Welcome back to One Century Ago, a collaboration between Patch and the Historical Society serving Sleepy Hollow and Tarrytown.

Each week we're bringing you the front page of a local newspaper that covered the news in Tarrytown and Sleepy Hollow (North Tarrytown) one hundred years ago. This front page comes from the Tarrytown Press-Record. The Press-Record was published as a weekly from 1893 to 1946 and has been preserved by the Historical Society on microfilm.

December 29th, 1911:

New Year in the Tarrytowns

The Press-Record from the final week of 1911 looked forward to 1912, wishing readers a “Happy New Year!”

This was a slow news week in Tarrytown though, and the Press-Record did their best to pad out their front page by continuing to insert numerous spontaneous exclamations of “Happy New Year!” throughout the paper.

They also gave a detailed review of the previous week’s Christmas celebrations, noting that the visit by Santa Clause to the Baptist Church had been a huge hit, attracting over 400 people, and Tarrytown’s festive Sunday School celebrations had been well attended. The diverse and extensive programs for the celebrations were outlined. Christ Church Sunday School opened their evening of entertainment by marching in singing “Oh Come All Ye Faithful” before delighting the audience with tableaux and pantomimes such as “The Three Bears”, “The French Maid” and “The German Mother”.

Furthermore, Christ Church sent out dinners for “poor, deserving” families. This scheme was paid for in part by the sale of pictures of the interior of Christ Church. The Press-Record commented that the pictures “are pretty and attractive and will look well in any home. Get one.”

Blow Delivered Against North Tarrytown Trolley Proposal

The North Tarrytown Citizens’ Committee and a committee from the town’s Board of Trustees went to New York to present a case for the extension of the trolley line to North Tarrytown.

They met with the vice president of the trolley system and urged him to consider the proposal. However, despite the enthusiasm with which the committee advocated the idea, the vice president declared that the proposed extension to North Tarrytown would not be cost efficient for the company, since it would mean an outlay of around $8,000 per year for the company.

All hopes for a trolley line were not lost though, as the vice president did promise to visit North Tarrytown and look over the suggested route and the options available.

Hundreds Mourn Civil War Vet

One hundred years ago Henry S. Palmer, 67, sadly passed away. His death was marked with one of the largest funerals ever seen in Tarrytown.

Mr. Palmer was a veteran of the Civil War, having served in Company I, First New York Mounted Rifles, and he was a member of the Ward B. Burnett post G. A. R. After the war, Mr. Palmer served in the Tarrytown police force for 15 years and was known to be “one of the most efficient guardians of the public peace in Tarrytown”. His son was the superintendent of the aqueduct in the local section, and two of his five daughters were nuns.

He collapsed unexpectedly in his son’s house and died shortly afterwards, surrounded by his family. It was thought that his death was hastened by a series of unsettling and traumatic events which had occurred in the weeks preceding his collapse.

Mr. Palmer had gone to visit his brother in Valhalla, and the two men had decided to take a stroll down the Harlem Railroad to investigate a wreck which had occurred. The weather was extremely foggy and murky, and the mist swirled around the brothers, preventing them from seeing far ahead of themselves. Without warning a train emerged from the thick fog and bore down upon them, instantly killing Henry Palmer’s brother.

This tragedy was closely followed by another the following week, when Mr. Palmer was riding on a street car which was run into by the fire patrol, causing the death of one passenger. After these terrible events Mr. Palmer was extremely nervous, and it was thought that the strain contributed to his death.