310 The Story of The Bronx 



popularly, the Shore Road, after it crosses the bridge near the 

 mouth of Hutchinson's River. The Suburban branch of the 

 New York, New Haven, and Hartford Railroad traverses 

 the park from north to south, having stations at Baychester, 

 on the edge of the park, and at Bartow, within it. From this 

 latter, the City Island Road leads east to the end of Rodman's 

 Neck and over the bridge to City Island. Connecting Bartow 

 with the village of Pelham Manor, at the northwest corner 

 of the park, is the Prospect Hill Road, better known as the 

 "Split Rock" Road. 



This whole section consisted of farms and estates bordering 

 on the Sound and belonging to the old families and their 

 descendants — Drake, Pell, Furmen, Morris, Bartow, Hunter, 

 Schuyler, Spencer, Rodman, Marshall, are among the names 

 we find as owners; and a good deal of the property had been 

 in the families since colonial days. Many of the old mansions 

 erected subsequent to 1 840 still remain and are rented by the 

 Park Department; several are used as restuarants and road- 

 houses, and several of them as tenements for laborers and 

 employees of the park. The occupants of these mansions in 

 the days that are past formed a true country aristocracy, not 

 only of birth and wealth, but of education, culture, and refine- 

 ment. Some of the oldest houses were removed in 1902 and 

 the park commissioner utilized the materials in the erection 

 of forty-two free bath-houses along the shore south of the 

 bridge. These were so well patronized that the department 

 has constructed more. In February, 1903, a number of the 

 older remaining houses were sold at auction with the proviso 

 that they should be removed within thirty days. 



When Howe occupied Throgg's Neck in October, 1776, he 

 attempted to cross Westchester Creek both at Westchester 

 town and at the head of the creek, about where the Bronx 



