Part IV : Somers Historical Tidbits

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Water Park

In the mid 1800s, residents obviously owned horses and they even raced some of them at Nelson’s Racetrack near Woods Bridge. A day at the races wasn’t the only outlet either. The lot west of the Elephant Hotel once housed tennis courts, but leisure time aside, Somers entered the modern manufacturing age when the Empire Sewing Machine company was established in 1864. The reservoir system left the company in stitches, though. The upstream dam took away the plant’s water power, and the property was sold to Thomas Meade and Peter Muth. In turn, the duo sold the land to the St Joseph’s Normal College, and the structures were converted to classrooms and dorms. Unfortunately, New York City was still thirsty and gobbled up even more of the acreage. No longer did the college own the buildings, the college moved to Pocantico Hills, the cemetery relocated to Valhalla and the Statue of Our Lady of Lords landed at Manhattan College. Still, New York was done yet. The Amawalk Reservoir was created, which makes NYC the largest landowner in Somers. 3257 acres, the metropolis - as of 1988 - paid the majority of taxes and owned and maintained the bridges that needed to be built to accommodate the local transportation.

Telephone and Telegraph

In the late 1800s, a few poles went up for the Mutual Union and Baltimore and Ohio Telegraph companies. In accordance, William H. Wright and Fred T. Hopkins were local contractors for the initiative and eventually the segment became part of the Western Union Telegraph Company. As for the telephone, the Yorktown Telephone Company came into existence in 1902, and the Commissioner of Highways granted the pertinent infrastructure. The documentation read, “the company has the right and privilege to erect, maintain and operate the necessary poles, wires and appliances upon the public highways of the town of Somers.” Party line, Yorktown covered the west side of Somers, and the Hudson River Telephone Company, which became the New York Telephone, served the east.

It’s Electric

George Juengst bought land on the Croton River in 1886, and by 1900, he was generating electricity. A street light went $15 a year, house lamp was $4, and the annual rate for a store light was $8. Moving forward, Juengst received a franchise in 1908, and on the condition that he provide lighting for 10 cents a kilowatt, poles went up in Somers. The contract expired in 1918 and another was enacted until 1934. The Hudson Valley Electric Company briefly took it from there and New York State Electric and Gas would swoop in for good.

The Great War and Memorial Stone

World War I saw 40 men and two women from Somers enlist for the fight overseas. Thomas Brown was the sole fatality. He was as a motor drover and served in the “Colored Division.” When the war ended, the town board created a committee to raise money for a plaque and hold a ceremony on Labor Day to honor the returning soldiers. Alongside, a ten ton boulder was excavated from Hallock farm on Route 202, and using a team of horses and a block and tackle system, the great stone came to rest in front of the Elephant Hotel. There, the plaque was affixed and included the engraved names of all the soldiers who served. Eventually a flag pole went up next to the memorial, and the celebration was held every year until 1960. The marker was then moved to Ivandell Cemetery where it can be seen today.

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