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BronXcursions

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BronXcursions

BronXcursions are walking tours centered on Bronx history, the borough's current and emerging cultures, and unique qualities.
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10/04/2023

Definitely not the first beach on Manhattan Island. History tells us that there were miles of it along the West Side for millions of years before modern development.

10/03/2023

I finally got my Borough Historian swag! Thank you and staff for procuring my business cards, letter head, pins, and of course - personalized jacket :) I am now completely prepared to answer and address all your Bronx historical needs. Make sure you grab a card from me the next time we meet - its historic.

10/03/2023

This past Saturday I had the honor of attending the opening of the Kingsbridge Historical Society at their permanent home in Riverdale. The organization can now be found in the beautiful former Edgehill Church of Spuyten Duyvil on Independence Avenue at Kappock Street, designed by Francis H. Kimball in the 1880s (Romanesque/Tudor Revival, Shingle style.) There you can still see some of the original Tiffany stain-glass and other marvelous church fixtures. My predecessor, former borough historian Rev. William Tieck, led the congregation there for many years until his death in 1997. Big shout out to Nick Dembowski, KHS Executive Director, for continuing the mission and his efforts in historic preservation. The Kingsbridge Historical now needs your help! The building does not have heat and needs a new roof. We can only save our borough’s precious structures with the limited resources available now. Please visit the KHS website and inquire about how you can help.

07/18/2023

Just because east Bronx neighborhoods like Castle Hill and Clason Point were left mostly undeveloped until the 1960s, does not mean anything was of interest there before. Take for instance the exciting Castle Hill Speedway of the 1940s, where Midget Car Racing was the emerging sensation of the time. Midget car racing started in 1933 back in Los Angeles, but soon became one of the most popular outdoor sports where ample space was available.

The Castle Hill Speedway opened in 1938 and was located east of Castle Hill Avenue, on the southeast corner of Havemeyer and Lafayette avenues (interestingly, the Havemeyer DMV road test site is located today, immediately south.) Race car legends like Mel Hansen and Cowboy O’Rourke frequented the track to the entertainment of thousands of Bronxites. The speedway was one of the last in the city that were part of the early board track racing era, where oval shaped race courses were composed of wooden planks.

Yet, World War II would put a stop to these type of outdoor venue activities. Facing a lack of new housing due to a Great Depression-ravaged market that created a development halt in the city for over a decade, thousands of soldiers returned to a city with virtually no space for them to live. In comes Mayor William O’Dwyer, who would alleviate the housing situation by purchasing of hundreds of military issued all-purpose portable buildings, or “Quonset Huts.” With a huge surplus of post-war materials, these huts were easily transportable and could house up to two families per unit.

Soon after, undeveloped spaces found in neighborhoods like Soundview and Clason Point became host to these new Quonset Hut communities. In Castle Hill, the speedway was obliterated and one of the neighborhood’s Quonset Hut communities would be situated at that precise location. The site of today’s NYCHA Castle Hill Houses was also occupied by Quonset Huts.

Want to learn more about Castle Hill? Join me this Saturday, July 22nd, at 11am, on the corner of Castle Hill and Westchester avenues for my first walking tour as your new borough historian. It would be my pleasure.

06/27/2023

Another High Bridge Tidbit: If you walk by 1079 Nelson Avenue you will immediately notice the large garage door, indicating a firehouse. It was indeed the headquarters for Ladder 49, dating back to 1904. The building was erected in 1913 and sits immediately behind 1080 Ogden Avenue, first headquarters for Engine 68, built in 1898 (By the way, this firehouse is said to be the only one in the city designed in Tudor Stye architecture.)

Dating back to times when steam power began its dominance over horse power, and ladder truck companies worked apart from their fellow fire truck companies, finding two firehouses near each other weren’t so unusual. After WWII, a city-wide assessment of firehouses led to the closing of many firehouses, including Ladder 49’s 1079 Nelson Avenue house. This forced the ladder company to move in with its Engine 68 neighbors, explaining why the shape of the garage door to the older structure went from round to square (more room!) In 1979 both fire companies found a new home at 1160 Ogden Avenue.

