The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1900-12-04
ROCKEFELLER TO BE
A COUNTRYSIDE LORD

New York He-1IdD
Looking from the glass enclosed We
randa Of his country home on the hill
side near this village. John D. Rookie
Teller can justly quote the immortal
words of Alexander Selkirk, Il am
monarch of all / survey
For by virtue of purchases he has
Just made and others which he is con-
tenplating Mr.. Rockefeller now prdc-
ticaliy owns the village Of Pocantico
Hills and large tracts OF historic Sleepy
Hollow, to say nothing of the hundreds
Of acres of mead and woodland sur
rounding his residence.
IN fact the villagers here credit Mr..
Rockefeller with the ambition of be-
coming a true lord of the countryside,
to look upon them as on persons living
on his bounty and to transform the
woods and pastures into a private Ia k.
with golf links and artificial lakes. But,
far from Objecting TO the ambitions OF
Mr.. Rockefeller. the country folk seam
10 be quite willing to play tenants %
the landed. proprietor 50 long as be
pays the price.
on the west side Of Bedford road, the
main thoroughfare of PocanticO Hills,
Nj. Rockefeller has bought four houses
and the village smithy. with several
acres of Iowland back of them, from
William Townsend. for $4,000 Beyond
this pfoperty he has acquired the eS-
tate of John Briggs, a TarrytOWn but
cher. consisting of four acres Of land on
which stand two old white dwellings.
With the exception of the church of
the Magdalene, the village lyceum. the
village tavern and several isolated
pieces of property, Mr. Rockefeller
owns all there is Of Pocantico Hills.
He is the proprietor of the village gro
Gerry and the blacksmith shop, and
whatever other industry the village
contains exists only on the patronage
of Mr.. Rockefeller's employees.
There were rumOrs when Mr.. Rookie
Teller completed his purchases, that he
intended to tear down the houses on
lage into a park These stories are
laughed at, however, by his own ten
ants.
why" said Michael Murphy, the
blacksmith, Mr. ROCkefeIIeT's superin-
tendent says he's going to spend money
i'm fitting up my place to make me
comfortable"
superintendent Hemingway. who has
charge of Mr.. Rockefeller's- estate.
laughed at the stories that Mr. Rookie
Teller was going to absorb the village
and drive the residents from their
homes.
Mr.. Rockefeller wants people to
come here" said Mr.. Hemingway. He
hasn't torn down a single house he has
bought. Each place, no matter how
dilapidated it's condition has been re-
built or remodeled. over on the oppo-
site hill. he bought the old Crawford
house. where slaves were kept a hun
dred years ago. Even that has been
renovated and made a comfortable
dwelling place.
Mr.. Rockefeller wants to encourage
all property owners hereabOuts TO i'm
prove their grounds and offers to sell
them gravel and stone from his quar-
~ at cost price.
He spends more money in building
public roads than does the township.
He has built the Cory Brook road and
has graded the Bedford road all the
way TO Tarrytown. In fact, he has
been spending $4,000 year in con-
structing roads FOR the benefit OF the
community.
Mr.. Rockefeller purchased his coun-
try residence and the surrounding
grounds in 1894 for S653. 900. To this he
added in 1897, $4,000 worth of land in
Sleepy Hollow. Then. last April, he
bought 2G1 acres, comprising the Kings
land farm, for which he paid 5000 an
acre.
In the meantime, through lis agents.
he has been acquiring nesIly all the
smaller farms and hO1nesteads as they
are offered for sale. Here and there,
however, are property owners who
show no inclination to sell.
Although Mr.. Rockefeller possesses
nearly all the land west of the Bedford
road, directly east Of his newly acquir-
ed property are fourteen acres. former
~ the Berkeley Inn property, which
William G DilleT purchased for S35. 600.
\ limit Is put the to extension Of Mr..
Rockefeller's estate beyond on the Bed
ford road by the property of the Chris
tian brothers, who own 40 acres there.
Tavern keepers in the countryside
nave been beset with troubles lately by
reason of. proceedings begun against
them by the anti-saloOn league of
Greater New York. John Melin, who
has the only tavern in Sleepy Hollow,
Is the latest to be troubled by the cru
SaderS Because the tavern is situated
Just below Mr.. Rockefeller's estate, ru-
NOR had il that Mr.. Rockefeller had in
stigated the proceedings.
Mr.. Hemingway denied this yester-
daN. but his denial was not more for
chile than that of Mr.. Melin himself
Mr. Rockefeller has nothing to do
with it, said he. He's too good a man
to do such a thing. Besides, he and his
superintendent have praised me and
my place. I've been here for seventeen
years and my trouble comes, / guess.
from somebody who bought drink on
Sunday without getting a sandwich.
Judge Marean has denied a motion to
revoke my license. and has appointed
referee to take testimony in the case.
guess they won't succeed in closing
me uo."6
1t would be a difficult matter to find
single person in all the countryside
who has not good word to say about
Mr. Rockefeller. His popularity is