USA > New York > Bronx County > The Bronx and its people; a history, 1609-1927, Volume II > Part 44
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"While speaking of grading avenues, I recall," writes Randall Com- fort, in his "History of The Bronx Borough", "a splendid stone castle in the district generally known as East Morrisania, which when I last visited it, was reached by a steep winding roadway. The latest news that I have had from this place is that it is left forty feet in the air by the cutting down of a neighboring avenue. But all clouds, they say, have a silver lining. During the late coal strike, their bin was com- pletely empty, their steam furnace stone cold, yet every radiator was well heated and the house was as warm as anyone could wish. How was this miracle wrought? you will ask. Simply by making an ar- rangement with the contractor in charge of grading the avenue, who connected the steam pipes of the house, apparently useless, with his large stationary boiler, and in less time than it takes to tell the tale the house was as warm as toast.
"In looking over some papers I came upon a map published in 1860 and another dated 1868, showing that wealthy residents had established many country homes in our borough. From these I have gathered a few memoranda of the handsome country seats, together with the names of the residents : 'Ranaque', B. G. Arnold, on the end of Oak, formerly Arnold's point; 'Cosey Nook', W. M. Allen; 'Castello de Casanova', Yglesias Casanova; 'Blythe', Francis J. Barretto; 'Elmwood', P. N. Spofford ; 'Springhurst', G. S. Fox; 'Greenbank', C. D. Dickey; 'Sunny Slope', one of the most beautiful and substantially built mansions in The Bronx, P. A. Hoe; 'Woodside', E. G. Faile; 'Ambleside', J. B. Simpson and W. Simpson; 'Brightside', Colonel R. M. Hoe, inventor of the 'Rotary Printing Press', (also known as the 'Lightning Press' ---
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he was the brother of the former resident of 'Sunny Slope') ; 'Foxhurst', formerly the residence of Mr. H. D. Tiffany, and 'Rocklands', T. A. Vyse, formerly the home of Thomas Richardson. All these from 'Blythe' forward stood on or near the old Hunt's Point Road, and are at the time of this chronicle still in existence."
Going back to the days when B. M. Whitlock dispensed free-handed hospitality at Casanova, some one has said that "among the guests he noted the head of Jordan L. Mott's Foundry, after whom Mott Haven was named, Mr. James and Mr. Kirtland, Jason Rogers, the locomotive builder, Samuel M. Purdy, the 'Nestor of the Westchester Bar', Lewis G. Morris, William Watson, of Wilmont, a prominent linen merchant, and also representatives of the Secor, Lorillard and Pell families." The host, it is stated, seemed to place no value on money on these occasions. During the early struggles of Cuba against the yoke of Spain, Señor Casanova, not unmindful of his native land, used to store, so the story goes, in the subterranean passage benneth his stone castle, hidden munitions of war, waiting favorable opportunity for shipment, to aid the struggling Cubans, several expeditions being secretly fitted out in the cove near the Castle. Indeed several ships were said to have stolen in and out of the little natural harbor in front of the Castle, and freighted with war supplies, weighed anchor for the shores of Cuba. Here, we learn, the "Virginius" took aboard her cargo just before her capture by the Spaniards.
At the outbreak of the last Cuban insurrection the house was again filled with revolutionists. When war was declared between the United States and Spain, the grand old castle was closed for the last time, and Señor Casanova left the United States, dying soon afterwards. Within a short time the house was sold to a real estate company, and its early glory departed forever.
Following up the old Leggett's Lane the traveler came to the ruins of Philip Dater's large stone mansion on the left, modelled after the plan of "Foxhurst," with the exception that it had a gable roof and "Fox- hurst" a square roof. On the right once opened the gates of S. B. White's residence, whose artistically laid-out grounds were known as Longwood Park. Towards West Farms the traveler might note three old mansions on the right side of Boston Road, just beyond the South- ern Boulevard, the first two known as the Walker houses; the last, the residence of Mr. Bolton, bearing the name of "Minford Place," after the former owner, Thomas Minford.
