A gift ofr the Garden Club, while Mrs. Thomas Farmer was president, was an oak tree presented to the Village, which has now grown to beautiful proportions is Left: ; , . at the triangle of Keeler Avenue and the Boston Post Road. • Mrs.S.Charles Hanna, F, , Chairman of theel''.. l' . Outstanding members of the Club through their exhibitions are: Mrs. L' . t 4� , 4, '� " - ,; +, Fashion Pageant 7; ,i John F. O'Reilly, an early president, and Mrs. Robert Kearfott. Members _ , of the Garden Club provided noteworthy exhibits at the New York World's i if Fair, the International Flower shows, and the New York Horticultural � ` ' ..' Society Flower Shows. The Club is especially proud of its work in put ' tin on the CommunityShow in 1944 with Mrs. HenryKincaid as chair- � �. man. The membership of the Club now totals 113, and brings pleasure Right �t and beauty, not only to its members, but to the entire community as well. d '° Mrs. Loring Pratt le Mrs. Fred S. Shumaker is the present president. 7, ¢ Chairman of Civics The Woman's Club of Mamaroneck began its community life as the Section, who con- , Village Improvement Association. It adopted its present name Tune 24-, a,fi ducted Pilgrimage 1925. The Club has to its credit agitation for the improvement of the South side of the West Boston Post Road, which is today a reality, fur- , of the Golden nishing the auditorium of the Mamaroneck Free Library and sponsoring �." jubilee the Village Manager form of government. In 1931, after meeting several ; : 1 , years in the Masonic Hall on Prospect Avenue, the Club purchased its ; .. own home on Cortlandt Avenue. In beautiful well-kept grounds, this' building stands as a monument to the intellectual life of the community. I 106 107 • Many other organiza- ,..,„1 t- ,40.....`0° tions use this building. .„" During the Golden Jubilee Celebration last Fall, the Club „ kindly donated its headquarters ` as a set- ��°� .",a � . ting for the Fashion ,. r zit PageantTea put on by ..ii4 �� V ` the Historical Com- ' � `" '` -- mittee under the chair- �� `' ' t ` ' manship of Mrs. S. ' Charles Hanna. The i Woman's Club of Mamaroneck "_ Civic Section of the . v Club, under the chairmanship of Mrs. Loring Pratt, contributed to the e Golden Jubilee by conducting a pilgrimage to the historical places in the i Village under the leadership of William Fulcher. The first president of . . fir` � �� • the club was_ Mrs. Kingsley Lloyd. The present officers are: Mrs. Henry �', ,� -� Boak, president; Mrs. Edward Sullivan, Mrs. James McGrotty, Mrs. A Fenimore production, "The Queen's Husband' James Hewson, Mrs, Joseph McLain, Mrs. Roland Dufault, and Mrs. Left to right: Colonel William VonBernuth, Thomas Farmer, Alan Buttrick, Shirley Ellis. Mrs. S. Charles Hanna The Fenimore Players is the oldest iv v amateur dramatic group in Westchester _ V *�. •.x' which is now McAndless Paint Shop. It was athree-act play and was I County. It was organized in June, 1913, _1 :,Irt' directed by Mrs. Lylburn. Proceeds from the play were $275, which was by a group which met at a tea given by ' . Miss Margaret Lylburn at the Trinity , given to the Improvement Association. School, which stood where the present , About 1920, the name was changed to the Fenimore Players, and it q Westchester Bath Club building stands. has continued to operate under that name to the present time. Presidents The Village Improvement Association was •kk of the Players have been Charles M. Baxter, Jr., George'Troupe, William badly in need of funds, and this group �" , '' Demarest, Ralph Rushmore, William von Bernuth, A. D. Cameron, James decided to organize a Players' Club to pro- iv � ; Little, Boice Esser, Jeanette Ranges and Mrs. Pearl Hanna. ���� duce a play whose proceeds would be ven ! to the improvement Association. Over a long period of years the Fenimore Players have produced This little group was composed of many Broadway successes. The aim of the organization is to help any Louise Everett, Ralph Rushmore, Jean other organization with a worthy cause. The Players have no desire to Baxter, Charles Baxter, Jr., and their make money beyond the expense of producing their plays. One of the hostess,Margaret Lylburn. They produced Players' most interesting experiments was to construct a "Little Theatre" Mrs. Henry Boak, President of the in part of the home of William Fulcher on Sunnyside Avenue, where one- the play, "Private Secretary," August 1, Woman's Club, as she appeared at act studio nights were successfullygiven for several years. The studio is 1913, in the Mamaroneck Auditorium, the Fashion Pageant. 108 109 now owned by Lillian Rock, patroness of the Fenimore Players. Several officers are: Mrs. James Helming, Mrs. John Muehlke, Mrs. Herbert successful actors on the Broadway stage today received their first en- Amsel, Mrs. Herbert Marcus and Mrs. Norman Waters. couragement from participation in Fenimore productions. The organza- The Mamaroneck Lions Club was organized in December of 1923 tion's activities were frozen during the war, but in March 1946' the Play under a charter issued by the International Association of L ions Clubs ers produced "Blythe Spirit" in the Mamaroneck Junior Iligh School to and under the sponsorship of the Lions Club of White Plains. The char- a capacity audience. ter membership included 24 business and professional men of Mamaroneck The Mamaroneck League of Women Voters was organized shortly who organized "to encourage active participation in all things that have to do with commercial and civic betterment; to uphold the principles of good after the National Organization was formed in 1920. Its first president was Mrs. Phomas Farmer. The primary purpose of the League is to government; to assist in every way possible in furthering the interests of teach women how to mark a ballot and to cast an intelligent vote. The its members and in bringing about a better understanding among men and League has always shown an