What’s interesting is that in 1957 the old Ladder 49 firehouse on Nelson Avenue was sold to Fordel Films, who were known for having government contracts to produce educational films in medicine and biology. It was around the same time noted filmmaker Sam Brody was working as a film laboratory technician for the company. Brody was a founding member of the Workers Film and Photo League, a socialist organization founded in 1931 to produce and present films documenting the Great Depression through a Marxist lens.

Labeled and investigated as a communist by the FBI in the 1940s, Brody was also known for his many films for organized labor and photographs of New York City. Some of his early work covered included a textile strike in Passaic, N.J., in 1926 and another in 1929 in Gastonia, N.C. He was also a cameraman for documentaries about national hunger marches on Washington in 1931 and 1932. Durning the investigations, he and his family lived on Crotona Park East. Today 1079 Nelson Avenue is a private residence.

06/26/2023

Since we had to postpone this Saturday’s tour of High Bridge due to the weather, I thought I’d share some random tidbits. Here’s one: Right after WWI there were talks on all levels of city government to tear down the High Bridge and replace the conduit with an underground pipe. The move, which would of improved ship traffic on the Harlem River and save costs on maintenance, was meet with strong opposition from local groups. Eventually, a plan was announced to just remove the stone arches on the Manhattan side and replace them with one steel arch to allow more river traffic. In 1926 this was done, and every single stone from the old arches can now be found embedded in the retaining wall on W.231st Street near Riverdale Avenue. What a great way to preserve history!

06/15/2023

I always carry a short speech in my pocket when I’m invited to historic events. Here’s one I prepared just the night before we celebrated the High Bridge’s 175th anniversary on June 6th. Someone should read it:

After 175 years stretching majestically across the Harlem River, the High Bridge continues to symbolize our city’s unwavering historic heritage. These words cannot ring any truer, for this bridge has seen many phases and faces, while it played its pivotal role in the making of our metropolis. When the High Bridge, or the Aqueduct Bridge, was opened in 1848, Manhattan still held a rural collection of villages and hamlets. The word “Bronx” was yet to be widely used, for that place was once part of Westchester County, with the actual bridge erected in what was then the old Town of West Farms. Painstakingly constructed by the hands of thousands of Irish immigrants, the High Bridge has since been traversed by citizens of many cultures of this world who would have no doubt of its curiosity.

Today, while we celebrate the historic milestone of this magnificent engineering marvel, let us continue our role in preserving and ensuring that its promenade remains open. Let us also continue to teach our city’s youth about the human contribution to society and how the world around them is constantly being built by those who have strived before them. The High Bridge today should never just be known for its beauty and wonder, but as a reminder of its valuable purpose. The City of New York owes its debt to the High Bridge, since it brought fresh water into it via the Croton Aqueduct and enabled its expansion north and beyond. Yet, there is even a deeper debt that is owed to the engineers, the laborers, and all those who, through their blood and sweat, have spent their days building the High Bridge under the most dangerous conditions.

After 175 years, happy birthday High Bridge. May you continue your role as a beacon of hope, growth, and prosperity today, and for eternity.

06/01/2023

This year we celebrate 175 years of one of our cherished landmarks, the majestic High Bridge. Considered to be one of our nation’s earliest engineering marvels, the High Bridge still stands as a symbol of our borough’s pride and historic heritage.

In 1848 the High Bridge opened as the Aqueduct Bridge because it connected the underground aqueducts from Westchester all the way to Manhattan, carrying water to downtown reservoirs. Originally designed as a stone arch bridge resembling a Roman aqueduct, its center arches were replaced in 1928 by a single steel arch to help ship navigation on the Harlem River (The Bronx side still retains the original arches.)

The High Bridge was a major innovation in its time of operation. Cholera and other epidemics had ravaged the city since the 18th century. Water supplies for fire fighting were inadequate and fires raged unchecked destroying entire city blocks. In a direct response to these issues, New York City was in need of a dependable water source.

