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917-741-2768

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A Residence & Meeting Place
724 Brush Avenue
Bronx, New York 10465
917-741-2768

 

Honor our Hero's our Fallen and our left behind on Memorial Day.

And be

Grateful for a peaceful 4th of July


A gray stone on E. Tremont is a historical marker.


Everyone had talked about the inconvenience of the Fourth of July falling on a Wednesday, that the holiday would be ruined without a couple days off around it. But that was the least of it.

Not only did it fall in the middle of the week, but it came in a week of worry after two terrorist attacks in England and Scotland failed to wreak mass destruction and loss of life, but succeeded in frightening and frustrating people.

As we were getting ready to celebrate Independence Day, once again there was debate over how much freedom we'd be willing to give up to be safe.

One New York congressman, Pete King (R-Long Island), called for more domestic spying; law enforcement officials said there would be more checkpoints, and some security experts advocated more cameras watching the public.

You couldn't help but feel a little scared and a little upset with yourself for feeling scared.

And the weather - too dreary for the beach.

So I stopped near Lehman High School to look at Westchester Creek to remind myself of people who faced fear and their courage to overcome it against tremendous odds.

Outside the White Castle on E. Tremont and Westchester Aves. a gray stone marred by graffiti marks the site of "A critical Revolutionary War battle won by keeping British troops from crossing the Westchester Creek Bridge." The ignoble monument doesn't say that 25 American riflemen held off 4,000 Redcoats.

The narrow, murky waterway even now has the feel of a simpler time. It is a mix of industry - the Fred M. Schildwachter & Sons Inc. fuel oil company has been there forever - with commercial vessels passing slowly. And colorful houseboats are moored there.

One denizen, George Chevallier, a history buff, became enthralled by the creek's story and studied the battle, using research from the Bronx historian, Lloyd Ultan. Chevallier dreams of doing a documentary on it.

"It's not as celebrated as other battles because Washington was not there during it," said Chevallier. "But he visited the woodpile the day before."

In the weeks and months after the Declaration of Independence was signed, war raged in New York City. And though the battle at Westchester Creek is not as famous as the Battle of Brooklyn, it is seen by historians as a crucial moment because the small band of riflemen delayed the British so Washington could flee the city with his army over the King's Bridge on the other side of the Bronx and up to White Plains.

Imagine the terror of farmers and mariners in Throgs Neck when fog lifted one morning and ships filled with Redcoats appeared, a line of vessels as far south as Hell Gate on the East River.

Four thousand soldiers landed there because the shoreline was best suited for such a huge contingent with horses and artillery and there was a road that led directly to King's Bridge.

At what is now Westchester Square, the road ran over a causeway that had been the dam for a mill on the bank of Westchester Creek. Planks formed a bridge the British needed to cross to reach King's Bridge.

There was a huge pile of cordwood next to the creek and a day earlier the 25 riflemen from Delaware were posted there with orders to defend the causeway and to take up the planks if the enemy approached. Washington approved the plan. They had no clue the British were coming the next day.

Imagine the terror felt by the 25 riflemen as the thousands of Redcoats marched down a hill toward the causeway. But the planks had been removed, stopping them cold, and the riflemen unleashed a volley of gunfire from behind the piles of cordwood on the other side of the creek.

The surprise attack confused the front line and the troops retreated to the top of the hill.

As soon as word spread of the British invasion in the Bronx, more than 1,500 American reinforcements were sent. The British also had more troops that were brought up from Hell Gate.

The distance from the Westchester Creek to King's Bridge was only 3 or 4 miles and the Americans' holding off the 4,000 British for a few hours proved pivotal, according to historians.

"The possession of the road to King's Bridge would not necessarily have meant the destruction of the American army at once, but the probability of its escape was remote, and success for the British would have ended the war," according to a historian quoted on the Historic Pelham Web site.