interest in local affairs. peoples of the world;to teach that organization,cooperation and reciprocity are better than rivalry, strife and destructive competition." In 1940, the League was re-organized under the presidency of Mrs. William Kirchner. The League has tried to inform itself on local Charles H. Lampman was elected first president. Since 1923 it has health, grown to be the largest, as well as the oldest service club in Mamaroneck history, problems of employment, relief and taxation, education, recreation, housing, public utilities and local government, always keeping, and now numbers 62 members, representing a cross section of the business, its primary goal in view of bringing out an intelligent vote. Present professional and manufacturing leaders of the Village of Mamaroneck. The activity of the Lions Club has always been aimed toward com- munity service. Among its projects has been blind work and it has pro- vided glasses and talking books to needy blind within the Village. The dredging and improvement of the West Basin of Mamaroneck Harbor was initiated in the Lions Club and the project was finally ap- ‘ proved and brought to completion after a series of Community meetings � sponsored by the Club. The Lions sponsored and worked at the scrap metal salvage campaign /' and in the various salvage campaigns held through the war years, One of the most spectacular of the activities of the Lions has been the operation of the annual Soap Box Derby. The I,ions have also been active in Community Chest campaigns, usually taking over a particular phase of the annual campaign. Nine of the present 62 members are charter members of the club. They include Fred H. Bull, Jr., Earl W. Quick, W. Roy Halsey, Charles ®� r M. Baxter, Jr., Irving A. Marsland, Fred T. Wilson, W. E. Hare, R. P. Brewer and Mervyn H. Connor. Mrs. S. Charles Hanna in costume at 275th Anniversary Dinner in 1936. William Futcher, chairman of Historical Committee of that Celebration. The present officers of the club are: Gabriel Wendel, president; Former Mayor Adrian Bedelle at Speakers Table. Hunter Meighan, first vice-president; Malcolm Taylor, second vice-presi- 110 iii dent; William H. Johnson, third vice-president; Rev. Theodore U. Posselt, .,4 Jr., secretary; Fred H. Bull, Jr., treasurer; R. J. Diforio, tail-twister; * 7 Charles Gaa, Lion tamer; and William Kuntz, Mervyn H. Connor,Charles >„ s M. D. Reed, Leo Heithaus and Earl A. Fisher, directors. s Q x ; ; a. ;V. - - - s , , ,, .4 --,,,,,i tThe Rotary Club of Mamaroneck held its first meeting on February ' ; '`, � -4i 27, 1936 at the Orienta Beach Club, and was awarded its charter by the ° , tom_ • ` RotaryInternational on April 30, 1936. with a charter roll of nineteen j PR01. .�� men. The motto of the Rotarians is "Service Above Self — He Profits ;imp Ite ,. , Most-Who Serves Best." ` 1 The first officers were Joseph 'Warren, Charles Williams, Richard ' s ; Carroll and Dr. A. R. Finelli. The other charter members were Dr. Harry G Eruskin, R. J. Diforio, Dr. William Tyler, Mortimer Margoluis, Joseph + , 1 Dinolfo, John Lange, Aaron Ditman, B. J. Santoro, Dr. William Chester, `. t II! .Ernest Warming, Philip Sloane, Joseph Schook, William May, T. A. Quinn, and Wilford Long. In the Fall of 1936, William Fulcher was made an honorary member of the Club in recognition of his work con- nected with the 275th Anniversary Celebration and his writing of "Mama American Legion Post No. 90 in Metal Salvage Drive I roneck Through the Years." • Among its objectives are to encourage daily living of the Golden Rule Some of the projects which the Rotary Club has sponsored are: the in all human relationship and to promote the attaining and application of complete rebuilding of the Mamaroneck cabin at the Boy Scout Camp at higher social, business and professional standards. Siwanoy, the incorporating and founding of the Community Chest, the Among the many projects spun- erection of the World War II Honor Roll on the Municipal Grounds, the - I .err z �a p � ,��_ �,� �; - ""�r Bored by the Mamaroneck Kiwanis of the summer Band Concerts, and through its efforts and with �� .-, Club have been the annual Harbor the splendid cooperation of the Red Cross, helped to establish the Blood Island Water ater Carnival, the financial Bank in Mamaroneck. The Club has been responsible for many parties 1 `° 0 ' backing of children's recreation at for children and for sending young men to Boys State in the Summer. Parry Avenue playgrounds, the an- The following men have served as presidents: Joseph Warren, Charles nual Christmas toy project, and con- Williams, R. J. Diforio, Ernest Warming, B. J. Santoro, T. James Ahern, tributions to all war services and Dr. Harry Bruskin, George Ayres, Walter Boese, Dr. A. R. Finelli, Dr. Community Chest drives. The George Menninger, W. J. Kuhn, Dr. R. E. Machan. Joseph C. McLain �� Kiwanis Gay 90's Review and Vari- is present vice president, Philip Trohn is secretary and Joseph Dinolfo is ations of 1945 Water Carnival in treasurer. v conjunction with the Golden Jubilee of Mamaroneck will long be remem- The first meeting of the Kiwanis Club of Mamaroneck was held Sep- ''' tiered. tember 9, 1938, at the Elks' Clubhouse. It is affiliated with Kiwanis In- # • ternational, one of the oldest service clubs in the United States with a Two of its members, Lt. Col. -.4.1.4 Claude A. Latimer and Major John motto, "We Build." Honor Roll for World war I McDonald, are with the Armed 112 113 k i Forces of the United States. The ,, present officers are: Police Chief ' "''''''''0 Arthur Martensen, William .Brady, , Joseph Acampora, Jr., and Edward j Wright. American Legion Post No.90 was chartered July 9, 1919. The first meetings were held at theTown Hall on ProspectAvenue and at the Hook and Ladder Fire House. In 1.923, l .... . . ��, the old historical Armory ILall on '' Barry Avenue was purchased from the Rye Neck School Board and has Placque in Memorial Grove on Harbor Island been the home of the Legion since. Union Savings Bank The American Legion contributed the Memorial Grove on Harbor Island. They purchased seventeen trees and tree guards with bronze plates for each tree in honor of their seventeen T bank has had five presidents during its fifty-eight years of service to the community who served as follows: Bradford Rhodes 1887-1912, comrades who made the supreme sacrifice in World War I. A bronze commemorative plaque is affixed to a large boulder at the head of the Reuben G. Brewer 1913-1925, William A. Boyd 1926-1930, Charles M. grove. The Honor Roll for World War I is located at Tompkins Square Baxter 1931-1941, Charles E. Cornell 1941 to present time. and the Legion has conducted Memorial Exercises there every since yearAt the time of the incorporation of the Village of Mamaroneck in � May, 1919. 