The civil, political, professional and ecclesiastical history, and commercial and industrial record of the county of Kings and the city of Brooklyn, N. Y., from 1683 to 1884 Volume I, Part 56

Author: Stiles, Henry Reed, 1832-1909, ed. cn; Brockett, L. P. (Linus Pierpont), 1820-1893; Proctor, L. B. (Lucien Brock), 1830-1900. 1n
Publication date: 1884
Publisher: New York : W. W. Munsell & Co.
Number of Pages: 1114

USA > New York > Kings County > Brooklyn > The civil, political, professional and ecclesiastical history, and commercial and industrial record of the county of Kings and the city of Brooklyn, N. Y., from 1683 to 1884 Volume I > Part 56

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238

HISTORY OF KINGS COUNTY.

on November 4, 1873, the subject of annexation was sub- mitted to the towns at the Fall clections. The result of the elections showed that the towns either did not thoroughly understand the subject, or were not pre- pared for annexation. The vote in Brooklyn gave a majority of twenty thousand in favor of it. The ma- jority in the towns against it, however, was one thou- sand five hundred and sixty-eight on the whole number of votes in city and county. Thus ended the first at- tempt at a permanent union between the city and its rural neighbors,

Town Hall .- While this matter was under consid- cration, the subject of a Town Hall was repeatedly agitated in the local village paper. After the destruc- tion of the County Court House, at Flatbush, great difficulty was experienced in finding a suitable place to hold the village courts, the town elections and other public meetings. For many years the clcctions were held at the hotels of the village; and the Justices held their courts either at their own houses, or in the parlor of one of the numerous hotels of the village. There being no place in which to confine prisoners, or persons awaiting trial, eonstables were compelled to take such persons to the jail in Brooklyn, and then return them for trial to the village. After the ercction of the pub- lic school-house, in 1842, the elections and Justices Courts were held, for nearly twenty years, in its upper story. About the year 1861 it became necessary to use this room for school purposes. During this year Schoonmaker's Hall, on Flatbush avenue, was com- pleted, and was used for ten years as a place for all public gatherings, church fairs, sessions of court and for election purposes. The discussion of this subject in the local paper brought the matter prominently before the public. A call for a public meeting to con- sider the subject of a Town Hall appeared in the Rural Gazette of February 14, 1874. Pursuant to this call a large and enthusiastic meeting of prominent citizens was held at Schoonmaker's Hall on Thursday, February 19, 1874, Supervisor J. V. B. Martense being Chair- man, and Abraham Lott, Secretary; at which, after various motions and considerable discussion, the matter was referred to the Board of Improvement, with power, the expense for land and building being limited by resolution to $40,000. At this meeting the town au- thorities were directed to issue thirty-year bonds, and provision was made for payment of interest and prin- cipal by taxation. The Board of Improvement imme- diately entered upon the accomplishment of the task assigned to them. A building committee, consisting of John Lefferts, John J. Vanderbilt and John L. Zabriskic, M. D., was appointed. Architect John Y. Cuyler was engaged to draft plans for the building. On May 18, 1874, the Board procured the enactment of a law authorizing them to proceed legally in their work (Chap. 456 of Laws of 1874 of State of N. Y.) A section of land (100 fect front and 200 feet deep)

was purchased on Grant street (then Union Place) two hundred feet east of Flatbush avenue, at a cost of $5,800. The contract was let to Wm. Vanse for $29,- 000, the building to be completed September 1, 1875. Though not completed, the building was nevertheless used on November 2, 1875, for the annual fall election. On February 7, 1876, the new Town Hall was formally transferred by the Board of Improvement to the town authorities. On this occasion a large and enthusiastic meeting was, held. The formal transfer was made by Hon. J. A. Lott in an able address, a portion of which, in these days of robbery in high places, is worthy of historical record, and is as follows : "It was found, on adjustment and settling of the interest realized on the money deposited in the bank, and in making up the final account, that the said expenditure exceeded the sum of forty thousand dollars borrowed, and the interest realized thereon, by the amount of ninety-eight dollars. That excess was paid by the seven members of the Board, out of their own pockets, in equal sums, to the Treasurer, who was thus enabled to defray and pay the entire expenditure incurred without leaving any outstanding indebtedness therefor, beyond the amount authorized by the law under which the Board acted."

