Institution

The congregation that formed the St. Luke’s Episcopal Church originally worshiped at St. James' Episcopal Church in North Salem. They moved to Somers, and while still continuing to be associated with St. James, they began holding services at the Union Meeting House, also known as the Union Church, which had been erected in 1799 in Somers. By November of 1834, there was a movement to solidify a separate Episcopalian congregations in Somers, prompting the congregation to build the current St. Luke's Episcopal Church in 1841.St. Luke’s congregation has never been large, and throughout the decades it has faced challenges. During the Civil War, Reverend William Murphy of St. Luke’s sympathized with the Confederate cause and refused to read the bishop’s prayers for those serving in both the Union and Confederate forces. This attracted the attention of John Jay, who wrote an open letter to the church that was printed in The New York Daily Tribune on November 25, 1863. St. Luke’s is also known for its architecture. When St. Luke’s Episcopal Church was built it was described as “a plain substantial edifice of wood, standing on a basement of dressed stone….The front of the building presents a fine portico, with dressed stone floor and steps, and roof supported by four lofty ionic columns. Upon the top is a square belfrey.” Inside the church there is a large stained glass sanctuary window that was presented by Elizabeth Vail. There are tablets on either side of the sanctuary window that were presented in memory of Willie Crane, a young parishioner who drowned while attending school in Connecticut. The two tablets have painted molding trims: one of The Lord’s Prayer and the other with the bible verse from Matthew 22:37. The crystal chandelier was allegedly given to St. Luke’s Church in 1881 in honor of Mary Ferguson's marriage to H. Hobart Keeler.In 1984, St. Luke’s Church was presented with the Historic Religious Properties Award by the Preservation League of New York State.

More Info

St. Luke’s Episcopal Church is located on Route 100 in Somers, NY. The main church building was completed on July 9, 1841 and has been in continuous use. It is a historically significant site because the congregation is one of the earliest for the Episcopal Church in the United States. St. Luke's Episcopal Church is included in the Somers Hamlet Historic District, which was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on April 21, 2004.

St. Luke's Episcopal Church

Director

The hamlet of Somers is located in northern Westchester County, New York, in a hilly area that drains into the nearby Croton River. It is home to numerous reservoirs for the New York City water supply system. The resulting protected watershed has played a role in limiting suburban growth in the area and has served to protect some of the hamlet’s Revolutionary War-era and early farming community resources.Much of the Somers Hamlet Historic District is located along present-day US Route 22, a two-lane highway that follows the path of the earlier Peekskill-Danbury Turnpike, which forks off to dense concentrations of existing historic structures. The Peekskill-Danbury Turnpike together with the old Croton Turnpike, present-day NY Route 100, served to provide passage for both human and animal travelers. The result was the growth of a community of craftsmen, artisans, and laborers to serve the related needs. Homes were built, church congregations were organized, cemeteries were developed, and businesses were born in response, including the creation of a downtown area. Some of the sites in the Somers Hamlet Historic District include: Old Bet and the Elephant Hotel; Mt. Zion Methodist Church; West Somers Methodist Episcopal Church and Cemetery also known as Tomahawk Chapel; The Stone House/Gerard Crane House; Ivandell Cemetery; St. Luke's Episcopal Church; and St. Joseph's Cemetery. Additional private homes, historic homes converted into businesses, and farms also make up the district.When the Harlem Railroad arrived in the surrounding communities in the mid-1800s, Somers did not get a station on the line, and its population decreased almost by half from 1840 to 1900. However, this exclusion is one of the reasons Somers still retains much of its nineteenth century historic fabric .

The Somers Hamlet Historic District, in the town of Somers, New York, encompasses approximately 56 acres, and includes 46 contributing and 11 non-contributing buildings, sites, structures, and objects. These varied resources serve as visual reminders of Somers' early development in the years following the Revolutionary War, when two rural transportation routes, including a major regional turnpike, intersected in Somers. The conjunction of these routes brought the area population and business growth. Also on display throughout the hamlet is the image of Old Bet, the “mascot of Somers,” who was the second known African elephant to arrive in North America. She was associated with the menagerie of Hachaliah Bailey, an early advocate for the circus industry and a Somers pioneer. The Somers Hamlet Historic District was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on April 21, 2004.