1896, the bank had on deposit $195,690.52. Today its deposits as of Prior to 1887, there were no banking facilities in the Town of Mama August 1, 1945, are $4,518,741.12. °I roneck. When there was need to send money out of town, people would In 1925, it built the building that it now occupies at the corner of go to Mr. David F. Britt, a local merchant, who would give them a check Boston Post Road and Mamaroneck Avenue. Iv on a New York Bank. For some time, there had been a feeling that there should' be some banking facilities in the Town of Mamaroneck. During World War II, the Bank and officers have served in many capacities in both community and war projects. Up to the present time, On June 10, 1887, a meeting was held in the Town Hall and an appli- it has sold in bonds $12,498,461.27. La cation was signed for the incorporation of the Union Savings Bank of Westchester County. At a meeting held July 16, 1887, the following Its present organization is as follows: Trustees, Charles E. Cornell, officers were elected: Bradford Rhodes, president, Samuel G. Purdy and William E. Hare, Charles M. Baxter, Jr., Dr. H. K. Miller, George E. Mathias Banta, vice presidents and Reuben G. Brewer, cashier. Baldwin, Charles D. DeVinne, Gabriel Wendel, Earl A. Fisher, Richard I. Land, William H. Johnson and Joseph J. Rigano. The officers are: The bank rented the front room and cellar of the, then new, office. Charles E. Cornell, president, William E. Hare, 1st vice president, Gabriel building of St. Thomas' Church and opened for business Wednesday. Wendel ,2nd ivce president and secretary, James V. Fastiggi, treasurer December 14, 1887. i and Charles M. Baxter, Jr., Counsel. the staff includes Gertrude Cleary, The bank has paid to its depositors one hundred and fifty-one con- Marjorie Clapp, Catherine Kelleher, Harold Saunders and Andrew Mc- tinuous dividends which amounts in dollars to $2,253,009:76. Millan who is now in the Armed Forces. 114 115 ;l The Mamaroneck Federal Savings & Loan Association was incorpor- exclusive use, was officially opened. On the 15th of January, 1941, the ated January 2, 1891. The first meeting of the corporation's shareholders Association celebrated its 50th anniversary with a dinner and dance at the was held at the home of Richard V. Boyd on Prospect Avenue opposite the Winged Foot Golf Club. Library. Officers elected at this first meeting were: Leverett M. White, George Berger B. Frank Palmer, E. G. Byrnes and Charles M. Baxter. + Directors of the Association, who had served exceptionally long terms, It was decided to hold future regular meetings at the store of Charles M. are Charles M. Baxter with a service record of forty-seven years, Joseph H. McLoughlin seventeen years, B. F. Palmer eighteen years, Charles Baxter. Field Griffin twenty-eight years, George L. Lyon twenty-four years, One of the first loans made was for a house now located at 708 Palmer Daniel Warren thirty-six years, Calvin A. Lyon twenty-five years,Law- Avenue. rence Moffatt twenty-four years, Samuel McAndless thirty-four years, In 1895, the Association moved its offices to the building of W. D. W. H. Halsteadfourteen years, William R. Bull twenty-three years, John Palmer, and by the end of 1896, the total assets of the Association were W. Goodwin thirty-nine years, Fred Wilson twelve years, M. J. Hall approximately $34,000. In 1910, the Association moved to 54 West Bos- twenty-one years, William J. Kuder ten years, Frederick Koch fifteen ton Post Road. In 1930, the Association moved its offices to 236 Mama- years, E. K. Ortiz, a present director, with twenty-six years to his service, roneck Avenu, and the semi-annual report for 1931 showed total assets B. C. Meighan fourteen years, Fred T. Wilson, present director and secre- tary since 1920, with twenty-five years, R. P. Brewer, present director, of $713,000. i with twenty-six years, Harry A. Forshay eighteen years, A. Stanley Ford, The Association changed its name of Cooperative Savings & Loan present director, with seventeen years, William E. Hare, present director in 1935 to Mamaroneck Federal Savings & Loan, and in that year, all of and vice president since 1938, with sixteen years, Charles M. Baxter, Jr., the savings accounts in the Association were insured up to $5,000 by the present director and attorney since 1933, with twelve years, Mervyn H. Federal Savings & Loan. ' Connor, present director and president since 1938, with eleven years, Wil- In 1938, Mr. Charles M. Baxter, who had served as president of the ham J. Kuntz, present director, with ten years and Charles A. Gaa,present director, with ten years. Mr. Albert Wilson has been treasurer since 1942 Association since 1929, tendered his resignation. Mr. Mervyn H. Connor, who had been director since 1934, was elected president. On June 10, and Mrs. Ethel Dick has served as assistant treasurer since September, 1939, the new building on Mamaroneck Avenue, built for the Association's 1944. The County Trust Company was organized in White Plains on March 9, 1903. On March 1, 1935, an office was opened in Mamaroneck with • quarters in the former First National Bank building. At that time, there . was a local advisory committee comprised of Arthur H. Titus, President of the Bank, Arthur K. Griffin, who was also a director, Charles A. Gaa, Roy Halsey, Henry Hornidge, William Kuder and Bert C. McCulloch. At the first meeting of this committee, Mr. James A. Gillies was 3 elected to membership. The following year, Mr. Mervyn Connor became a member. The same committee has continued to serve with the exception of Arthur Titus, deceased, whose place was taken by Andrew Wilson, Jr. 1 William F. MacDonald Jr., has been in charge of the local branch of the County Trust Company since it was opened here. George Coffin has been associated with the bank since 1935 and Robert Gedney, another ," !, Federal Savings and Loan Association t original Mamaroneck employee, is now retired on pension. 