Institution

Mapleton is a historic house located at 52 North Broadway, White Plains, New York, that was built in 1867. Designed by John G. Prague, the house of Mapleton was first purchased by William Franklin Dusenberry that year in 1867. Dusenberry's family came from an old Dutch lineage in New York that established a successful carriage-making business. (1)In 1867, when Mapleton was built, Dusenberry built a country home on a 14-acre site next to his home on North Broadway. In 1884 Dusenberry sold his house to Nathan Hand. Nathan Hand gained his wealth in manufacturing palm leaf hats in Massachusetts and was the owner of a marble quarry in Vermont. (1)After owning Mapleton for a decade Hand sold the White Plains estate to Mother Mary Veronica who was the founder of the Sisters of the Divine Compassion. Mapleton was used as a convent until it was established as the College of White Plains in 1925. Later on, Mapleton was used as a dormitory, then a library, and afterwards an administrative office building for the college institution. (2)Mapleton is one of the few surviving suburban villas in the area that was built there at the time. Because of Mapleton's unique architecture and history it was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 1976. (2)Mapleton is a 2 and a half story five bay residence with Second Empire and Italianate style design details. The house features a central pavilion tower with a small dome, and a mansard roof with slate tiles. (1)

Mapleton, also known as Alumnae House, is one of the few surviving suburban villas in that area of North Broadway in White Plains. Mapleton was built in the Second Empire and Italianate style and while it's use changed with each subsequent owner, its exterior appearance remains intact.  Mapleton was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 1976 because of its outstanding history and architecture.

Mapleton

Director

A tour of Gilded Age landmarks in Westchester County

This 2-story building was constructed to be the home of the New Rochelle Pioneer newspaper, which would become the community’s longest-published weekly newspaper. It was constructed in the Italianate-style that was particularly popular in America’s business districts in the mid- to late 19th century. The two-and a half story building’s bracketed cornices, curved arches over the windows, and low-pitched roof are identifiable features of this style. Capping the building is a metal cornice with brackets and modillions with the name “Pioneer”, and a segmental-arched pediment. The building’s long, narrow construction in the rear was indicative of a newspaper building, as it allowed for efficiency of the presses. The side-walk level windows posted daily items of interest so that residents did not have to wait until Saturday, when each issue was released, for "the latest" news. William Dyott, an Irish writer who was exiled from his homeland after denouncing the British government, founded the paper in 1860, publishing the first issue on March 24th. With his son and three daughters he first produced the Saturday paper from the home of his brother, John Dyott, on Church Street. John Dyott was also known on both sides of the Atlantic, as an actor. He was the leading man and stage manager at the Ford Theater the night Lincoln was assassinated. When William Dyott died in 1870, his remaining daughter, Marguerite Major, took over the paper. She continued its publication until 1882 when she sold it to Charles Banks. By this time, the newspaper office had moved to a building on “Lawton Street near Main Street,” as indicated on the masthead of each issue. The masthead also carried the motto, “Charity For All, Malice Towards None.” It was designated the “official Republican newspaper” of New Rochelle [1]. The New Rochelle Pioneer again came under new ownership when two employees, John Steadman, and Henry Sweet, bought it in 1886. The next year Mr. Sweet, then sole proprietor, built the two and a half story brick structure still located at 14 Lawton Street, and had moved the newspaper operations into the building by March 1898. John New, local builder and mason was responsible for its construction [2]. Lawton Street would become known as “Newspaper Row,” due to the numerous newspaper offices located on it during the late 1800s [3]. Once the “official newspaper” of the town and county, and with the largest circulation in both [4], the New Rochelle Pioneer’s final issue was October 2, 1920. Issues from 1882 – 1919 have been digitized and are accessible through New York Historic Newspapers. The building would be used for a variety of purposes over the next years, including the home of the New Rochelle Irish Benevolent Society, from 1967 to 1980, when they sold it to the City of New Rochelle. Although much of the block was demolished to make way for the construction of the New Rochelle Public Library and its parking lots, the Pioneer Building was saved, purchased and restored by local resident Sylvia Schur, who adaptively-reused the structure for her innovative Creative Food Service firm. The interior was gutted, original beams exposed and the tin ceiling meticulously renewed. A state-of-the-art kitchen and modern office facilities were incorporated. Ms. Schur was responsible for the building’s listing on the National Register of Historic Places on December 29, 1983. It was sold to the City of New Rochelle in 1992, and after remaining vacant for several years was sold once again for office use, which it continues to house.

Home of the New Rochelle Pioneer newspaper from 1898 to 1920, the Pioneer Building is an architectural reminder of the Italianate style popular in late 19th century commercial buildings. The building faced demolition in the 1970s but, it received an adapted re-use and remains a part of New Rochelle’s downtown landscape. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on December 29, 1983.

The Pioneer Building

The John Wheeler House was built in 1873 for prominent Yonkers resident John Wheeler. Wheeler had significant real estate holdings in Yonkers, served a term as village trustee, and was a founder and long-time trustee of the People's Savings Bank of Yonkers. Wheeler is credited with designing some of the buildings on properties that he owned.The John Wheeler House was constructed in the French Second Empire style, which is a style seen in many of the other historic homes in the district. A distinguishing feature of the house is the high mansard roof, which has a concave curved lower slope and is ornamented with paired brackets. The house also exhibits segmental arched windows marked with basket-handle surrounds and a spacious veranda.In the early 1980s the John Wheeler House and other historic houses in the area were in danger of being replaced by apartment buildings. To protect these historic homes, the city of Yonkers applied for state and federal landmark designation for the Bell Place-Locust Hill Avenue Historic District. In 1985, the Bell Place-Locust Hill Avenue Historic District, including the John Wheeler House, was added to the National Register of Historic Places.

The John Wheeler House was built in 1873 in the French Second Empire style. Wheeler is credited to have participated in the design of his home, which is part of the Bell Place-Locust Hill Avenue Historic District in Yonkers, NY. The Bell Place-Locust Hill Avenue Historic District, including the John Wheeler House, was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1985.