The traveler could also see a very old house near the northeasterly corner of Rodman Place and Longfellow Street, just south of the old fire engine house, while on Main Street, about opposite Rodman Place, he could see another ancient structure, built directly on the road. In earlier years it was noticed that the panes of glass in the windows were
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of the old fashioned hand-made style; with a curious bulb in the middle, where the glass-maker severed his string of glass used in its manu- facture. Across The Bronx, not far from the West Farms station, the visitor would note another solid stone edifice, the Wilson Mansion, almost identically resembling that which stood a little north and further back from the road than the old house with the queer panes of glass.
Passing to the Washington Bridge section, "Rocky Cliff," the home of Mrs. Marcher, would be seen by the visitor, while east of Macomb's Road, just above Featherbed Lane, would be noted "Rose Hill," the residence of J. D. Poole. Opposite the western end of Featherbed Lane, its extensive grounds descending to the stately Washington Bridge, the visitor might note the beautiful "Villa Boscobel," the fine mansion of William B. Ogden. Quite a distance to the north, and west of old Macomb's Road, with the new Aqueduct Avenue crossing the lawn, and south of the narrow lane leading down to what was known as Morris Dock, the visitor would observe "Mount Fordham," with its graceful arches in front, the former home of Lewis G. Morris. Close by is "Fairlawn," the title well describing the place, where Hugh N. Camp lived for many years. The fine stone residence overlooking the old Berkley Oval, was "Elmbrook," occupied by Mrs. Dashwood, accord- ing to the maps. To the north, on the New York University grounds, the visitor would note the former residence of H. W. T. Mall, while south of old Fordham Road, near the little graveyard is shown "Rose- land," once the home of O. Camman.
On the north side of Fordham Road, west of the old fashioned residence associated with the name of Moses Devoe, a winding drive leads into the grounds of the Webb Academy. North of this tall building the visitor might note a much smaller one, also on the Academy grounds, the old residence, if we may credit the maps, of Leonard W. Jerome, after whom Jerome Park was named. Following Sedgwick Avenue still further up there might be noted the fine Claflin mansions on the east side. Following a shady driveway that leads north from Kings- bridge Road we come to "Ridgelawn," once occupied by the Rev. R. W. Dickenson. Just above the Poe Cottage, within a few feet of the handsome white house of the late Judge Tappan, the road leads to Williamsbridge, now carved into city streets over the greater part of it, but known formerly in the section north of the Tappan Place by the popular title of "Lovers' Lane," owing to the thickness of the foliage on either side.
The visitor would note a very old, shingled house on the corner of Kingsbridge Road and Marion Avenue, where the extensive estate has been cut into by modern houses. On the easterly side of Washington Avenue, between Kingsbridge Road (Third Avenue) and Pelham Avenue, in front of the old Stenton mansion, the visitor might note
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the remains of a venerable willow tree, over three hundred years old. North of Fordham Station, on the present Webster Avenue, with its side to the street, the traveler might also see a very old house, according to the maps, formerly the residence, among others, of Jacob Berrian. Passing to Mount St. Vincent, could be found just north of Riverdale the beautiful castle formerly occupied by Edwin Forrest, styled "Font Hill" and now occupied by the Sisters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul. The old castle, built of stone, presents a striking example of the "castel- lated" style. It has six towers, the highest called the "Flag Tower," the whole commanding magnificent views of the Hudson River.
Among other early country seats there was also the "Greystone," the fine residence of W. E. Dodge. Then there was the "Oaklawn," the home of W. W. Thompson. Making a long leap to Eastchester, the handsome house of the late G. Faile was marked on the maps, while the colonial-like mansion on the City Island Road, styled "Hawkswood," bore the name of L. R. Marshall.
Prior to the Revolutionary War the achievements in architecture were neither notable nor typical of any special moral, religious, social or intellectual idea. In the older civilization architecture was the mirror which reflected the character of the people. It was taught in the schools and esteemed one of the most important of the arts. But the repre- sentatives of many nations and countries, in attempting to subdue the American continent must necessarily wait for the general amalgamation of habits, tastes, fashions and modes of life attendant upon the growth of a new and distant species of the human kind. There could be no uniformity of style and domestic architecture at that period character- istic of the American Nation, nor indeed had there been a Nation really established in the old colonial times, as was later in existence.