In the early 1830s the Bronx River, being the city’s only fresh water river, was an immediate candidate. The idea of an above ground aqueduct spanning from the river, across what is now the South Bronx, and connecting into reservoirs in Manhattan was explored (imagine that?) Yet instead, plans to tap into the Croton watershed in upper Westchester County were approved and work on the new Croton Aqueduct System commenced.

Want to learn more? Come celebrate the bridge’s 175th anniversary on my inaugural walking tour as your new official borough historian. On Saturday, June 24th, meet me at the NW corner of 161st Steet and River Avenue for a nice stroll to the beautiful High Bridge. Tons of history on our way over.

03/31/2023

My fellow Bronxites mark your calendars! Saturday, May 13th, from 11-2pm, we will celebrate Bronx Week by adding (again) 52 additional acres to the mainland Bronx. Marble Hill, a fifty-two acre community, has been a part of both Manhattan and The Bronx at different times and for different reasons, according to the shifting sands of time and landfill. Then the United States Ship Canal, locally called the Harlem Ship Canal, was cut through just below the village. Although the construction project joined the Harlem and Hudson rivers, it severed Marble Hill from Manhattan in the process. Once virtually an island, when the Spuyten Duyvil creek was filled in Marble Hill became part of The Bronx, and thus, attached to the mainland United States. Join me and the The Great and Glorious Grand Army on this historic tradition that dates back to 1939 when Bronx Borough President James J. Lyons drove up to W.225th at the summit of Marble Hill and planted The Bronx flag to the dismay of local residents there. The march will start at The Bronx Public, located at 170 W 231st St, The Bronx, NY 10463. This is a free event and must wear battle gear and there is walking involved. Past news links in the bio. You’re welcome.

03/24/2023

Westchester Avenue was an ancient road, with many portions of it overlaying Native trails. As a turnpike laid out in 1727, it led from the Manor of Morrisania to the village of West-Chester, now Westchester Square. Between 1815-1867, some portions of the road were paved and it was briefly referred to as the Southern Westchester Turnpike (Gouvernuer Morris was recorded as the first to traverse the newly paved portion from his property by horse buggy, right before his death.) It was extended beyond Westchester Square in 1917 and became the main route to Pelham via Middletown. Westchester Square (the town square of the ancient West-Chester Village founded in 1655) was the seat for Westchester County for almost seventy years until 1758, when a massive fire burned down the main courthouse and forced the administration to headquarter in White Plains, where it remains today. Before English colonization, the Dutch held an outpost at today's Westchester Square in the early 1600s, and developed a village called Oostdorp - meaning "East Village," as it sat east of the colony of Nieuw Amsterdam. The English began to encroach on this territory from the Connecticut colonies by the 1650s and re-named the area "West-Chester," as it was west of the New England colonies (others say it's because the area is west of the city of Chester in England - either way, it's west of something.) Some fun facts about West-Chester: 1. The county’s very first newspaper “The West-Chester Patriot” was printed and published by a person named M. Lopez in 1813 at West-Farms. Although most likely a Sephardic Jew, it is still the very first time we come across a hispanic surname recorded in Bronx history. 2. In the 1880s there was once an 18-hole golf course called the “Westchester Golf Club” that was located immediately across the Westchester Bridge, over The Bronx River. The course was owned by the Watson family (Watson Avenue.) 3. The Bronx Giants’ Ballfield, also of the former Watson estate, was located on the south side of Westchester Avenue, near what would be today Wheeler Avenue. Famous base ball player Henry “Heinie” Zimmerman played there.

03/20/2023

I promised a while back that I’ll post the Before & After shot of a past 1906 image. Claremont Avenue was once called Wendover Avenue, and was a stop on the old Third Avenue El. The street was previously named after Congressman Peter Wendover (1768-1834), who was not only a politician who lived in the area, but was also a sail maker. In 1817, Rep. Wendover proposed the American flag law, where the number of stripes was permanently limited to 13 and the stars were to correspond to the number of states in the union. The method allowed more stars to be added in the future. The following year, the Flag Act of 1818 was passed. Before that, the street was called Bathgate Place in the 1850s to honor the Bathgate family estate (now Crotona Park.) Alexander Bathgate was a trusted caretaker of the Morris family grand estate called “Morrisania.” For his legacy, Bathgate was bequeathed large portions of the old Morris estate after the 1840s. There is a rumor that in the 1880s, during the creation of the Bronx parks system, Crotona Park was to be originally named Bathgate Park, but apparently there was some issues between that family and city officials. I’ll confirm this soon.