John Wheeler House

"John Bond Trevor was a successful New York stockbroker and dealer in gold and silver bullion, who in 1876 decided to build a summer home in Yonkers." (Williams, 224) Trevor selected a tract of land with 23 acres in the Northern portion of Yonkers, which happened to be just north of his friend and business partner, John Boorman Colgate. He named his estate Glenview, the land not only provided a great amount of space for his home but, it also offered him amazing views of the Hudson River and the Palisades. The home is designed in High Victorian Gothic Style, which similar to French Second Empire, which became popular after the Civil War. Charles W. Clinton, a New York City architect designed the home. High Victorian Gothic intertwined elements that were French and German. Construction on the house was completed in 1877, "the house was built with gray local stone, trimmed with lighter Ohio limestone, and it was topped with a complex cluster of steeply pitched slated roofs. One of the most prominent features of it design was a five-story front tower. A broad veranda once extended across most of the facade; it has since been replaced with a smaller porch of the same style." (Williams, 224) Its interior was just as elaborate as its facade. The home was filled with lavish furnishings and works of arts, some of these pieces at the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition in 1876. "The front parlor, was used for formal entertaining and receiving visitors, featured an elaborately carved fireplace and matching upright piano, a 10 piece suite of upholstered Eastlake furniture, Axminster carpeting (possibly from the Alexander Smith Carpet Factory in Yonkers), floral wallpaper, a stencil-painted ceiling and a marble statue of Faust and Marguerite by Florentine sculptor Pasquale Romanelli. Among the more exotic decorative objects was a stuffed male peacock, placed in front of the fireplace." (Williams, 227) The Trevor family consisted of John Bond Trevor, his wife Emily Norwood Trevor and their two daughters Mary and Emily as well a son, Henry from his first marriage with his late wife Louisa Stewart.(Hudson River Museum) Only from April and December the family occupied the home and while they were there John would commute to his Wall Street office. While he was there, John would enjoy the pleasures of his surroundings by focusing on his hobby horticulture and driving his trotting horses. (Hudson River Museum) The estate would remain in the possession of the family until Mrs. Trevor's death in 1922. Most of the home's contents was auctioned off but the city of Yonkers bought the house and transformed it into the Yonkers Museum of Science and Arts. It was renamed the Hudson River Museum in 1948. In the late 1960s, a modern museum was built in front the home, replacing its front yard with a courtyard. Overtime most of the home's interior and exterior has been restored to reflect the era of the Trevor's residency The Hudson River Museum is the largest museum in Westchester. In addition to the Trevor Mansion, they have a Planetarium, changing art exhibits and an outdoor performance venue.

Glenview (also known as the John B. Trevor House) was built by John Bond Trevor in 1876. New York City architect, Charles W. Clinton designed the home in the style of High Victorian Gothic which is similar to the French Second Empire style. Construction on the home was completed in 1877 and the home remained in the possession of the family until Mrs. Trevor's death in 1922. The city of Yonkers purchased the home and transformed it into the Yonkers Museum of Science and Arts. In 1948, it was renamed the Hudson River Museum. By the late 1960s, a more modern museum was built in front of it, majority of the home's interior has been restored to the period of the Trevor's residency.

Glenview (John B. Trevor House)

John William Draper, son of a Wesleyan minister of moderate means, was born in 1811 in England. From a young age he showed promise as a student of science, being first tutored at home and later admitted to public school. Unfortunately, the death of his father in 1831 cut his pursuit of education short and he accepted a certificate of honors in chemistry in lieu of a degree. At the urging of relatives who had founded a Wesleyan colony in Virginia prior to the American Revolution, he immigrated to Christianville, VA (now Chase City) in 1833. Before leaving England though, he published two scientific papers with a Fellow from the Geological Society named William Mullingar Higgins. At his home in Christianville, John Draper established a private laboratory to continue his scientific explorations. He published work on galvanic batteries, the magnetic action of light, and an analysis of native chloride in carbon and ancient coins and metals. In 1833, his sister Dorothy Catherine, a schoolteacher, funded his return to education and he enrolled in medical school at the University of Pennsylvania. He graduated in 1836 with his thesis on glandular action continuing work on capillaries that he began in his private lab years before. In the mid-1800s, when photography was still a relatively new field, John William Draper became a pioneer in the field. He began by making technical alterations a daguerreotype which he used to take a portrait of his sister Dorothy Catherine in 1840. During the winter of 1839-1840, Draper continued his photographic work by photographing the moon. Throughout the experiment he created numerous photographic negatives which yielded the first detailed photograph of the moon. Draper's groundbreaking work launched the modern field of astrophotography. In 1847, Draper moved to Hastings-on-Hudson where he built his estate. Within a few years, his second son, Henry, then in his early teens, was assisting his father in his scientific studies. In time, Henry Draper became renowned in his own right as a doctor and astronomer. Like his father, he also became a pioneering figure in the field of astrophotography, amassing over 1,500 negatives of the moon above their Hastings estate. In the late 1850s, Henry Draper became inspired to build an observatory following a trip to Ireland and a visit the famous “Leviathan” observatory of the Earl of Rosse, the largest telescope of the 19th-century. He believed that the highest point on his father's Hastings estate would be an ideal location for an observatory. He worked with his brother Daniel to build the observatory and a custom-made telescope which was completed in 1860. John William Draper continued his scientific career until chronic illness led to his death in 1882. By that time, he had become the founding president of the American Chemical Society and the American Union Academy of Literature, Science, and Art, and had published over fifty scientific papers and a dozen books. The village of Hastings acquired the cottage and observatory in 1990. Since that time, the observatory has housed the Hastings Historical Society.

The Draper Cottage was the home of John William Draper, an acclaimed chemist and physician who became fascinated with the new field of photography and became the founder of the modern field of astrophotography by taking the first photographs of the moon. Draper built the estate and home, now owned by the Hastings Historical Society, in 1847, as a place to continue his scientific work and raise his family. His son, Henry, a talented scientist in his own right, would later build on his father’s scientific legacy on the estate and build an observatory on the property.