116 117 II l it ,i- 6 rt How Mamaroneck Became The Beautiful Friendly Village • `.�" Ott ■ � ` �.' x r 'ailliirk e ri The County Trust Company The present quarters of the bank since 1941 are in their own colonial type brick building on Mamaroneck Avenue opposite the Playhouse. The • present assets of the County Trust Company exceed seventy million dollars with eight branches in the County besides their main offices in White Plains. �..- � il. e Columbus Park and the Sheldrake River WELL, David and Virginia, we come to the last afternoon and the end v of our story. I think you will agree with me after you hear it that it is the best. How Mamaroneck became "The Beautiful Friendly Village" is what I call the last part of the story. Some of the story comes from the records of the Board of Trustees which are kept in a vault in the Village Hall and are contained in large leather bound volumes with volume one going up to July 5, 1900. I could write a long story on how the first Village Board got started but there is not space enough here. The first Board sat for the first time at eight o'clock, Thursday evening, June 4, 1896. At a later meeting that year, Trustees Griffin and Fatton and Father Meister, Reverend German and William S. Johnson were appointed to act as a committee on a Village seal. This committee reported on January 13, 1897. A contest had been held in the public schools and two hundred and 118 119 seventy-five designs were submitted. The first prize went to Miss Jennie May 4, 1898—Signed petition presented by 60 taxpayers to dissolve L. Baldwin who later became Mrs. Sydney B. Griffin. It is her design the Village. we still use today. On March 23, 1897, a by-law defining and adopting a May 24, 1898-279 votes cast on "Should the Village of Mamaroneck seal for the \iillle was passed in the followingwords "the corporate seal of the Village is and shall continue to be of metal, circular in form, having be dissolved?"—147 no-129 yes. on the outer border the words, Village of Mamaroneck, organized September 25, 1899-274 votes cast at referendum on same subject.— November 16, 1895, and in the center,-two female figures with clasped 99 yes-172 no. ,hands standing upon a bridge; on one side of the figure a beehive, and . The original voting on Village incorporation November 16, 1895, was on the other a horn of plenty and the words Unity, Industry and Pros- held held at Forest Hall in Mamaroneck, with Supervisor Charles M. Baxter perity immediately under the words Village of Mamaroneck." p and Clerk Fairchild presiding. In Rye Neck the voting was done at Parish There were some people who did not want to see Mamaroneck a united Hall, with Supervisor Clarence Sackett presiding. The most prominent village and they did their best for several years to turn the clock of progress f men in Rye Neck opposed to the Village were: C. C. Clery, Daniel Taylor, backward. The history of their efforts is as follows: 4 Henry Weeks and William Bird. Those who worked for the charter in November 16, 1895-314 votes cast in Mamaroneck: 246 for incor- Rye Neck were: Daniel Warren, George Burger, Samuel Johnson, George poration; 68 against. 327 votes cast in Rye Neck: 168 for incorporation; 1 Lyon, Calvin Lyon, R. L. Chamberlain, X. C'. Gately and John O'Neil. 159 against. € On the Mamaroneck side, those who worked for the charter were: A. M. A court restraining order was secured at once to prevent the new 1 Perrin, Joseph McLoughlin, Wi'ilian. Daymon and John McArdle. Village from functioning. t The Village boundaries det:idel on in 1895 contained three and one- April, 1896—A court order given to hold a caucus to select candidates half square miles with 2270 array. The Village has an estimated shore for election. , line of eight and one-quarter miles. May 18, 1896—At the first election Thomas L. Rushmore was made So you see, children, it is difficult to determine what is the exact president and Henry Fatton, Sydney B. Griffin and Theodore VanAmringe birthday for the Village of Mamaroneck. Some might say November 16th, made trustees. when the first vote was taken and others, with equal exactness, might say May 18th, when the first set of Village officers were elected. Possibly - the most practical date to celebrate would be June 4th, when the first Villa74 . ge Trustees met and began to make arrangements for the government ; , . ) `,� "= `' r •', of the Village. { The following figures will show you how the Village grew in number of people and in property value. #°.et, /1u; - t414 h e 01 t r4MARO'E "°':' FEDERAL CENSUS FIGURES r} `+ a NOVEMBER =...) TM x .„ ,,6 7945 + ' (/l/,6tlee 1895 3,500 1900 4,722 .,��.,af� Ft ,� '► „ ' _ -'� fri, , 1910 5,699 « N ,t, io 4` . ': 1920 6,571 1930 11,766 (Rye side 4,656-Mam'k. 7,110) 1940 13,034 " " 5,212- " 7.822) 120 121 I;I j k ASSESSMENT FIGURES Fiscal Year Ass'd. Valuation Levy Rate per $z000 1895 (1897)* $ 4,435,875 $ 12,621 $ 2.85 (see note) i; 1905 5,521,750 35.500 6.43 � ; „ 1915 7,896,302 136,000 17.25 1925 17,947,535 348,177 19.40 1935 37,756,702 636,200 16.85 • 1945 33,536,997 592.934 17.68 �. *NOTE: The assessment roll filed June 18, 1897 is the first mention e of a � _ roll having been filed. Ata meeting held June 30, 1897, the rate of $2.85 was fixed. These are the figures which one turns to in a book to tell about Mamaroneck, but the real love for Mamaroneck comes from the beauty t of our Village. 