The Chronicle

A Publication of

The Bronxville Historical Conservancy

FALL 2004 Bronxville, New York

Homeward Bound.

Join us for the 2004 Historic House Tour.

BY CAROLYN MARTIN

Bronxvilles Founding Father, WILLIAM VAN DUZER LAWRENCE. Members are invited to tour his magnificent home at the 2004 Historic House Tour.

INSIDE

Presidents House, Sarah Lawrence College

ot just one but two grand houses and two of Bronxville's most noted architects are on the program for this fall's historic house tour set for Sunday, November 7th. The membership tour will begin at 4:00 p.m. at the splendid stone neo-Tudor house at 935 Kimball Road built by Lewis Bowman in 1924 for financier Roy C. Graham -- better known today as the home of the president of Sarah Lawrence College. Unfortunately, the 1929 stock market crash made it necessary for Bowman to buy back his creation from the impoverished owner, which lead to the greatly diminished fortunes of Bowman as well. Across Kimball and nestled in the center of the campus, "Westlands," the brick and timber home of Sarah and William Van Duzer Lawrence, was built by William Bates and his partner Kenneth How in 1917. Although altered over the years to better serve the needs of the college, many of the fine original details still exist today and can be viewed and enjoyed beginning at 5:00 p.m. during the reception and business meeting portion of the tour. Any questions, please call Carolyn Martin at 664-3051.

Frankly Speaking Highlights of Walter Isaacsons talk on Ben Franklin You Gotta Have Art! A review of Jayne Warmans Art-to-Art Talk Up the Lazy River Enjoying the best of the historic Hudson Lost Treasures Searching for missing art Chief Gramatan is on a roll! Civil War Expert set to speak at 2005 Brendan Gill Lecture PLUS... In Loving Memory Looking for New Project Ideas Letter to the Editor

Frankly Speaking, Walter Isaacson was terrific!

Liz and Paul Murphy

Walter Isaacson ithout a single note, former CNN and Time Magazine executive Walter Isaacson captivated an expectant crowd at the 6th annual Brendan Gill Lecture with the wit and wisdom gained from years of researching the life of Benjamin Franklin. The former Cedar Knolls resident spoke of Franklins belief in civic-minded virtue -- a trait that Conservancy Co-chair Bob Riggs believes the people of Bronxville exemplify. Isaacson noted that Franklin would undoubtedly concur.

Dale Walker

Gay Reetz and son, Gary Reetz

Can you believe he spoke without notes and answered each and every question extemporaneously? Not only is he extremely talented as a writer and lecturer with an incredible mind, but he is also a really nice man! Bunny Almy

Bunny Almy

An admiring audience and full house at the 2004 Brendan Gill Lecture held March 5th at Concordia College.

You gotta have art...

reasured art is coming home, thanks to the efforts of the Bronxville Historical Conservancy. On May 16th, Art Historian Jayne Warman drew a packed crowd at the Yeager Community Room as she presented works of art the Conservancy has acquired as a part of its effort to bring the creations of early Bronxville artists back to our community. The paintings will be displayed in the newlyrenovated Village Hall so that Bronxville's artistic Jayne Warman legacy can be appreciated by many viewers. Ms. Warman noted that the Conservancy has focused on bringing back works by artists that are not represented in the Bronxville Library art collection and shared insights into each early artists life. Among the works presented were two winter scenes by Sheldon Parsons who captured the beauty of the Bronx River and surrounding woods as well as a spring landscape by Walter Clark that reflects this artist's enthusiasm for painting the local scenery, particularly the woodlands along the Bronx River. Warman noted that a beautifully painted watercolor by Will Hicok Low epitomizes his mastery of allegorical subjects. A charming scene of toy sail boats on the Bronxville pond bought in memory Jean Bartlett was painted by Will Low's wife, Mary Fairchild Low, who presented it as a wedding gift to Fanny Ellsworth and Robert Scannell, a noted village architect, in 1925. A large and splashy still life of peonies by Spencer Baird Nichols departs from the landscape subjects that are a large part of the Conservancy's growing collection. Also on exhibit: an allegorical scene donated by Charles Hinton, Jr., painted by his father and given to him as a wedding gift. The most recent acquisition was a striking portrait of William Van Duzer Lawrence given to the Conservancy by Bob and Sarah Underhill. Bob is the Bob Underhill great-great grandson of this Bronxville founding father. The Conservancy's spring event also included a small loan exhibition of works by Bronxville artists and a lovely reception.

Photo Shop: Art for the Future? Mary Civiello, captured at the lecture

Yes! He is my great-great grandfather. My grandmother, Lucia Meigs Andrews, was William and Sarahs granddaughter.