John William Draper Cottage

John W. Draper made major contributions to chemistry and physics, helped found the medical college at the university and was an author of a standard text of physiology. He also wrote books on history and philosophy including a three-volume book on the Civil War. He had an interest in chemical reactions, which led him to the very early beginnings of photography, and he made several technical improvements in the daguerreotypes. Draper took the very first pictures of the moon, through a telescope on the roof of the university. He also was an early master of microphotography. (Williams, 290)Henry Draper was his favorite child and second son. Henry, just like his father was interested in science and photography and at only 13 years old began to takes photograph microscope slides. Just like his father he earned a medical degree from the University of New York City, and like his father, he became a professor there. After visiting the famous observatory of Earl of Rosse in Ireland, Henry decided to design his own. Along with his brother Daniel, they began work on constructing a reflecting telescope with a 15-1/2-inch concave mirror of silver-coated glass (this project would take five years.) Upon its completion and installation, Henry enthusiastically began taking pictures with his telescope, which included pictures of the sun, stars, and the moon. Within a year, he made some 1,500 negatives of the moon alone. (William, 292)That same year, a well-known physicist and head of the Smithsonian Institution, visited the observatory and he convince Henry to write a report about his observatory. The report was titled, Construction of a Silver-Glass Telescope, and it was published by the Smithsonian in 1864. Within the report was very detailed account of the telescope making process and it was made a standard book for those interested in astronomy.In 1867 Henry marries Anna Palmer, a daughter of a wealthy lawyer in Dobbs Ferry and they decide to settle there. Once they were married, Anna became an enthusiastic assistant and aided Henry when he was constructing a mirror for a 28-inch reflecting telescope. A few years later they added a second observatory to the existing one for their new telescope. The second observatory's dome was manufactured by the Seth Thomas Company, it was designed to be mounted upon a clockwork mechanism so that it could revolve in time with the rotation of the Earth.His telescope drew a variety of visitors to his observatory. Including "inventors Thomas Edison and Samuel F.B. Morse, and renowned neighbors such as Irvington resident and business and financier Cyrus Field, along with distinguished visitors from afar such as, King Kalikana of the Sandwich Islands (now Hawaii) and Emperor Don Pedro II of Brazil, came to view the facility." (Hastings Historical Society) Over time the advancement of technology in the field would soon make his telescopes obsolete.John Draper died in January 1882 and that summer Henry decided to retire. At the age of 45 he retired from his position at NYU and decided to focus on his research. (Hastings Historical Society) Unfortunately, six months later he died of pneumonia. A project funded by Anna Palmer Draper in honor of her husband between 1881-1950s, cataloged stars for the Henry Draper Catalogue. This project discovered variable stars, and studied stellar spectra and counted galaxies. (Harvard College Observatory) His father left his entire estate to his sister Dorothy Catherine and his home became the home one if her daughters, Virginia Draper Maury, and her family. Anna Palmer Draper desired to preserve the observatory and to have it be a center for astronomical research but the building was not being utilized, so its equipment was donated. Following the death of Dorothy Catherine in 1901, the property was divided among the family and remained in their possession for many decades and it remains a private residence. John Draper's youngest daughter, Antonia Draper Dixon came into the possession of the estate encompassing nine acres at the northern end of the estate, including the observatory building. A fire destroyed the larger of the two observatory domes in 1905 and Dixon replaced it with a undomed roof over the round room beneath it. In 1912, Dixon had enlarged the old observatory and renamed it Observatory Cottage. She occupied the home until her death in 1923, and left the whole property to the American Scenic and Historic Preservation Society.After many failed attempts to preserve the property, it was acquired by the Village of Hastings and leased to the Hastings Historical Society. A new archive and library wing has been built where the 1860 observatory room is located, and the Henry Draper Observatory, in Draper Park, is now the society's museum and headquarters. Visitors are welcome to come to the Observatory Cottage and view the historic structure.

In 1847, John William Draper, a professor of chemistry and physiology at the University of New York City (now New York University), purchased a 20-acre property on ridge along the Albany Post Road, overlooking the small village of Hastings-on-Hudson. Apparently, there was already a house on the property, he either altered or replaced that home to create a Federal-style home. His son Henry shared his father's passion for science and after visiting the famous observatory of Earl of Rosse in Ireland decided to design his own. Along with his brother, Daniel, began work on constructing a reflecting telescope with a 15-1/2-inch concave mirror of silver-coated glass in 1858. In 1867, Henry along with his wife, Anna Palmer built a 28-inch reflecting telescope and two years later they built a larger observatory for this telescope, adjoining the first one. The Observatory Cottage and Observatory are preserved by the Hastings Historical Society and open to the public.






Henry Draper Observatory

During the period in which it was built the popular style of the time was octagonal buildings. After Orson Squire Fowler published, A Home for All, many buildings were structured to mimic the style he wrote about. He wrote “Why continue to build in the same square form all past age?” “The octagon…incloses more space for its wall than the square, besides being more compact and available.”1 (Williams, 214) Fowler had absolutely no experience in architecture but that did not stop him from writing his book, it was the inspiration behind many structures including barns, churches, schools and libraries. Paul J. Amour, was a New York City financier when he built his simpler version his home in 1860. He was a very interested in phrenology. Phrenology was pseudoscience that was widely embraced in the 1800s. It was argued that the brain was separated into many separate 'organs,' controlling mental functions.2 (Williams, 215) Interestingly, Gray Williams noted Fowler thought that his own skull was an example of a strong phrenological development of "Inhabitiveness" (attachment to one's home) and "Constructiveness" (skill in building), making him the best authority of designing structures. Joseph Stiner, wealthy tea importer purchased the home and transformed it into the design that as it appears today. He added a two-story dome and a soaring cupola which more than doubled the height of the building. Also, Stiner also added many elaborate elements to the structure like the paired columns of the surrounding veranda to the wrought-iron cresting on the dome and cupola. 3 (Williams, 214) He even had the exterior painted in ten different colors to emphasize the ornamentation place around the structure. There were several more occupants in the home following Stiner and the best known occupant was Carl Carmer. Carmer began living in the home from in 1940. He was an author, poet, and historian, and he lived in the home until his death in 1976. His legacy includes tales of a residential ghost. The house was included in some of his written work. Shortly after Cramer's death the home was acquired by the National Trust for Historic Preservation to save in from demolition. In need of stabilization and conservation, it was the first house to be acquired by the National Trust and then resold to a private citizen, Joseph Pell Lombardi. 4(https://www.armourstiner.com/) Joseph Pell Lombardi is a preservation architect specializing in conservation, restoration, and historic preservation throughout the world. Under the direction of his son Micheal Hall Lombardi, they have managed to restore work throughout the house including the Egyptian Revival Room, Basement, Kitchen, Greenhouse and Studio and much of the decorative surfaces. 5(https://www.armourstiner.com/) The house and grounds has been restored to it 1872 appearance and the interior of the home is the best display of American Neo-Roman style popular during a brief period in the 3rd quarter in the 19th century. 6(https://www.armourstiner.com/) Tours are available by appointment.

New York City financier and a devotee of phrenology, Paul J. Armour built the house in about 1860. He took his inspiration from the treatise of Orson Squire Fowler, titled The Octagon House, A Home for All, promoting the advantages of an octagon-shaped houses. Armour's Octagon house was fairly simple, containing only a basement and two stories, when prominent New York City tea merchant Joseph Stiner purchased it in 1872, he added a two-story dome and a soaring cupola. Today the house is privately owned and public tours are given.



