Tottenville-Town

I found these pictures at www.bridgeandtunnelclub.com

The original Bethel Church in Tottenville burned down in 1886 and was re-built and dedicated the next year. There is a history of the church in Tottenville In Retrospect by Benjamin Franklin Joline, which is at the Tottenville Branch. When the church moved to its present location, pictured above, some members felt it was too far away from the heart of Tottenville, and they broke away to start another Methodist church closer to the heart of town.

The church pictured above is near Amboy Road and Page Avenue, one of the entrances to the town of Tottenville, about 3/4 of a mile away from the Tottenville branch

Caption-After School at Kreischerville: children lined up at librarian’s table behind bookwagon.
No date given.

Kreischerville is the next town north of Tottenville, but today it is called Charleston. Kreischerville was named after the owner of a brickyard, an industry that once thrived here as the clay-type soil here was good for making bricks. Some of the excavations were filled in by water and today are called Clay Pit Ponds. Mr. Kreischer’s mansion is still here. It was converted into a restaurant a few years ago, but it is now closed. I believe the brickyards were closed in the 1920s or 1930s.

Picture from NYPL Digital Gallery

This is an an email I received from the President fo the Tottenville Historical Society:

“I received a note today from long-time Tottenville resident Gordon Ekstrand, who is also Past Post Commander of the local American Legion, Beauvais-Hudson Post No. 126. He writes:

“I have been working since November 2006 to have the Borough Commissioner of Parks Thomas Paulo erect a new sign at the Pavilion next to Conference House Park . I called his office and was told the sign is up. I walked down to the pavilion and it’s really up above the steps. Also Sen. Lanza’s office pushed them, too. The brass $300.00 plaque reads: Dedicated to Almer G. Russell

Machine Gun Battalion 321

World War I

Born 1891 ~ Died 1918

Our Beauvais-Hudson Post No. 126 on Memorial Day and Veterans Day visits 7 locations to have a service, and the pavilion is one of the stops we make and place a wreath in the water for sailors lost at sea.”

FYI: The Pavilion was constructed in the 1930s to honor local resident Almer Russell who was killed in action in France . The neglected structure had become unsafe and was razed in 1963. Many individuals and organizations petitioned the city for 30+ years to rebuild it. Finally, in 2002, the Pavilion was reopened, but with virtually no mention of Almer Russell.

So, if you are in the area, take a walk to the Pavilion in Conference House Park and see the new brass plaque mounted in memory of a fallen soldier. And say “thank you” to Almer, and also to Gordon and his Legion comrades for their work and especially for their service. We should never forget.”

When I was a boy my family occasionally drove here all the way from Travis, Staten Island to take in the cool breezes coming off of Raritan Bay. I was very happy when they re-built it. It is in the Conference House Park, which is about a mile from the Tottenville Branch.

Many people think the name of this bridge is the Outer Bridge, because it is on the outer reaches of Staten Island and NYC.  However, it was named after Eugenius Harvey Outerbridge who was the first chairman of the Port Authority of New York and was a Staten Island resident. (I guess the Outerbridge Bridge would sound too odd.)

 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Outerbridge_Crossing

The Staten Island side of the bridge is actually in Richmond Valley, the next town to Tottenville, and links the island to Perth Amboy, New Jersey continuing Route 440 which also goes through Staten Island. The bridge opened on June 29, 1928.

Mr. Outerbridge’s sister, Mary, is credited with importing the game of tennis to the United States, with the first game being played at the Staten Island Cricket Club

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Ewing_Outerbridge

From NYPL Digital Gallery-No date given.

Perth Amboy Tottenville Ferry Slip

The site of ferry service to Staten Island dates to 1684 when the likes of Ben Franklin and the Lenape Indians used its service to traverse the Arthur Kill. The service closed in 1963. The ferry slip was restored in 1998 to its 1904 appearance. A replica of the ticket office has been constructed and used as a small museum.

I’ve never been to Perth Amboy. People tell me it is a nice town. Got to get there one of these days, but I almost always get lost when I drive in New Jersey!

The Tottenville Ferry ran between Tottenville and Perth Amboy, New Jersey. Tottenville residents used to shop in Perth Amboy, using the ferry. The ferry went out of service sometime in the 1960s. I have a distinct memory form the early 1960s of my father bringing the family car to a mechanic in Tottenville, and the two of us riding the ferry to Perth Amboy and back again. I don’t know why I remember it; maybe it was just nice spending some “quality” time with just me and my Dad.  

This is the Stadium Theater on Main Street in Tottenville. The caption on the photo says 1927 to 1951. El Paso and Alias Nick Beal, the movies on the marquee were released in 1949.  The building, I believe, is now empty, but it was recently a wharehouse for furniture, I think. (The marquee is still there.) In 1968-69 it was one of the hot spots on Staten Island, as it was turned into a discotheque, complete with strobe lights. I remember a cover band doing the full-length version of In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida by Iron Butterfly. It was really groovy!