03/20/2023

One of the staples of our city’s tourism industry are walking and bus tours. There are thousands of tour guides in NYC who claim to know the history of the boroughs. Yet, we all have come across some who just can’t get certain things right about The Bronx. Check out the 5 facts that tour guides, including from The Bronx, always get wrong.

03/14/2023

The Bronx flag design was approved by then borough president Cyrus C. Miller on March 1, 1912, two years before the borough became the 62nd and last county of New York State. While this post fully explains the origins of our borough flag, it is fun to note that the very first public edifice to showcase the Bronx flag’s coat of arms was the Hunts Point Palace - constructed the same year the flag was approved. The tri-colors of the flag denote the Dutch era, while the coat of arms (sun rising above the sea, eagle perched upon globe, Ne Cede Malis in Latin for “Yield not to Evil”) was purportedly found on the ancient Bronck family crest.

03/07/2023

Ever wandered around the Longwood section of The Bronx and come across this oddly situated structure on E.156th and Beck streets? You are currently located in the heart of the Longwood Historic District, and this structure played a key note in that particular history. This structure is an actual replica of the former Samuel B. White Mansion, which sat at the exact site, in the same catty-cornered position. The mansion was originally built in 1850 by Charles Dennison. By the 1870s, the name S.B. White graced the maps of the time, marking the home as the seat of his country estate called "Lawn Park" and then later on, "Longwood Park." The name “Longwood” was supposedly popular at the time, as the Emperor Napoleon was confined to a Longwood Park on the island of St. Helena.

As the area around the White mansion began to get developed at the turn of the 20th century, the building itself served as rental office and headquarters of prominent Bronx realtor George F. Johnson. Immediately, the streets that surround the house was developed with marvelous townhouses of Neo-Renaissance and late Romanesque Revival details. Mostly designed and build by noted architect Warren C. Dickerson, these marvelous structures were the grand extension of Manhattan's elegant housing stock of the time. By 1900, most of the streets in the area were completed and the mansion was re-outfitted by Dickerson as a clubhouse. Over the years, the building was used for the Unity Club, the Longwood Club, the Martinique Club, the Juvenile Service League, and most memorably, the P.A.L. club of Longwood.

When the current structures were planned, the old White mansion was already in shambles and marked for demolition. The story goes that the developers preserved one of the facades of the building, and recreated the remaining walls to make it look like the original one. Today, the building itself serves as the rental office for the current development, just as it did for the others in the immediate area nearly 125 years ago.

03/03/2023

Part 3: Bronx Latino History Project. Most images come from The Bronx County Historical Society.

03/02/2023

If you’re not bringing local history into the classroom, then what’s the point of preserving it? Bronx history is not an easy sell, but with some creativity and fun, you can create numerous activities just by learning about your schools’ neighborhood. Take the popular school activity called “Map It!” for example. My past colleagues at the Bronx County Historical Society and I developed an activity where students take a walking tour of their school’s neighborhood and are broken into four teams: Cartographers, photographers, writers, and artists. At the end of the tour, each group works together to create a short newspaper and historic school neighborhood map. Also, each group elects one representative to present their findings on the tour and answer questions. Is it that awesome?! Map it! is quite popular among JHS students because of the Social Studies component. Read the news link in our bio.

03/01/2023

Attention my fellow Bronxites! The search for a new Bronx Borough Historian has been extended. With over 12 years of conducting Bronx historic walking tours, lectures, school programs, Award-winning podcasts like Go Bronx, television interviews, and more, I now ask for your endorsement.