Bob Underhill next to portrait of his great-great grandfather, William Van Duzer Lawrence

Cheryne McBride

Lydia Maria Petrosino points out her painting of The Bronxville Trolley to Victoria Manley and Carl d'Angio

Up a laz

Enjoying an historic day on the H

BY PATTY DOH

Mary Thaler and Patty Dohrenwend

served up for the occasion. One hundred enthusiastic members departed the Yonkers pier, eager for the two-hour cruise north. On the river the Sea Streak fast ferry encountered sails galore, a B-17 bomber overhead and lighthouses in the stream as the history buffs made their way to the Kingston Roundout dock.

hen the Bronxville Historical Conservancy embarked on its September trip to historic Montgomery Place in Annandale-onHudson, a glorious Sunday afternoon was

Montgomery Place did not disappoint our members either. Managed by Bob Dohrenwend and George Unis Historic Hudson Valley, the estates docents and horticultural experts guided us in three groups through the estates 434 acres of rolling lawns, woodlands along the Sawkill cataracts and the outstanding 1920s planned garden, a creation of land-

What struck me about Montgomery Pla family lived, was how human and 'everyda midst of their wealth relative to the rest of important role in the early history of this n they, too, had to put their pants on one le ships of ordinary living in the early days o

Bob Dobbin

Bob and Linda Shearer

George McKinnis, Nanc

zy river...

Hudson and visit to a grand estate.

HRENWEND

scape architect A.J. Downing. The mansion that is the centerpiece of the estate exhibits not only the mark of the great 19th-century architect A.J. Davis, but also the familial tastes of the Livingstons during their 200 years of residency (1804-1985). Whether it is the dining rooms unique enamel morning glory chandelier or the comfort of the open veranda, the home clearly recalls gracious living from eras past. Co-chairs, Marilynn Wood Hill and Bob Riggs

The group then fast forwarded in time as we drove through the Bard College campus for a quick look at the gleaming Frank Gehry-designed Richard B. Fisher Center for the Performing Arts. Only recently completed in 2003, the building is already touted as a Hudson valley landmark. Peter and Bea Herrick Our Sunday travelers enjoyed drinks, good food and chatter all the way home making the Hudson River Trip a repeat treat for so many members.

ace, where generations of the Livingston ay' their living quarters were, even in the the populace. The family played such an nation and New York State, and, yet, eg at a time when it came to the hardMarcia Lee of this country.

Marcia Lee

cy Hand and Bill Murphy

Schatze Thorp and Ellen Seabring

Hes on a roll.
Look for Chief Gramatan on a Westchester Bus!

Chief Gramatan A leader of the Siwanoy Indians in the 17th century.

ctober was Local History Month in Westchester County. To help celebrate, County Executive Andy Spano named 15 Westchester County Bee-Line buses in honor of our countys rich history and heritage. You will be pleased to see that our "Chief Gramatan" is one of the first new buses on the road, with the image used on the car card and pamphlet having been taken from the collection in the Bronxville Public Library. A little history: When Henry Hudson came to Westchester in 1609, the area was populated with several tribes of Algonquin-speaking Indians. The Siwanoys lived along the shore of Long Island Sound and inland as far as White Plains. Chief Gramatan, a courageous and friendly Native American, was among those who deeded the lands of the Siwanoy to Thomas Pell in 1666. A full monthly calendar of events was pulled together by the Westchester County Historical Society and includes activities from many of our neighboring historical societies, sites and museums. Patty Dohrenwend says you can find more information about the month-long celebration on the Internet at: http://www.westchestergov.com/currentnews/2004pr/busnames.htm

Lost Treasures
BY JAYNE WARMAN

Valued paintings were given to the village and school...where are they now?
he Conservancy has become increasingly conscious of the villages artistic legacy and has recently taken on the mission of searching for some of its lost treasures. One notable example is a mural painted by Will Hicok Low, given to the Bronxville School in a grand and moving ceremony attended by more than 100 guests in 1932. It depicts Lows interpretation of a poem on youth by Ralph Waldo Emerson, and it was completed, according to the local press, just hours before his death. The picture was to be permanently hung in the Bronxville Schools, specifically the Library. It is not known where this painting is today. Several years later, four panels by Low were acquired for the school, a gift from the Class of 1933. They were preliminary studies of murals, painted between 1914-1918, that decorated the rotunda of the State Education Building in Albany. The panels represented Astronomy and Geography, Theseus, the Pathfinder, Icarus, the Sky-Soarer, and Medicine and Chemistry. They were to be hung in the main foyer of the school. The locations of these paintings, too, are unknown, although photographs of the murals from Lows papers exist in the Local History Room. Another canvas, by cattle painter William H. Howe, was presented by the artist to the Village of Bronxville and hung in the Trustees Room of the old Village Hall that was demolished in 1942. It must have been quite large because the local paper declared there is no other public building in the village to accommodate itIt covers the full width of the wall. All that is presently known about the large canvas is that it was a landscape scene and that it is missing. One can only hope that these gifts to village residents are squirreled away in a dark recess of the school,Village Hall or elsewhere, just waiting to be discovered. Anyone with any information about the works, please contact Jayne Warman at JSWarman51@aol.com.

