Historic Pelham Blog Archive
April 18, 2005

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.

On April 9, a crowd of hundreds including many youngsters of the Town of Pelham was in attendance as Dan McLaughlin, President of the Pelham Civic Association, unveiled a newly restored plaque dedicated to the memory of those who fought in the Battle of Pelham on October 18, 1776. A photograph of the restored marker appears immediately below.

For many years the marker was affixed to the cinder block wall of the athletic field house at Glover Field. In recent years, the sign had begun to deteriorate. A photograph of the marker before its restoration appears immediately below. If you look closely, you will observe that a large area in the center of the marker had begun to rust badly.

Recently, Town Supervisor Joseph Solimine obtained a $400,000 grant from former State Senator Guy Velella and an additional $50,000 grant from Assemblywoman Amy Paulin to fund a major renovation of the field house. Supervisor Solimine also arranged for local contractors to donate work and some materials for the field house restoration project.

During the renovation of the field house, the sign was removed from the cinder block wall to which it was affixed. Workers "discovered" that the sign was two-sided, although the two sides were identical. The Town decided to display both sides of the marker by installing it affixed to posts on each side of the sign.

The Pelham Civic Association agreed to fund the restoration of the marker. Work was completed in time for the rededication of the newly renovated athletic field house.

On April 9, the Pelham Little League held its annual parade. This year the parade proceeded to the Glover Field House where Town Supervisor Joseph Solimine and School Board President Terry Martell conducted a ribbon cutting ceremony before hundreds of onlookers. An important part of the festivities was the official unveiling of the newly restored marker. Pelham Civic Association President Dan McLaughlin pulled away a white sheet that covered the marker as the crowd cheered and applauded. The marker reads as follows:

At the top of the sign is a circular medallion that reads "TOWN OF PELHAM NEW YORK 1654" with the silhouette of a man's head wearing a 17th century hat and collar that likely depicts Thomas Pell. Pell is considered the founder of Pelham.

The Battle of Pelham, known by many names including the "Battle of Pell's Point", was fought nearby along Split Rock Road and near Prospect Hill. The newly restored marker stands as a silent memorial to the ideals for which Col. Glover's tiny force fought on that Autumn day nearly 230 years ago.

Please Visit the Historic Pelham Web Site
Located at http://www.historicpelham.com/

posted by Blake A. Bell @ 7:06 AM

Click Here To View the Actual Blog Posting for April 18, 2005.

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