Historic Pelham Blog Archive
January 1, 2009

350TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION BOOK:  "THOMAS PELL AND THE LEGEND OF THE PELL TREATY OAK" -- $11.95 (PROCEEDS AFTER PRINTING COSTS WILL GO TO BARTOW-PELL MANSION MUSEUM).  CLICK HERE TO BROWSE BEFORE YOU BUY! LEARN MORE.

In 1886, John Thomas Scharf released his monumental, multi-volume History of Westchester County. The work includes much about the history of Pelham. Below is a brief excerpt that provides a little history of the bridge known as Pelham Bridge.

"Pelham Bridge, which crosses East Chester Creek at the head of East Chester or Pelham Bay, was authorized as follows:

By a legislative act of March 16, 1812, Herman Le Roy, James Havey, William Bayard, John Bartow, Richard Ward, Elbert Roosevelt, Daniel Pelton, Joshua Euastace and John Hunter were incorporated as the East Chester Bridge Company, and authorized to build a toll-bridge from the farm of James Harvey in the town of Pelham to the point of Throgg's Neck called Dormer's Island. Within a few years a storm destroyed the bridge, and on April 12, 1816, the General Assembly empowered the company to sell its property and franchises at public auction, the purchaser to become the owner of the franchise for forty-five years. Nothing seems to have been accomplished under this act, and int 1834 George Rapelje was authorized to build a bridge over East Chester Creek 'at the pint where the bridge formerly stood.' If the draw permitted free navigation, and the Common Please judges of the county were satisfied with the structure, it being made their duty to inspect it, Rapelje was allowed to collect tolls upon traffic. His grant was to run thirty years, but in 1860 the supervisors of Westchester County were directed by an act of the Legislature to purchase this Repelje's or Pelham Bridge and make it free, which they promptly did."

Source: Scharf, J. Thomas, ed., History of Westchester County, New York Including Morrisania, Kings Bridge and West Farms Which Have Been Annexed to New York City, Vol. 1, Part 2, Chapter XX. Westchester Town by Fordham Morris, p. 815 (Philadelphia, PA: L.E. Preston & Co. 1886).

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posted by Blake A. Bell @ 4:36 AM Comment

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