Mr. Bell has been a resident of Pelham for more than six years.
He and his son, Brett, are avid students of the history of The Pelhams and
surrounding areas. They have devoted much time and effort to the study of that history.
Mr. Bell has assembled an extensive private
collection of books, manuscripts, ephemera, historical maps, memorabilia and
electronic files concerning Pelham and surrounding areas.
Mr. Bell is responsible for administering the Knowledge Management
program for his law firm, Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP. Most recently,
he has been applying techniques used in his job to organize items relating to the history of
The Pelhams. For example, he has been scanning
photographs, documents, clippings and other materials in an effort to
preserve the extensive historical records of the Town of Pelham
electronically.
Mr. Bell is the author of the book "Thomas Pell and the Legend of the
Pell Treaty Oak" published by iUniverse, Inc. in March 2004 as part of
Pelham's 350th Anniversary Celebration. He also is the author of the
book "Town of Pelham's 350th Anniversary Celebration - Historian Blake
Bell's Articles Published in The Pelham Weekly Plus Photos of Key Events"
published in 2006. He also has authored more than seventy articles on the history of The Pelhams
for a variety of publications, including:
Thomas Pell's Treaty Oak, 78(3) The Westchester
Historian pp. 73-81 (Summer 2002).
The Pelhamville Train Wreck of 1885: "One of the
Most Novel in the Records of Railroad Disasters", 80(1) The
Westchester Historian pp. 36-43 (2004).
Pelham and the Toonerville Trolley, 82(4) The Westchester
Historian, pp. 96-111 (Fall 2006).
Pelham's Ghosts, Goblins and Legends, The Pelham
Weekly, Oct. 25, 2002, at 1, col. 1.
Col. Delancey Kane and "The Pelham Coach", The Pelham
Weekly, Vol. XII, No. 38, Sept. 26, 2003, p. 1, col. 1.
Pelham History: How Did Pelham Get Its Name?, The Pelham
Weekly, Vol. XIII, No. 1, Jan. 2, 2004, p. 9, col. 1.
Pelham History: Why Did Thomas Pell Buy the Lands That Became
Pelham?, The Pelham Weekly, Vol. XIII, No. 2, Jan. 9, 2004, p. 11,
col. 1 through p. 12, col. 3.
Pelham History: Native Americans of Pelham and Surrounding
Area, The Pelham Weekly, Vol. XIII, No. 3, Jan. 16, 2004, p. 11, col.
1 through col. 2.
Pelham History: The Involvement of Thomas Pell's Family in the
Witchcraft Persecution of Goody Knapp, The Pelham Weekly, Vol. XIII,
No. 4, Jan. 23, 2004, p. 11, col. 1 through p. 12, col. 2.
Pelham History: George Washington and Pelham, The Pelham
Weekly, Vol. XIII, No. 5, Jan. 30, 2004, p. 10, col. 1 through p. 10, col.
2.
Pre-Revolution Village of Pelham, The Pelham Weekly, Vol. XIII,
No. 6, Feb. 6, 2004, p. 12, col. 1.
John Pell and the New Rochelle Commemorative Coin Dated 1938,
The Pelham Weekly, Vol. XIII, No. 7, Feb. 13, 2004, p. 10, col. 1.
Pelham Rocks: Glover's Rock, Split Rock, Isaac Roosevelt
Stone, Etc., The Pelham Weekly, Vol. XIII, No. 8, Feb. 20, 2004, p. 8,
col. 1.
Murdered Civil Rights Worker Michael Schwerner Lived in Pelham,
Graduated from PMHS in 1957, The Pelham Weekly, Vol. XIII, No. 9, Feb.
27, 2004, p. 14, col. 2.
Early Films in Pelham at "Happy Land," Then Talkies at Pelham
Picture House, The Pelham Weekly, Vol. XIII, No. 10, Mar. 5, 2004, p.
12, col. 3.
Pelham and the Toonerville Trolley, The Pelham Weekly, Vol.
XIII, No. 11, Mar. 12, 2004, p. 19, col. 1.
Thomas Pell: The Historical Context, The Pelham Weekly,
Vol. XIII, No. 12, Mar. 19, 2004, p. 10, col. 1.
Profiles of Pelham's Last Three Surviving Veterans Of The Civil War
Who Were Honored in '20s & '30s, The Pelham Weekly, Vol. XIII, No. 13,
Mar. 26, 2004, p. 10, col. 2.
Thomas Pell's Feud With the New Haven Courts, The Pelham Weekly,
Vol. XIII, No. 14, Apr. 2, 2004, p. 10, col. 2.
Tradition of Demanding a New Rochelle "Fatt Calfe", The Pelham
Weekly, Vol. XIII, No. 15, Apr. 9, 2004, p. 8, col. 2.