Mt. Zion Methodist Church was constructed in 1794 by Micajah Wright, a farmer and carpenter whose lands were located on the opposite side of what is now Primrose Street from the church. Originally one story tall, the new house of worship was one of seven churches that were part of the New Rochelle Methodist Society, also known as the "New Rochelle Circuit." The new church fit the standards put forth by Francis Asbury, who stated, "let all our chapels be built plain and decent, but no more expensive than absolutely unavoidable." In 1803 Mt. Zion Methodist Church became part of the "Croton Circuit," and in 1809 became part of the "Cortlandt Circuit," in which it remained until 1861. About 1860 the church building was expanded to its present size of two-and-a-half stories. Although the church's congregation grew in the 1880s, it diminished when New York City took nearby land for the creation of the Amawalk and Muscoot reservoirs, which caused area residents to relocate. The last regular services in the church were held in 1897, and from then until 1930 the only services that took place in the house of worship were annual anniversary services. The last interment in the church's burial ground took place in 1958. The church was largely neglected after 1930, and in 1970 suffered from vandalism that destroyed its original mahogany pump organ and nearly all of its original glass window panes and communion rail balusters. In 1973 ownership of Mt. Zion Methodist Church was transferred from the New York Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church to the Town of Somers, and the Somers Historical Society restored the vandalized structure. The town maintains the church and cemetery today. Mount Zion Methodist Church was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1990.

Originally built with one story in 1794, Mt. Zion Methodist Church was expanded to its present size of two-and-a-half stories about 1860.  The church was used for regular worship until 1897, and was used only for annual anniversary services until 1930.  Neglected for several decades, the church was restored by the Somers Historical Society in 1973, at which time its ownership was transferred to the Town of Somers, which maintains it today.  Surrounding the church is a burial ground with tombstones dating from 1797 to 1959.

Mt. Zion Methodist Church

West Somers Methodist Episcopal Church was built about 1837 to serve the Methodist adherents of the community of West Somers. The Methodist Protestant Society of West Somers acquired a half-acre parcel on present-day Tomahawk Street on March 17, 1837, and proceeded to build a house of worship and establish a burial ground on the property. Thomas Miller, one of the society's trustees, constructed the new church. Hachaliah Bailey, a prominent resident of Somers and owner of a traveling menagerie, noted at the time that "Tom Miller is building a church no bigger than a tiger's cage." The Methodist congregation at West Somers became affiliated with the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1863. That same year the church trustees purchased an acre of land on the south side of the church, and planned to build a larger house of worship on the site. This did not happen, and according to longtime Somers Town Historical Otto Koegel, West Somers Methodist Episcopal Church was "practically abandoned as a Methodist Church in 1877," and "from that time on it has been used by many denominations and societies." For the most part, only necessary repair work was done to the church prior to 1992. As a result, the building contains a great deal of structural integrity. Much of the church's interior is original, including its 15 pews and metal hardware on some of the windows for the placement of portable oil lamps. The church's location has changed slightly, as it was moved about 22' south of its original location in 1992. This move was made so that the building could be placed on a new foundation, as its original stone foundation was crumbling and causing structural problems for the church. Restoration work was conducted on the church's porch in 1998 and 2006, and although its materials are not historic, the porch appears as it would have during the early 20th century. The church property also contains a cemetery with 76 tombstones and monuments marking 95 burials. Although most of the burials were made in the 19th century, the final interment was not made until 1977. The most elaborate plot belongs to the family of Thomas Miller, the builder of the church. Members of several other notable Somers families are interred in the cemetery, including the Lent, Miller and Tompkins families. West Somers Methodist Episcopal Church and Cemetery was deeded to the Town of Somers by the New York Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church in 1986. The property was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2011.

Often referred to as "Tomahawk Chapel," West Somers Methodist Episcopal Church was constructed circa 1837 by Thomas Tompkins Miller, a local builder and trustee of the church.  It is an excellent example of a mid-19th century rural chapel.  Although it has been moved about 22' south of its original location, the church retains much of its exterior and interior integrity.  Adjoining the church is a cemetery that was used by the congregation from 1831 to 1977.