In the months ahead, if we are still grappling with fear, it might help to think of those 25 men along a creek in the Bronx who helped make possible all our Fourth of July holidays.

DESCRIPTION OF THE FERRY POINT COMMUNITY AND PARK
Basic History:
Ferry Point Community:
A  "Mixed use" area of Industry and Residential Homes.
Originally the 35 lots were given as a wedding present from Mr. Wenner to his daughter and son inlaw (1905?)
Parcels were purchased and re-purchased and developed by various people.
Location:
Located between Bruckner Blvd. and Schley Ave. along Brush Avenue.
This community is bordered on the East by the Hutchinson River Parkway
and West by Westchester Creek.
Brush Avenue is the main road through the Industry and the residential area of Ferry Point.
Brush Avenue runs (not quite a mile) from the Whitestone Cinema Entrance on the North Side of Bruckner Blvd. to Schley Avenue which runs along the North Terminus of the West Side of Ferry Point Park. 
16 addresses on Brush Ave. and the 4 (1 tenth of a mile) residential streets that branch off to the East from Brush Ave. are zoned R4A-1 with limited Growth. Wenner Place, Rohr Place, Senger Place, Jay Place.
The rest of the area is zoned M1-1 and M1-2.
Ferry Point Park:
This public Park offers stunning East River views of the Manhattan Skyline, Westchester Creek, Queens, and the East River.
We are lucky to have such a large park just a few minutes walk from our residential section.
The West side of this park is located at the South End of Brush Avenue. Our affiliated group "Friends of Ferry Point Park" has represented this park for over 6 years and Dorothea Poggi continues the Advocacy of Catherine Poggi for this Park as of 15 years ago.The main Park road "Ring Road" extends under the Bronx/Whitestone Bridge to the Easterly Section of the Park that includes the land fill/Future Golf Course, Community Park and Waterfront Promenade. This East side of the Park extends to Balcolm and Emerson Avenues.

Dorothea Poggi wants to offer her new experiences to others of her community.

Learning more from each of the following groups she is part of.... Dotti now feels more qualified to answer some of your questions pertaining to the wonderful Parks, wild areas, water front and water ways that surround our beautiful area of “Ferry Point and the area of the East Bronx”.

All these groups will be linked together during 2009 on our general websites of Ferry Point

 

Park Groups:

· FoFPP- Friends of Ferry Point Park:

www.FerryPointPark.org  

This group Leads Volunteer groups through the process of Waterfront Stewardships/Tree Stewardships/ and we are planning to plant Mollusk Beds. We have asked for a water fountain on the outside of the future comfort station to decrease the thousands of plastic water bottles that are thrown in the landfills each weekend due to no water fountain in this park.

There is a problem with wasted water and erosion that occurs from the open fire hydrants in the park that don’t even provide sprinklers for the children.

This site is filled with the projects and advocacy that we continue to participate in each year.

· PfP- Working along with Partnership for Parks: Dotti attended meetings to help develop the Speak Up and contributed to the workshop on “creating Alliances for your Park”

www.PartnershipForParks.org

 

Community Groups:

· NEBCA- North East Bronx Community Coalition: consisting of most of the civic and community groups throughout board 10 (Throggs Neck area).We meet monthly and try to attend each other’s meetings and rally’s. We support each other in our needs to keep our neighborhoods quality of life at the highest level possible.

http://www.NEBCAbronx.org  

· FPC Advocates-The Ferry Point Community Advocates: Besides protecting the neighborhood surrounding the Park, this group also supports the Friends group in their efforts. We are advocating for a Kayak launch at Ferry Point Park, we continue our push to speed up the comfort station construction (which we are told will start in May of this year).

www.ferrypointcommunity.org

.FPB- Ferry Point Bronx: (General Website) combines all other listed Ferry Point sites in the future

.BAAC Brush Avenue Action Council- A developing group of all stakeholders of the Brush Avenue area.

www.BrushAvenueBronx.org

Industry/Residential/Educational/Recreational/Environmental.

www.ferrypointbronx.org   (you are on this site)

.FPCG- Ferry Point Civic Group: Catherine Poggi Founder 1963 Ferry Point Civic Group

www.ferrypointcivic.org  

 

 Environmental Groups:

· HRRP-Hutchinson River Restoration Project :

www.HutchinsonRiverRestorationProject.org

D. Poggi as Vice Pres. will help this group bring the Hutchinson River closer to a water way that will contribute cleaner water for fish and other breeding activities, safer passive and recreational access for the community.