The Armour-Stiner Octagon House  

As Tarrytown slowly became a more affluent community in the 1880s, local chocolate manufacturer, William, L. Wallace, decided that Main Street would be a promising location to build a brand new entertainment center. He commissioned Philip Edmunds to design a multipurpose building. Edmunds designed the building to contain stores, offices and apartments, as well as a large auditorium with a stage. It is in the Queen Anne architectural style. Edmunds was able to design a building that was perfect as an entertainment facility. The original auditorium had a flat floor and movable seating, so that could be used not only for concerts, lectures, vaudeville and eventually movies, but also for many other activities, such as roller skating, dances, flower shows and fairs. It served as a major community center for several decades. 1 (Williams, 254) Its exterior is characterized by its turrets and towers, executed with brickwork, terra cotta and slate. Terra-cotta panels are used to announce the name "Music Hall" and the era and year of its construction "AD 1885". 2 (Williams, 254) The theater was known for being an affordable alternative to more expensive Broadway shows. Local residents can dine at home or local restaurants and then have a relatively short trip to reach the theater. American actresses Mae West and Theda Bara once performed there; Theodore Roosevelt once campaigned there. It has the location for the filming of several films, documentaries and television programs. In 1915, a major change to the exterior of the building took place when the auditorium entrance was moved from Kaldenberg Place to a more visible location on Main Street and a new marquee was mounted over it. The interior has been remodeled several times in different styles. The most important modification to the theater occurred in 1922, when a sloped floor was installed along with permanent seating remaining that way until 1977. A local school of music and ballet called the Friends of the Mozartina Musical Arts Conservatory purchased the building in 1980. Since its purchase the school has operated the Music Hall, it is used for a variety of performances, particularly of music, due to its excellent acoustics.

Tarrytown Music Hall first opened in 1901 as a multi-purpose entertainment center. As the town of Tarrytown slowly became more affluent in the 1880s, local chocolate manufacturer, William L. Wallace, commissioned architect Philip Edmunds with designing a multipurpose building that would contain stores, offices and apartments, as well as a large auditorium with a stage. The architectural style of its exterior is in the Queen Anne style. It continues to serve the community as an entertainment center today.

Tarrytown Music Hall

The Foster Memorial African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church was built in 1865 and is one of the oldest Black churches in the county and may be one of the oldest in New York state. Records show that in 1790 there were 357 “free colored persons” in Westchester County, occupied mostly as farmhands and house servants. This population of free Black people increased in the first half of the 19th century as a result of manumission and children born of free Blacks. A bill signed by Governor John Jay freed all Blacks born in New York State after July 4, 1799, after they followed a period of servitude until they were 28 years of age. Legislation passed in 1809 declared manumitted slaves capable of receiving and holding estates, and all enslaved individuals of New York were freed on July 4, 1827.  An A.M.E group was organized in Tarrytown in 1860. This denomination was established by free Blacks who faced discrimination in seating and receiving the Eucharist in the John Street Methodist Episcopal Church in New York City. They decided to separate from John Street, choosing to worship among themselves. When the Tarrytown congregation was established, there were only 178 free Blacks in Greenburgh. This congregation was organized by Henry and Amanda Foster, with members of the White Plains congregation and Reverend Jacob Thomas and Hiram Jimerson. They worshiped through several temporary quarters between 1860 and 1864 until they secured the funds to build a church. Local builder/architect James Bird erected the church at a cost of $9,120.85. In Tarrytown, the church served the growing Black population, assisted newly settled freedmen, and helped escaped slaves fleeing the south. Through its “Committee of Vigilance” the church was involved in the Underground Railway. Members of the church continued to provided food and shelter to fugitive slaves attempting to flee to Canada.

Built in 1865, Foster Memorial African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church has served the community for more than one hundred and fifteen years. Organized by Amanda and Henry Foster and built by free Blacks, the church served an African American community that separated from John Street Methodist Episcopal Church in NYC after experiencing discrimination. Foster AME was known as a stop on the Underground Railroad.  Escaped slaves attempting to reach Canada or deciding to settle locally were provided with food, shelter and assistance.

Foster Memorial African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church

Constructed in the late 19th century, the Tarrytown Lighthouse was built in response to pleas by local steamship companies for assistance in navigating dangerous shoals. It is significant as the only lighthouse in Westchester County. It is also the only conical steel structure in Westchester to include living quarters for its occupants. The lighthouse’s exterior prominently features three painted colors. The majority of the structure’s length is white, with a red concrete pier at the bottom, accompanied by a Black lantern room at the top. “It was built to mark a dangerous area off the Tarrytown shoals at a time when river commerce was at its peak.”1  Regarding the layout of the structure, “the foundation is solid concrete, encased in a cylinder of cast-iron plates. The walls of the lighthouse itself are also built of heavy iron plates, and the lower floors are reinforced by an inner wall of brick.”2 The lighthouse has eight windows to illuminate the residential quarters, as well as eight portholes, providing ample light to the interior during the day. When the lighthouse was built, electricity was not available. “Originally all household lighting was provided by kerosene lamps, as was the light in the tower.”3  The first floor of the structure includes the entrance to the lighthouse as well as the main living area (living room and kitchen). The second and third floors are dedicated to a single bedroom each. The fourth floor contains a bedroom and workspace for machinery repair, and features a ladder to access the fifth floor, where the watch room &amp; fog bell machinery are located. Above this all is the lantern room, fully surrounded by a railed walkway, and enclosed with multiple glass panels that allow light to move down to the watch room. A few months after the lighhouse began operation in 1884, it was featured in Scientific American as an engineering marvel, citing its strong beacon as a powerful device to increase safety on the Hudson River.The first occupant of the lighthouse, Jacob Ackerman, served as keeper for 21 years, and recorded his observations. “He kept a journal until 1904 that described shipwrecks and rescues on the Hudson”4 With many rescues in his lifeboat, it is needless to say that he took his duties in a very serious manner. “During his services as keeper, Capt. Ackerman rescued 19 persons, at times pushing the bow of his lifeboat into angry waters - his oars muffled by the roar of the surf that crashed like mighty sledge hammers upon the distant shore.”5 Originally the lighthouse was located a mile out in the River channel, but shoreline extensions and landfills decreased this distance to about 50 feet by 1996. The lighthouse was initially lit by kerosene lamps and battery operated mechanisms, until it was equipped with electricity in 1947 . Not long after, the Tappan Zee Bridge was constructed, which featured sufficient lighting for itself and the surrounding area. The light from the bridge outshone that of the lighthouse, which ultimately led to the deactivation of the lantern light in 1961. The lighthouse was decommissioned in 1965, as its light and bell had become obsolete. It was offered to Westchester County to be used as a museum, and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.

Also known as the “Sleepy Hollow Lighthouse” and the “Kingsland Point Lighthouse,” the Tarrytown Lighthouse is a sixty foot tall structure that served the important job of keeping boats and ships away from the rocky shores of the Hudson River, alerting sailors with its powerful lantern and bell. Built between 1882 and 1883, the five floor steel structure features living quarters for its keepers, and other floors dedicated to recreation. It is the only lighthouse in Westchester County,  and is located in the Kingsland Point Park.