Whats up, Doc?

Board Member and Project Chair, Dr. Robert Wein wants your ideas!
Five years. Within that short time span the Bronxville Historical Conservancys annual program of events has become a must for many of our members. The September Hudson River visits to historic residences, the winter Brendan Gill lecture series, the annual house tour, and our Sunday afternoon Lawrence Park artists lecture series are well known to our membership. Less well known is the current effort to expand our collection of paintings from the Lawrence Park era for eventual display in the renovated Village Hall, the Conservancys grants for projects associated with the Local History Room at the Library, and our research into producing additional street sign frames & posts if the village requires them in the future. However, your board would welcome suggestions for a more visible project, which would be of service to the village, similar to the restoration of the Avon Road lanterns that was completed last year. Any ideas? Drop a note to the Bronxville Historical Conservancy, P.O. Box 989, Bronxville, N.Y. 10708 or send an e-mail to rmwdds@aol.com. We would appreciate hearing from you.

Civilities.
Honest, Abe...this event will be the talk of the town in February!

Princeton Professor of History and Civil War Expert JAMES MCPHERSON will be the featured speaker at the 7th Annual Brendan Gill Lecture

In Loving Memory
With heavy hearts, we note the passing of dear friends and members of the Bronxville Historical Conservancy. FIELDING BOWMAN DON CAMERON JANE ELLIOTT WAYNE FREDERICKS PRISCILLA HAWKINS JOHN WILSON and GEORGE PLIMPTON 2000 Brendan Gill Lecturer May their spirits rest in peace. Their memories will be in our hearts and minds forever.

"Lincoln as Commander in Chief"

Friday, February 25, 2005 8:00 p.m. Concordia College Sommer Center

Abraham Lincoln is known to history as savior of the Union, the Great Emancipator, author of the Gettysburg Address, and martyr to an assassin's bullet. Less well known is his role as commander in chief of the armed forces, which absorbed more of his time and energy than anything else. This lecture will discuss his active role in the formulation and execution of Union national and military strategy. James McPherson

Professor James McPherson

Our very first!

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Opining from Ohio
Hello Nancy, Here are a few pictures of a Bronxville, N.Y. stamped pocket knife that I retrieved from a local antique shop. I believe this to be an extremely rare piece, not only because of its condition (it's absolutely mint, untouched, in its original leather purse), but also due to the fact that three of the four blades are stamped "MILLER BROS.," and the fourth stamped "BRONXVILLE-NEW YORK". What makes that rare is the fact that MILLER BROS. was a firm that started in the mid 1800s that was located in Meriden, Conn., and the only cutlery company that I know of in Bronxville, N.Y. was "J. Ward" circa 1860s. That is according to numerous reference books on cutlery that I have researched. This knife has not been altered in any way. I thought you would find this of some interest and possibly share it with others from the Historical Society. If anyone has any information to offer about either of these firms, or know of any other links, it would be greatly appreciated. Sincerely, Gary Pasko GARY PASKO 17167 MISTY LAKE DRIVE STRONGSVILLE, OHIO 44136
Note that on Garys knife, one blade is stamped Bronxville -- the other, Miller Bros.

Dear Gary, Perhaps the knife was crafted at the Old Saw Mill (pictured above) near the Bronx River on Pondfield Road West. At the time depicted in this sketch, the mill housed the cutlery factory of James Swain. It later became the J. Ward factory. Yours truly, Nancy

Wed love to hear from you! Send your questions or photographs or bits of history to share to The Chronicle, vitt@optonline.net

The Chronicle
Bronxville Historical Conservancy Fall 2004 Designed & Edited by Nancy Vittorini Submissions welcome!
Published by the

Mark your Calendar! James McPherson is our noted speaker for the 7th Annual Brendan Gill Lecture. February 25, 2005

The Bronxville Historical Conservancy

P. O. Box 989 Bronxville, NY 10708 The Bronxville Historical Conservancy was founded in 1998 to further the understanding and appreciation of the history and current life of the Village of Bronxville, New York. The Conservancy furthers its mission through the presentation of programs, publications, lectures and special events that foster an awareness of the villages architectural, artistic and cultural heritage and lends its support for projects designed to strengthen and preserve those legacies.