02/28/2023

Before 1895, all lands east of the Bronx River still belonged to Westchester County (Westchester Square was the county seat until after the American Revolution.) Within the confines of what we now call the southeast Bronx, there once were a collection of small villages and hamlets that dotted the landscape. Names like Stinardtown, Schuylerville, and Union Port hark back to bucolic times when water travel was still a popular mode of transport. One town that continues to cause question among Bronxites today is Middletown, as in Middletown Road. In which two towns this location sits that it has earned such a name? Well, what the old maps tell us is that there once was an actually brook called the”Middle Brook” that ran from the Long Island Sound roughly along today’s expressway of the Throgs Neck Bridge. A 1776 British battle map of “Frogs Neck” clearly shows the Middle Brook. Later maps label the brook as the “Weir Creek”, as it still denotes to the Lenape tradition of catching fish with large nets (Weir means fishing trap in Old English.) Yet, the name “Middle Town” seems to have stuck, for a settlement of that name coalesced at the terminus of the ancient brook sometime after the American Revolution. You can still see the mouth of the Middle Brook at today’s Weir Creek, located inside Bicentennial Veterans Memorial Park. But what if the name “Middletown”actually comes from its proximity between the Town of West-Chester and those sitting in the north across the old Pelham Bridge? I guess a little more research wouldn’t hurt.

02/28/2023

Since we’ve been studying the East Bronx lately, let’s take a look at County Club. From his mansion called “Plaisance”(formally inside Huntington Woods in Pelham Bay Park) in Autumn 1883, James “Monty” Waterbury, American business man and World class Polo player, contacted his friends to organize a golf club. He became first president. The club’s purpose soon became a place where all country sports could be enjoyed by the membership, which ranged from $75-$100 a year.
In 1883 the former Richard Morris mansion “Oakshade”, located in what is today Pelham Bay Park, was converted by the new Country Club at Pelham to be the clubhouse. Operations commenced on the nearly-34-acre area encompassed by the Morris Estate. The steeplechase course was laid out on the other side of today’s Shore Road (the north side), opposite the Club’s headquarters. Soon after, tennis courts, racetrack, polo field, baseball grounds, traps for pigeon shooting, a pack of hounds, boats, and bathhouses were all found on the property. In fact, in 1888, the polo grounds (now Split Rock Golf Course) were improved with its own clubhouse. Its where legendary Polo players like James and Larry Waterbury practiced and played. They won the senior championship in 1903.

Pelham Bay Park officially became city property in 1888 when for a total cost of $2,746,688. Seeking a new home, the County Club of Pelham purchased the old Van Antwerp property on Throgg's Neck, in the township of West Chester, Westchester County. Over 120 acres were reserved for play, while the remainder was divided into villa sites, many of which have already been sold to club members.

Although the clubhouse no longer stands and the polo grounds no longer exist, Villa Maria Academy sits on the location today, while the neighborhood retained its official name.

02/22/2023

At the Edgar Allan Poe Cottage on the Grand Concourse, I once compared Poe to a modern rapper for a 5th grade school group. At first they seemed puzzled. But when I began to explain that Poe was an actual lyricist who used rhyme and rhythm to express his thoughts, it started to click. Just like our Bronx Hip Hop forefathers, who came up from poverty at the time, so did Poe. No bling, no cars, just talent. How to make Bronx history more appealing to today’s youth? Bridge the past to the present, there’s always a link.

02/22/2023

Looking back at my tenure at the Bronx Historical Society and always cherish my time with students. We must continue to teach Bronx history so that our future professionals can grow up to appreciate and honor their origins. Bronx history is not just the positive stuff - it encompasses every moment so that we can always have lessons to learn from. More Bronx history in schools? Absolutely!

02/21/2023

Some say that this 1856 photograph taken atop of Mt. Hope looking east looking along today’s East Tremont is the rarest and oldest taken. It was taken when this part of The Bronx was called Tremont. When upper Morrisania was laid out in the 1850s, its first postmaster, Hiram Tarbox, suggested the name of Tremont as there were three mounts inside the limits: Mount Hope, Mount Eden and Fairmount. Do you have an older image of The Bronx? Let’s see it. #1858

02/21/2023

Part two from previous post: Here’s the beautiful, yet rare photograph of the James & Kirkland foundry that IG has some issue uploading.