A Brief History of Bolton Priory in Pelham Manor, The Pelham
Weekly, Vol. XIII, No. 16, Apr. 16, 2004, p. 10, col. 2.
Baseball in Late 19th Century Pelham, The Pelham Weekly, Vol.
XIII, No. 17, Apr. 23, 2004, p. 8, col. 2.
The Little Red Church -- The Nation's Only "Centennial Church",
The Pelham Weekly, Vol. XIII, No. 18, Apr. 30, 2004, p. 10, col. 2.
The Lyman Pharmacy Building At One Fifth Avenue in Downtown Pelham,
The Pelham Weekly, Vol. XIII, No. 19, May 7, 2004, p. 12, col. 1.
Early History of the Manor Club, The Pelham Weekly, Vol. XIII,
No. 20, May 14, 2004, p. 12, col. 2.
Anne Hutchinson -- Did She Live in Pelham? In the Manor of
Pelham?, The Pelham Weekly, Vol. XII, No. 21, May 21, 2004, p. 14,
col. 2.
The Taft School in Pelham Manor, The Pelham Weekly, Vol. XIII,
No. 23, June 4, 2004, p. 12, col. 1.
The Pelham Manor Protective Club Founded in 1881, The Pelham
Weekly, Vol. XIII, No. 24, June 11, 2004, p. 12, col. 1.
The Prohibition Era in Pelham, The Pelham Weekly, Vol. XIII, No.
25, June 18, 2004, p. 12, col. 2.
Depot Square: On the Branch Line in Pelham Manor, The
Pelham Weekly, Vol. XIII, No. 26, June 25, 2004, p. 34, col. 1.
Records of Slavery and Slave Manumissions in 18th and 19th Century
Pelham, Vol. XIII, No. 27, July 9, 2004.
John McGraw of Pelham Manor: Baseball Hall of Famer, The
Pelham Weekly, Vol. XIII, No. 28, July 16, 2004, p. 10, col. 1.
Early History of Saint Paul's Church National Historic Site, The
Pelham Weekly, Vol. XIII, No. 29, July 23, 2004, p. 8, col. 2.
Saint Elizabeth Ann Bayley Seton's Time in Pelham, The Pelham
Weekly, Vol. XIII, No. 30, July 30, 2004, p. 9, col. 1.
The Bartow-Pell Mansion Museum and Carriage House, The Pelham
Weekly, Vol. XIII, No. 31, Aug. 6, 2004, p. 9, col. 1.
Early History of Pelham Heights, The Pelham Weekly, Vol. XIII,
No. 32, Aug. 13, 2004, p. 9, col. 1.
William Thomas Grant Jr. and His Estate in Pelham Manor, The
Pelham Weekly, Vol. XIII, No. 33, Aug. 20, 2004, p. 6, col. 1.
The Blizzard of 1888: Pelham in the Midst Of the 'Great White
Hurricane', The Pelham Weekly, Vol. XIII, No. 34, Aug. 27, 2004, p. 9,
col. 1.
Pelham's First Town Hall on Shore Road in Pelham Manor, The
Pelham Weekly, Vol. XIII, No. 35, Sept. 3, 2004, p. 8, col. 1.
The Early Days of Golf in Pelham, The Pelham Weekly, Vol. XIII,
No. 36, Sept. 10, 2004, p. 12, col. 2.
The Early Development of Pelhamwood, The Pelham Weekly, Vol.
XIII, No. 37, Sept. 17, 2004, p. 12, col. 2.
Travers Island Goes to War, The Pelham Weekly, Vol. XIII, No.
38, Sept. 24, 2004, p. 10, col. 2.
The Failure of The Pelham National Bank, The Pelham Weekly, Vol.
XIII, No. 39, Oct. 1, 2004, p. 12, col. 1.
Mrs. Hazen's School for Girls: Pelham Hall, The Pelham
Weekly, Vol. XIII, No. 40, Oct. 8, 2004, p. 12, col. 1.
The Battle of Pelham: October 18, 1776, The Pelham Weekly,
Vol. XIII, No. 41, Oct. 15, 2004, p. 10, col. 1.
John Hunter of Hunter's Island, Pelham, The Pelham Weekly, Vol.
XIII, No. 42, Oct. 22, 2004, p. 12, col. 1.
More Ghosts, Goblins of Pelham, The Pelham Weekly, Vol. XIII,
No. 43, Oct. 29, 2004, p. 12, col. 1.
Train Wrecks Near Depot Square in Pelham Manor, The Pelham
Weekly, Vol. XIII, No. 44, Nov. 5, 2004, p. 13, col. 1.
Fires in Pelham's Early Days, The Pelham Weekly, Vol. XIII, No.
45, Nov. 12, 2004, p. 13, col. 1.