Temperance Societies .- For many years promi- nent citizens had interested themselves in the securing of good government for the town and in the suppres- sion of Intemperance. Now and again, up to the year 1875, temperance societies had been organized and efforts made to control the terrible evil. During the year 1870 a temperance society was organized and chartered, with a large membership, by the name of Golden Star Division No. 459, Sons of Temperance. The society continued in active operation for several years. In December, 1871, the Father Matthew Total Abstinence Benevolent Society of the Church of the Holy Cross was founded, which is still in existence, having fifty-eight members, with James McCarthy as President, Maurice Dwyer, Vice-President ; Edward Mackey, Andrew Short and Michael Murphy, Secre- taries, and F. Bollinger, Treasurer. Through the in- fluence of these agencies the subject of the proper execution of the excise laws was frequently brought before the public. Under the auspices of the "Golden Star Division," several public meetings were held, at which this, and kindred subjects, were discussed. In hearty sympathy with the work of the societies, a call was issued by a number of prominent citizens, not members of these organizations, for a public meeting to be held at Schoonmaker's Hall, July 5, 1873. The call invited " All the people of Flatbush who wished to have Excise Laws in relation to licenses and the sale of liquor on the Sabbath," to meet and discuss the subject.

Excise Commissioners Appointed .- As a result of this meeting a committee was appointed, through whose ageney a law (Chap. 444, Laws of 1874) was passed in 1874, providing for the organization of a

239

EXCISE COMMISSIONERS-LAW AND ORDER ASSOCIATION.

Board of Excise Commissioners for the town of Flat- bush. Lieenses previously had been granted by the Town Board, consisting of the Town Supervisor and Justices of the Peace. In aeeordance with the law, the new board was organized April 22, 1875. Abram J. Van Dyke, E. H. Steers and Michael Ken- nedy were chosen as Commissioners. The Board organized with A. J. Van Dyke as President, E. H. Steers, Secretary, and Michael Kennedy as Treasurer. The law required that the Commissioners should meet on the first Monday in May, in each year, to organize; and once a month thereafter to grant licenses. The salary was fixed at three dollars for each eommissioner for every meeting thus attended. The following list eomprises the names of members of the Board from 1876-'82, viz .: 1876, E. H. Steers, A. J. Van Dyke and Felix McGloin ; 1877, A. J. Van Dyke, J. Quevedo, E. H. Steers; 1878, J. Quevedo, E. H. Steers, James Haywood ; 1879, E. H. Steers, Henry Cook, James Haywood ; 1880-'82, James Haywood, Henry Cook, Wm. Staite. Under the former plan, when the matter was under eontrol of the Town Board in 1873, there were fifty saloons in the town in which liquor was openly sold in violation of law every day in the week. There were only seventeen licenses issued for the whole town. Apparently there was no desire, and no power, on the part of the Town Board to enforce the law. In 1872 thirty licenses were granted; and, in 1874, before the Exeise Board was organized, only ten out of the sixty saloons in the town were licensed. During the first year of the new Exeise Board twenty- seven plaees were licensed and a large number of the unlieensed eompelled to cease selling. The eheek given to unlicensed liquor traffic by this new exeise law was, however, but temporary. Watchful of their interest, the saloon-keepers soon understood that the Exeise Commissioners did not intend to disturb them. The eompletion of two additional street railroads to the city line, the inereased travel upon the Ocean Parkway, the opening of the Brighton Beach Railroad and the enforcement of the exeise laws in the City of Brooklyn, were ageneies which brought to the village, on Sabbath and all holidays, thousands of people, a large proportion of whom were patrons of liquor saloons. "Hotels " sprung up like mushrooms on every side. Houses of ill- fame increased with alarming rapidity on the Boulevard and vieinity. The village seemed in a fair way to be over-run by the erowds of pleasure-seeking, drinking, lawless Sabbath-breakers, that had placed all laws at defi- anee in at least two of the other villages in the County.

