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Upcoming Events
Spring Awakening on the Greeley Farm
Flower show presented by the Chappaqua Garden Club
Friday, April 25, 2 - 4pm & Saturday, April 26, 10am - 3pm
Honoring the 50th Anniversary of the End of the Vietnam War: An Interview with Jim McCauley
Followed by New Castle Historical Society's Annual Meeting
Sunday, April 27, 2pm at the Chappaqua Library
Genealogy Workshop: Digging Deeper - Genealogy Made Easy with FamilySearch
Sunday, May 18, 1pm - Buy Tickets
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Acquisition of Original Horace Greeley Letter
In March the society received the generous gift from Edward Manley of an original autographed Horace Greeley letter to Geo. S. Phillips, Esq., of Chelsea, Massachusetts, dated September 12, 1858. Mr. Manley and his daughter carefully deciphered Mr. Greeley's difficult penmanship. The letter is a valuable addition to our collection and provides a glimpse into the thoughts of the influential journalist and politician at an important transition in his life. The letter reads as:
"My Dear Sir:
I am not now, and hope never again to be, the manager of The Tribune. Mr. Dana has relieved me from that care, to my great satisfaction. I don't see how any place could be made for you unless you can take mine (which I would very cheerfully resign to the next person) of chief political writer and director of the paper. I am weary of hard work; and if you can convince Mr. Dana that you could do my work satisfactorily, I should like to give way for you. I do not control any other department of our work. Yours, Horace Greeley"
| | | | Flower Show at the Greeley House | | Our Children's Victorian Teas were a sold-out success... and even saw a special guest visit from President Bill Clinton | |
Second Grade House Tours Make a Big Impression
Sarah Alley's 2nd grade students at Grafflin wrote charming thank-you notes to the docents who led tours of the Greeley House for their class in early March. Mrs. Alley sent her own thank-you, which stated that the tour "is a highlight of the second grade."
The children remembered with enthusiasm many items. Amelia summed up her experience with the comment that "History is so much fun!" Young Vienna's letter included illustrations.
| | | Watch the highlights from Alfred D'Alessandro's Book Reading | Click the image to watch the video | |
Historic Events of New Castle
The Launching of the Chappaqua
by Gray Williams
Research by John Magoun
Did you know that Chappaqua once had a Liberty Ship named after it? The history goes back to World War I, and the contribution to the war effort by local resident Martin Vogel.
| | Martin Vogel. Source: Find a Grave | | Lillie Lewisohn Vogel. Source: Find a Grave | | Martin Vogel was a lawyer and banker who served as United States Assistant Treasurer during the Woodrow Wilson administration. His position was more important than it sounds, for he was head of the federal subtreasury in New York City, one of the largest banks in the country. His wife, Lillie, came from the wealthy and philanthropic Lewisohn family. The Vogels were among the residents known in New Castle as “hilltoppers,” affluent estate owners who built their country houses on the highest points of their properties. The Vogels’ home occupied a former orchard on the farm of Joshua Washburn on South Bedford Road, and it came to be known as Apple Hill Farm. Unlike many former hilltopper houses, it remains splendidly intact to this day. | | Martin Vogel became especially prominent during World War I, when he led the Liberty Bond campaigns in New York City. His energy, his eloquence, and his strong connections with the financial community all contributed to his notable success in this endeavor. After the war, when the Wilson administration wanted to honor his contribution, it may have been Martin himself who suggested that a new Liberty Ship be named -- not for himself, but for his community -- the Chappaqua. | |
There was no difficulty in finding a candidate. The Standard Shipbuilding Corporation on Staten Island had one of these ships under construction. It was to be the 25th and last of such freighters to be built by the company, and it was scheduled to be completed in early 1920. But as the date of the launch approached, a problem arose.
It was traditional that during the launching, a bottle of champagne should be ceremoniously broken across the bow. But by 1920, the 18th amendment to the Constitution had been confirmed, and the Volstead Act, forbidding the possession, transportation, and use of alcoholic beverages, had been enacted. The shipbuilding company had providentially squirreled away some bottles for ceremonial use, but could one of them be used in launching the Chappaqua?
The New York Times on February 15, partly with tongue in cheek, reported on the official wriggling and squirming that led up to a pragmatic solution:
John J. Quigley, Assistant Federal Supervising Prohibition Agent, who is in charge of the office at the Customs House… said yesterday that the company had no right under the law to have the champagne in its possession nor to use it in launching the ship. It is not possible, he said, to obtain a permit to have or use it. He remarked that he might have a couple of his prohibition agents on the scene when the launching took place, but on second thought he said that after the bottle had been broken to bits, any possible evidence that it was champagne would be destroyed. The company could then claim that it was water, he said.
So, after thinking over the situation, Mr. Quigley said that perhaps he had enough to do in looking after the saloons, bootleggers, and the stills in private homes, and that unless some one made a written complaint against the use of the champagne on this auspicious occasion, probably no action would be taken.1
| | The Vogel family, center, and the men’s delegation at the launching. Next to the Vogels, to the left, the Reverend Dr. Frank M. Clendenin. | Lillie Vogel and the women’s delegation at the launching. At center right, Horace Greeley’s daughter Gabrielle Greeley Clendenin. | | No one complained, in writing or otherwise, and the launching took place, champagne and all, on Saturday, March 13.2 A sizeable delegation from Chappaqua, headed by Martin and Lillie Vogel and composed of friends, neighbors, and community officials, attended the ceremony at the Standard Shipbuilding dock. Prominent among them were Horace Greeley’s daughter, Gabrielle Greeley Clendenin, and her husband, the Reverend Dr. Frank M. Clendenin, who were both friends and near neighbors. | | Lillie Vogel smashing the bottle of champagne over the bow of the Chappaqua | | |
Lillie Vogel gave the champagne bottle a lusty swing, and it exploded over the bow with a satisfying foamy splatter. The surviving neck of the bottle was placed in a gold mesh bag within a hand-carved mahogany box and presented to the Vogels as a memento of the “auspicious occasion.”
Unfortunately, after this grand commencement, the career of the Chappaqua proved to be something of an anticlimax. The ship remained in service for only about a dozen years, and was scrapped during the Depression in 1933.
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1 New York Times, February 15, 1920.
2 Brooklyn Standard Union, March 14, 1920, p. 4.
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In Memoriam: Nancy O'Neil
Nancy O'Neil, historic preservation expert and longtime member of the New Castle Historical Society, passed away in March.
Read her Obituary.
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Museum Shop
For the perfect gift, check out our Museum Store collection of locally inspired products.
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