Tarrytown Lighthouse, Sleepy Hollow

Located on Croton Avenue in historic Ossining, New York, the home that is now host to the Ossining Historical Society was built in 1881 by Richard Austin, a lawyer and real estate investor. In the early 1870s, Austin made the decision to move away from the village center and, in 1872, he bought three acres of land from his father- in-law, Jeremiah Sniffen, who owned a large farm just outside the village boundary. The home was finally completed in 1881.The exterior of the home includes Italianate features such as tall, narrow windows on the first floor, an arched front entrance with glazed double doors, and a veranda with scrollwork arches placed between slender pillars. The exterior of the main block of the house is a two and a half story, rectangular, three-bay gable-roofed wood frame structure on a brick and stone foundation. Inside the home is a segmental arched main entrance with surrounding molded frames. The central hall possesses a stairway leading to the upper floors.Richard Austin and his family lived in the home until 1893. After the Austin family sold it, the home was purchased by a series of three families before becoming the home of the Ossining Historical Society in 1970. One of the families built the two and a half story rear addition in 1911. In 1920, the barn located at the rear of the property was moved just up the road and was turned into a private residence.The Ossining Historical Society was officially founded in 1931 to "preserve and celebrate the town's unique history." Originally, meetings were held at the home of the first president of the historical society, Mrs. Fanny Kane. Subsequently, meetings moved to the Ossining Woman's Club until finding a home on the third floor of the Washington School. As more donations poured into the museum, after thirty-five years, the Ossining Historical Society found itself in dire need of a building of its own. In 1970, the nonprofit moved into the historic Richard Austin House. The Historical Society house priceless artifacts from Ossining's rich history including an 1830 landscape by Hugh Reinagle, pieces from old locomotives, and much more. In 1989, the Richard Austin House was added to the National Register of Historic Places.

The Richard Austin House was built as a simplified Italianate style home in 1881 by a prominent lawyer and real estate investor named Richard Austin. The historic home is a rarity because remains completely intact, both internally and externally. Since 1970, the Richard Austin House has been home to the Ossining Historical Society and is open as a museum. 

Ossining Historical Society (Richard Austin House)

During the era in which Brandreth began his business, many people believed that illness was the result of "impurities" in the blood and that purging with laxatives was the most effective way rid the body of them. (Williams, 241) At only 19, Brandreth bought out the interests his relatives had in the business and relocated from Liverpool to London. While in London, Brandreth discovered the benefits of advertising, which mostly revolved around testimonials from satisfied customers to bring in new customers. (Williams, 241)	 In 1835, at 25, he left England with his wife and three children and started up his business in New York City. He invested a considerable amount of capital in advertisement, in the form of newspapers and handbill advertising. Soon the business became a great success. He began to purchase property along the Hudson River in northern Sing Sing (now Ossining), where he built facilities to produce and distribute his products in 1836. Following the death of his wife in May of that year, he decided to move his family to live permanently in Sing Sing. 	The biggest building of the Brandreth Works was built in 1872, when the business was doing very well. It was built in the Second French Empire style, at this time this style was at the height of its popularity. Originally, it was constructed as a one-story Italianate wing, containing an office and machine shop, was added a few years later. It was considered a good place to work by its employees. (Williams, 242-243) Benjamin and his family members after him, always treated the employees well. Many of the workers were women. Typically the company would manufacture medicine that was not rooted in medical science but Benjamin still believed that it was effective. One of his labels on his packages toted, "An universally approved medicine, which by its peculiar action cleanses the blood impurities, removes every pain and weakness, and finally restores the constitution to perfect health and vigor."(Williams, 241) Brandreth's pills were sold all over the United States and, eventually, all over the world. (westchesterarchives.com)	It did not take long for Brandreth to become a prominent figure in the Sing Sing community. In 1840, he became an American citizen and for a third time he married (a brief second marriage ended in divorce). His wife was Virginia Graham, who had worked in the factory, and they had 12 children, of whom 10 survived. Brandreth was active in Democratic politics, he served three years as president of the village and two terms in state senate. He was a parishioner and generous supporter of Trinity Episcopal Church, a trustee of two local banks and the Dale Cemetery Association, and a Mason. (Williams, 243)	At 71 years old Brandreth unexpectedly passed away due to a stroke in 1880, then the business was managed by his son, Franklin. It remained in the possession of the family throughout its existence. In the 20th century, the firm began to expand on what they manufactured, as government regulation of patent medicines and their advertising intensified.	The structure began to deteriorate and the land on which it stood was set to be redeveloped in 2007. For a period of time to save the structure, there was some consideration to repurpose the building. The local Historic Preservation Committee, gave the property local landmark status, keeping the building from being destroyed without permission. In 2015 the remaining structure of the pill factory was demolished by its owner Plateau Associates without a permit.

Benjamin Brandreth was originally from Liverpool, England. His career began as a teenager when he mixed the herbal ingredients of a laxative his physician grandfather had created and molding the mixture into small pills. At only 19, Brandreth bought out the interests his relatives had in the business and relocated from Liverpool to London. In 1835 he left England, he started buying land along the Hudson River in northern Sing Sing (now Ossining), where he built facilities to produce and distribute his products. Eventually, he was able to build a massive industrial complex. Brandreth died suddenly of a stroke in 1880, the business remained in possession of the family. What remained of the Brandreth Works building was demolished by its owner in 2015.

Brandreth Pill Factory

Prior to 1883, the Methodist congregation in Croton-on-Hudson worshiped in Bethel Chapel, a clapboard meeting house built during the late 18th century. By the 1870s the congregation had outgrown Bethel Chapel, and decided to make plans for a new church. In 1876 the congregation, then called the Memorial Methodist Episcopal Church of Croton Landing, purchased land at the corner of Old Post Road South and Maple Street. The congregation dedicated its newly-completed church in 1883. By the time the new church was dedicated, the congregation had taken the name Asbury Methodist Episcopal Church. Now called Asbury United Methodist Church, the house of worship at 17 Old Post Road South has changed little on the outside. The building was constructed of bricks that were made in the Hudson Valley, and the multi-colored slate roof is original. Some changes have been made inside the church. A 1912 pipe organ donated by Andrew Carnegie was replaced during a 1948 renovation, and memorial chimes were added to the bell tower in 1949. The large main facade stained glass window was donated by the Epworth League, a young people's service organization, in 1891. The building on the south side of the church, now called Wesley House, was built as a parsonage in 1891. The first floor has meeting space for the congregation as well as local non-profits, while the second floor has an apartment. The church acquired its present parsonage on Grand Street in 1963. In 1968 Asbury United Methodist Church acquired the former County Trust building on the north side of the church. It was transformed into an educational building with Sunday School rooms, a pastor's office, and nursery. Asbury United Methodist Church was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1999.