Law and Order Association .- In the year 1880 there were 52 licensed liquor saloons and a large num- ber of unliecused plaees, making an average of one saloon to every 150 residents, eounting men, women and children, within a radius of less than half a mile from the south-west entrance of the Park. On the Coney Island road were six houses of ill-fame. At this

crisis, Mr. C. C. Martin, engineer of Brooklyn Bridge, who had been fighting this evil alone on the West Side of the town for a year, coneeived the plan of a Law and Order Association for the town of Flatbush. At his eall a number of the most prominent citizens met, May 10, 1880, at the residenee of Mr. William Mat- thews, and organized the "Law and Order Association of the town of Flatbush," the aim of which was: (1). To prevent indiseriminate granting of licenses in vio- lation of law ; (2). To enforee observance of law in relation to persons holding licenses, especially the law in relation to sale of liquor on the Sabbath ; (3). To enforee the law which prohibits sale without license ; (4). To enforee the law in relation to houses of ill- repute ; (5). To take all legal means by advice of counsel to aeeomplish their ends. Rev. C. L. Wells was chosen President, Mr. C. C. Martin, Secretary, and Mr. John Lefferts, Treasurer, who were all re-elected at the end of the year. The sum of $960 was sub- seribed for earrying on the work of the association, counsel was immediately employed, and active opera- tions begun. As a result of the first year's work, the number of lieenses was reduced from fifty-two to thirty- eight "hotel," and two " beer " licenses. All the dis- reputable honses (six) have been elosed and the occupants driven out of the town ; and several subsequent at- tempts at their re-establishment have been frustrated by the vigilance of the association. Eleven convictions were secured for violation of excise law, and six liquor saloons have been closed.

The association numbers thirty-six members and bids fair to be of great service to the future welfare of the town. With the inerease of liquor saloons, and the in- flux of an army of undesirable visitors upon holidays, Saturdays and Sabbath days, drunkenness and erime was rapidly upon the inerease in the town. The local eonstables were of little avail in maintaining the law and good order upon these days. They were also utterly unable to proteet the property of the residents of the vil- lage against the depredations of thieves who made fre- quent incursions into the village at night. For several years a number of the inhabitants upon the Main Avenue subseribed a sufficient sum to employ three or four private watchmen who patrolled the village every night. Through these men frequent arrests were made and some slight protection afforded at night. The need of a local Police Board and a regular police foree became every year more evident.

Police Commissioners Appointed .- In the Fall of 1877 the matter was taken in hand by Mr. John Lef- ferts, Homer L. Bartlett, M. D., and Michael E. Finne- gan. A bill framed by Michael E. Finnegan was taken by him to Albany, and on January 12, 1878, was passed by the legislature. This law authorized the organiza- tion of a Police Board and gave to them ecrtain powers necessary to enable them to afford a competent poliee force and protection to the village. Through the kind-

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HISTORY OF KINGS COUNTY.