West Somers Methodist Episcopal Church and Cemetery (Tomahawk Chapel)

One of the earliest interments in Ivandell Cemetery was that of John Hempstead (1693-1801). Hempstead, one of Westchester County’s first centenarians, was buried in the area next to the Union Meeting Church. Although there is a record of the text and dates engraved on his tombstone, the marker itself can no longer be found in the cemetery.There are a number of large monuments and memorials within Ivandell Cemetery, including many that stand on what had once been part of the Union Meeting Burying Ground and the Public Burying Ground. One is a fifteen-foot granite monument that was erected in 1865 by the Ladies’ Soldiers’ Aid Society to honor the 25 men of Somers who gave their lives during the Civil War.Another notable monument in Ivandell Cemetery recognizes Hachaliah Bailey (1774-1845). Bailey, whose name is often associated with Somers and its history, started a successful menagerie business and was responsible for importing “Old Bet,” the second African elephant of her kind  to arrive in the United States. Bailey was originally interred behind the Union Meeting House; his remains were later moved to the Ivandell Cemetery. His monument in the cemetery has a statue of Old Bet on it.There is also a monument in Ivandell Cemetery on what had been the Public Burying Ground honoring Hachaliah Brown (1822-1853). Brown was an officer in the 3rd Artillery Regiment and served in the Mexican-American War. He died while on active service at the Jefferson Barracks near Saint Louis, Missouri.The Ivandell Cemetery is open and available to the public.

Ivandell Cemetery is an historic burial ground located in Somers, NY. It was formed in 1866 by leading members of the Somers community who purchased a seven-acre plot of land next to two existing burial grounds surrounding the Union Meeting Church on Somerstown Road. The Union Meeting Church had been built in the early 1800s to serve the Episcopal and Presbyterian congregations of Somers Plains, and the Union Meeting Burying Ground and the Public Burying Ground sprang up around it about the same time. These two burial grounds merged with the Ivandell Cemetery in 1894. In 1896, the Ivandell Cemetery increased in size again after acquiring land from Somers School District where its old schoolhouse had once stood, and an adjacent plot. In addition to its historical significance, Ivandell Cemetery is also recognized for the notable people buried here, including military heroes.