Founded in the late 18th century, the Methodist congregation in Croton-on-Hudson originally worshiped at the meeting house now known as Bethel Chapel.  As the congregation grew, it made the decision to build a new house of worship, and it dedicated this Gothic Revival church in 1883.  Although some changes have been made to the interior of the church, its exterior has changed little, and it retains its original slate roof.  Today, the church complex includes the Educational Building, which is a former County Trust bank, and Wesley House, the church's former parsonage.

Asbury United Methodist Church

In the summer of 1875, Henry Ward Beecher was struggling with his career, as well as his personal life. At the time he was being sued by a former close friend, Theodore Tilton, who accused him of adultery with his wife. Beecher purchased 48 acres of land and stayed in a small cottage until he decided to build a larger house. He named the 20 room mansion, Boscobel. He used it as a vacation home, spending his summers and leisure time at the estate.Boscobel was designed in a "variation of High Victorian Gothic that has come to be called the Stick style. It featured prominent trusses in the roof gables and bands of exposed timber on the walls, which resembled structural members but were in fact only decorative. Similarly, the pillars of Stick-style verandas often had open timber struts in place of the usual Gothic brackets or arches."(Williams, 232)Henry Ward Beecher was a famous American clergyman of his time. He consistently delivered passionate sermons every Sunday from 1847 until his death in 1887. He preached to churchgoers at the Plymouth Congregational Church in Brooklyn. He was also a popular speaker on the Lyceum lecture circuit and claimed that his salary from the lecture circuit funded the construction of his home. His wife, Eunice White Beecher, was reserved compared to her husband. She remained loyal to him during the Tilton trial and rallied the family to help preserve his reputation.Beecher was also at the forefront of many social and political causes, ranging from the abolition of slavery to woman's suffrage. Additionally, his theological beliefs were liberal because he stressed the possibility of redemption over threat of damnation; self-realization over self-denial; love over duty.(Williams, 232) Furthermore, Beecher was an enthusiastic gardener and author of a successful gardening book, Plain and Pleasant Talk about Fruits, Flowers, and Farming. After his death in 1887, his widow sold their home. By 1902, the estate would have several owners before it was purchased by Louis Ettinger, an executive of the country's leading color printer, the American Lithographic Company. (Williams, 231) During the 1920s Ettinger's daughter and son-in-law rebuilt the house in the Tudor style, and its original appearance was almost entirely lost. Today, only a portion of the original Beecher's summer home remains. Now the estate has been divided into condominium apartments.

Henry Ward Beecher was a popular and influential Congregational minister. In 1875,  Beecher built a summer home on 48 acres of farmland east of the village of Peekskill. After his death in 1887, it sold by his widow. The estate had several owners before it was purchased in 1902 by Louis Ettinger executive of the country's leading color printer, the American Lithographic Company. Today, the original house remains, but the estate has been divided into condominium apartments.






Beecher-McFadden Estate

The Yorktown Heights Railroad Station was the town center in the 1880s, surrounded by five stores, a library, a hotel, two locksmiths, a wheelwright and two churches. The Town of Yorktown eventually came into ownership of the station and surrounding property when the rail line closed and became a city park. New York Central Railroad's Putnam Division was north between Hudson and Harlem, which were more heavily traveled.Track construction reached Yorktown in 1877, and regular train service began in 1881. It was originally an independent line, the New York City and Northern Railroad, which was meant to be part of an alternative, inland route to Boston via Connecticut and Massachusetts. It suffered financially until it was incorporated into the New York Central system in 1894.  Sharing a standard design with other stations on the line, which includes “a small wooden building, loosely in style Queen Anne, with two main sections, one containing a waiting room and ticket office for passengers, and the other a baggage room.” Eventually, they replaced these tiny wooden stations with larger, more robust masonry structures on the Hudson and Harlem lines. On the "Old Put," however, passenger traffic was never heavy enough to warrant an expansion of the stations, especially at the north end of the line. The Yorktown Heights station remained in service until the Putnam Division finally shut down on May 29, 1958. It was initially sold for commercial use but soon became vacant and in 1966 the Town of Yorktown purchased it. The interior was rebuilt in 1976, and the Yorktown Chamber of Commerce occupied the building until 1982, when a fire forced it to close. The exterior has been renovated in recent years and the surrounding area is landscaped, and it now serves as the visual centerpiece of a park that occupies much of the old railroad yard.  The station was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1981.

The Yorktown Heights Railroad Station was the town center in the 1880s, surrounded by five stores, a library, a hotel, two locksmiths, a wheelwright, and two churches. The Yorktown Heights station remained in service until the Putnam Division finally shut down on May 29, 1958.

It was initially sold for commercial use but became vacant, and in 1966 the Town of Yorktown purchased it. The interior was rebuilt in 1976, and the Yorktown Chamber of Commerce occupied the building until 1982, when a fire forced it to close. The exterior has been renovated in recent years and the surrounding area is landscaped. It now serves as the visual centerpiece of a park that occupies much of the old railroad yard. 

The station was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1981.

Yorktown Heights Railroad Station

Horace Greeley (1811-1872) was a prominent figure of the mid-nineteenth century who founded and was editor of the most influential newspaper of its time, the New-York Tribune. Greeley was also very active in his support of progressive causes, antislavery in particular, and in politics, as a founder of the Republican Party, a supporter of Lincoln, and a candidate for president in 1872. Beginning in 1852, he established a summer home in the hamlet of Chappaqua, where he assembled a farm of about 78 acres, located in what is now a major part of the village center. After Greeley’s death in 1872, the land was inherited by his daughter Gabrielle (1857-1937). Starting in 1846, when the tracks of the New York and Harlem Railroad reached the area, the Chappaqua hamlet grew up around the main railroad crossing. In the early years, farm products made up a bulk of traffic along the line from Chappaqua to New York City, but by 1900, agriculture in Westchester was in decline. In Chappaqua, as commuters to New York City began to grow in number and the hamlet center expanded, the original passenger station became increasingly cramped. Despite some resistance, particularly from neighborhood business proprietors, there was increasing support for building a new station on a larger site.Popular sentiment became a consensus in 1901, when Horace Greeley’s daughter, now Gabrielle Greeley Clendenin, and her husband, Reverend Dr. Frank Montrose Clendenin, donated a site for the station on land from the former Greeley farm, south of Main Street. The new station was dedicated in June 1902, and has remained in operation ever since. Designed by the architectural office of the railroad, the station resembled several others on the division. It was designed to be fire-resistant, with masonry walls and a tile roof. The broad eaves of the roof and an extended canopy along the tracks sheltered passengers from weather and the sooty smoke of the trains.The donation by the Clendenins included not only the site of the station itself but also the semicircular plaza adjoining it. In 1928, the plaza was named for a neighbor and close friend of theirs, Alfred H. Smith, who had been president of the railroad until his untimely death in a riding accident in 1924. Both the station and its plaza are included in The Greeley Heritage Landmarks in Chappaqua, which were added to the National Registry of Historic Places in April of 1979.