4. "Virginia, if you were asked, what\is the most beautiful part of the Columbus Park - Monument in background Village of Mamaroneck, what wouldcvou' say?" Uncle Bill, the first time we came to Mamoraneck we came up the Parkway with friends and turned down Weaver Street. My father's friend pointed out the Junior High School on the Post Road and then said, "You . � are now in the Village of Mamaroneck." When we stopped for the red ' �r � � light at Vvashington Arms and I saw the Harbor for the first time, I y� , "tit . -. 4,-.-. 's,� saki., �' 'fie, - 't 4. r ,g, r , , , : ,6„ .4, .,' ,,,,,r1.:. s N. , .:,,,,,,,1*,...4 , *E., 4a I 1 t " X ' - - {t fit ._ o,,, �.? .yam-. f l''' The New Yolk Telephone Building " " +�� _ - uLY ZS 36 Columbus Park 122 1°S [[ thought that was just like a picture and I knew I was going to love Mamaroneck. I guess that is still my choice of the most beautiful place in Mamaroneck." "That is a very good choice, Virginia. I love that view also. When Harbor Island is completely landscaped, I believe few places in New York will equal it." "What is your choice, David?" "Uncle Bill, do you remember what we did the first time we came to Mamaroneck to visit you?" 440d m' View of Harbor Island from the Air f� "No, I have forgotten." "We came out of the station and you told us you wanted to show us Columbus Park. You said so few people realized how beautiful the Park really was. You showed us the little river under the bridge and said it was the Sheldrake and that it flowed into the Mamaroneck River right here in the Park. We walked along beside a bed of flowers which mother said were iris. Then you showed us the Columbus Monument. That is what I think is the most beautiful place in Mamaroneck." "That, too, is a good choice; David. It is very flattering to me and the park to know that you remembered that first visit so vividly." Have you ever stood on Tompkins Avenue and looked up Melbourne Avenue? It always reminds me of the great central aisle of a cathedral where the elm trees join and make an arch overhead. Have you ever Looking towards the outer Harbor stopped on the Tompkins Avenue bridge and looked up the river? Have you ever stood on the front porch of the Village Hall and looked over into the grounds of St. Thomas' Church? Those are some of the beauty spots of my choice. There are many other beautiful places in our Village as well. The first moonlight night, stand in front of the Methodist Church _ oe and look at the gleaming white of its outline against the green lacey back- ground of its sheltering elm trees. Stand in front of the "Little Garden" Vitt 0 on Mamaroneck Avenue and look at the work of the ladies of the Garden Club. Go into the garden behind the Library and let its quiet beauty reach you. Stand on the curve of the old White Plains Road up behind St. Vito's Church and look over the Village and then across the Sound to the Long Island skyline. Go down into the garden of St. Vito's rectory andAli stand in front of the fountain and the shrine and you will begin to see the Yacht Moorings in the West Basin beauty of our Village. 124 125 -4,-,--i.-.,„.,.. ~',,..t - 1 'i r I--s''tt�' - - ' la S — 1t '- .L' i 4 • - r--" _4.;:1' - h ' a dI s✓�.'_" ..xili s�.....�Y..r , .. _ ..ems _ %' tit. "lit...., -..re , Y < w ...yam ••"T3um# x4IN-, E , 41'' • ' \ 1,1 \i, (IS *14 ' : ,- R ..:,pial a �, aM � Inner Harbor ' '. it 1 4 -A.-. A IN.t...! . : ,,, .1 4 i ,,. j '- .'4a ''''' :4,... '-'` ''''"*" 4kIP•-•='-7 ...., .."Z.-- -. ______ „,,...'••••,.:-. - --14-.:- ' .z. i � i A Swimming Lesson at the Beach The beauty of the group of ecclesiastical buildings whichform St. Thomas' always impresses strangers as well as older residents of our Vil- lage. That wonderful memorial of the Constable family was copied from a parish church in England. An English lady visiting in our Village re centlysaid, "When I stand in they rounds of St. Thomas', I can close my ' g eyes and feel I am home again in England." Two men recently came to Mamaroneck to study the architecture of the Methodist Church on the Post Road. They were conducting a survey of churches throughout New Osborne Point England and they said the Methodist Church in Mamaroneck was one of the finest they had studied throughout the whole of New England. Now, David and Virginia, we come to what I like to call Mamaro- -, I neck's front yard, that is, Harbor Island and our waterfront. The story of 1 I Harbor Island goes back to March 1, 1905, when a petition was filed with the Village Board, bearing the names of thirty-seven prominent citizens, asking that the Village of Mamaroneck "purchase, or acquire by con- demnation, for a public park, the following described property within said , Village" (the full description covers eleven pages in the record of the minutes of that meeting). On March 11, 1905, the proposition was sub- mitted and passed by a vote of 138 in favor and 37 opposed. The first = __. ,__"'` attempt to purchase the Island from Bellew and Merritt Company for ___ = twenty thousand dollars failed and there the matter rested for two years. Outer Harbor In the minutes for a meeting of the Board on August 7, 1907, is found a motion by Trustee Kuder to accept the contract submitted by the 12.6 127 Bellew and Merritt Company "offering to sell to the Village of Mamaro- on the spot that a pleasure boat anchorage on the west side of the Island neck the property generally known as Harbor Island . . . for the sum of would relieve the congested mooring situation in the East Basin. $69,125." The title to Harbor Island was taken on September 25, 1907. The property consisted of four acres