Pelham Bay Park:
From the Beginning to the Present
11,000-8,000 BCE
The first ancestors of North American indigenous peoples inhabit the New York region. These Paleoindians were hunter-gatherers who lived nomadic lifestyles.
6,000-3,000 BCE
Native Americans of the Eastern Woodland culture live in a climate and natural landscape much as it is today, settling near major waterways.
1,500 BCE
Indigenous people begin to farm the land and form settlements.
1625
Dutch settlers found New Amsterdam, the forerunner of New York City. The indigenous inhabitants are Lenape who begin to be referred to as Siwanoy.
1642
Anne Hutchinson, a religious reformer from Massachusetts, founds a settlement in the area. In 1643, the local Siwanoy retaliate against brutal treatment by New Amsterdam Governor Willem Kieft, destroying the settlement and killing Hutchinson and others. Legend tells that Anne and her daughter Susanna hid in the crevice of Split Rock. The Hutchinson River and the Hutchinson River Parkway are named for her.
1654
Englishman Thomas Pell, of Connecticut, purchases a large parcel of acreage in the area from local Siwanoy. The treaty is finalized under an oak tree once standing inside the present gate of the Bartow-Pell Mansion Museum.
1776
At the Battle of Pell's Point, Colonel John Glover and his troops hold off British and Hessian forces, allowing General George Washington's army to retreat safely to White Plains. Pell’s Point is the southern tip of Rodman’s Neck. Glover’s Rock contains a plaque commemorating this battle.
The 1800s
Land originally purchased by Thomas Pell is eventually divided and sold; some twenty to thirty mansions are built, often as summer residences for the upper classes.
1842
The Bartow Mansion is completed. In 1946, the building opens as the Bartow-Pell Mansion Museum. In 1966, it is designated an NYC Landmark and in 1977 a National Historic Landmark. It is now the last remaining estate in the area.
1873
The Bartow train station on the New York, New Haven, & Hartford line opens west of the traffic circle on Shore Road, but the station is later abandoned. The short-lived Pelham Park & City Island monorail, which opened in 1910, also begins a route there.
1884
Through efforts of the New Parks Movement, activist John Mullaly, and others, New York State Legislature passes New Parks Act to establish three parkways and six parks in the Bronx, including Pelham Bay Park, which was at that time part of Westchester County. The acquisition of parkland is completed in 1888.
1901
The 9-hole Pell Golf Course opens and is expanded to 18 holes in 1914. In 1936, the Pell Golf course is refurbished and joined by a second golf course and a new clubhouse. Today these are known as Pelham and Split Rock Golf Courses.
1917-19
Naval Training Base is active on Rodman’s Neck. At its peak, it holds 4,777 sailors.
1923
Rice Stadium is constructed with funds from the estate of Isaac Leopold Rice. In 1989, the structure is demolished due to deterioration. The American Boy sculpture is salvaged and eventually re-installed by the running track in 2002.
1930-1936
Camp Mulrooney, a summer police recruit training camp, is active on Rodman’s Neck.
1933
The Bronx Victory Memorial and Grove is dedicated, honoring the borough’s soldiers who died in World War I. It is later re-dedicated to all fallen Bronx soldiers. In 2001, the 70-foot limestone column and striking “Lady of Victory” sculpture were restored.
1934
The appointment of Robert Moses as Parks Commissioner shifts the emphasis of Park activity from promoting natural resources to enhancing its active recreational potential.
1936
Orchard Beach, a monumental construction project, opens and replaces a “tent city” utilized by those favored with permits. The new public Beach is an immediate success and dubbed “The Riviera of the Bronx.”
1940s (late)
On Rodman’s Neck, the Army installs a radar base, active until the mid-1950s.
1955
A horseback riding stable is established. An extensive bridle path offers unique views of the Park’s forest and saltmarsh. You can visit the Bronx Equestrian Center today.
1959
The New York Police Department establishes a firing range with bomb-detonation facilities on Rodman’s Neck.
1963
Sanitary landfill begins at Tallapoosa Point. In 1967, plans to expand operations lead to protests, resulting in a defeat to the plans and the preservation of parkland with the establishment of Thomas Pell Wildlife Sanctuary and Hunter Island Marine Zoology and Geology Sanctuary.
1964
The Lagoon at Orchard Beach is prepared and used for the United States Olympic rowing trials. It continues to attract local rowing teams and kayakers.
The 1970s
The period of fiscal crisis for New York leads to drastic reductions in the Parks Department budget. Pelham Bay Park falls on hard times, with services diminished and vandalism rising. Revitalization begins in the 1980s.
1981
Urban Park Rangers assigned to Pelham Bay Park; eventually leads to the creation of two Nature Centers - at Orchard Beach and in Pelham South.
1983
Pelham Bay Park Administrator's Office is established by NYC Parks to oversee all aspects of maintenance, capital work, public programs, and natural areas management.
1986
The Kazimiroff Nature Trail, dedicated to the memory of Theodore Kazimiroff, Bronx historian and naturalist, opens on Hunter Island. In 1989, the Siwanoy Trail opens, established by the Appalachian Mountain Club and maintained in partnership with NYC Parks.
1992
The Friends of Pelham Bay Park are established by a group of volunteers helping clean the park after a damaging nor'easter storm.
1995
A restoration grant for Twin Island allows for marshland dredging and extensive new plantings, bringing the area back to its natural state. A new dog run is established in the south part of the park.
2000
Playground for All Children is reconstructed, the third such playground in NYC Parks to offer all-accessible, barrier-free play equipment. The Friends of Pelham Bay Park advocate for funding to establish a Sensory Garden (2006) and Pond Walk (2018), providing children of all abilities the opportunity to interact with nature. In 2020 the Sensory Garden is renovated, adding new plantings and amenities.
2004-2012
A series of capital renovation projects takes place throughout the park and includes the Pelham Bay Nature Center, tennis courts, Sweetgum Playground, and the Middletown Road perimeter, lawn, and parking lot.
2010
The berm between the two water bodies of Turtle Cove is breached and a new bridge is installed to improve saltmarsh habitat.
2013
NYS DEC determines that the former Pelham landfill, closed in 1983 and remediation completed in 1997, can be open to limited public use. Facility management is transferred from NYC DEP to NYC Parks.
2020
A two-phased construction of the Eastchester Bay waterfront is completed to restore the area to a natural shoreline