New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-10-19
TWO HUNDRED YEARS OLD

HOUSE. =,
The CITY of Yonkers celebrated yesterday The
two hundredtb anniversary OF It's settlement
and of the building of tho Philpse Manor House.
which is now used as a city hall, with elaDorAte
ceremonies. The citizens of the town and the
people of all Westchester County have taken great
interest in the celebration, and have been prepar-
ING for il for many months. The exercises Of the
day passed off smoothly and pleasantly.
and the great throngs of. people that
filed the city seemed thoroughly satisfied with the
success of the affair.
The day broke through dense fog that shrouded
the river and the Palisades opposite the town The
salute of twenty guns which fired from the
United States warship Kearsarge. lying before the
city, was the first intimation the people had thai
the sun drisen. In spite of the threatening state
of the weather. however the city began filling with
strangers at an early hour They came In crowds
by every train and streamed in from the country
from every direction, that by 10 o'clock, the
hour at which the procession was to move the steets
were blocked with expectant, good-natured masses
of men, women and children in holiday dress.
Nearly eyery place of business closed in obedl-
ence to proclamation from the Mayor. The build
ings were decked with the stars and stripes,
with flags of many nations and with flowers,
while private residences and grounds
throughout the town were decorated with pro-
fusion of flags evergreens and Chinese lanterns.
These brilliant decorations and the confused Daoel
of English. German. French. Italian and Chinese
tongues that made the highways and the byways
hum from morning TIL night would. no doubt. have
filled the "Jonge Herr" Van Der Donck with the
utmost perpleXity had he returned In spirit 10 the
town that owes It's name to MIN:
The procession moved after little delay at half
past ID o'clock. The head of 1t started from Getty
I,I,o HIVIsI
the side streets where they had formed Ihe line
was led 10y platoon oil mounted p9n1e-
men After these came the grand marshal OF the
day, Colonel w. l.. Heermance. aud his staff Then
there followed the different divisions III the follow
ing order: First Diyision-,lnvIted guests, Com,
manders w. X. Brdgman and II. H. Johnson United
States Navy, and other naval officers
civic authorities and Executive Committee
of the ceebraton lea by yI h t W.; ko n6
eleventh separate companies of the State militia,
Grand Army posts and societies In uniform. led by
Captain Isaiah Frazier and statt Third DIVISION
The Fire Department and its invited guests, led by
John Lacy, Chief Engineer OF the Fire Department
and staff Fourth DiyIsion-Ihe local societies and
their guests led by John EyeTs and stan; flth DYl-
son-Ihe children of the public schools, the girls
riding and the boys on foot led by Virgil +. Huna-
son and staff; Sixth Diyls9n-Ihe IN
held and staff Each division was accom-
panied by military band and the town was hlled
with the sound OF martial music ana popular airs
for three hours, while the procession was winding
about among the streets and avenues which were
Included in It's line of march. The procession was
nearly three miles in length and occupied an hour
in passing a given point. The Inherent divisions
were greeted with applause and cheers by the
throngs that lined the thorOughfares, the military,
the fire department and parts of the industrial dis
play being especially favored win these marks OF
popular approval. The largest division was the one
in which the business ana manufacturing interests
of Yonkers represented. There were
many deliberately decorated wagons and floats.
A band of fifty or sixty stalwart butchers riding
spirited horses and wearing whIte aprons and as
oil inc Ipp md
hooks formed n prominent feature of this division.
At half past O'cOck the head OF the procession
reached Getty Square again, and each division
passed in review before the grand marshal and his
staff and then dIsbandcd
Al noonthe sky cleared and the sun shone brightly
during the rest of the afternoon. While the pro-
cesslon was marching, and until the mass meeting
in the afternoon. large numbers of people visited
the Phlllpse Manor House and the loan exhibition
OF ANTIQUITIES and bTlc-a-DTac displayed there. The
manor house, situated III WarburtOn-aye., is
a Well-prcseTved relic OF the old knicker-
booker tunes anu both from ts extreme age and the
many historic "reminiscences that cluster ABOUT u,
is OF the most interesting houses III the country
1t was built III 1862 10y Frederick PhllIpse, who
bought the site on which the CITY OF 1onkers now
stands in 1912 from the widow of Adrlen Van Der
Donck, the JOnge Herr" to whom the most OF
what now is Nestchester County granted,
Frcdeuck Phlipse established "A feudal manor at
YOnkeIs and added TO the wealth that he had OD-
tanned through marrying nch widow by trading
IN the West Indies Phlllpseborough Manor was
established by Royal charter III 1893. Inc son of
tine first lord of the manor was considered the
richest man in New-loIk, and through his great
wealth became Speaker OF the Assembly aud
Baron of the Exchequer. The grandson of
Frederick Phllipsc was found guilty OF treason in
1879, and his property was cOnilscated Cornelius
Pillow bought he Manor from the state in 1904. and
if was solo 20 Lemuel Wells III 1913, VINO llved on
If twenty-nInc years When his estate was divided
in 1865 II passed into the hands OF the city, aud
has since been used for the public offices. There is
a legend. winch Is considered more romantic than
historical thar connects the names of George Wash
ingtOn and Mary PhIlpse, daughter OF ne second
1or IF he
ton met the beautiful Mary III New-1Ork at the
house of her sisters husband, Beverly Robinson,
IN 1856 and tnat the Father OF his COun-
try fell III love with her, made her an
otter of marriage, and was rejected. Inc people OF
Yonkers not doubt that Mary PhilIpse by her
strange pcryersty deprived their city OF the honor
of furnishing the Nation with Mother of her
Country. In the loan exhibition which Will remain
open tor ten days. there is an ancient portrait of
this lady looking sternly from the canvas opposite
"A portrait of her rejected but distinguished lOYer
Among the otler interesting features Of the eXhI-
0itIon are the room which Washington occupied
when he visited at the Manor, an unpublished let
ter from Lafayette To DIR. John COchrane, surgeon
of " ashingtOns staff, Il death mask OF Napoleon
u trunk that belonged 10 that Emperor, bed
that he used ana an old portrait OF
I'LL known lady which was found years ago Ill the
attic OF the Manor. The Manor House itself is
low brick structure OF two stories and an attic III
the root of which several quaint dOrmer win
dOws. The rooms within are low and are adorned
with quaint mouldIngs and Dutch tiles The ma
terIas of the building were most OF them brought
from Holland, and were SO well put together that
scarcely any repairs have been necessary for 100
years.
At about 3 o'clock the mass meeting assembled in
the Manor House grounds. BY tho time the meet
ing was opened nearly 5000 people were present.
Samuel Swift, Mayoro of Yonkers. presided On the
large temporary platform where he sat there were
also the city Aldermen and other civil authorities.
and also many guests, among whom were
Chauncey NJ. Depew. General John COchranc. l. A.
Dyckman, d. q. Bradley, James w. Hustled aud
Professor H. n. Baird. Among the vice-presdents of
the meeting were W lillian A. Butler, Waldo HutchIns,
4, lutp lIta ANN Van ltart
land, A. Is. Iappan and q. Hilton Scribner. Repre-
sentatives of the following families whose success
sve generations have lived III and about Yonkers
tor loo years more also the platform
Archer, Barker, Bovine, Brown, Dyckman. Fowler
Garrison. KnIffen, Lawrence, Nodine Oakley,
Odell, Post, Smith, Underhll, Valentine, Van Cort-
la and EermIl yea and also two Mssps phtlins.