At the same time all architecture has a language of its own, and the homes of America in the Colonial period reveal more truthfully than any other existing relics the life and history of the times. It is not always the proprietor who can design his own dwelling place or that the architect employed is an expert in expression. Thus instances are rare where a fine house reflects a fine character. But wherever ideas of beauty exist, even when the parts of a structure are not balanced through a just sense of proportion, or where the details are crude, the effect of the whole is generally spirited and pleasing.
Romance and poetry are sometimes wedded to brick and mortar. Thoughts, feelings, desires, virtues, vices and vanities are preserved in visible forms. A man's dwelling is the most complete mold, and may be regarded as a type of his private life.
Independent of personal associations, however, the earlier American homes are in the highest degree interesting to us in this generation, since they illustrate the practical adaptation of principles of architecture,
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called from all ages and countries, to the requirements of a young and progressive people. Rarely was a model borrowed bodily from a foreign country. The climate, necessities of pioneer life, and social conditions of an unformed community, led to the rejection of many useless archi- tectural features, and the substitution of others freshly drawn from the inspiration of the surroundings, or suggested by a sense of local fitness. And the blending of nationalities, as in the marriages of the English and Dutch of New York, wrought a corresponding combination of architectural styles.
Household Interiors-Up to the time of the Revolutionary War there were no carpets on the floors of the residences of New York and vicinity. At least they were very few. What few there were, owned by the wealthiest citizens, were curiosities, and the citizens of small means no more thought of buying carpets than of owning a ball room. In the houses that were fastidiously neat sand was sprinkled over the boards but apart from this practice there was generally no covering. The nearest approach to the modern carpet that was known to the Dutch settlers was a sort of drugget cloth, which was only used on special occasions of ceremony and state, when, because of the presence of distinguished guests, the table would be spread in the parlor instead of in the kitchen. This was laid under the table to protect the carefully scoured and waxed floor.
It is a curious thing that the first carpets known to have been used in New York City were the property of Captain Kidd. This man, who later achieved fame as a pirate, was in his day the proprietor of the most handsomely furnished home in the city, and in his best room was a carpet said to have been worth twenty-five dollars. To be sure that sum represented more value then than it does now, but even at that it was a large price for such a thing. It was not a full-sized carpet, but rather a sort of rug that covered the centre of the room. It was a huge cloth of Turkish manufacture, and was regarded as a great curiosity.
The most expensive piece of furniture in the old houses was invariably the bedstead and its appointments. The parlor in the modern sense was unknown. The best equipped and handsomest room in the house was always the sleeping room of the head of the house.
The bedsteads were of wood, as costly as the purse of the owner would permit, and commonly of the old four-post kind. It was not, however, until the luxury of England had modified the simple customs of the Knickerbockers that such a thing was known as the mahogany bedstead, with carved wood ornaments-claws of eagles and the like. Before that less expensive woods were used, and the carving was a thing unheard of.
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In the old homes in the territory of The Bronx as elsewhere the dwellers deemed it almost essential to have curtains enclosing their beds. A canopy overhung them as they slept, and from these were suspended the curtains which in early times were of "Killeninster" lined with sarcenet. The cost of a full set of these was often as much as twenty-five or thirty dollars. The feather pillows, as today, were covered with cases, which were usually of check or other fancy pattern. Later silk curtains, silk bedticks, silk coverlets and pillow cases were in vogue, and the most extravagant of the aristocracy would spend as much as two hundred dollars on the outfit of a bed.
In early times or before the accession of the English the prevailing custom was to sleep between two feather beds of different sizes, the large being underneath, the smaller and thinner one being used for a cover. A small rug in front of the bed was the usual substitute for a carpet. Bureaus were unknown. Among the earliest settlers there was no such thing known as the chest of drawers. Chests of expensive woods, handsomely decorated, were used by the Dutch housewives in which to store their linen, and the bureau seems to have been an evolu- tion from this, the change beginning with the fashion of storing one chest upon another.
A sideboard as it is now called is the modern modification of one of the principal articles of furniture in the houses of the olden time. Our ancestors called it cupboard and this natural composition of substantives became in time a word used as the name of any small apartment used for the storage of small things. The cupboard of our forefathers was no such thing as the "cubberd" of today. It was a leading article of furniture in the domicile. It stood in the parlor, when there was a parlor. When there was no parlor it adorned the principal corner of the kitchen. It was usually made of what is now called French walnut. They called it French nutwood. It was made in all styles. The more ambitious pieces had glass doors. All had shelves of wood on which were displayed the best dishes of the household, whether they were of silver, pewter, china, delft, or the commonest earthenware. The best of these cupboards were built so well that they remained in the family from one generation to another, and became time-honored relics or heir- looms. Some of them are still extant, and are known to dealers in antiques as "Holland cupboards."