ness of Mr. J. Z. Lott, the Clerk of the Board, we have obtained the following facts. According to the provi- sions of the act, the Board was to consist of five mem- bers, appointed by the Supervisors and Justices of the Pcace. The first members of this Board were : Homer L. Bartlett, M. D., five years ; Wm. E. Murphy, four years ; John Z. Lott, three years ; John Lefferts, two years ; and Michael Kelly, one year. On June 19, 1878, these gentlemen inct and organized, according to the law, as Police Commissioners for the Town of Flatbush. Homer L. Bartlett, M. D., was chosen President ; John Z. Lott, Clerk ; Wm. E. Murphy, Treasurer. They im- mediately organized a regularly constituted police force, of which Jantes Byrne was appointed Sergeant ; having under his control seven men. These men were expected, however, to accomplish an almost impossible task. They were to thoroughly protect a section of coun- try about two miles square, composed of three distinct villages, nearly a mile apart. To do this, they must travel every night over a tract of country, surrounded by open fields, affording easy means of escape for a host of burg- lars, had they been disposed to plan their attacks upon the houses of the residents, when they knew the police- man in the district was far distant. Under the cfficient management of the gentlemen who compose the Board, very much, however, has been accomplished ; and the (wholly inadequate) force has been used to the very best possible advantage. With more means at their disposal, a very much more perfect system of protection of property could be carried out. The fact that a very large proportion of the houses are furnished with Holmes' Burglar Alarm has been of great assistance to the police, enabling each man to undertake the patrol of so large a district cach night. As a result of their three years work, there were 336 arrests the first year ; in the second year there were 456 ; in the third 429. The expenses of the Board are met by special tax, taken to the amount of $9,000 the first year, and $5,000 each ycar afterward. This amount is wholly inadequate to the successful accomplishment of the purpose designed by the law organizing the Board.

The present officers of the Board are John Lefferts, President ; Wm. E. Murphy, Treasurer ; John Z. Lott, Clerk. The law provides that all members appointed after the expiration of the term of the first Board shall hold office five years, and that their successors shall be appointed by the Supervisors and the Justices of the Peace. Mr. Lefferts was appointed in 1880 for five years ; Mr. Kelly for four years ; Mr. Lott re-appointed in 1881, for five years. The members of the Board re- ceive no compensation for their services. No better evidence of the law-abiding character of the citizens of Flatbush-for which they have been justly noted for two hundred years-can be offered, than the fact that seven policemen can thus watch a rural district nearly two miles square, a suburb of one of the largest cities of the Union, and so well protect the interests of all. The

arrests and imprisonments, in almost every instance, ale for offences committed by outsiders, coming into the village ; or of persons residing upon the outskirts of the village near the city limits. The village has always been noted as a well-governed, law-abiding and patriotic lo- cality. During the War of the Revolution many of its inhabitants enlisted in the Federal Army, and large sums of moncy were raised for the American cause. In the late Civil War a number of its citizens entered the Army of the Union, some of them serving for the whole term of the war. Much was done and compara- tively large sums of moncy raised in the village, for the various relief committees. There is now in active operation here a Post of the Grand Army of the Re- publie.

Flatbush Water Works .- As early as 1853, James I. Murdock, of Flatbush, proposed a plan for supplying Flatbush and Brooklyn with an unlimited water-supply, by forming large basins at Flatland (ex- cavated to the depth of the water-floor under this part . of the island) from which the water could be pumped by suitable apparatus into a general reservoir on Pros- pect Hill. Discussions on this point did not take any definite shape until the spring of 1881, when Benjamin F. Stephens, of Brooklyn, was engaged -- the necessary surveys having been made-by the B., F. and C. I. R. R. Co., to build water-works at Sheepshead Bay. He carried into practice Mr. Murdock's theory with success, and procured our unlimited water-supply. Through the active interest of Mr. John Lefferts, Treasurer of the R. R. Co., who associated with him Mr. John Mat- thews, John Z. Lott, and others, a company was formed for supplying the village with water. Its members were, in addition to those already named, William W. Wicks, President ; Aaron S. Robbins, Treasurer ; Benjamin F. Stephens, N. Cooper ; Mr. Lott being Secretary, and Jeremiah Lott, General Superintendent. The money necessary for the immediate prosecution of the work was loaned by W. W. Wicks and A. S. Robbins, on bonds issued by the company. The stock has never been placed upon the market. Land was procured at the southern boundary of the town, at Paerdegat Pond, near what was formerly "Little Flats "-the lowest point in the village and the only one where surface springs of purest water abound. The water in the wells of this vicinity is of an entirely different charac- ter from that in the Northern section of the village, near the hills. The Paerdegat water is very soft and wholly free from any trace of mineral or vegetable mat- ter ; while that of the wells in the north section of the village, near the hills, is hard and impregnated with iron and lime. Having secured the necessary authority, the Company, during the summer of 1881, sank twelve wells-placed in a series of three-stretching over a tract of 1,300 feet, east and west, and directly across the water-course which underlies the Island. These wells were connected by 2,400 feet of suction pipe (8

