Thursday, May 7, 2020 City Island from Oysters to Sailing Yachts
THURSDAY
May 7, 2020
RIHS’s 45th Issue of
CITY ISLAND
SHIP BUILDERS
AMERICA’S CUP
HIGH ISLAND
HART ISLAND
HIGH ISLAND
STEPPING STONES LIGHT
CHIMNEY SWEEPS ISLANDS
City Island is a neighborhood in the northeastern Bronx in New York City, located on an island of the same name approximately 1.5 miles (2.4 km) long by 0.5 miles (0.80 km) wide.
City Island is located at the extreme western end of Long Island Sound, south of Pelham Bay and east of Eastchester Bay. At one time the island was incorporated within the boundaries of Pelham, Westchester County, New York, but the island is now part of New York City.
City Island is part of the Pelham Islands, a group of islands that once belonged to Thomas Pell. The body of water between City Island and the even smaller, uninhabited Hart Island to the east is known as City Island Harbor. The small island adjacent to the northeast is High Island.
The Stepping Stones Light, marking the main shipping channel into New York, is off the southern tip of City Island, near the Long Island shore.
Originally inhabited by the Siwanoy band of Lenape Indians, City Island later was settled by Europeans as part of property and estate bought by English nobleman Thomas Pell in 1654.[5] Prior to that, English settlers led by Anne Hutchinson (seeking religious freedom) settled in an area nearby on the river (now known as the Hutchinson River) in 1642.
After changing hands several times, in 1761 the island (at that time known as Minefer’s Island), was bought by Benjamin Palmer of New York. Up to this point the island had been inhabited by only a few homes and farms. It had a population of about 1000 people, who tended farms and livestock.
Palmer had the vision of developing the island into a port, which could rival that of New York. He knew that ships heading north and south passed City Island using Long Island Sound as a safe inshore waterway. He envisioned shipyards, and stores that could cater to the ships. He went as far as to have the island mapped out in different plots designated as shipyards, docks, business, farms, homes, schools, and houses of worship, along with streets, paths, and access routes.
Benjamin Palmer appealed to the British Crown and received letters patent that covered the ownership of waterfront properties 400 feet out from the high tide mark under water and around the perimeter of the Island. This patent, known as the “Palmer Grant” is unique to City Island; it has been contested in courts since, but has always been upheld Palmer also is responsible for changing the name from Minefer’s Island to City Island in anticipation of things to come. Palmer’s vision never fully materialized, however, as the timing just before the American Revolution halted all progress, and the war depleted the capital of Palmer and his investors
It would be another sixty years before the island again started to be developed when oystermen, pilots of Hell Gate, a set of nearby narrows, and eventually shipbuilders arrived and introduced these industries.
In 1819, City Island was annexed to the town of Pelham, Westchester County.It narrowly voted to become a part of New York City in 1895, in exchange for a new bridge to the mainland, and was consolidated as part of the Bronx in 1898.
The island continued to host harbor defenses through the early 20th century. In the mid-20th century, City Island developed as a shipbuilding community, before becoming a daytrippers’ destination.
City Island has generally remained sparsely developed with a suburban feel. A 43-unit condo complex called On the Sound, built in 2015, was the first major residential project on the island since around 2000.
According to local tradition, anyone actually born on the island is known as a “clamdigger”. A City Island resident not born on the island is known as a “musselsucker.”
SHIP BUILDERS
In 1891 The Rudder magazine published in its “On Long Island Sound” column a remarkable preview of yachting history:
There is, perhaps, no place in this country better situated, or in possession of more advantages and facilities for yacht building, hauling out for repairs, and storing for the winter, than City Island. It is virtually the yachting center of New York. No yachtsman in this vicinity will dispute the fact that the Sound has superior advantages over any other place in New York City for yachting, which alone proves that someday City Island will be the great building place of these waters. Already three or four more or less prominent builders have located there, and the boats built by them are familiar to all interested yachtsmen. . . . When the march of improvements reaches City Island, look out for wonderful developments.
AMERICA’S CUP
City Island and the America’s Cup
The America’s Cup is the oldest international sporting trophy. In 1851, the yacht America beat the best of the British fleet during the World’s Fair and won a sterling silver trophy that would become known as the America’s Cup (named after the yacht, not the country).
The first official challenge took place in 1870 in New York Harbor and was won by the American yacht Magic (the aging America finished fourth). Originally built in 1857 in Philadelphia, Magic had been completely rebuilt by David Carll in 1869 (lengthened and widened with increased draft) and converted to a centerboard schooner before winning the first defense of the America’s Cup.
And thus began the longest winning streak in the history of sport, a 132-year stretch of domination that saw boats representing the United States successfully defend the trophy 23 more times through 1980—until 1983, when Australia II became the first successful challenger to lift the trophy. americas-cup.jpg
During the 1890s, many of the America’s Cup defenders, contenders, and challengers, including Vigilant, Defender, and Columbia, plus Shamrocks I and II, were serviced and stored at City Island by both the Hawkins and Piepgras yards. During the first half of the 1900s, the America’s Cup defender Reliance was serviced, stored, and ultimately broken up at the Robert Jacob Shipyard. Defiance and Vanitie were serviced at City Island yards, and the challengers Shamrock III and IV were also serviced and stored at the Jacob yard.
