[Thomas Casey]

Fordham road trian station bookstore and Fordha u. behind man

[Thomas Casey]

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="851"] Place where Captain Rowe Died in his bride to be arms. ( Elizabeth Fowler )[/caption]

 

[Thomas Casey]

I was asked by students of PS 81, Robert J Christen School in Woodlawn about ghosts at the Van Cortlandt Mansion.  The students recently visited the Morris-Jumel Mansion in Manhattan and wanted information before they visited the Van Cortlandt Mansion.   Except for the strange and scary  gargoyles that adorned the VC Mansion,  I had never heard of a VC Ghost story.   Until I went home that night and started my research.   Sure enough….I found out that the ghost of Captain Rowe, of the British Pruicsbank Jaegers roams the house during the night of his death.  He was shot while on his last patrol by men of Captain Pray’s company.  He resigned his commission, in order to get married to Elizabeth Fowler  of Harlem.  His wounded body was laid to care in the Washington Bedroom at VC.  When his bride arrived with her mother, Captain Rowe died in her arms.   Part of the story can be found at https://books.google.com/books?id=E1A2AQAAMAAJ&pg=PA214&lpg=PA214&dq=Pruicsbank+Jaegers&source=bl&ots=ZYRHrsVMSx&sig=eAWV05VXhfl9Y2vqyIsM_ClL8AM&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjMhPKMrsXcAhVLVd8KHXJzAxEQ6AEwAXoECAMQAQ#v=onepage&q=Pruicsbank%20Jaegers&f=false

[Thomas Casey]

Van Cortlandt mansion and out buildings

[Thomas Casey]

Every time I see a photo or  drawing of a Bronx scene,  I try to confirm with maps or other  sources.   For the parade grounds and Burial grounds I am now searching for maps and photos.  Hope I get lucky.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="811"] 1873 Topo map Van cortlandt mansion to the south[/caption]

Tom Casey

 

[Thomas Casey]

DAN,

At the White Plains  County Clerk,  Real Estate Office,  you can search on computers,  based on names

You will quickly find  deeds or mortages, I am sure for Van Tassel etc  The deed may say what and when the house was built…..    Not sure if they have records from the building dept available ?    Do you live close bu in Yonkers ?

Then you can move on to family members

[Thomas Casey]

 

[Thomas Casey]

The photo was from 2004 but I have brushed the leaves around the area recently and found the same stones.  See article attached

[Thomas Casey]

This is very shocking….I was not aware of the mis-management of these headstones.  I wonder if our local leaders are aware ?

I have posted a picture of the burial plot before the recent removal of the headstones

[Thomas Casey]

Maybe the view to the right os more like Columbia Fields

[Thomas Casey]

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="703"] Blie Bell[/caption]

Yes…The Blue Bell was along the old Kingsbridge Road or ” Broadway ” in Manhattan

[Thomas Casey]

Southern Pacific Railroad, one of the great American railroad systems, established in 1861 by the “big four” of western railroad building—Collis P. Huntington, Leland Stanford, Mark Hopkins, and Charles Crocker.

The Southern Pacific Railroad was founded  by a group of businessmen led by Timothy Phelps.

 

[Thomas Casey]

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="636"] View of Spuyten Duyvil creek from a Valentine Manuel[/caption]

A view from the top of the railroad cut to Where the Broadway Bridge will later be built

[Thomas Casey]

An other view from the top of the hill looking across to the new inwood playground area.

[Thomas Casey]

An other view from the top of the hill looking across to the new inwood playground area.

[Thomas Casey]

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="811"] School map 1868[/caption]

Acording to Rev Tieck School Days Riverdale Kingsbridge and Spuyten Duyvil, the school house was locaed near  Piece St off Kingsbridge Road/ Spuyten Duyvil Road in 1857.  It is clearly on his map from 1865 on page 34-35 “map of Village of Spuyen Duyvil ” Vol 3, Page 8.  I have attached a similar map from 1868 with the school circled

 

[Thomas Casey]

Yes….according to the
Iron Molders’ Journal – Volume 33 – Page 540  1897,   Moulder Henry McCauley was suspended

[Thomas Casey]