For other pictures of old Staten Island movie theaters, go to: http://oldstatenisland.tripod.com/theaters.htm

The Conference House, (also known as the Bentley Manor and the Captain Christopher Billop House) was built before 1680 and located near the southern most tip of New York State in Staten Island. It is famous for the Peace Conference held there on September 11, 1776, which unsuccessfully attempted to end the American Revolutionary War. The House, a National and New York City Landmark, is the only pre-Revolutionary manor house still surviving in New York City. It stands majestically in Conference House Park overlooking Raritan Bay.

From Wikipedia–

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conference_House

Tottenville, area approx. 1.7 square miles (4.4 km²), is the southernmost neighborhood of Staten Island, New York City and New York State. Originally named Bentley Manor by one of its first settlers, Captain Christopher Billop (1638-1726), after the ship on which he sailed to America in 1667, the district was renamed Tottenville in 1869, apparently in honor of Gilbert Totten, a local American Revolutionary War hero. (From Wikipedia)

I drive by this sign everyday on my way to work at the branch!

Main Street, Tottenville, one block away from the library. Circa 1930s.

The Tottenville Historical Society will discuss the findings of the Tottenville Historic Resource Survey, a study of 250+ of the oldest homes and buildings in the community, including the process of dating them using deeds, maps, and, in many cases, by identification of their distinctive architectural details.

The program will begin with a brief slide presentation showing several unique local homes and buildings, followed by a discussion and a question and answer period.

An announcement of the forthcoming book, Tottenville: the Town the Oyster Built. A Staten Island Community, Its People, Industry and Architecture, will be made.

This program will be at the Tottenville Branch on Thursday, November 29 at 4:00PM.

I saw this slide program in June at the Historical Society’s annual meeting, and it was absolutely wonderful!

The Tottenville Historical Society put together a display titled “We Honor Our Veterans” that is on the display shelf in the branch on the first floor. There is a picture of Civil War Veterans marching in a parade, along with some other pictures. Also included is a program from the dedication of a World War II monument that was on Main Street. I believe that Linda Hauck, the president of the society, said that the monument disappeared when it was sent in for repairs in the 1950s. (It was made out of wood, I think.)

They are also trying to collect data on any men and women who served in the U.S. Armed Forces from the Tottenville, Richmond Valley, and Charleston communities. If library staff know anyone who fits that bill, I can help get them in touch with Linda. 

Yesterday I spoke with Linda Hauck, president of the Tottenville Historical Society, about doing a program at the branch. I attended their annual meeting back in June, and she presented a slide show of historical houses in Tottenville, which was done in conjunction with the Preservation League of Staten Island. At the time I told Linda that I thought this would be a great program to do at the branch, and she agreed. It was a wonderful overview of older homes in the Tottenville area. Stay tuned for more information.

From a letter sent out by the Tottenville Historical Society:

“In 2008, The Tottenville Historical Society and the Preservation League of Staten Island will jointly publish Tottenville: The Town the Oyster Built. A Staten Island Community, Its People, Industry and Architecture. Barnett Shepherd, Staten Island’s noted scholar and author, will write the book.

This comprehensive book will be based on the findings of the Tottenville Historic Resource Survey, a three-year project of extensive research and documentation. Tottenville: The Town the Oyster Built will be a valuable resource for schoolchildren, historians, and scholars. This book will be illustrated with many rare and never-before-published photographs and prints. It promises to educate and entertain and to become a treasured family keepsake.”

However, the publication of the book is dependent upon $20,000 of funds to be raised; $15,000 has already been raised to pay for the $35,000 publishing cost.

From Linda Hauck, President of the Tottenville Historical Society:

All the details of Carib II’s arrival will appear in our next newsletter, The CART .

Everything was perfect. It was a crystal clear, sunny day.

The boat is beautiful. Inside and out. Boat owner David Soule is passionate about his historic boat and will be a loving steward for many years to come. He is down-to-earth, easy to talk with, a dedicated historian, a real gentleman.

Carib II sailed past the Pavilion at Conference House Park into Tottenville at precisely 11 am, accompanied by 8 other boats from surrounding yacht clubs. Cheering townspeople greeted her with banners, flags, and an occasional air horn.

She docked at Port Atlantic Marina on Ellis St., where people came all afternoon to view her.

She was moored on Sat. and Sun. nights at Bentley Yacht Club, off Hopping Ave., in the very same waters where she began her journey 83 years ago. On Monday morning, David and Carib II will depart and continue their voyage north.

We had contacted the press (newspaper and TV) weeks ago, and never heard back. So you can image how thrilled we were when both the Staten Island Advance and NY1 News (cable TV) showed up on Saturday —— albeit at the same time!