02/21/2023

In 1858, when the Janes & Kirtland iron works company was awarded the job of fabricating the dome for the U.S. Capitol in Washington D.C., it was still a Manhattan foundry. It was so large an undertaking, however, that the firm searched for a site that could contain the work. The foundry was built along the south side of Westchester Avenue, between Brook and St. Ann’s avenues. For three years, hundreds of workmen created the 5,000 tons of ironwork to support the Capitol dome. Janes & Kirtland also did work for the U.S. Treasury building. The foundry produced the immense fountain for the city of Savannah, considered one of the finest examples of ironwork in America. Janes & Kirtland made iron railings for the Brooklyn Bridge, and the numerous iron bridges for Central Park. Their ornamental work can still be found worldwide. By the way, Adrian Janes, co-owner if the foundry, lived in a mansion at the center of what is today St. Marys (names after an old church located nearby) and was later used by the Parks Department. It was torn down before the 1940s.

02/21/2023

In 1858 when the Janes & Kirtland iron works company was awarded the job of fabricating the dome for the U.S. Capitol in Washington D.C., it was still a Manhattan foundry. It was so large an undertaking, however, that the firm searched for a site that could contain the work. The foundry was built along the south side of Westchester Avenue, between Brook and St. Ann’s avenues. For three years, hundreds of workmen created the 5,000 tons of ironwork to support the Capitol dome. Janes & Kirtland also did work for the U.S. Treasury building. The foundry produced the immense fountain for the city of Savannah, considered one of the finest examples of ironwork in America. Janes & Kirtland made iron railings for the Brooklyn Bridge, and the numerous iron bridges for Central Park. Their ornamental work can still be found worldwide.

02/15/2023

Gouverneur Morris Wilkins, son of the British loyalist Reverend Isaac Wilkins, owned the old family estate called "Castle Hill" and gradually added onto the ancient mansion. The area was named as such because it was once occupied by the Siwanoy who, according to Dutch navigator Adrien Block in 1614, had erected large wigwams and resembled a fortified castle atop of the elevated land, sixty feet above the sea level. The mansion sat on today's northeast corner of Castle Hill and Norton avenues. In the mid 19th century, this area south of the Westchester Turnpike (now Westchester Avenue) was once a separate village called "Union Port" until it was incorporated into New York City in 1895. When Union Port was laid out, all streets were numbered, and all avenues lettered from A to E. Today, you can still see evidence of this on the corners of P.S.36, located on Castle Hill Avenue near the Cross Bronx service way. Follow us for more!

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La historia del Bronx es para todos. Los latinos del condado deben conocer la historia de su hogar como cualquier otra persona. El inglés es mi primer idioma, pero el español es el idioma de mis antepasados, quienes llegaron a este municipio desde Puerto Rico en busca de una vida mejor. Es mi deber educar a la gente de este gran municipio, aunque tenga que aprender bengalí (primero, permítanme perfeccionar mi español, jejeje). #historiadelbronx #bronxhistory #bronxlatino #thebronxhistorian #ny1noticias #huntingtonfreelibrary #librariesofinstagram #elbronx #thebronx

Check out this short, yet awesome interview I did at the Poe Museum in Baltimore, MD. Poe’s work still resonates with Bronxites from all over Latin America, especially those who partake in Goth culture. I cannot tell you how many times I’ve had some Goth students visit us at the cottage, just so that they can sit on the floor and read Poe’s work. Just so you know, Edgar Allan Poe lived in The Bronx for 3 years (1846-49.) At this time, the area was known as the Village of Fordham, located in West-Chester County. At the cottage that still stands today at East Kingsbridge Road and the Grand Concourse, Poe wrote some of his noted works like “Annabel Lee,” “The Cask of Amontillado,” and other pieces. After his young wife/first-cousin Virginia died of tuberculosis at the cottage in 1847, Poe fell into deep despair. He died two years later under mysterious circumstances in Baltimore. #edgarallanpoe #poecottage #bronxhistory #fordham

