History of Westchester county : New York, including Morrisania, Kings Bridge, and West Farms, which have been annexed to New York City, Vol. I, Part 136

Author: Scharf, J. Thomas (John Thomas), 1843-1898, ed
Publication date: 1886
Publisher: Philadelphia : L.E. Preston & Co.
Number of Pages: 1354

USA > New York > Westchester County > History of Westchester county : New York, including Morrisania, Kings Bridge, and West Farms, which have been annexed to New York City, Vol. I > Part 136

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East of the brook and nearly opposite North and South Brother Islands, East River, lies Port Morris, said to be " unsurpassed for the anchorage of large vessels by any port in the world." At one of the docks here the famous "Great Eastern " rode in safety. Just above Port Morris, opposite Riker's Island, there is an admirable site for a navy-yard, with the means at hand for constructing a fresh-water basin to be sup- plied by the Bronx, in which large fleets could be

floated. The natural advantages of the locality as a shipping and terminal point are indeed exceptionally fine, and must be greatly enhanced by the completion of the Hell Gate improvement.

The town of Pelham, adjoining Westchester on the east, presents a singular variety of outline, due to the incorporation within its boundaries of Hunter's and City Islands, which cause it to project far out into Long Island Sound. It is historically noted as the scene of the murder of the famous zealot, Anne Hutchinson, who, fleeing from the stern Puritans of Massachusetts, settled either on Pelham Neek or in the immediate vicinity. Pelham Neck is now the site of many handsome residences, chief among which for its historical interest is the Bowne dwelling, which stands on the spot once occupied by the manor-house of Thomas Pell, first lord of the Manor of Pelham, from which the township derives its name. A fine view of City Island and the Sound and Pelham Bay is to be obtained from this locality. City Island is so named from the hopes of the early settlers, inspired by its great advantages of location, that it would one day become the site of a great commercial eity. It is a beantiful spot, but its only important industry is a large dock-yard, at which a number of noted yachts have been built. To the eastward lies Hart Island, the site of a city hospital and work-house. Hunter's Island is connected with the main land by a stone causeway and bridge. From the mansion, about the middle of the island, a noble view is afforded.

New Rochelle, the next township, possesses a double interest on account of its natural beauties and interesting historical associations as the site of the ancient Huguenot settlement. In its immediate vi- cinity the waters of the Sound are dotted with numer- ous islands, and in the distance the shores of Long Island present a smiling landscape, varied by cosy villages and prosperous looking farm-houses. Nearly opposite the town of New Rochelle is a promontory extending into the entrance to Hempstead Bay, which is known as Kidd's Point, from the popular supposition that Captain Kidd, the pirate, buried some of his ill-gotten treasure there. The lands of this portion of the county, as a rule, are level and stony, but the soil is productive and there are hand- some growths of timber on the unimproved tracts.

Mamaroneck, adjoining New Rochelle on the east, was a favorite resort of the Indians, who are supposed to have been attracted by the remarkable beauty of the seenery. The Mamaroneck River, which forms the eastern boundary of the town, is a romantic stream, winding through a picturesque and fertile country and forming some charming valleys. The general surface of the township is broken by hills and the scenery is often wild and impressive. The town is well watered by streams and, altogether, presents unusual attractions as a place of residence.

Rye, the last of the townships that front on the Sonnd, has the general characteristics of this portion

521

WESTCHESTER COUNTY AT THE PRESENT DAY.

of the country strongly defined. The surface of the shore is broken and rocky, while the interior com- prises fertile ridges and plains. Along the water- front are a number of islands, chief among which is Manussing, on which the first settlements were made.

