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Once again, the Conservancy has been the
beneficiary of a generous donation to its art
collection. Mary Means Huber, a long time resident
and former Village Historian, gave a portrait of Mary
Morison Masterton (1829-1911) as a young girl of
about 9 or 10 years painted by William R. Hamilton.
The painting has a very historic connection toBronxville.
Mary was the only daughter of Alexander (1797-
1859) and Euphenus Masterton (1800-1860). Her
father made his fortune in supplying marble for many
important structures in the country, which were
quarried in nearby Tuckahoe. The family resided at
90 White Plains Road. In 1856 she married Elias
Dusenberry, a lawyer from a prominent local Dutch
family, and together they had four children. At her
father’s death in 1859, Mary inherited the family
homestead as well as the
SPRING 2010
INSIDE
See The Light!
Conservancy Contributes
To Restoration of Classic
Light At Women’s Club
Memorial Day
Remembering Our Past, With
Respect And Fun. This year's
Memorial Day festivities include
four events supported by the
Conservancy:
The antique cars that leadthe Memorial Day parade.
The Hero Next Door Exhibit,
Local Stories of Courage In
Wartime, at the OSilas Gallery.
For parents and grandparents
of kids K-5, join us for the first
Cues and Clues
Scavenger Hunt and search
for the “hidden treasures”
throughout Bronxville.
And take a historical stroll
through the village and see
how it has changed.
There’s No Place
Like This Home
More than 150
Conservancy members
Enjoy Annual House Tour.
Bravo!!!Latest Bronxville Journal
Highly Praised.
Plus more!
This young lady has a new home in Bronxville. Know where? See below.
Bronxville, New York
A Publication of
Mary Means Huber, a long time resident and former Village Historian, gave a portrait of Mary MorisonMasterton (1829-1911) as a young girl of about 9 or10 years painted by William R. Hamilton.
The Chronicle
The weather was soggy and
gusty, but that didn't stop
many area residents from
turning out to attend the
12th Annual Brendan Gill
Memorial Lecture
sponsored by the Bronxville
Historical Conservancy.
Held in Sarah Lawrence
College's Reisinger
Auditorium on March 12,
the event featured Harold
Holzer, an authority on
Abraham Lincoln and the
politics of his presidency.
Robert Wein, co-chair of the
Conservancy, introduced Holzer as
"quite an extraordinary person." He
noted that the Rye resident has
written and edited 35 books and 440
magazine articles on the president
and the Civil War, and co-chairs the
U.S. Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial
Commission. "This is all in his spare
time," Wein pointed out, as Holzer's
"day job" is the senior vice president
for external affairs at the Metropolitan
Museum of Art in New York City.
A Gift of Art and Bronxville History
ByMeredith Mathews
reprinted from myhometownbronxville.com
Harold Holzer, 12th Annual Brendan Gill Lecturer, Continues
the Tradition of Quality
K a t e M a
r t i n , K M P
h o t o g r a p h y
Continued on page 2
Continued on page 3
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Richard Jenrette PublishesMore Adventures With Old Houses – The Edgewater Experience
Members who visited Edgewater,
preservationist Dick Jenrette's
historic Hudson River home, on
the Conservancy's tours in 2002
and 2009 may be interested in his
recently published account of his
acquisition and restoration of this
classical revival house built in the
1820s. Entitled More Adventures
With Old Houses - The Edgewater
Experience, this sequel to
Adventures With Old Houses
describes in detail how he came
to purchase the house from Gore Vidal 40 years ago and then set
about restoring and furnishing it with original 19th-century furniture.
The book includes spectacular exterior and interior photographs of
the house and its furnishings. Particulars on purchasing the book
appear on the website of Jenrette's Classical American Homes
Preservation Trust: www.classicalamericanhomes.org.
P h o t o C r e d i t : N a n c y V i t t o r i n i
entire contents of the house, a veritable time capsule of her
family’s history. Descendents of the Masterton-Dusenberry family
lived in the home until 1959 when Mary and Elias’s youngest child,
Amie, died.