of upland and sixteen acres of land A Committee was formed, known as the West Basin Dredging Corn- under adjacent water. mittee, and meetings and plans were formulated to the end that a request Another milestone in the development of Harbor.Island Park appears for Federal aid' was made. A hearing was held and the Government at in the Mamaroneck Paragraph for August 13, 1914. The article says, first turned thumbs down on the proposal. "Harbor Island is soon to be a reality. By next Spring, 1915, Mamaroneck The decision was appealed and a stronger case was prepared and a will have an athletic field and a playground. The Village Trustees have second hearing held in Washington, spearheaded by Henry T. Hornidge. voted to employ Frank Merlino to grade the excavated material at Harbor The government officials evidently were impressed, because a decision was Island at his bid of $1,350. The Island will be resurfaced with top soil finally reached whereby the Government agreed to pay fifty per cent of the and grass seed planted. cost if the municipality paid the remaining fifty per cent. For a long time, Harbor Island Park was not really a park, but some- In an attempt to make the burden on the taxpayers as light as possible, thing that resembled a combination of Park, Village Yard, Coal Yard and an effort was made to get aid from the Town of Mamaroneck. A deaf Boat Yard. ear was turned to all requests and it was finally decided by the Mayor and Today the Park is one of our proudest possessions. It covers forty- Board to place the matter before the citizens at the next Village election. two acres and includes a seven hundred foot beach that is enjoyed daily The history of the improvement from then on runs as follows: in the summer by thousands of loyal residents. A large bathing pavilion of stone construction was built in 1934 to accommodate the patrons. Tennis In the election of March 19, 1935 (during Mayor Hornidge's adrninis- courts, a baseball diamond, a football field, a children's playground with tration), the project was defeated by a vote of 365 for and 408 against it; • swings, slides and other playground equipment is provided for the younger on March .17, 1936 (during Mayor Bedelle's administration), it was de- folks. feated by a vote of 434 for and 491 against; the third time it was voted The Park has developed steadily since 1935. A nominal charge is favorably (during Mayor Johnson's administration) by a vote of 561 votes made to residents and non-residents for the use of the facilities provided. for and 361 against. The receipts in 1935 were$3,329.06; the receipts in 1945 were$12,479.16. The Village paid $30,000 as its share for this West Basin improve- The Park Commission members who have contributed a great deal ment. of time towards the improvement of the Park are: James A. Gillies, its The Incinerator was built the same year and automatically the Dump present chairman, James Stuart, Mrs. Harry Foshay, Emanuel Lascarus, was eliminated by the combination of the West Basin improvement and William I[. Johnson and Gabriel Wendel the construction of the Incinerator. The idea for the West Basin dredging was born when an inspection All of these improvements were more or less subject to debate by of seawalls was being made in 1934. Mr. Henry T. Hornidge was Mayor citizens and taxpayers, but the net result was the improvements that have at the time and was accompanied on this inspection by Chairman of the proved their worth by lifting the Village of Mamaroneck to its proper Park Commission, James A. Gillies, and Commissioners James Stuart and place in the Sun. William 1.I. Johnson. Since these improvements were made, hundreds, and even thousands, In looking over the West Basin, which at that time was a sea of of our older citizens and newer ones have proclaimed publicly that the mud, the subject of boat moorings was discussed, and the idea was born Village is far ahead of its neighbors in progressive planning and action. 128 129 • At the present time, plans are being made to improve the unfinished area on the Island created by the West Basin dredging operation, and when the work is completed, our Friendly Village will own and operate one of the finest Parks in the country for the exclusive use of its residents and taxpayers. It is interesting to note that right now over four hundred boats are moored in the Harbor. They are owned by people from Mamaroneck and its neighboring communities. The following list of the communities repre- sented is submitted as proof that Mamaroneck really is a Friendly Village, because so many of our neighbors from outside our limits come to our shores for enjoyment: Bronxville, Chappaqua, Crestwood, Elmsford, Har- , "��® rison, Ilartsdale, Larchmont, Mt. Kisco, Mt. Vernon, New Rochelle, New York City, Port Chester, Pelham, Rye, Ossining, Scarsdale, Tarrytown, lit White Plains, Metuchen. N. J., Palisade, N.J., Plainfield, N J., Wood- bridge, N. J. and Belleville. N.J. The acquisition of the present Municipal Building by the Village of Mamaroneck took place officially on December 19, 1938, when the Mayor and Board of Trustees passed a resolution to purchase and improve the premises it now occupies, formerly known as the St. Michael's Home for IS Girls. The purchase price of the land and building was $45,000 and the Village, through a Works Project, improved the building and landscaped the premises at a total cost of $12,000. { Ever since the Village was first incorporated, the need of a permanent home had existed. During the first twenty-five years, the officials met wherever there was a place available, and up to 1933, they went from pillar to pest. In 1933, they found themselves in the Duffy Building at the corner of Spencer Place and Ward Avenues, and paid an annual rental of $7,800. During 1.938, the present Village Manager, William Johnson, was Mayor of the Village and for a long time he had had in mind the hope that the Village would