Somers Hamlet Historic District

Last updated
Somers Hamlet Historic District
Houses in downtown Somers, NY.jpg
Houses along Route 202, 2008
USA New York location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Usa edcp location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Location Somers, NY
Nearest city Danbury, CT
Coordinates 41°19′49″N73°40′59″W / 41.33028°N 73.68306°W / 41.33028; -73.68306 Coordinates: 41°19′49″N73°40′59″W / 41.33028°N 73.68306°W / 41.33028; -73.68306
Area56 acres (22.4 ha)
Builtearly, mid-19th century
Architectural style Federal, later Revival styles
NRHP reference No. 04000349
Added to NRHP2004

The Somers Hamlet Historic District is a historic district located along US 202 in Somers Hamlet in Westchester County, New York, United States. It is the stretch of highway between the junctions with NY 100 and NY 116, including small portions of both highways. Two side streets, Deans Bridge Road and The Lane, are also included, bringing its total area to 56 acres (22.4 ha). [1]

Contents

Forty-six of the 57 buildings, sites and structures within the district are considered contributing properties. Many of them date to the early 19th century, when the hamlet was at the junction of the Croton Turnpike (now NY 100) and the Peekskill-Danbury Turnpike (now US 202). Despite the increasing suburbanization and development in northern Westchester, particularly due to the nearby presence of the corporate headquarters of IBM and PepsiCo, the area has retained its historic integrity as a relic of the area's rural origins and a fine example of the migration of New England vernacular architectural styles into New York. [1]

The Elephant Hotel Elephant Hotel 2007.jpg
The Elephant Hotel

The most significant contributing property, the Elephant Hotel at the junction of NY 100 and US 202, currently serves three functions. It is Somers' Town Hall, the offices of its historical society and the American Circus Historical Society. The latter agency reflects the building's historical importance as the birthplace of the circus in the United States. [2] The brick Federal style structure, one of the finest examples of a hotel in that style in the state, was built by Hachaliah Bailey in 1825. A decade earlier he had brought an African elephant, Old Bet, to the U.S. Originally he had intended to use the animal in his fields, but he found he could make more money charging visitors to see Old Bet. He later organized a traveling menagerie that began to include other animal acts and human performers as well; this grew into what became part of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. [1]

Other historic buildings in the area are primarily wood-frame structures built as dwellings, with barns and other outbuildings supporting businesses such as blacksmithies which did a thriving business on turnpike through traffic. The presence of two Shingle style houses on NY 116 near the district's eastern end signifies the time when suburbanization began in the late 19th century, as the homeowners were wealthy enough to afford to hire an architect rather than just use vernacular stylings. Two cemeteries are also included. [1]

The Elephant Hotel, first added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1974. The district was created and added to the Register thirty years later. The following year, 2005, the Elephant Hotel was designated a National Historic Landmark. [2]

See also

Related Research Articles

Westchester County, New York County in New York, United States

Westchester County is located in the U.S. state of New York. It is the seventh most populous county in New York State and the most populous north of New York City. According to the 2020 United States Census, the county had a population of 1,004,456, an increase of 55,344 (5.8%) from the 949,113 counted in 2010. Situated in the Hudson Valley, Westchester covers an area of 450 square miles (1,200 km2), consisting of six cities, 19 towns, and 23 villages. Established in 1683, Westchester was named after the city of Chester, England. The county seat is the city of White Plains, while the most populous municipality in the county is the city of Yonkers, with 211,569 residents per the 2020 U.S. Census.

Somers, New York Town in New York, United States

Somers is a town located in northern Westchester County, New York, United States. As of the 2010 census, the town had a population of 20,434. The nearby Metro-North Commuter Railroad provides service to Grand Central Terminal in Manhattan with an average commute time of 65 to 75 minutes from stations at Purdys, Goldens Bridge, Croton Falls, and Katonah.