The Chappaqua Railroad Depot and Depot Plaza site, located along the Metro-North Harlem train line in Westchester County, New York, includes the historic train station, along with the semicircular plaza adjoining it. The station building now houses a café, which has maintained the original floor plan of the depot and incorporates the old ticket booth as an active element. The Chappaqua Railroad Depot and Depot Plaza, which were constructed in 1902, are on land that was donated to the railroad and the Town of New Castle in 1901 by Dr. Frank M. Clendenin and his wife Gabrielle, daughter of Horace Greeley, the founder and former editor of the New-York Tribune newspaper. The Chappaqua Railroad Depot and Depot Plaza is included in The Greeley Heritage Landmarks in Chappaqua, which were listed on the National Register of Historic Places in April 1979.

Chappaqua Railroad Depot and Depot Plaza

Horace Greeley was one of the most influential figures of the nineteenth century. As founder and editor of the New-York Tribune, a leading periodical of the day, Greeley helped shape public opinion on the most important issues of the time, including slavery and westward expansion.The Greeleys bought 78 acres of farmland in Chappaqua between 1852 and 1854, to serve as their summer estate. The family originally lived in a house at the southern end of the property that they called the "House in the Woods." After several years, Mary Greeley found it too dark, dank, and remote, so, in 1864, Greeley bought the property on the main street of the village, and enlarged and remodeled the existing house there. Although Greeley himself appreciated the solitude of the "House in the Woods" and continued to spend much of his time there, the rest of the family happily occupied the centrally located home for almost a decade.In 1872 Greeley ran for President against Ulysses S. Grant. That fall, he suffered a triple tragedy. First, Mary died on October 30th, following a long illness. Second, a week later, he lost the election. Third, and most seriously, he discovered after returning to the Tribune that he had lost economic and editorial control of the paper. He then collapsed, mentally and physically, and died a month after his wife on November 29th, aged 61.The Greeley daughters, Ida and Gabrielle, spent one more summer in the Main Street home, and then moved to a new dwelling on Senter Street, called the "Side Hill House," which their parents had recently built but hadn’t lived to occupy. The family never again lived in the Main Street house, but rented it out to a succession of tenants. After Ida died in 1882, Gabrielle became the sole heir to the Greeley properties, and made the "Side Hill House" her year-round residence. Meanwhile, the unoccupied "House in the Woods" had burned down in 1876, and the Side Hill House burned in 1890. Thus, the house on Main street (now King Street) became the only surviving residence of Horace Greeley himself.In the 1940s, the house was transformed into the Greeley House gift shop. In 1998, it was acquired by the New Castle Historical Society and restored to its original appearance, based on contemporaneous prints. Reopened in 2000, it is now a historic house museum, open to the public, and it also houses the headquarters of the historical society. The Horace Greeley House is included in The Greeley Heritage Landmarks in Chappaqua (Thematic Group), which were listed on the National Register of Historic Places in April 1979.

Horace Greeley was a noted journalist and one of the most influential Americans of the mid-1800s. The Horace Greeley House in Chappaqua is one of three associated with Greeley, but the only one still extant. The Greeleys bought the house in 1864, a decade or so after purchasing an adjacent farm. Today the home is open to the public as a museum, and it also houses the headquarters of the New Castle Historical Society. The Horace Greeley House is included in The Greeley Heritage Landmarks in Chappaqua (Thematic Group), which were listed on the National Register of Historic Places in April 1979.

Horace Greeley House 

While there is no definitive date of establishment for the community known as “The Hills,” it is accepted that shortly after the American Revolution (1765-1783) “members of the Society of Friends and the Methodist Episcopal Church freed their slaves.”1 Before the Emancipation Proclamation of 1863, few owners sought to free their slaves in the same manner as the Society of Friends, also known as Quakers. In the late 1700’s, the Quakers in Westchester increasingly felt that “slavery was inconsistent with their religious beliefs,”2 and because of that they emancipated all of those that had endured serving the will of others throughout their lives. The Quakers also provided them with land to use as they pleased. “This marked the beginning of the Hills, a thriving 19th-century community of free African-Americans, one of the oldest in the nation.”3 The newly emancipated slaves settled what was known as “rough lands,” mostly rocky uplands. Despite the difficulty in transforming the land into a habitable area, they were able to establish a thriving community, co-existing with their nearby white neighbors. Residents of this community were not rich, yet their close-knit families would go on to form the strong foundations of a support network that helped protect members from hardships. Over the decades, the community continued to grow from these foundations, reaching around two hundred members by 1860. The community featured many houses, a one-room schoolhouse, a church, and a six-acre cemetery.  The cemetery in the community, commonly known as “Stony Hills Cemetery” features two hundred known graves, but many believe there could be as many as four hundred graves. Because fieldstones were often used to mark the graves, it is hard to determine what was intended as a grave marker and what stones were naturally occurring. Most of the people in the community could not afford to have an engraved headstone for their family member. Many stones (with the exception of seven) have no inscriptions, making it difficult to determine the total number of burial sites.  The seven inscribed headstones are mostly associated with men that fought for the Union during the Civil War (1861-1865). It is believed that anywhere from 32-34 men enlisted, mostly with Connecticut's 29th Colored Infantry, but only seven inscribed headstones stand in the cemetery; “and four of these are standard federal markers issued to veterans of the Civil War.”4 The additional three marked stones are assumed to belong to a couple and the last most likely belonging to a labor organization employee by the name of Harvey Seymour. Other factors for the uncertainty of the number of graves include issues over land ownership, vegetation overgrowth and poor upkeep of the cemetery, and possible looting's from the site over the years. Many work to find a resolution for the site today in order to maintain and preserve what is left.

Created sometime around 1800, Stony Hill Cemetery in Harrison was established to be the burial place of emancipated slaves and their descendants. Most of the people buried within this cemetery were members of a community called “The Hills,” also once known as “Negro Hills”. The community itself was the largest African American Community in Westchester during the time of its existence, with around two hundred members by 1860. Today there are at least two hundred residents of the community buried in the six-acre cemetery, several of whom served in the Civil War.