some day acquire the property known as St. Michael's home as a permanent Municipal Building. When Mr. Johnson was a member of the Mamaro Engine and Hose William H. Johnson Company, he came in contact veryoften with Ih•. Hunter, who was then Mayor of Mamaroneck — 1397-1938 President of the Village. imes the topic of discussion was this Village Manager since 1940 ag Many p possibility of the Village acquiring the property, but the answer from 1:10 131 E hl - i • Il iy • • • may; • rs,ex .i 4 ty u ftp y y to µ R Jr • „ r f '� F a Village Honor Roll for World War II 1"1111.1 ,; �^ all 1 ,,. r r - i r the owners of the building occupied by St. Michael's Home was always , ANN � �-' ' i101111110. - the same--- "find us something as good and we will move." So the idea '" u was officially dropped. ��� �� In the Fall of 1938, it was rumored that the Trustees of the Home The Steps of the Village Hall on Johnson Avenue had decided to close the place. The minister at that time was Reverend Ellis, who lived near Mr. Johnson on Maple Avenue. It was through ask what he wanted. She would then very gently take him by the hand him that the Mayor verified the report and steps were immediately taken and lead him to the place on the grounds that he described to find his ball. through the Board of Trustees to acquire the site as a Municipal Building. "That's how I found out what was on the other side of the fence." Title was closed on March 30, 1939. Mr. Johnson related that he little realized when he was a boy that Residents who remember the property in the old days will agree that some day he would play a part in acquiring this beautiful piece of property when the building had been renovated and landscaping completed, one of for the Village as a permanent Village Hall. the biggest transformations in our Village had been made. Few people knew what stood behind that old wooden fence, because the building and He further stated that, while it was his idea, the whole plan could not grounds were so secluded and very few people ever got past the door on have been culminated without the aid and the full cooperation of his Board, Mt. Pleasant Avenue. -- Trustees Corrigan, Santoro, Meighan and Jackson, as well as the full con- fidence of the people of the Village. the press, and the civic organizations When Mr. Johnson was asked how he knew so much about the buil,.- ing, he said that he had always been fascinated by the place, and during that supported the plan. baseball games on Prospect Avenue, he would purposely toss a ball over • Persons who have visited the Municipal Building all agree that it is, the high fence of the Home. Then, he would ring the bell at the Mt. as Mr. Johnson reported to the Board on August 18, 1938, as sturdy as Pleasant Avenue entrance and wait for one of the Sisters to answer and the Rock of Gibraltar. 132 133 1 r. ,j. M • 1 i The building has been occupied by the Village offices since December, 1939. Tt will be free and clear of debt by 1949. \ : . rte. Today, as we walk through the Village showing its beauties to a r` visitor and we look at the Municipal Building, the Library, the Post Road park area, and Harbor Island, it is hard to realize that our Village in 1932 was in a desperate situation. We were faced with a very •�A `f " ' � ' acute financial al position. Banks refused to lend more money to the Village. Then, a plan '._ 1. was started to get in back taxes and have taxes paid in advance. The Manufacturers Trust Company came to the rescue, but further progress r was checked when the First National Bank failed in 1933. The Village - :ost $152.000 in the bank failure. By 1936, when the Town celebrated its 03 if" �A 275th Anniversary, the financial picture was getting better. In the last ten � l years, miracles have been accomplished through hard work and careful -.� - las i*. planning by the Village Officials. Almost two-thirds of our area is now developed. We have a popula- �„ Con of about thirteen thousand. It is reasonable to expect another seven thousand people when the Village is fully developed. Mayor Santoro has Mayor Santoro Opening Parking Area at Station worked long and faithfully in improvements in parking facilities at the Station and in beautifying it. i There is still much work to be done. One of the most interesting 'w • '-- items the author found in his research is a letter written to the editor of the Paragraph on June 14, 1901, by Henry W. Sackett, telling *" of the needs of Mamaroneck. He was almost a prophet, for, although the �, �"+� rte. aka��;�M� � i lit .,,,!, IIi _ � A._ . II- ,H'1 r.� '' !t 1 t. ;.1.v.4,1 c, ��. r '•.- , r6 .4+ i ,t4 ' q r . i Mayor Corrigan Opening Halstead Avenue The Mamaroneck Post Office 1.;a 13-i i • • ti"."'\''' ' of .. . , i „v, , . 4 -410-14 / , . . ..,.. 0. ..-_,.. , / : . . lop „Its. , ,. ... . . -Avow ... „.,. ,, . 4 clt. ,,,,4-,,,e si, 1 , , _ , , ,4, .1 i a.lik,../ - - i 0,1!' d _ .. f/ - /- 4 United National Clothing Collection letter was written forty-five years ago, it could still apply today. In this magnificent article, Mr. Sackett says: o "The first need of the Village of Mamaroneck is a hearty appreciation of its advantages. The grumblers we always have with us. The spirit l that betters things springs from a genuine fondness for and attachment to the locality;pride in its good and atractive features and genuine enthusiasm in seeing the most made of them. - - . . Mamaroneck, as a new village municipality, has been fortunate in the men who have consented to serve as trustees. Mamaroneck has three �,� � ' �`�" -,�+ distinct physical advantages; one, the fine harbor; two, the width of the t principal thoroughfare; and three, the Mamaroneck River. with its banks ' �` t `X remarkable for its natural beauty running through the heart of the Vil- � tl' , lage." �; Mr. Sackett, so long ago, urged that trees be planted along Mamaro- t Y: neck Avenue; that the billboards be torn down around'the railroad station, ,a}d and that the banks of the river be made into a park. The natural beauties of our Village have attracted many prominent • people and they have chosen Mamaroneck as their home. Chairman Leo Heithaus of the Golden jubilee Celebration There is nothing new in Mamaroneck having famous people as resi- dents. At the turn of the century, interest in real estate in Orienta Point 136 1:; ! . r • v. , . ela '' i # ' " ''''t' + 3 Y.w• y ...'