Blue Mountain Reservation -- Reports and Photographs, 1933-1936
Series 277
Less than 1 cubic ft. Arranged chronologically. View box and folder list.
Narrative reports relating to construction of Blue Mountain Reservation and Civilian Conservation Corp work there, and photographs of construction projects.
Bronx Parkway Commission Annual Reports, 1907-1925 (gaps)
Series 95
8 v. Arranged chronologically. View box and folder list.
Reports of the Commission which developed the Bronx River Parkway, America's first public parkway. The Commission, established in 1906, completed its work in 1925.
Related records: Series 94, Bronx Valley Sewer Commission Final Report, 1896; Series 96, Park Commission Annual Reports, 1924-1953 (gaps); Series 118, Bronx Parkway Commission Minutes, 1907-1925; Bronx Parkway Commission Photograph Collection, 1912-1924.
Bronx Parkway Commission -- Appraisal Commissioners Appeals, 1916-1924
Series 104
7 v. Arranged numerically by proceeding. View box and folder list.
Records of several appeals against the Commissioners of Appraisal. See Series 103 for further information.
Related records: Series 103, Bronx Parkway Commission, Appraisal Commissioners, Minutes, 1916-1922.
Bronx Parkway Commission -- Appraisal Commissioners Minutes, 1916-1924, 1928-1930
Series 103
14.6 cubic ft. Arranged numerically by proceeding. View box and folder list.
Minutes of the Commission, whose task it was to establish a fair price for the land to be acquired by Westchester County for the construction of the Bronx River Parkway. The records include information on property values, plot sizes, land use, building on the properties, and estimated future values.
Related records: Series 104, Bronx Parkway Commission, Appraisal Commissioners, Appeals, 1916-1924; Series 105, Park Commission, Appraisal Commissioners, Minutes, 1927-1935;
Bronx Parkway Commission Land Acquisitions, c.1906-1933
Series 109
40 cubic ft. Arranged geographically by sheet and parcel and by proceeding.
Beginning about 1906, and continuing through April of 1933, the Bronx Parkway Commission (and, after 1925, the County Park Commission) acquired 4,406 parcels of land for the construction of the Bronx River Parkway. These records contain correspondence, memos, maps, deeds, sales agreements, appraisals, court orders and reports. They contain information about rent rates, land values and other topics; many contain letters contesting the acquisition and value declared, as well as descriptions of the property and floor plans. These records pertain only to lands within the boundaries of Westchester County.
Series 350 (Park and Parkway Property Acquisition Deeds, ca. 1910s - 1930s) contains a set of index cards that can help access the records in this series (Series 109). The cards are arranged alphabetically by the individual or entity name from whom the land was purchased, and then indicates the specific map and parcel number involved.
Bronx Parkway Commission Minutes, 1907-1925
Series 118
4 cubic ft. Arranged chronologically. Some volumes indexed in front. Indexed by: Series 90.
Official minutes of the Commission which planned and built the Bronx River Parkway between 1907 and 1925.
Continued by: Series 91
Related records: Series 95, Bronx Parkway Commission Annual Reports, 1907-1925 (gaps); Series 152, County Elections and Appointments Records, 1907-1922, 1935-1981.
Bronx River Parkway Reservation - Historic American Engineering Record, 2001-2002
Series 254
3 cubic ft. Arranged by number.
The Historic American Engineering Record, Bronx River Parkway Reservation collection consists of 124 photographs, 22 engineering drawings and a 126-page report. These items were the product of research and documentation by the HAER Bronx River Parkway Reservation project during the summer of 2001. The project’s mission was to enhance a scholarly understanding of the historical origins, engineering accomplishments, cultural significance and current conditions of the Bronx River Parkway Reservation.
Bronx River Parkway Plans, 1915-1920
Series 255
182 items. Arranged by parcel number.
Topographical and road layout plans for the Bronx River Parkway for parcels 12 through 89.
Bronx Valley Sewer Commission Final Report, 1896
Series 94
1 v.
This report, by drawing attention to polluted conditions of the Bronx River, helped lead to cleanup of the river and construction of the Bronx River Parkway.
Related records: Series 95, Bronx Parkway Commission Annual Reports, 1907-1925 (gaps); Series 166, Bronx Valley Sewer Records, 1907-1911.
Bronx Valley Sewer Records, 1907-1916, 1939
Series 166
1 v. with index in front, plus 3 cubic ft. Arranged chronologically. View box and folder list.
Records documenting the acquisition of four large sections of land (subdivided into many smaller parcels) by Westchester County for the Bronx Valley Sewer System. Includes one summary volume and court records related to four cases with multiple defendants, by which most of the parcels were acquired.
Court records include reports, judgments, affidavits, bills of costs, orders, notices, decisions, memos, petitions, exhibits, exceptions, motions, opinions, correspondence, appraisals, briefs, appeals, and four volumes of testimony. Records contain names of owners; prices, sizes and dimensions of parcels; and map numbers corresponding to the parcels.
Also included in this series are court orders, reports, notices, affidavits, oaths, memos; and clippings pertaining to the acquisition of land for the Mount Kisco Sewer System, a project unrelated to the Bronx Valley Sewer System.
Related records: Series 94, Bronx Valley Sewer Commission Final Report, 1896.
Cross County Parkway Association Minutes, 1941-1948
Series 119
1.5 cubic ft. Arranged chronologically.
Minutes of the Association which was composed of members of the Westchester County Park Commission and which issued bonds, collected tolls, purchased land, constructed and maintained the Cross County Parkway. The Association, which was established in 1941, was disbanded in 1948 and its functions turned over to the Park Commission.
Continued by: Series 91
Elijah Miller House / Washington’s Headquarters Museum Records, ca. 1917-2011
Series 372
4.33 cubic ft. Arranged by type of record. View box and folder list.
Collection of materials relating to the operation of the Elijah Miller House / Washington’s Headquarters Museum assembled by staff of the Westchester County Parks Department who acted as curators at this historic house museum. Included are copies of a 2005 inventory of the collections at the house, which has photographs of the furnishings of the house at the time along with other information about the history of the house and its collections, maintenance, and operations; the guest registers for the house (primarily for the 1970s and late 1980s-early 1990s); the photographic collection from the house; and the documentary records from the house, which include a few deeds of gifts, correspondence, scholarly articles, newspaper clippings, brochures, teaching materials, and copies of inventories that had been conducted over the years. Issues of particular interest documented by the collection include the continued concern about the physical deterioration of the house and its collections and attempts to preserve it; the value of the house as a teaching museum for school groups, and the operation of the house by the Daughters of the American Revolution.
Grade Crossing Elimination Records, 1925-1958
Series 115
3 cubic ft. Arranged alphabetically. View box and folder list.
Blueprints, correspondence and maps concerning the elimination of crossings at grade on major thoroughfares. Grade crossing elimination in Westchester County was part of a statewide initiative. Records includes both approved and disapproved grade elimination sites. Photographs of grade crossing projects are available in the Department of Transportation records held by the New York State Archives.
Miscellaneous Photograph Collection, ca. 1910-1940
Series 384
.167 cubic ft. Unarranged. View box and folder list.
Photographs from various Westchester County parks and parkways, as well as Parks Department personnel and not clearing belonging to other collections held by the Westchester County Archives. See the Park Commission Photograph Collection for more information about the majority of Park photographs.
Related records: Series 322, Parks Department Contact Sheets / Prints Collection, ca. 1930s-2006 (bulk 1980s-2006); Series 323, Parks Department Slide Collection, ca. 1973-2007 (gaps)