The interior townships of Westchester County are North Salem, Lewisboro, Poundridge, Bedford, North Castle and Harrison in the northern portion ; White Plains, Scarsdale and East Chester (with a small water front at the head of Pelham Bay) in the east- ern portion, New Castle west of the centre, and York- town, Somers and North Salem in the western por- tion. Those frontiug on the Hudson, beginning at New York City and traveling westward, are Yonkers, Greenburgh, Mount Pleasant, Ossining and Cortlandt. The entire face of the county is well watered by a num- ber of streams and lakes and is remarkable for the pie- turesqueness of its scenery in almost every part. It may be said to consist, roughly speaking, of several ridges of hills parallel to the Hudson River, and separated by valleys. These hills constitute two general ranges, one extending along the Hudson and the other along the boundary line between the States of New York and Connecticut. They are broken up into a number of smaller hills and ridges, whose general course is north and south. The highest are from six hundred to one thousand feet above tide-water. The valleys, also extending north and south, are bordered, as a rule, by cultivated slopes, which add much to the va- riety and interest of the scenery. The roads running north and south, as they follow the general course of the valleys, are usually level, but those extending from east to west, across the hills and ridges, are very uneven and marked by many deep aseents aud de- scents. In some portions of the county the hills are rocky and precipitous and the scenery bold and iin- pressive.

The principal streams of the county are Peekskill Creek, Furnace Brook, the Croton, Poeantico and Neperhau Rivers, and Tippett's Brook, tributary to the Hudson and the Bronx Rivers; Westchester and Hutchinson's Creeks, Mamaroneck and Byram Rivers, flowing into Long Island Sound; Maharness and Stam- ford Mill Rivers, flowing east into Connecticut; and Museoot Creek, Plumb Brook, and Titicus, Cross and Kiseo Rivers, tributaries of the Croton. A number of small lakes are located chiefly in the more hilly dis- tricts in the north and west. The chief of those are Waccabue, in Lewisboro ; Cross Lake, in Poundridge; Byram Lake, in North Castle; Rye Pond, in Harri- son ; and Croton and Mohegan Lakes, in Yorktown. The southeastern portion of the county along the Sound is deeply indented by bays and estuaries, which in some instances are bordered by large marshes. By the reflux action of the tide in the streams flowing into the Sound, hydraulic power is furnished which is utilized in several places.

The geological formations of the county have al- 45

ready been described, but it may be added that to its other advantages as a place of residence Westchester adds the important one of an abundance of building stone of the best quality. There are valuable quar- ries of marble at Sing Sing and traces of valuable ores have been discovered. Several mineral springs have been found in different portions of the county, chief among which is Chappaqua Springs, three miles east of Sing Sing, and esteemed for its medicinal qualities.

The soil of Westchester, owing to the disintegration of natural rock from which it is derived, is mainly of a light and sandy character, capable of great improve- ments and rendered very fertile by judicious cultiva- tion and the application of manures. Drift deposits and alluvium appear on the Hudson, along the Sound and in other localities. These furnish a much more productive soil. The agricultural interests of the county, as fully set forth in the township histories, are mainly devoted to supplying milk to the New York market, and to gardening, fruit-raising and fattening cattle. The mechanical industries are very large and importaut. Immense quantities of brick and tile are manufactured along the Hudson for exportation. In the southern part of the county a large number of the inhabitants are employed in New York City. The county, as we have indicated, is steadily becoming more and more popular with the class who appreciate the great advantages of semi-rural homes as a relief from the cares of business. In the summer months the population, of course, is greatly increased. Many wealthy inhabitants of New York have summer resi- dences in the county, and not a few prefer to live here both winter and summer. Among those whose pala- tial residences adorn the county are Hon. Samuel J. Tilden, Royal C. Vilas, Rev. Henry Ward Beecher, the Hamiltons, Lorillards, Jays, Titnses, Wetmores, Havemeyers, Jay Gould, Cyrus W. Field, David Dud- ley Field, James B. Colgate, W. H. Beers, William Allen Butler, John B. Trevor, David Hawley, Thomas W. Ludlow, Leonard W. Jerome, S. H. Kneeland, George H. Halsey, T. B. Underhill, Nathaniel Val- entine, Isaac W. Fowler, Jacob D. Odell, Charles E. Waring, Edward Haight, James T. Adee, Lorillard Spencer, W. A. Dooley, P. R. Underhill, L. D. Hunt- ingdon, Adrian Iselin, George G. Sickles, John Ste- phenson, E. H. De Lancey, E. F. De Laneey, J. Hair- laud, G. R. Jackson, J. M. Tilford, G W. Quintard, C. L. Tiffany, David Dows, Philip Schuyler, the Burrs, the Sacketts, the Minturns, General E. L. Viele, H. A. Chauncey, Professor J. W. Draper, P. J. Armour, Cortlandt Palmer, J. C. Fargo, E. O. Matthiessen, Eliphalet Wood, H. R. Bishop, James Benedict, the late William E. Dodge, Robert Hoe, John T. Terry, George Lewis, S. B. Scheffelin, the Beekmans, John Auderson, A. C. Kingsland, H. Aspinwall, O. B. Pot- ter, General George W. Morell, the Onderdonks, Col- onel Van Cortlandt, Philip Van Wyek, D. L. Sey- mour, William Nelson and many others of equal prominence.