Ever wandered past the Aileen B. Ryan Recreational Complex and encountered a piece of forested land called “Huntington Woods?” For many years, this land was owned by the Waterbury family, then later the Huntingtons. A mid-19th century mansion estate called “Plaisance” was the location when in 1883, James Montaudevert Waterbury, wealthy American businessman and industrialist, also president of the New York Steel and Wire Company and the American Type Bar and Machine Company, contacted his friends to organize a golf club. He became first president. The club’s purpose soon became a place where all country sports could be enjoyed by the membership, which ranged from $75-$100 a year. This group would soon take over the old Oakshade Inn at Pelham Bay and start what we know today as the County Club of Westchester (not to be confused with today’s Westchester County Club.) Waterbury had strong attachments to his race horses and dogs. Some dozen tombstones can be seen in today’s Huntington Woods. You can still see them near the present-day Police Department stables. In the 1910s, Archer Milton Huntington, son of Railroad magnate Collin P. Huntington, moved into the mansion until he sold the land to the city in the 1920s, which later incorporated it into Pelham Bay Park and used by the Police Department. The main house was three-storied, with a valuable library that was donated in 1904 to the Hispanic Museum of New York. About the same time, the estate was given to the Parks Department. Today a “Library Avenue” running through County Club denotes to Archer’s extensive private library. #pelhambaypark #thebronx #bronxhistory #countryclub #eastbronx

@rogerclark41 “When it comes to the streets in the area, which also include Watt Avenue, Radio Drive and Research Avenue, there is a connection. It dates back to the 1920s when the streets were laid out, and Julia Rice offered the city one million dollars to build a now demolished stadium on the southern end of Pelham Bay Park, in memory of her late husband, the lawyer, businessman and inventor Issac Rice. His companies were big into electricity. “They opened up this beautiful stadium in the 1920s. They named it after Rice, and they named the streets located nearby after other pioneers in electric and sound,” said Angel Hernandez, a historian who is president of the Huntington Free Library and Reading Room in Westchester Square.” #thebronx #countryclub #bronxhistory

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BronXcursions and its Founder

BronXcursions are walking tours centered on Bronx history, its current and emerging cultures, and are designed to educate the inquiring mind in the name of pride and preservation. Lead by licensed tour guide and Bronx history enthusiast Angel Hernandez, these walking tours are done in any given neighborhood - by foot, bus, and even the subway. In a rapidly changing metropolis such at The Bronx, local history is a fleeting concept. Hyper development and impending demographic shifts tends to threat the current fabric of The Bronx community, putting in jeopardy remnants of a rich and historic past. In keeping the momentum with such rapid change, local historians must engage and tell the story of this great All-American City. To share the story of The Bronx with others, whether it be tourists or locals, is to teach about the current fabric that withstands drastic change and adversity. Through the dissemination of local history, we demonstrate our achievements of the past, celebrate our accomplishments in the contemporary, and with the succession of ages, cement our legacies for our future Bronxites.

Yet, who is behind all this?

Angel Hernandez is a native of The Bronx, with a passion to unearth historic information on his hometown. A graduate of Lehman College with a B.A. in Sociology and M.A. in History, Angel enjoys educating people in The Bronx about its rich history and its ever-changing demographics. He works very close with educational institutions in an effort to teach local and neighborhood history to students – a subject rarely taught in the classroom.

Before creating BronXcursions, Inc, Angel served 9 years as Director of Programs and External Relations for The Bronx County Historical Society. During his tenure, Angel began The Bronx Latino History Project, raised funds for audio tours to be implemented at the Edgar Allan Poe Cottage and the Valentine-Varian House (Museum of Bronx History), and conducted numerous walking tours and lectures on Bronx history. In a prime example of innovation in the modern technological realm, in 2016 Angel helped secure nearly $200,000 in capital funding from the office of the Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr, to start a digitization project. This project will be the first of its kind since The Bronx County Historical Society was founded in 1955.

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Bronx Historical Tours
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BronXcursions and its Founder

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