The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-09-03
SHANTYTOWN AT ITS BEST.
THE REAL ARIsTOCRACT WOW TO BE
FOUND IN BRONX BOROUGH.

Tho Residences arc of Substantial Build.
and the People Who Occupy Them Long
Ago Passed the Goat Keeping Stage
| Italian Paryenus Encroachlng On Them.
Shantytown, with It's goats, its dusty streets
| strewn with tomato cans, its melancholy lamp
posts It's whizzing trolley cars and its diversified
and cosmopolitan life, appears to be necessary
adjunct OF every American city Although the
shanties long ago disappeared from Manhattan
Island the present city OF New York would seem
10 be especially favored in this way. There arc
shantytowns and shantytowns; but the peculiar
settlement OF suburbantes that fringes the Borough
of the Bronx and frequently merges its individu-
atty in that OF the borough itself has long and
honorable history, picturesque manner Of life
at the present time, and occupies an important
and almost commanding position In the commun-
ity OF which IL forms part
A large number of the shanties In question -
the only ones indeed, that worthy Of any con
sideration from an artistic and social point OF
view date back many years They 60 back
to that golden age in the history OF the borough
before the advantages of consolidation had been
dreamed Of. when the lands north OF the Harlem
river were divided into few large estates and de
voted to peaceful and sunny farms 1t was dur
ing this era that the most substantial shantyites
appeared on the scene; and, like many other i'm
portant American families their origin should not
be too carefully inquired into. A few irreverent
and scandalous souls 60 as far as to say that
the original shantyites at the beginning did not
possess even a shanty that they could call their
own and such unpleasant epithets as "squatters"
are sometimes applied to them by the envious
1t is said that their common method was to select
some advantageous plot of ground to which they
had no legal claim; pitch some temporary shanty
upon the same and proceed TO squat"
II the rightful owner of the land objected to
this high handed and truly noble way Of securing
foothold, the squattcr would simply move out
OF his jurisdiction and occupy a position of
vantage elsewhere His hope was that he could
succeed In remaining the land long enough
to secure legal title: and in the majority Of
his ambition was gratitied In the meanwhile
il was q simple matter to sustain life and earn a
penny beside by cutivating small piece Of land;
and by the time the title, by virtue OF number
of years successful squatting secure, the small
landed proprietor was usually In a position TO
build the family mansion, and to leave a lasting
memorial TO his
And time has dealt kindly with the little houses
of the old Bronx squatters, far more kindly than
with the more pretcntious architecture of his
aristocratic compccrs. While the old farm houses
havo for the most part fallen into decay, and the
old families moved into the city entirely dis
appeared. the old squattcrs' houses remain in
their pristine quaintness, and the little gardens
in the rear still cultivated by their descend
ants. The whole borough is dotted with these
shanties, few Of which border upon the public
highway. but a larger number of them are re
tired distance back from the street and
reached only by q winding footpath. Hardly
a hill knoll of ground but what is capped by
one Of these diminuitive structures shanties only
in the sense that thew seldom moro than
story high.
There is nothing temporary ramshackle in
their appearance; they strong and substantial,
have withstood the rigors Of a great many years
and will probably endure for many years 10 come.
But a few make some pretense to ornamentation:
they are frequently surrounded by dainty piazzas,
shut In by green lattice work or greener vines.
On tha side of many there are little shady arbors,
and gorgeous sunfowers and morning glories
are the rule. One of these little houses on now
frequented street Is so hidden behind trees and
shrubbery to be visible only TO the keenest eye
II Is only story high. with a small porch. sup
ported by columns in tho true colonial style, and
long windows entering upon the pizza. The
whole appearance Is that OF neatly kept summer
house, but the white dimity curtains at the win
dows and the small red chimney, TO say nothing
of the market garden In the rear, reveal II one
of the abiding places Of an unusually aristocratc
shantyite, probably descended from a shanty
family Of unusual substance and prestige
1t will be thus seen that shanty architecture Is
diversified, and that occasionally It makes some
pretence at elegance, There is indeed. hardly
any manner Of house that will not find itself
produced in little in the shanties of the Bronx.
There are shanties with gables and shanties with
fat roofs shanties built partly of stone and partly
of wood; shanties that compensate for the fact
al--
kitchen" In a number of cases additions have
been tackled to the main house, never in tho
way of an additional story. but in reproduction
OF the conventional box shaped structure in the
rear The surroundings Of all these little houses
are for the most part clearly and attractive. Few
OF the old shanty families have sufficiently de-
graded themselves to keep goat and the yards,
usually fenced off by themselves and occasion
ally shut off from the common herd by an ever
green hedge. freed from tin cans, ash piles
and general debris that commonly regarded
elsewhere tho indispensable adiuncts of the
shanty life
The descendants OF tho old settlers live in almost
precisely the same way as their forbeara They
usually have large families, though their houses
not ovcrrun by ragged chdrrn-they are in
variably sent to the nearest school and grow up
to be decent and self-rcspecting citizens The
lhHlliieS are usually supported Dv u S!ndil SlZcd
farm, market garden. for the original squat
tiers always staked off enough land to provide for
their and their families subsistence Early
every morning the head of the family may be
found diligently working their little plots of land
"a few potatoes, a number Of tomato vines. a few
lettuce rows occasional radish bed. In the
summer two or three times a week they take the
choicest products OF their industry down town
and have no difficulty in disposing of 1t at the
large city markets for the fruits OF the shanty
farms are at premium. small amount they
save for themselves, and with this and the money
earned from tho rest they manage TO get along
comfortably enough. The true shantyitc never
moves; and, indeed, there is no reason why he
should. He is man of frugal habits and pho-
sophical manner of life; he is never disturbed by
the ercest blasts of the winter season for he has
his little Franklin stove and he keep 1t cheer
fully blazing away, too, without daily resorung
TO the charity associations AS is the custom with
many of his less fortunate neighbora
During the past few years number Of these old
settlers have abandoned farming lamentable
sign, which can only foIebode their gradual de
clip A h.ra d. A..