William Hamilton (1795-1879) was a Scottish-born artist trained in
Paris and London in the tradition of “grand manner” portraitureand brought with him this practice when he came to America in
1832 (probably with the help of Alexander Masterton). Indeed,
he painted the individual portraits of the Masterton family and a
large family group that now hangs in the Los Angeles County
Museum. In his portrait of Mary, the elegantly dressed young girl
is playing the piano -- the very model of a child from a well-to-
do family.
The Conservancy is particularly grateful to Mary Huber for her
gift because this painting, and the rest of the contents of the
Masterton estate, were sold at auction in May 1986 – an
important piece of Bronxville history was lost. Had the
Conservancy been in existence at the time, many of the works
that left the Village would have remained. Fortunately for Bronxville, Mary was able to bring this significant painting back
to the village.
Mary Masterton’s portrait now hangs in the Library’s William F.
Burt Gallery, which is dedicated to works of art executed by
Bronxville artists. A portrait of Mary’s daughter, Amie Dusenberry
(as an adult), hangs in the stack room on the first floor. Miss
Amie, as she is affectionately known, is considered the “patron
saint” of the Library for all of her efforts on its behalf. It seemed
fitting, therefore, that her mother (obviously in a reverse role)
would reside in the same building. One imagines the two of
them getting together when the Library is closed and talking
about old times in the village!
A Gift of Art Continued
2
Light Fantastic!The south entrance to the Bronxville Women's Club is once again
graced with a beautiful globe light
fixture in its curved archway.
The Conservancy
contributed to the
restoration of the
original fixture as an
80th anniversary gift
to the clubhouse
and in recognition
of its placement on
the National Register of
Historic Places.
The light fixture was carefully restored by Thomas Skrypak. There
are small stars cut out of the band around the perimeter of the
globe. When illuminated, the stars literally shine.
According to Joyce Balint, president, "The members of the
Bronxville Women's Club are grateful to the Bronxville Historical
Conservancy for the renovation of the light fixture at the
Tanglewylde entrance. I
don't think any of us knew
the real beauty of the
fixture, and with the other
improvements that were
done over the past two
years, it enhances the
clubhouse for the
neighborhood even more.
The Clubhouse itself thanks
you for its 80th birthday
present." Joyce Balint, president of The Women'sClub with Donald Gray, former BHC co-chair, and project executor.
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Holzer began his talk by mentioning some of Bronxville's connections
to Lincoln and the Civil War. Among them, Rev. C.W. Bolton, an
Episcopal minister with farmland in the village, "personally kept a
mob from destroying St. George's Church and Mission" during New
York City's 1863 draft riots. In another incident, Bronxville factory
owner James Swain, who employed two "contraband" (escaped
slaves) and some draft riot victims, managed to defend his
employees during a four-day standoff with residents from Tuckahoe
who demanded they be turned over.
The main focus of Holzer's talk was the ways in which nearly every
U.S. leader since Lincoln has tried to "adopt [his] mantle." The
president was a "touchstone of American memory," he said. Various
politicians of every stripe from both parties have attempted to use
Lincoln "to bless policies he never would have imagined."
For example, during Reconstruction, conservatives and radicals alike
alleged that Lincoln would have favored their approaches. At the
end of the 19th century, the president was "the exclusive property of
Republicans," noted Holzer. But during the 20th century, Democrats
have also staked a claim to Lincoln's legacy, although they tended
to portray him more as a "savior of the union" than as an
emancipator who promoted freedom. In an aside, Holzer recounted
touring the White House with President Bill Clinton, who tried to obtain
first-edition copies of every book that Lincoln would have owned.
However, no president has aimed to align himself more with Lincoln
than has the current holder of the office, Barack Obama. Certainly
on the surface, they share many similarities; "both were
inexperienced, lanky Illinoisans" raised by women other than their
biological mothers. Much has been made of the fact that Obama
was sworn in with the same Bible that Lincoln used, but Holzer
revealed that it is not actually the former president's own book. In
fact, since Lincoln's copy was packed away for the move to the
White House, the president was sworn in with the Bible of U.S.