From 1903 to 1958, every America’s Cup defender carried an inventory of Ratsey & Lapthorn sails, including Reliance (1903), Resolute (1920), Enterprise (1930), Rainbow (1934), Ranger (1937), and Columbia (1958). In addition, between the 1890s and 1980, alterations, rigging work, and new spars were provided for the contenders by many City Island concerns, including Hawkins, Piepgras, B. F. Wood, Robert Jacob, Ratsey & Lapthorn, Henry B. Nevins, Charles Ulmer, and Kretzer Boat Works.
Between the years 1935 and 1980, twenty 12-meter yachts were built in America, twelve of them at City Island. Eight were contenders for America’s Cup defense (Vim 12 US/15, Columbia 12 US/16, Constellation 12 US/20, Intrepid 12 US/22, Courageous 12 US/26, Enterprise 12 US/27, Independence 12 US/28, and Freedom 12 US/30). Of these, five were defenders in seven America’s Cup campaigns, Columbia in 1958, Constellation in 1964, Intrepid in 1967 and again in 1970, Courageous in 1974 and again in 1977, and Freedom in 1980.
The 110-year string of 24 successful campaigns to defend the Cup began with Magic, completely rebuilt on City Island in 1870, and ended with Freedom, built on City Island in 1980. Ironically, in 1983, when City Island had no connection with the defender, America suffered her first loss.
HART ISLAND
Down the street from the City Island Historical Society Museum is the ferry dock for Hart Island. The island, until recently was operated by the Department of Corrections. It is now under the auspices of the Parks Department.. Now, Hart Island will be the repository of those perishing from Covet-19 victims. Hopefully, it will be a memorial park in the lovely and tranquil Long Island Sound.
HIGH ISLAND
STEPPING STONES LIGHT
Stepping Stones Light
is a Victorian-style lighthouse in Long Island Sound, in Nassau County, New York. The lighthouse is square-shaped and made of red brick, standing one-and-a-half stories high. The Hudson-Athens Lighthouse is a virtual twin of this structure.
The light is in current use, under the management of the United States Coast Guard. It is not open to the public. The reef upon which it sits was given its name by Siwanoy (Minnefords) Native American legends. According to the legend, the tribe used warriors, medicine, and magic to chase the devil out of present-day Westchester County,New York onto City Island (formerly Greater Minneford Island), surrounding him at Belden Point. The devil then picked up huge boulders lying there and tossed them into Long Island Sound, using them as stepping stones to make his escape. The natives named the rocks, “The Devil’s Stepping Stones”.
It was added to the National Register of Historic Places as Stepping Stones Light Station on September 15, 2005, reference number 05001026. The light station has been declared surplus, and the application for transfer under the National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act of 2000 is under review.[5] In 2008, the light station was transferred to the Town of North Hempstead.
In 2014, the Town of North Hempstead entered into a partnership with the Great Neck Historical Society and the Great Neck Park District to raise funds to rehabilitate the Lighthouse
CHIMNEY SWEEPS ISLANDS
The Chimney Sweeps Islands are a pair of small islands located within New York City in the northern part of City Island Harbor in the borough of The Bronx. The islands, along with High Island, New York, divide City Island Harbor from Pelham Bay.
The islands are entirely made out of bedrock. The islands are uninhabited, but are home to many birds, such as gulls, skuas, and great blue herons. The islands are owned by the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, which acquired them in 1939 from the Chimney Sweeps Islands Corporation, a private group that used the islands for recreation, and are now a part of Pelham Bay Park.
There are two local legends about the origin of the islands’ name. One is that from a distance the two islands look like Chimney Sweeps, which were brooms or tools used to clean and sweep out chimneys. The other was that a person that became rich sweeping chimneys bought the islands. A former owner of the islands, Mr. Russell Smith, suggested that the name originated in the now archaic usage of the term “chimney” to describe the flow of water between two rocks. In the early 1900s, a family lived on the islands and operated a tavern on them as well.
EDITORIAL
I started out writing about one island City Island and something happened. I had known about Hart Island. I had never heard about High Island and Stepping Stones Light. I have to thank the folks at Wikipedia and the City Island Historical Society for much of the information published today.
Every issue has brought me and hopefully the readers knowledge of parts of our region that was a discovery.
Where to next? We do not seem to be running out of islands. Stay tuned. Send me your suggestions.
Judith Berdy
jbird134@aol.com
212 688 4836
Celebrating National Nurses Day and salute by FDNY, EMS, NYPD,PSD and USPS in front of Coler today.
Text by Judith Berdy
Thanks to Bobbie Slonevsky for her dedication to Blackwell’s Almanac and the RIHS
Thanks to Deborah Dorff for maintaining our website
Edited by Melanie Colter and Deborah Dorff
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