NYC Mayor LaGuardia did not want Yonkers to become the 6th borough of NYC
By Fred Palumbo, World Telegram staff photographer – Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1265905
By Mary Hoar, City of Yonkers Municipal Historian, 1977 recipient of the Key to the City of Yonkers, President Emeritus Yonkers Historical Society, recipient of the 2004 Key to History, Yonkers Landmarks Preservation Board Member, Founder of Revolutionary Yonkers 250 and President Untermyer Performing Arts Council
Monday, November 9th:
November 9, 1948: The Hudson River Day Line, after being in existence for almost one century, announced it was going out-of-business! Incorporated in 1879 as the successor to the Albany Day Line, founded in 1863 to carry passengers on the Hudson. Its well-known boats, the Robert Fulton, Peter Stuyvesant, Alexander Hamilton and the Hendrick Hudson were to be sold.
November 9, 1929: Parks Superintendent Louis Milliot announced the results of the tree survey in Trevor Park. Eighty-seven species of trees were found, many very rare specimens. Milliot said many trees were priceless, with the purple beech trees worth in excess of $10,000 each. Another extremely rare tree in the park was the cut leaf linden. The city brought in five experts to assist in the identification project because so many of these unusual trees were difficult to identify. Two trees of each type would be labeled with aluminum nameplates supplied by William McVicar of Yonkers.
The Trevor estate was designed by its late owner John B. Trevor, who imported specimens of trees and plants from all over the world. Superintendent Milliot compared it to Kykuit!
Tuesday, November 10th
November 10, 1933: A suspicious Park Hill neighbor alerted police alerted police after seeing a “jaunty” man walking down the street at 2 am… his arms filled with overcoats! The neighbor called the police and reported what he witnessed. The police arrested the man, who claimed he was delivering them. Six hours later, the station received a phone call from the man who had been burglarized!
November 12, 1942: Councilman Curtiss Frank introduced a resolution to create a Yonkers Port Authority to allow the four-mile Yonkers waterfront to benefit the entire state. His plan was to petition our State Senators and Assemblymen to introduce legislation to the State Legislature to create the Port Authority, empowering it to issue “certificates of indebtedness…backed by the full faith and credit of the State of New York.”
Wednesday, November 11th:
November 11, 1776: The British Seventy-first Regiment stopped at Colonel Philipse’s home, now Philipse Manor Hall.
November 11, 1919: Acting Mayor John Davis read a proclamation on the steps of City Hall issued by Mayor John Fogarty commemorating the signing of the Armistice.
November 11, 1954: National Gold Star Mothers President Elsie Nielsen and Yonkers Gold Star Mothers President Alice Kinsella dedicated plaques in memory of Yonkers servicemen who died during World War II and the Korean War. The plaques listed 525 Yonkers servicemembers who died during the Second World War, and 36 Yonkers residents who lost their lives during the Korean police action.
More than 100 Gold Star Mothers attended the Veterans Day commemoration, Yonkers’ first.
Thursday, November 12th
November 12, 1893: The Westchester County Board of Supervisors met to allow five Yonkers men to take their seats in accordance with the State Court of Appeals decision. The State Legislature passed a law giving Yonkers, with one-third the population of Westchester and paying one-third of the county tax, one Supervisor per ward. The Board attacked the legislation as unconstitutional and refused to seat the five men elected as Supervisors. The County Board had lost its legal challenge at every level.
Yonkers’ new Supervisors were Alanson Prime, T. Percival, P. J. Cuniff, Jeremiah Clancy, and William McPherson.
November 12, 1900: After an intense discussion about building a firehouse at Manor Hall Park, Alderman Tompkins proposed canceling the firehouse contract on condition the Manor Hall Association pay the contractor the $2500 cancelation fee. This sparked a lively debate between Mayor Sutherland and Council President Walsh. Walsh said not only should the Association pay the cancellation fee, but also the $2,100 Yonkers already spent; it would not be fair to taxpayers to “permit the money they expended to go for naught.” Sutherland agreed with Walsh, adding motives to preserve the Hall were not selfish, but patriotic and public spirited. Alderman Walsh substituted $4600 for $2500 in his motion… it passed.
Friday, November 13th:
November 13, 1933: Otis Elevator Plant Manager Robert Goodwillie presented awards for the best gardens at the three Otis sponsored plots: Shonnard Place, Tibbetts Brook Park and Palmer Road at Saw Mill River Road. Top winners were John Fedor, Lewis Evans and Anthny Girsh. Most productive crop was tomatoes, with almost 30,000 pounds produced; almost 13,500 pounds of cabbages were grown. Gardens at Tibbetts Brook were the most productive; in total these family plots produced almost 100,000 pounds of vegetables.
Saturday, November 14th:
November 14, 1934: Alderman Edward Winn introduced a resolution opposing New York City’s latest attempt to annex Yonkers.
There was a mad scramble between Winn, Aldermen Slater, Mitchell, and Schaefer; they all claimed to be first to file the bill. They learned New York City’s bill annexing Yonkers was deferred because of tax issues, rescheduled for the following week. Winn’s bill went forward and was adopted unanimously; a copy was sent to NYC’s Board of Aldermen.
Sunday, November 15th:
November 15, 1934: NYC Alderman Elias Jacobs pushed ahead with his plans to annex Yonkers… despite the express opposition of the Yonkers City Council! He filed his proposed local law to make Yonkers part of New York City; this proposal would make Yonkers a borough. The merger had to be approved by the “municipal assemblies of both cities and approved by a referendum in both cities.” It was slated for New York’s November 20th legislative Agenda.
Mayor LaGuardia, when asked for his opinion, stated, “I have enough headaches for the next three years without another borough!”
Any questions on this column, email yonkershistory1646@gmail.com.
For information on the Yonkers Historical Society, the Sherwood House Museum on Tuckahoe Road or their upcoming events, please call 914-961-8940, visit website www.yonkershistoricalsociety.org, or email info@yonkershistoricalsociety.org.