Supreme Court Chief Justice Roger Taney, the author of the Dred
Scott decision which ruled that slaves and their descendants could
never be U.S. citizens.
With the Obamas in the White House, Holzer mused, Lincoln's legacy
may have come full circle. "It shouldn't be lost on us today that two
little girls descended from African slaves can play at will in the
Lincoln bedroom," he said. In fact, that room during the 1860s was
the office where the president signed the Emancipation
Proclamation which freed slaves in Confederate states. "What
better evidence do we have," Holzer asked, that the unfinished
work Lincoln cited in his Gettysburg address "might be closer to
completion than Lincoln ever could have dreamed?"
Holzer fielded a number of interesting questions, ranging
from former Bronxville resident and U.S. President John F.
Kennedy's claims to the Lincoln mantle to the details of an
assassination plot foiled before Lincoln's first inauguration to
the curious behavior of First Lady Mary Todd Lincoln. One
audience member asked how Holzer himself had become
interested in the president. He explained that a "beloved
grade school teacher" had put the names of historical
figures in a hat and instructed each student to write a paper
on the person whose name they drew. A friend got Genghis
Khan, Holzer joked, but he picked Lincoln. In the school
library, a book "captivated me" and set Holzer on the
path to his lifelong avocation. The author also divulged that
he's planning a book on Lincoln's greatest mistakes, "if I can
think of more than two or three!"
Reaction to the lecture was uniformly positive. "Excellent!" raved
Conservancy board member Peter Gisolfi. "I was fascinated by how
absolutely immersed in Lincoln he is."
Patty Dohrenwend, director of Westchester County's Archives and
Records Center, loved the talk as well. "It was so refreshing, because
it combined [Holzer's] knowledge of Lincoln with all of the
subsequent history and context of the presidencies that followed,"
she said. She added that anyone who wants to learn more about
Lincoln's connection to Westchester, and the county's links to the
Civil War, can visit www.westchesterarchives.com and click on "The
Civil War Era in Westchester."
Harold Holzer, 12th Annual Brendan Gill Lecturer Continued
"Excellent!" raved Conservancy board member Peter Gisolfi. "I was fascinated by how absolutely immersed inLincoln he is."
The main focus of Holzer's talk was the ways in whichnearly every U.S. leader since Lincoln has tried to "adopt[his] mantle."
Conservancy Co-Chairs Bob Wein and Jayne Warman join Harold Holzer atthe reception following his address.
Harold Holzer and Allaire Warner, BHC member and contributingphotographer.
K a t e M a r t i n , K M
P h o t o g r a p h y
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The Bronxville Historical Conservancy is proud to introduce
a new Memorial Day event that we hope will become as
traditional as our parade of antique cars. Children in
grades K-5 are invited to find the historical landmarks, or
“hidden treasures” as we call them, throughout Bronxville.
According to Conservancy Co-Chair Jayne Warman, an
originator of the historical scavenger hunt concept, “we
feel this is a fun way to expand the knowledge and
understanding of Bronxville history for our young people.”
Every child who participates in the Cues & Clues Scavenger Hunt will win a prize.
Here’s how it works:
1. Pick up your Cues & Clues booklets: Friday, May 28th, 2:30 to 3:30 pm, at the
Conservancy booth on the Elementary School parking lot. Saturday, May 29th,
10:00 am to Noon, at the Conservancy booth on the Elementary School
playground.
2. Follow the simple clues and hunt for the “hidden treasures” throughout downtown
Bronxville, filling in the blanks in your Cues & Clues booklets.
3. Return your booklet to the Conservancy’s booth on the Elementary School
playground on Monday, May 31st, 10:30-noon and collect your prize.