241

HEALTHFULNESS OF THE VILLAGE-CHURCHES.

to 24 inches diameter), in such manner that they could be drawn from by the pumps, singly, or in any desired combination. During the winter of 1881-'82 about ten miles of mains were laid. A reservoir-tower, 100 feet high and 20 in diameter, standing on a concrete basc of 98 feet above the lowest part of the town, was erected on high ground at the north end of the town, on Washington avenue, near Malbone street. The engines and pumps, especially constructed according to Mr. Stephens' patent, have a pumping capacity of 2,000,000 gallons per day. The pumping mains are 20 and 16 inches. The wells, which are 35 feet deep (with a depth of 26 feet of water), are built with water-tight walls, which effectually prevents any surface-water from entering them ; and secures, also, a supply of per- fectly pure water.

Healthfulness of the Village .- Flatbush has al- ways maintained an exceptional reputation for health- fulness, to which the gravestones in the village burying- ground bear testimony. A very large proportion of those buried here were persons over fifty years of age. There is a row of stones, eleven in number, marking the graves of one family-connection, of whom all but two were over 63. The aggregate of their ages was 774 years ; and seven of them were over 80, and one over 90. Along the edge of the woods, near the base of the hills, ague prevailed in former days, arising from the undrained ponds within the woods lying in the limits of Brooklyn. And the changes consequent on the forma- tion and improvement of Prospect Park, the excavations for its lake, etc., caused, at the time, a considerable out- break of malarial disease. But, since the completion of the Park, this source of trouble has been dissipated, and the most prominent physicians of the town declare that there has been during the past two years scarcely a case of well-defined malaria in their practice, within the village.

Board of Health .- The first local Board of Health was organized by Dr. John B. Zabriskie, July 24, 1832, and consisted of Supervisor John Wyckoff ; John R. Snedecker and Henry S. Ditmas, Overseers of the Poor ; David Johnson and John A. Lott, Justices of the Peace ; Dr. Adrian Vanderveer, Health Officer, with whom were associated Drs. J. B. Zabriskie, Robert Ed- mond and William D. Creed. Several years ago, a law was enacted establishing a Village Board of Health on the same basis as the Metropolitan Board of Health, but its duties have always been light, confined to the enforcing of ordinary sanitary regulations, the recording of vital statistics, etc .; and, at no time has it been called upon to deal with epidemics. The present members of the Board are Supervisor Peter Williamson, President ; Justices Peter Pigott, Christian Wulff, Thomas H. Glass, William McMahon ; Town Clerk Henry Vander- vecr ; Citizen John Z. Lott. The Board is organized with John L. Zabriskie, M. D., Health Oficer ; William Gaynor, Counsel.

Ecclesiastical, the Reformed (Dutch) Church. [The peculiar collegiate relation of the churches of the five Dutch Towns of Kings County, renders it neces- sary, in order to avoid repetition, that this portion of their history should be considered as a whole. This has been done in our chapter on the Ecclesiastical His- tory of Kings County from 1654 to 1800. The facts which MR. STRONG has gathered in relation to the Re- formed Dutch Church of FLATBUSH will, therefore, be found carefully preserved, and inwrought in that chap- ter .- EDITOR.]

At the beginning of the present century, as will be seen by reference to that chapter, the Rev. MARTINUS SCHOONMAKER, and the Rev. PETER LOWE, were col- leagues in the charge of the Kings County churches.