· BCEQ- Bronx Council of Environmental Quality:

www.BCEQ.org

D. Poggi a Director of this very involved environmental group

· EBEC- “East Bronx Environmental Coalition”:

A developing group of previously involved park and water groups that are banding together to help each other. Pugsley Creek/Bronx Greens/FP Park West Coalition/Hutchinson River Restoration Project

· WCEBK- Westchester Creek and Eastchester Bay Keepers:

Jack Reith, Catherine Poggi, Dorothy Poggi stay on the mailing list of

The Corp.of Army Engineers and Coastal publications to "watchdog" the projects in the area.

They have gathered historic Photos of The Areas previous and current wetlands and developments.

www.ferrypointpark.org (water button)

This year Dotti will be working with other interested groups to form the “Westchester Creek and Eastchester Bay Keepers” Working along with Friends of Ferry Point volunteer groups to bring the problems of these water ways to the public.

If you have interest in any of the above water ways, water fronts, Parks, etc. please call us at 917-741-2768.

 

www.BrushAve.org

www.NEBCAbronx.org

www.FerryPointPark.org

www.PartnershipForParks.org

www.FerryPointCivic.org

www.FerryPointBronx.org

www.ferrypointcommunity.org

www.HutchinsonRiverRestorationProject.org

www.BCEQ.org

Annual Events Calendar 2009
   
SPRING "It's My Park Day"
Sat. May 15th 2010
9:30AM-2PM
Join Volunteers to plant, clean, paint etc.
 

Community Service day
Fri. April 30/raindate May 7

9:30am - 1:30 pm150 Volunteers help maintain the park

 
Spring Survey Photo Session
Holiday Egg Hunt
Walk, run, Dog walk, or Photo with Dotti 10:30am - whenever?
Egg Hunt to be determined
 

Summer Tree Stewardship

Working with or without Green Apple "Parks" Group, our volunteers will weed and mulch around sections of the 3000 sapling trees donated by the Prince of Monaco to create a 9/11 Living Mmeorial Forest at Ferry Point Park and some of the Million tree planting of Mayor Bloomberg 2007.

 
Earth Day April 22 2010

9:30am-2pm

Join Volunteers to Clean, Plant etc.

 

FALL "It's My Park Day"
Oct. 9:30 - 1:30
Hot Dogs and Daffodils

Annual Fall plantings of Daffodils and other bulbs to bloom in the spring of 2010.
Friends of Ferry Point Park along with Ferry Point Community Advocates welcomes all who pre-register
Free Hot Dogs /Beverage/snacks/Watermellon

 

JULY 4TH BBQ

Back Yards of....

716, 722, 720, 724 Brush Avenue

Combined Membership invite to

FoFPP

FFFoFP

FPcomAdvoc

NEBCA

 

HALLOWEEN
a safe place

Annual Halloween Costume Contest/ Trick or Treat

Awards, Candy, Snacks, Haunted Trail and more

Cup cake decorating at 724 Brush Ave, Evening

 

Adult Annual Christmas Party

2010 Holiday Party will be planned

 

AnnualNew Years Hot Co Co for the Children Party

2010 Celebration for the Residents Children of Ferry Point

 

Annual Christmas Tree Lighting

Plan for 2010 December/ Hot Co Co and Tree Lighting

 

ALL Events require  registration

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