The Hero Next Door Exhibit,Local Stories of Courage in Wartime
opens May 27th through July 5th, at the OSilas Gallery, Concordia College
The Bronxville Historical Conservancy is proud to be among the
financial supporters of The Hero Next Door exhibit. The
exhibition features a collection of personal stories of
more than 70 Bronxville, Eastchester, and Tuckahoe
men and women who died in the service of our
Country in World War I, World War II, Korea, and
Vietnam.
The exhibition also includes model planes of the period,recruiting posters from the Eastchester Historical
Society, newspaper pages from World War II, maps and
other military service ephemera. Rare examples of
American flags from the revolution through the current
times from the collection of Bronxville Councilwoman
Sheila Marcotte will also be on view.
Bob Wein, Co-Chair of the Conservancy, says, “We hope the
exhibition sparks an interest for those who were not
alive or too young to truly experience these conflicts,
rekindle the memories of these American heroes, and
remind us of our men-and-women–in-uniform around
the world today.”
The memorial stories have been assembled by Michael
Fix of Eastchester, a local historian, Vietnam-era
veteran, and one of the eight Founders of Westover Air
Force Base USO during Desert Storm/Desert Shield.
“It literally snatches our local veterans from obscurity. —Michael Fix
Joseph Patrick Kennedy, Jr Bronxville
Lieutenant, U.S. NavyDied August 12, 1944
Find the “Hidden Treasures” throughout Bronxville
on the Cues & Clues Scavenger Hunt
All K-5 children, parents, grandparents are invited. Good hunting!
Memorial Day Fun For Kids K-5Attention
AntiqueCar Owners!
Join the
Parade!
Join the Conservancy’s lineupof antique cars that has
become a tradition and one ofthe highlights of the Bronxville
Memorial Day Parade.
For more information, callDonald Gray at 914-779-2043.
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Bronxville celebrated its Centennial in
1998 with a year-long series of events,
exhibitions and galas. One of the
presentations was a self-guided historical
stroll through the business district in
partnership with Bronxville’s Chamber of
Commerce. Oversize reproductions of
vintage photographs were displayed in
shopkeepers’ windows throughout the
year. The eighty or so images dated from
about 1880 to 1930 and represented a
building or scene from the comparable site
in the village’s “downtown” — many sitesno longer exist. A 20-page booklet to
accompany the “stroll” described each
photograph in detail.
The Bronxville Historical Conservancy is
bringing back the historical stroll and will
include illustrations and descriptions in the booklet. The self-
guided tour begins at One Pondfield Road, site of
Bronxville’s first train station and post office. Walking along
Pondfield Road to Cedar Street one will pass the sites of the
Hotel Gramatan, John Kane’s blacksmith shop, the Casino,
the first public school (it’s not where you think it was), Tinkers
Alley, private homes and Bronxville’s first Village Hall. The
tour ends at the present day railroad depot.
Booklets are available over Memorial Day Weekend at the
Conservancy’s booth on Friday, May 28th, 2:30-3:30
(Elementary School parking lot), Saturday, May 29th, 10:00-
noon, and Monday, May 31st, 10:30-noon (Elementary
School playground). Copies will be made available at
Village Hall and the Library from June 1st.
Cedar Street looking toward Pondfield Road as it appeared in the 1890s.
"Tinkers Alley" before the street was widened.
Take A Stroll Through Our Business District And Enjoy A Piece Of Bronxville’s Past…
John Kane’s blacksmith shop stood at the intersection of Pondfield Road and Kraft Avenue until 190when Bronxville’s first Village Hall replaced it.
More Memorial Day Weekend Fun
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F or nearly 175 years, the stately home of Alexander
Masterton stood as a welcoming destination for family and
friends on the New York – White Plains post road. It
continued that treasured tradition on Sunday, November 9th, as
more than 150 members of the Bronxville Historical Conservancy
visited the registered historic landmark built in 1835 by one of
Bronxville’s earliest residents, Alexander Masterton.
Masterton, stonecutter and New York City businessman,discovered the land upon which he built his estate while on a
search at the Tuckahoe quarries for the perfect white marble to
repair the war-damaged dome of the Capitol in Washington, D.C.