History of Chester Park In the Village of Pelham, The Pelham
Weekly, Vol. XIII, No. 46, Nov. 19, 2004, p. 12, col. 1.
History of The Parish of Christ The Redeemer in Pelham Manor,
The Pelham Weekly, Vol. XIII, No. 47, Nov. 26, 2004, p. 10, col. 1.
The Old Boston Post Road: Colonial Avenue in Pelham, The
Pelham Weekly, Vol. XIII, No. 48, Dec. 3, 2004, p. 10, col. 1.
Professional Golf's "Greatest Match" Was Played in Pelham, The
Pelham Weekly, Vol. XIII, No. 49, Dec. 10, 2004, p. 12, col. 1.
The New York, Westchester And Boston Railway in Pelham, The
Pelham Weekly, Vol. XIII, No. 50, Dec. 17, 2004, p. 10, col. 1.
The Manor House of John Pell, Second Lord of the Manor of Pelham,
The Pelham Weekly, Vol. XIII, No. 51, Dec. 24, 2004.
Bell, Blake A.,
Evidence of Native American Life in and Around Pelham, The Pelham
Weekly, Vol. XIV, Issue 3, January 21, 2005, p. 11, col. 1.
Bell, Blake A., Pelham
and The 1889 Wreck of the Steamship Ancon, The Pelham Weekly, Vol.
XIV, Issue 7, February 18, 2005, p. 10, col. 1.
Bell, Blake A., The
Pelham Steeplechase Races of the 1880s, The Pelham Weekly, Vol.
XIV, Issue 12, March 25, 2005, p. 10, col. 2.
Bell, Blake A., The
Pelham Trolley War of 1898, The Pelham Weekly, Vol. XIV, Issue 16,
April 22, 2005, p. 11, col. 1.
Bell, Blake A., Take
the Money and Run: Pelham Town Supervisor Sherman T. Pell, The Pelham
Weekly, Vol. XIV, Issue 19, May 13, p. 14, col. 2.
Bell, Blake A.,
Historic Murals in the Pelham Memorial High School Library, The Pelham
Weekly, Vol. XIV, Issue 21, May 27, 2005, p. 12, col. 1.
Bell, Blake A., The Sea
Serpent of the Sound: Spotted in Pelham Waters in 1877, The Pelham
Weekly, Vol. XIV, Issue 29, July 29, 2005, p. 9, col. 1.
Bell, Blake A., History
of the Martha Emmons Weihman Memorial Park, The Pelham Weekly, Vol.
XIV, Issue 42, October 28, 2005, p. 10, col. 3.
Bell, Blake A., The Pelham Manor &
Huguenot Heights Association, The Pelham Weekly, Vol. XV, Issue 1,
Jan. 6, 2006.
Bell, Blake A., Bartow-on-the-Sound,
Once a Hamlet in the Town of Pelham, The Pelham Weekly, Vol. XV,
Issue 5, Feb. 3, 2006, p. 13, col. 1.
Bell, Blake A., World War II Victory
Gardens in Pelham, The Pelham Weekly, Vol. XV, Issue 9, Mar. 3,
2006, p. 12, col. 1.
Bell, Blake A., The Sanborn Map
Company and its Pelham Headquarters, The Pelham Weekly, Vol. XV,
Issue 14, Apr. 7, 2006, p. 10, col. 1.
Bell, Blake A., The Cannot That
Roared: Pelham Sacrifices a Memorial for the Nation's Sake, The
Pelham Weekly, Vol. XV, Issue 21, May 26, 2006, p. 13, col. 1.
Bell, Blake A., The Founding of
"Prospect Hill Village" in the Early 1850s, The Pelham Weekly, Vol.
XV, Issue 25, Second Section, Jun. 23, 2006, p. 34, col. 1.
Bell, Blake A., Pelham and The Great
Hurricane of 1938, The Pelham Weekly, Vol. XV, Issue 29, Jul. 28,
2006, p. 8, col. 1.
Bell, Blake A., Ralph and Mary Hall,
(Persecuted in the 17th Century for Witchcraft) Fled to the Manor of
Pelham, The Pelham Weekly, Vol. XV, Issue 34, Sep. 1, 2006, p. 8,
col. 2.
Bell, Blake A., More Ghosts & Goblins
of Pelham, The Pelham Weekly, Vol. XV, Issue 40, Oct. 13, 2006, p.
10, col. 1.
Bell, Blake A., How Much Did Thomas
Pell Pay for the Manor of Pelham?, The Pelham Weekly, Vol. XV,
Issue 43, Nov. 3, 2006, p. 10, col. 1.
Pelham and The Toonerville Trolley (manuscript completed,
presented to the Historic Pelham Roundtable).
Learn about some of the
awards received by the site 
