New-York tribune., 1920-06-28
Old Greenwich Village
Casual Recollcctions of Long-Ago
Resident
To the Editor of The Tribune.

To the Editor of The Tribune.
Sir: The article in The Tribune last
Sunday contained much interesting in
formation from Mr.. John R. Voorhis
regarding old Greenwich Village of
seventyfve years ago. The writer was
born in the old 9th Ward. and, as Mr.
Voorhis states, its inhabitants were
composed largely of country people
from Westchester and Rockland coun-
ties and northern New Jersey
West Tenth was then Amos Street
and West Eleventh was Hammond
Street. At the foot of West Tenth
Street was situated the State Prison
before removal up the river to Sing
Sing, and it was called the White Fort
Along Bleecker Street from Chris
topker to Bedford Street was high
brick wall and on the plot of ground
within the residence of Valentine Bux-
ton, and the boys would peep in the
iron gates to pierce the mysteries that
lay within this wall. On the corner
of Bleecker and Christopher streets
was situated pump, which supplied
the neighborhood with drinking water.
Abingdon Square in that day had
few pretensons as a park. There was
then a row of houses along the east
side, in one of which George Sickles
lived, the father of General Daniel E.
Sickles
Fire Engine Company ga was
| housed in Christopher, just below
Hudson Street and in that day Dpvid
G. Broderick was foreman. Frederick
c. Talmadge beat Dave for member of
Congress in the district, and Brod-
erick, disgusted, left the city and went
to California, vowing that he would
come back a United States Senator
which he did, and was awarded the
freedom Of the city.
Half way between Bleecker and Bed
ford streets, in Grove Street, resided
the Hon. j. Sherman Brownell Mr.
Brownell was at one time Register of
Deeds of New York City. He i'm
pressed the writer as great man,
but this might have been a youthful
fancy.
On the corner of christopher and
Bedford streets lived Captain Alfred
De Groot, who was one of the first
Hudson River steamboat captains. A
celebrated character in the ward was
Bill Poole, the admiration of The boys
OF that day. Poole was afterward shot
over on Broadway by Lewis Baker and
buried with honors by his admirers.
On Amos Street dock John Morris
sey fought the prizefght with, as
remember, Yankee Sullivan, great
also outsiders.
School No. was then there, and
the principal was David Patterson.
The boys called him "Old Pat"
In Bleecker Street, near Bedford
Street, was situated the bookstore of
Abraham Maze. Here many of the old
warders congregated in the evening to
talk over the events of the neighbor-
/ hood.
Jefferson Market was a dilapidated
frame building, but the writer we'll
remembers his admiration when he
saw 1t as a youth illumined in cele-
bration Of the victory Of the Battle
Of Buena Vista.
Mr. Voorhis states that Washing
ton Square was the parade ground, and
1T was so used, but prior to that it
was the Potter's Field of the city.
Up and down Hudson Street ran
Kipp Browns stage line. The writer
we'll remembers he accompanied his
father, riding on a stage, as far as
Twenty y-third Street on Eighth Avenue,
which was the northern terminus of
the line, and then had to walk along
country road rs far as Eighth and
Ninth avenues; and in the '40s it was
at least beyond Chelsea Five acres of
land were for sale at acre prices. His
father expressed the opinion that it
was too far out to be available for
building purposes, and returned to
Twenty third Street and came down
on the stage to the 9th Ward again.
To the present citizen of New York
this sounds like fairy story. O TEN.
pora! O mores! Old Greenwich Viii
lage still exists in name, but how
changed from the oldtime sane and
normal living!
CORNELIUS B. PALMER.
Ossinng, N. Y, June %, 1920.