522

HISTORY OF WESTCHESTER COUNTY.

POPULATION. - The population of Westchester County in 1880, when the last census was taken, was 108,988, a loss of 22,360 as compared to the census of 1870, when the population was 131,348. This loss was due to the annexation, in 1874, of part of the county to the city of New York. It is a curious fact to note that the county lost, through this annexa- tion, near thirty-seven per cent. of its foreign born population, as against nine and one-third per cent. of its native population.

In 1880 there was a slight preponderance of fe- males-54,976 against 54,012 males ; but the balance stood on the other side as regards children from five to seventeen years,-15,332 being boys and 14,748 girls. There were 22,043 men fit for military duty, -i.e, from eighteen to forty-four years old, inclusive ; 7826 were over forty-four years of age, making the total voting population 29,869.

The death-rate per thousand was small, as com- pared to that of the whole State. The census tables do not give the mortality in each separate county, but in groups of several counties. Group No. 1, com- prising Kings, Queens, Richmond, Rockland and West- chester, exclusive of New York and Brooklyn, pre- sents a total population of 299,075 souls, and a mor- tality of 4881,-males, 2622 ; females, 2259,- which gives a death-rate of 16.32 per thousand. The death- rate for the whole State is 17.38. The Westchester group is, therefore, greatly favored by Nature and may boast of an uncommonly healthy climate. The difference between these two rates will be better un- derstood when it is remembered that the mortality in the whole State-88,332 deaths in a population of 5,082,871 inhabitants -- includes that of all the large cities where death's harvest is always greater than in the rural districts. The deaths in New York City and Brooklyn alone aggregate 43,208, or very near half the number of deaths in the whole State, and, taken from their joint population of 1,772,962, aver- age 24.94 per thousand.

The population of the various towns in the county, according to the census of 1870 and 1880, was as follows :

1880.

1870.

Bedford Town, including Mt. Kisco and Village . .

3731

3697

Mount Kisco Village .

728

Cortlaudt Town, including Peekskill Village

12,664

11,694

Peekskill Village .

6893

6500

East Chester Town, including Mt. Vernon Village 8737

7491

Mount Vernon Village

4586

2700

Greenburgh Town, including Tarrytown Village . 8934

10,790

Tarrytown Village

3025

Harrison Town .

1494

787

Lewisboro ĮTown

1612

1601

Mamaroneck Town

1863

1483

Mount Pleasant Town, including North Tarrytown Village .

5450

5210

North Tarrytown Village

2864

New Castle Town

2297

2152

New Rochelle Town

5276

3915

North Castle Town

1818

1996

North Salen Town 1693

1754

Ossining Town, including Ossining Village .

8769

7798

Sing Sing Village .

6578

4696

Pelham Town. 2540

1790

Poundridge Town

1034

1191

Rye Town, including Port Chester Village 6576

7150

Port Chester Villago

3254 3797

Scarsdale Town.

614

517

Somers Town

1630 1721

Westchester Town.

6789

6015

White Plains Town, including White Plains Vil'go 4094

2630

White Plains Village

2381

Yonkers City 18,892

18,357

Ward 1

5149

Ward 2

6917

Ward 3

5953

Ward 4

873

Yorktown.

2481 2625

There were in Westchester County in 1880,-

Native Born

85,278

Foreign Born 23,710

Total .