Stony Hill Cemetery 

The White Plains Rural Cemetery, located on 167 North Broadway, is a historical site in Westchester County notable for its beautiful setting and the varied architecture of its monuments. The Cemetery, founded in 1854, is an example of the new secular burial parks which were not on the site of church yards, and featured winding roads, hilly landscapes and vistas. The design of many monuments located in the Cemetery became increasing flamboyant, and many prosperous families looking for a peaceful place to bury loved ones were attracted to the cemetery. (2) One of the unique monuments at the White Plains Rural Cemetery memorializes Samuel J. Walton, who died on August 20, 1898 from disease or wounds from fighting in the Spanish-American War. The marker, which appears as the cut stump of a tree, includes an area where the bark appears to be shaved away which displays the engraved words “Love And Patriotism.” While most tree-stump stone monuments are made of limestone or marble, this is made of granite, a challenging material for sculptors to use to reproduce the fine detail of bark. (1) Another distinct grave site with markers in granite at the White Plains Rural Cemetery is the Nash Family Plot. Family plots were a typical feature in cemeteries at this time, and this is the largest in this cemetery. The Nash Family Plot is outlined by a low wall and has polished urns at the entrance. Looking at the entry, you will see the name of Frances V. Nash the family member who ordered the whole granite ensemble, in raised letters on the steps. At the center of the plot is the tall monument which includes an angel statue and a portrait bust for Job M. Nash, a Cincinnati businessman who died in 1894. Buried at corners of the plot are two children named Ada and Jay. (1) The unfortunate fact of child mortality rates in the 19th century is reflected in the large proportion of children’s graves at the White Plains Rural Cemetery and at other contemporary cemeteries. At the White Plains Rural Cemetery there are symbolic statues at children’s graves, including unopened flower buds on broken stems, cherubic angels and sleeping babies. (1) Along with all the wealthy families that have loved ones buried at the White Plains Rural Cemetery there are also some famous names as well. One of these is Dr. Olivia Juliette Hooker (1915-2018), a well known psychologist and professor. (3) Another one is Ralph Waite (1928-2014), an actor known for playing John Walton in the TV series The Walton’s. Another burial of note is Carl “The Truth” Williams (1959-2013), who was one of the top ranked heavy weight boxers. (4) White Plains Rural Cemetery was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2003.

The White Plains Rural Cemetery, organized on December 16, 1854, is a historical site in Westchester County notable for  its varied and extravagant memorials. it is an early example of the expansive rural cemetery, which featured winding roads and elaborate landscaping, and included lager assertive monuments.

White Plains Rural Cemetery

William E. Ward (1821-1900), a native of Indiana and a member of the Society of Friends, moved to Port Chester in 1845. He was involved for a time in the manufacturing of wooden screws, and later became a partner in Russell, Burdsall &amp; Ward Bolt and Nut Company. In 1873 Ward decided to build a home in what was then an inincorporated part of the Town of Rye, but is now part of the Village of Rye Brook. Ward hired architect Robert Mook of New York City to build a fireproof structure made only of reinforced Portland cement and iron "I" beams and rods. Wood was to be used only for decorative details as well as doors and window frames. The plan received a great deal of publicity, with skeptics referring to the proposed structure as "Ward's Folly." When the structure stood solid after it was completed in 1876, however, it became known as "Ward's Castle." The house also included a heating system and a self-contained water supply system.William E. Ward died in 1900, and Ward's Castle was inherited by his son William Lukens Ward. The younger Ward served one term in Congress from 1897 to 1899, and headed the Republican Party in Westchester County from 1896 until his death in 1933. Although he never served in any public elected office other than his one term in Congress, Ward dominated county politics, and was one of the most powerful Republican county chairman in New York. Ward Pound Ridge Reservation, Westchester County's largest park, was named for him in 1938.William Lukens Ward's daughters resided in Ward's Castle until 1972. The home was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1976, and the following year it became home to the Museum of Cartoon Art. After the museum relocated to Boca Raton, Florida, in 1992, the house returned to its original role as a private residence.

The home popularly known as Ward Castle was one of the most unique structures in Westchester County when it was completed in 1876. It was built by William E. Ward, who was a partner in the Russell, Burdsall &amp; Ward Bolt and Nut Company in Port Chester. Ward desired a home built of fire-resistant concrete, and he hired architect Robert Mook to design such a house for him. Construction, which Ward personally oversaw, began in 1873, and took three years to finish. Some area residents who were skeptical of Ward's idea originally called his home Ward's Folly. Once the structure proved to be stable, it became popularly known as Ward's Castle, and is believed to be the first residence in the United States to have been built entirely out of concrete. The home remained in the Ward family to 1972, and was the home of the Museum of Cartoon Art from 1977 to 1992. It is now a private residence.

William L. Ward House (Ward's Castle)

The Port Chester Fire Department's first volunteer company was founded in 1824 when Clinton Engine Company No. 1 was organized. The village's second fire company, Putnam Engine and Hose Company, was formed in 1854. It was named for General Israel Putnam of Revolutionary War fame, and the following year it settled into a firehouse on Liberty Square. The company's membership grew rapidly during the second half of the 19th century. Although its official membership was listed to 60 members, the company was allowed to have an auxiliary contingent of "runners." In 1882 these "runners" were permitted to form their own separate company, and they took the name Putnam Hose Company. In 1888 the two Putnam companies moved into a new firehouse on South Main Street. This new structure was designed by architect Howard G. Slater in the Queen Anne style, and was built by W.A. Thomas of Rye. Although the firehouse's brick facade was changed several times over the years, much of the building's interior was intact as of the early 1980s. To avoid confusion with Putnam Engine and Hose Company, Putnam Hose Company changed its name to Morris Hose Company in 1890. In 1894 it changed its name to Mellor Hose Company in honor of Mr. and Mrs. Santiago W. Mellor, who had provided a great deal of support to the company, including a set of coachman's-gray uniforms. The South Main Street Firehouse was remained in active use for 107 years until a rock slide behind the firehouse struck the rear wall of the building in 1995. This wall was shored up, but the structural damage that had occurred meant that a full rehabilitation was impractical. Both companies relocated from the firehouse, which was used for storage. The firehouse was demolished in November 2007. The building that was constructed on the location of the firehouse bears a number of Maltese crosses, symbolizing the site's previous use, as well as a cupola reminiscent of that which topped the Putnam and Mellor Engine and Hose Company Firehouse.

One of the longest-serving firehouses in Westchester County, Putnam and Mellor Engine and Hose Company Firehouse, also known as the South Main Street Firehouse, was constructed in 1888 in the Queen Anne style.  The building was home to the Putnam Engine and Hose Company, which was founded in 1854, and Mellor Hose Company, which was separated from the Putnam company in 1894.  The firehouse was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1983, and is the only firehouse in Westchester County to have received such a designation.  Unfortunately, the building had to be abandoned as a active firehouse in 1995 following a rock slide behind the structure.  It was demolished in 2007.

Westchester County in the Gilded Age

Mapleton

Introduction

Images

Backstory and Context

Sources