Rev. Mr. Lowe continued pastor until his death in 1818. He was buried at Flatbush, but his- remains were, in 1875, removed to Greenwood and placed in the lot purchased by the Reformed Church of Flat- bush. These lots were purchased on May 17, 1873, for the use of the pastors of the church. The total cost for lots and fencing was $1,850. The churches of Flatbush and Flatlands then united in calling the Rev. WALTER MONTEITH, who was installed in 1819, but re- signed his charge in the following year and accepted a call to the Presbyterian Church at Schenectady, New York. The church remained without a pastor until 1822, when the Rev. THOMAS M. STRONG, D. D., was called and installed on November 17th of that year. The house near Vernon avenue, formerly used as a par- sonage, having been sold, the consistory erected a com- modious parsonage-house upon a lot nearly opposite the church, and immediately adjoining the Academy. This was a single frame house, two-stories and an attic. The Rev. Martinus Schoonmaker continued to reside in the old parsonage next the church until the time of his death, May 20th, 1824. He had been a faithful and efficient pastor over the congregation for nearly forty years. After his death, the collegiate bond which had existed for so many years between the Dutch churches was finally dissolved. The Rev. Dr. STRONG continued pastor of the church at Flatbush until June 14, 1861, when, having served the congregation faith- fully for thirty-nine years, he died at the age of 64 years. As a token of their love and esteem the consis- tory caused a beautiful tablet to be erected to his mem- ory and placed in the west wall of the church, beside the pulpit. He was interred in the village church-yard, and his remains, in 1875, were removed by the consistory to the church lot in Greenwood Cemetery. Dr. Strong was a man possessed of traits of character eminently fit. ting him for the work of the ministry. A man of enlarged views, he was always active in cvery good work in his own congregation, and in those enterprises intended for the extension of the cause of Christ abroad. He gave his best energies to the church over which he ministered, and to the denomination at large. He was clerk of the

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HISTORY OF KINGS COUNTY.

General Synod of the Reformed Church for thirty-four years ; and, through his intimate knowledge of ehurch matters, was appealed to as authority on eeelesiastical law in the denomination. During the last siekness of Dr. Strong, which continued for three years, the con- sistory engaged his son, the Rev. Robert G. Strong, to aet as eolleague and assistant. After Dr. Strong's death his pulpit was supplied for about two years by the Rev. William W. Howard, Principal of Erasmus Hall Aeademy.

In April, 1863, the Rev. CORNELIUS L. WELLS, of Jersey City, was called to the pastorate, which he now fills. Thus, during a period of two hundred and twen- ty-eight years, sixteen pastors have been settled over the congregation. Of this number two served the ehureh for nearly forty years, and nine of the number died while in its active service.

from Mr. Henry Crabb, who for many years had a large organ-factory in the village; at one time at the rear of the Allgeo house in East Broadway, and in lat- ter years in Clarkson St. The old round box-pulpit, mounted on five or six columns about five feet high, and entered by two eircular stairways with banisters on each side, was removed, and a more modern pulpit ereeted in its place. The old pulpit was given to the First German Reformed Duteh Church, eorner of Her- kimer street and Howard avenue, Brooklyn. The erimson satin eurtain, at the baek of the pulpit, repre- senting the rising sun, was replaced by a large painting on eanvas intended to give the appearance of heavy eurtains looped up in elegant style. The impression, however, at a short distance, was rather suggestive of a gathering storm-eloud ready to hurl its thunderbolts upon the assemblage. In 1861, while the pulpit was

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The civil, political, professional and ecclesiastical history, and commercial and industrial record of the county of Kings and the city of Brooklyn, N. Y., from 1683 to 1884 Volume I, Part 56

Author: Stiles, Henry Reed, 1832-1909, ed. cn; Brockett, L. P. (Linus Pierpont), 1820-1893; Proctor, L. B. (Lucien Brock), 1830-1900. 1n Publication date: 1884 Publisher: New York : W. W. Munsell & Co. Number of Pages: 1114

Author: Stiles, Henry Reed, 1832-1909, ed. cn; Brockett, L. P. (Linus Pierpont), 1820-1893; Proctor, L. B. (Lucien Brock), 1830-1900. 1n
Publication date: 1884
Publisher: New York : W. W. Munsell & Co.
Number of Pages: 1114