108,988

Of the Foreign-born there were,-

From Ireland . 14,503

From Germany 6,579

From England and all other countries 2,628

AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS .- The agricultural re- sources of our county make a very fair showing. While our farms are not, as in some of the Western States, immense territories, yielding fabulous crops, they give evidence of the prosperity of the many, rather than the opulence of a few,-a healthy state of things, indicating the thrift, independence and contentment of the people. Westchester County contains 2991 farms, of which 2385 are cultivated by their owners, 455 are rented for fixed money rentals and 151 are rented for shares of products.

Of these farms, 888 have an area of from 50 to 100 acres ; 909 from 100 to 500 acres ; 17 measure over 500 and under 1000 ; aud 3 over 1000 acres. There are only 4 farms under three acres ; 183 are over 3 and under 10 acres ; 290 over 10 and under 20 acres ; and 697 over 20 and under 50 acres. It will be seen from these figures that the majority of our farmers own enough land to raise either profitable crops or live stock. The smaller farms are well adapted for the cultiva- tion of fruits aud vegetables and the raising of poul- try, a by no means insignificant feature in our list of productions.

The total farming area of the county is 255,774 acres. Of this, 141,583 acres are tilled land, includ- ing fallow and grass in rotation ; 62,265 acres are in permanent meadows, pastures, orchards and vineyards. There are 40,462 acres iu woodland and forest, and 11,464 acres in old fields and other unimproved lands.

The value of farms, including land, fences and buildings, is set down at $33,264,505. That of farm- ing improvements and machinery at $597,892; of live stock at $1,805,838. The cost of building and repairing ferries, in 1879, was $129,336 ; that of fer- tilizers purchased during the same year, $48,645. The estimated value of all farm productions sold, consumed or on land, for 1879, was $2,544,041.

The live stock of the county and its productions in

523

WESTCHESTER COUNTY AT THE PRESENT DAY.

tlie ycar 1879 were as follows : Horses, 6919; mules and asses, 40 ; working oxen, 2418; milch cows, 19,168 ; otlier cattle, 5302; sheep, exclusive of spring lambs, 1646; swine, 8207; wool, spring clip of 1880, 6069 lbs. ; milk sold in 1879, or sent to cheese and butter factories, 5,637,072 gallons; butter made on farms, 616,825 lbs .; cheese made on farms 2540 lbs.

Cereal productions : Barley, 84 acres produced 2094 bushels; buckwheat, 1101 acres, 13,464 bushels ; In- dian corn, 11,131 acres, 377,357 busliels ; oats, 9004 acres, 238,509 bushels; rye, 4038 acres, 55,130 bush- els; wheat, 1582 acres, 22.698 bushels. There were also produced in 1879, 300 tons flax-straw and 10 lbs. maple sugar ; 63,408 acres of hay were mown, yield- ing 69,221 tons.

There were on hand, June 1, 1880, exclusive of spring hatching, 116,782 barn-yard fowls and 7506 otlier poultry. The number of eggs produced in 1879 was 662,672 dozens ; 13,475 pounds of honey and 363 pounds of wax were gathered in 1879; 3 acres cul- tivated in tobacco yielded 1825 pounds; 326,092 busliels Irish potatoes were raised on 3876 acres.

The value of orchard products, sold or consumed in the year was $164,196 ; that of garden products, $54,105.

There were 19,653 cords of wood cut and the value of forest products sold or consumed during the year was $90,095.

Spring wool (1880), 1646 fleeces, weighing 6069 of all pounds ; 100 pounds broom corn, and 82 bush- els dry beans were gathered in 1879.

These figures speak highly for the productiveuess of our soil and the industry of our farmers.

MANUFACTURING INDUSTRIES .- Not less inter- esting is the report on the manufacturing interests of the county. While Westchester County stands seventeenth on the list as regards the number of es- tablishments and the amount of capital invested, it will compare favorably with the most important man- ufacturing counties. The true criterion of prosper- ity is not so much the amount of capital and the number of manufacturers, as the proportion of work- ing people who find employment at fair wages and the margin of profits after all expenses are paid.

