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"A SHORT BRONX HISTORY"
William Habeck drives his carriage on Melrose Avenue and 160th Street in this photo
from 1890. Mr. Habeck was a famous cabinet and piano maker. - Photo courtesy
of The Bronx County Historical Society.
This photo from 1892 shows a building on the left at 177th Street and Boston
Road with a sign advertising a business for a man named H.E. Hall, he was a carpenter and builder. A horsecar
is carrying passengers over the muddy roadway. Behind the houses, cultivated lands can be seen.
- Photo courtesy of The Bronx County Historical Society.
This is the Catholic Protectory on Unionport Road (seen here looking toward
Tremont Avenue) as seen in this photo from 1899. It stood in the spot where Parkchester now stands.
It was run by the Catholic Church as an institution for orphans and troubled kids. Children were housed, schooled
and were taught many trades here. Discipline was highly regarded. Judges frequently would sentence delinquent
boys to live in the Protectory as a way to salvage their lives. The building was near the Morris Park Racetrack
which can be seen in the upper right hand side. - Photo courtesy of The Bronx County
Historical Society
The Bronx is today "the borough of opportunity". A place of many
races and cultures of hard working people living in harmony as one. A place to enjoy family life and a wonderful
place to start and raise a new one.
The Bronx has changed a whole lot! It has grown from an area of small
villages and farms to a borough of the nation's greatest metropolis, housing well over two million people and counting!
A SHORT BRONX HISTORY
JONAS BRONCK
1600 - 1643
Way back in 1639, a man named JONAS BRONCK, arrived to this part
of the world we now know as the borough of The Bronx. He was the first European to settle here. He settled right
along the Harlem River, an area we now know as the Mott Haven section.
No one really knows for sure why the spelling changed from Bronck to Bronx,
but the most logical explanation was that when the outsiders wanted to visit, they would say something like, "let's
go to the Bronck's Farm", meaning it belonged to someone named Bronck. I guess with time the spelling changed for simplicity
and now we have "The Bronx".
The entire Bronx belonged to Westchester County during those days
when Jonas Bronck first arrived. It was a beautiful farmland! It was a very quiet area and the neighborhoods
were like suburbs.
In 1841, The Bronx began to industrialize when railroad services
along the Harlem River began running regularly between The Bronx and Manhattan.
Around 1895, this area became part of the city of New York.
In the early 1900s, factories and urban neighborhoods began forming.
In 1914, the area became known as Bronx County, which is the 62nd and also
the last county of the state of New York.
Also around 1914, a "main street" was born. The GRAND CONCOURSE was
introduced. A stretch of road that extends for 4 1/2 miles. This gave new meaning to the idea of road access.
The Grand Concourse was inspired by the famous boulevard in Paris, France called THE CHAMP ELYSEES.
As The Bronx roared into the 1920s, so did elegance. Neighborhoods
were enhanced with lots of art designs and decorations and began drawing a lot of attention.
The intersection we now know as FORDHAM ROAD and The GRAND CONCOURSE, was
a beautiful area full of trees, fruit and vegetation, fancy new homes, and beautiful apartment buildings.
By the late 19th Century, landmarks assisted in the shaping and developing
of The Bronx.
Every street corner of The Bronx has its own unique story. Every
light pole and every pothole has a story to tell.
No wonder The Bronx is the only borough named with the word "the"
in its name.
We don't call Brooklyn, "The Brooklyn". We don't call Manhattan,
"The Manhattan". We sure don't call Queens, "The Queens". Staten Island, "The Staten Island"? No way, forget
it! Ah! But "The Bronx"! It really has a nice ring to it!
I like to call it... THE AMAZING BRONX!
This is the Van Cortlandt House in Van Cortlandt Park around 1900 as seen in
this photo. It had been converted from a Park Department building to a museum chronicling its colonial and Revolutionary
War heritage when this photo was taken. This is presently the oldest house in The Bronx.
- Photo courtesy of The Bronx County Historical Society
This is the James Stephens and Sons Coal Company as seen in this photo from 1901.
It had its headquarters on 138th Street and the Mott Haven Canal. We can see a horse-drawn coal cart crossing
the wooden bridge over the canal. In those days, crossing this bridge faster than a person can walk, would have
resulted in fines of up to $5.00. Notice that 138th Street has turned into mud by a recent rainfall.
- Photo courtesy of The Bronx County Historical Society.
Here's Mr. Diehl the letter carrier for the town of Westchester, standing next to
his horse-drawn carriage at the John A. Morris Estate in Throgs Neck as shown in this photo from 1909.
- Photo courtesy of The Bronx County Historical Society
Here's the cesspool cleaner of Edgewater Park in the
1920s when this photo was taken. Just like him, many men went through the streets of The Bronx selling their products
and services with a horse drawn wagon. - Photo courtesy of The Bronx County Historical Society
This is 161st Street and Sheridan Avenue as seen in this photograph from the mid-1920s.
We can see the Concourse Plaza on the corner to the right. Notice the trolley tracks and the overhead wires,
which provided the electricity for the trolley cars, descending through the Concourse underpass.
- Photo courtesy of The Bronx County Historical Society
Here's Southern Boulevard just south of Fordham Road in this photo taken in the mid-1920s
also. We can see the street is just starting to get paved. The park to the left is the Bronx
Zoo. The street with the houses to the right is the end of Prospect Avenue.
- Photo courtesy of The Bronx County Historical Society
This is the start of Grand Concourse (or the end) depending on how we look at it,
at Mosholu Parkway back in 1930. Here we see a new 1930 city #2 bus beginning its run down Grand Concourse to
the Hub. To the right is the Mosholu Parkway station of the Lexington Avenue #4 line.
- Photo courtesy of The Bronx County Historical Society
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