Originally built as a summer home, the Masterton family became
so enamored of the house and surrounding land, they made it
their permanent residence and working farm. During the next 150
years, the house remained in the hands of Masterton family heirs,
who greatly contributed to the development of the area that
would eventually become incorporated as the Village of
Bronxville.
Known as “Ridgecroft,” the classic Greek revival home is believed
to have been designed by Masterton himself. The wood-framed,
clapboard structure that sits on a foundation of Tuckahoe marble
once had two parlors, five bedrooms, staff quarters on the third
floor and an original kitchen in the basement. Dale Hanson
Walker, the Conservancy’s House Tour Chair (whose family once
lived in “Ridgecroft”) noted that the home has been enhanced in
each century for modern living, yet has maintained its historical
integrity. “Current owners, Mike and Andre Koester, have done a
magical job inside. Beautiful artwork and subtle colors allow the
architecture to shine through.”
Of special interest in the tour was an exhibit of Masterton family
memorabilia shared by village residents who were able to
purchase items at an auction of the home’s contents when it was
sold in 1986. An original 1838 painting of Mary M. Masterton by
Bronxville artist William Hamilton was on display(recently given to
the Conservancy; see page 1), along with a copy of a Masterton
family portrait, a silver tea service, coin purse, calling card case,
christening cups, candlesticks, and an especially interesting
collection of the Masterton family diaries.
Following the tour, members of the Conservancy met at Siwanoy
Country Club for the group’s annual meeting.
More than 150 Conservancy members visited historic Ridgecroft on Conservancy’s Annual House Tour
By Dale Hanson Walker
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The Kudos Keep Coming Volume IV of The Bronxville Journal received an outpouring of
praise—some calling it the best yet, and others inspired to
purchase back copies of volumes they have lost. (To order, visit
our website: www.bronxvillehistoricalconservancy.org or phone
914-961-6790.] Read below for a sampling of the mail editor Marilynn Hill received extolling the virtues of the volume as a
whole.
“Patricia and I want to extend to you and your associates our
admiring thanks for the new issue of The Bronxville Journal…a
stunning achievement of which you must sense justified pride.”
[Professor Lowell Harriss, a BHC member who will be greatly
missed, wrote this shortly before he died in December, 2009.]
“I think this new Conservancy Journal is the best yet. The articles
are well written and varied in interest, the photographs are just
beautiful in color and clarity and oh, my! The quality of paper
and printing is outstanding. It is a pleasure to have. Thank you,
thank you.” [Cherry Lawrence]
“That new Journal is simply fabulous!!!! A great deal of varied and
interesting information, as well as handsome images. I would very
much like to nominate it for an award.” [Patty Dohrenwend,
Director, Westchester County Archives]
“I lent my copies of The Bronxville Journal and the person I lent
them to lost them. I would like to purchase the copies that were
lost…. I can mail a check, stop by and pick them up, whatever is
convenient for you. I truly treasure the scholarship, writing, and
fascinating insights into our local history.” [Dick Forliano,
Eastchester Town Historian]
“You did it again. Fritz and I have both enjoyed reading the latest
Bronxville Journal and we are so impressed with the contents and
the diversity of the articles. You have set a very high standard for
the Journal, and each issue has been remarkable and even
surpassed our expectations.” [Sheila Stein, former Mayor of
Bronxville]
Journal readers have also singled out articles which particularly
impressed them. Dale Hanson Walker’s article about her great-
grandfather Edward Morange and his partners inspired several
letters sent directly to her.
“I just wanted to tell you how impressed I am in general with this
edition of the Journal and with your article in particular.…I know
you must have put a tremendous amount of time and effort intoresearching and writing this piece. Well—it was terrific!” [Tania
Weiss, producer of Teen Kids News, a half hour Fox news program
geared for young people.]