Ivandell Cemetery

In 1807, Thaddeus Crane Jr. bought a large farm in Somers with his teenage brother, Gerard. Their father,Thaddeus Crane Sr., was a prominent citizen of North Salem who served as a Revolutionary militia officer, a New York State assemblyman and a representative to the state convention that voted to ratify the U.S. Constitution. Before entering the menagerie business the brothers were farmers and Thaddeus Jr., was also a Blacksmith. Many farmers in Somers attempted to enter the menagerie business because they knew how to manage large animals.Beginning around 1815, they started to expand on their menagerie business and built a considerable fortune. The brothers collaborated with their neighbors to merge menageries and circuses. Some of these neighbors included Benjamin and Lewi Lent, and members of the Brown, Purdy, Wright, Finch, and Ganung families.(Somers Historical Society) The American Traveling Circus industry was produced by combining the menageries, which exhibited exotic animals including elephants, rhinoceros, and large cats and the traditional circus, which focused mainly on entertainment including clowns, acrobats, trick riders and other performers. Horses were the only animals typically used in the traditional circus. (Willams, 137) Gerard married his wife, Roxanna in 1823. She was the daughter of another menagerie owner, Issac Purdy. The couple had seven children together and six of them survived into adulthood. (Williams, 137) In 1833, Crane partnered with Spencer Gregory to form the menagerie Gregory Crane &amp; Co, which later featured a keeper (lion tamer), a female elephant named Flora, and a seven-hundred-pound polar bear. Crane formed a combined circus and menagerie with Edward Eldred, and would soon become a part of the Zoological Institute in 1835, using the title Zoological Exhibition and American Circus United. (Somers Historical Society) Since the menageries were considered more reputable, the brothers along with a group of 128 menagerie proprietors met at the Elephant Hotel to discuss a potential business venture. They decided to pool together their animals and other resources to establish the Zoological Institute. Unfortunately the group dissolved due to the financial panic of 1837. Though it was a failure, their attempt to establish this organization was the first attempt in eventually merging the two businesses. (Williams, 137) As Gerard anticipated his retirement in 1849, he built a new home naming it, The Stone House. Roxanna received a substantial amount of money from her uncle, Joshua Purdy that same year, which may have contributed to their ability to build their home. Etched in the basement of the house were the names of who constructed the home: John W. Dickinson, chief carpenter; W.R. Waters, stonemason; Charles and Clark Lobdell, plasterers; and J &amp; J. Garvey, “ornamental cornichers” (cornice fabricators). (Williams, 135) It was designed in the Greek Revival Style with a shallow hip roof and a raised columned front porch. Gerard Crane furnished the home with lavish details including, eight marble mantelpieces from Italy, elaborate plasterwork in the principal rooms like the library, where the frieze near the high ceiling is decorated with high-relief floral garlands enclosing freestanding plaster heads imported from France. (Williams, 135)Crane died in 1872, at the age of 80. Due to his debts, the home was foreclosed on and subsequently sold in 1880, to another prominent Somers citizen William N. Todd. It was in possession of the Todd family until 1922 and had several owners until Christine Beshar and Robert Beshar purchased the home from Dr. and Mrs. Chilson in 1981. Renovations were underway for almost a year to restore the home. The home was sold again in 2017 and Christine Beshar donated the two surrounding parcels to the Somers Land Trust. The Crane family’s legacy continues to live on as the 115 acres of Gerard Crane’s former farm now makes up the Crane-Beshar Rhinoceros Creek Reservation. Its name was inspired by an interesting episode in which a rhino Crane owned escaped its enclosure and roamed the town. The Stone House is now a private residence. (Somers Land Trust)

Thaddeus Crane Jr. and Gerard Crane, came to Somers in 1807. They were entrepreneurs, who made their fortune in the early years of the circus industry. Thaddeus Jr. purchased a large farm and was an active member of the Somers community. The brothers were inspired to join the menagerie business by their neighbor Hachaliah Bailey. The brothers became members of the Zoological Institute in 1835 along with other 128 menagerie proprietors. Nearing his retirement in 1849, Gerard decided to construct a home and named it the Stone House. It was designed in the Greek Revival Style.  Gerard Crane died in 1872, and the home was sold in 1880 to another prominent Somers resident, William N. Todd. After his death 1922, it has had several owners. The Beshars sold the residence in 2017 and today, the Stone House is a private residence and is not open to the public.


The Stone House (Gerard Crane House)

The Elephant Hotel in Somers, New York, was built between 1820 and 1825 by Hachaliah Bailey. Bailey purchased an elephant to perform farm work, but found that the animal attracted a lot of attention from his neighbors (it was only the second elephant brought to the United States). He named the elephant Old Bet and began touring with her, eventually adding other animals to his show. Bailey’s success with Old Bet and the other animals in his menagerie led others in the area to adopt similar career paths for themselves—touring the country with a variety of wild animals—and the idea of the modern circus was born. Hachaliah Bailey became the founder of the Bailey Circus, and for that reason, Somers is considered to be the birthplace of the American circus. Old Bet died on one of Bailey’s tours, thus prompting the construction of the Elephant Hotel.The Elephant Hotel was built in Old Bet's honor and to serve as a meeting place for other menagerie owners as they traveled through the region. The property is emblazoned with the words “Elephant Hotel” across the building’s edifice and a gilt replica of an elephant is mounted on a tall shaft in front of the hotel. Besides being a meeting spot for menagerie owners, the Elephant Hotel served several purposes throughout its history for over a century. The building became an economic center in 1839 with the introduction of the Farmers and Drovers Bank by Horace Bailey, who had since taken over ownership of the Elephant Hotel [3]. The bank would increase interest in the town, as it was only the second established bank that was founded in Westchester County. Unfortunately, the Elephant Hotel would begin to decline in popularity at the turn of the 20th century. By the 1900s, the building was primarily used as a social space. Serving as a tearoom, residence, and inn, many town gatherings would occur here [3]. The invention of the automobile would luckily bring life back to the Elephant Hotel, as it was then utilized as a rest stop for travelers, but only for a limited time. The last surge of attraction to the building occurred in the early 1920s, with the release of D.W. Griffith’s silent film, America. The Elephant Hotel was used as a filming location for part of the film.The Bailey family eventually handed over ownership, as the Town of Somers purchased the building in 1927. Since this change in ownership, the Elephant Hotel turned into the town hall. The building would then contain offices and serve as the site of town meetings on the first and second floors. Later, the third floor would house the Somers Historical Society and the Museum of the Early American Circus [2]. Today, the Elephant Hotel also houses offices for Planning &amp; Engineering, Receiver of Taxes, Town Clerk, Town Historian, and the Town Justice Court.In 1974, the Elephant Hotel was entered into the National Register of Historic Places. Then, in 2005, the building was registered as a National Landmark due to its history with the foundation of the American circus [1]. Since 2020, the Elephant Hotel is not open to the public for tours as it once did. However, a tour can still be scheduled through contact and approval by the Somers Historical Society.