„4-.4•:.......,,,, hs 3..`.e { .,•.,g ,p` lt .+r„y „ -s-,--ii: ' ' . s '' 'yr • -t K 71jf 'y fi '''",*„.14-' ,:. • 41110 ,' ' T • .-c-i, p ' f'IF CITIZENS OF THE VILLAGE OF MAMARONECK ` v= EXTENDA HEARTY s � xv�'�WE LCOM E HOM E - . . -, - K �F _. -:‹4;,...s.,,,. TO THE E.'i� 3 , t .. �. �I_I V.'IC Nit N ‘ Vi,t) Ii C)I- C I-(I.I VVAI, I I '° •,- 'ry 4aftviz, 1 .; .. ti — _ - .�" . - ,.. fi 3 #,at vi. lell c hi xf ! 50+.r (fr.1V sdk r s ,k a ' x ° ' 'A o" .'S. ,a 3Va'.4 h ''' , , ; tr_ Placing a 50-year Marker at the Gates of Miss Marie Constable's Estate in Orienta , hummed with the anticipation that Richard Croker and his "Tarumany braves" were to spend the summer in Mamaroneck. Mr. Croker's business v. rr j partner, Peter: Meyer, purchased several large houses and tracts of land �'s in Orienta Point that year. He purchased the home of Horace Hotchkiss, ` a New York banker, and the property of Mrs. Eldredge, a wealthy widow. He had an option on the Jacobs place, which had a fine frontage on the Sound and a large private beach. This news led outside newspapers to ' '',,,',,*4. .f..,0 I k 7 describe Orienta Point, Mamaroneck, in great detail. It was called one :,..... 4 ofthe mostfashionable had Msections in Westchester County. Mr. and Mrs. � _ HenrySeigelhadjustfinished' theirhomeandexpectedto moveinthe end of May. The reportersr. and Mrs. E.H. Weatherbee atWaytes •� _ ? Court, and Mr. and Mrs. Albert C. Bostwick in residence for the summer. _ "He is keeping the Westchester Highways, as usual, in a cloud of dust _n , il with his outfit of fast automobiles." The mansion of J. Alvard Peck was taken for the summer by Vice President Cobb of the American Tobacco ' ,, Corporation. Mr. Alfred Marshall had just finished his $100,000 home, 4Mtr Flagler was in residence in the finest mansion on Long gyp m .� and Mr. Henry M. Flagyl ° , Island Sound between New York and New Haven at Satan's Toe. Others who had arrived for the summer were the Thomas Rushmores, E. H. Bells, War Council 133 139 1 I ) . 1 John Farley, Mrs. A. M. McGregor and her son, Mrs. Coudert, John Hegeman, Mrs. Alice Moffatt and Charles Frohman. The same roster of famous names continues today. A partial list of prominent people who have chosen Mamaroneck for their home contains the names of the following: Ezio Pinza, Ethel Barrymore, Robert(Believe- it-or-not) Ripley, Otto Harbach, Edwin B. Dooley, Marie L. Constable, E. E. Weatherbee, Henry S. Hendricks, Earl W. Hammons, Gustave Auf- richt, Cora B. Salmon, Harvey Picker, Harvey Conover, Frank A. Benson, Phil Baker, Wm. R. Bohmert, Daniel Weiskopf, Otto Marx. Charles Casa- nave, Peter Rothvone, Spyros Skouras, Norman D. Waters, Turner Barr, Arthur Levine, Benjamin Machan, T. C. Wood, J. J. Schubert, Lee Schubert, Frederick M. Gilbert, Samuel Freidenberg, Dr. Louis Ameno t� .r and Lawrence S. Greenbaum. • ot f"tea } "Uncle Bill" as Master of Ceremonies at the Fashion Pageant In the summer of 1945, several committee meetings were held to plan a celebration for the Golden Jubilee of the Village. Leo Heithaus was appointed general chairman of the committee by Mayor Santoro. Mr. Heithaus appointed an executive committee to help him, consisting of Mrs. E. B. Ingraham, William MacDonald, R. J. Diforio and William Fulcher. "§ The first activity of the Golden Jubilee was the Water Carnival put I � on by the Kiwanis Club. In September, a very successful Fashion Pageant was put on at the Woman's Club by the Historical Committee under the Mrs. Richard Land Miss dean Baxter supervision of Mrs. S. Charles Hanna. The Historical Committee con- ; 141 • i I ducted a tour of the Village and your Uncle Bill told the people about the historical significance of each place visited. The tour ended at the old I t Griffin homestead on Old Mamaroneck Road. Another activity of the Historical Committee is the marking of buildings which were standing in '1896 with a white star on which are the numerals "50". A feature article, "Down Memory Lane," ran for several weeks in the "Daily Times," con- sisting of material written by William Fulcher, Chairman of the Ilistorical Committee. Souvenir pins; bearing the seal of the Village, will be distri- buted during Jubilee Week, the second week in June. The most ambitious project of the Golden Jubilee is the publishing, by the Historical Com- mittee, of these stories I have been telling you children. The Chamber of Commerce has contributed one thousand dollars towards the printing of "The Story of the Friendly Village." Well, David and Virginia, our story has come to an end. There is ' a great deal more that could be told. Some day I will tell it to you in rat • _ ' "4",' ' greater detail. I hope I have told you enough so that you will want to �` hear more. I hope you will always love your Village as much as yourr �: q * ,, Uncle Bill does and that you will always point to it with pride and say, ,' *;4 t 4. This is my Friendly Village. ' .44 5 r 'k, 'N '' 41,1c, ... ;. '' > na I,.. i °A' rte • w VA +. si \ � r. 7.i.y . '.. ^airs>. ? Y _ cGb. West Boston Post Road today =G ;z '*s ? 'r x •A,- 11 i f ',1' , __ At ��", ate_ / r' �"""� `. ate `.. ilo t `. The Beach at Harbor Island 112 1 i. 143 T U [ 0 jrI_.... tl7N 1 r di %.14)i i ,4 ' I- r` _41111 1 \�d ..--U 414, .._ (,:. 44 '1 0 1 ci N )141111. �40, z7.2641. � — DIY, a� g 1 IV: 1t.11: Yal 111/1 43 dole.j 0 /4kii ao II a . O Z NO Q �o= sa. w o IX Ilk k 4110011111 oin . .- d 1 It .... e "r o O r dar -C3 si s. 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