East Greenbush, New York Town in New York, United States

East Greenbush is a town in Rensselaer County, New York, United States. It is a suburb of Albany. The population was 16,473 at the 2010 census. The word Greenbush is derived from the Dutch het groen bosch, referring to the pine woods that originally covered the land. The first settlement of the land now known as East Greenbush was made by tenants under patroon Kiliaen van Rensselaer circa 1630. The town was established in 1855 as Clinton, and was renamed in 1858. It is mostly suburban along its major highways and rural in the southwestern and northeastern corners.

Hachaliah Bailey Founder of one of Americas earliest circuses (1775–1845)

Hachaliah Lyman Bailey was the founder of one of America's earliest circuses. In 1808, he purchased an Indian elephant which he named "Old Bet" and which was one of the first such animals to reach America. With "Old Bet" as its main attraction, he formed the Bailey Circus, which also included a trained dog, several pigs, a horse and four wagons. This was the impetus for what in time evolved into the Bailey component of what became the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus.

New York State Route 100 (NY 100) is a major north–south state highway in Westchester County, New York, in the United States. It begins parallel to Interstate 87 (I-87) at a junction with the Cross County Parkway in the city of Yonkers and runs through most of the length of the county up to U.S. Route 202 (US 202) in the town of Somers. NY 100 was designated as part of the 1930 renumbering of state highways in New York. Prior to becoming a state road, various sections of NY 100 were part of several important early roads in the county.

New York State Route 116 (NY 116) is an east–west state highway in Westchester County, New York, in the United States. It extends for 8.12 miles (13.07 km) from an intersection with U.S. Route 202 (US 202) in the town of Somers to the Connecticut state line, where it becomes that state's Route 116. As it heads east, NY 116 connects to Interstate 684 (I-684) and has an overlap with NY 121. NY 116 originally extended as far west as Peekskill when it was assigned as part of the 1930 renumbering of state highways in New York. It was cut back to its current length in the late 1930s.

New York State Route 139 (NY 139) is a 2.81-mile (4.52 km) state highway located within the town of Somers in Westchester County, New York, in the United States. It connects the hamlet of Whitehall Corners at an intersection with NY 100 with the hamlet of Lincolndale at a junction with U.S. Route 202 (US 202). The entirety of NY 139, known as Primrose Street, was assigned in the early 1930s.

Elephant Hotel United States historic place

The Elephant Hotel is a historic former hotel which today serves as the town hall in Somers, in Westchester County, New York, United States. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) on August 7, 1974 as Somers Town House and designated a National Historic Landmark in 2005 as Elephant Hotel. It is also a contributing property in the NRHP-listed Somers Hamlet Historic District. It is located at 335 US 202, across from the northern end of NY 100.

Boston Post Road Historic District (Rye, New York) Historic district in New York, United States

The Boston Post Road Historic District is a 286-acre (116 ha) National Historic Landmark District in Rye, New York, and is composed of five distinct and adjacent properties. Within this landmarked area are three architecturally significant, pre-Civil War mansions and their grounds; a 10,000-year-old Indigenous peoples site and viewshed; a private cemetery, and a nature preserve. It is one of only 11 National Historic Landmark Districts in New York State and the only National Historic Landmark District in Westchester County. It touches on the south side of the nation's oldest road, the Boston Post Road, which extends through Rye. A sandstone Westchester Turnpike marker "24", inspired by Benjamin Franklin's original mile marker system, is set into a wall that denotes the perimeter of three of the contributing properties. The district reaches to Milton Harbor of Long Island Sound. Two of the properties included in the National Park designation are anchored by Greek Revival buildings; the third property is dominated by a Gothic Revival structure that was designed by Alexander Jackson Davis.

U.S. Route 202 (US 202) is a part of the U.S. Highway System that runs from New Castle, Delaware, to Bangor, Maine. In the U.S. state of New York, US 202 extends 55.57 miles (89.43 km) from the New Jersey state line near Suffern to the Connecticut state line east of Brewster. While most of US 202 is signed north–south, the portion within New York is signed east–west. It drifts north slowly as it crosses southern New York. US 202 is the only road to cross New York between New Jersey and Connecticut and not pass through New York City on the way.