Somers, New York, is regarded as the “Cradle of the American Circus,” due to Hachaliah Bailey and his elephant, Old Bet. Bailey brought Old Bet to Somers around the year 1805, and thus caught the attention of many as this was the second elephant in history brought to the United States. This prompted the start of the traveling menagerie which brought much delight to those who came to see it. Bailey's work was a precursor to the modern circus, and inspired P.T. Barnum and James Anthony Bailey to create what we now know as the Ringling Bros. and Barnum &amp; Bailey Circus. The Elephant Hotel was completed in 1825 to commemorate Old Bet. The building would later become the town center for the people of Somers. As of today, the Elephant Hotel unfortunately is not open to the public unless given permission to tour by contacting the Somers Historical Society.

Elephant Hotel 

The parish of Saint Joseph's was established in 1845, and its first church was built in Croton Falls in 1849. In 1893, the church was destroyed by a fire ignited by sparks from a passing locomotive, prompting the congregation to move. A decade later, the land where the church had once stood near the railroad on Route 22 was lost to flooding for a New York City reservoir and the New Croton Dam. The remains that had been interred next to the old church were moved to a new burial ground, located adjacent to the existing Ivandell Cemetery in Somers, on land that had been part of the Ebenezer White Farm.Two examples of these removals from the previous location are John S. Cody and Alice Bailey, whose marble grave monuments were also moved. Other early parishioners, some of whom came to the area to help build railroads and reservoirs, also had their markers moved. The stained glass windows of Saint Joseph’s were dedicated to the memory of these early congregants, many of whom were of Irish descent.Also interred in Saint Joseph's Cemetery are veterans of both World War I and World War II; these graves are marked with government-issued monuments. On Memorial Day, the American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars place American flags on these grave sites. The Somers Fire Department does the same to honor their deceased members.The only Saint Joseph’s pastor to be buried in the cemetery is Msgr. Raymond M. Collins. He is buried in "The Priest's Plot," located at the beginning of the loop near the end of the cemetery driveway. His first assignment after he was ordained was as a summer assistant at Saint Joseph’s. He was then transferred to New York City, and after several assignments returned to Saint Joseph’s as pastor where he served from 1963-1967.

St. Joseph’s Cemetery is a burial site in Somers, New York. It is part of the parish of Saint Joseph’s, which was established in 1845 by Archbishop John Hughes. The land for the cemetery was purchased on March 24, 1893 for $1500 from Addie J. Whitlock of Somers. However, the earliest interments date back to 1845, because burial remains had to be relocated to the present location when the original Saint Joseph's burial ground was condemned to build the New Croton Dam. The cemetery is operated by Saint Joseph's Catholic Church located at 95 Plum Brook Road in Somers and is open and available to the public. St. Joseph's Cemetery is included in the Somers Hamlet Historic District, which was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on April 21, 2004.

Somers Hamlet Historic District

St. Luke's Episcopal Church

Introduction

Images

Backstory and Context

Sources

Additional Information