One Listing from 1884  has Hugh McCauley on the West side of Spuyten Duyvil Road

https://books.google.com/books?id=MrNXAAAAYAAJ&pg=RA18-PT3&dq=%22Hugh+McCauley%22+spuyten+duyvil&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjDhJ6-uK3aAhXtwVkKHe7vBjUQ6AEILzAB#v=onepage&q=%22Hugh%20McCauley%22%20spuyten%20duyvil&f=false

[Thomas Casey]

I have added the Johnson Foundry map from 1884

[Thomas Casey]

Map from 1884  has a few houses along Kingsbridge Road and Spuyten Duvil Road  ( both areas are now built up with schools on the east side of these streets.   Along the west side of Spuyten Duyvil Road is appx  Palisades ave today.  A trip to the real estate office will help.  I use the Westchester County clerks office first, before going to the Bronx Office.

see NYPL  digital collection   https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/9ac25672-06b3-3ba0-e040-e00a1806439f

[Thomas Casey]

I always use the NYPL Digital collections first,  searching on  ” spuyten duyvil road ”   and I got back map

Double Page Plate No. 44, Part of Ward 24, Section 13  which you can zoom in on.

The url is    https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/510d47e2-7823-a3d9-e040-e00a18064a99

The 225th st address may have been renumbered,  since 225th street is both in Marble Hill, near Broadway and in Spuyten Duyvil

 

[Thomas Casey]

 

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="811"] Jacbus Van Cortlandt Slave reward[/caption]

Many Bodies were diinterred from the DYCKMAN-NAGEL CEMETERY located in Inwood. I am sure there were many African American burials nearby this site. Maps from the early 1900s indicate that the cemetery was bounded by Ninth and Tenth Avenues and 212th and 213th Streets in Inwood.

[Thomas Casey]

I can think of 31 that I have, but then again I only collect Bronx Postcards ! Was it the edgehill you just saw ?
Bailey Avenue, Looking South from West 230 St
Broadway and 230th Street as it looked in 1890
Bronx Catholic Orphan Asylum (for Girls), Sedwick Avenue & Kingsbridge Road, N.Y.City
Church of the Mediator, Kings Bridge Ave, Kings Bridge, NY
Convent of Jesus Mary, Church St, Kings Bridge, NY
Dutch Garden at Van Cortlandt Park
Elmhurst Residence of Mr. G.P. Morosini, Riverdale-on-Hudson, NY
Engine Co. 52, N.Y. Fire Department, Kings Bridge
Engine Company, 81, N.Y.F.D., Kings Bridger, NY
Hadley’s or Farmers’ Bridge, Harlem River & Kings Bridge Road
Historic Kings Bridge of Revolutionary Days
Kings Bridge Police Station, 40 Precinct, Boston Avenue
Lake & Boat House, Van Cortlandt Park
Looking West from Webb Academy, towards the Palisades, Kings Bridge, NY
Old Godwin Mansion, 228 St Broadway
Old Kings Bridge Hotel. A Popular Road House of Former Days
Old Station of the NY Central RR at KingsBridge
Old Van Cortlandt Mansion, Van Cortlandt Park
Power House, Looking South from 225 St & Broadway
Presbyterian Chapel at Spuyten Duyvil,NY
Prison Window from the Old Sugar House, in Van Cortlandt Park
Private Residence, Spuyten Duyvil on Hudson
PS No. 7 – Kings Bridge, N.Y.
Scene in Dashe’s Lane, Van Cortlandt, NYC
Seton Hospital, Riverdale Ave, Spuyten Duyvil, NY
St Stephen’s ME Church, Marble Hill, Kings Bridge
Temporary Terminus of Subway at 230 St, Kingsbridge, NYC
Hagman’s Tree, Spuyten Duyvil on the Hudson, New York City
New York Public Library, Kings Bridge Branch
Roman Catholic Orphan Asylum. ( for Girls) Sedwick ave and Kingsbridge Road NYC
Scene at Van Cortlandt Park – The Old Mill Waterway

[Thomas Casey]

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="594"] Paul Revere Invoice[/caption]

This image comes from the book 1909 – The Life of Colonel Paul Revere, Volume 1
By Elbridge Henry Goss

[Thomas Casey]

 

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