“I am in awe of the beautiful Bronxville Journal. It is a huge
success because of you and all the wonderful information you
provided to complete the whole story of these three wonderful
men. It is time they are recognized for their talent and their
standing in Bronxville. Your great-grandfather’s paintings are
absolutely beautiful and I am happy to have photographs to
place with the Morange names.” [Ron Britch, Newport, Vermont,
collector of the Gates brothers’ art]
Anne Fredericks’ article on the
Election of 1936 also inspired a
number of comments:
“I loved reading Anne
Fredericks’ piece on my
relative, Hump Redfield. She
did an excellent job. The
article and follow-up
conversations with Anne
have been very helpful to
me in tracking down the Redfield
family. I was also impressed with the table illustrating the election
returns for Democrats and Republicans over the years.” [Eliot
Vestner, former Bronxville resident and author of a Journal article
in vol. 3, “Growing Up in Bronxville During World War II”]
Another former village resident, writing about the Fredericks’
article, noted that he, too, “was fascinated by the voting
statistics of the era and amused at the portrait of I.D.
Taubeneck’s polling teams.” [David van Hoogstraten,
Washington, D.C.]
Mail to the editor also included a few remarks on Marilynn Hill’s
own article on Mrs. Jefferson Davis’ long ago summer stay in
Bronxville. “I’ve just finished reading Volume IV of the Bronxville
Journal. It is superb – both your article on Ms. Davis and Dale
Walker’s on art– magical!” [Julia Murphy]
“I am greatly enjoying the current issue of The Bronxville Journal,
especially your Davis article and your discussion and footnotes on
legend creation.” [Bob Riggs]
Former Mayor of Bronxville, Nancy Hand, commented on two
other authors.
“The article on women’s liberation in Bronxville reminded me
once again that until relatively recently women did not have
leadership roles in the Village. Marcia Lee did a great job of
explaining when and how women became leaders in both our
local government and in many other community organizations.
Those of us who watched Marcia’s meteoric rise to her position
as first woman mayor remember what a true trail-blazer she was.”
“Wonderful memories of the Centennial reemerged in so many
of our minds as we had the pleasure of once again reading the
poem John Barr wrote to mark this momentous occasion. We are
so fortunate that John, a Bronxville resident and nationally
renowned poet, so generously created this special composition
as a gift to the Village in 1998.”
The editors of the Journal were also very pleased that Vol. IV was
the subject of a long feature article – “ Journal Brings Village to
Life” — published in the Westchester Journal News. (11/19/09)
Writer Dwight Worley remarked on each of the articles, including
that of Eloise Morgan, which several readers found both
“interesting” and “fascinating,” as she told the story of global
explorer Roy Chapman Andrews who brought to Bronxville one
of its most unusual residents, a brown Tibetan bear cub.
By Liz Folberth
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According to the latest issue of the Westchester Historian (winter
2010, published by the Westchester County Historical Society), in a
story entitled “A History of the Development of
Westchester Towns, Villages and Cities,” “...the need
for police protection was one of Lawrence’s first
problems due to horse thieves and robbers in
the area. And, in 1873, during
remodeling, the
Bronxville Reformed
Church discovered
a tiny robbers’ nookdirectly above
the pulpit,
which explained why worshippers occasionally smelled coffee brewing
during services.”
The Chronicle© Spring 2010
Editor and Designer: Bob Scott, Ken GudaitisContributing Photographers:
Kate Martin, Jayne Warman, Nancy Vittorini,John M. Hall, Kate Martin
Submissions welcome!
The Bronxville Historical Conservancy wasfounded 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 village’s
architectural, artistic and cultural heritage and lends
its support for projects designed to strengthen
and preserve those legacies.
P. O. Box 989Bronxville, NY 10708
...OldNews...
Driving on Midland Avenue was hazardous even in the
1940s. This picture is from the book Building a Suburban
Village, published by the Bronxville Centennial Committeeand now being re-published by the Bronxville Historical
Conservancy.
8
Recent Storms, Not So Unusual.
The January, 2010 issue of Westchester Magazin
features a pictorial history of the
county, and Bronxville plays a
prominent role with several photos
Those were the days.
They woke up and smelled the coffee.