Later than this-in fact, almost a modern thing in comparison-was the "escritoire." It was a chest of drawers underneath, with a folding lid to be used as a desk. Two solid bars were made, which slid in and out, and which served to support the lid. The upper structure was a small bookcase, ample then to hold all the books of the average house- hold. These pieces are to be found today in a great many New York houses.
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Tables were formerly used only for the purpose of holding things to eat and drink. Even after the Dutch New Yorkers were supplanted by the English there were none of the various tables which are now used. It was not until 1772 that there was any mention in the old chronicles of the subsidiary tables. Before that all that was known was the great dinner table, which stood in the kitchen or principal room of the house for use at meals. It had what are now called folding leaves, which hung down perpendicularly when not in use, to save room, and which was propped up by movable legs when it became necessary to enlarge the table.
In 1780 there was imported from Europe the fashion of having small tables; these were Japanned ware and used at first for the tea service. Later than this came the backgammon and card tables.
In regard to chairs it is necessary to go back only as far as Valentine to get a good account: "The best chairs in the times of the Dutch, were made of Russian leather, which were adorned with brass nails in double and single rows. Other sorts were of Turkey leather, and there were also kitchen chairs with seats of matting rushes. Some of the old Dutch families displayed in their best room one or two chairs with tapestry of velvet, fringed with lace. Turkey-work chairs came into fashion soon after the coming of the English, and about 1700 cane- seated chairs were first used. The new fashioned black leather chairs of 1730 were worth from five to ten dollars each. They continued to lead the fashion for about thirty years, when the aristocracy indulged in mahogany chairs with crimson damask cushions. After them we find black walnut chairs with colored worsted seats. The old fashioned chairs, of which the reader has doubtless seen specimens at some time, preserved as relics of the past, were straight-backed, and altogether presented an uncomfortable appearance in comparison with the grace- fully curved article of modern manufacture. About 1760 couches were first used in the parlors of the wealthy, for which the present sofa is a substitute."
These things are recalled by many of the homes and landmarks that still linger or that lingered not long ago in Bronx territory. Thus in West Farms the old Hunt Inn, better known as the "Fox Farm House," which stood on the west side of West Farms Road near One Hundred and Sixty-seventh Street was until destroyed by fire on Easter Sunday, 1892, one of the oldest and most picturesque dwellings in the borough. It was erected in 1666 and stood on the large tract of land owned by Edward Jessup and John Richardson, whose daughters married Thomas Hunt, Jr., and Gabriel Leggett, respectively. During the American Revolution the old inn was the rendezvous for British officers. Colonel James De Lancey, commander of the "Loyalists" in Westchester, fre- quently invited his brother officers over from Queens County for a
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. fox hunt. The chase being started at the junction of West Farms and Westchester turnpike, the locality became known as "Fox Corners."
"Foxhurst" was another relic of bygone days. This fine old residence stood at the junction of West Farms Road and Westchester Avenue, and was erected over eighty years ago by William W. Fox, president of the first gas company in America, who also was one of the first Croton Water Commissioners appointed by Governor Macy. On Westchester Avenue opposite Foxhurst Mansion stood "Brightside," the country seat of the late Colonel Hoe, as before mentioned. Richard Marsh Hoe was born in New York on September 12, 1812. His father, Robert Hoe, came to New York from Lancashire, England, in 1803. A year or so later he settled in Westchester County and married Rachel, daughter of Matthew Smith of North Salem, Westchester County, New York. With his brothers-in-law, Peter and Matthew Smith, he took up the manufacture of a hand printing press, and in 1833 became sole pro- prietor. A skilful mechanic he constructed the original Hoe Press, and was, it is thought, the earliest American machinist to utilize steam as a motive power in his plant.
