The Chronicle / 2010 Spring

7/31/2019 The Chronicle / 2010 Spring

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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



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.



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



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.



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



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



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



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.

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