Peekskill Downtown Historic District Historic district in New York, United States

The Peekskill Downtown Historic District is a historic district located in the downtown section of Peekskill in the U.S. state of New York. It includes the 40 acres (160,000 m2) along Main, Division, South, Park, Bank, Brown, First and Esther streets, and Central and Union avenues, near where those streets intersect. There are 150 buildings and one object counted among its contributing resources.

Virginville, Pennsylvania Census-designated place in Pennsylvania, United States

Virginville is a census-designated place in Richmond Township, Berks County, Pennsylvania. It is located at the junction of PA 143 and Crystal Ridge Road, and is approximately 7 miles to the south of the borough of Lenhartsville.

Indian Brook Road Historic District Historic district in New York, United States

The Indian Brook Road Historic District is located on both sides of that street's intersection with US 9 east of Garrison, New York, United States. Its 30 acres (12 ha) contain 15 buildings, all but two of which are considered contributing properties to its historic character.

Gerard Crane House Historic house in New York, United States

The Gerard Crane House is a private home located on Somerstown Turnpike opposite Old Croton Falls Road in Somers, New York, United States. It is a stone house dating to the mid-19th century, built by an early circus entrepreneur in his later years.

Bedford Road Historic District Historic district near downtown Armonk, New York

The Bedford Road Historic District is located along that street in the unincorporated hamlet of Armonk, New York, United States. Its 4.5 acres (1.8 ha) contain nine contributing properties, all wood frame buildings from the mid-19th century in variations and combinations of the Federal and Greek Revival architectural styles. In 1985 the group was recognized as a historic district and listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Downtown Ossining Historic District Older core of village in Westchester County, New York

The Downtown Ossining Historic District is located at the central crossroads of Ossining, New York, United States, and the village's traditional business district known as the Crescent. Among its many late 19th- and early 20th-century commercial buildings are many of the village's major landmarks—three bank buildings, four churches, its village hall, former post office and high school. It was recognized as a historic district in 1989 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places, as one of the few downtowns in Westchester County with its social and historical development intact.

National Register of Historic Places listings in northern Westchester County, New York Wikimedia list article

This is a list of the National Register of Historic Places listings in northern Westchester County, New York, excluding the city of Peekskill, which has its own list.

National Register of Historic Places listings in southern Westchester County, New York Wikimedia list article

This is a list of the National Register of Historic Places listings in southern Westchester County, New York, excluding the cities of New Rochelle and Yonkers, which have separate lists of their own.

West Somers Methodist Episcopal Church and Cemetery Historic church in New York, United States

The former West Somers Methodist Episcopal Church, also known as Tomahawk Chapel, is located on Tomahawk Street in the town of Somers, New York, United States. It is a small wooden building in the Greek Revival architectural style built in the 1830s. Also on its lot is the cemetery where many of the early members were buried. In 2011 the church, cemetery and the stone wall that surrounds them were listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Middletown (New Rochelle)

Middletown is a former hamlet of the Town of New Rochelle in Westchester County, New York. The hamlet took shape in the central portion of New Rochelle, extended along North Avenue from the vicinity of Rochelle Park to the southerly boundary of the Wykagyl Country Club grounds. The origin of the name is traceable to a division of the town road districts. As early as 1747, there were two main districts: "upper" and "below". An increase in population after the Revolutionary War warranted the further subdivision of the town into five road districts in 1787. One was named "Middle" to distinguish it from the "Upper", "Waterside" and "Town" districts. By this time the district had become quite well built up so as to make the term "town" appropriate. Hence it became "Middletown". The name was so appropriate to the hamlet that it was indicated on road maps beginning in 1789.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Larson, Neil (2003-11-19). "National Register of Historic Places nomination, Somers Hamlet Historic District" . Retrieved 2008-03-22.
  2. 1 2 "Elephant Hotel". National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service. Archived from the original on 2011-06-05. Retrieved 2007-09-11.

Commons-logo.svg Media related to Somers Hamlet Historic District at Wikimedia Commons