Upon the death of Robert Hoe in 1833, his son, Richard Marsh Hoe, at the age of twenty-one, became the senior partner of the firm. He devised numerous ingenious improvements in the presses and in 1837 he also patented a fine quality of steel saws, the production of which became part of their business. In 1847 he patented his lightning press, so called because of the rapidity of its motions. Afterwards he invented the web perfecting press which prints on both sides and includes a complicated apparatus for cutting and folding the sheet. This machine revolutionized the art of newspaper printing and permits the issuing of a "special extra" within a few minutes after the occurrence of an extraordinary event. The factory on Grand Street, is said to be the largest printing works in the world.
During the summer months Colonel Hoe lived at "Brightside," which included an estate of sixteen acres. Here he indulged in his fancy for blooded cattle. The house was razed in 1908 to make room for suburban improvements. At the junction of Boston Road and Minford Place is the site of the "Spy House." In this little building, it is said, lived an American spy, who played in the neighborhood a part similar to that of Cooper's spy at Mamaroneck.
The Poe Cottage-The Poe Cottage in Fordham has been the shrine of many a pilgrimage. While Poe was one of the most talented and original of literary geniuses, he was also one of the most unfortunate of men, and his whole life was a struggle with poverty. He was a man of varied moods and gifted with an extraordinary imagination. His writings have been reproduced in many languages, yet his work met
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with poor compensation. For "The Raven," which has been read and recited wherever the English language is spoken, he received the sum of ten dollars. This justly celebrated poem was written at the old Brennan House on Riverside Drive, near West Eighty-eighth Street, Manhattan.
It was in the little cottage at Fordham, where he lived from 1845 to 1849, that he produced some of his literary gems, and where he spent some of his most gloomy hours. It was there also that he lost his wife, Virginia, whom he had married when she was barely thirteen years old. Poe's devotion to his child wife was one of the most beautiful features of his life, and many of his famous poetic productions were inspired by her. She was but twenty-five when she died. It was in this cottage too that Poe poured forth his amatory effusions to Mrs. Sarah Helen Whitman, the Rhode Island poetess, sixteen years his senior. These passionate love epistles were written two years after the death of his wife, Virginia, and within a few months of his own death, and they culminated in the promise of marriage. The engage- ment was broken off on the eve of marriage by the interference of friends.
Old Homesteads-On the extreme left of Clason's Point stood until recently the ruins of an ancient farmhouse, once the abode of Thomas and Sarah Willett. The farmhouse was shelled by Lord Howe's fleet as the ships passed on their way to Throgg's Neck, October, 1776. Many relics from this old structure and a part of the original Cornell house can be found at Clason's Point Inn. Close by is the Clason's Point Military Academy erected as a residence by Dominick Lynch. The committee that designed the American flag met here before proceeding to Philadelphia. The Lynch mansion went successively through the hands of the Ludlow family, the Schieffelins, and finally to the Christian Brothers, a celebrated Irish order of tutors, who converted it into the Sacred Heart Academy and later gave it its present name.
The quaint old homestead of the Wilkins family is located at Screven's point, which lies south of Unionport. The point was named after John Screven, a great nephew by marriage of Gouverneur Morris. His father- in-law was Gouverneur Morris Wilkins, son of the Rev. Isaac Wilkins, who married Isabella Morris, the sister of the statesman and half-sister of Lewis Morris, the Signer. The old Wilkins farmhouse is famed as the building in a secret chamber of which three loyalist clergymen, the Rev. Myles Cooper, president of King's College, the Rev. Chandler of New Jersey, and the Rev. Samuel Seabury, rector of St. Peter's Church in Westchester, concealed themselves during the early days of the Revolution. Food and drink were lowered to these men through
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a hidden trap door. They finally escaped on September 1, 1776, under cover of darkness to Long Island:
The oldest house in The Bronx was said to be the Ferris Mansion at Zerega's point. This old relic claims birth in 1687 and was owned by Josiah Hunt, the son of Thomas Hunt, the patentee of Hunt's Point. The Grove Farm of Thomas Hunt was sold in 1760 to Josiah Cousten, who in turn sold it fifteen years later to John Ferris, whose ancestor had received in 1667 a patent from Governor Nicolls for a portion of Westchester, west to Annes Hoeck. At the extreme end of this point stands "Island Hall," the stately stone Zerega Mansion, dating from 1823.
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