A comparison of the various factories of our manu - facturing interests with those of some other counties having a larger number of manufacturing establish- ments will show that Westchester County is particu- larly favored in this respect. The census reports give the number of manufacturing establishments in tliis county as 502, with an aggregate capital of $5,659,- 424-an average of $10,841.48 per establishment. The number of hands employed during the year was 10,- 502; to wit : 7,542 men, 2,286 women, and 674 child- ren and youths-an average of nearly 21 hands per establishment.

៛307.69 per hand. As five-sixteenths of the hands are women and children, who earn much less than the men, the wages of the latter are considerably above the average.

The material consumed was worth $7,752,838. If we add this to the amount paid for wages and we de- duct the total from the gross amount of products, $14,217,985, we have a net balance of $3,223,783, reprc- senting nearly 57 per cent. profit on the capital in- vested.

Examining other tables, we find that Eric, the largest manufacturing county, has 5,281 establish- ments, with an aggregate capital of $62,719,399, an average of $11,688.57 per establishment. Forty-eight thousand seven hundred and ninety-eight hands find employment, at a cost of $22,867,176-an average of $468.62 per hand. But Erie has a large number of industries requiring skilled mechanics, such as the manufacturing of agricultural implements, bridge- building, carriage and wagon-building, railroad cars, cooperage, foundry and machine works (which alone employ 2,048 men), ship-building, marble and stove works, tanneries, etc. The mechanics get higher wages, and the average wages of ordinary working- men are thereby much reduced.

The product of these 5281 manufacturing establish - ments aggregates the enormous sum of $179,188,685 ; but the material used costs $130,108,417, and this, added to the wages and deducted from the gross total of products, leaves a profit margin of $26,203,092, or not quite 42 per cent. on the capital invested.

Onondaga County with 1277 establishments used a capital of $13,995,627, or $278.75 per hand. The material used cost $12,222,132, and the gross pro- ducts aggregate $20,428,477. After deducting wages and cost of material we have here $4,210,718 for profit margin-not quite 38 per cent. on the capital invested.

We give these figures with no desire to makeinvid- uous comparisons, but to show that Westchester county, with its 502 establishments and modest work- ing capital, is doing a safer business than most of its wealthier sister counties.

The variety of industries is great, as compared to the total number of establishments. They are as fol- lows, the figures showing the number of establish- ments engaged in the industry : Agricultural imple- ments, 1 ; boots and shoes, 11; bread and baking pro- duets, 12; brick and tile, 21; buttons, 1; carpets, 1 ; carriages and wagons, 14; ehcese and butter factory, 1 ; men's clothing, 7; combs, 1; cooperage, 1; files, 2; flouring and grist-mill products, 24; foundry and machine-shop products, 24; men's furnishing goods, 1 ; gas and lamp fixtures, 2; curried leather, 1 ; malt liquors, 4; planed lumber, 2; sawed lumber, 13; marble and stone work, 8; musical instruments, 1; floor oil-cloth, 1; patent medicines, 1; steel pens, 1 ; pickles, preserves and sauces, 5; printing and pub-

Three million two hundred and thirty-one thou- sand three hundred and sixty-four dollars were dis- tributed as wages among these 10,502-an average of . lishing, 5; rubber and elastic goods, 1; saddlery and

524

HISTORY OF WESTCHESTER COUNTY.

harness, 19; sash and doors, 9; scales and balances, 1 ; ship building, 9; shirts, 5; silk and silk goods, 3; slaughtering and packing, 2 ; soap and candles, 2; spectacles and eye-glasses, 1; sugar and molasses refinery, 1 ; tinware, copperware and sheet-iron ware, 23; tobacco, cigars and cigarettes, 13; wire, 1; wool hats, 3.

Among the most important industries is that of foundry and machine-shop products in which the capital invested is $1,067,400. It is represented by 24 establishments, and gives employment to 2190 men whose average wages, however, are only $244.83. The material nsed amounts to $1,130,382, and the products to $2,314,036: The margin of profits is $647,464.

The manufacture of carpets is one of the best pay- ing industries. A single establishment, with a capital of $300,000 (the largest invested by any one firm), manufactures $2,646,946 worth of goods, using $1,313,634 of material, and paying $600,000 wages to 1606 hands-an average of $378.66 per hand. This establishment employs the largest number of women -1000, 506 men and 100 children.

The highest average of wages is paid by the eye- glasses and spectacle manufacturers, $525.77; they employ 90 men, 6 women and 1 child. The printers and publishers pay, on an average $495 per hand ; the scales and balances manufacturers, $487.50, and the ship-bnilders a little over $500; but these indus- tries employ only men and these in limited num- ber.

The worst paid bread-winners are the shirt makers. The five firms engaged in this business give employ- ment to 15 men, 477 women and 4 children, at average wages of $142.23. Total amount of wages $70,550; material uscd, $335,600; gross receipts, $477,750. Profit margin, $71,600, on a working capital of $49,000.

One steel pen mannfacturer with a capital of $22,- 500, employs 5 men and 45 women, on average wages of $200. Aggregate of wages and material, $13,450. Gross products, $24,000.

The manufacture of boots and shoes is another im- portant industry, giving employment to 673 men, 180 women and 36 children, whose average wages are $291.29. The capital invested in this business is $333,600, the material used cost costs $865.544, and the amount of products is $1,235,644. Eleven estab- lishments are engaged in this business.

Eight firms are engaged in marble and stone work. Most of the granite works in the country arc suited for rongh work only, and the stone is quarried for local use. A coarse-grained gneiss, striped alternately light and dark, which is quarried near Hastings, is extensively used in New York City for general con- struction purposes.

The Tuckahoe marble is quarried at several points. The following interesting account of the belts of Dolomite of Archæan age in which these

quarries are, is taken from "Notes by Professors Cook and Smock," published in the census reports (vol. x.)

"One of these belts reaches New York Island, crossing the Harlem River at King's Bridge; another crops on the Sound near Rochelle; others strike the river at Hastings, Dobb's Ferry, Sing Sing and other points, and furnish stones good for construction pur- poses and of varied colors. The best marble obtained from these deposits are those of Tuckahoe and Pleas- antville. The first is white, rather coarse in texture and regular in quality, and the better grades have been used for some of the finest buildings in the City of New York, notably St. Patrick's Cathedral. The color changes to light gray by exposure.

"At the quarry of the Tuckahoe Marble Company the finest grade is nearly a pure white, but this is available only in small quantities, and is used for monumental and ornamental work. In Mr. John F. Masterdon's quarry this same material is quarried more extensively.

" In composition the stone from these quarries is a Dolomite, containing a small amount of iron and some mica. The buildings constructed of the stone from the Tuckahoe Marble Company's quarry are those of the New York Stock Exchange, New York City, and the Mutual Life Insurance Company, at Boston. Those constructed of the material from Mr. Masterdon's quarry are the New York Life Insurance building, New York City, the City Hall, Brooklyn, N. Y., and the Hotel Vendome, Boston.

" At Pleasantville, a few miles north of the Tucka- hoe quarries, a coarse, crystalline white marble oc- curs ; formerly this was quite extensively quarried for building purposes. The front of the Union Dime Savings Bank building, in New York City, is bnilt of this stone. Its structure being quite coarse, it is not well adapted for carved work. It has also been found to break easily, especially when used for long colunms, and it would not be a safe stone on this account for all kinds of work. The stone is remarkable for its crystalline, the crystals being unusually large and con- spicnous, and from this peculiar appearance it has received the name of 'snow flake' marble. This quarry has recently [1880] been furnishing about twenty-five tons of stone per day for making soda water."

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History of Westchester county : New York, including Morrisania, Kings Bridge, and West Farms, which have been annexed to New York City, Vol. I, Part 136

Author: Scharf, J. Thomas (John Thomas), 1843-1898, ed Publication date: 1886 Publisher: Philadelphia : L.E. Preston & Co. Number of Pages: 1354

Author: Scharf, J. Thomas (John Thomas), 1843-1898, ed
Publication date: 1886
Publisher: Philadelphia : L.E. Preston & Co.
Number of Pages: 1354